Hup (album)

Hup is the second album by The Wonder Stuff.

Contents

• The wonder stuff radio ass kiss
• Cartoon boyfriend the wonder stuff hup 1989
• Track listing
• 2000 Reissue bonus tracks
• 21st Anniversary Edition
• Personnel
• Songs
• References

The Hup album contains several references to the 1980s BBC sit-com The Young Ones.

"30 Years In The Bathroom" features the line: 'Now it's time to share the joke that the latch on the bathroom door was broke.' The song name is taken from an exchange between Neil and Rik after Neil has been waiting outside the bathroom door for Rik to come out. Rik asks Neil 'How long have you been waiting there?' and Neil replies "30 years" (this is itself a reference to Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights).

There is also another Young Ones reference in the song "Cartoon Boyfriend". In the episode called Sick, Mike walks into a room and says to the other house mates "What's this fish doing in my bed?" before walking back off set looking perplexed. In the song Hunt sings the line "there's a worm in my head and a fish in my bed, she said. Confused? You will be..."

"Let's Be Other People" mentions the book by Leonard Cohen called Beautiful Losers.

"Piece of Sky" was originally planned to be the next single after "Golden Green", but this plan was abandoned when Rob Jones left the band in December 1989. The promotional video originally filmed for "Piece Of Sky" was re-worked (notably with all shots of Rob Jones being removed) and ultimately used for their next single, "Circlesquare", which was written on the same day as "Can't Shape Up"; May 9, 1989.

"Can't Shape Up" was originally much slower and played on acoustic guitar with harmonica. One version featured references to Rick Astley. The slower version was released on the Welcome to the Cheap Seats EP.

"Good Night Though" refers to a line in a 1976 BBC play by Mike Leigh called Nuts in May, featuring a group of Brummies going camping.

"Unfaithful" is the folksy ballad on the album, and does not feature percussion, only strings and acoustic guitar. "Golden Green" was originally a purely electric guitar and percussion song which had Martin Bell's fiddle and banjo added. There was an alternate chorus to "Golden Green" which was not included in the version on Hup.