Some cheat notes from our episode of Maximum Rock 'n' Roll Remote Radio - listen here.
Our friends at Maximum Rock 'n' Roll have started a new series under the MRR Radio umbrella called Remote Radio. They're after peeps to cover their local area and we are more than happy to throw our hat in the ring and do a show on the punk side of Wallaby Beat, covering the blog's greatest hits, some stuff we would have covered if life didn't catch up, some stuff from the label, and some recent reissues that we rate. Contact MRR if you want do do a show from your scene.
Stiletto – Nuclear War Unreleased, Melbourne 1978
Never released on vinyl, Stiletto were one of a number of Melbourne pub rock bands (Jo Jo Zep, Sports) asked to "react" to punk rock for an ABC late night show Rocturnal. Bassist Celeste Howden's (later in Stray Dags) one note open string bass is a highlight but everything from siren to explosion is great. Unfortunately, none of Stiletto's records sound like this. The drummer was later in the Traitors. Singer Jane Clifton was in Prisoner - Cell Block H.
The Rejected – Nuclear War From First Offence 7", Sydney 1985
We wrote about The Rejected and their early example of Australian d-beat here. All we can add to the story is to revise the scum stats. The pressing size of 300 quoted in our earlier piece seems to have first appeared in a set sale list drafted by Gus Chambers from Rupture in the late-'90s, and has been repeated uncritically ever since (including by us). In fact, there were two distinct pressings, and the total quantity is larger - probably 500 between the two pressings.
British Jets - Another Day In The City From only 7", Sydney 1980
Read more about the British Jets single here.
Invader - Don’t Blame It On Me From only 7", Sydney 1981
Albert Studios, Machine Gun Rock. Read more here.
Flying Calvittos - Squeal Like A Pig From Goodbye You Spaghetti Punks 7", Sydney 1980
Read more here. Take a deep breath, completists - there appear to have been two pressings of this one, too. Also now reissued on Insolito Records from Berlin.
Plastic EP and the Records - So You Want To Make A Record Unreleased, Melbourne 1981
Our favourite nutcases. Read more here.
The Screaming Abdabs - We Don’t Wanna From split LP with City Ram Waddy, Sydney 1978/released 2016
Paris Theatre 1978. Read more here.
City Ram Waddy - Walking The Dog From only 7", Sydney 1979
Read more here.
Ulsers - Julius Sumner Miller From Forget Them LP, Adelaide 1981-2/released 2014
We released the Remember Them 7” and the Forget Them LP. Read more here.
Buy it here or in Europe here.
Delegates - Never Let It Get Ya Down From their only 7", Melbourne 1980.
Squadron Leader! - 1,2,3,4 From their only 7", Melbourne 1981/Gold Coast 1984.
Melbourne punk band who moved to the Gold Coast. The good side of their sole 45.
U-Bombs - It’s Automatic From Live At The Marryatville cassette, Adelaide 1978
Live At The Marryatville was released by Simon Stretton of Black Chrome on his Tomorrow label, and documents 1978 live performances by the U-Bombs, the Dagoes and the Accountants. Both the U-Bombs and the Dagoes subsequently released their own records but by that stage had evolved beyond punk, making Live At The Marryatville an important document of the early Adelaide scene. The U-Bombs set is fantastic, and the Dagoes' formative, full-throated version of their later "hit" This Perfect Band must be heard to be believed. The third band on the comp, The Accountants, is remembered by Adelaide scenesters as one of the best bands of the era to never release a record, and from the evidence on this recording we believe it (heavy on covers though it may be). See the full track listing of the tape here.
Banana Republik - Make Her Yellow Unreleased, Sydney 1982
Unreleased, unknown, unhinged. Any info on these geezers welcome in the comments.
Editions - Right To Be Famous From Aggression cassette, Melbourne 1981
The Aggression cassette came on the Greville label from Melbourne. Drummer Fred Negro was in, amongst many others, I Spit on Your Gravy, The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre. Singer Sherine was in Big Pig.
Babeez - Mainline Honey From a Buttercup Records 7", Melbourne 1977/released 2015
A track from the Pacific cassette which was sold at gigs in 1977. The whole thing was also released on a Buttercup LP.
