Australia/NZ
Singles Reviews K-S
Australian
45s A - D
Australian 45s E - L
Australian 45s T - Z
THE MADMEN
Tower/End Of This Day (Stone Groove)
These guys are from up in Queensland, but unlike many Queensland bands I've heard they
don't play go-for-the-throat rock and roll; although they feature loud guitars
prominently, it's a more mid-tempo sort of thing that relies on the singer's voice to
provide a good bit of the tune. I like the flip better; a 3-4 time piece that has a good
melancholy feel. It's got an amazingly loud, big sound considering it was recorded in
someone's bedroom. I'd rather hear more punch in the songwriting, though.
THE MAD TURKS FROM ISTANBUL
Lolene/Seeing Was Believing (Greasy Pop)
Holding My Breath/All Those Words/Prostitute My Brain (Greasy Pop)
The Turks are not as wild and garagey as a lot of the mail order ads make them out to be,
but they are a lot of fun. Most of their stuff is really a good brand of hard power pop,
is cleanly produced, and well played. The one exception also is their best song
"Seeing Was Believing", an absolutely frantic track with rampaging vocals about
a guy who starts out not believing that his girl is going to leave him and finishes up
realizing that his life is much better alone. "Lolene" has a country twang to
it, and also lacks the energy of the flip. "Holding My Breath" is a first rate
power pop track, with some more lines that get inside your head, like "That oven
hasn't worked since the day I...stuck my head inside it". "All Those Words"
is a bit pedestrian, but "Prostitute" is back to the tougher side of the Turks,
with a good monster movie guitar line that could've gotten a tougher production but is
still pretty good. Both singles well worth getting.
THE MAD TURKS FROM
ISTANBUL
Looking Forward To Destroy/Given My Number (Greasy Pop)
One of several songs on the superb Cafe Istanbul lp that could qualify for a
single, "Looking Forward To Destroy" is a classic slice of power pop by one of
Adelaide's finest bands. But since the A-side is on the lp, it's the B-side we're here
for. And it's a fair change of pace from the normal racy stuff these fellows pump out. It
starts almost like a Billy Bragg song with just one guitar and vocals, but as the song
progresses more and more instruments wander in to the fray until finally there are even a
few booming drumbeats, but then just as stealthily they all back out, and the song ends
with just two guitars fading away. Cool, but not indispensable like the first single.
THE MAD TURKS
The Last Time/Elusive Dream (Festival)
The Turks have dropped "...From Istanbul" from their name and left Greasy
Pop for more production dollars, and for one of the rare occasions it seems like the money
actually resulted in improvement...the sound on here is sharp as nails; it's totally great
100% pure power pop. Chuck Scatt's vocals are custom built for sad boy/girl pop, and on
"The Last Time", they've worked it all to perfection. "Elusive Dream"
is also good, although not quite so obviously great as the A side. Where's the lp?
THE MAD TURKS
Tempers Fire/American Heartthrob (Festival)
The lp by this Adelaide band was reviewed last issue, and due attention was given to the A
side of this single, but some songs just belong on 7" records, and this is one of
them. It's power pop at the absolute highest level...reminds me at times of the Plimsouls'
"Million Miles Away" and at others of something like Elvis Costello's
"Oliver's Army". Brilliant. The flip is a little closer to earth; but still has
some cool lyrics: "Politicians argue, why should we? / Politicians slide under
covers, why can't we?" The guitars are all acoustic, though, so it's more in the
realm of power folk than power pop.
THE MAD TURKS
Walking Disaster/Holding My Breath (Again) (Festival)
"Walking Disaster" certainly isn't the instantly memorable classic that
"Tempers Fire" is. It's a fairly slow track with lots of cleanly picked guitar
with minimal distortion. Still, it's got some good singing on it. On the flip they've
rerecorded their next to the last Greasy Pop single, which was one of their best ever
tracks. Everything has changed in little ways, but none for the better...it's got less
punch and the singing changes the tune in little ways. I think if this was the only
version of this song I'd ever heard, I'd have thought it was only average for the Turks,
while the Greasy Pop one was flat great.
MARIGOLDS
Waiting In Line/In It For Love/Today (Easter)
The further you get from Sydney the more watery the scene gets. These guys are from Perth,
whose other bands of note are the Stems and the Kryptonics. Dom Mariani of the Stems
produced, and as you'd expect knowing that, it’s a pleasant piece of guitar pop with
a bit of an edge to it, but hard to justify buying at Aussie import prices of $4.50 a
single as I did.
THE MARK
OF CAIN
The Lords Of Summer/Can You See Now? (Phantom)
This single came out prior to the lp in 1988, and the A side is a long drawn out affair
built around a real simple bass pattern and a steady drum beat. It feels good to begin
with, but I haven't got the attention span for the whole thing. The flip is more uptempo
and has a good guitar hook to attract more positive reviewer comments. Singer John Scott
sounds a lot like the dead guy from Joy Division (when he was alive, I mean)...real
serious and intense.
MASS
APPEAL
Fun Again/Are You All right (Waterfront)
Playing Australian hardcore in the style of bands like the Exploited, this band has a
pretty good guitar sound and "Fun Again" is musically interesting with some
fairly simple power chording that changes tempos just about every time your interest
starts to wane. The vocals pretty well wreck it though; everything's a raw scream that's
so forced that "Fun Again" comes out sounding like "Fuck you". The
flip has a lot of fairly useless guitar wanking. Wish World War 24 hadn't split. They'd
set things right, they would.
THE MEANIES
Lyin'/The Meanie Twist/I'm Amazed (Augogo)
Dave Laing assures me that Melbourne is becoming the place in Australia with all the
Stooges bands, and the evidence from the pile of singles I've written about in this issue
is firmly behind him. The A side of this is more heavy stuff in the Bored!-God-Hoss vein.
The Meanies however have a slightly lighter vocal touch and a more than occasional bent
for the pop hook in their songs...in fact, the vocals on "The Meanie Twist"
sound almost like Les Thugs, if you can believe that. And "I'm Amazed" could be
slipped in on a Ramones lp and nobody would be the wiser.
THE MEANIES
Scum/The Meanie Way/The Groovie Meanies (Sympathy)
Melbourne's Meanies have the Ramones guitar sound pretty well wired, especially on the A
side, which sounds like something from one of the first couple Ramones lps except without
quite such a strong hook. Even the vocals are fairly Joey-ish. "The Meanie Way"
is more of a hardcore pace, though it doesn't thrash. "The Groovie Meanies" is
much lighter poppy punk; fun stuff.
THE MEANIES
Inside/Steve Sex God/Record Sale (Lance Rock)
"Inside" is the Meanies playing at a hardcore pace but singing in a kind of
weedy, poppy style, It's got plenty of energy but the song could be stronger...it's basic
stuff but it doesn't have that overpowering a hook to it, so it doesn't stick that well.
"Steve" is more thrash pace and pretty goofy lyrics; the same plus of a strong
guitar sound, but the same lack of a unique hook. "Record Sale" is the goofiest
yet...slower and more in control. Pretty good, but not as good as they ought to be
considering the hype I've read about 'em. It must be annoying for a band like the
Exploding White Mice, who are musically on similar turf, but can hardly can buy an inch of
print in Australia despite the fact that by any standard they could eat the Meanies alive.
The difference being, of course, that the Meanies are in Melbourne and the Mice are in
Adelaide. This situation is not the Meanies fault, and they are fun enough, but if it's
worth having two American license deals for the Meanies, somebody ought to do the Mice!
THE MEANIES
Never/Steve Sex God/Sorry 'Bout The Violence (Augogo)
"Never" is the first song I've heard by the Meanies that justifies the amount of
raving I've read about them...it's really a killer rocking song with some great chunky
guitar riffing that reminds me a little of Generation X doing "Your Generation".
Both tracks on the flip are pretty stupid lyrically, and only "Violence" has
enough musical meat to require more than one listen.
MELTING
SKYSCRAPERS
Strange Device/Beyond The Grave (Waterfront)
Reminds me a little of Leather Nun...this one builds up from some fairly sparse guitar
parts to a middle section where the song finally begins to take off, if you can wait that
long; the whole thing is almost 6 minutes long, and it's fairly repetitive. In places the
vocals sound like Stiv Bators, especially after the song starts to move. Put this on a
cassette and do a fade in after the first two minutes, and you got a pretty decent track.
