#117

Continuing with all Aussie ness - though strictly Speaking the Tiny Town one is a UK release as the band were based in the UK and the flexi featured here was released there - just the band were expat Brisbanites...

We start today with The Cry from Sydney and I have it listed as 1982 ( which I have to admit comes from the Discogs entry for this single ) but I have the gut feeling this single in fact came out later ( possibly around the 1984 or so ) but have no hard evidence for this - other than my memory.... and that 1982 seems a bit "early" to me....I have been wrong before and will be wrong again though I'm sure.

Then we are up in Brisbane for the legendary Four Gods single, on the even more legendary Able Label. This song sounds exactly like it is - a mix between The Frontier Scouts and early Go Betweens, definitely because that is who is playing on this record ; Lindy on drums and Grant on bass under the alias "Candice" and of course Andrew Wilson of the Frontier Scouts. ( Incidentally this was recorded at m Squared with Patrick engineering so this single even more tinged with "royalty" ). The covers by the way were hand screen printed and done in different colours.

( The ) Tapeloops also from Qld, and the slight of "government work" based on a Joh Bjelke era government...

Then we have the Tiny Town thing ( as I mentioned a flexi ), Clint Small from Melbourne and I don't need to explain The Saints.

The Flies were a Sydney band ( their only single ), Dorian Gray were from Melbourne ( also their only single ), Idiom Flesh were from Sydney ( the first of 2 releases, the other being a 12 ), and of course Skolars ( this being their last single ).

More Aussie coming next week :)


#117 - via Box

Sideroom Singles Podcast #117
1. Desert Child - The Cry ( Ice-Nine Recs Aust 1982 )
2. Enchanted House - Four Gods ( Able Label Aust 1981 )
3. Working For The Government - The Tapeloops ( Sundown Recs Aust 1984 )
4. Back To The Bow - Tiny Town ( no label ( Flexi ) 1983 )
5. On The Fourth Floor - Clint Small ( Au-Go-Go Recs Aust 1980 )
6. Simple Love - The Saints ( Lost Records Aust 1980 )
7. Turtle Monster - The Flies ( Pagan Recs Aust 1985 )
8. The Emperor's New Clothes - Dorian Gray ( Au-Go-Go Recs Aust 1982 )
9. It - Idiom Flesh ( Rama Records Aust 1982 )
10. Precious Love - Skolars ( Ruse Aust 1989 )
( duration 33.09, vbr lame mp3 )

Tracklist as PDF,  all podcasts #1 - ( current ) #117

#116

This weeks is the first in a longish stretch of all Aussie music...

We start with John Kennedy ( earlier of JFK & the Cuban Crisis fame ) and "Big Country", the 2nd single under his Love Gone Wrong moniker , geographically going a bit further afield than his previous odes to King Street and Marrickville. ( also moving geographically up the road in term of record-shop labels ).

Then we have a 7" edit version of Pandemonium from Pel Mel, a 2nd issue /version of the Deckchairs Overboard song ( previously found on their debut s/t 12 " ) and another Martin Armiger driven 7 from The Kevins ( see also #112 ).

Tactics are always worth discussing and this latter day 7" ( ie from 1990 ) interesting for many reasons - firstly it's from their last full studio album "The Great Gusto", secondly for the fact that it's on Regular Records and thirdly because of the involvement of Roger Grierson ( as producer )  - given the stories of earlier cracks in their relationship during the band's days on Green Recs ( and particularly the recording of Glebe ). Also there is something about the treatment of some of the backing vocals that sound like late period Thought Criminals ( especially the oft maligned "You Only Think Twice" album - which I have never maligned,  just for the record ). ( I also love the "your turn my turn" gag at the end )

Everything else on the list easy to grasp I'm sure, except a quick brain refresher on Karen Ansell being in The Reels for a while ( ala Quasimodo's Dream era and thereabouts ) ( and this single was produced by Neil Finn ) and finally Crib Sex were from Brisbane,  this was their second single ( for the first see #38 ).

Obviously also a Brissie connection ther with John Kennedy ( and Mark Callaghan even ) and there's more Brisbane ties in our next one...see you then


#116 - via Box

Sideroom Singles Podcast #116
1. Big Country - John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong ( Red Eye Aust 1986 )
2. Pandemonium - Pel Mel ( Gap Aust 1983 )
3. That's The Way - Deckchairs Overboard ( Regular Recs Aust 1983 )
4. Ululation - The Kevins ( White Label Recs Aust 1983 )
5. Turn - Tactics ( Regular Recs Aust 1990 )
6. House Of Cards - Gang Gajang ( Truetone Aust 1985 )
7. Communication - Marc Hunter ( Mercury Aust 1984 )
8. No Commotion - Karen Ansell ( Mushroom Aust 1983 )
9. Love Will Find A Way - The Reels ( Mercury Aust 1979 )
10. Smacks Of Love - Crib Sex ( Humoresque Recs Aust 1986 )
( duration 32.42, vbr lame mp3 )

#115

This week the cards we have been dealt mostly have a post punk bent ( even "post-post punk" if you like... )

Kicking off with Bristolians Scream And Dance, more obscure than than their contemporaries like Rip, Rig & Panic et al . This track has some personal history with me, ie from from 1982-1988 I used the name "Scream And Dance" for a radio show I was doing on 2SER in Sydney - not because I was a fan of the band, or even of this song but because it was the 2nd song I ever played on air and when I started the show I had no name for the show....the first song I played was "What" by Soft Cell and then made a back announcement that said

"..well, Soft Cell has asked the question What ? and the answer is...Scream and Dance"

and then I played the track, and thus the show had a name....totes trivia I know but I feel I have to point that out.

Nothing else that's not glaringly obvious until songs 6 and 7 - these "Coolies" are two different bands; the first is the NY band that were the only overseas release for M Sqaured in Australia ( and one of two "regrets" from the label - as mentioned by Mitch Jones once in an interview on the aforementioned radio show - ie this Coolies release because it was so unlike the rest of the label and the other one being the Entrave Et Etouffement double 10", only because of some dubious money handling by the French label ). The 2nd band today called THE Coolies were from Atlanta.

The last track by Virna Lindt was always a bit of mystery / conundrum to me - because of the packaging / marketing it always felt to me like it wasn't a "real" release - ie that it was either a weird product tie in or something connected with a kid's toy / game.... it is of course in fact a legit release !

All of that could be because something about it always reminded me of a one of my most coveted records - which was both a product tie and did come with a kid's toy. That was a Barbie Doll 7" record ( ie supposedly Barbie singing ! ) that Ray Rockmelon owned and he played it to me once and I have coveted it ever since.....

enough of the digression though

after this we hit a bit stretch of all Aussie music...


#115 - via Box

Sideroom Singles Podcast #115
1. In Rhythm - Scream And Dance ( Recreational Records 1982 )
2. Conspiracy - The Higsons ( Waap Records 1982 )
3. Secret Story - Minny Pops ( Factory 1982 )
4. Everything's Roses - Fire Engines ( Codex Communications 1980 )
5. New Breed - Mackenzies ( Ron Johnson 1986 )
6. Do You Agree - Coolies ( M Squared Aust 1981 )
7. Scarborough Fair - The Coolies ( DB Recs 1985 )
8. Seven Minutes to Midnight - Wah! Heat ( Inevitable Music 1980 )
9. Do Nothing - The Specials ( 2 Tone 1980 )
10. Attention Stockholm - Virna Lindt ( Compact Listeners 1981 )
( duration 29.46, vbr lame mp3 )