The Throes
The Era of Condolence
1989 (no label)
Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Harold G. Evans III – The drums, tympany, extraneous percussion, and other voice
William C. Campbell IV – The guitar, the harpsicord, and the voice
Dean Nitz – The bass
Wendy Woods – Sang some
Side 1:
- Come Home
- Heritage
- Think of You
- Elizabeth
Side 2:
- Circles
- No Map
- Dead End Street
The debut demo from The Throes, and what a demo it is. The Throes went on to being signed to all kinds of labels, and this demo was even released with a special edition of their 12 Before 9 album that was released in a round metal tin (it was a 90s thing). The Throes did the whole “90s jangle alternative rock” sound very, very well. Their sound has been compared to a mixture of R.E.M. and The Smiths, and I think that is a good description for this demo. Some sources say that “Elizabeth” was not on this demo, but this copy has it at the end of side 2. Of course, it is pretty obvious that the song title was added to the J-card after it was printed, so I wonder if they just forgot to label some tapes? Interestingly, none of the songs here made it onto any of their later albums (although “Elizabeth” and “Dead End Street” got considerable attention from being featured on the Arghhh!!! compilation by R.E.X. Records). Probably one of my top favorite demos of this genre.
Christian Tape Underground 