January 2022 - Ed Kuepper, Laughing Clowns, Sunnyboys, Cosmic Psychos

January 2022 - Ed Kuepper, Laughing Clowns, Sunnyboys, Cosmic Psychos

 

ED KUEPPER - SINGLES '86 - '96

On the anniversary of his 45th year as a recording artist it seems totally appropriate (though somewhat overdue) that Ed Kuepper would release this, his first ever collection of 45’s - RPM if you will - although CD singles are also included.

From the spaghetti-western influenced opener of cult-fave Also Sprach the King of Euro-disco (’86) through the baroque overtones of penultimate track All Of These Things (’96) - an overlooked classic in anyone’s language - via the coulda-been should-been of the much covered (and much coveted) The Way I Made You Feel (’92) these tracks and the other 17 collected here point to Kuepper’s seemingly effortless ability to roll out classic after classic during a decade that was arguably his most prolific.

 

LAUGHING CLOWNS -
GOLDEN DAYS: WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH
"This is the band that I've called "the greatest live rock'n'roll band in the world ever, full stop". This is the band that made me walk out of a Birthday Party gig, because I knew there wasn't a hope in hell that Nick Cave's group, even at the height of their awesome, spontaneous powers, could follow them.” - Everett True

Following the demise in 1978 of the original line-up of The Saints, guitarist Ed Kuepper returned to Australia and teamed up with his schoolyard chum and former Saints drummer, Jeffrey Wegener, embarking upon his most ambitious project to date, the Laughing Clowns. Taking inspiration from such disparate genres as free-jazz, bluegrass and krautrock the Laughing Clowns would polarise opinion in much the same manner as John Lydon did with his post-Sex Pistols outfit PiL. In reality, though, the Laughing Clowns were the logical extension of The Saints continuing the musical themes already explored on The Saints second and in particular, third album, Prehistoric Sounds.
SUNNYBOYS - 40
2020 sees Sunnyboys celebrate 40 years since their inception (though a mere 12 years of actual existence) via a new release SUNNYBOYS 40 that brings together the first ever re-release of the band’s much loved 1980 eponymous debut 7” - featuring the original version of the classic Alone With You - alongside four new recordings culled from the archives of chief songwriter Jeremy Oxley.

Recorded over two days in October 1980 and released via independent Sydney label Phantom Records on December 31st the same year, the four songs featured on the EP were essentially the first songs Jeremy Oxley had presented to the band on his arrival in Sydney from Kingscliff just a few months earlier.
SUNNYBOYS - BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE (LIVE)

They shouldn't be this good, really they shouldn't. Some 35 years after their formation, 31 years since their initial split and 4 years into their rebirth Sydney's Sunnyboys return with their 2nd official live album, Best Seat In The House and its great.

Recorded at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney on March 2015. Best Seat... sees the band in blistering form playing with as much energy and vitality as the band that inspired such a fanatical following all those years ago Tracks include live favourites

COSMIC PSYCHOS - REISSUES

Fantastic reissues on the 'Aarght' label from one of Australia's greatest rock & roll bands, the Cosmic Psychos.

The band debuted on wax over 30 years ago and since then have become an Aussie punk/pub rock institution, touring the globe and influencing a generation of Seattle musicians (Mudhoney, the Melvins and Pearl Jam among them) in the process. On top of that there's the recently released full-length documentary on the band, Blokes You Can Trust, which is doing the rounds in cinemas around Australia and the US, a US tour in September and now these!

Let's start with 1985's Down On The Farm mini-LP. This is the record which made the original splash back in the day and hasn't been in print on vinyl anywhere since that time. Featuring original guitarist Peter 'Dirty' Jones on wah-wah guitar, it's an absolute classic of heavy-duty punk/grunge. The vinyl edition comes with a download card.

The self-titled LP from 1987 is another classic with the original line-up. The download card for the vinyl edition comes with two bonus tracks - outtakes from the same recording session - and the CD also contains the two bonus tracks PLUS the entire Down On The Farm mini-LP. 19 songs in total.

1989's Go The Hack was Dirty's last foray with the band and featured the killer single, 'Lost Cause'. The LP edition comes with a download card.

All of these classic '80s recordings by the Psychos have been out of print since the 20th century. With the band's fortunes and notoriety in the upswing this year, expect some big interest in these long-unavailable quality reissues. Blokes you can trust, indeed.

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