Recorded : 1990 - 1991

Studio : Mallon Studio, Bryant St, SF CA

Producer : Tom Mallon

Lineup : Craig Gray - guitar, keys

             Paul Hood - guitar

             Lisa Davis - bass

             Karl J Goldring - bass

             Tim Mooney - drums

             Mark Eitzel - vocals

             Carla Fabrizio - cello

             Tom Mallon - guitar, keys. misc.

Mix : Tom Mallon

Cover Art : Kim Seltzer (US Only)

Release : US 1992 Matador CD, vinyl, cassette     

              UK 1993 Hut CD, vinyl

              Europe 1993 Virgin CD, vinyl

All of these are out of print.

Available on iTunes in every country but the US.

Side One

     1.     Faux Pony (Gray/Eitzel)

     2.     Fabric (Gray/Eitzel)

     3.     Slaughter On Sumner St (Toiling Midgets)

     4.     Mr Foster’s Shoes (Gray/Eitzel)

     5.     Process Words (Toiling Midgets)

Side Two

     1.     Clinging Fire/Clams (Toiling Midgets)

     2.     Third Chair (Gray)

     3.      Listen (Gray/Eitzel)

     4.     Chains (Gray)

Not long after we started doing shows in 1989 we started to record. The first sessions were with Aaron Gregory and then with Tom and Aaron, then just Tom. By the fall of 1990 we were rehearsing some of the songs that would become the record. AMC rehearsed next door so Tim asked Mark to come and sing on some songs.  I think Tim asked him to come into the studio to sing on our demos as well. The results were suprisingly good. I wasn’t sure if the Tom and  Mark dynamic would be a problem, but it wasn’t. The demos with Mark were sent to Matador, who put out some of Mark’s solo singles. We had a record. We wrote Listen and Process Words in the studio. Chains I wrote at home on piano. All the other stuff was from our set. I often wonder if Matador would have been interested in us if Mark hadn’t been singing.  I don’t think Lisa, Tim and then Joe had the confidence in us as an instrumental band that Paul and I had. As it was the record took over 8 months to come out after it was done.  Mark did shows with us very occasionally and when it came time to tour, he wasn’t going to, even though he did show up unannounced at our SF tour launch gig with Pavement. I knew Tim was going to quit the band that night by the way he and Mark were acting. So we ended up doing a tour for a record with a singer without a singer and a drummer who had already quit in his head. The record reviews started showing up once we were home. A European tour was booked and cancelled. We started playing with Erich Werner, Tom and Ricky, Ricky died , then SON was finally released in the UK and Europe in January of 1993. The result of all this being the record didn’t sell.