Rex Stardust, lead electric triangle with Toad the Wet Sprocket, has had to have an elbow removed following their recent successful worldwide tour of Finland
- Eric Idle's announcer discusses a fictional Toad the Wet Sprocket in the 'Rock Notes' sketch from Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album

This unlikely-named band sprang into life in 1986 when a group of high-school Monty Python fans from Santa Barbara, CA, USA, decided to borrow the name of a fictional group from the Pythons' 'Rock Notes' sketch. Despite the origins of their name¹, the result was a long way from the novelty comic songs of the Python team, with the band developing a gentle, folk-influenced style generally bracketed in the 'alternative rock' category.

After playing the clubs and bars of their hometown for three years, the band eventually made it into the recording studio and, for the princely sum of $650, they recorded their first album. Released in August, 1989, Bread and Circus made little impact, although two singles from the album - 'Way Away' and 'One Little Girl' - did poke their heads into the US Modern Rock chart. While the band were splashing their savings on a second album, their work came to the attention of Columbia Records, based just along the Californian coast in Los Angeles. Before signing to the label, however, the band insisted that the reissue of Bread and Circus would be exactly as they had recorded it, and not given a record company makeover.

The band's second album, Pale, costing them almost ten times as much as their first, was released in 1990. Again, the album did well among specialised audiences, particularly on the college scene, but received little mainstream coverage.

'All I Want'

Plans are already afoot for a major tour of Iceland
- Ibid

Two years after signing for Columbia, the band finally made it into the charts with two singles from their third album, Fear. In July, 1992, 'All I Want' first appeared in the lower reaches of the US Billboard Top 40, making its way steadily to the top ten over the next two months. Later in the year they repeated their Top 40 triumph with 'Walk on the Ocean', the two singles propelling the band to number 53 on the US 1992 'Singles Artist of the Year' chart.

With Fear being certified platinum, the band set off on a two-year tour, playing over 300 gigs, a schedule that damaged singer Glen Phillips' throat to the point of requiring surgery.

Fully recovered, Phillips and the band re-entered the studio, emerging in 1994 with another platinum-status album in Dulcinea and two more Top 40 singles ('Something's Always Wrong' and 'Fall Down', with the added bonus of a six-week stay at the top of the Billboard 'Modern Rock' chart for the latter). The band were also receiving critical acclaim, including favourable comparisons with bands such as Crowded House and REM.

Deciding against releasing a new studio album the following year, the band instead compiled In Light Syrup, a collection of their unreleased material, B-sides and songs from film soundtracks. Notable tracks from the album include 'Brother', which appeared in the film So I Married an Axe Murderer, and 'Good Intentions', which appeared on the soundtrack album for the television series Friends. Indeed, 'Good Intentions' became the band's fifth and, to date, last Top 40 single.

'Come Down'

Dead Monkeys are to split up again, according to their manager, Lefty Goldblatt. They've been in the business now ten years, nine as other groups.
- Ibid

After In Light Syrup, the band delayed producing a new album, until Coil finally saw the light of day in 1997. The band had a somewhat rockier, less acoustic sound than much of their previous material, and failed to produce any singles to reach the mainstream charts. After covering the Beatles song 'Hey Bulldog' for the film I Know What You Did Last Summer, the band members finally decided to go their separate ways.

The post-break-up years saw the release of a 'greatest hits album' - PS (A Toad Retrospective) - and the occasional reunion, most notably as the warm-up act at some gigs by fellow folk-rockers, Counting Crows. In 2003, the band had a brief tour of their own, but the success of their sell-out shows was not quite enough for a permanent reunion.

'Don't Fade'

Splitting up for nearly a month, they reformed as Red Herring, which became Dead Herring for a while, and then Dead Loss, which reflected the current state of the group
- Ibid

Since the break-up, the members of Toad the Wet Sprocket have all dabbled in solo careers with some success.

Glen Phillips grabbed a guitar and began performing acoustically almost as soon as Toad the Wet Sprocket had ceased to be. Since the split, Phillips has recorded four albums, including a collaboration with bluegrass-influenced trio Nickel Creek.

In the aftermath of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Todd Nichols (guitar) and Dean Dinning (bass) formed Lapdog, a band later joined by Toad... drummer Randy Guss. The original Lapdog line-up was fairly short-lived, as Dinning left to try his hand at acting, but Nichols and Guss still occasionally perform under the Lapdog name.

'So Alive'

When they reformed after a record-breaking two days, they ditched the fishy references and became Dead Monkeys, a name which they stuck with for the rest of their careers
- Ibid

In the summer of 2006, Toad the Wet Sprocket got together again for a series of gigs across the USA, and their show at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles was filmed for a documentary about the band. As of late 2008/early 2009, the band are still touring, visiting venues across the USA. While much of the audience probably comprises some of the band's loyal following from the 1990s, these dates will hopefully provide the chance for a new generation of fans to fall in love with the band's gentle, melodic style.

For those interested in listening to some of their songs, including the hits 'All I Want' and 'Walk on the Ocean', full versions are available on the band's official website. If you've never heard of them, or been put off by the silliness and Monty Python connection of their name: have a listen, and be prepared to be very pleasantly surprised.