We now have a SSS blog exclusive,
Perth in 1978 had the Victims and the Triffids. The punk (or post-punk) explosion had imploded rather quickly in Australia, even if the country came to creating their own American or English equivalent three months later through the pages of the NME or across the import shops. Both bands used the tricks of the punk trade to DIY and not to rub shoulders with A&R suits in the hopes of that big record deal to propel them to fame and stardom. The Triffids were never famous, at least not in Australia. And they’re not famous now. Key songs and albums have been since dredged up and are today regarded as 80s classics by Australian music writers and beyond.
Now there’s a book by Bleddyn Butcher, a 500-plus page account of the band’s beginnings and ending, primarily focusing on the band’s singer, songwriter and spirit - David McComb. Save What You Can. The kind of writing and immaculate accounting in this shape and form is usually reserved for the likes of Bob Dylan, or the Velvet Underground; two artists of the 1960s that McComb coincidentally fancied. There’s no back fence to climb over to get through the story of David McComb, nor the band he created to drive his songs from a foolscap page to a lit stage. And consequentially, Butcher takes the long, scenic way and approaches the 21 years of the band ‘til their demise in 1989 with a sense of detail and care. This is what creates a difference between an encyclopedia entry on the internet and a book on your hand. You want to pick up a music biography knowing when you’ve thumbed the last page, there are no more questions left to ask. That’s it. The story’s told.
Bleddyn Butcher is a name you see on the back of anyone’s record collection that’s decent. Usually on the back and credited for what’s in the front, courtesy of his knack in taking superb photos. The Moodists. The Go-Betweens. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The Birthday Party. Ed Kuepper. Laughing Clowns. The Apartments. Crime & the City Solution.The Triffids. All of these artists sort fame and fortune in Europe. Some slept in hotels, others on floors – some both, depending on the circumstances. Armed with a camera or a typewriter, he was somehow always there - documenting the path of Australian independent music; something he's managed to do terribly well in the last thirty-plus years.
It’s been years (and years) that this book has been in the making, and finally it's complete. The day of the Triffids is upon us.
Save What You Can: The Day Of The Triffids by Bleddyn Butcher is available through Treadwater Press or any respectable bookseller.
http://www.treadwaterpress.com.au/Treadwater_Press/Homepage.html
Mark Caulfield Halstead - more affectionately known quite simply as Marko - released this album through W Minc in 1994. No-one really payed too much attention to it at the time, and people still haven't really taken the time out to discover this (still in print) album.
Marko's career began in the mid to late 1970s Brisbane. And like many of his musical peers of that era, he found himself playing guitar in a host of punk bands centered around Roma Street's Curry Shop and away from pub venues. The unrecorded The Disposible Fits and the Fuji Angels are but two. An early artefact from his punk/new wave days comes from an unaired TV pilot centered around Brisbane music called Exposure. His band the Hostages were featured alongside JFK & the Cuban Crisis, The Repairs and Ninja Skil (featuring a very young Charlie Owen). This excerpt from the 1981 show is the only studio recording made by this band. The featured song is the Halstead composition Tremble; recorded at Basement Studios in Roma St by Colin Bloxsom.
By 1983, he joined Tex Deadly and the Dum Dums with fellow Fit Cyril Culley when the band moved to Sydney. Marko's tales of wagon wheels and other past curios are written in good detail in Clinton Walker's Stranded book. An example of his song-writing at the time is documented on the 1st Beasts of Bourbon album in the form of the closing track from The Axeman's Jazz, Ten Wheels for Jesus.
Young Melbourn band Oh Mercy did a fine job opening with a few
And of course Mick Harvey was brilliant, 
And I was very excited when Jill Birt took up the mike to sing
Guests have been announced and look at the line up!
I recently found this fantastic recording on kakophonia
of one of the recent European shows of the Triffids and friends
tribute to David McComb.
Guest musicians and singers include
Rob Snarski, Mark Snarski, Mick Harvey, Melanie Oxley,
Warren Ellis, Julian Wu, Adrian Hoffman, Simon Breed,
Stef Kamil Carlens, Harald Vanherf, J.P. Shilo,
Chris Abrahams, Phil Kakulas, Mark Dawson.
Its a brillant recording and until this show comes
to Brisbane, it will do nicely.
I shall link to the original post,
thanks to kakophonia for making this available.
CHAMPAGNE LOVE GARDEN THE DARLINGHURST DEMOS (1988)
The songs collected in this download represent a sample
of writer's demosI made in about 1988 or 1989.
