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Speaker: Singing g against the E chord

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  • Rob Hosking,

    I heard sour queen on it the other day while driving and had to pull over to listen to it. I think it's the first time i've ever heard it on the radio! Made my day. :).

    There's something about unexpectedly hearing a song you like that can do that. This is a bit spooky, but had a similar experience - with Sour Queen - back in July, driving into Murchison of all places. Saturday and I think I was trying to get the news on Nat Rad and spinning the dial to find it and that zooming "ahh-ahh..." bit came on.

    'Cuppa Tea' was actually the first CD I bought when I began to convert to the new technology, and yeah, it was on my shortlist for best album. So was the first EP, Tired Sun, - a few songs from this made it onto the CD of 'Cuppa Tea' although they weren't originally on the album. 'Snow White Chook' is still a particular favourite.

    Yes I think musical taste should be the deciding factor for any cohabitation arrangements!

    Ideally, yessss... but visions of heaven aren't the only shared things that are hard to come by.

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Llewellyn,

    While I am a late-comer to Flying Nun (not being seduced into it until Vic Orientation circa 1984 and the arrival into my life of a madman from Christchurch who seemed to have a divine mission to spread the word) I am certainly not immune to the golden hue of musical memory.

    Certainly I find it very hard to listen to the Fits Melt, or some of the Bats brand of jingly jangly without a broad smile. And going back even further I was indoctrinated into Herbs and Taj Mahal by some of my school-mates and have very fond memories of backyard singalongs with everyone singing away to 'Dragons & Demons' at the top of their voice, long-neck in hand.

    That said, I find it hard to go past a much more recent album for my golden moment. If NZ is ever looking for a new national anthem, Trinity Roots 'Home, Land, & Sea' should be a prime candidate. Capping off a beautiful album, I found the title song an emotional open arms welcome home to NZ music after decades away.

    In comparison to the sometimes (ok, maybe often) blunt instrument of Australian pub rock, or the bland domestic pop constructed for an american or british audience (i.e Savage Attack), I was struck by the genuine power and beauty of the Roots, that, to me at least, seemed so totally lacking in artifice or pretension, and so completely honest and fresh. My first taste of the so-called new Wellington sound, and I fell in love.

    Seeing them play the album at one of their last appearances on a BDO back stage was a personal musical highlight - sun going down, a bunch of musicians who really looked like they knew the significance of the moment and were loving every moment. Pure gold.

    Mt Albert • Since Nov 2006 • 399 posts Report Reply

  • craigm,

    but visions of heaven aren't the only shared things that are hard to come by.

    Nice one..... :)

    Taupo • Since Nov 2007 • 16 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    the sleeve made every one of those a financial trainwreck

    Never seen an LP copy of AK79, what was it... B/W? Standard 12" jacket? A printed inner sleeve? A bound/stapled booklet? Tell me more...

    Stephen, Simon's refering to the Newmatic's double 7" Broadcast OR ep's sleeve, as it was a gatefold picture sleeve and thus very expensive for an NZ indie back then.

    I've got a vinyl version of AK79. I bought it in about '91 or so, for what was then the bargain price of $35. About the same time, Records Records here in Dunedin sold two copies for $50 each.
    About six months later, Flying Nun re-issued it on cd with umpteen extra tracks, sleeve notes, etc.
    On the cd, tracks 4 to 15 are the original lp tracks, the rest are the extras.

    Format-wise, the original cover art is as per the cd, but lp-sized, of course, plus the songs were listed in a white, "type-writer capitals" font on the back.
    Mine doesn't have an inner sleeve, but maybe it originally did, I don't know. Definitely no booklet, though.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    I've got a vinyl version of AK79. I bought it in about '91 or so, for what was then the bargain price of $35. About the same time, Records Records here in Dunedin sold two copies for $50 each.
    About six months later, Flying Nun re-issued it on cd with umpteen extra tracks, sleeve notes, etc.
    On the cd, tracks 4 to 15 are the original lp tracks, the rest are the extras.

    humph...Propeller and Flying Nun issued it together. It was really my baby and took months of tracking down tapes, redoing the sleeve etc. I had to remix the Suburban Reps Megaton (and the previously unreleased SR's track whatever it is) from the original 4 track unmixed tape I had.

    The story is here if you are interested

    The funny thing is I was going through things last month in Auckland and I came across a copy of the Flying Nun Saucer's comp and looked inside to find a copy of the vinyl of AK79. I have a couple of AK79s so i looked inside and found the FN vinyl in one. I remember swapping them in 92 when we sent the AK79 cover off for scanning for the sleeve. It took 15 years but they went home.

    The original vinyl did have an inner sleeve with track and artist details but its all on the CD too

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    I think I win the AK79 bargain-off by finding it *and* the Toy Love LP in Real Groovy in about 1992 for $19.95 apiece. That was a good day. They were a bit scratched to buggery, but no skips.

