Hard News by Russell Brown

thanks for that matey, and yeah, it's been a hell of a ride. also, we've made a few exciting (important) discoveries since it came out, so roll on Vol 2.

also also, great non-list list.

less a listing, more a listening

the Exponents were the subject of a pretty-good TV biopic

Replaying on TV1 at 8.30 tonight (Mon 18th).

Replaying on TV1 at 8.30 tonight (Mon 18th).

Nice!

This is pretty amazing: Time Out New York has named Jonathan Bree's self-directed clip for 'You're So Cool' as the best music video of the year.

Is Heed the Call coming out in other formats (i.e. on Bandcamp or similar)?

Nick Cave was definitely a highlight gig for me as well, turning an arena concert into something much more intimate and personal (and *fun*, which - lets be honest - isn't something he has always been known for)

Loved seeing Marlon Williams play at the Pt Chev RSA - small venue for a ridiculously large voice.

And also loved seeing The Wedding Present at the Kings Arms - "C'mon Gedgey" - those buzzsaw guitars never fail to hit the spot.

I share your misgivings about ‘Best Of’ lists, Russell. In the Time Out (NZH) list, only three releases were familiar. Does this imply that I am out of touch? Or that there is too much music floating around? Or that some list compilers indulge in a sort of wilful obscuratism? If I was able, I would add Elbow “Little Fictions”and Sufjan Stevens reworkings of “Carrie & Lowell” and LCD Soundsystem “American Dream”.
I second Julia Deans at the Golden Dawn. It was a delight.

It's also on CD, too.

a recent revelation to me
(less than 24 hours!)

A great write up of your year Russell, and compulsory reading perhaps for that chap from a few weeks back who thought the NZ music scene was slowly withering away.

Nights out have been on the backburner for me due to young uns, so most of the activity has been around the home collection and new arrivals bin. Earlier in the year I decided to scoop, pretty much exclusively, reggae and rocksteady releases only (and mostly older ones at that). Come year end I’m pretty happy with that decision, knowing that whats been scooped will be played and enjoyed for many years to come.

The three standouts from year are the Creation Rockers series, Derrick Harriot and Japan’s Dubstore.

Creation Rockers is a 6 part Trojan compilation series, and someone happened to list all 6 as a single lot on Ebay right at the time I had some spare money – although I had volume 1 already, it was too much of an opportunity to pass. It really is a great series, and I’ve been giving these lots of spins already.

Derrick Harriot features on volume 1 funnily enough, but somewhere along the line I came across him and his productions and was completely perplexed as to how I hadn’t heard of him before. I’ve since chased down a bunch of his albums, including the great Rocksteady party reissue on Dubstore, and grapple with acquiring the Soul and Funk double comps also on Dubstore. Tonight is one of my favourites.

https://www.mixcloud.com/therhythmruler/producer-special-derrick-harriott/

https://dubstorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/derrick-harriott-rock-steady-party

And Dubstore is the label which just keeps giving, in a rocksteady sense. From a fairly humble shop tucked away in an odd part of Tokyo’s Shinjinku they are developing a catalogue with more depth than the Adriatic trench. Fortuitously one shop here in Melbourne stocks them – a couple of personal favourites are Gregory Issac’s ‘Warning’ album, Hopeton Lewis’ ‘Take it easy’ and Don Drummond’s ‘ABC Rocksteady’.

https://dubstorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/gregory-isaacs-warning
https://dubstorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/hopeton-lewis-take-it-easy-with-the-rock-steady-beat

The whole reggae/rocksteady focus has been complemented by delving into a bunch of books on both Jamaica and its music, including Marlon James’ ‘Brief history of seven killings, Chris Salewicz’ ‘Bob Marley – the untold story’ (acquired at a local garage sale for $2), David Katz’ ‘People funny boy’ (on Lee Perry), the Rough guide to reggae and various volumes of the Small Axe series. All up it feels like I’m still just scratching the surface, so looking forward to learning and discovering more in 2018.

Derrick Harriot features on volume 1 funnily enough, but somewhere along the line I came across him and his productions and was completely perplexed as to how I hadn’t heard of him before. I’ve since chased down a bunch of his albums, including the great Rocksteady party reissue on Dubstore, and grapple with acquiring the Soul and Funk double comps also on Dubstore. Tonight is one of my favourites.

I've got the Reggae Funk and Soul compilation and I play it heaps. Might have to check out Rock Steady Party ...

Peter McLennan has listed (and provided YouTube clips for) the best 7"s he found in the bins this year at Real Groovy.

(Oh, and I've added some more things to my own post above ...)

I don't recall having heard of The Stridulators, so was surprised their song was so familiar. Hadn't realised the Headless Chickens track was a cover! Nice to hear the original, thanks.

In terms of the year in music - my go-to albums were all local, possibly borne out of my tendency in recent years to buy CDs only at gigs: Lake South, Fazerdaze, and Glass Vaults. For the live experience I can't recommend Glass Vaults and/or SoccerPractise highly enough. Such joy. (Looking forward to Julia Deans touring her new release too, having heard that excellent title track at a number of her shows over the last few years.)

I’m Boxing on at Trade Me…

as well as some funksoul singles and a coupla early Australian comics:
**Gem Comics #35 **has identifiable pacifican influences – including a strip about notorious slaver and smuggler Bully Hayes!!

Nice to see Chad Morgan in there, the man who inspired Les Patterson's teeth. He had a dedicated fan following in the agrarian sector when I was a kid. Whatever he is, he's certainly the real thing.

For the live experience I can’t recommend Glass Vaults and/or SoccerPractise highly enough. Such joy.

Yes! I should actually listen to SoccerPractise's album a bit more, but their Golden Dawn show before Christmas reminded me what a good thing they are live.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/100411416/buster-stiggs-of-the-swingers-and-suburban-reptiles-dead-at-63

Influential New Zealand musician Buster Stiggs has died. He was 63.
Stiggs, real name Mark John Hough, was a founding member of The Swingers and a member of influential punk outfit Suburban Reptiles. He played drums on The Swingers' major hit Counting the Beat.

:- (

Buster's overview of his formative years