I am very bad at this (1/???)

Has it really been two odd years since my last post..?

Yikes.

Well, I've still be grabbing tunes along the way, and digging into the fantastic period of Australian Post Punk, though also hit a brick wall with tracking down specific tracks for complete studio discographies and the like.

So, rather than trying to do one at at time, here's a big dump full of rare and out of print Australian music. Some compilations have non Aussie artists on there, but have some rarities or unique tracks (like a Studio Version of Enough Legs To Live on by The Moodists).

I'll try and make a list of stuff I'm looking for, but in the meantime, go nuts and let me know if there's anything that you like or jumps out!

Peace

Who flew before?

Here's another batch of albums for you:

The "Before Birdmen Flew" Collection.

I can name a heap of lesser known Australian artists from the 80's, and even a select batch from the late 70's, but pre Radio Birdman? Nada. I suppose that's where these come in.

I originally grabbed these off a Russian Torrent Tracker, though a customary Google search found that Ice-10 may be the original source. In any case, I've re-tagged and re-uploaded the files, so you can listen to Volumes One, Two, Three and Four at your leisure.

Going through my archives, I've found that more and more rarer albums are finding releases, either through compilation tracks or sites like CD Baby or Bandcamp. I'll list up some of these as I work my way through my collection, but in any case, until next time!

Once a week he said, that'd be easy he said!

Alrighty now, maybe once a week was a 'little' ambitious.

So how about the posts come as they do, and I'll try to post some really obscure Australian stuff? Here's one for you right now!

A limited, out of of print solo effort by Something For Kate frontman, and all around Legend, Paul Dempsey. Out of the 500 copies pressed, there is only a single copy between the SFK Bandmates!

I present, Scared Of Horses - (1998) An Empty Flight

I originally tracked this down through a torrent in the middle of 2014. A limited iTunes release was seen in 2011, but that has since passed, and the album once again faded into obscurity.. until it stirred today.

Round 2

Well, we'll try that again.

The spotlight uncertainly stirs again.

As promised from the last blogpost (last year!), here's the 2002 Whirlywirld compilation: The Complete Studio Works. (MP3 Format for now)

Even having three separate releases making up this compilation, the album feels whole, and complete opening and closing on two very solid tracks. I believe one more track has been officially released on the Alternative Animals compilation, which may join this post on another day.

Out of print for quite some time, but certainly worth tracking down. CD Baby have a few copies of the CD left, amongst other sites, but I can't see a physical re-release happening for quite some time.

Here's hoping I stick around a while longer this time. Even with the threat of uni looming once more, I'm planning for at least a post a week.

A few things for the night.

First off, "Strange Waters, Small Mercies" has been uploaded in FLAC. No scans yet, but if I'm doing one, I'm doing a heap at once.

FLAC Version

Second of all, I uploaded all the photos I took at The Ears gig onto Facebook, those can be found here.

Last of all, after posting about The Ears, and subsequently Dogs In Space, I present for your listening pleasure:

Dogs In Space Expanded Soundtrack

This version of the soundtrack has been expanded, thanks to the effort of PLM. His original post on it can be found here. In that post is a message from Richard Lowenstein, the director of the film. He states that as a 50% owner of the soundtrack, we can all download it without consequence, as a reissue is nigh on impossible. The link can be found here. Some really quality stuff on here especially the re-recording of Pumping Ugly Muscle, that's such a killer track.

So that's a few things knocked off the list, but me being back at uni may limit when and what I post, only time will tell. Until next time!

P.S. : Next up will be an out of print (OOP) album from one of the bands on this soundtrack, three guesses who!

Artist Spotlight: The Ears

After seeing The Ears perform at Bar Open in Fitzroy two nights ago and going into the early hours of the 28th, I thought it was best to put the Spotlight upon a band enjoying a 2nd life.

Starting their life in 1979 and calling it a day at the end of 1981, they weren't around for long. They were born in a spark of creativity, post punk. The Post Punk Scene in Australia gave birth to a hell of a lot of new acts and with them, the covering and blending of many genres, making music exist that would never have found the same audience anywhere else. From Krautrock to Tribal, Electronic to Jazz, anything went. Some of these acts managed to ride out the wave and exist once the scene died down, but not many. The others broke down at their peak. But like some of the best of that bygone era, The Ears burnt brightly. 

The Ears didn't gain their fame directly, but becoming an icon of that long past era of Australian music. In 1986, Richard Lowenstein created Dogs In Space. Not quite a movie, but more of a period piece, exploring the Post Punk / Little Band scene in Melbourne during the 1980's. Dogs In Space was the biggest project Lowenstein had undertaken, having previously directed music videos for the likes of INXS and Hunters & Collectors. Dogs In Space accomplished a lot, and a little. The movie had no real narrative structure, but painted the Music scene for what it was, mental, where anything could happen.

