I’ve been told that I
have a tremendous memory and have no idea why.
Perhaps it is because I’ve listened to music throughout my life. I have many memories about events in my life
in which music is part of the recall process.
Indeed, the earliest memory I have of my life is always set against the
backdrop of the Beatles Penny Lane. This
is strange because that memory involves being in the open air away from radios
and televisions. Suffice to say,
whenever I hear that song, I’m instantly transported back to that specific
memory and a certain feeling creeps across me that is almost impossible to
describe. All I know is that feeling reminds me of a
time when my life was much simpler and it takes an effort to shake it off.
But not everything is as heavy as that. In the majority of cases the memories invoked
by music are mostly happy ones. And some
of the happiest ones I have involve music itself, more specifically gigs that
are memorable for some reason or other.
In a day involving some of the most tedious work imaginable (an entire
day working on spreadsheets), I really needed something to make me smile.
(# 465) Mercury Rev –
Deserter’s Songs (1998)
The memory: Mercury Rev at The Corner Hotel, 30 September
1999.
This is one of the great albums of the 1990s full of clever
songs, unusual combinations of instruments, Jonathon Donahue’s distinctive
vocals and a pristine, delicate sound which casts a dreamlike spell. Holes and Opus 40 were unlikely though
deserved hits and The Funny Bird sounds like a track ready made for a
widescreen cinema epic. The Happy End
(The Drunk Room) and Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp probably sound like alternative
medieval music, if such a genre were possible. But best of all is the magnificent
Goddess On A Hiway a stately number that appears to combine the band, an
unforgettable hook and what appears to be piano, harpsichord and a theremin. Yet, despite the brilliance of the album, no
one was really prepared for how these songs came across when played live. The band injected such power into these songs
that each turned into a mini epic of sorts and you could have sworn you were
listening to different songs. Tracks
from the rest of their catalogue were carefully chosen to augment the Deserter’s
Songs tracks and played in much the same spirit. The version of Frittering played that night
remains to this day one of my all time favourite live memories.
(# 466) Smashing
Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (1993)
The memory: Smashing Pumpkins at The Prince Of Wales Hotel,
28 January 1994
Two decades on, this remains my favourite Smashing Pumpkins
album. There are no pretensions at work
here with each track taut and fully realised.
With the exception of Sweet Sweet which simply doesn’t fit into the flow,
the album is brilliantly sequenced. The
opening sequence of the explosive Cherub Rock and Quiet followed by the quieter
Today and the slow burning Hummer is nothing short of perfect with brilliant tracks such as Disarm, Geek U.S.A.
and Silverf**k eventually trailing in their wake. Luna is a perfect low key closer that anticipates
some of the sounds to be pursued on the subsequent Mellon Collie And The
Infinite Sadness. And like Mercury
Rev, this club show in the small confines of the Prince Band Room was simply
overwhelming. Those present on the night
knew that the chances of seeing the band play a room of that size again (at
least with what we know to be the definitive Smashing Pumpkins line up) was
zero.
(# 467) The Fabulous
Thunderbirds – Tuff Enuff (1986)
The memory: The Fabulous Thunderbirds at The Palace, 18
November 1989
After years of toiling away in relative obscurity, The
Fabulous Thunderbirds hit the big time with this album. Cynics might suggest this was due to the fame
of guitarist Jimmie Vaughn’s little brother Stevie Ray but this is to deny the quality
of the album. It is a great example of
Texan blues, soul and tex mex immaculately produced by Dave Edmunds and
containing a number of great tracks including the title track, Look At That
Look At That and the Los Lobos sounding Amnesia. Down At Antoine’s is a terrific instrumental
with great harmonica playing from Kim Wilson whose vocals are also a treat
throughout the rest of the album. But
the best track is a cover of an Isaac Hayes/David Porter penned Sam & Dave
b-side Wrap It Up an irresistible slice of soul despite the decidedly non PC
nature of the lyrics.
I first some of this songs live when the band supported
Stevie Ray Vaughan at Festival Hall on 22 March 1986. The overriding memory of that night was the
encore of Stevie Ray’s set when the brothers Vaughan played a double necked
guitar simultaneously, even changing necks mid tune. As for the Thunderbirds I left feeling the
best way to see them would be within a club with a beer in hand. This is why the 1989 show stands out, a bar
band playing in a bar before its own fans.
Although I’ve never been to Texas, on that one night, for all intents
and purposes, I was.
(# 468) John Hiatt –
Live At the Palace, Melbourne April 24, 1991 (Slow Turning Australian edition
bonus disc 1991)
The memory: John Hiatt at The Palace Melbourne, 24 April
1991
This is a 5 track CD containing great renditions of Real
Fine Love, Your Dad Did, Lipstick Sunset, Rock Back Billy and Slow Turning. Backed by the impressive Fugitive Popes, it
demonstrates that Hiatt is a charismatic figure live with his endearing between
song patter preserved.
This CD was rushed out to capitalise on the effect Hiatt had
on his debut Australian tour in 1991.
This came as a complete shock to his record company because he came out
as a special guest opening for The Robert Cray Band. I was the Concert Hall for the Melbourne date
on 15 April and saw the incredibly rare event of a support act actually win
over a potentially hostile audience which gave him a standing ovation and
demands for an encore. The response to
Hiatt that night was such that the club gig was added to the end of the tour
and recorded. He proved to be quite the unexpected entertainer too, telling
cheesy stories between numbers and incorporating quite unorthodox “dance moves”.
