A Tad More

The presence of Albini is obvious throughout this recording: he's all over it like a rash.
And Tad's sound roars to life as a consequence.

The opening three tracks of this Albini produced mini-LP - the A side of the original vinyl - are to my mind the best tracks Tad recorded.
In fact I'd go further, and say that Salt Lick was one of the best recordings to emerge from the disparate, fracturing grunge scene.

The real stand-out number has to be 'High on the Hog', where we hear about Tad's schooling:

My girl taught me how to drink,
My girl taught me how to smoke,
My girl of eighteen years
Taught me everything I need to know.

Marvellous!

(Hmm, not a Nirvana song then.)

Listening to this really makes me wanna grow my hair well long, just so I can send it arcing round my body in time to these thudding, grinding riffs.

It so brings out the primordial metal-head inside of ya; the one deep down that exists in each and everyone of us... resistance is futile... Aah!... get back you bastard!
Tad - Salt Lick (1990)

Axe to Grind
High on the Hog
Loser
Hibernation
Glue Machine
Potlatch

Excellent vinyl rip @320kbs
Release the beast here

Just a Tad

It's a real sin that Tad's early material has been deleted and is now (outside of the blogosphere) quite unavailable.

Suffering somewhat from the fallout of one time label mates Nirvana's massive success - for once they were equals, appearing alongside each other on those wonderful Sub Pop tours across Europe at the end of the nineteen-eighties - they soon dropped out of the zeitgeist (as did Mudhoney, another of those early Sub Pop bands who were destined to be the next big thing) and grunge became territory that belonged strictly to Cobain and his cohorts.

It was apparent from those early tours that Tad were definitely the heaviest of the three acts, both literally (Tad Doyle was quite a large chap; appearing long before the BIG guy became an important accessory in many a metal band) and materially.

Their version of the so-called Seattle sound was rooted far more in metal than it was in blues or punk, the inspirational genres that fueled Mudhoney and Nirvana.
And on the occasions I saw them, they well managed to capture the hearts and imagination of the London audience, and were certainly able to hold their own alongside the other acts.
This first album, produced by Jack Endino, represented their sound and dynamism pretty well. There isn't really a poor track on it; and several outstanding numbers, 'Helot' (one of the best 'grunge' tracks ever), 'Sex God Missy' and 'Satan's Chainsaw' make you want to go back for more.

For some reason - a lack of direction in the way they were marketed may account for some lost opportunities - Tad were never able to sell many records; and as soon as Nirvana showed a hint of success Sub Pop seemed to concentrate their efforts solely on them.
Shame, coz Nirvana soon flew the nest and subordinated themselves to the whims of David Geffen and the whiff of corporate dollars.
You know the rest...

Tad - God's Balls (1989)

Behemoth
Pork Chop
Helot
Tuna Car
Sex God Missy (Lumberjack Mix)
Cyanide Bath
Boiler Room
Satan's Chainsaw
Hollow Man
Nipple Belt

Excellent cassette rip @320kbs
Get down and dirty with God's Balls here