The Saints - (I'm) Stranded

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The Saints (I'm) Stranded
1977 (reissued w/ bonus tracks in 1997)
Triple X
VBR

(red text = sample track)

1 (I'm) Stranded 3:32
2 One Way Street 2:56
3 Wild About You 2:35
4 Messin' With the Kid 5:54
5 Erotic Neurotic 4:07
6 No Time 2:48
7 Kissin' Cousins 2:00
8 Story of Love 3:11
9 Demolition Girl 1:41
10 Nights in Venice 5:41
11 Lipstick on Your Collar 2:37
12 River Deep Mountain High 3:55


Reviews:

Q (12/00, p.151) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This is mean, visceral, feral stuff....a perfect reissue..."
Uncut (8/00, p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...10 sheet metal tracks full of Stoogeish rifferama....It still sounds unbelievably potent..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.76) - Ranked #14 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...The Saints' kerosene rock'n'roll would sound great in any age....Thrilling stuff..."


"The Saints were to Australia what the Sex Pistols were to Britain and the Ramones to America. Picking up the germ planted by the defunct Stooges, MC5, Velvet Underground, and New York Dolls, the Saints sparked the Far East punk rock movement with a blasting, blistering, scorching sound no one had heard before. Moreover, the Saints were blitzing the unsuspecting in their home of Brisbane in 1973, long before the Sex Pistols or the Ramones had even begun. Australians today hold the Saints in greater reverence than any rock band in its history, save for the Easybeats. After their incendiary, self-released debut 7" single "(I'm) Stranded" b/w "No Time" blew minds of a raving British press on import in 1976, subsequent sales of the single proved to the industry that the upstart punk movement was in fact commercially viable. The Saints pocketed a worldwide deal with EMI Australia, who rush-released "(I'm) Stranded" in Australia and Britain (and in the U.S., on the heavyweight punk label of the time, Sire Records) to capitalize on the new trend. This first LP was actually nothing but eight rough-and-raw demo tracks the band had no intention of releasing, plus the two sides of the much better, cleaner-sounding single. The heavy, buzzing racket on the eight demo tracks borders on unintelligible, they're so cheaply recorded, but nothing can stop a collection of cracklers this intense, with two absolutely astounding, blues-heavy ballads thrown in for great balance -- "Messin' with the Kid" and "Story of Love" drip with genuine, bratty soul. Of the hard-fast tracks, even today's punk fans are amazed at the sheer tenacity and outright fire of "Nights in Venice," "One Way Street," and "Erotic Neurotic." Hear history burning."

- All Music Guide

Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls, and Marches

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Mission of Burma Signals, Calls and Marches
1981 (reissued w/ bonus tracks in 1997)
Rykodisc
VBR

(red text = sample track)

1 That's When I Reach for My Revolver 3:53
2 Outlaw 2:33
3 Fame and Fortune 3:35
4 This Is Not a Photograph 1:57
5 Red 3:38
6 All World Cowboy Romance 5:12
7 Academy Fight Song [1980 7" Single] 3:09
8 Max Ernst [1980 7" Single] 3:04


One could argue that Mission of Burma's first 12" release, Signals, Calls and Marches, was the point where "indie rock" as a separate and distinct musical subgenre well and truly began. Mission of Burma's music had the brawn and the volume of hardcore punk, but with a lyrical intelligence and obvious musical sophistication that set them apart from the Southern California faster-and-louder brigade. Between Martin Swope's tape loops and Roger Miller's often tricky guitar lines, Mission of Burma may have seemed "arty" on the surface, but the bruising impact of "Outlaw" and "This Is Not a Photograph" made clear this band was not part of the skinny-tie "new wave" scene. And Mission of Burma were one of the first bands that gained a large enough following to attract the attention of major labels, but opted to remain on a small label of their own volition -- a move that would raise the "integrity" stakes for many acts in the years to come. Signals, Calls and Marches features Mission of Burma's best known song, the still-powerful "That's When I Reach for My Revolver," but it hasn't stood the test of time quite as well as the full-length album that would follow, Vs.; there are brief moments where the band still seems to be working out their obvious British influences, and "Outlaw" sounds stiffer than it needs to be. But Clint Conley and Roger Miller were already songwriters to be reckoned with, the band sounds passionate and powerful, and if Mission of Burma were not yet at the peak of their form, most bands blazing as many trails as this one did lost their footing a lot more often that Burma did on these six songs; Signals, Calls and Marches was as accomplished and impressive a debut as any American band would release in the 1980s. Rykodisc's 1997 CD reissue adds the band's fine first single, "Academy Fight Song" b/w "Max Ernst," as a bonus.

- All Music Guide