Magic Dirt - Friends In Danger (1996)

Versions:
CD
CD (US)
CD (US Promo)
LP

Tracklisting:
1. Friends In Danger
2. Heavy Business
3. Pristine Christine
4. Bodysnatcher
5. Dylan's Lullaby
6. Sparrow
7. Shovel
8. Fear
9. Befreiend Fallen Angel
10. I Was Curel

Best Tracks:
I Was Cruel
Shovel
Friends In Danger
Bodysnatcher
Pristine Christine

Currently listening to:
LP

It's hard to believe it's turning 20 years old this year, but Friends In Danger is - hands down - my favourite Australian album of all time. I actually rate it as high as I rate Horses and Fun House. It's one of those rare debut albums that taps into that special magic. Magic Dirt did some great stuff before (and certainly after) Friends In Danger, but there's something about this one that grabs me in a way that the others don't.

My introduction to Magic Dirt was What Are Rock Stars Doing Today, which I fell in love with. Next, I got Life Was Better, which I also fell in love with. Next, I got Friends In Danger. And nothing prepared me for Friends In Danger. It instantly kicked me square in guts. I remember trying to sell it to my (Kyuss-obsessed) best mate, by describing it as Kyuss with a fucked up chick singer. That summation may be more accurate than I care to admit, but such a description sells Friends In Danger incredibly short. Magic Dirt somehow managed to tap into the same manic energy that defined The Stooges' Fun House. It's sloppy and a mess. And, it sounds like the whole thing may fall apart at the seams at any given moment. At the same time, it manages to be very tight and direct. No mean feat. Fun House is the only other record I can think of that walks the same line between being succinct and manic - and sounding like the whole thing is on the verge of of complete collapse. Friends In Danger is the only record I would compare to Fun House - not only is Fun House one of my all time favourites, it is also an extremely important album in the history of modern popular music. That is the highest compliment that I can give Friends In Danger. And, one that feel is deserving.

The history of Friends In Danger also makes me love it, even more. Not only was it Magic Dirt's proper debut studio album, it was also their major label debut. And, not in Australia (where they remained on indie Au-Go-Go Records). No, no. They were actually signed to Warner in America. At a time when, in the 90's, Aussie bands simply didn't get signed in America. My promo copy of the album - with the same generic Warner CD labelling that was on every Madonna promo in the 80's - is my favourite reminder of this. See:

Anyway. Warner were impressed with their first two EP's and hoped that they clean up their sound and make a pop record. Magic Dirt, in turn, gave them this sloppy masterpiece. Suffice to say, Warner weren't impressed and soon dropped them (which you'd know if you'd read up on Wikipedia - I'm linking it here, since I wrote 90% of the fucking thing). It was a pretty ballsy move. And, a very Magic Dirt move. Warner may not have liked it, but this album is an underrated, and in 2016, little known gem.

Friends In Danger feels like it came from another planet. From the droney noise of the title track and 'Befriended Fallen Angel', to the absolutely chilling 'Bodysnatcher' and (instrumental) 'Fear', and from the (almost) straight forward rock of 'Pristine Christine' and 'Sparrow' to the all out freak out of 'I Was Cruel' (and Magic Dirt fans will debate whether the version released on a 10" the year before is superior to the album version. I find both equally mind blowing), Friends In Danger takes off like a rocket into the stratosphere and doesn't let up until it comes crashing back to Earth (as heard at the end of 'I Was Cruel').

I'm sure Friends In Danger also holds a special place in my heart for sentimental reasons. Between 2002 and 2010, I saw Magic Dirt play around 30 times. I'm not sure I can adequately express in words how much I miss seeing them play live. It was always special when they played tracks from Friends In Danger. A performance of 'I Was Cruel' at the 2004 Big Day Out, where an inebriated Adalita walked off stage and returned, smoking the roadie's joint and improvising words and howls and feedback, was a highlight. Another was at The Gov in 2007, when I was seeing them play 'Shovel' live for the first time in about 5 years, and my group of friends and I were singing along so loudly (and, presumably, badly), that Adalita cracked up halfway through the first verse.

