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the other side

  • shes back boredShe’s Back b/w The Other Side – Bored! (Fantastic Mess Records)

    Discerning people like their diamonds ijn the rough. These are cast-off gems from Bored!’s “Feed The Dog” album sessions, released on a short run 45 by Fantastic Mess in the run to their re-issue of the 1991 record on vinyl. It’s the three-piece version of the band, led by the late Dave Thomas.

    “She’s Back” sits back on the groove and shows off Thomas’s singular guitar tone. The vocal is buried deep in the mix but audible enough to give you the idea. Keep it sleazy! “The Other Side” is an obvious nod to Dead Boyswith more steamroller guitar and a tsunami-like feel from the ending room propelling things along.

    Issued in clear and pink vinyl (the latter is already sold out) with the usual Fantastic Messtrimmings of inserts, sticker and postcard, it won’t be around long. Glenno Smith’s stark artwork suits it to a ‘T’.

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    Buy it 

  • me 262Most serious musicians would have an aneurysm if someone wanted to release recordings from their callow youth. They’ll tell you they’ve been hidden in a sock drawer for 40 years for good reason, and that demo recordings are just that. 

    Of course, people with OCD, completists and the truly curious and/or obsessed - and any or all of these descriptors could apply to most of us - vehemently disagree. This release from the amazing Buttercup Records label in Melbourne satisfies our shared jones. 

  • Charlie George with Rob Younger in The Other Side. Ian Shiels photo.

    Charlie Georgees, one of the 1970s underground Australian rock and roll scene’s unsung guitar heroes, passed away on Saturday. Close friend Jim Dickson of Radio Birdman broke the news today on Facebook.

    The pair first crossed paths at James Cook University in Townsville and joined a musical migration of like-minded Queenslanders to Sydney soon after.