The flip maintains a faster tempo but is pretty low on things like hooks, good lyrics or
any of those minor requirements for good records.
MINUTEMAN
Voodoo Slaves/I Wanna Be Your Minuteman (Citadel)
This is the very first Citadel single and features Citadel mainman John Needham on guitar
and Hoodoo Gurus bassist Clyde Bramley. The sound is heavily Cramps influenced and
features some great Tarzan-like yelps and jungle rhythms on the A-side. The flip is darker
and moodier but cut from a similar mold. Pretty fair effort overall...would've been
interesting to see this band do more.
MR. FLOPPY
100,000 Morrisseys/Big Death (Waterfront)
To understand how much I appreciate the A side of this, you have to realize that I tried
without success for two years to get the band I play in to do a song I wrote called
"Vegetables Is Murder". So the chorus "What shall we do when 100,000
Morrisseys come marching over the hill?" fits with me like a long lost brother. It's
a bit of a novelty thing, but it sure takes the piss out of old mister sensitivity. The
agonized screams at the end are a riot. Musically it's sort of dull 4-4 punk with guitars
distorted to the point of tunelessness, but the vocal job is great and that's what the
song's all about, anyway. The flip is much better musically with a cool stop-start bit and
some impossibly fast high hat work and lyrics that generally deal with middle class
alienation. Lots to like on both sides.
MOFFS
Another Day In The Sun/Clarodomineaux (Citadel)
Flowers/By The Breeze (Citadel)
The Traveler/Quaker's Drum (Citadel)
"Another Day" had me thinking that this was another band like the Chills, a slow
song that still had that clever pop approach that made you want to keep listening. The
B-side is faster and has more guitar in it. Overall a good effort.
But..."Flowers" is a big letdown as it is pretty blando radio style pop with
none of the little quirks that made the first single reasonable. Also of note is the
turnover of two band members between singles. The flip is appallingly out of place to
discuss even in a non-family magazine like this, so we won't. "Traveler", which
finds the new organ player picked up for "Flowers" sacked and replaced, is a
fair comeback, with a quicker tempo and a better hook. The b-side is back to the real slow
yuk pop. Might be liked by Flying Nun fans, but if you’re into the Aussie sound for
the Birdman influence alone, stay clear.
THE MOTHERS
Drives Me Wild/Get Outta My Life (Waterfront)
Three women and a guy on drums, and they smoke. "Drives Me Wild" has one of
those 60s detective show type guitar leads that will bury itself in your brain after two
listens; this is a real tough sounding band...no Bangles clones here. The flip is nowhere
near as good; closest comparison is maybe the B-52s. Although it is fun to hear Fiona yell
"Get THE FUCK outta my life!", the song degenerates into such a mess by the end
that it sound more like a bunch of random fooling around in the studio and not a song. Not
what I'd put on record if Waterfront paid for studio time for me.
MUSHROOM
PLANET
Some Other Day/Violation/No More Than I Need/Johnnie Long Arm (Hot)
This band has a sound that reminds me a lot of the Celibate Rifles; no surprise as
it’s produced by the Rifles’ Kent Steedman. Despite the similarity in styles,
the tunes are not as good as the Rifles’ would do. "Some Other Day" and
"Johnnie Long Arm" are the best of the four as they manage some hooks to go with
the inspired playing. All songs suffer from the loss of punch due to trying to cram too
much onto one single (why don't bands learn not to do this?). Still, sounds like a band
that could put out some good material eventually.
NAKED
LUNCH
A Little Too Late/Teenage Blues (Waterfront)
The initial lure of this single was the presence of Hitmen and New Christs bassist Tony
Robertson. One spin changes the lure to the music. The A side is a real burner with a
great garage sound paralleling the Lime Spiders, Headstones and New Christs. Tough guitar
chording, brutal drumming, and sparkling production by Died Pretty guitar player Brett
Myers. The flip is much slower, but also really good with a sound similar to some of Died
Pretty's Next To Nothing type stuff. Even includes a guest vocal by Ron Peno. Worth
it.
THE NEW CHRISTS
Like A Curse/Sun God (Citadel)
Born Out Of Time/No Next Time (Citadel)
The Black Hole/Addiction (Citadel)
Dropping Like Flies/I Swear/Dead Girl/You'll Never Catch My Wave (Citadel)
In which Rob Younger carries on the banner of the Birdmen with his own band. I haven't
included the epic "Face A New God"/"Waiting World" in the list above
because it's so ridiculously rare people pay well over $100 for it, but these will do
until you have that kind of money. The New Christs specialize in blistering guitar and
tough as nails vocals, and they comes through in spades on the first two Citadel singles,
both of which are absolute must buys (also available paired on a UK 12"). They call
this the Detroit sound, but nobody does it better than these Sydney-siders. Where these
two singles featured a band that was essentially the Hitmen fronted by Younger,
"Black Hole" is a return engagement with an entirely new band line-up (except,
of course, for Younger) and is a departure from the normal sound. It flops fairly hard,
but "Addiction" is back close to the normal level of excellence. Still, this is
their weakest record. The newest one consists of 2 singles in a gatefold package.
"Dropping" is slower and not so hot, but "I Swear" is as good as
anything on record by the New Christs with a hook that'll remove your eyebrows faster than
electrolysis and keep 'em off longer. "Dead Girl" is also a burner, and
"Wave" is what happens when people from Detroit go surfing, I guess...close your
eyes and imagine tough Beach Boys.
THE NEW CHRISTS
I Swear/The Black Hole (Romilar-D)
Planet Girl ep: I Swear/Rock'n'Roll Surgery/Plastic Girl/Black Hole (boot)
The first disc is a "freebie" with the Spanish fanzine Romilar-D (which, by the
way, appears to be totally great if you can read Spanish), this single has two live sides
from a New Christs gig in Madrid in June of 1988. "I Swear" is pretty energetic,
but unfortunately the guy at the mixing board appears to have mistaken the guitars for
hum, as he's done everything possible to get rid of 'em. The result is 90% vocals, 5%
drums, 4% bass, and 1% guitar. "Black Hole" is better, but not enough so. Has a
good pic sleeve to mollify the irate collector who may have parted with more than $10 for
a magazine he can't read and a single he isn't crazy about hearing.
The "Planet
Girl" ep is a bootleg that sounds like it's from a really good audience tape. The
drum sound is a little boxy, and there's some distortion on cymbal crashes and loud guitar
parts, but it has what the Romilar-D disc is missing and that's fucking raw power. It also
has two songs that haven't been released elsewhere, and of these "Rock'n'Roll
Surgery" is a corker with a real Radio Birdman sort of sound. "Plastic
Girl" is more of a Hitmen-sounding thing; still real good. Rare that the bootleg is
the better buy, but in this case that's the fact. You can probably get both of these from
Metro Music.
THE NEW CHRISTS
Waiting World/Face A New God (Pink Flamingo)
Well, now you can't blame outrageous collector prices for not having this one...this
reissue gets one of the great lost Aussie singles out where it belongs - on your
turntable. It's fairly different sounding from later New Christs; doesn't have as sharp a
production and not as hard hitting a guitar punch. But the two songs are both flat out
classics...I love the bridge in "Waiting World" where the song quiets down and
then picks up with a blast again. Moody, dark, emotional and driving...everything you'd
want in a great rock song. Flip it over and listen to "Face A New God" as the
music builds into what feels like the final confrontation between good and evil. I still
haven't figure out what the lyrics mean, but if music is about building moods and
emotions, both these tracks are music at its highest form.
THE NEW CHRISTS
Headin' South/I Saw God (Citadel)
Do I detect a trend here or what? Each of the last three New Christs singles have had A
sides that were distinctly "different" from what you'd consider to be the
prototypical New Christs sound (that is, they don't sound like a guitar army attacking
your house), while the flips feature the powerhouse songs that Younger seems to write in
his sleep. "Headin' South" is the best A side of the last three, with a menacing
bass line and some great Younger groans and yells, but it also has a horn chart that I'm
still trying to decide whether to accept. The flip (a sequel to "Face A New
God"?) dispenses with creativity and lets it rip with a pace that challenges
hardcore, but has buckets of the hard as nails Detroit-via-Sydney guitar assault that
these guys are becoming world famous for.
