PRIMITIVE CALCULATORS

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I was just perusing the recent No Wave thread, and there was a mention of the Primitive Calculators, a great 'lost' Australian band, veterans of the 'little bands' scene documented in 'Dogs In Space'(see dead Hutcho Walk and Mutter). The scene which attempts to re-create this historical moment in the melbourne undergound in the film features many orignal band members playing their 'hits'. Worth a look.

There was a mention of a re-issue in the afore-mentioned thread. Apparently, it's not a re-issue, but the original album which never sold and was in boxes under some poor bugger's bed or something. Anyway, the album is amazingly good and really worth hunting down, and is probably best found by contacting Chapter Music(www.corduroy/chapter) or Spill(spill-label.org) in Melbourne. there was also a CD comp recently issued on Chapter - CAN'T STOP IT. This contains 20 Australian Post-punk moments and is quite a document of some great music you may very well not have heard. It's easily as good as a many other more well-konw post-punk and no wave moments, especaillyn the Calculators, The people with Chairs up their Noses, and the Slugfuckers (who sound like a cross between harry Pussy and the Fall). I was wondering if anyone else has heard this stuff and what the ILM opinions might be.

Andrew, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Apparently, it's not a re-issue, but the original album which never sold and was in boxes under some poor bugger's bed or something.

Bruce Russell told me that at one his shows in Melbourne a couple of years ago, one of the key PC types came up to talk to him and said that had, yeah, 200 copies or so of the live record w/ 7-inch under his bed. Bruce sold all that he could through Hermes Corp mailorder, then got them out to various other mailorder outlets.

Synaesthesia in Melbourne has them listed in his catalogue, so you could probably pick them up there. The first time I ever took ecstasy, just over at a mates place, we ended up playing those two records over and over for hours. Er... (!) I've not heard the record since,but there's a brilliant cover of Johnny O'Keefs "Shout" w/ the big vocal wind-up, and the 7-inch version of Can't Stop It! oh, it's just unbelievably good.

OCP, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

there was also a CD comp recently issued on Chapter - CAN'T STOP IT

Really great -- got a burned copy from a friend and was happily amazed by it, need to give it another listen.

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

the Slugfuckers (who sound like a cross between harry Pussy and the Fall). ooohh more bout them please?!?

brg30, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Can't Stop It is a great comp. David Nichols and Guy Blackman did an inspiriting job. I myself am doing a small reissue of the Pits on the comp.

Jack Cole, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

guy blackman and david nichols did a great job putting together can't stop it. inspired me to contact the pits, whom i'm now doing a reissue with in the coming months..

Jack Cole, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry about the double post -- the ol' ILM got all hung up on the machine, making me think nothing ever happened.

Jack Cole, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't actually know that much about the slugfuckers, other than the liner notes in Can't Stop It! There was a full album, that turned up on ebay for a stupidly large price just recently.

Andrew, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

All that old M Squared stuff has recently become very collectable, after years of being (virtually) worthless. Wish I still had that Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast 7".

Can't Stop It is an amazing compilation, and all the bands individual releases (should you be able to find them) are worth tracking down.

electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...
for those interested the primitive calculators live lp has been re-issued along with six bonus tracks (unfort not the "do that dance/i can't stop it" 7" but the bonus track are really really good regardless) on chapter music, http://www.chaptermusic.com.au

though denise from the primitive calculator has mentioned that a french label is doing a 12" re-issue of the 7" with the 7" tracks on side a and two other tracks on side b??

jarrod z, Friday, 26 November 2004 11:09 (twenty years ago)

nine years pass...

JUst been intrigued by this lot since there is a new studio set out 35 years after the live one, its just been launched in Australia yesterday. It looks exactly like the original release the live lp except the words on it are different. But black sleeve with white writing so it would be easy to confuse the 2 if you weren't conscious of the similarity.

Anyway, sound like a very interesting band. So one i need to pick up material by them

recent interview with member Stu Grant here
http://www.backyardopera.com/primitive-calculators.html#.UtkznNJ_uyV

Stevolende, Sunday, 19 January 2014 19:14 (eleven years ago)


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