Original liner notes:

THE EVIL THAT SWIMS BETWEEN US…

“What the hell?” Yes, that is the most common reaction upon first hearing Purple Fish. It is usually followed by something like, “have you started yet” or “yeah, i think it is infected.” Yet expletive-filled outbursts and frivolous litigation have never dissuaded the Fish from pursuing their hapless musical dreams.

And so 2002 finds yet another series of Purple Fish compilations flooding the music market. Though the band has been essentially defunct for nearly a decade there appears to be no limit to how many times the boys will repackage, remix and remake their legacy. It would be sad if it weren’t so pathetic.

Shoveling Chum follows a long tradition of career retrospectives inflicted upon the American people by what Undersecretary of Agriculture Ross Everman called music’s Axis of Evil – Darin, Rob and Bruce. Always swimming against the current, always fighting the pop culture jihad declared against them, the Fish have waged a lonely and pointless battle through the 1980s, the 1990s and now whatever the hell this decade is called.

And yet their influence continues to pervade even the most remote corners of the globe. From the high, windswept plains of Andorra to the sandy beaches of Wallis and Futuna, people around the world love fish. And sometimes they have even heard of the Fish.

What the hell? Yes, what the hell indeed.

Excerpted from “In Light of Recent Events… Purple Fish – Now More Than Ever” by A.Q. Martinez. Published 2002 by Humper Colons Press.

All songs written, recorded and produced by Brock, Brown and Cummings (or some variation thereof). Compilation design and production by Vortura. Photography by B.D. Cummings. Cover model Ayman appears courtesy of the Fjord Agency. Copyright (c) 2002 Vortura Masterworks (www.vortura.com). Released under license from Tonto Disco Records (www.tontodisco.com).

Smoking Tschaikovsky (2:25)
Brock & Cummings

Darin played keyboards and a real piano on this one! Bruce played bass, sang and did the drum machine. Recorded at Bruce’s parents house in Duncanville, Texas. The vocals were recorded while hungover one morning at the kitchen table. The bass part was supposed to be a banjo, but budget limitations (and musical ability) prevented that dream from being realized.

From the unreleased Music Isn’t Fun project. Copyright © 1989 Dying Horse Musique.

Eat It Tracey (3:24)
Brock & Cummings

Written somewhere in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. A floor tile was cracked in the kitchen of Bruce’s parents during the recording of the intro on this one. Bruce played bass, sang, did the drum machine thing, and played some keyboards. Darin played keyboards and sang. The vocals were recorded through paper towel cardboard tubes. Seemed like a good idea at the time. This song was inspired by the lovely Tracey Plantenga (where are you now Tracey?). The song is indeed about food so get your minds out of the gutter (you know who you are).

From the unreleased Music Isn’t Fun project. Copyright © 1989 Dying Horse Musique.

I Could Almost Love You (4:23)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

This is the fifth or sixth version of this song. Robert played guitars and did the drum machine. Darin played bass and some keyboards. Bruce sang, played the guitar and did some keyboards. Somewhere out there is the very first version of this song which was recorded in Darin’s dorm room at Sam Houston State. If you have a copy of it please let us know.

From Wash & Eat, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1991 Tonto Disco Records.

Building Finland (Reconstruction 1991) (3:10)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

A version of this appeared on I See How You Are and the original was on Disappearing Twin. This version was inspired in part by Peter Murphy’s Roll Call, at least the drums were. Darin on keyboards and bass. Rob on guitars, drum machine and keyboards. Bruce singing and playing some keyboards as well.

From Wash & Eat, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1991 Tonto Disco Records.

Love Thy Sister (The Reunion Version) (3:52)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

One of the loveliest and sickest entries in the Purple Fish catalog. The strings really bring out the perversion. As someone once noted, “such a beautiful song and then you guys wrote that crap.” Darin on keyboards. Rob on guitars, vocals and drum machine. Bruce on vocals, bass, guitar and strings. Originally appeared on I See How You Are.

From Wash & Eat, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1991 Tonto Disco Records.

900 Girls (Xylem Hemp Edit) (5:08)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

The full length version of this song runs about 15 minutes, includes an herb-induced (and covertly recorded) rant by some of Bruce’s college friends, and segues into an unreleased song by Bruce called Rhythm of the Rain. Perhaps it was the 40s of Fischer Alsace, but Rob and Bruce just couldn’t stop jamming! Darin, operating under his nom de mix Xylem Hemp, was wise enough to edit it down to a nice 5 minutes or so. He also wrote the lyrics on this one, but did not play on it. Rob on vocals, guitars and bass. Bruce on vocals, guitars and keyboards. Sid the cat (RIP) did the drum machine.