THE NEW CHRISTS
Another Sin/The Burning Of Rome (Citadel)
Like the goodness of Quaker Oats, New Christ singles are one thing you can count on in
this world. I've yet to meet one I didn't think was a good buy, and most are flat out
great from "Face A New Good" right on through to this one. Well,
"great" might be a little strong this time, but very good is right. Doesn't
feature the sort of massively aggro production of "I Swear", but still both
sides of these are intense. Strangely this is the first New Christs record that has
reminded me strongly of that earlier group Younger used to sing in...what were they
called? Especially on the flip, there's a lot of the sort of piano riffing that was
prominent on Radio Birdman's Living Eyes lp...reminds me of "Smith And Wesson
Blues". Someday we'll have to get Younger to explain this religious thing to
us...look at these song titles over the years: "Face A New God","Like A
Curse", "Sun God", "I Swear", "I Saw God", these two,
and the band's name besides...this sounds like a man who got some serious Catholic school
abuse growing up. Anyway, buy this single now. It's the right thing to do. (There is also
a bootleg single with Rob Younger singing with the
Celibate Rifles.)
NEW RACE
Crying Sun/Gotta Keep Movin' (Citadel)
Hard to find Australian records without Rob Younger's name on them somewhere it seems.
This is two live sides from the First and Last lp. "Crying Sun" first
appeared on the Radio Birdman lp Livin' Eyes in a more laid back form. Here it's
really toughened up a lot, but each version has its own good points, and there's no
denying that it's a great song. "Gotta Keep Movin'" is fairly pedestrian high
speed Detroit stuff; solid on energy but not really that great a song underneath. Well
worth buying for the A side.
NEW RACE
Hail Columbia/Descent Into The Maelstrom (Revenge)
Another one of Ron Asheton's mixes from the legendary New Race tour released on the French
Revenge label..."Hail Columbia" is an odd A-side choice; I think it's one of the
klunkier Dennis Tek songs ever, although there's lots of energetic thrashing around in it.
Vocals are pretty hit and miss (meaning that Younger misses the microphone altogether in
places), but otherwise it's pretty strong. The flip is more interesting since it's one of
the best Radio Birdman songs and isn't on any of the other New Race records. It's a real
strong take that's fairly different from the Birdman version and it's got much better
sound quality than the A side, which comes across like a high end bootleg. Pretty crucial
for fans.
NURSERY
CRIMES
All Torn Up Inside/What Do You Know Anyway (Augogo)
From outside of Melbourne, here's two sides of pretty brilliant speed metal power pop punk
that's guaranteed to bring a smile to fans of the Hard-Ons, Hellmenn or Asylum. Melodic as
hell, faster than minute rice, loaded with guitar hooks and pummeling drums...what more
could a poor boy want? Amazingly, the drummer is Russell Hopkinson (ex-Bamboos and
Kryptonics), which will show you something about people with diverse musical tastes!
(There is also a Nursery Crimes track on a flexi compilation
single.)
OLYMPIC
SIDEBURNS
13th Floor/Fire It Up/She's Comin' Home (Strine)
7&7 Is (No label)
Know (Music Station promo)
Serious 1960's punk stuff with cheesy organs, wild vocals similar to Mick Blood of the
Lime Spiders and all sorts of other evidence pointing to excessive use of LSD. "13th
Floor" is brilliant stuff, and "Fire It Up" is almost A side quality
itself. "7&7 Is" is on a strange record that looks like a bootleg and
includes a fairly duff Corpse Grinders track on the flip. The quality is certainly not
bootleg, and the version is as wild as it needs to be to do justice to the song, with
those great "boo bip bip boo bip bip"s rolling over the top of the whole mess.
"Know" is a similar pairing with Melbourne blues specialists Blue Ruin, and is a
bit toned down from the over the top wildness of the other two singles. I'd go for
"13th Floor" and then see if you are motivated to try more.
OLYMPIC SIDEBURNS
Here Comes The Rain/Sorrento/Underworld (White Label)
Compared to the other Sideburns records I've got, "Here Comes The Rain" is
decidedly ungrungey, although it still would sound in place in a set including things like
Mojo Nixon. It's also produced to the hilt with layers of overdubbed vocals, female
backing, harmonicas and general Phil Spectorish wall-of-soundish type stuff, closing with
a massive peal of thunder just like Phil woulda done. The two tracks on the flip are more
encouraging. The singer has apparently stepped out back and swallowed the hot coals off
the barbie, 'cos he comes back with a much more gravelly sound (like we wanted, yeah!) and
the band is a lot more edgy and jumpy. But although the sound is right, neither of these
tracks matches up to the "13th Floor" single. Dangerous tendencies...
PAINTERS
AND DOCKERS
Basia/Virgin Child (Bigtime)
Die Yuppie Die/That's It (Bigtime)
A wildly inconsistent band that has managed to get a record out in the US, Painters and
Dockers do all kinds of different styles and generally have a hard time connecting with
anybody as a result. Still, there's no way to deny the greatness of "Basia" as a
goofy pop song of the highest water. Set to a frantic hardcore punk style drum beat, the
song extols the virtue of an Aussie TV personality ("B she's so beautiful, A
articulate too, S sensual, I international, Ay Ay") who is "better looking than
Donnie and Marie". Now that's goin' some. The flip is a messy and rather dull
anti-church rant that is hard to listen to more than once. In fact it's hard to listen to
at all. "Die Yuppie Die" is a much newer effort, and though good for some yuks
also doesn't bear up under repeated listenings. Horns have become a prominent part of
their sound on both sides here, and that's not helping.
PENTHOUSE
PAUPERS
Same Place Twice/Snake Charm (Grown Up Wrong!)
A fairly different sound from their solid mini-lp...this one is a little disturbing. In
places the tunes sound pretty gutty and tough, but at times it also sounds like the sort
of rocker the Eagles would've done when they wanted something faster. Both songs rock
along well in a bluesy, boozy sort of way, but there's a cocky swagger in the vocals that
is just rubbing me wrong. Can't decide how to call this one.
ANGIE
PEPPER
Frozen World/Why Tell Me (Citadel)
With guitarist Dennis Tek (ex-Radio Birdman) producer Rob Younger (natch) and Gurus' Clyde
Bramley on bass, this one was a sure bet not to get too far astray, and it didn't. The
music sounds exactly like something from either the second Birdman lp or from the Visitors
lp, with a blend of jazz piano and sax to go with the high energy Detroit feel underneath.
Pepper, allegedly Tek's girlfriend (or is it spouse? I never can keep all this gossip
column shit straight, maybe she was his maid), has a nice voice, but it's really too nice
for the material and I find myself trying to filter her out and imagine what it would be
like if Rob Younger would only start singing instead.
THE PHILISTEINS
Some Kind/Dissatisfied/Train To Disaster/Amsterdam (Sympathy)
New material from Adelaide's great Philisteins by way of Sympathy's Greasy connection. If
you haven't got their Bloody Convicts mini-lp, you're a fool, because you can get
it domestically on Sympathy at a real decent price, and it's sheer brilliant stuff with
what sounds like about 9 tracks of guitars all going in different directions. This record
has more of the same approach...a cool updated psychedelic guitar style with a fairly
frantic pace to match. The production is a bit rougher on this record than before, and the
hooks might not be quite as sharp, but it's still a winner.
PLAY
LOUD
Write It Down In Stone/Treat It Like Any Other Day (Greasy Pop)
Nice clean pop the way mom likes it. Actually, the A side is first class stuff that
reminds me a lot of Paul Collin's Beat from LA. The second side is not far behind either.
But jeez, couldn't you guys dirty it up just a little, like maybe a fuzzed out solo or
something in the middle of the record?
PLUNDERERS
I Didn't Even See Them At All/Clean Hands/Troublestruck (Citadel)
Really liked their take of "No Fun" on Augogo's Hard To Beat compilation,
but thought their Trust Us mini-lp was wimpy. This single sports a third
sound...it's a super brand of Stems/Some Loves type jangly power pop. Could be some credit
is due to new drummer Geoff Milne, who used to play with the incredible Eastern Dark, a
band that was known to turn out some pretty nifty speed pop. Whatever it is, all three
tracks here are really cool...at times a little lightweight, but it's catchy as can be.
More of this would be appreciated.
PLUNDERERS
Christo/Peggy (Citadel)
Hey, what a nice surprise. "Christo" is easily the best song I've heard by
Sydney's Plunderers; it's got a big power pop sound that's really catchy, and does a nice
job of going from heavy chords in the changes to smooth vocal parts. If they keep this up
I might become a fan. Unfortunately, they don't keep it up even over to the flip, which
sounds like an imitation of the more recent Saints sound...kind of slow and morose and
over seven minutes long (gak!). Oh well.