I got my vinyl copy of this album from the Au-Go-Go Shop in Melbourne in 2003, along with a bunch of 

other Magic Dirt treasures. I was delighted to see a Magic Dirt display on the wall and asked the lovely man behind the counter what they had in stock. I was spoiled, to say the least (I even returned the next day after he'd called me to say he'd found a copy of the Sparrow 7"). By my next Melbourne trip, the shop was closed and lots of the treasures I got (promo CD's, 7"s and posters) seemed to be gone forever. I was very lucky to get what I got on that one fateful visit.

I also found a CD copy of this album in a Salvation Army Thift Store in Brooklyn for $2. I wondered how long it had been there and how many hundreds of people has passed it over. Despite already having a copy of the American version, I bought it. I couldn't bring myself to just leave it there.

I also know that this album was released on cassette in the US. Tracking a copy down is one of my latest obsessions.

I don't understand how this album wasn't more successful than it was. Despite moderate success in Australia (it sold 10,000 copies and hit No. 25 in the charts - not a bad effort for an Aussie band in the 90's), I sometimes feel it came at the wrong time. Five years earlier, it would have given Bricks Are Heavy and Pretty On The Inside a serious run for their money. Five years later, and it would have wiped the floor with The Strokes, The Hives and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Though, maybe that's part of Friends In Danger's charm? If it was huge (like, say, Frogstomp), maybe over exposure would have sullied it. Who knows? And, really, who gives a fuck? The fact remains that this is the best album that you've probably never heard. Please please please listen to it. It deserves to be more than a forgotten relic of sloppy 90's Aussie rock. It really is a masterpiece.

(And, don't feel bad about illegally downloading it. The CD and vinyl are out of print and I doubt the band will ever see a cent from iTunes royalties. If you do like it and want to support the band, buy Adalita's solo stuff or River Of Snakes).

The Who - Magic Bus (1968)

Versions:
LP
CD

Tracklisting:

Side One:
1. Disguises
2. Run Run Run
3. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
4. I Can't Reach You
5. Our Love Was, Is
6. Call Me Lightning

Side Two:
1. Magic Bus
2. Someone's Coming
3. Doctor, Doctor
4. Bucket T
5. Pictures of Lily

Best Tracks:
Magic Bus
Pictures of Lily
Call Me Lightening
Disguises

Currently listening to: LP

Magic Bus is a weird addition to The Who's catalogue. It is typical of an American released compilation by a British band in the 60's - a mish mash of B-sides and tracks from previous UK albums, built around their - then current - single.

For some reason, I have a real soft spot for a lot of these American releases. While The Rolling Stones' catalogue was completely butchered, I quite enjoy a bunch of The Beatles' American LPs (which isn't say that The Beatles catalogue wasn't completely butchered, either - it was). Though, it still hurts my brain to think that those LP's were what American audiences knew as The Beatles and The Stones' albums. For me, they're curios, often with interesting (though, not necessarily, great) artwork and tracklistings.

While The Who didn't suffer quite so badly, Magic Bus shows there weren't completely immune.

Magic Bus' biggest flaw is that the cover boats that it's The Who 'On Tour', giving the impression that this is, in fact, a live album. Instead, it's all studio recordings, including three tracks already released on previous albums (at least The Stones and The Beatles' sloppily compiled LPs never repeated tracks from older albums).  Despite this, I find Magic Bus a very enjoyable listen.

Like the American release of The Beatles' Rubber Soul was re-sequenced to sound like a folk-rock album, Magic Bus feels like it's been sequenced to present The Who as the energetic live band they were. This would certainly explain the misleading 'On Tour' subtitle. Aside from the lovely feedback we got in 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere', none of The Who's 60's recordings captured their ferocious live sound (and none did until 1970's Live At Leeds). Given the wonderful material The Who released in the 60's, this is merely an observation rather than a criticism. The main success of Magic Bus, as an LP, is that it actually presents The Who as a great 60's rock band better than A Quick One and The Who Sell Out did.