The Last Words - I Hate The Sun From Product 45 7", Sydney 1977/released 2015
Previously unreleased early Last Words track. Copies here. Malcolm Baxter: "I think we hated the sun more than any political party at that time!"
Public Execution - T.V. Suffragette From Short Fuse/La Vida Es Un Mus LP, Brisbane 1983
Originally released on a split cassette with Kicks in 1983.
Death Of A Nun - It’s Your Fault From Swashbuckling Hobo 7", Brisbane 1984/released 2017
Prev unreleased Brisbane punk, named after a 1975 Belgian film. Great guitar solo from Mark Birkys (Hard-ons and Subsonic Barflies). Also featured Mickey Scott and Peter Thompson from the Lompoc County Splatterheads, and Peter Green from the Barflies.
Cheap Nasties - Johnny Is A Heartbreaker From the Numero Group 7"/cassette, Perth 1977/released 2016
Kim Salmon and members of the Manikins. A really great 7" that came with the recent Scientists 2xLP rerereissue.
The Victims - Elvis Is Dead From the Culture Shock LP, Perth 1978/released 2014
Recorded live at Hernando's Hideaway in Perth, Australia on 5th of Jan 1978.
The Orphans – Bored From the Exposed double CD-R, Perth 1978/released 2005
Ross Buncle's band. More info than you can comprehend here.
Arthur Dunstan (a.k.a. Ric Melbourne) - Sea Plane Poo Wong From The Ric Melbourne Crazy Album LP, Melbourne 1978?
We have no words.
Pressing of 500 copies. Limited edition of 100 on pink vinyl, available only from Wallaby Beat - CLICK HERE to order.
The Screaming Abdabs shone brightly but briefly in the early Sydney punk scene, absorbing references from The Glitter Band, John Waters films, late night TV, Australian ‘60s punk and of course the Sex Pistols to create something loud, charismatic and uniquely Australian. Side 1 presents the Abdabs' sole recording, recently unearthed, never before released, and essentially unheard since 1978. Side 2 compiles two raw/rare/remarkable 1979 solo records by Abdabs drummer Richard "City Ram" Waddy. The City Ram Waddy 7" sets a benchmark for primitivism in Australian DIY, while the City Ram And Ja Mystics 12" achieves propulsive Suicide/PiL-like repetition, all the while infused with Waddy's idiosyncratic worldview. Astonishing.
Includes a Spurt! fanzine insert that folds out to a massive newsprint poster with detailed interviews, photos and press clippings.
Available in Australia from Wallaby Beat and record shops around the country (Repressed, Egg, Revolve, Beatdisc, Rocking Horse, Phase 4, Vicious Sloth, Lulu, AG Picks, Round and Round, Clarity etc.).
Limited quantities available from NAT Records in Japan.
SOLD OUT through Florida's Dying and Ugly Pop - sorry!
Tracklisting:
The Screaming Abdabs
1. So Pretty
2. I'm A Rocker
3. We Don't Wanna
4. It's You
5. Money Not Love
6. Burnin' Up Over Me
7. Surfin' Bird
8. Norbie, Sorta Love Story
Out now on Wallaby Beat Records - CLICK HERE to order:
The Screaming Abdabs / City Ram Waddy LP (WBRX-2603)
Recently unearthed, previously unreleased 1978 recording by Sydney punks The Screaming Abdabs on side 1, and two raw/rare/remarkable 1979 solo records by Abdabs drummer Richard "City Ram" Waddy on side 2. The Screaming Abdabs shone brightly but briefly in the early Sydney punk scene, absorbing references from The Glitter Band, John Waters films, late night TV, Australian ‘60s punk and of course the Sex Pistols to create something loud, charismatic and uniquely Australian. Pressing of 500 copies, with 100 on pink vinyl. Includes a Spurt fanzine insert that folds out to a massive poster with detailed interviews, photos and press clippings.
