New Wave by Various Artists 1977

 In 1977 it seemed like I was rebuilding my record collection from scratch. While I was quick to buy the first Damned album and just about anything punk my shelves were still crowded with a lot of records I didn't want to listen to anymore. Bowie, New York Dolls and Lou Reed/ Velvet Underground fitted in well but not a lot more. The sixties kind of fitted in but a lot of my records were more the commercial pop bands like the Searchers  although The Troggs had their place.

So a compilation record like this was really welcome. A few of the songs I had heard about but never seen down the record shop. I discovered Mystery Girls from the second Dolls album. Sonic Reducer by the Dead Boys. Talking Heads, Even The Runaways Cherry Bomb made a lot more sense in the context of this bunch of tracks. And best of all it had the song Shake Some Action which I begun hearing down the Tiger Room when the Keith Glass Band would play it on Wednesday nights. Me and my mates would be down the Tiger Room (or was it Tiger Lounge) every Wednesday night to hear Keith's band and to see which punk/ new wave band he would have support him. JAB, The Boys Next Door and more. Just fantastic nights.

As for the album, of course there were one or two clunkers but they didn't detract at all from my listening pleasure. And although this might have been one of the first compilations I ever bought it might be responsible for the dozens of other comps I have bought over the years. I just love compilation albums. I might often start a search now in the various artists second of the record bins.

The B-52s by The B-52s 1979

 In January 1980 I was in Paris, France with Leonie, my girlfriend at the time and we were wandering the streets after dinner taking in the cold night air as you do. It was early evening and as we passed a record shop down tucked into one of narrow streets this strange music came bouncing off the walls. It was other worldly but definitely pop music. But of a different kind. It reminded of Roxy Music and Yoko Ono all at once.  

More importantly I thought I had found a French band. Which would be exciting. To take back to Australia something no one had heard yet from a slightly exotic country. It was exciting buying the Specials debut in a French department store the day previously but this topped that. In the record store the man behind the counter explained that they were an American band and the album was fabulous but he was playing his very own copy. They had no more. Sold out. So I left Paris without the B-52s.

I didn't matter because when I got back to Australia they had just started playing Rock Lobster on the radio and the B-52s were about to become a hit making machine.

On my first visit to Missing Link Records when I was back in Melbourne I saw they had  the B-52s record in their racks, The cover just jumped out. Great I could buy it here, I was in Missing Link to see Bruce from Au Go Go. A UK distributor called Stage One were starting a record label and wanted to put the first Little Murders single out as their debut release. I was at the counter when Nick Cave came over to me and started asking me questions about the UK. Which surprised me since even though my bands had played a number of times with the Boys Next Door I had hardly spoken to him at all. But he really wanted to know what was going on in London. I said there weren't too many exciting bands around playing live. And a lot of the venues are quite small.
At the time I didn't know they were planning to move over there. 

Got so caught up talking to Nick and then Bruce that I walked out of the shop without the B-52s record. I didn't get it for another few months because Rock Lobster was everywhere. I couldn't listen to that track any more. Then I picked it up second hand. And it was brilliant even if I had to lift the needle over Rock Lobster.

Reckless by The Sports 1978

 In 1977  my friends and I would go to a lot of Sports gigs. This was the closest we could get to the scene that was happening in the UK even though it wasn't punk music. But they had got a brilliant review in the NME. Single of the week no less. And we all bought the 7 inch EP. This was our Melbourne band. 

Seemingly led by Steve Cummins by the fact he was the singer their star continued to shine as 1978 appeared. And they seemed to give support to the leading lights of the new wave in the Boys Next Door. The Sports/ Boys Next Door nights were the highlights of our gig going in 78. One gig at the Collingwood Town Hall with both bands playing stands out in particular. Probably the first time I went to Collingwood. And when Sports brought out their debut album we all went and bought it. because we were listening to Graham Parker and Elvis Costello as well a full-on punk like the Clash there seemed to be room for everything now. 

It kicked off with the "Boys (What Did The Detective Say?)" single. (Oddly enough Elvis Costello released "Watching The Detectives " at the same time) The song was a very Melbourne song that we could easily identify with the lyrics. From then on it was a trip from Russell Street to Richmond and Carlton and around the city. Steve may not have mentioned the places directly in the songs but it all just felt inner city Melbourne. Listening to this album now brings up great memories of great venues of the past. Martinis in Carlton which was also a pizza place. the Kingston Hotel and walking down the stairs to the main room (seeing Graham Parker leaning on the wall watching the band) and the Station Hotel. Straight off the train and into the bar.

Candles in the Wind by Melanie 1970

 In 1970 this was stuck to my turntable. It was the single Lay Down that hit the radio that year which introduced us to Melanie. One word name in a time when singers didn't have one-word names. I was particularly attracted to her voice. Powerful at times but then fragile in the quieter moments. It was just different to other female voices I had heard.

