This week sees the publishing of an updated version of Clinton Walker's early 80s coffee table book - Inner City Sound. This was and still remains the most all encompasing vision of Australia's Punk and Post-Punk scenes.
To accompany this, Laughing Outlaw records are releasing a 2 cd compilation of bands mentioned in the text. Below is the tracklist - it's sprawling but, I think, it's the best comp so far of it's type:
Inner City Sound
Release date in Australia: Oct 10th
DISC ONE:
01. tch-tch-tch - Pop Art (Brophy) 3.28 1979 Crystal Ballroom single [Rubber Music.Sony-ATV]
02. Sacred Cowboys - Hell Sucks (Gray.Ferrie.Doolan.Rischbieth) 3.38 Track on 1988 Citadel LP Trouble from Providence [Greasy Pole]
03. Wet Taxis - C'mon (Hood) 3.02 [Control] 1984 Hot single.
04. Seems Twice - Look at It (Douglas.Molloy.Yatras) 0.33 Track on 1980 Doublethink EP Non-Plussed [Control]
05. Saints - Wild About You (Andy Anderson) 2.34 [Control] Track on 1977 EMI LP Stranded (P) 1977 EMI Music Australia Pty Ltd. Digitally remastered in 2004
06. Leftovers - I Only Panic When There's Nothing to Do (Leftovers)1.47 1979 Punji Stick single [Control]
07. Last Words - Animal World (Baxter.Groome) 2.40 [Control] 1978 Remand single.
08. Razar - Task Force (Burke) 2.20 [Control] 1978 single.
09. Thought Criminals - More Suicides Please (Grierson) 2.28 Track on 1979 Doublethink EP Food for Thoughtcrimes [TreaTmenTsongs]
10. XL Capris - My City of Sydney (Leonetti.Troupe) 2.39 [Leeds] 1980 Axle single.
11. Manikins - I Never Thought I'd Find (Fernandes.Porritt) 3.03 1978 single [Australis]
12. Boys Next Door - Sex Crimes (Cave) 3.03 [Birthday Party P.L] 1978 demo.
13. Seems Twice - Column One (Douglas.Molloy.Yatras) 0.16 Track on 1980 Doublethink EP Non-Plussed [Control]
14. Young Charlatans - Shivers (Howard) 3.51 Previously unreleased 1978 demo [Mushroom Music]
15. Young Modern - She's Got the Money (Richards.Yates.Dowler) 2.58 1978 Top Gear single [Control]
16. Triffids - Family Name (D. McComb) 3.32 [Mushroom Music] Track on 1983 cassette Dungeon Tapes
17. Sekret Sekret - Girl with a White Stick (Virgin.Devlin) 3.29 1984 Waterfront single [Happy Town Sounds]
18. Surfside 6 - Cool in the Tube (Datson.Courtenay.McAloon) 3.05 1980 Phantom single [Control]
19. Voigt.465 - State (Voigt.465) 2.10 [Control] 1979 U.W.E. single. Licensed courtesy Phil Turnbull
20. Tactics - Long Story (Studdert) 4.01 [PolyGram] Track on 1981 Green LP My Houdini
21. Whirlywirld - Red River (Olsen) 4.17 [Control] Track on 1980 Missing Link 12" EP Whirlywirld
22. Primitive Calculators - Do That Dance (Grant.Lavece) 2.43 1980 Slow Drama single [Control] . Restored by Simon Grounds
23. Systematics - Mmmm (Gibson) 1.56 Track on 1980 M Squared LP Rural [Control]
24. Super-K - Recurring Nightmare (Shepherd.Thirkell) 4.51 1982 Green single [Sony.ATV]
25. New Christs - No Way on Earth (Younger) 4.13 Track on 1989 Blue Mosque LP, Distemper [Control]
26. *** *** - Study for Falling Apart (*** ***) 1.42 [Control] Track on Fast Forward cassette magazine # 4, 1981
27. Black Assassins - Death Take Me Now (Black Assassins) 2.08 1981 recording [Control]
28. Lonely Hearts - Last Kiss (Watson.Rooney) 2.04 1981 Half-an-Arc single [Glove Box Music]
DISC TWO:
1. Equal Local - 12 Ways to Go (Jackson) 3.53 1982 Missing Link 12" single [Control]
2. Laughing Clowns - Ghost Beat (Kuepper) 3.20 [Universal] Track on 1981 Prince Melon LP Laughing Clowns #3
3. Poles - Over & Beyond & Through (Tate.Bolland) 4.53 1981 single [Control]
4. Scientists - Happy Hour (Salmon.Thewlis) 3.33 1982 Au-Go-Go single [Universal.Control]
5. Birthday Party - Release the Bats (Harvey.Cave) 2.30 1981 4AD (UK) single [Birthday Party P.L]
