Episode Notes

Episode twenty one of To Here Knows When - Great Irish Albums Revisited focuses on Nurse by Therapy?

“Therapy? kick off sounding like Nirvana and end with a final guitar stroke that imitates The Beatles. In between, Nurse is solid Therapy? Pure and simply staggering.” - NME

In this episode Andy Cairns joins me to chat about the writing and recording of Therapy’s debut album Nurse released on A&M records in 1992. In a long conversation we discuss: Therapy’s move from Wiija Records to A&M and accusations from the time of “selling out”; the band’s 30th anniversary and recent tours; early gigs with Babes in Toyland; the influence of Belgian New Beat; writing Nurse in a farmhouse in Co. Carlow; recording at Loco Studios in Wales; the release of ‘Teethgrinder’ as their debut single on A&M; early support from John Peel; the band’s background growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles; attending gigs in Belfast in the late 80s and early 90s; touring America with The Screaming Trees; the remastering of both Babyteeth and Pleasure Death; the SharpShortShock EP, Troublegum and working with producer Chris Sheldon; playing Monsters of Rock at Donnington Castle 1994; Therapy’s cover version of Hüsker Dü’s ‘Diane’ and Andy’s heroes Grant Hart and Pete Shelley and more.

On the 11th of August 1990 Melody Maker awarded “Single of the Week” to ‘Come Together’ by Primal Scream – declaring it a classic and stating that it was better than ‘Loaded’. Other bands who had singles reviewed that week included, The B52’s, Saint Etienne, Eric B and Rakim, and the Associates. Whipping Boy’s self-titled debut EP for Cheree Records was reviewed and so to was ‘Meat Abstract’ – Therapy? had self-released a 7” of the track. In a short 22 word review Everett True stated: “Irish amalgam between the hardcore corrosive thrash of Wax Trax Records and someone meaty, beaty, big and grungy like Tad. Fine stuff.”

Now, don’t forget that in a pre-Internet world, it sometimes took a bit of time to decipher references in reviews. In time I learnt that Wax Trax was a record label based in Chicago, predominately known for releasing Industrial music by artists such as Ministry, Meat Beat Manifesto, Front Line Assembly and others. It was also known for releasing stateside records by the band Front 242 and other Belgian New Beat artists. The “someone meaty, beaty, big and grungy like Tad” line referred Seattle band fronted by Tad Doyle who were on Sub Pop records and were regarded as one of the heaviest North-West bands of the grunge-era. I had successfully decoded the Melody Maker review and would now wait for Fanning or Peel to play this band.

I used to find it impossible to tune into Peel’s nightly BBC Radio 1 programme from Cork, but I could get the BBC World Service on longwave and I always taped the weekly programme that Peel broadcast on that station. Sure enough, Therapy? duly recorded sessions for both Fanning and Peel.

In February 1992 Andrew Perry again reviewed Therapy? for Select. The band had just released Pleasure Death, their second mini-LP for Wiija Records. Pleasure Death was produced by the band’s sound engineer, Harvey Birrell, and the recording was engineered by John Loder at his Southern Studios. It was a better recording than its predecessor, if still a little muddy but didn’t fully capture Therapy?’s astonishing live assault of the time. Perry wrote: “If Pleasure Death isn’t the leap forward that might’ve been hoped for, the potential remains.” He continued, “Their first full-length platter will surely torch all comers for crafted nastiness when it arrives.”

A few months after Pleasure Death Therapy? signed a record deal with A&M records. Now at the time in our world – Therapy? signing to a major label was huge news and it was news that a lot of music fans were absolutely horrified by.

We needn’t have worried – we got to hear what Therapy? on A&M would sound like in October of 1992 with the release of the extraordinary ‘Teethgrinder’. And what did it sound like – well it sounded exactly like Therapy? It was a big, loud, driving, crazy banger – it was brilliant and it reached No. 19 in the Irish Charts and No. 30 in the UK Charts. Therapy? with an actual chart hit – on their own terms.

Nurse, Therapy?’s debut full-length album followed a few weeks after ‘Teethgrinder’ and again Andrew Perry reviewed it for Select: “Live, they’re the proverbial incendiary power unit, wild, driven and razor-edged, but their previous two mini-LP’s on Wiija, Babyteeth and Pleasure Death, lost some of the focus in muddy, low-budget production.” Perry continued, “They wisely kept their live soundman Harvey Birrell at the helm for this all-important full-length debut, but with more time and money at their disposal from A&M, they honed the record they always threatened to make.”

It had been an absolute rollercoaster of a year, Pleasure Death had gone to number one in the indie charts and by year’s end over 120,000 copies of Nurse, their debut album had been sold. And if 1992 had been a crazy year for the band, nothing could have prepared them for what was right around the corner in 1993 with their next three releases for A&M.

The Face the Strange EP with its lead track ‘Turn’ followed in June reaching No. 18 in the UK. And in August ‘Opal Mantra’ reached No. 14 in the UK. Four years of constant gigging and hard work had paid off - Therapy? were now huge, the next album, 1994’s Troublegum would take them global and ultimately sell over a million copies.

For this episode we return to 1992’s Nurse, the band’s debut full-length album and the record that bridged their early indie career and that later chart success.   

For Further Listening/Reading:

To Here Knows When column in The Goo on Nurse…

Nurse can be heard below:

Below a selection of Therapy? music press cuttings from Melody Maker, Select, and CMJ.