In August 1979, Perth's Manikins became the first of that city's Class of '77 to head East. A short tour of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne followed on from the good reaction to the band's first two singles. On their return to Perth the band released a great cassette called Live Locally featuring nineteen songs culled from their set. In fact the band had recorded fifty songs, almost their entire (all original!) inventory, in a midnight to dawn session at Sweetcorn Studio following the Talking Heads' February 1979 show at Perth Concert Hall. The cassette was a mixture of the band's favourite songs with those deemed to have featured least mistakes. Should you have trouble finding it, most of the tracks can be heard on the self-titled LP/CD from last decade.
Three of the songs reappeared the next year on the band's third single. These versions were re-recorded at Perth's Planet Studios and were mixed at Paradise Studios in Sydney. Needless to say the pro-studios cleaned up the band's sound and while not completely anodyne, it's a pity that the balls evident on the earlier versions had retracted at least part way inside the band's body. In particular the fantastic, sloppy guitar caught on the tape versions is toned down. Nevertheless, good songs all, and worthy of your time.
Like the Numbers and XL Capris, we can but warn you against approaching the band's later major label stuff. We again thank DNA fanzine for their excellent record of happenings in Australia's South and West; this time issues 7 and 34, the Perth punk issues.
Love At Second Sight [Download]
Nuisance [Download]
All I Care About [Download]
What should have been - the Live Locally version of Love at Second Sight.
2 comments:
Neil is my boss at work, Manikins are getting a vinyl LP with unheard unreleased stuff coming out on Rave Up in Italy in May!!!
Oh my, a Rave Up release. That should surely suck. poor them.
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