The Reels - Reel To Reel

MINE

We were lucky enough to see Reels frontman Dave Mason perform a lot of these songs at the Sydney Festival, when he did a gig with seminal Sydney electronica outfit Severed Heads.  And it was divine.

These guys came from country New South Wales and delivered a bunch of quirky pop songs that found their way into my teenage heart.  I actually own a Reels apron - not your conventional band merchandise, but released to coincide with their Kitchen Man tour.  Dave Mason also used to sit on the steps of a Sydney courthouse selling flowers, in the year I went to university.  I even bought some from him, now and then.

This best-of covers all of their career - from the early quirky originals to the later, quirky covers of songs like This Guy's In Love With You. But I especially love this collection of songs for what might just be the most beautiful song I've ever heard - Quasimodo's Dream.  Take a moment.  Listen to it.  Don't you agree?

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Damn, Mine beat to the punch.  Again!  But the night was so good it bears repetition, I think.  Seeing The Reels live doing some of these songs earlier this year was such a wonderful treat.  We saw them on a balmy, beautiful Sydney night in a partially outdoor venue set up for the Sydney Festival and set in the grounds of the Hyde Park Barracks in the city, all very conducive to what was a great night of music.

Years ago, I worked as an FM DJ and Quasimodo's Dream was a particular favourite of another couple of DJs, who would play it every show they did, to the point where it kind of ruined the song for me.  So as a consequence, I hadn't heard it for many years.  But it is no wonder it was voted one of the Top Ten Australian songs.  And their take on numerous covers is really cool, a favourite being Jim Reeve's classic According To My Heart (which is one of my Dad's favourite songs) The video for it is hilarious.  I also like their version of the Cold Chisel classic Forever Now, firmly claiming it as a hidden country gem.  And the track features the gorgeous Amanda Brown, from The Go-Betweens.

There is two distinct versions of The Reels, in my mind.  The first is the young band who did the great, quirky pop songs and the second is the synth-driven tracks of the latter years.  Both are equally impressive but I do prefer the more organic earlier version.  There are very few songs as uplifting as Love Will Find A Way.  It's a beautiful thing.
   

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/en2/reels/reels.htm

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons - The Very Best of

YOURZ

Jo Jo Zep, along with a few other Aussie bands, were a big favourite when I was in my last couple of years of high school.  Not favoured enough to buy anything of theirs, mind you (couldn't have my Kiss, Cheap Trick, AC/DC and Cold Chisel friends knowing I also liked them - damn peer group pressure!)  But they were regularly featured on Countdown and other Aussie rock shows at the time and also big hits at local Blue Light Discos.

The thing I liked about them was not only were they writing great, catchy, ska-tinged songs (at least for the first few big singles) but they were quality musicians and part of a larger group of Australian musicians and songwriters who were setting new standards (this does include Chisel, who had the incredilbe songwriting talents of Don Walker).

Tracks like Hit & Run, Shape I'm In and Puppet On A String were not only infectious, but great to dance to as well, back when I did actually shake my tail feather.  These were like our answer to all the great British punk and ska music being made at the time but without the crap clothes and spittle.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I just realised there's yet another way I'm like Lisa Simpson - I love the saxophone (or as her dad would say, the sax-a-ma-phone).  And the sound of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons is centred around frontman Joe Camilleri's saxophone stylings.  I've seen the band, way back when in Melbourne, maybe even on a double bill with Paul Kelly and the Dots - but my memory of the early 80s is getting a bit sketchy in parts these days.  (YourZ sez: must have been either 80 or 81 as the band were kaput after that).

Listening to the album (which isn't the one pictured but has most of the same songs on it) I just felt, well, 20 again.  The band's sound moves from vaguely 50s doo-wop through a more rockabilly style - and my favourite song, Taxi Mary, has a real Latin beat.

I also loved Camilleri's follow-up band the Black Sorrows and listening to this CD has just made me more hungry for our household to finally bite the bullet and get a real live turntable - so I can listen to the original Zep album I had - Screaming Targets - and to the three or more Black Sorrows albums that are gathering dust.

