The Elastica FAQ File

Well, I call it that, although a lot of these aren't frequently asked at all. In fact, some of them have never ever been asked, to my knowledge. Still, it's the best format I can think of for this kind of information. Questions marked * are either new or have been changed recently.

Who are Elastica?
What are their main influences?
What were they almost called before they decided on Elastica?
...so why Elastica?
When are they going to release a new single?
... and what about a new album?
Do any of the band have email addresses?
How was the album title decided on?
Why are all the songs so short?
What was the album misprint?
What does S.O.F.T. stand for?
What are "Pain", "Situation", "Black Dogs" and "You"?
What is "Spaghetti Junction"?
What is "Jackanory"?
Where can I get a copy of Stutter/Pussycat?
Who have they nicked tunes from....
...and does it matter?
Who are Dan Abnormal and Jane Oliver?
Isn't Justine related to .... ?
What's said at the the beginning of All Nighter? (and Spastica, Hold me now... etc.)
Who are the Darling Buds?
What music videos have they done?
What does the Japanese at the end of the Car Song video mean?
* What does the Japanese on the band's 1996 Xmas card mean?
What instruments do they play?
What's this song about?
What are the Peel sessions?
Where can I get copies of the Peel Sessions?
I was at this gig and I'm sure I saw.....
What about all the media hype?

Who are Elastica?

A traditional alt.music.alternative question...
Elastica are a predominately female British band who emerged to great critical acclaim in 1993. They gained the media's attention playing twenty minute sets full of explosive two minute songs, but have grown to become one of the most highly regarded British bands of today, having released four singles and a brilliant debut album. They are a band who have been under the spotlight since their formation because of their numerous highly placed connections, and have even survived being declared part of the New Wave of the New Wave (did anyone else?) In the UK they are signed to a small independent label, Deceptive, while Geffen handle their recordings internationally.
See also their history and biogs.

Who are their main influences?

They are most obviously influenced by new wave punk bands. Any list would have to include the following, though:

What were they almost called before they decided on Elastica?

Before the band finally settled for Elastica, they almost called themselves:

Vaseline - The name the band chose when they first started rehearsing back in 1992.
Onk - The band played under this name at their first gig at the Old Trout in Windsor where they were supporting Truman's Water.
Kirby Grip - ???
Spastica - Not very PC...
Spastics Society - ...and neither was that!
Dad - Suggested by Brett Anderson.

...so why Elastica?

Jane Oliver thought up the name and the band liked it... simple as that!

Thanks for asking them the question Van!

When are they going to release a new single?

Well, the band are still recording and there doesn't look like there will be a new single released until maybe the autumn of 1997

... and what about a new album?

Any new album will appear soon after the next single release.

Do any of the band have email addresses?

No.

How was the album title decided on?

The Melody Maker held a competition to suggest a title, but the band rejected the readers' suggestions, saying that the general standard of suggestions was "dreadful". Some of the better ideas were: The title was going to be "Keys, Money and Fags" (a line from "Line-Up") but this was rejected because of the American-English connotation of "Fags". "Eponymous" was also (thankfully) rejected on the grounds of pretention, before "Elastica" was settled on.

Why are all the songs so short?

Better let Justine answer that one:
If you're watching a band you're not familiar with you wanna hear the verse, you wanna hear the chorus, you wanna hear the next song .... The whole thing of playing two middle eights and triple choruses to finish isn't music, it's brainwashing.

What was the album misprint?

According to the Melody Maker, there were two thousand copies spread throughout the vinyl limited edition which listed the first song as "Waking Up" instead of "Line-Up" on the A-side of the disc. This was apparently caused by a "ghost in the machinery". Excuse my cynicism, but would a band who only produced 1500 copies of their first single accidentally do an exclusive run of misprints?

What does S.O.F.T. stand for?

According to Donna, it's "Same Old Fucking Thing".

What are "Pain", "Situation", "Black Dogs" and "You"?

Apparently some bootlegs have these songs listed. It has been suggested that these are in fact:

What is "Spaghetti Junction"?

"Spaghetti Junction" (mentioned in Car Song) is an infamous intersection in Britain, where several motorways meet. It's extremely confusing and, yes, it does look uncannily like spaghetti from above.

What is "Jackanory"?

"Jackanory" (mentioned in Annie, and also Blur's Country House) is a children's television programme on the BBC. Basically, it takes a different book each week and serialises it into 5 ten minute chunks. Please don't ask why "Mr. Murphy" likes it (because I don't know)

Where can I get a copy of Stutter/Pussycat?

