[.ca] Eight-Legged Groove Machine

From Amazon.co.uk:
Maybe it was the fact that the uncle of singer Miles Hunt had played unhinged French horn on the very weird first ELO album and sax with retro rock & roll pranksters Wizzard which so inspired the irreverent humour and common pop touch of the Wonder Stuff. Appearing from nowhere (well, Wolverhampton actually) in 1987 and with girls' hairstyles, The 'Stuffies dutifully stuck a whoopee cushion beneath the raincoat-covered arse of a glum English indie scene with their 1988 debut Eight Legged Groove Machine--a winning mix of brisk, skiffle-light, laddish pop and quite swaggering impertinence. "Unbearable", for example hammed it up with a sawn-off That Petrol Emotion riff and the almost Churchillian barb of "I didn't like you very much when I met you/but now I like you even less" while "It's Yer Money I'm After, Baby" ("It's not your heart/it's your bank I want to break") was something akin to Ray Davies with behavioural problems. "Astley In The Noose" (one of four b-sides added to this repackaged edition) was a call for the hanging of a certain manly voiced 80s pop star for the crime of singing oldies. Probably a jibe too far, considering the Wonder Stuff went on to have a number one single with a rather hairy-chested version of Tommy Roe's mouldy old "Dizzy". --Kevin Maidment

classic late-80's psychedelic alterna-pop:
i may be dating myself but i got this when it came out and i saw them on tour shortly thereafter at the cabaret metro. they covered john lennon and at the end they dumped water on the bass thing's dreadlocked head. wow. i can't believe i remember that. a few records scream alternative 80's. the pixies. janes addiction. and these guys. brilliant pop songs done with great... weellll, done great. you remember the late 80's psychedelic re-emergence? redd kross? the three o'clock? yes these guys were the bomb. fer awhile. take beatles-level songcraft and multiply it with sex pistols' f.u. sneer and you might get something like this. the bassist was the brilliant x-factor for these guys (RIP). worthwhile listening.

They Don't Make Music Like This Anymore\o.\c:
Song for song one of the Greatest Cds/albums ever made. Every song is great... I saw these guys several times in the late 80s and early 90s. It's a shame that they never hit it big here. Maybe that's a good thing. I listen to this cd and wonder why the radio \ois\c so badly these days. Maybe someday, one these ...bands that we hear so much on the radio will go back and listen to this album realize this is how you write pop music. Buy this Cd!! keep the legacy alive!! Long Live Miles Hunt!...

They Don't Make Music Like This Anymore!!!:
Song for song one of the Greatest Cds/albums ever made. Every song is great!!! I saw these guys several times in the late 80s and early 90s. It's a shame that they never hit it big here. Maybe that's a good thing. I listen to this cd and wonder why the radio sucks so badly these days. Maybe someday, one these sucky bands that we hear so much on the radio will go back and listen to this album realize this is how you write pop music. Buy this Cd!! keep the legacy alive!! Long Live Miles Hunt!!!

Great raw energy songwriting:
This comes from the time where they used to make albums with only singles-quality songs. By far the best work from the Wonderstuff, although the first! You'll think of the beatles with a new youth, more energy but those songs that stick in your head for a while. I never ubderstood why the wonderstuff never got bigger. They were here before Oasis and are much beter in my humble opinion.

Ah...the memories:
This album brings back such memories. I remember being the only kid in 8th grade who had ever heard of The Wonder Stuff. I went to school with a bunch of geeks who preferred Madonna and Michael Jackson. I still quote Astley in the Noose whenever some 30-something friend starts swooning over Rick Astley ("Oh, he was sooooo cute!"). He hasn't got a use, but he's trying. If you like late 80s alternative Euro music with a sense of humor, check this out.

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