The Chevelles are set to release a 5 - 6 track EP thru US label ZiP Records next February, followed by a full length album later in the year. In the meantime a track from the EP Maybe Baby will appear on a powerpop compilation put out by Germany's Screaming Apple Records. I believe this will be The Chevelles first new release since their hard to find Rollerball Candy album.
A new Jack and the Beanstalk track, Mr Cynic, will appear in the next Bucketful of Brains compilation (A real coo for the band).
Both The Chevelles and Jack & The Beanstalk, along with Challenger 7, Valiant and Rollercoaster, appear on a new power pop compilation entitled Beat Party (1+2 Records), which consists of power pop bands from around the world. The track listing is shown below;
V/A - BEAT PARTY : WORLDWIDE POWER POP COMPILATION
1. Meows - I'll Change (Spain)
2. FiFi & The Mach 3 - Because I Love You (Japan)
3. T-Shirts - Dreaming (Spain)
4. Valiant - Shirley's Boyfriend (Australia)
5. Shambles - She's Got Everything (USA)
6. Saddles - I Know The Feeling (Japan)
7. Poseur - Milkshake (Canada)
8. Doorslammer - She's Crazy (USA)
9. Wimpys - Just Right Thing In Summer (Japan)
10. Challenger 7 - Because We Can (Australia)
11. More Fun - National Broadcast Breakdown (Japan)
12. Chevelles - Out Of My Mind (Australia)
13. Roller Coaster - Do You Remember (Australia)
14. Banana Erectos - Get Married To Your Job (Japan)
15. Jack & The Beat Stalk - Slave Girl (Australia)
16. Nudge 'Em All - The Future In The Past (Japan)
17. Bonzos - Run Boy Run (Spain)
18. Treeberrys - Tragedy (Japan)
19. Marlowes - Split Screen (USA)
20. Plastic Man - A Day By The Lake (Japan)
21. Kwyet Kings - Radiated By Your Charm (Norway)
22. Ego Maniacs - Are You Satisfied (USA)
23. Buffet - Mr. Musicman (Japan)
You can read more about The Finkers at the The Finkers Webpage
where there is full info & reviews on their debut album. The band currently is in the studio recording album #2. Apart from appearing on tributes to the Real Kids (on Spinning Top), the Replacements on (Antfarm/Tomboy), Radio Birdman (on Nomango), and Gene Clark (on Notlame).The Finkers will also.be appearing on an upcoming powerpop compilation on Germany's Screaming Apple Records and are recording a version of Funny Feelin' for an Easybeats tribute.
Died Pretty, who over the last 15 years have been one of Australia's most acclaimed bands, are set to finally release a 'best of' compilation through Citadel Records on the 4th November. It will cover every period of the band's history and initial copies will come with a bonus disc of rare and unreleased tracks.
OUT OF THE UNKNOWN - THE BEST OF DIED PRETTY
1. Desperate Hours
2. Blue Sky Day
3. Landsakes
4. Final Twist
5. Stoneage Cinderella
6. Winterland
7. Springenfall
8. Everybody Moves
9. Whitlam Square
10. D.C.
11. Harness Up
12. Sweetheart
13. Godbless
14. Stops 'n' Starts
15. Good At Love
16. Radio
DIED PRETTY - BEST OF LIMITED EDITION BONUS ALBUM
1. Shine It Down*
2. Lisa*
3. Mouth Almighty
4. Eternally Yours
5. Plaintive*
6. Big Star
7. Wig-Out
8. Work*
9. This Reason
10. You Are*
11. Lonesome Bull
12. Marlborough*
13. From A Buick 6
*previously unreleased
Advance orders can be made by emailing John Needham at Citadel records; citadel@ozemail.com.au
The excellent New Christs compilation, Divine Rites, is also being reissued in the upcoming months.
The Radio Dolls are a cool power pop band from Brisbane. They have just finished recording a new 3 song CD single, which hopefully will be out before Christmas. Read more about the band at the Radio Dolls Webpage
Look forward to an EP from former Passengers vocalist Angie Pepper in the not-too-distant future. Producer Deniz Tek says the EP is currently half finished and will probably be out on Citadel, hopefully by the end of the year. The backing band consists of Jim Dickson and Nik Reith (both long-term Tek cohorts.) A planned compilation of tracks from The Angie Pepper Band sessions of 1981 and the recorded legacy of the Passengers is also on the agenda in the medium term. 8 Passengers and 5 Angie Pepper Band studio tracks have been found and converted from the original tape to digital audio files for safekeeping. They are available to master, when the resources are there to do it. However Deniz is unsure just when that will be.
Deniz Tek himself has also been busy. He has finished Glass Insects Music For 11 Year Old Girls, which is an unusual 40 minute piece of experimental noise that he did with Dave Weyer. It will probably be only available through the mail. He has also done an acoustic guitar album (!) with native American Indian flute (performed by Jace BigDay) which still needs some percussion added, as well as finished recording the second Deep Reduction album, which still needs to be mixed.(the first one is now out on Get Hip Records). Deep Reduction is kind of a return to garage band roots in a way. Deep Reduction will do limited touring in the USA and Europe next year. Also, since the Detroit gig went so well there is a chance that Rendezvous will do some touring next year as well. This could possibly include Australia.