From Viva Mopeding!, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1992 Tonto Disco Records. Recorded at Tranquility Bass, Austin, Texas.

Stopsign Girl (5:04)
Brock & Cummings

You can probably guess the inspiration for this one. Darin’s always been surprised at how this initially stompy dirge turned into a dirgey stomp of a pop song. Darin on bass and vocals. Bruce on vocals, guitars and keyboards. Sid probably did the drums on this as well.

From Viva Mopeding!, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1992 Tonto Disco Records. Recorded at Tranquility Bass, Austin, Texas.

What I Wanna Say (4:59)
Brown & Cummings

Clearly inspired by The Velvet Underground’s Sweet Jane. Nice atmosphere on this one. Rob on harmonica, guitars and vocals. Bruce on vocals, guitars and bass.

From Viva Mopeding!, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1992 Tonto Disco Records. Recorded at Tranquility Bass, Austin, Texas.

Rocket Scientist (3:19)
Brown & Cummings

An unusual entry in the Fish canon in that there’s no drum machine. Rob on guitar, spoons and piano. Bruce on vocals and bass.

Previously unreleased. Outtake from the Viva Mopeding! sessions. Copyright © 1992 Tonto Disco Records. Recorded at Tranquility Bass, Austin, Texas.

Happy Guy (With The Green Hat On) (3:24)
Brown & Cummings

This little oddity was inspired by Rob’s experience on a city bus in Austin, Texas. Rob on vocals, keyboards and probably guitar. Bruce did the Tourette’s Syndrome drum pattern, some keyboards, guitar and vocals. One of Bruce’s favorites.

Previously unreleased. Outtake from the Viva Mopeding! sessions. Copyright © 1992 Tonto Disco Records. Recorded at Tranquility Bass, Austin, Texas.

Rock & Roll Vegetable (4:17)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

This is the sound of Purple Fish trying to rock and roll. It actually works pretty well. Darin on bass. Rob on lead guitar. Bruce on rhythm guitar and drum machine.

From Trashy and Sassy, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1994 Tonto Disco Records.

At Any Given Moment (4:36)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

There are times when certain events just overlap each other and something great occurs…purely by accident. The writing of this song is not one of those moments. But at any given moment, it could happen. Seriously one of the rockingest, riff-tastic tunes of the purple fish catalog. Sorta Wedding Present meets Big Country. Darin on bass and vocals. Rob on lead guitar. Bruce on vocals and rhythm guitar.

From Trashy and Sassy, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1994 Tonto Disco Records.

I Guess That Ruined Their Day (2:53)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

The alternate title for this one was The Ballad of the Baboon Butt-faced Boy. It took about 28 takes for Bruce to record the vocals on this one without laughing. And even on this take it is iffy. Darin on bass. Rob on electric guitar. Bruce on vocals and acoustic guitar. Drum machine by accident.

From Trashy and Sassy, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1994 Tonto Disco Records.

Hey America (The Shorter Version) (1:55)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

This is the sound of Purple Fish live more or less. Recorded in Gonzales, Texas. This version omits the final verse, but is faster and works better than the first version. Darin on bass. Bruce on guitar and vocals. Rob pounding the skins. One of the few songs where Bruce wrote lyrics. And yes the riff is a rip off of ELO’s Do Ya. And thank you to Pat Fish (aka The Jazz Butcher) for the title.

From Trashy and Sassy, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1994 Tonto Disco Records.

Pleased To Meet Me (Roll Your Own Version) (5:36)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

This song first appeared on Disappearing Twin and then again on I See How You Are. This is probably the best of the bunch, though no one seems to have a clear memory of recording it. Five minutes of grinding, rolling rock and roll. Darin on bass and vocals. Rob on guitar and vocals. Bruce on guitar and vocals. Someone did the drum machine.

Previously unreleased. From the Trashy and Sassy sessions. Copyright © 1994 Tonto Disco Records.

Proud Penis (3:50)
Brock, Brown & Cummings

The very last track ever recorded by the Darin, Rob and Bruce lineup. As Darin once noted the fart sounds and dick jokes seemed a fitting way to end that era of Purple Fish. Darin on vocals and bottles. Rob on bottles and vocals. Bruce on out-of-tune guitar, vocals and bottles.

From Trashy and Sassy, Tonto Disco Records. Copyright © 1994 Tonto Disco Records.