Grong Grong Reissue! (amazing early 80's australian insanity a la birthday party + flipper)

love this! reissue comes with a dvd but i haven't watched it yet. two days after their last ever show (opening up for PIL in 1984) their singer went into a drug-induced coma for nine months! yikes! and that was the end of the band. their one album came out on alternative tentacles, but i don't remember it at all. jello is the one who made the flipper comparison. i can hear it. crazy repetition and another loud insane bass player. this is pretty essential stuff. their theme song "grong grong" is a true thing of beauty. (their cover of "loose" is way more demented than live birthday party too. just the biggest fuckin' racket you've ever heard.)

(also got a 2-cd kryptonics compilation today. yet another unsung aussie garagepunkpop 80's band. looking forward to that too.)

shit i just remembered there is an actual 80's aussie reissue thread! sorry.

yeah it is here

Australian Post-Punk (Updates)

I think this band just had a reunion show? buried in that thread somewhere, which I do try to keep up with.

my brother really needs to hear this.

gott punch, you need this!

I remember the name but that is all.

I remember the album cover, but don't think I ever heard the record. Which is surprising, since I was listening to lots of loud noisy Aussie rock in those days. And I was listening to Killdozer, too, and there's a quote on line that says Grong Grong sound like "a faster Killdozer"!! Anyway, Scott, is Alternative Tentacles reissuing the album, or who? (That label has been putting out and reissuing some really cool albums in the past couple years btw -- The Eat, Woodbox Gang, Th' Inbred, 16 Horsepower, Cross Stitched Eyes, etc. I would never have guessed it, since I've always considered him a pretty annoying person otherwise, but I think Jello and I might have similar alternative-rock tastes!)

Speaking of old Aussie rock, Aztec Music down there has been reissing tons of great old obscure albums in the past couple years too, fwiw.

xhuxk you definitely need this. there are two different labels on the reissue. memorandum recordings/fuse music. aussie labels. i got it from forced exposure.

I had this album back in the 80s, think I've still got a tape of it, they were pretty cool and it's fun to say grong grong

they are like a faster killdozer! the live dvd footage is also quite excellent. normally i don't care about live stuff too much, but in grong grong's case it's like having another album's worth (or more actually) of material.

(i already like them a bunch more than the birthday party. but i am no birthday party superfan.)

Have the original Alternative Tentacles release on purple swirl vinyl, loot from a rare expedition South to the Rough Trade shop.

Have to dig it out - seems like an ideal post Xmas record.

No live footage on youtube, but I did find out where they got the name:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grong_Grong,_New_South_Wales

Grong Grong spawned King Snake Roost I think? I have an AmRep album of theirs which has its merits

MANIAC WITH NO HAIR!!!

i can't wait to play this really loud at the store on the big speakers.

the dvd has an entire filmed REHEARSAL in their practice space in 1983 and it totally rocks.

Gorge, you need this too!

you can listen to some stuff here:

http://www.myspace.com/mentaltortureband

the live stuff on their myspace looks like reunion footage, just so you know. luckily none of that on the dvd. (i'm not a big reunion guy. god bless them and all that...)

gott punch, you need this!

yeah, i do! i've got their LP from back in the day, i never saw anyone say anything nice about them ever! so i figured i was the only one. i mean, more people have said nice stuff about THUG. but yeah, i'm buying it.

BTW THANKS SCOTT FOR THE PACKAGE!!!