Carmel on the back cover of In The Gutter
The Screaming Abdabs were assembled in early 1978 as a vehicle for vocalist Carmel Strelein. A true iconoclast, Carmel cultivated a wild sense of personal style that made her instantly recognisable in the formative Sydney punk scene: shaved head, exaggerated eye make-up extending across her scalp, tattoos, piercings and outlandish custom altered clothes (notably, a knitted jumper with three arms, the extra limb stuffed to accentuate its strangeness). Her extreme aesthetic - informed by John Waters, Salvador Dali, Lindsay Kemp, and greaser movies on late night TV - unsurprisingly attracted attention. British photographer Norman Parkinson, known for his portraits of the royal family, travelled to Sydney in 1977 specifically to photograph Carmel, and the resulting shots were published over two pages in his 1978 book, Sisters Under The Skin. Other subjects included Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Queen Elizabeth and Miss Piggy(!). One particularly arresting photo of Carmel was reused later that year as the back cover for Val Hennesy’s In The Gutter, a UK punk exploitation book masquerading as sociology text.
There were less desirable kinds of attention too - from the cops, and from her peers. Here, Carmel and Simon McDowell (aka Simon Diamond) are interviewed in issue 1 of Spurt fanzine (1977) by editor Ian Hartley:
Hartley saw untapped potential in Carmel’s extreme persona, and by the time the second issue of Spurt went to press in late 1977, the pair had placed a notice on the back cover (supplemented by a poster in the foyer of the Paris Theatre) advertising for members for a new punk band, with Carmel as frontperson. Conceptually, Hartley and Spurt collaborator Dave Apps proposed two guiding themes. Firstly, the band should be uniquely Australian - in musical style, lyrical content, and in visual presentation. Secondly, after being floored by The Glitter Band's rhythm section on Gary Glitter's November 1973 Australian tour, Hartley and Apps decided to replicate that rhythm-heavy rumble on a punk budget - the drummer would use two bass drums and no cymbals.
From the back cover of Spurt #2
Guitarist Bruce Tindale, immersed in the Funhouse scene established by Radio Birdman, answered the ad in Spurt. Drummer Richard Waddy, an acolyte of X in the early, Ian Krahe line-up, answered the ad at The Paris. Nobody can quite remember how bass player Nick entered the fold. Nobody can quite remember his surname, either. Hazy memories recollect only that he was more "straight" than his bandmates, and also more musicianly. (Nick, if you're out there our email address is in the sidebar to the right). Following auditions at the Paris Theatre, which was then hosting regular punk gigs in addition to underground films and theatre performances, rehearsals began in earnest both at The Paris and at Hartley’s Spurt office on Oxford Street, Paddington. There, the band worked up a set of originals and a few, mostly Australian covers (AC/DC, Johnny O'Keefe, and It's You by Terry Dean, also covered later by Brisbane's The Credits). Carmel also set about shaping the band's look, with Bruce's shoulder-length hair being the first priority.
L-R: Bruce, Nick, Carmel and Richard at the Spurt office, Paddington, early 1978. Walls adorned with a Sex Pistols poster and the infamous Rose Tattoo Spurtfront cover.
Carmel enforces the doctrine of short-haired rock and roll, and Bruce plays along. Ian Hartley in the background. (Photos: Stephen Best)
Before even deciding on a name, the new band debuted at a hurriedly-organised, low-key gig on March 6, 1978 at Blondies in Bondi Junction. The show was documented in Autopsy fanzine: "Carmel, who as usual was dressed to kill, all black body suit, stilettos & false eye lashes, delivered the vocals in a screeching style matched by her posturing... The band was loose but promising". More shows were booked at The Paris and at Blondies (the latter with an early, three-piece line-up of Rocks), and a name was locked in: The Screaming Abdabs.
