Tuff Monks - After The Fireworks 7"

"That single was like a jam session we had in the studio
which lasted about 2 hours and we never even finished...
How on earth they could release it I really don't know.
It's ludicrous, a travesty... The whole point of the exercise
was no one was meant to be credited.
It was just meant to be 'The Tuff Monks',
no explanation, nothing."

Mick Harvey

The story behind this 1982 7" legendary collusion
between the Go-betweens and the Birthday Party
makes for interesting reading, you can read it on
wikpedia Here
Thanks to Matty for sharing more amazing
singles from his collection.


"... interesting collaboration (go)between
(birthday)parties for this 7" vinyl from 1982
on the Au-go-go label. nick cave, vocals, mick harvey,
piano, grant mclennen, robert forster and
rowland howard, guitars, and lindy morrison on drums.
both tracks eventually resurfaced- on the birthday
party's cd reissue of "drunk on the pope's blood"
on missing link, and the a-side only,
on the go-betweens cd reissue of
"send me alullaby" on circus records..."

matty

Download Here

The Birthday Party - 20/05/1983 - Storey Hall - RMIT - Melbourne, Australia

From the tail end of their career, only months away from
calling it a day, we have recently digitalized recording of
the Birthday Party from a live radio broadcast that comes
our way via Mr K.
The Birthday Party were one of the most influential bands
to come out of Australia, they had a huge impact here in
Brisbane and of course many of the members went on to
bigger and better things.
What else can I say the bands on fire and even through
I have seen Nick play many times over the years I
am rather envious of those who got see the Birthday
Party in the flesh.

A big thanks to Mr K who I believe saw the Boys Next Door
in the flesh, which is possibly more impressive!

Track List
01 - Deep in the Woods
02 - Jennifer's Veil
03 - Junkyard
04 - Six Strings That Drew Blood
05 - Sonny's Burning
06 - She's Hit
07 - Wild World

Recorded by : 3RRR
Date : 20/05/1983
Location : Storey Hall - RMIT - Melbourne, Australia
From cassette : Thanks to Tony Johnstone for the tape

Download Here

The Birthday Party - Friend Catcher/ Waving Arms/Catman, single

Released in this month in 1980 its hard to explain how
ground breaking Nick and his band of misfits were at
the time. Originally released by the Boys next door and
on the Album that I have posted here called the Birthday
Party, the Boys became the Birthday Party and went on
to become one of the most influential bands of the 1980s,
certainly in Brisbane.



It seemed within two years the place was over run by
Birthday Party inspired bands. This is a great place to
start if you don't know this band, 3 tracks of pure brilliance.
Is there anyone much pushing the boundaries of music
like this these days?
I can't remember when I first heard this, but I did rush
out and buy the album, I think I had "Door Door"
first, but this is an incredible shift from that.
These are the records of my later teen years,
I made the punk to post punk move easily.
To me these guys were at the forefront.

Thanks Chuck for ripping and scanning this wonderful 7"


The Friend Catcher - Birthday Party

I, cigarette fingers
Puff and poke
Puff and poking the smoke
Touches the ground

You, your lungs and your wrists
They throb like trains
Choo choo choo
It's a prison of sound

Of sound

She, by my chinny chin chin
Hee - Haw,Hee - Haw,
Like a zippo smokes the way
Hope, around

You, your lungs and your wrists
They throb like trains
Choo choo choo
It's a prison of sound

A prison of sound

She, by the hair of my chinny chin chin
Hee - Haw,Hee - Haw,Hee - Haw,Hee - Haw
Like a zippo smokes the way
Hope, around

You, your lungs and your wrists
They throb like trains
Choo choo choo
It's a prison of sound

I poke around...

Download Here


The Friend Catcher Live

Meltingpod podcast #92

Annies got a new pod up and it looks like a beauty
There was a rumor that Steve brought to my attention
that Ed Kuepper was joining the Bad Seeds, well at
least for a short while its true.

