Spill Compilation Three
Released: 1995
The third Spill comp came together over six months in late 94 and early 95. I mastered it with synchronized DAT players at CestCa studio in Collingwood. Visual artist Fiona Walsh provided the cover illustration, and Dave Metcalfe (of New Waver) printed the covers. I boxed them by hand on the day of our launch at the Punters Club. 24 tracks on a 74 minute CD. Click on individual songs below or download the entire album.
1. SOLIDS .. pagan arc welder .. 2:58 .. mp3
90s precursor to the Hi God People featuring Julian Williams on vocals and guitar, Jad Larraway on synth and me on drums.
2. SAN JOSE COW MUZAK .. mrs bronsons favourite .. 2:48 .. mp3
Hit SJCM song, recorded at the height of their powers, this version with Irene Krol on keyboards.
3. THE SEA HAGGS .. leather bat .. 2:42 .. mp3
Perth-moved-to-Melbourne indie band.
4. CLOWNS SMILING BACKWARDS .. experiment .. 4:08 .. mp3
This epic saw Bo, Robert, Steve and Julien moving from a live band to a more studio-focussed incarnation, presaging Bo's career as electronica producer.
5. THE INVISIBLE EMPIRE .. (i walk a) lonely avenue .. 3:23 .. mp3
The second IE contribution to this series of comps, this time featuring the unmistakable drone-rock sound of Brisbane's Greg Hilleard.
6. THOU GIDEON .. alive on earth .. 5:59 .. mp3
A dance floor filler from TG's "earth oriented techno" period.
7. RAMON STRAPADO HANDSHAKE .. r27 rampage .. 2:31 .. mp3
Solo project by Jim Mackay.
8. WONDROUS FAIR .. charmer .. 4:27 .. mp3
This final WF lineup featured on trombone Nicole Thibault, who had left Brisband Clag and was in the process of forming Minimum Chips. This WF had a sound that prefigured Deb Cavallaro's subsequent band Dragster.
9. SMALL WORLD EXPERIENCE .. vow of silence .. 2:54 .. mp3
A track from SWE's 1994 cd "Shelf Life", this lineup being Pat, Ian and Julian.
10. DEVOTION .. karja .. 3:19 .. mp3
Devotion moving inexorably from their hiphop beginnings to the more abstract sound they ended on.
11. FINK FINSTER .. om .. 2:54 .. mp3
Melbourne / Berlin band consisting of Mario Mentrup, Ewan Cameron, and Heiner Weiss.
12. MU-MESONS .. listen brethren .. 2:57 .. mp3
Sydney group of psychiatric patients (here, Steve Court, Jeff Urquhart, Max Hudson, William McCoy) led in live performances by their nurse Jamie Leonarder and later immortalized in the film 'Love and Anarchy'. Here they are recorded live on public radio.
13. CLAG .. scum manor .. 1:34 .. mp3
Recorded on my 8-track reel-to-reel during Clag's 1994 Melbourne tour before the band relocated here later that year. Clag split around 97. Bec went on to sing in Above Ground Pool and BamBooSel. Alison played in Sleepy Township, Panel of Judges and Beaches. Keyboardist Mick played bass in Jaguar is Jaguar, and trombonist Nic joined Minimum Chips. Look for a retrospective compilation on Chapter Music in 2012.
14. THE SUMP .. paralysis of a kind .. 4:55 .. mp3
This represents a point near the end of Paul Newsome's trajectory from outrageous noise/performance to dark, laid-back pop-rock. This incarnation features Michael Ison on vocals, and Jeff Wegener on drums.
15. VOLVOX .. lemon fritz .. 2:36 .. mp3
Classic Volvox from their final album "Damage Begins at the Mouth". All three Volvox tapes were re-released during the 00s on cd by Spill and the Dual Plover label.
16. LEVIATHAN .. trancience .. 2:13 .. mp3
I got to know this industrial group through their being friends of the band Tedium, with whom I played for a few years.
17. SALLY .. i've got the blues .. 2:20 .. mp3
One of the last recordings from this Melbourne duo who released through the Dr Jim label.
18. FIMO .. heiroglyph .. 3:26 .. mp3
A popular duet featuring then PBS announcer Keith Urquardt on sequencer and Jo Windred on vocals, these two let loose some remarkable recordings and live shows.
19. UNDECISIVE GOD .. secrets .. 2:25 .. mp3
An early recording from the long-running solo project of Clinton Green, who has been responsible for some significant compilations and other releases through his Shame File experimental label.
20. CRUNKLE .. afterlife .. 4:05 .. mp3
Christine, Clare and Janine, mostly ex members of Melbourne band Ruby Spleen, started this band who produced beautiful and unusual music for an all too brief period. I remember at least one live show, at the Empress before they split.
21. NEW WAVER .. the realist .. 2:44 .. mp3
One of NW's schticks was to write original instrumentals and add voices sampled from documentaries. This is the voice of a patient suffering paranoid delusions and describing his life in Brisbane, making it irresistible for NW. I composed the music on a Mirage sampling keyboard.
22. GUS .. indie pop sock .. 1:15 .. mp3
Indie super group that included Bec Moore (Clag), Richard Forster (Salty and Delicious zine), Nic Thibault (Min Chips) and Guy Blackman of the Chapter label. Recorded on four track in Brisbane.
23. WANK ENGINE .. 787 .. 2:16 .. mp3
Richard Hagen's sequencer / sampler project in Brisbane.
24. MINIMUM CHIPS .. walkman .. 2:45 .. mp3
An early live recording by this Brisband who later moved to Melbourne and released hits through several labels. They wound down around 2006 but reform sporadically for live shows .. see their website for more detail.