Australian Underground: Singles 1976 - 1989

Australian Underground I had no idea. Let me begin by stating that anyone unaware of what was going on in the Australian underground, particularly of the late 70s is severely missing out and that this rather unassuming compilation is an excellent place to start playing catch-up. Accompanied with a thick, comprehensive, unpretentious and well-written booklet, this will catch you grossly off-guard with its onslaught of simply amazing songs, bits of music history that we are lucky to be offered another chance to hear. Some more well-known groups (not that I knew more that a couple) accompany others which nearly slipped through the cracks of underground memory such as Thug, who seemingly some out of nowhere with the amazingness of "Dad". The set operates chronologically, beginning with Radio Birdman, The Saints and The Victims who all completely tear through their tunes which, in my opinion, are instantly recognizable as missed classics in that 76-78 sloppy, uncompromising Stooges-influenced punk way. There is no energy lost in the 30 years since these originally graced 7" vinyl, and as the compilation makes its way through the years, encountering new-wave, post-punk, proto-pop-punk, goth-punk, etc, it continues to deliver equally captivating hits. As with all albums, some songs are better than others, but aside from a few detours into R.E.M.-type interpretations of post-punk this continues to impress me, not failing to include more obvious chapters from the history such as The Birthday Party's well-known "Happy Birthday", which never fails to haunt. Excellently conceived and documented, it serves as something of an archive, an anthropological report. If you ever liked punk music and you haven't heard Tactics, The Scientists (especially after they dropped the "The"!), Venom P. Stinger, The Psycho Surgeons and a hefty handful of other bands on this compilation you will be more than pleasantly surprised to hear these early gems. They're the best thing to come out of Australia since... they came out the first time :: Tales From the Australian Underground- Singles 1976-1989 DO-CD - Feel Presents/Shock Records/Indigo.