#92 Interview with Ed Kuepper joining at the guitar Nick Cave
and the Bad Seeds for a Summer festivals’ European tour
and giving news about the Saints and Laughing Clowns’ shows
at ATP 2009 in Australia Part 1

In this podcast and interview ED KUEPPER explains how he is
joining NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS for their next European
tour this Summer !! He is playing guitar in the band for a
lot of festivals after Mick Harvey one of the founding member
and guitarist left at the end of the ATP 2009 in Australia.
Invited by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (ATP’s curators)
Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey reformed with their drummer
Ivor Hay The Saints‘ original line-up for 6 shows during
that festival last January and they added Archie Larizza
at the bass and a three pieces horn section.
We spoke with Ed about the rehearsals and specially
about two songs I heard through the internet and recorded
Live by fans : One Way Street in Melbourne (a new/old version!!)
and Nights in Venice in Mt Buller.

Find it here

To Celebrate Leonard coming to town

As you readers all know this blog is all Australian with a
bit of New Zealand thrown in, however a break with
tradition and an album that includes artists that come
from overseas. The reason for this special post is
Leonards coming and I shelled out $400 for 2
tickets, the single most expensive concert Ive
payed for, but you know its not likely he'll be back again.
Its only money as a friend said who also shelled out the same.


Can't wait, been waiting for this and was kind of resigned
to the concept that it would never happen.
On this fantastic tribute album we find some Australian
artists, my pick would be Robert Foster doing Tower
of Song. Which according to an interview about
this record, when Leonard was asked what song he
would pick if invited to contribute
"Tower of Song’ because it is easy to sing.
I don’t like things which are too complicated.."
So lets hear from Leonard fans both here in
Australia and all over who are taking the
opportunity to see a living legend do his thing.
Thanks to Éric at Eternally Yours for the original post

Tracklist
01. The House of Love: Who by fire
02. Ian McCulloch: Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye
03. Pixies: I can’t forget
04. That Petrol Emotions: Stories of the street
05. The Lilac Time: Bird on the wire
06. Geoffrey Oryema: Suzanne
07. James: So long Marianne
08. Jean-Louis Murat: Avalanche IV
09. David McComb & Adam Peters:
Don’t go home with your hard-on
10. R.E.M.: First we take Manhattan
11. Lloyd Cole: Chelsea hotel
12. Robert Foster: Tower of song
13. Peter Astor: Take this longing
14. Dead Famous People: True love leaves no traces
15. Bill Pritchard: I’m your man
16. Fatima Mansions: A singer must die
17. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Tower of song
18. John Cale: Hallelujah

Download Here

The Boys Next Door - The Birthday Party

The follow up to Door Door was this 1980 missing link release.
Originally released as a Boys Next Door record as was the
next Ep Hee Haw, the 2 were later combined into the album
Hee Haw by the Birthday Party.
I've looked all over the net and the original track listing and
artwork is nowhere to be found. This record is miles away
from Door Door, the band have found an incendiary sound,
completely original and showing all all promise of what is
to come.
The music is often abstract, melodramatic, sparse and often absurd.
The kind of words used to describe the Birthday Party later.
Happy Birthday/Riddle House was the single a kind of culmination
of their direction to date, then the band left for the UK.
Never to be the same again.

Download Here

Boys Next Door - Door, Door

Released in 1979 this record had an incredible impact, not
only on me, but many people who had followed punk into
its metamorphism into post punk. On their next record
these guys changed their name to the Birthday Party
and the beginnings of what is to come. It was the
Birthday Party who changed music, at least round
here, anyone who was into such music was never the
same after that. Heaps of bands that I knew of followed
in their footsteps.

This album is very much a transitional album, which the
band dismissed as sounding too poppy, and the band
around this time was moving the more abrasive sounds of
contemporary post-punk. The album's final song and single,
"Shivers", was refused air play for its mention of suicide in
the first line and served as an indication of the more sinister,
dark direction the band was headed.
missing link records

At the time of its release Australian bands like the Angels
ruled the airwaves, I remember playing this round the
time of the end of Grade 12 and Classmates who hadn't
been exposed to anything heavier than ACDC or The Angels
just couldn't get their head around it.
If your a Nick cave fan and somehow missed the
Beginning of his career, you have to listen to this.

