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The idea to compile many of the singles from the first rush of indie releases came to me about 85, and it took a year two to a) convince Festival, b) physically compile, master, and put together the rather voluminous liner notes (from four different writers, and myself). But we finally did, and here it stands. Every track on this stood on it's own, as a bona fide classic and NZ anthem. Not one track on this album ever received any commercial airplay and none, bar the Blams, had any funding from government agencies, and that they still have such currency (and are such a major part of NZ's rock'n'roll history) itself is testimony to their strength after all these years.
I released, with my partner Paul Rose, about half of these, but 20 years on, I'm proud of the whole damn album. They were special times.
Taken from the CD' s liner notes:
"its Bigger Than Both of Us" was a labour of love that I put together back in 1988, with a great deal of encouragement and help from my good friend Simon Baeyertz (who was a little miffed that he is no longer credited as co-compiler on the CD issue as he was on the vinyl, this was not a slight as this album could not have existed without his massive input...he is more correctly credited as executive producer or something similar, but credit is due) at Festival Records New Zealand. The idea was to gather together a bunch of the classic indie singles that dominated New Zealand's rock'n'roll scene between 1979 and 1982, the post punk era.
It was a period when New Zealand music took off, and especially the recording of the New Zealand music, done, predominately, by indies, came to life after being moribund for most of the seventies. At the time, the quoted figure was that there were more New Zealand singles released in 1981 than there was in the whole of the last decade. I don't know about that, but there were so many bloody great singles and most were due to be lost forever. In January 1980 there were no independent labels recording the hundreds of bands in the nation. That next year and a half saw Ripper, Propeller, Reaction, REM and at least a dozen others. In late 1981 the, to be giant, Flying Nun also arrived and from all these sources, literally scores of singles were flying out of the garages and studios all over the country. BTHBOU was / is our attempt to preserve some of these gems.
Simon Grigg 2003
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| the late Steve Thorpe from The Dabs, Sweetwaters 82 |
Excellent value 2CD reissue of this essential 1988 compilation covering an extremely creative and buoyant period of New Zealand pop music between 1979 - 1982 where music of the more "indie" nature really made an impression on the hearts, minds and souls of legions of "real" music fans. So over thirty tracks we get great hits from the likes of Toy Love, The Spelling Mistakes, The Clean, The Screaming Meemees, The Swingers, The Chills, Tall Dwarfs and a number of lesser known but equally thrilling out fits. Lovingly compiled and basing the set purely around singles really gives the listener a feel for the time and era, and a number of these tracks genuinely shaped the sound of New Zealand pop music for many years to come. Even with the current renaissance in "historical" New Zealand pop compilations this set stands head and shoulders above the rest simply because of its focus and the era covered. This is an essential purchase for any New Zealand music fan. Recommended.
Currently available on Propeller via Warner Music (now sadly on CD only...the vinyl package was quite a thing, thanks to the skills and hours put in by Chad Taylor, although the 2003 CD sleeve was a superb replica courtesy of Andrew B White)
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| Danse Macabre, Auckland 1981 |
Original NZ release: August 1988 (Propeller 2REV210 ) (Festival Cat L60037-8)
Australian release: Feb 1989 (Propeller L60037-8)
CD Issue: 1990 (Propeller 2RED210) (Festival Cat D60037-8)
Remastered reissue: October 2003 (Propeller REV505)
Track Listing:
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+Toy Love: Rebel (original release Elektra Z10015, July 1979)
- the first single, and a landmark NZ release
- +Proud Scum: Suicide 2 (original release Ripper RIP2, April 1980)
- a song about their former guitarist, John Atrocity, and the first post punk NZ Indie single..an absolute classic of the genre
- +The Spelling Mistakes: Reena (original release Ripper RIP4, August 1980)
- the first single from the band, released after the first..about actress Reena Owens
- +The Features: City Scenes (original release Propeller REV 1, June 1980)
- the first Propeller single..top 30 in NZ....one of my all time favourite singles
- +The Herco Pilots: Essential Services (original release Rem Records, REM001, March 1981)
- from the first of the band's 2 EPs for guitarist (and Rip It Up Magazine columnist), Harry Ratbag's label
- +Alms for Children: Danny Boy (original release Rem Records REM002, June 1981)
- also for Harry's label, with soon to be club mogul, Gary Rodent, on vocals
- +Rebel Truce: The Man Inside (original release on album Class of 81, Propeller REV201, March 1981)
- from the Class of 81 album, so not really a single, but it should have been
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- +The Spelling Mistakes: Feel So Good (original release Propeller REV 2, June 1980
- Propeller's second single and another top 30 single. By now they were banned from every venue in town!