PLUNDERERS
I Don't Mind/Dying (Green Fez)
I think this is actually an older one of theirs...more power poppy stuff. The A side is
nice enough but would sound better with a brighter feel to the production. The flip is
pretty much a tossaway.
THE POPPIN'
MAMAS
Rub My Lump/Lipstick On A Pig/Ensuite Love/Chainsaw/Vic Cans (Hippy Knight)
Grunty, grungy and stupid rock and roll from Melbourne. I've heard good things said about
this band, but basically they're just another bunch of boozers with some fairly
commonplace punk-metal and no idea what to sing about other than beer. Not that this is
that horrible a sin, just that it's hardly worth paying import prices for something so
ordinary.
PORCELAIN
BUS
Indignation/My Family (Citadel)
The Well Is Dry/The Hands Have Control (Citadel)
First off, replace Bus with Fixture and you'll understand what the name means. Formalities
out of the way, "Indignation" isn't really pop, isn't really punk, isn't
Detroit, and I don't know what to call it. It's kind of herky jerky, use lots of tom tom
beats in the drum parts, and is generally a happenin' kind of song. I like it. The flip is
even better, as it drops the quirks and just lets it fly. The singer's voice has the sort
of quality normally found in TV news anchormen...definitely not your classic rock voice,
but still cool. "The Well Is Dry" rocks a lot less and almost sounds like Gordon
Lightfoot (he does "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" in lounges and dentist
offices from coast to coast). But "The Hands Have Control" is back to the kind
of rock that we are all here for and saves the single from being frisbee'd. Interesting
enough to be worth trying when you've bought all the upper echelon stuff.
PORCELAIN BUS
Own Little World/Clockwork (Citadel)
Their Steel Brothers mini lp was forgotten fairly quickly at my house, but I've
really liked all their 45s, and this one is no exception...seems to be a band that works
best in this medium. One detects a strong influence from Died Pretty here...the sleeve
fits right in with the first three Died Pretty singles, Brett Myers produces, and the
sound has a lot in common. Both sides of this rock harder than a lot of their other
records, but like Died Pretty, when Porcelain Bus pick it up they still sound totally in
control. Singer Ian James' clear, resonant voice makes him one of the more distinctive
singers you'll hear, lending the band an instantly recognizable sound. Good stuff.
PORCELAIN BUS
Rats/Old Soldiers/Hanging's Back (Citadel)
Although I never play their 12" records, I've yet to get a Porcelain Bus 7" that
I don't play consistently. They're the perfect band to hear in small doses because they
seem so striking on first impression due to the singers deep and expressive voice. Several
tracks of them tends to leave you feeling that the music is a little
weak..."Rats" is basically jangly pop stuff, although it has some tough electric
leads. "Soldiers" sounds more Doors-like. If you want a reference point, I'd say
that anybody who likes Died Pretty stands a good chance of liking Porcelain Bus in a big
way.
PORCELAIN BUS
Blue On Blue/Vertigo Man (Blue Mosque)
I've always liked this Sydney band because of the unique voice of singer Ian James, and on
"Blue And Blue" his baritone is up to its usual level of excellence. The song's
got a good bounce to it...lots of jangly strumming but at a rocking pace. The flip is a
different story...the singing is excessive with too many extra burps and hiccups and the
general impression of trying to imitate some black bluesmaster from way back. It doesn't
ring true. Hope he's not getting too cocky.
PRAY
TV
In My Street/A Foreign Land/Surf Nazis (Mr. Spaceman)
Augogo thought these guys sounded like Dinosaur Jr, and I guess I can see that in the
instruments, but on "In My Street" the singer reminds me of the guy in Orange
Juice when they were doing all those overrated singles for the Postcard label out of
Scotland a few years back. The music helps it to rise above that level, fortunately. The
goods are delivered on the flip, though..."Land" is moderately paced but packs a
good tension and has a vocal that seems on the verge of losing the tune, which adds to the
sensation. "Surf Nazis" was probably meant to be a throwaway, but it's my
favorite...it's a straight rave-up with some good SS stormtrooper rally archives dubbed
into the mix for a cool bridge. Here the singer sounds like Talking Heads David Byrne in
spots. Interesting enough to make me want to hear more.
PRAY TV
Cold Dog Stew/A Lone Stiff/Still Searching/Sounds Of Silence (Shock)
I've raved enough about "Stew" elsewhere in this issue, suffice to say it's
probably their best yet; a great track. "A Lone Stiff", which the band said was
written as a joke response to a review I wrote of one of their previous records, is too
atmospheric for my tastes. "Searching" is mostly just guitar and vocals...sounds
like a bit of a throwaway, and "Silence" is the Simon and Garfunkel song. It
starts quietly enough and gets more rocking as it goes on with drums and bass joining
halfway through. Rough and cheap production doesn't do it favors, but it's OK.
PRAY TV
Spent/She Fell (Augogo)
Aussies who don't play like Aussies are supposed to...on the A side this lot are closer to
something like the Vanilla Chainsaws with their thick walls of fuzzy guitar and morose
vocals. Lots of atmosphere and pretty cool stuff at that. The vocals are mixed way down
with the guitars so that you have to work to dig the words out, making it less accessible
and more resilient for multiple plays. The flip is an even better track...it sounds much
like an early Chills rocker. Each record from these guys seems to get better...that's a
good sign. (There is also a Pray TV track on a compilation
single.)
PRIMAL
SCENE
Livin' Hell/Pay Me Some Mind (Waterfront)
Surprisingly good effort by this group; I was really unimpressed by their live show at the
Waterfront Night, but in the studio the vocalist, Stanley Cremona (izzat his real name?),
who also is the drummer, seems to be able to get a lot more power into his voice
(understandable if you've ever tried to drum and sing at the same time). Here he sounds a
good deal like Ian McCulloch of Echo and The Bunnymen, and the band manages a tense,
herky-jerky sound behind him, heavy on the guitars and with lots of pummeling tom tom
rolls. Not top drawer stuff, but promising.
PRIMEVILS
Saw My Name Written On A Tombstone/Hammer Yourself Senseless (Greasy Pop)
Not to be confused with the British band who use an "a" in the last syllable of
their name, this band has dished up a hot A side of swampy sounding pop. Really nice vocal
style that reminds me of the Lizard Train on their best efforts. As cool as
"Tombstone" is, "Hammer Yourself Senseless" is probably the only title
that could be allowed for the flip under today's truth-in-advertising laws. Listening to
this song is right up there with handling live wires in rainstorms and chewing glass in my
list of desirable things to do. This is not a pleasant gash of music.
PRIMITIVE PAINTERS
Bismarck Girls/Strange World (Greasy Pop)
This band has been around Adelaide for a long time with only one track on the first Oasis
compilation to show for it. Saving themselves this long for their first single has paid
off nicely..."Bismarck Girls" is a brilliant pop/rock track with a tense
detective movie theme guitar part in the verses that bursts into a bright and catchy
chorus. It's also got a big production feel similar to the Dubrovniks lp. The flip doesn't
manage the uniqueness of the A side; it's a more straightahead pop-folk type song...good
enough but no match for its mate.
PROTON
ENERGY PILLS
Survival/Symmetry (Waterfront)
"We are de best band in de World" it says on the sleeve, but they may not even
be the best on their street, and they certainly have to look up to about 100 bands in
their hometown of Sydney alone. Idle boasts aside, this record consists of two tracks of
mid tempo rock that shows a fondness for metal and an awareness of the fact that wah-wah
pedals and psychedelic leads are back in style. There's not much in the way of hooks, and
both tracks are quickly forgotten.
PROTON ENERGY
PILLS
Less Than I Spend/Strawberry Patch (Waterfront)
I didn't much like the first PEP single, but so many people in Aussie bands keep saying
that these guys are one of the best new bands around that I figured I should try another,
and this one is considerably more rewarding. It's speed power pop that would be
comfortable among tunes by the Hard-Ons, Asylum or Nursery Crimes, although this single
has the same tendency as the last one to be a little on the long side with extended solos
and bridges. Still, the A side is a really nice tune with a feeling of poignancy that's
emphasized with some nice harmonies in the chorus...a bit unusual in a song that's rocking
along quite this fast. The flip is faster and drops the poignancy; it goes at hardcore
speed and has some solos that are best understood if I tell you that Dinosaur Jr's J.
