(This review first appeared in issue 58 of Shindig! magazine)
Cherry
Red CD
It's a long way to the
top if you want to rock 'n' roll! So opined Bon Scott in 1975, and he
should know. As one of two vocalists in Perth's Valentines, Scott
slogged round Australian venues in search of that lucky break.
A string of singles
revealed a band trying out styles hoping for a hit. Mod, Beat,
psychedelic soul and music hall-inspired novelty all took their turn,
as did a Coca-Cola ad. All their A and B-sides are here along with
four unreleased TV broadcast tracks from their earlier guise as The
Spektors.
An ill-advised foray
into Bubblegum signaled the end, with a fortuitous Easybeats
association taking Scott nearer the Young Brothers' orbit. An
insightful compilation, worth hearing for the band's high watermark
'Juliette', the psych-pop splendour of 'Peculiar Hole In The Sky',
and the future rock god's version of 'Nick Nack Paddy Whack'. I kid
ye not!
No comments:
Post a Comment