But ultimately it was the music that
won everyone over, a task made all the easier in that his two recent albums at
the time – Bring The Family and Slow Turning - also happened to be his
best. It was a classic example of seeing
a performer in his prime and at the right time.
(# 469) Suicidal
Tendencies – Still Cyco After All These Years (1993)
The memory: Suicidal Tendencies at The Palace Melbourne, 2
November 1993
This is ST’s high energy re-recording of their debut self
titled album and, as such contains some of their greatest numbers. Suicide's an Alternative / You'll Be Sorry, Institutionalized,
War Inside My Head, I Saw Your Mommy, Fascist Pig and A Little Each Day
are all classics of the early thrash era and are given the treatment they truly
deserved here. Might Mike Muir’s singing
on this album, particularly on Institutionalized is inspired.
It was with this album that ST toured Australia for the first time as the
special guests of the hapless Alice In Chains.
By all accounts, they slayed the crowd at Festival Hall a few nights
earlier, a situation not held by Alice In Chain’s drummer not being able to
properly function during their set. I
wasn’t there that night as I was hamstrung by a wedding commitment and so had a
ticket to the club show at The Palace.
If anything, the situation was even worse for Alice In Chains because it
appeared that all of Melbourne’s ST fans had actually targeted this gig. This
was the just about the only time I went to a club gig to find that it already
packed to the rafters before the support had stepped on stage. And the response of the crowd to the band
that night was absolutely phenomenal. By
the time they had finished their set, I was ready to go home and, indeed, a proportion
of the crowd did just that. Fortunately
Alice In Chains kind of rose to the occasion and delivered a professional set
but on this night Suicidal Tendencies ruled.
(# 470) Wire –
Send (2003)
The memory: Wire at The Corner Hotel Melbourne, 7 March 2004
Wire recorded some of the best albums in the initial English punk
explosion of the 1970s. And yet despite splitting up and reforming
this is their best ever album. It is a
raging beast of an album containing some of the most ferocious music recorded
during the last decade including In The Art Of Stopping, Mr. Marx’s Table,
Comet, The Agfers Of Kodak and Spent.
The energy and power does not let up for even a second and puts bands half
their age who claim to be heavy to absolute shame.
I think Wire’s 2004 Australian tour was their first one of this
country. I hadn’t heard this before I
went and so was expecting that I be hearing punk/art rock classics form their
golden era. Alas I went alone, not being able to convince anyone to come with
me. I distinctly remember feeling alone and unwanted that night. Most most of the audience was long time Wire
fans like myself, the only difference being that everyone had partners. I looked around – I was the only single
person there, or so it seemed. It was a
watershed moment; I wondered whether this was going to be a glimpse into my
future. Darker questions circulated in
my mind; Just how many gigs could I attend alone? Is tehre anyone out there for me? How come all these other people could find
each other and share the same taste
in music?
Fortunately, Wire came on stage before these thoughts could become darker
and started playing the songs from this album.
I was staggered. It remains to
this day one of the great gigs I’ve seen.
The hairs stood on the back of my neck and I proceeded to the mosh pit
for the only time in my life and joined in.
It was cathartic and liberating and my faith in myself was restored, at
least for the time being. I’d realised
that if I was to remain alone, at least I would have future experiences like
this to sustain me. Little did I know
that later that year I would meet a woman called “M”.
(# 471)
Rammstein – Live Aus Berlin (1999)
The memory: Big Day Out, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds, 28 January 2001
This the first live album and soundtrack to the first live DVD by the
masters of German industrial stadium rock.
Recorded on home ground in Berlin in 1998, it is a live greatest hits
collection from their earliest albums.
On the DVD the songs are larger than life, listening to this for the
first time in ages and after having listened to the awesome Volkerball live CD
for a number of years now, it now sounds quite flat in comparison.
I approached the 2001 BDO with a great deal of trepidation. The headliners were Limp Bizkit, a band I wasn’t
planning on seeing. Immediately before
them were Rammstein, who I’d never seen or heard and before them was
Powderfinger, Australia’s then rock gods who I found, in the main, to be little
more than competent. Also all of the
bands I wanted to see were clashing with each other and I was faced with a number
of uncomfortable choices. Not only that,
but a poor gig goer had been killed during a crowd crush a couple of days
earlier in Sydney during Limp Bizkit’s set.
There was a bad vibe.
On the morning of the day, I awoke to the news that Limp Bizkit had flown
home. I arrived at the Showgrounds and
found out that Powderfinger had been offered and refused the closing slot. Rammstein were to do the honors instead. Thus also had the effect of changing all the
running orders and my clashes disappeared.
I just wish it hadn’t occurred because of the tragic loss of life.
At nightfall I headed to the main stage to watch Rammstein. All I knew was they sang in German and were
supposedly spectacular live. 75 minutes
later, I was a card carrying member of the Rammstein fan club. They presented a set that replicated the performance
on Live Aus Berlin containing all of the stunts and stage features contained in
it. I instantly got the joke; a group of 5 hulking specimens of Ayran manhood
whose machismo was constantly being undermined by the keyboard counterpoints of
its sixth member. It was my introduction
to the world’s most entertaining live act whose best music was still to come.
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