The first three tracks kick things off on a high. It could be that most of the tracks are presented in their mono mixes, but they really leap off the vinyl, particularly 'Run Run Run' and the great 'Disguises' ('Run Run Run' on the A Quick One CD sounds noticeably limp in comparison). The first side loses steam with 'I Can't Reach You' and 'Our Love Was', unnecessary repeats from The Who Sell Out. Given the amount of Who B-sides available at the time, there certainly could have been more inspired choices than these two tracks (personally, I'd have gone with the insanely underrated gem, 'Circles' from the Ready Steady Who EP, from which two tracks on this album were already pulled. Or even 'The Last Time' or 'Under My Thumb' from their 1967 single in support of the then recent arrest of Mick Jagger and Keith Richard). The first side ends with lesser-known single 'Call Me Lightning', another gem.

Side Two also plays well, featuring both sides of both the 'Magic Bus' and 'Pictures Of Lily' singles, along with 'Bucket T' from the aforementioned Ready Steady Who EP. You wouldn't think the silliness of 'Bucket T' would sit well along the quality of the other four songs on this side, yet somehow, it works. Again, the mono mixes give these songs a grit and rawness missing on the CD (and even some later vinyl compilation) releases.

I had my CD copy of this album since the late 90's, but only (and FINALLY) picked up a vinyl copy today. Which is why I'm writing about it like it's a revelation. The vinyl copy is far superior to the 80's pressed CD. All of the songs on this LP are well worn into my brain, which is why it's been so nice to finally listen to a vinyl copy.

Magic Bus isn't an essential addition, but a very enjoyable one. It's worth the price of admission for that cover art, alone.

The Donnas - I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me) (2005)

Side A:
I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)

Side B:
I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me) (Acoustic)

The Donnas are another band that I absolutely loved ten years ago, who I have - I hate to say - all but forgotten about in 2015.

They really stepped up their game with 2004's Gold Medal. With every album they seemed to get better and better, and they reached their pinnacle with Gold Medal. They were always a great party band, but Gold Medal felt like the hangover. Which is probably why I loved it so much.

'I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)' became the sound track to my life for a time in my early 20's. Like most people, I made questionable choices, romantically. And, 'I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)' summed up my situation pretty damn well. As such, it was on heavy rotation during 2004-2005. I'm pretty sure it was the soundtrack to many a LiveJournal entry.

Hearing it tonight - for the first time in a long, long time - brought back a lot of memories. Suddenly, it's 2005 again and I'm drunk at the Crown & Anchor pissing my friends off and chasing boys. Gladly, I still really enjoyed hearing it tonight. The B-side is pretty faithful to the original, just played on acoustic guitars.

PJ Harvey - The Piano (2007)

I think I need a palate cleanser after that last blog. I deliberately picked this one.

Side A:
The Piano

Side B:
Heaven

This is notable for being one of the few PJ Harvey singles that I own in only one format. Even though the majority of her singles over the past ten years have only been released on 7", I usually pick up promos or other curios. For some reason, I haven't with 'The Piano'.

I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to blog White Chalk, the album from which this single was pulled. It has become one of my favourite albums of all time, if not the favourite (and, yes, I know I said the same about To Bring You My Love. I'll probably say it for every PJ Harvey album I write about. And, I will mean it, sincerely, every time). Despite having White Chalk in my life for eight years, I don't think I will yet be able to articulate just how much I love it, how genius I think it is and just how much it means to me. 'The Piano', with it's images of violence and loneliness, is one of White Chalk's unsettling highlights.

White Chalk was interesting in that all three of it's singles did not, for the first time in Harvey's career, include album outtakes as B-sides. All three features old demos. I've always pictured Polly Harvey having a huge backlog of demoed songs that she's never released, given that she's often stated that she'll write up to 60 songs when writing for an album. This theory (or fantasy) was supported by Mick Harvey when he recorded her beautiful unreleased song, 'Glorious'. He stated that it was on a tape of songs she had given him and he thought it was too good a song to waste away in a drawer somewhere. The White Chalk B-sides only furthered my insatiable curiosity as to what other lost treasures exist.

