A collection of some of the great 45's released during Australia's most prolific independent era of 1976 to 1989. Tales highlights selections from the previous careers of acts like (The Victims & Fun Things), Gangajang (The Riptides), The Cruel Sea (Sekret Sekret), Dave Graney (The Moodists), Big Heavy Stuff (Ups & Downs), You Am I (The Bamboos), Tex Perkins, (Thug), Dirty Three (Venom P. Stinger) as well as classic early releases from Radio Birdman, The Saints, The Scientists, Triffids, Died Pretty, The Mark Of Cain and the Hard-Ons.
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Sunday, January 18, 2026
Tales From The AUSTRALIAN UNDERGROUND - Singles 1976 - 1989
A collection of some of the great 45's released during Australia's most prolific independent era of 1976 to 1989. Tales highlights selections from the previous careers of acts like (The Victims & Fun Things), Gangajang (The Riptides), The Cruel Sea (Sekret Sekret), Dave Graney (The Moodists), Big Heavy Stuff (Ups & Downs), You Am I (The Bamboos), Tex Perkins, (Thug), Dirty Three (Venom P. Stinger) as well as classic early releases from Radio Birdman, The Saints, The Scientists, Triffids, Died Pretty, The Mark Of Cain and the Hard-Ons.
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Stranded - The Chronicles Of Australian Punk - various artists compilation
1-1 The Saints – (I’m) Stranded
1-2 Razar– Taskforce (Undercover Cops)
1-3 The Leftovers – I Only Panic When There’s Nothing To Do
1-4 The Last Words– Animal World (78 Studio Version)
1-5 Radio Birdman– New Race
1-6 Fun Things– Savage
1-7 Babeez– Dowannalove
1-8 The Thought Criminals – Fuck The Neighbours
1-9 The Survivors– Baby Come Back
1-10 The Birthday Party– Release The Bats
1-11 The Riptides – Only Time
1-12 The Stems– She's A Monster
1-13 Sunnyboys– Alone With You
1-14 La Femme – Chelsea Kids
1-15 Vampire Lovers – Buzzsaw Popstar
1-16 The Celibate Rifles– Some Kinda Feeling (Live at CBGB’s)
1-17 Voodoo Lust– Gossip
1-18 God – My Pal
1-19 The New Christs– I Swear
1-20 The Eastern Dark– Johnny And Dee Dee
1-21 The Hard-Ons – The Girl In The Sweater
1-22 The Meanies– 10% Weird
1-23 Died Pretty– Winterland
1-24 The Screaming Tribesmen– I Got A Feeling
1-25 X – Delinquent Cars
2-1 Frenzal Rhomb– Punch In The Face (inc. Intro)
2-2 Nancy Vandal– Bikini High Pool Party Massacre 3
2-3 Bodyjar– Not The Same
2-4 The Living End– Second Solution
2-5 Front End Loader– Pulse
2-6 H-Block 101– Group Dynamics
2-7 Mid Youth Crisis– Know Something
2-8 Blueline Medic– Making The Nouveau Riche
2-9 The Disables– ASIO
2-10 A Death In The Family– Erasing The Maps
2-11 The Nation Blue– We Lost Everything
2-12 Born Lion– Good Dogs Play Dead
2-13 Toe To Toe– Falling Short
2-14 Parkway Drive– Boneyards
2-15 Mindsnare– Bulldozed
2-16 Eddy Current Supression Ring – Which Way To Go
2-17 Royal Headache– Psychotic Episode
2-18 The Smith Street Band– Sigourney Weaver
2-19 The Bennies – Knights Forever
2-20 The Rumjacks– No Pockets In A Shroud
2-21 Mutiny – 80 Punks & An Old P.A.
2-22 Bad//Dreems– Dumb Ideas
2-23 Violent Soho– Covered In Chrome
2-24 The Peep Tempel– Carol
2-25 Dune Rats– Red Light, Green Light
2-26 Cosmic Psychos– Nice Day To Go To The Pub
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Lethal Weapons - Suicide Records (AUS) 70's Punk/New Wave compilation
Suicide Records was originally formed back in 1978 by a collective of people from the Australian music industry which included Michael Gudinski, Ray Evans, Philip Jacobsen and Barrie Earl. The label was solely to promote the music of up and coming punk/new wave/independent artists at the time.
