TOSSING SEEDS: Singles 89-91 (Merge, 1992)

Jack McCook (original Superchunk guitarist): It seemed very strange to me. Weren't rock bands suppose to have stories about being so destitute before getting their first, big "record deal" that they had been living in crawl spaces and eating paper for five years prior? That's what I'd read over and over in melodramatic Rolling Stone interviews all my life. Hence, I was a bit perplexed when I heard Mac mention something about "Chunk's" first gig (at a party), recording a 7" and recording a full-length all in one breath at probably our sixth practice when going-over the band's I.T. for the next few weeks in the summer of 1989. "Indie-rock" was still a strange thing and I, like many, had no idea how Sub Pop, SST, Homestead and the like did things.

Yet, sure as shit, we recorded a 7". Still living under the misconception of "corporate rock," I expected that we'd be recording in some hi-tech facility, full of sound-proof rooms and guys through plexiglass windows giving us the thumbs-up as they messed with elaborate consoles and sliders. I did not expect Duck Key Studios to be a grandmotherly house in a grandmotherly neighborhood, manned by the sweetest, nicest person I've met heretofore: Jerry Key. We recorded three songs: two covers and one original. "Train from Kansas City" was a cover of a song by a Phil Spector-esque girl band from the sixties called the Shandelles or some shit. I was totally into playing that song 'cause I like girl bands and 'cause I liked the way we did it. Secondly, we did an 80's "punk" song by the Flys called "Night Creatures," which I thought was pretty rockin'. Then we did one of Mac's songs called "My Noise"... which, of all the songs we did, I hated the most, namely 'cause it was sort of slow and, most of all 'cause I didn't do much in it but strum an open C-chord through most of the song.

We recorded most of this live except for some drum parts and some guitar layering that Mac did. When it was time for the vocals, me and Laura and Chuck sat outside on the steps that Saturday afternoon and smoked cigarettes and, most likely, didn't say much to each other. After an hour or two, we were officially allowed to re-enter the sanctum to check-out the semi-final product. We had never had any form of amplification for vocals during our practices or at our fist gig - maybe Mac sang through a cheap guitar amp, I don't know. At any rate, I'd never heard his voice before... I just assumed he had a good one since he had the balls to be the singer of the band. When Jerry played back the finished product, I wasn't sure if this was a joke or not. I just remember putting my face in my hands and thinking "This can't be for real... this ISN'T the way he sings!" After looking at Mac's face as we listened to it and realizing he was serious, I was freaked-out to realize I was in a band supporting a singer with this cracking, pleading voice... a voice which we've all come to love.

Jim: A week before moving to Chapel Hill I got a call one night from Mac. The band was over at his place practicing and had just come up with "Fishing", which they played for me. It didn't sound much different coming over long distance from the way it ended up sounding on sixteen track. That might say more about the quality of ATT's phone lines than it does about the sonic expertise of Jerry Kee, who, I gotta say, is a boss dude if there ever was one. I can9t believe I just used the expression "boss dude". "Cool" was always fin to play live, and still is, for that matter. Lou Barlow thought it was obvious sounding. Then he picked out the lyrics and realized that, in fact, it was a perfect marriage of ironic form and scathing content. I don't know. Maybe I'm putting words in his mouth. We don't play "The Breadman" much anymore, and that's probably as it should be. I have nothing to say about "Cast Iron". So there. The same goes for "Seed Toss". The two Sebadoh covers were done at a point before Sebadoh performed as a rock band, so they made more sense in the context of their time.