The Screaming Abdabs at Blondies, 1978 (photo: Stephen Best)
The Screaming Abdabs' Paris Theatre show on April 12, 1978 was a scorching triple-bill - The Press, Johnny Dole & the Scabs, and The Abdabs as headliners. The Paris was packed, and the bands were greeted enthusiastically with a barrage of money, food and shoes thrown on stage. Radio station Double J's mobile recording truck had been camped at The Paris, recording performances from the likes of X, News, Survivors, Rocks, and the Boys Next Door for broadcast on Wednesday evenings. The Screaming Abdabs' set was recorded that night, but was never aired - Carmel reportedly badmouthed Double J between songs. Attempts to retrieve the tape at the time were unsuccessful, and it no longer exists in the ABC archives. The only extant cassette of the performance, from the collection of Bruce Tindale, is unlikely to be the Double J recording. It's more probable that the source was Ian Hartley, who habitually set up a reel-to-reel recorder through the Paris PA, and who gave the tape to Bruce shortly after the gig (Hartley also used one song - We Don't Wanna - on a cassette that came with issue 5/6 of Spurt, along with a version with the tape spooled backwards in homage to The Missing Links). That tape, expertly mastered by Mikey Young, comprises their side of the LP on Wallaby Beat.
The musical drive that Nick's bass playing brought to The Screaming Abdabs turned out also to be the band's undoing. Recalls Bruce: "He might have just felt this wasn't what he'd been thinking about as a nice band... He could play, whereas I could hardly play. He was very tolerant, for a while!". With the loss of their bass player, the band fell apart before the end of 1978. An attempt to revive a Carmel-led Abdabs, with the recruitment of a female bass player and an advertisement yet again placed in Spurt for a new guitarist and drummer, amounted to nothing. Bruce went on to play with The Professors, Room 101, Coupe de Ville, and Decline of the Reptiles. Richard adopted the name City Ram Waddy, and his incredible records from 1979 are compiled on side 2 of the Abdabs' Wallaby Beat LP.
Carmel moved from Sydney to San Francisco, where she attended punk gigs and formed the band Pillar Of Salt, whose song Surfin' In The Sewer was a minor hit on local radio. She also engaged with the drag queen community, as she had done extensively in Sydney, and established a successful hair salon called the Pink Tarantula. Tragically, in 1997 she was murdered as she worked at the salon, a contract killing instigated by her ex-husband. Carmel's early life, her fascinating San Francisco years, and the terrible circumstances surrounding her death are detailed in this truly excellent noir-style article by Jack Boulware from the SF Weekly.
The Screaming Abdabs - We Don't Wanna
Carmel and Bruce, Blondies 1978 (photo: Stephen Best)
Carmel Strelein at the Pink Tarantula Hair Salon in San Francisco,
October 22 1989 (photo: Dan Nicoletta)
By now, regular readers will be well acquainted with The Relatives' great first single, and in particular its hilarious diss of art dealers and collectors. Written from the perspective of a former art collector, Picasso (Private Collector) reflects on the absurdity of the collecting world. Among its many pointed observations, the sentiment that "auctioneers should be kicked in the face" is one that still has some currency with today's punks. The song's conclusion - in which the cynical ex-collector ends up making counterfeits - may ring bells for some, too.
The theme is continued on Uncle Theo Comes to Visit, The Relatives' second and last single. The Prof has been known to complain that it lacks humour, but we'll put that down to its standout song, The Collector, cutting too close to the bone. It's a cracking song, a cautionary tale about the all-consuming record collecting impulse. Riffs cycle through a progression of truck driver's gear changes, ramping up the tension as the obsession takes hold, and only returning to baseline once the collection has gone up in flames. Most hardcore record collectors have, at one time or another, fantasised about being released from the burden of a collection by destroying it. We ourselves have often contemplated the therapeutic benefits of putting a match to our 50-count box of Hilton Bomber EPs. Hmm, tomorrow's a public holiday - might be a nice day to fire up the barbeque.
We put some questions about Uncle Theo (and Uncle Theo) to Simon Kain, Relatives bassist and all-round nice guy. Not only did he answer them graciously, he also made available an unreleased song from the Uncle Theo sessions. Ultimate Fridge embodies everything that's great about The Relatives - inventive songwriting, unique and funny lyrics, lots of energy - and would've been a highlight had it been included on the record.
There were formative pre-punk versions of The Relatives going back to 1975 or so, but by 1977 your set lists had already incorporated Saints and Sex Pistols tunes. Dave Graney has spoken of seeing a news report about the Pistols as the key event in his introduction to punk - was there a similar pivotal moment that pushed The Relatives in that direction?