    (Tangentially, it's funny how very little I care about the actual physical product/packaging any more. If I could get rid of every CD I own and put them all on some mighty mega-hard-drive, I would in a heartbeat. And I would probably only keep a very few LPs, for sentimental reasons. Basically, I need less *stuff* in my house.)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    If I could get rid of every CD I own and put them all on some mighty mega-hard-drive, I would in a heartbeat.

    Yeah, I dream of similar. I have heaps of CDs and nowhere near enough shelf space to house them all (ditto books). As a result, all my CDs are stacked up, making most of them difficult to get at.

    But I'm not sure if I really would stick them all on a hard drive and get rid of the physical recordings. As nice as it is to dream of a clean, sleek minimalist haus, it is somehow comforting to have a big old stack of music in the corner of my lounge.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    humph...Propeller and Flying Nun issued it together. It was really my baby and took months of tracking down tapes, redoing the sleeve etc. I had to remix the Suburban Reps Megaton (and the previously unreleased SR's track whatever it is) from the original 4 track unmixed tape I had.

    Doh! Sorry Simon, I hastily glanced at the cd to answer Stephen's art-work, etc, question and quickly jumped to a conclusion as after "P & C 1993" on the actual disc it says "Flying Nun." My bad.

    Danielle, Robyn, you're comments on down-sizing your music collection has freaked-out the "inner Rob Fleming" in the male music geeks here. ;)

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    Danielle, Robyn, you're comments on down-sizing your music collection has freaked-out the "inner Rob Fleming" in the male music geeks here. ;)

    I won't mention, then, the times in the past when I sold a few CDs in order to pay the rent. Though, having said that, I mostly only ever sold stuff I hated. Mostly...

    But it is my inner Rob(yn) Fleming that's keeping me from ripping and selling my CDs.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Rowe,

    Reading Simon's AK79 story I also flicked to the Bigger Than Both Of Us story as well, and it's difficult to say how important that compilation was to me in the late 80s, being too young for that music the first time round (being from Hawkes Bay didn't help). In 1989 I moved to Palmy North to go to Massey. the first record I bought was the Toy Love one and the second, on recommendation from the guy in the shop, was BTBOU. It was like Stranded in Paradise had come to life.

    I would consider my three greatest musical influences outside my family, to be the Split Enz gig in 1984, Stranded in Paradise and Bigger Than Both Of Us. Great days, those Uni Days. I might have even heard the Velvets for the first time that year too.

    Hearing Tally Ho for the first time, and Rebel, was a revelation, but I really fell for a couple of songs that were less well known: Essential Services, Suicide 2, Feels So Good, just as a start. I go back to those all the time. (I had to buy the CDs too, now they are on the ipod) The whole compilation was an eye-opener (although I never was a fan of the two "electronic" songs by Danse Macabre or The Body Electric). Cheers Simon.

    Lake Roxburgh, Central Ot… • Since Nov 2006 • 574 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Hosking,

    Grant McD wrote:

    Danielle, Robyn, you're comments on down-sizing your music collection has freaked-out the "inner Rob Fleming" in the male music geeks here. ;)

    But we all know, don't we, that 'High Fidelity' is not only a work of fiction but it really belongs in the Fantasy section.

    People don't use music as a vehicle for emotions they can't otherwise deal with, or use them to cling onto their past. Never happen in the real world.

    Robyn wrote:

    I won't mention, then, the times in the past when I sold a few CDs in order to pay the rent. Though, having said that, I mostly only ever sold stuff I hated. Mostly...

    Oh, yes.

    Been there. Done that. Flinched under the contemptuous sneer of the cool dude behind the counter as he surveyed my previous musical tastes before offering a ridiculously low price, or, even worse, put some of them in a pile to one side and said 'we're not interested in those...'

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Cheers Simon.

    A pleasure. It was great to finally get that re- mastered and out on CD (with thanks to Dylan Pellett and Jonathan Hughes at FMR) in 2003. Jerry Wise at Festival banged the original vinyl on CD in 1990 or so without talking to me and it was shocking in every way..and sold at twice the price of the vinyl.

    Working towards a Propeller singles collection with Class Of 81 as a bonus disc (I get at least one email a week asking for it) for mid next year.

    Doh! Sorry Simon, I hastily glanced at the cd to answer Stephen's art-work, etc, question and quickly jumped to a conclusion as after "P & C 1993" on the actual disc it says "Flying Nun." My bad.

    The irony is that my partner in that CD release of the compilation is now Edgar Bronfmann..something went askew along the way.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • ARVNranger,

    songs like Dangerous Game from Diatribe

    Dire Tribe? I think this was on an early '80s compliation LP titled "Barking up the Right Tree"

    Since Nov 2007 • 6 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Hosking,

    It may have been on that one as well, but it was definitely on Banana Dominion.

    Still have my copy. Also the original EP, 'Too Lazy'.

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Diatribe were indeed on Banana Dominion. They made lots of comps including http://www.discogs.com/release/684642

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

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