However, The Deniz Tek Group is on indefinite hold due to there being very little interest in hard rock anymore, so it's next to impossible for the band to get gigs... Radio Birdman is 100% finished as far as any more reunions, although Deniz mentioned that there might be some reissues, and maybe a bit of unreleased stuff still to come out…
Simon Chainsaw (formerly known as Simon Drew in the Vanilla Chainsaws) has formed a new band called The Chainsaw Men Along with Steve Gardner (Gamma men, Noise for Heroes Fanzine/Website) on drums they have recorded their 1st CD called Point Blank. Since then he has been busy travelling and doing acoustic performances in Japan, USA and Brazil and has just finished recording pre production tapes (17 songs) for his first solo release, which is due to recorded late 1999. Simon plans to be recording about 13 tracks in France with French bands Turbolove and Backsliders as well as with New Christs guitarist Big Al Creed, who has also been recruited for Simon Chainsaw's BADASS ROADSHOW, which kicks off dates in Sydney in Nov and will hit Europe in early/mid 2000. The 2nd Chainsaw Men Album is scheduled for recording mid 2000. If all of that ain't enough, renewed interest in the Vanilla Chainsaws in Brazil has seen the band picked up for a "best of, rarities, unreleased, and live" double CD compilation thru TronadorMusic, due for release early 2000. Now free from all contractual obligations, Simon Chainsaw is looking to kick off large into the new millennium and is looking for interested parties to discuss releases/distribution/tour management/publishing and other opportunities for European, US, Asian and other territories. For more information you can check out the Simon Chainsaw Webpage
The next Orange Humble Band album has been recorded although there is no release date set at the moment as far as I know. Apparently the new album is fantastic and very different to the last. More introspective; a little less overtly poppy but still very classy.
The Missing Links were perhaps Australia's first punk band and now Half A Cow Records has released all of their material on a single CD (and double vinyl) compilation entitled Driving You Insane, which consists of 28 songs (5 unreleased) as well as 40 page booklet. For the uninformed, The Missing Links were only around in Australia from between 1964-66 performed raw garage and R' n' B at its best. They were billed as Australia's wildest band and Johnny O'Keefe, the so-called 'wild man of rock & roll', refused to allow The Missing Links to appear on his TV pop program. Their only official recorded legacy was a single album (The Missing Links), a smattering of singles, and a posthumous EP (The Missing Links Unchained), all of which are now rarely than rocking horse shit. The Missing Links are perhaps most famous for Wild About You, which The Saints covered on their seminal I'm Stranded album.
The Missing Links: Driving You Insane - the Complete Links CD
1. Wild About You
2. Hobo Man
3. Bald-headed Woman
4. Not To Bother Me
5. Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
6. Some Kinda Fun
7. You're Driving You Insane
8. Nervous Breakdown
9. Speak No Evil
10. On The Road Again
11. All I Want
12. H'tuom Tuhs
13. I'll Go Crazy
14. Don't Give Me No Fiction
15. One More Time
16. Woolly Bully
17. Something Else
18. We 2 Should Live
19. Untrue
20. All I Want (fast version)
21. Shakin' All Over
22. Kansas City
23. Come My Way
24. Go Back
The Showmen:
25. So Far Away
26. Don't Deceive
27. Naughty Girl
The Running Jumping Standing Still:
28. Diddy Wah Diddy (from "Go!!" TV Show)
Half A Cow records also plan to release a similar style compilation on the punk/power pop band The Eastern Dark. With a mix of Sixties-via-Ramones pop smarts, hard rock crunch and punkish energy, The Eastern Dark's slim output has produced a world-wide cult awareness. However the band were sandly confined to obscurity due to a tragic, on-tour road accident that claimed the life of singer/songwriter/guitarist James Darroch. The group achieved early notoriety for their habit of opening their sets with a Ramones song; in fact playing each Ramones song once only in chronological/album listing order. The bands first single was an inspired homage to the Ramones entitled Julie Is A Junkie/Johnny And Dee Dee. Released in July, 1985 and produced by Rob Younger, it was hailed as a power pop classic in underground press the world over and even got the group some mail from da Brudders. This was followed by the EP Long Live The New Flesh. In 1990, bass player Bill Gibson hand picked the best available performances, from live cassette recordings, of previously unreleased Dark tunes for the Girls On The Beach (With Cars) double album. The forthcoming Half A Cow compilation makes the original single and EP available on CD for the first time while adding all the original tunes and studio outtakes from Girls On The Beach. It is due to be released some time in the new year.
The Eastern Dark - Where Are All The Single Girls? CD
1. Julie Is A Junkie
2. Johnny And Dee Dee
3. Stay Alone
4. Mr. Clean
5. Walking
6. Over Now
7. I Don't Need The Reasons
8. No Pictures
9. Julie Loves Johnny
10. C & W Metal
11. Confrontation Time
12. Swing
13. The President Is Dead
14. Whore
15. I Don't Take L.S.D.
16. Stay Sane Somehow
17. Used To Death
18 Superstition
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