Mascis produced it. Nice job.
PSYCHOTIC
TURNBUCKLES
The Good Times Outweigh The Bad Times/The Sudan Butcher (Rattlesnake)
This lot is in serious danger of being left behind; when they got started there weren't a
lot of people mining this turf (metallic punk), and the fact that Turnbuckles songs
weren't always that strong could be overlooked because of their energy. Not any
more...records with a kick are getting pretty easy to come by, and now you gotta have
tunes, hooks and the whole package if you wanna stand out. I'd lump this in with Iron
Sheiks, Lompoc County Splatterheads, Horny Toads as being in the squirming mass that's
looking up at the kings of the hill...Thrust, Space Juniors, Hard-Ons.
PSYCHO
ZOMBIES
Cry Baby Cry/Hit And Run (Greasy Pop)
Two pretty good mashing tracks from a new Adelaide outfit. These guys have apparently been
to more than one Exploding White Mice gig and have studied well...there's a good deal of
similarity in sound. I'd say the Zombies are a bit less pop influenced; when they add a
flourish to their songs it tends to give it a hardcore or speed metal feel, but
fundamentally, these songs wouldn't sound much different if the Mice played them.
PUPILS
OF LOVE
Move It/In Love (Modern Man)
Saw these guys open for the Celibate Rifles in Sydney, and although they were pretty
energetic, I didn't feel that compelling urge to fork over any hard earned dollars for
either of their 45s. But I found this one at a swap meet for a couple bucks and figured I
might as well give it a try. "Move It" is an energetic tune with some grungy
sounding guitar work that just about splits the line between the Birdmen and the early
Saints, but the song isn't really as good as the playing. "In Love" is slower,
but it works a lot better: reminds me of songs like "A Minor Aversion" off the
second Saints lp; kind of torturous guitar. I've certainly expected more and gotten less
out of other singles, but there is definite room for improvement here.
MICK
BLOOD AND THE PUSHTWANGERS
3rd Season/Hung Up (Rattlesnake)
In which the Lime Spiders lead singer teams up with Sweden's chameleon-like Pushtwangers
to produce a single that sounds pretty much as though it's totally a Lime Spiders effort.
Blood is singing as well as ever, but the songs don't have a lot of meat to them even
though they are undeniably fun to listen to a few times. Both sides feature a good
slamming kick-drum beat and some fun guitar hooks, but the ideas are a little too simple.
Lyrically, "Hung Up" is a particularly lame "operator help me place this
call" song, of which there were only about 400 already, and besides, when is the last
time you dealt with an operator to help you make a call? Course, calling Sweden from
Australia might be a different story...
PYRAMIDIACS
No Soul/Forever Gone (Zero Hour)
Another evening spent wading through the morass pile of singles playing one metal or
sludge thing after another when off the stack leaps this one...how'd I leave a Zero Hour
single in the pile all this time?! God this sounds so far above everything else I've put
on tonight that it isn't funny. I mean, I know it's just a pretty good power pop record
with some strong power chording guitar and some good vocal harmonies; nothing unique, but
Christ what a difference to hear a band that gives a shit if there is actually a tune
buried somewhere in their song. Fans of Someloves or Stems should be paying attention.
RADIO
BIRDMAN
Aloha Steve And Danno/Anglo Girl Desire (WEA)
There is a God, I swear it. Ever since I heard the Radios Appear lp years ago I
wanted "Aloha Steve And Danno" on a 45, and I've finally got it through this
reissue. Starts with the flat out best one-note guitar solo in rock and roll history, has
a ripping bridge of the "Hawaii 5-0" theme, drums that just fucking attack from
everywhere, and of course Rob Younger is belting out the lyrics like nobody else in the
world knows how to sing at all. "Anglo Girl" is no slouch either, but the flip
could be blank for all I care. Play this record once and you'll understand why everybody
under 30 in Sydney wants to be in a band that churns out Radio Birdman soundalikes.
RADIO BIRDMAN
Death by the Gun/Didn't Tell The Man/Dark Surprise/If I Wanted To (Compassion Explosion)
Another boot 45, and well worth the money if you can track it down. These four tracks were
recorded in Wales during the final Birdman tour in 1978. Presumably these are outtakes
from the sessions that produced the Living Eyes lp, and from the sound of it,
there's no reason at least three of these cuts shouldn't have showed up on the lp. The
sound of this ep is a little hissy, and is a little short on dynamics due to the amount of
music crammed into 7 inches of vinyl (at 33 rpm), but it's still fine by me. "Death
By The Gun" is classic Birdman; more like the Radios Appear era stuff with
some really hot Detroit style licks. "Didn't Tell The Man", subsequently a
Hitmen standard, has some hit or miss vocal work that they probably would have redone if
they meant this for release, (in fact, it rather sounds like Rob Younger is not the singer
for this one; it may have been the Hitmen's Kannis, since he did on occasion join the
Birdmen for vocals in some of their live shows, though I hadn't heard that he went to the
UK with the band). Intrigue aside, this is the only track of the four that probably
deserves to be an outtake. On the flip, "Dark Surprise" is another intense
workout. "If I Wanted To" is a little slower, but makes up with some great
choppy rhythm guitar work countered by a slinky lead. Bonus points for a good sleeve, too.
RADIO BIRDMAN
If I Wanted You/Death By The Gun/Dark Surprise/Didn't Tell The Man (bootleg)
Basically just another issue of the "Death By The Gun" bootleg of a couple years
ago with a better, more official looking cover. These are four tracks from the sessions
that produced the Living Eyes lp in Rockfield, Wales. None of the tracks made the album
and all but "Didn't Tell The Man" are quite good...the latter track probably
suffers by comparison to better produced versions recorded by the Hitmen. The sound is a
little better than the first issue of this came out, and I reckon it was worth the high
price.
RADIO BIRDMAN
Surfin' At 2JJJ ep: Surf City/Don't Look Back/Time Won't Let Me/Transmaniacom MC (bootleg)
This should've been a good recording, since it's from a radio show, but it was apparently
recorded with a tape deck that used an automatic level setting circuit so that every time
there's a quiet part the record level comes up. The result is that the guitars yo-yo in
and out enough to make you dizzy, and in addition the sound is real "boxy" and
fairly distorted. So whaddya expect for a bootleg. Anyway, the songs are
unrecorded-elsewhere live tracks; "Surf City" being an attempt at sounding like
the Beach Boys. "Don't Look Back" is a fairly chaotic mess, but it at least
sounds like a Birdman song and has a lot of spunk and some good Younger vocals.
"Time" is an old cover that's nice but disposable, but the last track has a
bunch of devilish guitar leads and is the only real reason you might want to part with
seven bucks and suffer through the sound of this unless you are an incredibly stupid,
gullible and incurable record collector. Like me.
RATCAT
I Think I Love You/Depression (Waterfront)
They'll be damned in some quarters as a Buzzcocks copy band, but to my way of thinking, if
you're gonna copy somebody, why not pick one of the best? The A-side here is slower than
most Buzzcocks songs, and has a much fuzzier guitar sound, but the tortured-love lyrics
and Shelley-esque vocal delivery are dead giveaways. It also is a song that sounds pretty
routine at first and then grows on you. For me, the song is now totally irresistible, and
originality can be damned as far as I'm concerned. "Depression" is not so
obvious in its influences, and features a great upscale chord progression leading into
each verse. Supposedly they've had some lineup shuffling in the past year; it doesn't seem
to have hurt a bit, and hopefully they'll settle down to putting out some greater quantity
now.
RATCAT
Baby's Got A Gun/Purple Room (Waterfront)
Nothing to do with the Only One's track of the same name, this one is typical snotty
Ratcat stuff. Singer Simon Day sounds like he's going to start going "nyah, nyah,
nyah!" any minute and turns some of the most ridiculous phrases, like "My baby's
got a gun/And I am in love/Even though she looks so mean/She is my turtledove".
There's no particular change from the Buzzcocks-like sound of the last few records on the
A-side here. The flip is a re-recording of a track from a Waterfront show giveaway record;
it's a slow spoof of psychedelia with the classic line "Oh my god, flowers are
talking to me/Saying the most repulsive things". Weird but also very good.