6. GoBetweens - Darlinghurst Nights (Forster.McLennan) 5.47 Track on 2005 EMI album Oceans Apart [Festival] (P) 2005 Lo-Max Records
7. Sunday Painters - Something to Do (Erwin.McKinnon.Raengel) 3.54 Track on 1982 Terminal LP Something to Do [Control]
8. Essendon Airport - Talking to Cleopatra (Goodge.Chesworth.Sanger) 3.43 1980 Innocent single [Control.Festival]
9. Severed Heads - Dead Eyes Opened (Ellard.Bradbury.Knuckey) 3.22 1984 Gap single [Virgin]
10. Machinations - Average Inadequacy (Doyle.Loneragan.Swan.Starr)4.21 1981 Phantom single [Mushroom Music] (P) 1982 Mushroom Records Pty Ltd
11. Sardine - Stuck On You (I. & S. Rilen) 4.12 Track on 1983 Phantom 12" EP I Hate You [EMI]
12. X - TV Glue (Rilen.Lucas) 4.25 [EMI] Track on 1985 Major LP At Home with You
13. Hunters & Collectors - The Slab (Hunters & Collectors) 3.56 1984 White Label single [Human Frailty.Mushroom Music]
14. End - My Confession (Myers) 2.53 [Control] 1983 single.
15. Plug Uglies - All Done In (Gorman.Lock.Norris.Stevens) 2.41 Track on 1989 mini-album Knock Me Your Lobes [Control]
16. Apartments - All You Wanted (Walsh) 3.50 1984 Hot single [Complete Music] Licensed courtesy Peter Milton Walsh
17. Saints - Ghost Ships (Bailey) 3.41 1984 RCA single [Lost-Mushroom] Licensed courtesy C.J. Bailey
18. Lighthouse Keepers - Springtime (Appel) 4.20 [Control] Track on 1983 Guthagga Piepline LP Exploding Lighthouse Keepers
19. David Chesworth - Making Waves (Chesworth) 1.17 [Control] Track on 1979 Innocent LP 50 Synthesizer Greats
PRODUCED BY CLINTON WALKER
Executive Producer: Stuart Coupe
Production Assistant: Dan Zilber
Mastering & vinyl restoration: Don Bartley
Liner Notes, Family Tree: Clinton Walker
Front Cover (1981): Philip Brophy (1981)
Design (2005) and Artwork: Jim Paton
The producer would like to thank: All the acts in the first place and their survivors and representatives, and record companies, who ensured their presence here; and Stuart, Don, Phil and Jim, plus Paul Glover, Ben Whitten, Bruce Milne, Phil Turnbull, Dave Studdert, Bruce Milne and Steve Connell.
― phil turnbull (philT), Friday, 7 October 2005 06:12 (twenty years ago)
two weeks pass...
Well, my copy finally arrived and I must admit that I'm fairly under whelmed by the overall feel of the thing. Despite the breadth of the songs of offer, it comes over as an alterna-rock fest more than anything else. And, yes, I know that this is what the majority of oz-rock was like and remains to this day but it's just so plain and un-progressive. Still and all, some great stuff on offer. And... It's quite weird to have the track I'm involved in positioned after the Surfside 6 of all things.
― phil turnbull (philT), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 09:10 (twenty years ago)
two weeks pass...
phil, can you identify the unlisted track on disc two by any chance? (it's in between the lighthouse keepers and chesworth tracks. it sounds familiar but my knowledge is sketchy.)
― pretentiosexual rights activist (haitch), Thursday, 10 November 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)
it's "wild down home" by the killer sheep - c.walkers band from the mid 80s
― phil turnbull (philT), Thursday, 24 November 2005 00:00 (twenty years ago)
ha, cheeky move on his part! (I would never have worked that out in a million years, so much for "sounds familiar".)
― turboalbino (haitch), Thursday, 24 November 2005 00:46 (twenty years ago)
love the demo of "shivers" by the young charlatans on this - rowland s. howard + ollie olsen + jeffrey wegener + someone else. three total oz post-punk heroes! imagine if they'd stayed together.
― turboalbino (haitch), Thursday, 24 November 2005 00:55 (twenty years ago)