I’m up reasonably early on Saturday for a quick trip down to
a nearby Bunnings to get some duct tape. One of my nephews is doing me a favour
and is squeezing his much smaller frame into my oddly shaped ceiling to fix up
a collapsed central heating duct. At the
Bunnings I’m grateful they don’t pipe muzak and briefly
mull over what would constitute appropriate music for a hardware
warehouse. Before I come to any
conclusions I find my tape and, in “M” absence, automatically wander over to
the storage solutions area. I look over
the products available curious to see whether anything new has been developed
that will assist me in storing my collection.
I find nothing new and make a mental note to visit IKEA in the future.
Back home, I find “M” has the stereo on. Why, oh why did I not insist she come with
me? She has got the washing under way
and is attacking other tasks in tune to her favourite music. Now “M” and I differ greatly about what consititutes favourite
music. I could take forever, attempting to
decide between literally hundreds of albums.
“M” chooses from approximately 12 tracks
each played any number of times on end. Saturday’s
selections were Stevie Wonder’s For Once In My Life, The Pretenders Don’t Get
Me Wrong and John Lennon’s version of Stand By Me. Mercifully, my nephew arrives after a short
while ending her DJ session and leaving the other 9 tracks unplayed. I make a
mental note to draft a psychological analysis of her 12 tracks for a future
post.
After lunch I head off to the footy full of optimism. Unfortunately, Freemantle jump the Doggies in
the first quarter and build a reasonable lead.
We fight on well afterwards and are within striking distance at half
time ultimately failing by a respectable 28 points. Just before the end of the half time break,
Mickey remarks on the improved quality of music played over the Etihad Stadium’s
PA. Only then that it dawns on me that I’m
listening to XTC’s wonderful Generals & Majors. Now that’s a first. Mickey suggests this could be the subject of
a future post. I agree and make a mental
note to jot down the tracks I hear next week.
On Sunday "M" and I head out to town for lunch. We then
walk alongside the Yarra River past Southgate, Hamer Hall, Federation Square,
the Alexandra Gardens where I saw many free 3XY gigs in my youth and onto the
National Tennis Centre. We’re there to
seek out an outside court where “M”s nephew is having a hit up. I amuse myself attempting to mimic crowd
noises during Australian Open matches as we chat with his parents. After the
hit up we all walk deep into the bowels of the Centre. We find ourselves going through a rabbit
warren of tunnels and passageways and realise we’re found the players Australian
Open facilities and, more importantly, the route to Rod Laver Arena. A security door stops us going further but not
before I replay the “Hello Cleveland” bits from This Is Spinal Tap. I start to hum their immortal Tonight I’m
Going To Rock You Tonight and realise it’s been a while since I’ve seen the film
and its rap counterpart Fear Of A Black Hat.
I make a mental note to watch both.
We walk back towards our car and decide to cut through the
casino complex. The foyer is full of
security staff and onlookers getting ready for the night’s Logie Awards
ceremony, the Australian version of the Emmys and People Choice awards
combined. Overseas musical guests have
been imported over the last few years to perform – Micahel Buble, Bruno Mars
and Birdy this year – but it’s not enough to make us gawk for long. At least not compared to last year when, as a
laugh, we went over to watch One Direction, or rather their fans. I remember seeing teenage girls everywhere,
screaming at the slightest provocation or singing their idols hits (there
really wasn’t much of a difference), many of whom accompanied by parents who
wished they were elsewhere. All this
serves to remind me that the show leading in to the telecast tonight is the
first episode of this year’s season of The Voice. I make a mental note to write about these music
shows in a future post.
Come the end of the weekend I’ve realised that one album
monopolised my listening for the entire period.
It is:
(# 265) The Hitmen –
Tora Tora D.T.K (expanded version disc 1) (2009 reissue of 1984 album)
The Hitmen were a Australian rock band of the late 1970s and
1980s who worshipped at the altar of the high energy Detroit bands of the late
1960s and 1970s. Founded in Sydney by
Johnny Kannis, they are also noted for the number of musicians who passed
through their ranks from or onto relatively greater things including Ivor Hay
of The Saints, Warwick Gilbert of Radio Birdman and Brad Shepherd of The Hoodoo
Gurus. Whilst they never attracted mass popularity,
they were responsible for a handful or memorable songs and developed a cult
following for their high energy live act. This is a live album recorded near the end of
their initial career (they’ve since reformed and perform spasmodically) before
a suitably hyper audience which has been expanded to a double CD with the
addition of outtakes and a range of other related releases. This version of the band, which also included
long time guitarist and future Secret Tribesman Chris “Klondike” Masuak and
future Hoodoo Gurus drummer Mark Kingsmill, was arguably its best and the
performances are top notch. Most of
their best tracks are grouped at the start of the album including Rock ‘n’ Roll
Soldiers, Didn’t Tell The Man and It’s So Hard.
But they were the masters of cover version including inspired
renditions of The Flamin’ Groovies classic Shake Some Action and the Ramones’ California
Sun. Bonus tracks also include their
take on Elvis’ Suspicious Minds, The Stooges’ Search And Destroy and Louie
Louie.
A live version of one of their earliest tracks, Dancing Time
is also included which reminds me that I have a 2CD disc of their earliest
recordings by the same name that I’ve still to play. I make a mental note to play it but then my
brain starts to hurt…...
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