Track List
01-The Nightwatchman
02-Brave Exhibitions
03-Friends Of My World
04-The Voice
05-Roman Roman
06-Somebody's Watching
07-After A Fashion
08-Dive Position
09-I Mistake Myself
10-Shivers

Down Load Here

Boys Next Door - Shivers

Laughing Clowns to play ATP festival January 2009

In the biggest news to come to my attention since the
pig city concert in 2006 or the Apartments reforming
last year, the UK concept concert extravaganza,
All Tomorrows Parties, comes to Australia.
New York too, but that's not as exciting, for me anyway.
First the big news is I finally have a chance to see
the Clowns live after all these years.
I like to think Ed's been reading all the comments
I've made on this blog about the sorry state of
affairs, that I never got to see them live.
Below is from their Myspace site.

Laughing Clowns have been invited to play the
inaugural ATP Australia festival in January next year.
This will be the first show anywhere by the Clowns
since 1984.Featuring original members Ed Kuepper
vocals and guitar,Jeffrey Wegener drums,
Louise Elliott saxophone and Leslie Millar upright bass.
See you there.

Now if that isn't enough we have an incredible lineup
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds have been named as the
festival’s curators.As curators, the band not only headline
the festival but personally select the line-up.

Joining Cave and his merry men at the January festival
are fellow Aussie acts, The Saints, The Laughing Clowns,
Robert Forster, Primitive Calculators, Rowland S Howard,
The Stabs, Bridezilla, and The Necks.

On the international front, Spiritualized (UK),
James Blood Ulmber (US), Harmonia (Germany),
#uck Buttons (UK), Silver Apples (UK), Afrirampo (Japan),
and M Gira (US) have been named in the festival line-up.

All Tomorrow’s Parties in Australia will be held in three
locations over a number of dates. See below for details.

January 9 and 10, Mt Buller Ski Resort, Victoria
January 12 and 16, The Powerhouse, Brisbane
January 17 and 18, Cockatoo Island, Sydney
Nick Cave solo show (Tickets on sale Friday October 3)
Tuesday January 6, The Palace, Melbourne [18+]

Its enough to send you all giddy.
Apparently there's more acts too come,
I'm crossing me fingers for the Apartments.

Nick Cave and Blixa Bargeld, Mick Harvey - Ghosts ...of the Civil Dead

Ghosts... of the Civil Dead is a 1988 Australian movie
directed by John Hillcoat.
A dramatization of actual events with episodic bursts
separated with quotes from actual prison documents
Ghosts of the Civil Dead tells the story of slow building
tensions within an Australian maximum security prison,
tension that leads to violence that leads to a lengthy,
as in more than three year,
lock down that leads to rioting and the wounding
or killing of several prison guards.

I went to the world premier of this film which was here
in Brisbane as part of some 4zzz fund raising effort back
in 1988, my memories are a bit dim concerning that,
however the film let an indelible impression on me.
It is the single most violent and difficult to watch film
I have ever seen, Nicks performance is incendiary and
when you can't imagine this prison becoming any worst,
as they say they bring the crazies in.
Nick plays the screaming psychopath Maynard who
decorates his cell in his own blood after making
his late arrival.
Dave Mason of the band the Reels, also gives a fantastic
performance, but its the music we are looking at here.
Nick Cave's music is used to heighten tension;
its suitably foreboding and atmospheric,
with an unnerving mood created throughout.
This is typified by the haunting 'la, la' discordant
melody sung by Anita Lane which has the effect of
putting the listener on edge.
Its is some of the truly most disturbing music
you will ever hear.

