100 LPs Shortlist #31: Noiseworks - "Noiseworks"

Noiseworks' first LP was an immediate hit upon its release in 1987. The Sydney based band (with a New Zealand ex-pat vocalist Jon Stevens) had launched onto the scene earlier with a couple of catchy lead-off singles in the form of "No Lies" and "Take Me Back" but had built up a reputation as a solid live band in the pub scene of Sydney.

I thrashed this album when it first came out. The five singles released from the album are still great due to their vibrancy and the quality of the songs. Listening to the record now, it hasn't aged well. It is very 80s in terms of sound and production. While side one of the album is pretty flawless in terms of song choices, there's a couple of flat spots on side two ("Only Loving You", "Edge of Darkness"), and the production is thick and cloudy in parts, and that hampers the power of the songs.

Even by looking at the stark black and white cover, you get the sense that the band have an obsession with one of the biggest and most ubiquitous bands of the time (and who remain so to this day).  When you hear the intro to "Take Me Back", the deal is sealed.  The band's sound is obsessed with the Eno-esque synth-washed and over-processed guitar sound of U2.

The guitarists sound like they have been slavishly copying The Edge's guitar sound by rote for years, and that's not necessarily a good thing. It detracts from their identity, in my view, because the last thing the world needed in 1987, and even now, is another U2. That sound carried over into their second LP "Touch", but by the third album they had moved on and had started to carve a fresh sound for themselves. However, soon after the band imploded, and by 1993 it was all over.

This album was one of the "transition" albums in my collection. After listening to it for years, I appreciate the place it has in my musical development. It has no street cred, it's not regarded in the "cool" category of Australian bands like The Triffids or The Birthday Party, and that's because they made a concerted push to be accessible and not self-consciously "arty". However, it lead me into believing that Australian music is some of the best in the world and that our local scene is worth exploring deeply.

Take a listen for yourselves.

NB: Jon Stevens still has a great voice and he used it for great effect as one of the replacement vocalists for INXS. If INXS had to replace Michael Hutchence, and he did leave huge shoes to fill, in my view Jon could have and should have been the man to do it. He was not quite up there with Michael, but he was pretty close. C'est la vie, I guess...

TSATF Recommends: The Delta Riggs

The Delta Riggs are a great garage rock band out of Melbourne, Australia.  Their debut LP is due in April this year and I can't wait to hear it.

The first single from the forthcoming album is an absolute cracker (even if the video is a little bit suspect!!!).  It's full of stomping riffs and thumping beats.  It's called "Rah Rah Radio" and it comes highly recommended from us here at The Sound and the Fury Podcast.

Check it out below!

Enjoy!

NB: For those at work or those who have sensitive ears, turn the sound down for approx. one second at 1:35 to avoid the "F" bomb.

R.I.P. Clive Burr

Image Source: parying-mantis.com

Today brings us the news that former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr has shuffled off the mortal coil. Not being a big Iron Maiden fan, and only being into a few key tracks, I still took a minute to reflect on his work. He played in Samson before leaving to join Iron Maiden, in which he played on their first three LPs (Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number of the Beast) and then left, for reasons my research has not been able to provide me with.

His passing was due to Multiple Sclerosis, or MS for short. By all accounts, the final stages of MS are horrific and I am glad to say that despite this Clive, by all accounts, kept his spirits up and his humour and battled hard until the end. While knowledge of MS is common, it is still misunderstood, so a small positive of this is that Clive's untimely passing will raise some attention towards the plight of MS sufferers.

He was a great drummer, there's no question of that. Check out his work on a Maiden classic, from 1982: Run To The Hills.

Vale Clive.

Reforms of the Australian Media

This week in Parliament, Senator Stephen Conroy is debating reforms to the Australian Media sector. There has been significant debate around the internet and in the media on a number of key platforms in the Senator's legislation, in particular ownership of media outlets, concentration and reach of media outlets, and local content quotas. Now he seems hell bent on declaring ultimatums to Parliament: accept these reforms verbatim or they'll be dumped.

All of these issues have been something I have been passionate about for some time. I have been a passionate advocate of the media and of media diversity, but I have seen TV and Radio in Australia become completely homogenised and cheapened by tabloid fodder and brainless celebrity-based reality stunts. Local content on TV of any quality has been diminishing in both quality and in volume. Commercial radio objects to being forced to play Australian Music. They also believe their content is king, but the vacuous nature of their so-called "content" is a poor second or third priority to advertising revenue and ratings.

I don't begrudge the media outlets their profits. They need to be making money otherwise they will not survive. But when you see major profits in the hundreds of millions, and sometimes billions, of dollars being reported, it's hard to feel sorry for them. Are they reinvesting that money into local talent or just buying cheap imported product in order to keep the money rolling in? I'd suggest the latter.

It's the job of a government department to ensure that media outlets don't just trample over the competition and that they keep standards of broadcasting and content control intact. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has been charged with the job of regulating the industry but it is more like a toothless tiger when it comes to enforcing the rules. If the Senator's reforms give ACMA more power, that will be a bonus.