This compilation was originally released on white vinyl in 1978 as a promotional for some of the artists on their roster.
1 Teenage Radio Stars– Wanna Be Ya Baby 2:53
2 Teenage Radio Stars– Learned One 2:23
3 Wasted Daze– Roadrunner 2:30
4 Wasted Daze– Mona 3:53
5 Jab – Let's Go 1:58
6 Jab – Blonde And Bombed 3:24
7 The Survivors– Baby Come Back 2:51
8 The Survivors– Mr. Record Man 2:35
9 The Boys Next Door– These Boots Are Made For Walking 2:40
10 The Boys Next Door– Masturbation Generation 2:19
11 The Boys Next Door– Boy Hero 3:04
12 The Negatives– Planet On The Prowl 6:40
13 X-Ray-Z – Three Glorious Years 3:31
14 X-Ray-Z – Valium 5:38
15 Teenage Radio Stars– Sweet Boredom 3:18
https://www.aztecrecords.com.au/
Sunday, September 22, 2024
re-uploads - Hot Generation, Do the Pop!, The Missing Links, The Purple Hearts, The Town Criers
Hot Generation...1960's Punk from Down Under
Do the Pop! The Australian Garage-Rock Sound 1976-87
The Missing Links...Driving You Insane..Aussie Punk Rock from the 1960's
The Purple Hearts and The Coloured Balls...Benzedrine Beat! 1964-1970
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Newtown (NSW) punk rockers SCABZ New Single 'Feel Good Summer' ...a full-scale assault
Newtown’s self-proclaimed shittest band SCABZ have just revealed their striking new single ‘Feel Good Summer’ – produced and mixed by Daniel Antix at Defwolf Studios, Sydney.
Ringing feedback and pounding drums set the tone for SCABZ’s latest offering. The track wastes no time launching into a full-scale assault of raucous and gritty punk-rock, as singer and guitarist Siobhan Poynton belts out lyrics from the perspective of climate change deniers and the ridiculous points they make to justify their cause.
Poynton talks about the bands passionate stance on global warming:
“There isn’t really an excuse to not care about climate change. We’re just at the point that we’ve realised nothing really matters if you’ve gone extinct”.
To coincide with the release, the band will traverse the East Coast on an eight-date tour, stopping by the Northern Beaches, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, Wollongong, Melbourne and of course, Newtown.
FEEL GOOD SUMMER TOUR
THU 31 OCT | CROWBAR, BRISBANE QLD
FRI 1 NOV | VINNIES DIVE BAR, GOLD COAST QLD
THU 7 NOV | THE CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE NSW
FRI 8 NOV | SLY FOX, NEWTOWN NSW
THU 14 NOV | TRANSIT BAR, CANBERRA ACT
FRI 15 NOV | YAH YAH'S, MELBOURNE VIC
WED 27 NOV | UNI BAR, WOLLONGONG NSW
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
That Red Head new single release "Gotta Be A Man"...punk infused anthem
After the warm reception of sultry debut single ‘Killer’, Sydney-based rockabilly and blues trio That Red Head are back with their new punk infused anthem ‘Gotta Be A Man’. Powered by Lozz Benson’s propulsive drums and fierce vocals, the relentless single is a musical manifestation of Benson’s frustration at how women are treated in the Aussie music scene - and by extension, in life.
Despite her young age, front woman Lozz Benson has been around the blocks in the Aussie music scene, collaborating with legends like Paul Kelly and playing drums for bands including Urthboy and buzzy all-female outfit Rackett. Despite countless positive experiences as she’s earned her stripes, Benson has also been on the receiving end of the lack of respect and recognition often extended to female muso's in an industry that is predominantly run by men.
"Gotta Be A Man" is an energetic anthem to empower and inspire. I'm shifting the bands sound from our last release and changing how I front the band - from a sassy laid back songstress to a badass rebel with an attitude.” - Lozz Benson
"Gotta be a Man" was recorded by Richie Belkner (Jack Ladder, PVT, Thirty Merc) at Free Energy Device Studios in Sydney and is available digitally on Spotify and iTunes.