Track list
01. The New
02. Introduction - A Prison In The Desert
03. David Hale - I've Been A Prison Guard
Since I Was 18 Years Old
04. Glover - I Was 16 When They Put Me In Prison
05. David Hale - You're Dangling Like A
Bunch Of Meat On A Hook
06. Pop Mix
07. Pop Mix
08. Glover - We Were United Once
09. David Hale - The Day Of The Murders
10. Lilly's Theme ("A Touch Of Warmth")
11. Maynard Mix
12. David Hale - What I'm Tellin' Is The Truth
13. Outro- The Free World
14. Glover - One Man Released So They
Can Imprison The Rest Of The World

Download Here

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The boatmans Call (Tour Ep 1997)

Another wonderful tour Ep this time from the Boatman's Call
1997 Australian tour.

Track List
01 - Little empty boat
02 - Right Now I'm A-roaming
03 - Come Into My Sleep
04 - Black Hair (band version)
05 - Babe, I Got You Bad

Download Here

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Stripped (1994 Tour EP)

The 2nd album from the fantastic Great Australian Albums series
has inspired today's posts. The Album they picked most interestingly
was the Murder Ballads album, not my choice for their, best but it
made for a very interesting show.
Nick Cave has of course came light years from his beginnings in
Melbourne, having a career which is possibility the greatest of any
Australian artist and with his band the bad seeds achieved
alternative superstar status.
They are of course one of the greatest bands live you can see,
I've seen them many times, but the one that sticks in my mind
is the 1992 Livid Festival when they headlined.
Henry's Dream had just been released and they when off.
Opening with Papa don't leave me Henry,
the song starting with the acoustic guitar part then bamm ,
the band let us have it, Nick threw the mike stand across the stage
and the crowd went insane. It was rather intense.
This rare and fantastic 3 track Ep from the 1994 Australian Tour
is an acoustic reworking of Nick classics. The incredible Mercy Seat
a song often introduced as a Johnny Cash song after Cash covered it.
And gospel reinvention of both City of Refuge
and the sublime Deanna.

Download Here

Lethal Weapons - Suicide Label Punk Compilation - 1977

30 years ago this compilation of Australian Punk was released by
the Suicide label. I was reading over at the ausrock forum that its
about to be re-released, so heres the original ripped from vinyl,
in its unmolested form. Out of the bands on this fantastic classic
compilation, two bands stand out, the teenage radio stars and
the boys next door.
James Freud and Sean Kelly started out in the teenage radio
stars, later worked together in the far more successful band
The Models. James also had in short solo career.
The Boys Next Door Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Phil Calvert
and Tracy Pew, went on to record two Lps and and Ep,
that I can remember off the top of my head, before morphing
into the Birthday Party, the rest is history.
Most of the bands of this were from Melbourne or Adelaide
with the two exceptions The Survivors from Brisbane and
Sydney’s Wasted Daze.
The tracks from the boys next door and
the teenage radio stars alone make this worth having,
But theres plenty other enjoyable songs on this Lp,
I remember playing this a lot when I was a young fella,
so its a bit of a nostalgia trip.
Wasted Daze are a little out of place with their straightforward R& B.
The Jab songs are great new wave pop songs,
The Survivors tracks bit more punk pop,
The Negatives ‘Planet on the Prowl’ is over six minutes long,
probably the reason the Negatives were the only
Lethal Weapons band to get just one track
and quite alike anything else I'd ever heard at the time.
X ray Z's ‘Three More Glorious Years’ is my favorite track,
classic political anthem,written by Doley in disgust at the
Liberal party’s win that year.“A fair few of us were bearing the
brunt of Fraser’s dole queues,” he says.
"It’s a satirical send up of the chosen man."
All in all in interesting listen.
This final quote from a mess and noise article found here

Counting the Beat contains a brief segment on Suicide in which
Gudinski announces that, “The label achieved… nothing.”
But Lethal Weapons has become notorious.
One of the most extraordinary aspects of its story is that
Mushroom’s arty arm White Label saw fit to reissue it a mere
five years after it first appeared; it was already becoming legendary.
Now, Aztec have reissued it with one extra track
a TRS b-side – and spectacular sleevenotes.




Download Here