Unlike Thorburn's crazy mug, Rick Huxley presents a more world weary portrait to those trying to figure him out 30 years (and counting) later. Even when Google was a useful tool, and not a shillbucket, it was impossible to find anything about Rick due to his recently deceased namesake. World weary or not, we're reasonably sure he's not the Dick Huxley from Hot Cottage (who did feature Kim Humphreys, though), or the one from Mecca. The liner notes, as such, say the A-side was written in 1978 by The Reputable Band, but that's another complete and utter dead end.
Like Thorburn though, we're in mildly demented DIY territory here, with an odd country/busker/blues vibe. With the rectal insertion theme popping up in Drive Drivin', Merv Megastar is another apt reference point. The flipside sounds like classic M-Squared, but was recorded just a bit further south at Axent Studios in Kogarah.
So what are we doing here? Well, we like the record, especially that solo in Drive Drivin'; but we're also intrigued by the involvement of drummer and guitarist Ed Fisher and Geoff Holmes, who readers of Blood, Sweat And Beers will recall were in Evil Rumours, the proto-X band from 1977, with Holmes reappearing in X proper briefly in 1979.
Special note must be made of the packaging - a plastic outer bag signed in texta, oversized 4-page sleeve featuring the lyrics and naive artwork below, and then there's the sports powder. Huxley thought it would be a good point-of-sale differentiator to add a sachet of effervescent pick-me-up into copies. If you think hard plastic outer sleeves wreck records after twenty years you should see what a leaky pouch of electrolytes does to seven inches of polyvinyl chloride.
Drive Drivin' [Download]
I'm Not A Competitor [Download]
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| More artwork for the interested student. |
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| Rick Huxley branded sports drink. Puts back what not being a competitor takes out. |
4 comments:
This is cool!
I seem to remember Rick was singer bass player with Geoff and Ed in the Guilts 1979, they had the most extensive stencilling of their name in the city then when everyone was into that sort of DIY promotion.
I saw them play a party at what became Geoff's house for many years on Glebe Pt with Room 101.
Thanks for the blogging.
My copy has the same pic on the front but a sparse reverse. Would you like me to post a link to a photo?
Send us a photo and we'll post it, thanks Brett
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