Reading Anthony O'Grady's Funhouse editorial in RAM Magazine really gave a sense of momentum of a pre-punk movement especially the Sydney scene. By this time our listening was extending to Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Velvets etc. There were snippets about the Ramones, Blondie and the CBGB scene coming through, and then the UK scene started getting mentioned. The Pistols getting signed and dropped by EMI was making the local papers, and the first plays of the video were on TV, from Countdown to Flashez to the news. I think I missed the LWT report Graney mentions but the release of Anarchy was highly anticipated and I bought it on the day of release. The Saints were also getting name checked after their Sounds review, however I (and we) didn't get to see either them or Birdman as we were still too young to get into the gigs and we missed the Punk Gunk gigs as well.
If there was a seminal moment I guess it would have been in early 1977 when the Boys Next Door played a house party over the road from our house. Their equipment van had broken down so the host, who knew we had a band, dragged them over to our place looking for amps. We had tiny little practice amps at this stage but they gladly borrowed them. Having supplied the gear we were invited to the party which was a rabble of the St Kilda scene absolutely tearing the place up. Chris Walsh of The Negatives was filling in on bass for Tracey and I had a long chat to him about music etc. On the turntable they played Alice Cooper's Killer and Funhouse by The Stooges, both I heard for the first time and really right then my direction was set. The band played a great early set of the Lethal Weapons tracks plus covers of I'm Eighteen and possibly the Ramones. Cave was in torn jeans and a cadet shirt with a (Caulfield Grammar?) school tie and a holey jumper over that. It was a great gig and the fun, pace, mayhem and energy of the night really set us on the trail to play punk classics in first gig as The Velvet Underpants in 1977.
Babeez/News seem to have been influential in giving a hand to younger bands in Melbourne, the Proles in particular. News gave you an early gig at Bernhardt's - how influential were they on The Relatives?
In 1978 I was at Melbourne University with John Murphy, who was a school friend of a guy I knew from Scotch College. John was drumming in News and I often ran into him in Lygon Street outside of Readings, which was then the number one place in Melbourne to get all the new singles coming out of the UK and USA. They used to get the shipment on I think a Wednesday morning and then pin them up on a large cork board. I'd drool trying to work out which ones to get each week and was never disappointed.
Back to John - of course we discussed music and he kindly offered to try to get us a support at News' Bernhardt's residency. Bernhardt's was the still-standing disco better known as the Thumpin' Tum in the '60s. It still had the old decor of black and white striped wallpaper and red light coverings. It was a mad crowd of guys in garbage bin liners and was a lot more "punk" than the scene at the Tiger Lounge in Richmond where the Boys Next Door had a residency on Tuesday nights.
By the time we got the support we'd changed the band's name to The Nooney Rickett IV, which we pinched from a combo in a kitsch '60s teen flick called Winter A-Go-Go. Jason and Rodney were still at school and I think for this gig we had dropped the second drumming, retaining Ashley Thompson. We had a lot of nerves playing our first public gig, especially to a real punk audience. My memory of the gig was a blur of noise, we hadn't used foldback before and we couldn't hear what the other guys were playing. It was a slow death that couldn't end sooner and there was a real sense of disappointment afterwards. Not shared by all the band, but I really felt down after that and we didn't play in a "punk venue" again until 1980.
The Relatives released two singles within the space of 6 months in 1979. A common lyrical thread between them has always intrigued me: collectors and collecting. The lyrics seem to reveal an inside knowledge of The Sickness. What was the inspiration there?
I wrote The Collector for the Theo EP. It was directly inspired by a guy I knew who had the most incredible collection of records, all beautifully arranged in his bedroom. He'd order boxes of releases each month, it really was an obsession. Going as far as getting every different country's release of the same record. I mean really! Spending another $20 on a record you already have just to know you have the Spanish version. Years later he'd sold the lot (bar his fave 45s) and replaced them all with CDs (no doubt still getting each release with different country of origin!). I had my own vinyl Jones going (see Readings above) so it was really a warning that the obsession can overwhelm you in the end, hence the burning of the collection at the end of the song.
Who is Uncle Theo?
The relative you love to visit.
You pressed more copies of Uncle Theo than your first single (500 vs 300). It certainly seems to be easier to find. Tell us about how Uncle Theo was distributed - did copies make it elsewhere in Australia, or even overseas?
