Top Five Fave Canberra Records of All Time

For me, Quick 50’s Live in Japan and Fred Smith’s Bagarap Empires stand up against anything produced in Australia in their respective genres.

And no, I really don’t think The Church can be claimed as a Canberra band. Steve Kilbey did some good work as a co-host on the iconic 2XX Punk Show, but I don’t recall The Church emerging nationally from playing as a band in the local pub scene as did say Gadflys, Sidewinder, 78 Saab, Falling Joys…

Not sure if we can claim Baterz, but he was a genius and sadly missed!

Sorry to keep doing this but I forgot Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen (particularly when Branson was in the band).
http://www.oninvisiblewings.com/bsg/black_sea_01.html

He he he.

The Hepnos morphed into The Mighty Reapers – now that was a good band.

Fluges, I now hate you … thanks to you I’ve got that bloody song Soul Kind of Feeling running through me head and it won’t stop.

Willy Winter Band; The Ritz; Itchy Feat

Big Wheel and the Hubcaps (mid-70’s)

Dynamic Hepnotics (bit of a Canberra connection there)

http://www.fredsmith.com.au/pages/albums2tracks.html

Armoured Angel – Communion EP – heavy in just the best way.
Harlequin – great mix up of Queensryche/Marillion – oh wait, no album….aaarrgh!
Falling Joys – Wishlist was a great album
DVoB – At the sign of the pink flamingo – great gothabilly

I remember Befuddle, top blokes too.

Speaking of Ska, anyone remember Ska Trek?

Oh man… stop it, you’re making me cry! Bring back the good old days, eh!?

Can we still lay claim to 78 Saab? Their first album, ‘Picture a hum, can’t hear a sound’ is quality.

“F Troop” deserve an honourable mention for some fine Ska. Wish I could remember just one of their songs…perhaps none were original. Perhaps..what was I talking about?

Befuddle… anybody remember them?? The CD was called ‘corker’???

“Were the Falling Joys really from Canberra??”

Played at a long ago boyfriend’s b’day party in Booroondara Street. Went to uni with some of them. They had close connections with The Gadflys.

From the same era, my vote, The Lighthouse Keepers “Gargoyle”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lighthouse_Keepers
Ah, Juliet Ward the quintessential rock chick.

I must say, the ANU spat out some real talent at that time. DAAS, too, and not to forget the gorgeous Richard Roxborough.

Good times.

Gadflys; Doug Anthony Allstars; George Washing Machine. How about ANU students like Midnight Oil or the Sydney bands who regularly toured the clubs here: Flowers and the Radiators

Myself and Mrs Maelinar like Revolver, although I need to disclaim that I’m a mate of Thumper’s.

Mrs Maelinar particularly likes the lyrics in Mark Hunstone’s songs, cause he’s a witty little character.

Niftydog – the P Harness board game came with the CD titled “@ction” – but I don’t recall whether Terry Toweling Shorts was on the tracklist. I don’t have the CD anymore, thanks to a thieving bastard of an ex-flatmate (though I still retain the board game to this day). If anyone knows where P Harness CDs can be found (besides my ex-flatmate’s pilfered collection), please share!

Were the Falling Joys really from Canberra??

They really were, they used to do awesome pre-christmas shows at the ANU bar and throw a bucket of scotch over the crowd as a finale.

mmmm scotch from the sky….

those were the days my friends.

anybody remember bock? They were cool..

or goons hired goons?

Three – My Hat Is A Red Saucepan, also gets my vote
Liquid – Abduls Secret Movie
Thugs & Terrorists – Can’t remember the name, but they did an awesome little EP in the late 80’s.
Little Smoke – self titled, I’m proud of my boys. 🙂
& of course The Church count as a Canberra band!

RE: Los Cap….recently re-reviewed by the Masked Reviewer on Just Bands: http://littlesmoke.com/newjb/?p=15

Three – My Hat Is A Red Saucepan

Obscure, but utterly brilliant and completely unique.