So I bought the album and played it to death. It was 1970. The era of the singer-songwriter. I was living in Blackburn South but just started hanging out over across Middlesborough Road in Box Hill North. There was a friend from school called Paul True who played the guitar. I was in awe as he seemed to be able to play anything. The girls he hung out with were particularly enamoured by his version of Alexander Beetle from this record. He refused to play it for me though. He'd moved on. 

His dream was to play Festival Hall. I hope he got there. Little Murders almost got there. On a bill with Uncanny X-Men. But then the sponsors (Coca-Cola I think) didn't like the idea of having an independent band on the bill. They wanted bands on labels. That's when I realised playing Festival Hall might be my dream too. Too late now I guess unless I join the Church of Hillsong.

I lost interest in Melanie after this album. Glam rock swept a lot of this away. But she did hit the radio again with Brand New Key which I loved. And then when on my first live appearance I performed on Radio Auditions and with my girl-led trio Feathers singing a song called "Helpless Sparrow" won that night our prize was a bunch of singles. All rubbish except one was a Melanie single. Not very good but the flip side was a cover of a Jim Croce song which intrigued me because for a while there I liked Jim Croce too. The song was called Lovers Cross. And it was brilliant.

End Of The Century by The Ramones 1980

 Danny Says by the Ramones happened to be the first thing I heard off this album. I was around at Stuart Beatty's house and we were discussing what the sound of the next single might be like. He played "Danny Says" by The Ramones. Wait for the guitars to come in! Then we talked about how we were going to record "She Lets Me Know" We were looking for that power.

Until then I couldn't say I was listening to the Ramones much after 4 albums of punk rock guitar music. But this sounded different to their usual fare. And then I heard Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio. And I loved it. It just worked. I had missed the album on first release and it was hard to find a copy hut by chance I found a second-hand copy in an Op Shop. Glenhumtly Road. Elsternwick. This shop seemed to get a lot of almost new copies of new wave albums. Reviewers who just got rid of them. Or just one reviewer. You had to be quick though.

I spent a lot of time listening to the album. I was in transit from a share house in Oakleigh to a share house in Wellington Street Collingwood. Just up from the Tote. Which was still called the Ivanhoe Hotel then. 

I lived upstairs in a small room with a great stereo system. One wall had a bed and the other a stack of records. Downstairs we still competed for the stereo system to play our favourite songs. Often we would give up and just leave RRR on. 

Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen 1984

 In 1984 we were all getting a little sophisticated. I had finally got myself off the ground-level flats and up to the top floor in Murphy Street, South Yarra. Top floor apartments and views of the city (well I could almost see it from one part of the balcony) meant playing punk rock and Mod really didn't cut it. So it was time for the Bladerunner soundtrack and Echo and the Bunnymen's Ocean Rain with a little Jacque Brel thrown in. And a bit of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. 

Like a few other records, this one had one side that got the most airplay. In this case side 2 kicks off with the magnificent "The Killing Moon" and then just creates its own world from there. One I was happy to go to.  Spend early evenings indoors with the window to the balcony open. Later I might meet friends down on Toorak Road usually for Italian food at places like Portofino (which is probably the only restaurant name I remember)  Macys was at the bottom of my street and Little Murders played there now and again. Other times I would go down and see some great bands there. Looking at some of those handbills I can't believe how good some of the bands were. For heavens sake, The Cure playing at the bottom of my street. 

Eventually, the money ran out and they upped the rent so  I tried out a shared apartment with a teacher friend. Didn't work. I guess my control of the stereo was too much. 

Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub 1995

 There used to be a record shop down Moorabinn way called Vinyl Solution. Run by Glenn Evans and packed the ceiling with great records which is why after getting the record bug once more I would be down almost once a week. That's when this side of town had some great record shops. Vinyl Solution, Licorice Pie, Quality Records, Vicious Sloth and Greville Records. Sadly 3 of those have gone. Though I do love the new Licorice Pie space over in Collingwood.

Vinyl Solution would email a list of just in second-hand records once a week which I would hang out for. One week Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub was on the list. This was one of those holy grail records that I had to have. Far too expensive on Discogs especially when the postage kicked in I immediately bought it off the website. I was so excited I rang Glenn to make sure my order went through. He said I could pick it up Saturday. I said I would be over after work. Then the rains came down. Peak traffic on Nepean Highway. Could hardly see past the windshield. I just couldn't wait to actually hold it never mind play it. I guess I was being a bit irrational. 

Grand Prix was an album I didn't pay much attention to until after I heard Songs From Northern Britain. So I didn't know at the time how good it really was. And it's a ripper. About You, Sparky's Dream. When you play the first side it's hard to turn the record over because you just want to hear it again. Brilliant.

And it's still exciting looking through records and finding something you always wanted or may not know you wanted. A few days ago a friend and I went over to the North record shopping. I came home with Jonathan Sings by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. Love it.