The vast majority of Uncle Theo singles (and almost all the badges that went with them) were given away on the night with the extras given to band members, sent to whatever radio stations, press, bookers or industry connections we could find. Only a few were put on sale in shops, I dropped off five I think to Readings (of course) and our local Brighton record shop took 10 copies or so. I was too embarrassed to ask for any money for them - that is, if they ever sold. None were sent to overseas press or labels that I can remember. One copy did end up with Molly [Meldrum]. We were at the taping of Countdown when the Police played and whilst he wasn't looking I flung a copy onto the pile of records he was about to review. Unfortunately the ruse failed and we missed out on our one Countdown moment.
After the two singles, The Relatives went in a more post-punk, Fall/Gang of Four direction. How do you rate the songs from this period compared to the singles? Did this incarnation of the band do any studio recording?
The music changed fast and the amount of influences swirling around were so exciting to soak up. Both the Gang of Four and Fall were big influences as well as the Birthday Party, Wire, Mekons, Pop Group, PiL to name a scant handful. It was a natural progression to keep harnessing the aggression of punk and explore the rhythm and jaggedness of the sounds that were around. We were not going to be a Sham 69.
Once Andrew and Ashley left the group (1979) Rob took over all the vocal duties and we drafted Bruce in on drums. He was a sheet metal worker with long hair and a real prog rock drum kit with multiple toms etc. The kit shrunk over time and he became a real beast of a player which drove the beat of the group.
Another change at this time was that Rodney Howard began writing songs prolifically. Songs such as Trade Secret, Philosophy and Golden Rule are some of my fave tracks we ever played. Intricate staccato-like riffs with a propelling beat and great lyrics. It's such a shame these were only recorded to demo stage and not properly released. With Rod writing so many great songs I think it was about six months before Rob, Jason and myself (the Kain brothers often collaborated) began offering new songs. All the recordings of this era are well documented in the tapes that are at Inner City Sound. There are no other recordings from that period that I recall. It being the era of the cassette we did plan to release cassette only versions of some recordings, live and studio (RAP 003 and 004), but didn't get around to doing so.
You seem to have done a great job documenting The Relatives' history. Was it apparent at the time that you were involved in something important, something worth documenting and preserving?
See answer to the Collector! I have always hoarded stuff about bands I enjoyed, from the early days of scrapbooks to Go Set to programmes from live shows. It seemed only logical to extend this to any band(s) I was in and yes I knew it was important, possibly not to anyone else but certainly to the members of the band. As I've probably shown in my rants above, that era was incredibly special. There was a new inspiration with every NME, gig, visit to a record store and every new Relatives rehearsal. It all went by so relatively quickly (say '77 to '82), I'm glad I kept it all.
The Kain brothers both continued to play music after The Relatives broke up. What are you currently up to musically?
Jason is more active than I. After Chad's Tree broke up in 1989 I did a few gigs with Juliet Ward (Lighthouse Keepers) and Jason in a band called Skullduggery, but I gave up playing live altogether. I got into band management and booking and the bug has never bit again.
Plastic EP and the Records in 1981 (l-r): Craig, Wally, Chris, Plastic EP
After our initial feature on Plastic EP and the Records' fantastic 1981 single, the band's frontman, Plastic EP, used the comments section to drop a bombshell: Recordings exist for an unreleased second 45. Not only that, the songs were purported to be in the style of that first single, rather than the more polished direction of its follow up. As EPs über-fans, our reaction was predictable: Holy. Fucking. Shitballs.
With thanks to Plastic EP, we're proud to present the songs that would have made up that second 45. The songs were recorded in 1981 - after the session, the band was told to return to the studio at a later time to pick up a master of the final mix. For reasons unknown, the studio never compiled the 1/4 inch master tape, the original reels disappeared, and plans for the single were shelved. ("Isn't it ironic, we recorded a song called Make A Record and we couldn't actually make one", says Plastic EP). Thankfully, the band had the foresight to record rough mixes onto cassette before leaving the studio - that cassette is all that survives from the session, and is the source of the sound files below.