A friend of mine, David McComb of Perth band The Triffids,
once told me that he valued my 'instincts' over my '
premeditation.' More or less as an experiment,
I decided to take him at his word and write a bunch of
songs with very little by way of premeditation.
I wanted to capture myself at my most spontaneous.
Each song was therefore written and recorded in the
space of an afternoon,with the exception of a couple
for which the words had been written in advance.
Despite many clumsy lines and over strained vocals
(as well as other signs of general hastiness),
I've always thought of them as the best songs
I've ever written.
I thank Bob for offering to post them on his blog
and hope that, after twenty years,
they may still have something to offer.
James Paterson
August 2008
James Paterson has generously shared these recordings after 20
years.For those who don't know who James is you can read his
self written bio on his myspace page here
James grew up in Acacia Ridge here in Brisbane in the early 70's.
It was there he met John Kennedy and they eventually formed
the band JFK and the Cuban Crisis. After a move to Sydney,
recording their fantastic album "End of the affair" they split in
1983. I'll quote James here from his myspace site
Around the time JFK began breaking up,
I dabbled in co-writing songs with David McComb of the Triffids;
of the dozen-odd songs we worked on together my favourite is
Blinder By The Hour, which is on the Triffids' Calenture album.
We also did an 'unplugged' affair, a mini-album called
Lawson Square Infirmary,
which was recorded covertly one night at the Sydney Opera
House.By the late 80s, after I had failed to get a new band,
Champagne Love Garden, up and running,
I lost interest in contemporary music and concentrated on
my studies in ancient and modern history at the
University of Sydney.
I have to say these are some great songs, its a shame James
didn't get Champagne Love Garden up and running, because
Australia's musical landscape would have been richer for it.
These songs are recorded in a simple acoustic manner, with
some very nice instrumentation. Theres shades of the Triffids,
of JFK, of Lawson Square Infirmary, with its alt country feel
and I can even hear Robert Forster's best work, with his
honesty and off center manner of seeing things.
I'm Almost Dawn is a fabulous song co-written with David
McComb, which begins and ends the album.
Modern Heaven could have been a JFK song, it reminds
me of End of the affair, with its beautiful guitar work.
Rain of arrows is poetic, wonderful,
"I saw you shrink from a stranger
as if she carried poisoned tips"
One Dollar could of been on Lawson Square Infirmary.
Rocky Joe has that JFK feel again, with its catchy hooks.
Life Is What You Make It, has some great lyrics.
"Was it your moment of glorywhen you said that terrible thing
It was your dangerous hour
Your tower of power
when you flaunted your broken wing"
St Francis is one of my favs sung by Zonda it grooves along,
Smoke On The Water has that country feel, but its the way
both James and Zonda take turns sings that makes it.
Write It Off To Love is my Fav track its got some of the best lyrics
and a fantastic melody.
I just have to include the whole songs lyrics, it so reminds me
of Robert Forster.
Write It Off To Love - James Paterson
I met you in a crowded room
You said you felt like your in your tomb
You said it might be wise if we took a walk outside
You said your life was a dead end
It had no meaning without a friend
You wanted someone you could commune with
Eros through.
And I was drunk I liked your face
We took taxi to your country place
And I bought a toothbrush so that I could stay
We took the gown of love now
Took the gown of love ...
I made the coffee cause you had to think
You were writing books
So I unplugged the sink
You had big plans
So it was my job to clean out the old shed
For seven years we shared a bed
You went to town to buy the bread
I later heard you took off with a policeman
that you'd met
You crossed the hands of love now
Crossed the hands of love ...
I went to Gleebooks to buy some books
And I saw a book bearing your name
I was so surprised and pleased and grateful
for your fame
I found this poem called 'Pop Singing Boy'
It was obviously about me
You said I always wanted to be on Countdown
but that was a lie
You said you'd be rich
If I hadn't kept you down
Your name would be celebrated
All over town
But now your poetry's passe
And your book just got remaindered
So write it off to love now
Write it off to love...
None More After You is a change of pace beautiful,
melancholy like a Joy Division song, I like it.
Figment Of Your Imagination is a fantastic instrumental
tune and we finish back with I'm Almost Dawn.
I really want to hear what other think and
I'm sure James will be to,
so please leave many comments.