PRAISE FOR THAT RED HEAD:
“Lozz is a real entertainer on stage. She is the centre of attention, driving the band from behind the drums with leadership and great panache, as well as singing flawlessly and entertaining the dancing crowd in her energetic and unique way.” - Jim Moginie, Midnight Oil
ABOUT LOZZ
Lozz Benson is a powerhouse drummer from Sydney and That Red Head is an extension of her love for the dirty blues and old school rock’n’roll. She has recorded with Paul Kelly, Jacob Stone (Bluejuice), Jeremy Davidson (The Snowdroppers), Steve Smyth, All Our Exes Live in Texas, Sandy Evans (OAM, The Catholics), Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil), Ryan Hazel (The Fumes) and Chris D’Rozario (Brian Setzer). She has toured with Urthboy, Pat Capocci, Hedgefund, and Sirens Big Band. She is the newest member of Rackett who have supported DZ Deathrays, Stonefield, Sticky Fingers, Abbe May, Bleached (US) and will soon support The Darkness on their upcoming tour of Australia. Lozz also recently received Drumteks AUDW Best Female Drummer Award.
see more on facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thatredheadsydney/
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Do the Pop! The Australian Garage-Rock Sound 1976-87
For collectors of compilation albums, you can't go past this amazing collection of gems and rarities from the "other" side of pop. Over two decades before the White Stripes and the Hives made 'garage-rock' the new buzz-word, numerous Australian bands were cranking out a raw, high-energy music which had all the elements that the kids are hankering for today.
Isolation can breed some pretty amazing music and if you're looking for proof, look no further than this magnificent compilation chronicling 12 incredible years of the incomparable Oz garage/punk scene. Rarely is Australia's scene ever mentioned in the same breath as those of New York or London. Whereas New York's was art-centered and London's was fashion-centered, the Aussies put the music firmly up front and centre, right where it belongs.
Although few of the bands which show up here may be familiar to the casual listener (the exceptions probably being Radio Birdman, The Saints, and The Celibate Rifles), you may find yourself scrambling to get your hands on everything you can by the rest. There's not a duff track to be found anywhere here and if songs like The Lime Spiders' "Slave Girl," The Fun Things' "Savage," The Screaming Tribesmen's "Igloo," or The Exploding White Mice's "Burning Red" don't put some lead in your pencil, you may want to have someone check you for a pulse. 50, count them, tracks that will certainly quench your thirst for a good dose of garage rock.
I remember having many of these as vinyl singles in my own collection which have now (sadly) moved on to other music aficionados. It's good to hear these again, they bring back some sweet memories.
Friday, August 19, 2016
The Boys Next Door...Door, Door...1979 album..the origins of Nick Cave
The Boys Next Door (later changed to The Birthday Party) were an Australian post-punk band, active from 1978 to 1983. Despite limited commercial success their influence has been far-reaching, and they have been called "one of the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early 80's." The group's "bleak and noisy soundscapes" which drew irreverently on blues, free jazz and rockabilly, provided the setting for vocalist Nick Cave's disturbing tales of violence and perversion.
The nucleus of the band first met at the private boys school Caulfield Grammar in suburban Melbourne, in the early seventies. A rock group was formed in 1973, with Nick Cave (vocals), Mick Harvey (guitar), and Phill Calvert (drums), with other students John Cocivera, Brett Purcell and Chris Coyne (on guitar, bass and saxophone respectively). The band played under various names at parties and school functions with a mixed repertoire of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, among others.
After their final school year in 1975 the band decided to continue as a four-piece group, with friend Tracy Pew picking up the bass. Greatly affected by the punk explosion of 1976, The Boys Next Door, as they were now called, began performing punk and proto-punk cover versions, such as "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Gloria", and a few original songs. The Boys' second guitarist, Rowland S. Howard, joined in 1978, and about this time, the group's sound changed dramatically. The addition of Howard's guitar was certainly a catalyst.
After recordings and moderate success in Australia (including hundreds of live shows) they headed for London in 1980, changed their name to The Birthday Party and launched into a period of innovative and aggressive music-making.