RATCAT
Saying Goodbye/Tura Satana/Overdrive (Waterfront)
This is Ratcat's farewell single, and it's kind of a shame, because this is a band that I
always thought had the potential to make some really great records. They never did...in
fact the only one I would say was even very good was their debut mini-lp. But they always
wrote some pretty nice melodies that usually rocked well enough and had some interesting
quirks as well. The blend of the singer's slightly nasal voice with the maximally fuzzed
guitar is a treat, too. But they never managed to write the sort of simple pop love songs
that their obvious heroes the Buzzcocks did; more often their lyrics became embarrassingly
silly rather than funny. That said, the A side of this one is one of their best tracks
yet; maybe because they had something to sing about that they really meant. Both flips are
good too, the first because the lyrics aren't obvious and the second because it's an
instrumental and thus promotes the band's strength...punchy fuzzy power pop.
RATTLESNAKE
SHAKE
Beyond Belief/Some Kinda Love (Waterfront)
Composed of former members from such medium-grade bands as Melting Skyscrapers, Naked
Lunch, and Decline of The Reptiles, Rattlesnake Shake put together a pair of sides of
Detroit-styled grunge. The A-side here has only two guitar lines, and although the run in
the chorus is OK, the one in the verse is really dull. The flip is much better, with
better variety and a lot more kick. Vocalist Tony Gibson gets a good Rob Younger sound,
and the band has a Birdman-derivative feel. With better songs this band might be worth
paying attention to, but for now there's too much competition doing better stuff.
RED PLANET
ROCKETS
Heaven Express/It's Gonna Be Allright (DogMeat)
The A side has that walking sort of bass line like George Thorogood's "Bad To The
Bone", but a grungier style of guitar and vocals. Pretty good. The flip is
better...more uptempo and energetic while retaining that boozy feel. Both these songs
suffer from lifting a style that's a little bit too predictable...for me at least these
sorts of songs always sound like copies of each other...the basic melody lines have been
played a million times before. At least there's not that many bands doing this sort of
thing right now.
REPTILES
AT DAWN
Walk Among The Danger/Penetrate The Night/Repulsive Glory/Under My Skin (New Rose)
This gatefold two record set was actually released in France, but the band originates in
Australia. The key bit of gossip on this band is that their lead singer used to sing for
the Dum Dum Boys, who have a great lp out. "Walk Among The Danger" actually is
the music to the Dum Dum's "Idiot Boy" with different lyrics, different chorus
and slightly less raw production. "Idiot Boy" was better (shit, "Idiot
Boy" was GREAT), but this is still fun with good punky vocals and guitar.
"Penetrate The Night" tries too hard with a bluesy, 1930's sounding trumpet
section leading in and out of the song. Instead of enhancing the song, it makes you want
to get past it all to the part where the horns drop out. "Under My Skin" is a
hot guitar song with lots of over the top lead work that reminds a little of Brian James
on the first Damned lp. "Repulsive Glory" is a piece of sludgy mid-tempo rubbish
that won't get more than one listen from anybody. Overall, the band displays a few
annoying metal tendencies, and doesn't totally convince me that they are worth spending
more money on.
RIBCAGE
WRESTLERS
Wattie's Mum/Temper Tantrum/Austral Mongrel Stinks Of Make Up (Slam Fest)
Ultra primitive recording quality from this Adelaide group...sounds like they rang up the
studio on the phone and played at home while recording at the other end of the line. The
music thrashes a lot and features lots of screaming vocals, but there are also a few spots
in which I'm reminded of Australia's X when they were really good. If your idea of heaven
is the first Urinals single, you just might think this is brilliant.
SABOTAGE
Take Some Drugs Tonite/Search And Destroy (Dog Meat)
This is the aggregation that Dave Thomas was talking about in the Bored feature. The A
side undoes George Bush's $200 million drug war in about two minutes...sounds very much
like God, which is natural as Joel from God sings, plays bass, and also plays guitar. The
flip, more of a band effort, is the best Stooges song ever as far as I'm concerned, and
while I still prefer the Hellmenn's take of this on Augogo's Stooges comp, there's no
denying that the guitar assault on this is pretty tasty.
SACRED
COWBOYS
Hell Sucks/Trouble From Providence (Citadel)
Actually an older band from Melbourne, this group played from '81 to '84 when the singer
was busted for drugs and sent to a rehab place for two years. They've just started up
again, supposedly changed directions significantly, and put out an lp and this single. The
A-side here is pretty good mid-tempo stuff, fueled mostly by Garry Gray's passionate vocal
and a musical backing that sounds like a glitter-rock cut. The flip is totally different;
an acoustic ballad like something the Rolling Stones might have done in the mid 70s. Has
moments, but not great.
THE SAINTS
Stay/Idiot Blues (Mushroom)
The Music Goes Round My Head/Tomorrow (Mushroom)
The Saints will always get a lot of credit in my book for their great records from the
70's; enough so that I will probably always buy their singles. But that doesn't mean I
will always like 'em; Chris Bailey has shifted styles regularly over the years, and not
all of them suit me very well. "Stay" is more of the pub rock stuff of the
"Just Like Fire Would" vein, except the song isn't quite so snappy as the
singles from that lp, and the recording is a little dull by comparison. The flip is
significantly worse. "The Music Goes Round My Head" is from the Young
Einstein soundtrack that the Lime Spider's "Weirdo Libido" was intended for.
If it wasn't for Bailey's voice, there'd be no reason ever to play this one again. As it
is, two or three times is enough. "Tomorrow" on the flip is a ballad from the Prodigal
Son lp, and it's probably the best song of these four...Bailey's folksy vocal approach
works real well on this sort of thing. But I still like Know Your Product
and I'm Stranded best.
THE SAINTS
Grain Of Sand/Mad Race (Mushroom)
Who'da thought in 1977 that the Saints would still be here in 1988 and that they'd be
making singles of pub rock flavored stuff like this? Or that Chris Bailey's then-monotonic
sneer of a voice would become as expressive as it is now? Not to say that I'd rather
listen to the current Saints than I'm Stranded, far from it; but today's Saints
still put out some fair stuff. This isn't as good as the best cuts off the All Fool's
Day lp, which was their best in years, and it doesn't have the punch they showed on
their US tour last year, but it's not a total waste of time either.
KIM SALMON
Lightning Scary/Lightning Scary II (Sympathy)
Salmon is of course the one time singer for the legendary Aussie band the Scientists, and
though he's been known for doing some odd things in the interim, this track isn't one of
them...it's an upbeat and outright poppy song done to a drum machine track with a hook
that sounds almost like something from a Saturday morning TV commercial. But it's also got
a rap part that's not as bad as might be expected (the "admit it, you're
SCARED!" part is really good, as a matter of fact) and there are some other guitar
surprises that work nicely. It's a neat song, though I'd have preferred to get the shorter
flip side version and a different song on the other side.
THE SCIENTISTS
This Is My Happy Hour/Swampland (Augogo)
We Had Love/Clear Spot (Augogo)
When Worlds Collide/Ghost Train (Augogo)
Atom Bomb Baby/Backwards Man (Augogo)
I'm not always as hooked on the Scientists as a lot of other people seem to be...most of
their stuff seems to be like a S-L-O-W version of the Cramps. But when things speed up
just a little, like on "Swampland", they can be pretty damn good.
"Swampland" features some real cool guitar licks and the great chorus "In
my heart is a place called swampland/Nine parts water, one part sand". "Atom
Bomb Baby" has moments, too, but overall I'd say there's a lot of better examples of
Aussie rock than these guys. And how do you reconcile the sound of any of these with the
innocent pop of the early single "Frantic Romantic" that appears on the
"Where Birdmen Flew" compilation?
THE SCIENTISTS
A Pox On You/Solid Gold Hell/Swampland/Nitro (Munster)
This record comes with a fanzine that's got 72 pages totally devoted to the Scientists,
and although it's more than half in Spanish so that us linguistically retarded Americans
are reduced to looking at the pictures in a lot of places, it's still an incredible piece
of work to behold. The record, which is mostly mid-period stuff, is fairly tasty.
"Swampland" is a lot faster and a lot better than the Augogo single...very
Cramp-y. The other tracks are generally dark and sinister sounding swamp stuff.
