Cud
Cud were formed in Leeds in 1987 by Carl Puttnam (b. 1967, Ilford, Essex, England; vocals), Mike Dunphy (b. 1967, Northumberland, England; guitar), William Potter (b. 1968, Derby, England; bass) and Steve ‘The Drummer From Cud’ Goodwin (b. 1967, Croydon, Surrey, England; drums). The quartet sprung into existence when they discovered the remains of a deserted drum kit in a rubbish skip. They debuted on the Wedding Present's Reception label and spent two years building up a small but fanatical north England following with a comical hybrid of funk and the uglier elements of independent music. Threatened by a not entirely undeserved ‘joker’ tag — helped by Cud's desire to perform absurd versions of Hot Chocolate and Jethro Tull songs — 1990 brought ‘a new sense of sanity and professionalism' to the band. Critical acclaim coincided with a more nationwide spread of supporters, and their newfound attitude reaped commercial dividends when the Robinson Crusoe single reached number 86 in the UK charts, closely followed by Magic peaking at number 80. With financial viability suddenly outweighing the band's odder idiosyncracies, major labels tussled for their signatures until Cud decided to go with A&M Records in 1991 for the simple reason that the label's logo ‘had the trumpet’. This move saw the release in the summer of 1992 of ASQUARIUS, which earned the group glowing reviews. However, the transition from indie chart to mainstream pop territory was not as easy as this early victory might have suggested. A&M launched the band with a seemingly endless collection of promotional gimmicks (balloons, mobiles, etc.) but failed to reap significant commercial reward. Despite this, the critics were still kind to SHOWBIZ, wherein Cud provided a less insular pop sound and ‘mature’ lyrics (mature in comparison to previous efforts, but hardly by anyone else's standards).