By the way, I differ from Lisa in that I'm not an 8-year-old yellow vegetarian cartoon character with a brother and sister who likes to play the blues.  Otherwise, we're pretty close.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.joecamilleri.com.au/

If I Were A Carpenter - Various Artists

YOURZ

This is the first compilation we've done dedicated to the songs of a particular band or artist.  Fittingly, it is this 1994 tribute to The Carpenters, one of the most sublimely beautiful pop groups of the last 50 years.  Astoundingly, it is one of the most avant garde bands of the last 50 years, Sonic Youth, who provide the best track on this compilation, with their version of Superstar.  Its so good, it has pretty much ruined the original for me.

There are a couple of very pedestrian tracks on If I Were A Carpenter, none more so than the very bland version of Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft by Babes In Toyland.  Thankfully, it is tracks like Dishwalla's updated groove of It's Going To Take Some Time, Cracker's subdued version of Rainy Days And Mondays, Shonen Knife's hilarious Top Of The World and Redd Kross' rocking version of Yesterday Once More that make up for the few dodgy tracks.

If you're a die-hard Carpenters fan, you might want to avoid this but for the rest of us, this is a wonderful tribute to a truly talented duo.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

When we were looking for compilations to do, I voted for this album months ago - but weirdly it vanished, only to reappear this month, when we were looking for a different compilation to do.  How strange is that?  It reappeared in the kitchen, which is no surprise as I'd classify this as the ultimate in cooking music - all these songs I know all the words to, but done with a different twist.  Seriously, you can't listen to Shonen Knife's version of Top of the World without a smile on your face.

I once lent this album to a friend who was a mad Carpenters fan, and got it back pretty quickly with the verdict that it "ruined" the songs.  But I don't agree.  I'm a big fan of the tribute compilation album  (we have another, for Aussie band Cold Chisel, that's pretty awesome too) and fully expect to keep on buying them in the future.  (YourZ sez: don't we have one for The Go-Betweens as well?)

I have to admit I love Grant Lee Buffalo's version of We've only Just Begun  the most.  Makes me cry.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Were_a_Carpenter_(album)

Sarah Blasko - The Overture & The Underscore

YOURZ

The first time I really heard Sarah Blasko was with her work with a great local indie super-group called Nations By The River, whose live show was one of the best local acts I'd seen in a long time. 

I think we went and brought this album on the strength of her performance and because of her wonderfully natuaral voice.  The girl was born to sing to the masses.  But she can also pen a wonderful tune and has a flair for developing intriguing pop gems.  The Overture & The Underscore not only served as a wonderful debut but acted as a benchmark for the indie-pop-folk-tronica (yeah, I know, another bloody category). 

While the more 'mainstream' singles such as Always Worth It and Counting Sheep did well and showed her ability to write a cracking pop song, it was album tracks such as Perfect Now and marvellous opener, All Coming Back, that pointed at a deeper, more considered ability, one that, with hindsight, has become plainly obvious.   

The biggest question to come out of listening to The Overture & The Underscore is why we don't own anything else by her.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

It's so funny looking at the picture of Sarah Blasko on the front of this album, because every time I see her I'm reminded how much she resembles a friend of YourZ's.  But as far as I'm aware, Alex still lives in London and isn't leading a double life as a Sydney singer-songwriter. (YourZ sez: I can confirm this is indeed the case although the resemblance is quite striking).

This is Sarah's debut album and admirably showcases her highly individual voice, which has a slightly raw, breathy fragility while still possessing the strength to draw the listener in.  But despite the gorgeousness of this album, which I have to include in my "removing cranky pants" playlist, it doesn't include my favourite song of hers - a cover.

For those of you who aren't Australian, you may not understand the place legendary pub-rock band Cold Chisel has in our psyche.  Flame Trees is, in my opinion, the best song they ever released, and one night when I was driving home I heard Sarah's version, which was part of the soundtrack for Little Fish, a spectacular Australian film starring Cate Blanchett.  While both versions have their merits, I have to admit I love Sarah's just that little bit more.

Anyway, while this album doesn't have that song on it, it's still a beautiful piece of pop music.  Highly recommended.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://sarahblasko.com/