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+Techtones: That Girl (original release Propeller REV 5, December 1980)
- the first Propeller single distributed by Festival, these guys were a very snappy power pop band with punk roots.
- +The Clean: Tally Ho! (original release Flying Nun FN002, September 1981)
- legend has it that this was recorded for $50..which is probably just legend. The second Flying Nun single and the one that launched them
- +The Screaming Meemees: See Me Go (original release Propeller REV8, July 1981)
- produced by ex Whizz Kid, Andrew Snoid, and mixed by me. Number one first week in, then immediately deleted. Why???
- +The Newmatics: Riot Squad (original release Furtive / Propeller FUR2, October 1981)
- co-produced by The Blam's Don McGlashan this was from the double 7" package, and the second release on Propeller subsidiary, Furtive, via CBS.
- +The Swingers: One Good Reason (original release Ripper RIP2, May 1980)
- my favourite Swingers single, and the best sounding one. Recorded at Mascot and produced by Mike Chunn
- +Pop Mechanix: Jumping Out A Window (original release XSF001, March 1981)
- produced by Eddie Rayner, and on Mike Chunn's new label, XSF, via CBS.
- +Penknife Glides: Taking The Weight Off (original release Warrior Z10042, April 1981)
- classic pop-ska produced by Alistair Riddell on Hugh Lynn's new Warrior label, distributed by WEA.
- +Blam Blam Blam: There is No Depression in New Zealand (original release Propeller REV11, July 1981)
- an anthem of the anti Springbok Tour movements, and quite a big hit, reaching the top 10. No radio play, but...
- +The Instigators: Hope She's Alright (original release Ripper RIP23, August 1982)
- the second single from this very popular second generation ska band. Sonya Waters later made an album for Ripper
- +The Dabs: Love The Army (original release Propeller REV19, August 1982)
- I loved these guys, great songs, great humour..this made the top 40..just..
- +The Screaming Meemees: Sunday Boys (original release Propeller REV 15, December 1981)
- way-oh way-oh..top ten but if radio had played it at all it would've been number 1
- +The Chills: Kaleidoscope World (original release on Dunedin Double EP, Flying Nun DUN001, August 1982)
- produced by the legendary team of Doug Hood and Chris Knox, the record that announced Martin Phillipps genius to the world (he is y'know)
- +Tall Dwarfs: Nothing's Gonna Happen (original release on Furtive / Propeller FUR1, August 1981)
- first single on Furtive, and one that announced the Flying Nun sound, two months before Flying Nun
- +Danse Macabre: ECG (original release on Reaction REACT3, November 1981)
- classic synth pop..which showed the division between the North Island and the South Island..they had The Clean, we had things like this
- +The Body Electric: Pulsing (original release on Jayrem JAY107, December 1982)
- and this..months in the singles chart on word of mouth only
- +Blam Blam Blam: Don't Fight It Marsha (it's bigger than the both of us) (original release Propeller REV14, December 1981)
- and I want you to be happy / but I'd rather you were still with me....what a lyric.
- +The Clean: Anything Could Happen (original release Flying Nun FN003, November 1981)
- this sold truckloads and financed the thing that was called Flying Nun..dunno if The Clean were 100% happy about that..
- +The Newmatics: Square One (original release Furtive / Propeller FUR3, May 1982)
- by the time this was released they'd split up. Produced by Tom Sampson
- +The Bongos: Falling (original release Propeller REV20, November 1982)
- quirky, obscure and fantastic
- +No Tag: Legalised Dogs (original release Propeller REV21, August 1982)
- almost like a step back, NT were a punk revivalist band, who kinda knew what they were doing..very smart..top 20
- +The Androidss: Auckland Tonight (original release Ripper RIP20, October 1981)
- the ultimate Auckland song.... from a band from Christchurch. There were dozens of Androidss
- +The Screaming Meemees: Stars in My Eyes (original release Propeller REV22, December 1982)
- One of the great NZ singles of its era, and an appropriate way to close the albumm..vety much signifying the end of the garage era
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