Media ownership has been the subject of much here-say and conjecture for a long time. The media outlets claim laws preventing them from concentrating ownership as akin to "censorship". I call "bullshit" on that premise. When you have companies like News Limited who have an obvious right-wing-conservative bias, owning more than one media outlet in a market, you run the risk of having a limiting of opinion and bias in reporting. You need to have a diversity of voices in the media, otherwise people run the risk of assuming what they hear is correct and true, when in fact it may be the opposite.

The relaxing of Australian content quotas in the media is particularly worrying. Australian content provides many people with their livelihood, not to mention the fact that there are so many Australian musicians out there that can't get their music played on commercial radio...or on any radio station for that matter.

Commercial radio has been complaining for years that local content quotas are unfair. Indeed, it was Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) CEO Joan Warner who claims that "Australian's don't make 25% of all the music being released, so why would you want to hear 1 in 4 Australian songs on the radio?" Why? Because once upon a time, radio played music on air. And, as we have a vibrant local music scene in this country, why wouldn't you play something locally produced? To say that Australians don't make that much music, then how do you explain the 31,000+ artists who have voluntarily submitted their music on the Triple J Unearthed website? For starters, they're just the bands who think they're Triple J worthy. I'm sure there are heaps who may not have bothered because they play styles of music that are more mainstream. For Joan to say "we can't find 1 in 4 Australian songs" is both ignorant and stupid, not to mention ill-informed. Joan's comments are the exact reason why the quotas are in place to begin with: because commercial radio won't play locally produced music. End of story.

I read recently that certain people in the radio industry actually believe that it is not their job to play Australian music, or to play music in general. They begrudge it because they think that Australian record labels and bands have gotten free publicity for too long and that they now should be paying to have their music played. A comment posted on this Radiotoday.com.au story ("Burned you black" by Dan Bradley) says this:

"Anyone in a record compnay ever think they might do what everyone else does and actually buy some radio advertising to sell thier product." (sic)

This maybe a blatant troll. Let's assume it's not for a minute. Without music on radio, what you have? Gratuitous amounts of ranting and raving old farts being abusive to people in between celebrity interviews and constant advertising and product promotions. Even without that, what are you left with? Yep, that's right: advertising. Who in their right mind is going to listen to a station full of ads?

Then Dan Bradley has the gall to claim that "Radio has the responsibility to support Australian music when it suits the format and where the quality is good enough..." Are you serious? There's more good Australian music out there than there is imported stuff. Major commercial stations just can't be bothered to find it and play it. There is a hell of a lot of crap that is imported and flogged on Commercial radio where an Australian song would be 100 times better than it. Like, hello 2Day-FM! Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown is NOT good music! There's a thousand Aussie musicians who can outclass their crap, but instead the vacuous sensationalist stuff gets flogged to death instead of anything of substance.

Sure there's a disproportionate amount of overseas releases compared to local ones, but how about getting radio programmers to look at the local ones first? Would that kill them? Surely, unless local product falls straight into their lap, they won't go and look for it. And it's not like the radio DJs have a hand in playing and breaking new records anymore. They're just the people who get to talk after the song has finished and push a button here and there. No, all music has to be researched by focus groups and the like, so that it all sounds the same.

The amount of product placement on commercial radio is crazy too. Even the Triple M sports broadcasts are unlistenable due to the amount of advertising played mid-stream. Just listen to the football on the weekend to hear the odds from Tom Waterhouse, the Brand W pitch report, the Brand X sideline report, the Brand Y scoreboard, the Brand Z stats, all within seconds of each other. They're all advertisements and they roll off the commentators tongues that fast they hope that the listener both hears it and doesn't get bored of it too. It's completely unnecessary and ridiculous.

The alternatives, thankfully are vibrant. Community radio is thriving with great stations around the country that anyone can listen to via Tunein.comFBI and 2SER in Sydney, 3PBS-FM and 3RRR in Melbourne, 4ZZZ in Brisbane, 6RTR-FM in Perth are all amazing radio stations that are all flying the flag for an alternative voice and great new music that is off the radar. However, with the digital switchover imminent, Community stations just don't have the financial resources to invest in new equipment and new transmission gear. Their future is undetermined at this time and I implore the government, whether the current Labor government or whoever is elected in September 2013 to ensure that all community stations in the country get to switch over to digital with the financial assistance they require.

I just hope that there can be a regulatory body that can deal with offensive idiots like Alan Jones, Vile Kyle and Ray Hadley when they cross the line. I just hope that diversity of voices can continue. I hope that future governments keep their hands off the ABC, steer clear of meddling with its editorial charter, and never ever dream of privatising it. I hope that digital multi-channels on both radio and TV formats cease to be a dumping ground of second-rate material and re-runs shown ad nauseum.

And I hope Australian content is finally given an arena to shine in the mainstream through Australian media outlets.

Further reading:

The Cheaper Than Rubies story on local music quotas.