Words and music by James Paterson, except I'm Almost Dawn
(words by David McComb, music by James Paterson)
and None More After You
(words by David McComb and James Paterson, music by James Paterson)
All instruments were played by James Paterson except viola,
which was played by Neil Sanderson (RIP)
despite the fact that he had not picked up the instrument
for several years.
The songs were sung by James Paterson and Zonda Donabauer.
All tracks were recorded on a Tascam 4-track Portastudio in the
front room of Zonda's flat in Bourke Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney.
The songs were mixed down onto cassette tape
by James Paterson in 1988
and digitized by Graham Lee in 2008.
Track List
01. I'm Almost Dawn
02. Modern Heaven
03. Rain of Arrows
04. One Dollar
05. Rocky Joe
06. Life Is What You Make It
07. St Francis
08. Smoke On The Water
09. Write It Off To Love
10. None More After You
11.Figment Of Your Imagination
12. I'm Almost Dawn (reprise)
Download Here
This FM radio broadcast from a 1984 Melbourne performance in
excellent quality with some real highlights. "Mercy" which is later
found on Lawson Square Infirmary is fantastic, the cover of
"A Satisfied Mind" is a very Triffids sounding rendition complete
with some great violin work and some excellent workings of
better known Triffids songs. A great recording from a great
period from the Triffids canon.
Track List
01. This Boy
02. Everybody Has To Eat
03. Embedded
04. Personnal Things
05. Mercy
06. Pleasure Slide
07. Monkey On My Back
08. Field Of Glass
09. Native Bride
10. Dear Miss Lonely Hearts
11. Jesus Calling
12. Satisfied Mind
13. Ballad Of Jack Frost
14. Ain't No Sunshine
15. Property Is Condemned
Download Here
The triffids - Wide Open Road
I remember when i saw the Triffids play thinking I'd
witnessed something very special, how special it
was however I only appreciate all these years later.
Often I'm disappointed by live recordings, they don't
capture the experience or the sound is less than
impressive. This recording is excellent, fantastic
sound, blistering performance and it even captures
that magic I saw those many years ago.
This recording is from the end of the Triffids career,
by the end of the year it would be over.
The only criticism I would make is its far too
short at 8 tracks, but they're 8 fine tracks.
Track List
01 - Too Hot To Move, Too Hot To Think
02 - A Trick Of The Light
03 - Goodbye Little Boy
04 - The Spinning Top Song
05 - Jerdacuttup Man
06 - Lonely Stretch
07 - Beginning To See The Light
08 - Fairytale Love
Download Here
I live under glass in the British museum
I am wrinkled and black, I am ten thousand years
I once lost in business, I once lost in love
I took a hard fall, I couldn't get up
I was frozen out in the lean winter years
When the dollars were few and the faces were mean
I was frozen in business and frozen in love
I took a ten minute nap, man I never woke up
Old and lonely, dirty and cold
I'm a Jerdacuttup man
The Triffids are one of the most innovative bands to come out
of Australia. Up there with the Gobetweens for pushing musical
boundaries and taking music into new directions like few others.
I only saw them play once, it was a surreal, unforgettable
experience. The only band I've ever seen use a bubble machine
as part of the show. If you are unfamiliar with this Perth band
that existed from round 1976 to 1989, this compilation is a
fine Introduction. These songs are from my fav period of
the Triffids canon of innovative work, including such wonderful
songs as, well all of them, my special favorite is the haunting
"Raining Pleasure" which the Triffids talented lead singer
David McComb Co wrote with the also very talented
James Paterson, who has left a few fascinating comments
on this blog concerning his work in JFK and the Cuban
Crisis and offshoot projects of the Triffids.
James had a large impact on the Triffids music and
Dave's songwriting over the years
Love In Bright Landscapes is an anthology of the Triffids songs from
their album, EP and single releases in the period 1983 - 1985,
during which time the group were resident in Perth, Sydney and
London.Three additional songs from the same sources were also
included on the later CD release of the album.
The cover scans are from the vinyl copy
and the tracks are ripped from the CD version.
| 1. You Don't Miss Your Water |
| 2. Red Pony |
| 3. Raining Pleasure |
| 4. Hell of a Summer |
| 5. Jesus Calling |
| 6. Bright Lights, Big City |
| 7. Rosevel |
| 8. Property Is Condemned |
| 9. My Baby Thinks She's a Train |
| 10. Monkey on My Back |
| 11. Embedded |
| 12. Old Ghostrider |
| 13. Madeline |
