Cup of Sand

Superchunk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 19, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B0000A59VF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,108 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where are those songs!? Oh, there they are..., October 31, 2005

By 

Stargrazer "the lost mixtape of my life" (deep in the heart of Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cup of Sand (Audio CD)

One of the nice things about Superchunk's singles and EPs is that you know the B-sides are going to be good. Not content to throw on a muffed studio take or a tossed-off live version, the band instead includes songs that stand on their own merits every bit as well (and sometimes better) than album cuts.

For completists or those who don't want to track down all the singles (a few of which are vinyl only), this is a great way to fill in the gaps. And it's pretty revelatory if you were a bit disappointed in the pace and production of "Indoor Living" or "Come Pick Me Up." Songs like "Her Royal Fisticuffs," "The Majestic" and "The Mine Has Been Returned To It's Original Owner" crackle with life. The loping "Fader Rules" appears in all its Tom Petty-conjuring glory. Fun covers of David Bowie, Adam Ant and Government Issue add some extra kick to this indie-rock curry. And "Becoming a Speck," "Clover," and "The Hot Break" shouldn't be missed by any serious Superchunk fan.

It's not exhaustive -- the superlative acoustic renditions from the "Hello Hawk" and "Driveway to Driveway" EPs are still AWOL, the wonderful Failure cover off the limited ed. "Laughter Guns" EP and a few others that deserve wider exposure remain missing. Perhaps we'll see them on future collections?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Plenty of keepers in this collection!, June 2, 2004

By 

John M. Abbott (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cup of Sand (Audio CD)

The only drawback to B-side collections is that when you discover a song that's really, really good, you wonder why the band didn't put IT on the album it was recorded for and leave off some of the garbage they DID put on the album. And so it is with Cup of Sand. "The Majestic," "Reg" and "With Bells On" are amazing songs that somehow didn't make the cut for Indoor Living; I think they're better than practically anything on Side Two of that album. And "Her Royal Fisticuffs" deserved better than languishing on an EP. Cup of Sand also collects some fun covers, acoustic versions of much-loved tracks like "Detroit Has a Skyline" and various songs that definitely DIDN'T deserve a spot on an album proper. The accompanying booklet is very meaty, as all four band members weigh in with their memories (or lack thereof) of each track.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Stuff For A Bunch Of Leftovers, October 30, 2003

By 

Pop Kulcher "Pop Kulcher" (San Carlos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cup of Sand (Audio CD)

Pop Kulcher Review: This is Superchunk's second collection of b-sides and rarities (third if you count the early singles collection), and like the last one (Incidental Music 1991-1995), it's actually slightly better than most of their standard album releases. Superchunk's blast of power-pop-infused punk has always played out better on their singles than over the course of an entire album; even their best albums seem padded out with some filler tracks. So while a collection like this naturally includes a fair number of throwaway tracks -- and, to be honest, there are only a small number of veritable Superchunk classics over the course of this double-cd set -- they're at least tracks that are meant to stand or fall in 3 minutes or less. So you've got a non-stop barrage of stand-alone thrashings, and you may not like them all, or even most of them, but it's still fun to fly through 'em. Although most of these date from the past few years, when 'Chunk's albums were hewing more to a power-pop landscape, there are a surprising number of songs more reminiscent of the frenzied punk sound of their earlier work. Anyway, it's a b-side collection from a band I've always ranked a bit behind most of the indie rock stalwarts of the 90's, so take it for what it's worth, but taken in that light it's a damn fun listen.