See also: http://www.punkjourney.com/boys-next-door.php
...and: http://i94bar-dev.info/ints/lethalweapons.html
Monday, November 23, 2015
The Saints (I'm) Stranded....classic Aussie punk-rock from 1977
The Saints originated in Brisbane and were founded by Chris Bailey (singer-songwriter, later guitarist), Ivor Hay (drummer), and Ed Kuepper (guitarist-songwriter) in 1974. Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups. In 1975, contemporaneous with the United States' Ramones, The Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzz saw" guitar that characterised early punk rock. With their debut single, "(I'm) Stranded", in September 1976, they became the first alleged punk band outside the US to release a record, ahead of better-known acts including the Sex Pistols and The Clash. They are one of the first and most influential groups of the genre.
In early 1979, the Saints had imploded, leaving Bailey to continue the band, with a variable line-up. All Fools Day peaked in the Top 30 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in April 1986. Bailey also has a solo career and had relocated to Sweden by 1994. The band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2001.
click here for more information
Wikipedia listing
Website - SaintsMusic.Com
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Down Under Nuggets - Original Australian Artyfacts 1965-1967..Various Artists
Down Under Nuggets is a collection of 29 gems from the heyday of Aussie sixties music. From garage to punk, surf, mod, beat, psychedelic and just plain groovy! Many well known artists like The Easybeats, The Atlantics, Bobby and Laurie, Bee Gees, Wild Cherries, Cherokees, The Loved Ones, Purple Hearts, Missing Links, MPD LTD plus a few more lesser known for you to discover. I'm not going to say much more about this release so I'll let the track listing do the talking. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
more updates of expired links...revisit or discover these gems for the first time
Once more, I have updated some of the older, expired links. Thanks to a request from a recent visitor, the following links have now been updated. If you come across any links that do not work, please leave a comment or send me a message through the contact page.
Visit these for the first time or revisit again. Just CLICK on the LINK to go to the original post.
Tony Worsley and The Fabulous Blues Jays - Ready, Steady, Let's Go
The Missing Links - Driving You Insane
The Loved Ones - Magic Box
The La De Das - How Is the Air Up There?
The Masters Apprentices - Complete Recordings
Max Merritt and The Meteors - 23 Trax of Max
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Town Criers...Complete Recordings...popular 60's Melbourne band with "Everlasting Love" hit
Popular Melbourne band The Town Criers formed around 1965. Their first single, a cover of The Kinks' "The World Keeps Going Round", was released on the Melbourne independent label Trend but didn't make any impression on the local charts. The B-side, a great 'garage-punk' number called "Big Deal", was included on the bootleg Oz '60s compilation CD It's A Kave-In, which also features another Criers rarity from this period, a version of the blues standard "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut".
The Criers gigged consistently around Melbourne over the next two years, and in late 1967 they were signed to the Astor label by A&R manager Ron Tudor. Their second single, released in February 1968 and nominally produced by Geoffrey Edelsten, was a strong version of "Everlasting Love", the much-covered hit originally recorded by American singer Robert Knight in 1967 and also released in 1968 in the UK by The Love Affair. It was an immediate success and became a big hit in Melbourne, reaching #2 and also charted in Sydney (#16) and Adelaide (#33) in April-May 1968, and this success propelled it into the Go-Set Top 20; it peaked at #18 and consistently out-charted the Love Affair version. The song has been covered many times since then, including a 1990s version by U2.
During the latter half of 1968 the Town Criers traveled to South East Asia where they entertained Australian and American troops stationed in Vietnam. This was followed by a trip to the USA, where they appeared on the Bob Hope Christmas Special. In early 1969 founding vocalist Andy Agtoft and John Taylor both left the group. Agtoft was replaced by singer Barry Smith from Adelaide; this raised the band's profile in Adelaide, but it may also have led some fans to think that the band itself was from Adelaide. Taylor subsequently joined the Sydney band Daisy Clover, who released two singles on Festival.