And this is where The Ears come in to play. Lowenstein had bunked with The Ears, and such based the film on them and their exploits. Sam Sejavka, the Lead Vocalist of The Ears became the main character, played by none other than Michael Hutchence of INXS. Lowenstein not only showed us the world at that time, but he made us hear it as well. He brought back icons from the day to perform songs specifically for the film, as well as having Michael Hutchence re-recording songs by The Ears, including the titular Dogs In Space. 

Suffice it to say, the film became a cult hit, having been re-released in 2009 with interviews from the people involved to testify just how crazy it really was.

Fast forward to 2010, where after a flurry of nothing for over 20 years, The Ears stirred. The Crystal Ballroom, the venue where a lot of acts got their start, including Hunters & Collectors, hosted a series of nights that brought back acts from that bygone era. The Ears performed a reunion show on May 9th, and that was the start of their second life. In December 2010, The Ears released "dogs in space", a compilation album of just about all their old material, including singles, compilation tracks and unreleased demos. Two years pass and the unexpected occurred.

The Ears released Deja Moo, an EP featuring 6 new songs and a re-recording of older song. And for me personally, it's an absolute gem. So once I heard The Ears were performing at Bar Open in Fitzroy, there was no doubt, I had to see them.

As soon as they opened the show, I knew I had made the right choice in coming. They had a level of professionalism that other acts I had seen that night just didn't possess. I suppose being in the industry for 35 years helps, but even still. It may have been a leaner band number than previous gigs with only 4 members, but for what the night was, it didn't detract from the experience in the least. Having performed the entirety of their Deja Moo EP, as well as some older tracks, it showed that even after so long, they well and truly have what it takes to put younger acts to shame. Every song was played with gusto. Every song was played with intent. And at the centre of it all, Sam Sejavka, being not just a singer, but a true performer. He was utterly captivating, acting manic and deranged, but always in control. The closest comparison that comes to mind is Doc Neeson of The Angels. There was malice in his delivery, but in the best sort of way. The night most of all, was fun.

So what's in the future for this resurrected act? 

• Hopefully we'll see a few more live shows and other releases to go along with them. Any music release by The Ears, either of a studio or live nature would be wholeheartedly welcome. 

• If you can see them live and can make it down, do it. They put on a hell of a performance in a tiny box of a room and deserve a larger audience to watch the insanity unfold.

• Support the artist if you can. Both of their two albums are available for download on Bandcamp which I'll link below. Due to the nature of Bandcamp, you can stream the full album for free, so if you're still unsure about them, you can go right ahead and listen to their work. 

• As to whether you should start with dogs in space or Deja Moo, it's hard to stay. In my mind, Deja Moo is the more cohesive body of work, and more indicative of their live performances. Opposing that, dogs in space contains their earlier work, and material that co-insides more with the Dogs In Space film, where I'd believe a larger audience would be introduced to The Ears, albeit by proxy of sorts. When it comes down to it, go with Deja Moo.

The Ears - dogs in space

The Ears - Deja Moo

I'll try and upload some of the better photos I took of the evening a bit later down the track.

Until next time!

Christopher Marshall - Strange Waters, Small Mercies

Here we go, first post of actual music!

I present for your listening pleasure: Strange Waters, Small Mercies by Christopher Marshall.

Originally released in 1998, it must have been no small feat to get this album out there and to get the once front-man of legendary Australian Rock Band Harem Scarem to partake. I suppose having an essential supergroup of musicians behind you does does make the experience a lot less harrowing. 

Featuring musicians from bands like Hunters & Collectors, The Sports, The Models and Australian Crawl, this would be Christopher Marshall's only solo outing. But for me personally, it was and still is, enough. Having originally heard it last year at the Victorian State Library, it takes you off into it's own world.

Featuring over 50 minutes of music across the ten songs present, you can still here some of the ideas that were present in Pilgrim's Progress, the 1986 album featuring Christopher Marshall on lead vocal duties. The earlier Harem Scarem material was longer that what ended up on the 1986 album, eventuating from the differing tastes of Chris and his brother Charlie. While Chris preferred more brooding and drawn out songs, Charlie was more of a short and sharp type of musician. That can be heard here as well, with the single song that features Charlie on backing vocals being that only one that is under 4 minutes in length.

Certainly a tamer album compared to Pilgrim's Progress, that in no way diminishes it. It highlights the strengths of Marshall, both in terms of song-writing and album direction. His vocals remain strong and passionate throughout the album, never pushing too far or going over the top. It is a testament to an Marshall, and it is a shame that it remains out of print.

If you can find it for a reasonable price, don't hesitate. While this lingers out of print, Pilgrim's Progress was remastered and reissued by Aztec Music in 2008, which can be found physically here and digitally here, but that's a post for another day.

EDIT: With this album now being available for purchase due to the efforts of Laneway Music, I have removed the link to this.

Perhaps, I'll have a Round 3 of this, once life decides to settle down a bit.