Both 'When Under Ether' and 'The Piano' featured demos recorded way back in 1988. Intriguing choices, given that 'Dress', her first single, didn't come out until 1991. 'Heaven', 'The Piano''s B-side is an interesting inclusion. She had actually recorded the song with Automatic Dlamini, the first band she was in with John Parish, in 1990 on their unreleased record, Here Catch Shouted His Father. This version, however, is a demo recorded with John Parish in 1988. It's a nice little song, full of Biblical references, which she would later explore further on her first two records. It really shows just far her song writing came in the next few years, especially as the production is reminiscent of the Dry demos.

'Heaven' is a rare glimpse into PJ Harvey's early development as an artist, while still managing to be an enjoyable listen.

Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now (1987)

Side A:
I Think We're Alone Now

Side B:
No Rules

Oh boy.

In my late teens and early 20's, I was always a total snob when it came to what records went into my collection. If I had anything remotely daggy, I made sure I justified it somehow (usually irony or nostalgia). As time wore on, I began to care less and less about filtering what went into my collection. These days, anything goes. Because, why the fuck not?

Plus, I do have a soft spot for bad pop songs.

Hello, Tiffany.

A lot of 80's songs like this are now socially acceptable, thanks to the 80's revival that's now lasted longer than the 80's did. Which irks me somewhat. Because, songs like this really are atrocious. Though, I think that's the appeal? Because, loathe as I am to admit in a public forum such as this, I fucking love 'I Think We're Alone Now'. Goodbye punk rock street cred. Perhaps it's nostalgia? This was my favourite song in the world when I was 5. I have fond memories of singing this song as a child (and have, somehow, never forgotten the words).

I also have fond memories of acquiring this record. It was when I moved to London in 2011 and my friend Kate bought me this, along with a hand full of other 45's, to cheer me up when I found out that my cat died. We'd spotted it earlier at the record fair we'd stumbled across and had all been highly amused by Tiffany's denim jacket. When I wasn't looking, Kate went back and bought it for me. Bless her heart.

OK, enough about Tiffany (oh, except to say that the B-side here was, unlike the A-side, - which is gloriously terrible - offensive in it's terribleness).

The Rolling Stones - The Last Time (1965)

Side A:
The Last Time

Side B:
Play With Fire

I can't tell if this was double A-side, or if 'Play With Fire' was actually the B-side. Either way, both sides of this single are essential, two of the best early Stones songs from their pre-Aftermath period. I have a great many of the Stones' 60's singles, but I think this was one of the very first I ever bought.

Funnily enough, after explaining why I love 60's singles in the last batch of 7" blogs, 'The Last Time' actually sounds pretty lifeless on this single, compared to how it sounds on the various albums it appears on. 'Play With Fire', though, sounds great. While it doesn't sound so bad on CD since the Stones' 60's catalogue was remastered in the early 00's, I'm still scarred from how utterly terrible it sounded on the original Stones CD's, released in the 80's. I don't know why, but 'Play With Fire' - out of every 60's Stones song - seemed to suffer the worst. I'm eternally grateful that this has been rectified!

Kate Bush - Running Up The Hill (1985)

Another game of 7" roulette!

Side A:
Running Up That Hill

Side B:
Under The Ivy

After picking 'Babooshka' last time, 'Running Up That Hill' was the first random selection tonight. I guess the universe wants me to listen to more Kate Bush. And, who am I to argue? 'Running Up The Hill' is, of course, one of my favourite Kate Bush songs. As I'm sure it is for many people. It's pretty great. This 7" was another from my 7" binge of 2011. I actually can't remember if this was from the eBay guy mentioned in the last blogs, or if I picked this one up from one of the Music Exchange stores in London (which is odd, I usually have a 'Rain Man'-esque knack for remembering where I bought most of my records, and how much I paid).

Like 'Babooshka', my main interest here tonight is the b-side, in this case, 'Under The Ivy'. Like 'Ran Tan Waltz', I'm fairly sure I've never played it. Considering how much I love Hounds Of Love, I'm not sure why I've neglected a b-side from that record, but here we are. It's a shame, too. 'Under The Ivy' is really something. I've enjoyed it so much, I've just started it again for a third time. I think I've found a new favourite Kate Bush song. it's just beautiful (and, I've just started it for a fourth time).

Discoveries like this are part of the reason I wanted to do this blog in the first place.