The situation over Stutter is quite confusing. Basically there have been four releases of it:

  1. The original 7".: this was a 1500 copy run which is now impossible to get hold of. If you do have a copy to sell it would be worth contacting the fan-club - you'll probably manage to get a fantastic price for it. I saw a record collecting guide which said it was worth UKP 12, but that was before Elastica came into the limelight to the extent that they have. I would think you'd have to part with upwards of UKP 30 to get a copy (if you're lucky).
  2. The Sub-pop Singles Club release: Sub-Pop released a series of singles from British bands under the "Singles Club" tag. The Elastica 7". was relased on the 23rd of August, 1994. This was also Stutter bw Pussycat. It was released on red vinyl, and only in the States. Even in the States it was very difficult to find, so it may well have been a limited edition. Certainly in the UK it's rare, and probably quite valuable. However, this seven inch was also released in the Singles Club box set produced for the Helter Shelter benefit gig. The only difference is that the one in the box set doesn't have the rough cardboard cover. Also in the box set you get a little leaflet telling you about all the bands.
  3. The US Geffen Stutter release: In stark contrast to the other two releases of Stutter, this is extremely easy to get hold of. Unfortunately it doesn't have Pussycat on it. For the songs on this release see the discography.
  4. The European/Australian Stutter release: I'm not entirely sure about this, since I've only got the Australian version, but the description of the EC one sounds very similar. It's got a Stutter, Pussycat, Blue (demo) and Spastica on it, and has a monochrome picture of Justin on the cover. Well worth having - I think it's the perfect CD to lend to people who haven't heard Elastica before.

Who have they nicked tunes from?

The two most major thefts were fromn the Stranglers and Wire. Elastica settled out of court over the similarities between "Connection" and Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba", and between "Waking Up" and the Stranglers' "No More Heroes". However, there are lots of other riffs and tunes which appear to be lifted stright from some new wave classics. In addition to the two obvious ones above fans have suggested: Another interesting similarity is between the bass lines of "Line Up" and "Girls and Boys" by Blur. Justine's comment on this was:

"Mm. We don't talk about that, those sort of things cause divorces."

Much more obviously, they did a straight cover of "Cleopatra" by Adam and the Ants which came on the free flexi with the vinyl edition of the album. "Father Christmas" is the same song with different lyrics (sometimes known as Cleochristmas) Also, the bass line of "Gloria" is the tune of the Christmas carol "Ding-Dong Merrily on High".

...and does it matter?

It bothers some people a lot, who moan about lack of originality. The defence runs something like this: musicians throughout time have taken ideas and tunes from their influences and developed them. There's nothing wrong with this way of acknowledging your musical heritage. Maybe it's unproductive if it doesn't take you any further, but Elastica have their own identity and distinctive sound. They are definitely a nineties band, and moreover a progressive nineties band. Allegations of them taking music back to the late 70s / early eighties just don't stick.
But, there's always going to be a debate about this one. Those who don't object, and like the music will be fans of the band - and the rest don't have to listen to them.

Who are Dan Abnormal and Jane Oliver?

A little anagramming gives Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur and Justine's lover as the mystery keyboard player. Jane Oliver is/was Donna's flatmate in Camden.

Isn't Justine related to .... ?

Yes, almost certainly. So here is the canonical list of bizzare and useful connections Elastica have:

  • What's said at the the beginning of All Nighter? (and Spastica, Hold me now... etc.)

    • Several Elastica songs have bizarre (and irrelevant) exchanges between members of the band at the beginning or end. Not all of these are entirely distinct, so here are the ones that people have asked about:

    Who are the Darling Buds?

    Before Donna joined Elastica she played guitar with the Darling Buds (before being sacked). Who are they ? What records have they released and when ?

    To find out, follow this link.

    What music videos have they done?

    To see the complete list of Elastica's videos, and how (in the case of Stutter) you can actually buy one, have a look at the video page.

    What does the Japanese at the end of the Car Song video mean?

    According to Jeremy Kidd, on the mailing list, the text at the bottom of the screen means "Geffen Recording Company". Also when they're being attacked by the monster at the end (I just have to see this video....) Donna says "Kuruwayo", which means "He's coming".

    What does the Japanese on the band's 1996 Xmas card mean?

    Elastica's 1996 Xmas Card This latest explanation is from Andrew Morse. Thanks to Matt Nicholls for passing it on.