Andy Agtoft (vocals) 1967-69
Mark Demajo (bass)
Sam Dunnin (guitar)
Chris Easterby (drums)
George Kurtiss (keyboards) 1967 - May 1968
John Taylor (keyboards) 1968-69
Barry Smith (vocals) 1968-69
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Aussie Gems and Rarebits...various artists...52 tracks..B-Sides, Little Known Songs and Artists
There are 52 sensational tracks here from the 60s and early 70s. As the cover says: "Little known songs, hard to find B-sides and bands you may not have heard of". From Beat, Garage, Surf, Instrumental, Pop, Rock and everything in between. The download comes with all artwork too.
I've played it through a few times and just about every track is good if not great. Some artists you may know (or at least I do) are The Strangers, Python Lee Jackson, The Rondells, The Cherokees, Ian Turpie, Johnny Young, Marcie and The Cookies and Patsy Ann Noble. It will take you back to those TV shows of the 60s like Go! and Kommotion and have you groovin', stompin', rockin' and whatever other dance you care to remember!
Friday, June 7, 2013
The Missing Links...Driving You Insane..Aussie Punk Rock from the 1960's
The Missing Links were an Australian R'n'B group from Sydney which existed from 1964 to 1966 and were renowned for long hair, an adventurous musical style and smashing their equipment on-stage. There were two main versions of the band: the first had Peter Anson on guitar, Dave Boyne on guitar, Bob Brady on vocals, Danny Cox on drums and Ronnie Peel on bass guitar and released their debut single, "We 2 Should Live" in March 1965. The second version had Andy Anderson on vocals (and initially on drums), Chris Gray on keyboards and harmonica, Doug Ford on vocals and guitar, Baden Hutchens on drums and Ian Thomas on bass guitar, and released their self-titled debut album, The Missing Links in December.
According to Allmusic's Richie Unterberger, "This aggregation cut the rawest Australian garage/punk of the era, and indeed some of the best from anywhere, sounding at their best like a fusion of the Troggs and the early Who, letting loose at times with wild feedback that was quite ahead of its time".
After The Missing Links had disbanded, Anderson and Ford formed Running Jumping Standing Still in Melbourne in August 1966. Anderson later became an actor on Australian and New Zealand television. Ford was lead guitarist in The Masters Apprentices from 1968.
The Missing Links have influenced many later Australian groups, including The Saints which covered "Wild About You" on their debut album, (I'm) Stranded (1977). In October 2010, The Missing Links' debut album, The Missing Links was listed in the top 50 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.
This 28 track compilation contains recordings from all their various line-ups.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Purple Hearts & The Coloured Balls...Benzedrine Beat! 1964-1970
The Purple Hearts were formed in Brisbane in 1964. The band consisted of lead vocalist Mick Hadley, lead guitarist Barry Lyde (known as Lobby Loyde), rhythm guitarist Fred Pickard, bassist Bob Dames, and drummers Adrian 'Red' Redmond (1964–66) and Tony Cahill (1966-67). Like so many Australian beat groups of the '60s, The Purple Hearts had their roots far closer to the source of the British Invasion than the sunburnt suburbia from which they finally emerged.
Although they were part of the Sunshine Records stable,The Purple Hearts were uncompromising in their attitude toward recording. Consequently, their handful of singles are enduring artifacts of their unique style, which blended blues, R'n'B and prototype psychedelic rock, a style made even tougher by the regional influence mentioned earlier. Even their name, taken from the well-known slang term for a variety of amphetamine pop pills much favoured by mod subculture, was a brash and outrageous gesture.
It is notable that Brisbane, traditionally the most conservative of Australia's state capitals, has fostered some of the country's most anarchistic rock bands from The Purple Hearts to The Saints. The Purple Hearts were tough, arrogant and pioneering and Lobby Loyde is widely acknowledged as Australia’s first true rock guitar hero – busy blowing up speaker boxes before high volume and feed-back became rock staples.
This compilation combines 14 tracks by the PH's and 7 by offshoot band The Coloured Balls.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Hot Generation...1960's Punk from Down Under
This 30 track collection brings together some popular and the more lesser known artists of the Aussie punk scene of the sixties. Includes tracks from Tony Worsley, Normie Rowe, Marty Rhone, Ray Brown, The Purple Hearts and The Black Diamonds.







