The songs are even more raw than the first single, attributable in part to the unfinished nature of the recordings, but also due to a positively rude guitar sound, courtesy of new member Craig (tremolo is featured heavily on both songs to great effect, and Make A Record's guitar solo is, in a word, savage). In some respects, the recording also represents a transition between the styles of the official singles, most notably in the replacement of At Home's drummer, Brendon Pearse, with a Boss Dr. Rhythm drum machine. With the tempo set just right, there is also that same freneticism that marks so much drum machine driven French punk (Metal Urbain, Dements Tragiques (human drummer, we know), Bla Bla Schmurz Group, etc., etc.).
The band considers Well You Want To Make A Record to be the stronger track - it was the first song co-written by Plastic EP and bass player Wally, and as noted elsewhere, was revived in numerous versions over The EPs' career. Indeed, it's the more immediate of the two songs, but we're hesitant to downplay the merits of I'm Not Coming Back. Its chiming piano lines are an undeniable highlight - in fact, the song is not a million miles away from The End by Just Urbain in its instrumentation and minor key.
Well You Want To Make A Record
I'm Not Coming Back
As a bonus, here are versions of At Home and Three Special Words with different vocal takes to the ones included on the first single. The released versions feature re-recorded vocals; here, we have rough mixes of the original takes. Both have some on-the-fly lyric reshuffles, but At Home is notable for including those "Na na na" lines we love so much, which were replaced with inferior real English language words in the final mix. And dig the DIY Internationale intro to Three Special Words: "Just do it!".
At Home (original vocal)
Three Special Words (original vocal)
Craig flies the flag at Plastic EP and the Records' first gig, Coburg Scout Hall, 1981
"Hey Puddle, what's happening?" The Upsets in someone's backyard.
The Upsets sole 7" was for a long time one of the most obscure Australian punk records. A third tier Brisbane punk band sitting below even our favourite miscreants from the Shake/Savage label, and a long way below the Leftovers, Razar and the Numbers, both in reality and in the revisionist collector scum collective universe. The reasons for this include: the geographical - they came from the town of Ipswich just outside Brisbane's western border (maybe surprisingly we have at least three more records from this locale to feature down the track); that they were a little younger and later than the aforementioned bands; and probably an outsider attitude coupled with a lack of self promotion.
The record itself though is an absolute cracker, further bolstering Brisbane's punching-above-its-weight reputation in punk rock circles. Lots of cool features - mid paced, neat guitar lines with a slightly metallic tone, a great guitar solo on Heartattack, off kilter song structures and lyrical approach, and sound effects (guns, heartbeats). Special mention must be made of the opening scream of Heartattack.
The band formed in 1978 and the single came out late in 1980. 300 copies were pressed. The record should be considered a sleeveless record (copies come in a standard issue EMI custom blue diecut) but a very few copies had the folded promo poster pictured to the right included as an insert.
After the single's release the band attracted the attention of the management company behind Midnight Oil, who were impressed by the songs' energy and the political side of the lyrics. As a result the band moved to Sydney to work but eventually fell foul of big city vices and fell apart.
By 1982 the members had limped back to Brisbane and recorded some more tracks. One of these, Atomic Run, has survived - taped from a 4ZZZ radio demo show in 1982 or so - it shows the band moving in a post-punk direction. The energy is still there and the guitar is still good, but...fucking 1980's drums, spare me. We include it for interest below.
Guitarist and singer Rob Hesp (a.k.a. Vespa) later morphed the band into Resistance. A demo tape was recorded but we haven't been able to track it down. Drummer Brad Cox ended up in Dumb Show and The Skeletones, amongst others. Other members were Neil Roberts on bass and John Armstrong on guitar. Armstrong was replaced by Pat Dow for the 7".
Back To Afghanistan
Heartattack
Atomic Run
Nice waistcoat Brad. No, seriously.
(Hesp, Cox, Armstrong; Ipswich 1980)
Think you know a lot about Australian records in the punk era? We promise to astonish you with stuff off everybody's radar. We apply quality control so our powerpop has power, our glam has prominent balls, our punk is spiky and our DIY is far, far out there. We'll also do it-never-ends exposés of sleeve variations and inserts you didn't know existed. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.