P-harness indeed. Anyone know where I can get a copy of the album with “Terry Towelling Shorts” on it and the board game in the cover?!?!?

Don’t know any of their albums, but Wivestale were awesome too.

I’d rate Turn Fish Back On! as my favourite. Vorn is an extremely talented songwriter, in the vein of Darren Hanlon or John Prine.

Los Capitanes are a bunch of extremely talented musos. They’re underappreciated (probably because they play ska, and they play a lot of all-ages gigs… both of which are good things that not enough bands do).

Backbeat Driver’s with The Emperor’s New Blues.

Were the Falling Joys really from Canberra??

. . . or The Bitter Lemons? (now that’s really going back!)

What? Nothing about Snibbo?

johnboy’s right, in that Trouser Trouser deserve some consideration. But unfortunately, they spread some of their great songs over several albums, making it difficult to really rate one record above the competition. “Tambourine Bay”, “Sunday” and the divine “Whenever Possible” were great, but on separate records. Their “Barton’s Streak” debut record, with “If I Was Bionic, There’d Be Some Changes Around Here”, “Out of Common Courtesy” and “The Pointless Song” (one of the wittiest songs ever released by a Canberra band) was probably their best record though.
That’s the way with many Canberra bands though. Some of their individual tracks are brilliant (and I’m thinking here of things like Adonais’ “Threnody” and some of Cuss’ work especially) were brilliant, but let down by their neighbours.
Probably the best all-round Canberra CD I encountered was Crumpet’s 1998 “Shotgun Tango”.
But some here might not be old enough to remember them.

apparently, rabble, julia and her dss’s were on the j’s yesterday.

would also rate their debut as a fine and excellent cbr disc

My fav: The Gadflys first album, self titled, which has the stand-out song, “Apathy”. I suspect The Gadflys went on to make other great albums but I only have their first on vinyl and it has risen again lately into my rotation.

‘Australian Kingswood Factory – Cruisin EP’

Motorvatin’.

“I think I’m falling in Love”

The Word

Anyone remember them?

Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens.

Los Capitanos.

Anything by The Fuelers.

P J Woof.

Australian Kingswood Factory – Cruisin EP.

Oh, what about Koolism? They’ve got some good stuff out there.

oh, and how could i have forgotten naughty rhythms’ ‘look like me’?? fantastic iconic music from the pinnacle of australian ska.

how do the church count as a canberra band? did some of them hail from here? (my sister shot the cover to ‘heyday’, so that’s a connection – thought they were sydney but..?)

and do The Church count as a Canberra band?

Lunasphere by Alchemist ?

there was a radford boy in early sidewinder too.

Yep – Sidewinder were Canberra boys (Narrabundah College, I think).

Geez, had to dig out some of the old’s here!
Second for P. Harness (still have an EP floating around here somewhere). You know you have a Canberra band when you have a song called “Belconnen Mall”
Befuddle – Befuddle
Sidewinder (or were they Sydney?) – The Gentle Art of Spoonbending
Forward Defence (remember all the metal bands in the late 90’s?)
Sofa La Teido – Flies

Ahh, the good times :o)

*connection*. Not collection. Damnit.

Votes also for The Falling Joys and P. Harness.

hmmm.

Some good picks there.

Fred smith and trouser trouser need some consideration too.

C’mon dude, Tarantism beats Jim and the Haircut by far. Get with the times.

Can we claim a tenuous Canberra collection to The Bedridden? If so, they’d be in my top five.

Liquid – Abdul’s Secret Movie
Henry’s Anger – Personality Test
A Band Called Horse – The Shame Of Arizona

(only can come up with 3, sorry…)

i’m not so much up on a lot of canberra music, but i’d rate birdseed’s [an early 90s funk band] debut – and i believe only? – release, an ep, it in particuar has one of my favourite songs from any band ever anywhere – a big call – in ‘christopher’. a beauttiful song with technical competence to rank with musicians from anywhere.