THE SCIENTISTS
There's A Monster In Me/You Only Live Twice (LTD)
Appears to be a bootleg, but I'm not sure. Both these songs are from post pop Scientists
(1985), but "Monster" is a sure hit anyway with a throbbing bass line and
powerful rhythm underneath the screeching guitars. Songwriting on "Twice" is
credited to the Scientists, but it sounds to me suspiciously like a theme song from some
60s movie that the band have practiced some serious chiropracting on. Fans will want it;
I'm not sure it was worth my money.
SCREAMING
TRIBESMEN
Igloo/My True Love's Blood (Citadel)
A Stand Alone/Move A Little Closer (Citadel)
I've Got Feeling/Colour Me Gone (Survival)
"Igloo" is one of the Tribesmen's two classics (the other being "Date With
A Vampyre", which appears only on 12"). It's a mid tempo sort of thing and thus
has to work extra hard to be as good as it is, but somehow manages, primarily due to the
excellent vocals on the "It's all white" chorus. Absent on this disc are any of
the metal tendencies that increasingly plague their later recordings. "True Love's
Blood" is also a garage special; in fact, it could fit seamlessly into a collection
of Lime Spiders songs and you might not even notice that it was another band. On the
second single, the metal tendencies start to surface. The music is still pretty good, but
the lyrics have the bragging sexual conquest swagger that we have come to expect out of
metalheads. On the newest, "I've Got A Feeling", the music sounds more metal,
but the lyrics are kind of interesting with the guy berating the girl for coming home
late, drunk. "Colour Me Gone" is fairly colorless altogether. These three
singles trace out a sad downhill slide for a band that started with great promise. Get the
first, pass on the others.
THE SEMINAL
RATS
La Grand Bouffe/Head Rush (Dog Meat)
The Seminal Rats don't get the credit they deserve outside of Melbourne, but they're
probably one of the better bands still going in Oz...they measure up well to Bored or Hoss
or the Dirty Lovers or God or any other heavy rock and roll band out of Melbourne you can
think of. I suspect if they put out more records they'd be rated that way too. As expected
"Bouffe" features some searing guitar licks...this band interprets the phrase
"Stooges-influenced" to mean high speed, chaotic playing with intense,
blistering riffs. They're strongly reminiscent of Radio Birdman except that their solos
are more excessive and in general they sound more out of control. Strong stuff. (there's
also a split single with the Celibate Rifles...)
SEPTEMBER
GURLS
Precious
THE BAM BALAMS
Same Old Tune (split single - Guiding Light)
This one's a freebie with Adventure fanzine, a Danish effort. But the two bands are both
Aussie. The September Gurls track is one of their harder and better things; it's sort of
your basic Hitmen or Screaming Tribesmen styled hard rocking stuff. The Bam Balams check
in with more of their hiccuppy rockabilly flavored stuff. Either side is as good as most
anything these bands have put out before, so for a freebie it's not a bad deal.
SLUB
Comic Stellar/The Golden Ass (Sympathy)
Australians playing moody, art damage type stuff. Augogo's catalog has pushed these guys
on numerous occasions as being in league with feedtime and King Snake Roost, but I'm
putting that thought on hold. Screechy guitar, screechier female vocals, fairly minimal
song structure on the A side. The flip gets even dirgier...it isn't far from here to
recording an entire single of your guitar lying on the floor feeding back (DON'T even
think about it!). (There is also a Slub track on a flexi compilation
single.)
SMELLY
TONGUES
Smelly Tongues/Why On Earth Should I Need You (Waterfront)
The A side is the Resident's song that the Tongues took their name from. First I've heard
it, and it sounds to me like they took a piece of classical music, electrified it and
added some really silly lyrics. The flip is their own, and even though it has a drum solo,
it with the A side are the two most coherent pieces of music I've heard by this
band...their other stuff has all been too unstructured for me. The flip could, with
significantly different playing, be conceived as an Eastern Dark songs which is what the
majority of those who remember bassist Bill Gibson's earlier career would love to see
happen. Don't think we'll get it, but this is more fun than most Smelly Tongues efforts.
THE SOME
LOVES
It's My Time/Don't Talk About Us (Citadel)
Pity that this is a studio, pick-up band and not likely to do a huge amount of further
material, because the combined efforts of Stems drummer Gary Chambers and vocalist Dom
Mariani, Hate Me Nots bassist Christian Houllemare, former Lime Spider Darryl Mather and
former Eastern Darkie Bill Gibson have resulted in a single that's as good as a lot of the
best stuff any of these people have done with their primary bands. The vocals naturally
give this a Stems-y feel, but the presence of Mather and Houllemare give the record more
punch than the Stems usually show. Both songs are first class hard pop of the highest
water, and it’s damn near impossible to choose between the A side and flip for the
better of the two tracks.
THE SOMELOVES
Know You Now/Don't Have To Try (White Label)
This one's been rumored forthcoming for quite a while, so I've had plenty of time to build
up expectations based on their other great Citadel single. Got a scare when I saw that
they'd sent the tapes to Mitch Easter for mixing, since he tends to smooth things out too
much for my tastes on his other productions, but happily damage has been minimal and the
result is another seven inches of power pop in the finest tradition. Guitars with balls,
drums with clout, yet a cool, smooth sound covered by the Stem's Dom Mariani's vocals; he
sings in a much more innocent style than on the Stems records. They've also brought in
some of their female friends to sing backing harmonies. Except for the fact that it would
screw up the Stems and the Happy Hate Me Nots, records like this will have me starting to
wish that Australia's number one studio pick-up band goes full time!
THE SOMELOVES
Melt/Jack Robinson (White Label)
The A-side, which is on the lp, is a tough one to pass judgment on. In places it's a great
piece of jangly pop...especially in the verses and all the solos. But the chorus, which
probably struck the band as the most original part of the song, to me seems to go over the
edge into the land inhabited by Karen Carpenter and her ilk. The harmonies are technically
great, but they lose power and thus my interest. But right after the chorus this little
guitar solo pops up which would never be on any commercial pop record, and all seems right
once again. The non lp flip is a more consistent brand of rocking pop.
THE SOMELOVES
Sunshine's Glove/Girl Soul (White Label)
"This is a real pop recording" it says on the sleeve, and that about sums it
up...ex-Stem Dom Mariani and ex-Lime Spider play some of the sweetest jangly pop you'll
hear anywhere. Both tracks on this manage to be 100% pop without the sort of syrupiness
that plagues most commercial pop groups. The key is in the mix, where the guitars and
drums are up loud. On a record made for radio instead of for love of the music, the vocals
always seem to dominate and never give any space, but this record has guitar solos and the
vocals never drown everything else out. Really nice.
SONS
OF GUNS
Wild Wild Girl/Don't Turn Back (Crash)
Another band with a good song to put out, but that has failed to learn the lesson that
less is more. "Wild Wild Girl" sprawls out across 5:22 of vinyl, and though it
builds up to a pretty nice peak somewhere about the four minute mark, by that time the
listener is pretty well convinced that this is not a record to be dragged out with any
great frequency. The sound is a good brand of hard guitar pop (once it gets moving), and
there's no reason to complain about the vocal delivery. Nice try, better luck next time.
SPACE
JUNIORS
Chewin'/Chinatown (Juniorville)
The guys are riding high now...their mini-lp still gets regular airplay at my house, and
although neither of these tracks powers like "Scratchin'", they rock plenty
hard. Heavy duty riff rock played at a hot tempo and produced to scorch is one Space
Juniors trait. Get onto the vinyl, do your thing, and get off in two minutes or less if
that's all that's needed is the other. The result is concentrated greatness that never
tastes watery. Yum.
THE SPECTRES
REVENGE
No Moon At Midnight/I Wanna Be Like Maynard G. Krebs (Augogo)
Augogo has the best mail order racket in Australia, but their label is too spotty to match
their retail performance. (Probably not their fault, but just the outcome of a weaker pool
of Melbourne bands to pull from as opposed to the great Sydney scene of Waterfront and
Citadel.) This single is an exception to that. The sound is VERY much like the Scientists,
with that same Cramps-influenced swampy sound. "No Moon At Midnite" has more of
a kick than many Scientists records. "Maynard Krebs" alternates between a
section with a cymbal bit like the Pink Panther theme and a piece that rocks briefly. It
would probably mean a lot more if I knew who this geezer was, but ultimately I don't think
even that would make me listen to it much. A one sided offering for sure.
THE SPIKES
A Bloody Mess/The Meaning Of Life/Bang Shang A Lang (Greasy Pop)
I shoulda looked at the label and seen that the A side is six minutes long. That woulda
told me something, it woulda. I couldn't even get through one listen of this midtempo pop
totally devoid of hooks and mixed with no punch or heart. I've read good things about this
band, too, but I can't see it.