    I saw the discussion of the Japanese text on an Elastica page and just wanted to weigh in. The big headline says simply "recycling." There is no subject or object of the recycling, although the implication is that recycling is a worthy endeavor.

    The first line of small text is literally "generic." It is also the name of a company that makes generic products -- everything from pens and pencils to hot pots and the like -- but has become a brandname in and of itself. (I believe the company is publicly traded.) The small text underneath that reads "shonen nouto," or "youngster's notebook."

    The biggest mystery is the large character to the extreme left of the line of large text. To the best of my knowledge, it isn't a character, and, as such, has no meaning. Judging from the handwriting, this wasn't written by a native Japanese. I suspect that it was something copied by a non-Japanese artist and an error was introduced at that point. The art also resembles some of the "manga" (comic book) styles that are currently popular.

    Anyways, hope that is of some help.

    AKM

    What instruments do they play?

    Instead of just writing down that X plays Y, here's an excerpt from a Melody Maker interview with producer Marc Waterman (8th April 1995).

    "Justin mainly uses a Ludwig kit and a Black Beauty snare, which tends to get used by everyone everywhere, I think. It seems to be the ubiquitous snare that ends up on every record - we would try eight or nine different snares and we'd always end up back with Justin's seven-inch Black Beauty."

    "Justine uses Fender Twin Reverb amps all the time, but you have to get the ones made before '72-'73 because they changed all the speaker units and the electronics with the CBS takeover. She plays a Telecaster and the only pedal she uses is a Rat."

    "Donna uses a Tele and a standard Marshall stack, with a Rat and a Metalzone - it's either Ibanez or Boss - a horrible crunchy sound that really works for her because she's got a lot more of a pedal driven sound."

    "They always stick to Telecasters - we got some Gibsons in but they weren't used because they were a bit too woolly and nasty. We also used this ridiculous old semi-acoustic guitar that's got no name or branding, and we used that for feedback effects."

    "Annie uses Squier or Fender Jazz basses with an Ampeg cab and SVT3. With her sound, we spent a long time during the early demos and gigs setting up that Stranglers crunch sound. On the early singles, we used a Portatone, which is where the original sound came from, but they're very unreliable because they can't take the pressure - they crack up and die on you."

    You can also have a look at the Elastica Production Specs which the band's monitor engineer Drew Waters has put up on his web site. You'll also find information there about the stage layout, crew schedule and other touring details...

    What's this song about?

    The easiest way to find out is to study the lyrics. We've also added in quotes about some of the songs which will give you some idea of what they're about. There are some more pointers, though. I wouldn't spend too much time working out what Blue's about, for instance. Some of the songs, particularly those by Donna, aren't necessarily meant to convey anything except, in the case of 2:1. A lot of Justine's songs are about Damon, e.g. Smile, Hold Me Now and a couple clearly are about Brett Anderson e.g. the venomous Never Here.

    What are the Peel sessions?

    They are sessions recorded for John Peel's radio show on BBC Radio 1. Elastica have recorded three with the following songs:

    Recorded August 12th 1993

    Recorded June 14th 1994

    Recorded December 6th 1994

    Where can I get copies of the Peel Sessions?

    You can't really, officially. A few of the tracks have been released as B-sides for the singles (e.g. Annie, Rockunroll). Also, there are different versions of a few of them which have been released (e.g. the album versions of Never Here and Car Song). The only ways of getting copies are to find someone who taped the original broadcasts, offer the BBC unreasonably large amounts of money or get one of the bootlegs that are around.

    I was at this gig, and I'm sure I saw...

    At one of the gigs I've been to, I was sure I saw Donna watching the support band in the audience. (It was difficult to tell, because of the number of Donna lookalikes at such occasions) However, other people have also commented on seeing members of the band hanging around in the audience, so if you're unsure - it probably was.

    What about all the media hype?

    Yes, Elastica are the band who've had more front covers than records. They were undoubtedly over-hyped by the music press, but it looks like they got it right in this case. But, let's face it, they were a pretty safe bet, with all the Suede connections, a fantastic debut single and simply looking good. Here, for instance, is a choice example of that media hype which turned out to be spot on.

    Spiky, spunky and tighter than Brett Anderson's kinky vests; a sheer rush of frivolity and a sense of cool abandonment that only a band supremely confident of their impending celebrity could pull off.
    NME review of Stutter - Johnny Dee - October 16th 1993

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