CRA fighting local music quotas on FasterLouder.com

Let the arguments begin.

Melissa Etheridge - Live

OK look, I don't care who you are or what you think of Melissa Etheridge. This is absolutely brilliant.

This is Melissa, and her band playing "Like The Way I Do" at the Pinkpop festival in Germany in 1990. I really wanted to get the live version from the Deluxe reissue of her first LP (Live at the Roxy in LA in 1987) but it's not on YouTube. The Roxy version is 10 full minutes long and she almost lifts the roof off the venue in the finale of the song. This version is 11 minutes long and almost as intense, and very much worth your time.

Enjoy!

Michael Finnissy - Solo Piano

It fascinates me no end how certain music makes people respond. Depending on what it is, some people cry, some smile, some dance, some reflect. Some styles of music inspire tangible feelings of discomfort, and in some, a strong urge to punch someone or something.

Michael Finnissy's 1990 album "English Country Tunes for Solo Piano" is a record that is both amazing and frustrating all at once. Music, for the most part, has rules, constructs and syntax like any other artform. This is music that takes the rulebook, but it doesn't throw it out the window - it covers it in petrol and puts a match to it.

This is where it gets tricky for some. Most people who have heard a lot of music are used to the conventional rules of music, even if they are oblivious to what they are. We like harmony, melody, rhythm - most songs create unity through repetition, and thus the constant repeating of rhythms of phrases makes us feel comfortable. Finnissy's album rejects all of these, or at least plays the opposite of all of them.

This is semi-improvised music that lacks melody or harmony in the traditional sense. For that reason alone, it is enough to drive some people to distraction. However, I believe that is exactly the reason why this music is so amazing. Jazz primarily is a style of music where a melody is taken in it's pure form, and then manipulated into something new, fresh and exciting. This music is old English folk tunes that have been stretched, contorted, fed through a paper shredder and then randomly re-glued back together to make new music.

Some music leads some people to imagine scenes or colours when they hear it. Some pop music may conjure up thoughts of sunshine or long hot summer days. Other tunes may conjure up thoughts of rain or grey, overcast weather. Finnissy's music is at times dark and pensive, and then on a whim can turn absolutely kaleidoscopic. Sometimes both are running at the same time. Over the length of the album it can get quite a tiresome listen.

"So," I hear you ask, "if this music is so divisive and so uncomfortable, why should we listen to it?"

Good question. Herein lies the key: this is music that has turned accepted musical convention on its head. This is music devoid of the rules that constrain certain styles of music. In an age where everything feels cookie-cutter perfect and lacking in soul, this is music that is truly free and creative in ways beyond what most can imagine. The freedom employed in this music makes it a liberating listen. This is the purest expression of the composer's soul: forget the rules, this is pure and unadulterated, unrestricted creativity. It is truly liberating to listen to. Lie on the floor and close your eyes and listen - the colours that are conjured in the mind are amazing.

But it is a tiring exercise: This is not music that will lull a listener to sleep or put one in a trance-like state. This is music that, by design, requires the listeners undivided attention from the outset until it's finished. It grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go for the entire 50+ minutes. You have to pay attention. This is not background music. This is music for close listening, and if you're game, you will be rewarded for your efforts.

One cannot help but become a more perceptive listener and and broadened horizons after hearing this album, and that is nothing but a good thing.

Give it a shot, but give it more than 30 seconds. You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy!

Sunday Sessions: Andrew Ridgeley

Wham! were inescapable if you grew up in the 1980s. Those hit singles of theirs were everywhere. The band mainly consisted of two blokes: George Michael, and Andrew Ridgeley.

We've all heard of George Michael: he's had considerable success both in and out of the music biz, but what about the other guy?

Well, after Wham split in 1986, George was quick to get his solo career started with the million selling LP "Faith" in 1987. Andrew? Well he took his sweet time with his music career, and after Wham he tried his hand at Formula Three car racing in Monaco. When that failed, he tried as an actor in Hollywood and then moved back to the UK in 1990.

He then made a rock album by the name of "Son Of Albert", which was released in 1990. It didn't set the world alight - I think that was because he always took a back seat to George in Wham, thus making him less visible. He also left it too late to get his career going: upon it's release, a lot of people would have been thinking "Andrew who?"

He made aforementioned LP, which bombed in the UK, as did all the singles from the album. Although the lead single "Shake" made the top 20 in Australia in 1990 despite only making no.58 in the UK. After the album's failure in the UK, his record label CBS/Columbia opted not to commission a second LP from him...

I think "Shake" is still a brilliant song, even if the rest of "Son Of Albert" is quite insipid. It was designed to be a flat-out rock record, but someone decided to add all this precision-pop production to the songs and they diluted the music's power. Still, "Shake" has a massive drum sound that still sounds amazing today. But he has a tiny voice that really needs some serious beefing up with backing vocals to make it sound convincing. On this track, George Michael himself sings backing and the double tracked-lead vocals, and this gives the vocal line some more "oomph".

Enjoy!