Most of you probably know about Texas band Toadies from their giant hit “Possum Kingdom” from their 1994 major label debut record Rubberneck
Great tune, but they were so much more. They put out other singles from Rubberneck but none had the success of “Possum Kingdom”. I particularly liked “Away”:
Their success at the time was well documented. Much later guitarist Clark Vogeler put out this mini-movie about the making of Rubberneck that is essential viewing:
What happened after Rubberneck was a tragic tale of record company malpractice.
The band was part of a thriving scene with other Texas-based bands in the alterative rock universe like Reverend Horton Heat and Butthole Surfers. Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers befriended them and Toadies began working on the next record with him producing.
As you could imagine, Interscope Records was not exactly jazzed about this collaboration. They wanted more hits, and the stuff they were working on was very uncommercial. They made a ton of demos that were never released. Years went by with very little record label support. The tours and shows got smaller.
Four years later the band turned in the record (called Feeler) and Interscope refused to release it. They instead sent Toadies back to the studio with producer Tom Rothrock. Some of the Feeler songs were revamped and re-recorded but many of the songs in these sessions were brand new.
This record became Hell Below / Stars Above, which is today’s pick!
This album definitely came out very below the radar. It didn’t help that it finally came out in 2001: a full 7 years after *Rubberneck!! That’s several lifetimes in the world of alternative rock.
That’s a shame because Hell Below / Stars Above found the band somehow getting more streamlined (with a huge debt to 1970s hard rock) yet still retaining some of the weirdness that Gibby Haynes rubbed off on them.
The album opens with “Plane Crash” a full-throttle rocker!
That song flies (no pun intended?) right into the next song, “Push the Hand”. This was actually the single, but the label didn’t even bother to make a video for it:
My favorite song on the record is “Heel” an absolutely raging tune:
They kicked it up a notch (if you can believe that) when they performed it live. Listen to how tight the band was at this time!
“You’ll Come Down” is another highlight. I adore the catchy, melodic chorus.
The final song I’ll highlight is the title track. A multi-part epic that has high proggy ambitions. They really stretched out here with a unique sound I never really heard other bands in this style and era attempting. They also had Elliot Smith playing piano on the song, which doesn’t hurt!
They nailed this song live too:
Unfortunately, the tensions with the band members along with the lack of label support caused Toadies to break up. Bassist Lisa Umbarger was the first to leave and everything else fell apart soon afterwards. Truly the end of an era.
Toadies have since reformed but without Lisa. They’ve put out some solid records but nothing that touches Hell Below / Stars Above. An unsung classic slab of alternative rock that needs wider appreciation.