SPLATTERHEADS
Destroyer/Buttock (Sympathy)
Two heavy tracks from their great Ink Of A Madman's Pen lp. Splatterheads style is
dense grinding guitars, fast tempos, and above all the offbeat vocal harmonies that give
them their distinctive sound. "Destroyer" is the most unique song from their lp
with sax and a real wailing vocal and a grinding pace. It's pretty potent stuff.
"Buttock" is more typical of their style...a full on rocker. A good taste; now
go for the meal and buy their lps.
SPUNK
BUBBLES
Metal Wench/Treat Me Good (Waterfront)
These guys are supposedly great friends of the Hard-Ons, and Ray from the Hard-Ons did the
sleeve in his trademark style. The music is a blend of speed-metal and hardcore punk that
works moderately well but doesn't have the flair to make the comparison hold up. The
production is really sharp, and actually makes the band sound a hell of a lot like the
Hard-ons overall. Both sides of the record are consistent, so at least if this is what you
want, you get two songs you'll like.
THE STEMS
She's A Monster/Make You Mine (Citadel)
Tears Me In Two/Can't Resist (Citadel)
At First Sight/Grooviest Girl In Town (White Label)
For Always/Mr. Misery (White Label)
The two Citadel singles are both great slices of sixties garage pop, with cheesy organs,
good guitars and vocals with rough edges in all the right places. I rate them as must
buys; all four tracks are equally excellent. "At First Sight" would sound real
fine on the radio...it's a nice jangly piece of Byrds-like folk pop, but it's a little too
produced; there's no raspy edges to the vocals anywhere anymore, and although I generally
loath keyboards, that cheapo organ sound really worked good on the Citadel discs. It comes
back on the flip, however, yet somehow "Grooviest Girl" also doesn't have that
really garagey atmosphere; it sounds a little too clean. "For Always" has a real
bright sound as well, and is as clean and classy a pop disc as you could ask for. I prefer
a little more dirt under my fingernails, so I'll go for the first two.
THE STEMS
Sad Girl/My Beach (White Label)
I'd put off buying this one because I wasn't real impressed with the other singles the
Stems had done since leaving Citadel. Boy, was that a mistake! "Sad Girl" is as
good as any of the Citadel stuff, leading with a great "Wow!" scream and with a
tough guitar line right up front from start to finish. The massive hook in the chorus
where the vocals double it up certainly don't hurt its chances either. Great 60's
psychedelia with 80's production values. The flip is sung by (relatively) new bass player
David Shaw, and features the same great cheesy organ sound from their older material.
Classic stuff.
THE STEMS
Let Your Head Rest/Don't Let Me/Tears Me In Two (Zero Hour)
This came with the unofficial Stems biography titled after its A side. There's a little
controversy about this book, since apparently Dom Mariani was asked to contribute but
didn't, feeling that the whole idea was kind of funny, with the result that the whole book
is primarily based on Richard Lane's view of things. The record is three demo cuts; the A
side is the first thing they ever recorded and is quite good at that...not quite so rowdy
as their first two Citadel singles, but a good moody song with a darkly psychedelic feel.
It's previously unreleased. The second track, which appeared only on their "Dead
Weed" demo cassette, is in a similar vein and also quite good. The third track
appeared in a different take on their second Citadel single, but this version was recorded
during the session for the first one. The Citadel track is stronger, but there's not that
much difference. The accompanying book is a lot of fun to leaf through; lots of photos,
flyers, and clippings in addition to a long interview with Richard Lane. Well worth it for
fans.
SUBSONIC
BARFLIES
Questions/Better/My Baby Stole My Car (BARF)
Brisbane is not exactly considered to be the hotbed of Australian rock (although
paradoxically a lot of very good bands started there), and this group has been pretty well
overlooked in the hoopla around all the great Sydney bands, but that's a shame, because
this is a tasty piece of guitar rock with lots of energy. The drummer really drives this
song along...each snare beat feels like a nail driven into your head and the guitars are
nice and fat, just like mamma used to make 'em. The vocal work is a little flat, but all
three tracks get the thumbs up anyway on the basis of being great to thrash around the
house to.
THE SUMMER
SUNS
Rachel-Anne/Honeypearl (Easter)
This is actually the first single by Kim William's band the Summer Suns; it came out over
a year ago. But I hadn't heard it until he gave me a copy of it in his shop this winter,
so here it is now. The line-up's fairly different than the more recent "All
Away" single; Kim, Dom Mariani, and former Stems drummer Gary Chambers. Chambers
isn't the dynamic drummer that Martin Moon is, which makes these two tracks seem a little
more subdued. The A side has a somewhat darker and thus more substantial feel to it than
the lighter flip or "All Away", but both these tracks are really nice boy/girl
pop. Kim loves this stuff and he knows how to make this kind of record as well as anybody.
THE SUMMER SUNS
All Away/Mexican Restaurant (Waterfront)
I hit on this scheme for reviewing singles where I alternate ones I like with ones I don't
like as I write...makes it more easy to tolerate the rubbish and it makes the good stuff
sound so pleasantly fantastic that you can't help but boil with enthusiasm. This one's got
all the kettles whistling...The Summer Suns include former Stems frontman Dom Mariani, but
the group is actually headed by Kim Williams, who runs Perth’s Easter Records. They
continue in the tradition of catchy powerpop that Easter specializes in...here the
emphasis is on pop more like Dom's last group, the Someloves, as opposed to the garagey
Stems feel. Real nice.
SUNSET
STRIP
Going Home/Yesterday's Gone (Augogo)
Another 1986 release; this one has a Neil Young-ish vocal to go with some rough and ready
but mid-tempo guitar rock. The mix is pretty muddy and seems to take away a lot of the
punch it might have had. The flip is a bit better as the guitar is doing some more
interesting stuff, but neither track has anything about it that makes it obvious why this
Melbourne band felt compelled to put it on a single. (There is also a Sunset Strip split single with God.)
SUPER
K
Recurring Nightmare/Go-Go (Citadel)
Lots of people will want to buy this because of the presence of names from Hoodoo Gurus,
Died Pretty, and Fun Things. Not many will play it much after they've bought it.
"Nightmare" is OK as a slow piece of dark pop, but is no stellar effort. Vocals
switch from male to female on the b-side, which is a really lame piece of bubblegum pop.
The dominating sound is keyboard, not guitar, and it doesn't work very well. Buy to
complete your Citadel collection only.
SWARM
Do You Believe Me/Fifteen Minutes/RSVP (Sun Dial)
I think this is the second single by this Melbourne band; it's one studio and two live
tracks that sound pretty hot...the feeling is early 80s British post punk that rocks a lot
harder than this sort of thing usually does. The A side is really good with a tense
feeling and some hard drumming, and the sound on it is good and rough...actually there's
not much difference between it and the two flips production-wise. All three tracks have a
lot of the good qualities of stuff like early U2, Echo or the Alarm without the bullshit
and bombast and with more raw production.
THE SWEET
RIDE
On The Line/Nothing To Lose (Grown Up Wrong)
The sort of record that sounds pretty good on the turntable but doesn't seem to stick in
your head too well when you take it off. This one sports vocals that remind me some of
Roger Daltry on the early Who records, like "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere", except the
singer doesn't rise to the peaks in the song as well as Daltry did. Musically the band
sounds like a blend of the Who from those days with a touch of Radio Birdman. Which seems
like a good thing to do except they haven't got the bashing spirit of the thing quite
wired yet, which I guess is why I felt like it isn't the most memorable music around.
They're close, though, pretty close. And as it is, I'd be happy to have 'em show up in any
bar in San Diego.
SWORDFISH
Wrap/Let It Be Me (Fish Face)
This smells suspiciously like some mysterious Australian supergroup single but I've got
nothing to back that up other than the fact that all the names of the players are listed
with first names only (James, Pete, Pete, Pete, Rob, Jules) and Alan Thorne mixed it and
both songs are credited to James Dixon (maybe New Christs Jim Dickson?). Anyway, it's not
the second coming of Radio Birdman...but rather some kind of quirky pop stuff that's only
average by me. And if the band's called Swordfish, why is their logo a cow?
Australian 45s A - D
Australian 45s E - L
Australian 45s T - Z
