W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Homer sings Blur's Song2

.
Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny..
As a sequel to an earlier WOCK on Vinyl posting featuring Bart Simpson, I decided to dedicate this month's posting to another favourite Simpson, good ol' Homer. The song in question is Blur's hit single from 1997 entitled "Song2" which was featured in the twelfth episode of the tenth season of the "The Simpsons" entitled "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" and showcases Homer's love of 'Grunge Music'.
Show synopsis: Homer leads a slew of Springfield denizens to Miami for the Super Bowl in a rollicking episode with a plethora of guest appearances. A travel agent (voice of Fred Willard) offers a free trip if Homer can help fill a charter bus. Several phone calls later, the bus departs. Alas, a ticket snafu keeps the group outside the stadium for a while, but ultimately they land in the winning team's locker room -- but not before visiting the skybox of media titan and News Corp. chairman and owner Rupert Murdoch (who's none too happy about the intrusion). Also appearing are Dan Marino, John Elway, John Madden and Pat Summerall.
"Song2" was played when Homer and the rest of the people from Springfield are running around Pro Player Stadium corridors looking for a way back into the arena, after Dolly Parton releases them from a lockup cell having been arrested previously for using counterfeit tickets to get into the Super Bowl.
The song features Homer singing along with the chorus which simply goes "Woohoo" and therefore seems to fit the W category in W.O.C.K very nicely.Just for the record: The riff-based track, known for its overdriven chorus (mainly the word "Woohoo), is among the most well-known songs that Blur has recorded. Daman Elbam stated at the song's debut live performance at the RDS in Dublin in June 1996 that "This one's called 'Song 2', 'cos we haven't got a name for it yet". The working title ended up sticking. The song reached number 2 on the UK charts and was number 4 here in the land of Oz.
In this posting, I am including the 2 min Simpson take on the song (MP3 format) plus the original Blur video clip (in AVI format) for your enjoyment.
.
Homer Simpson - Blur Song2 (20Mb) New Link 21/03/2015
.

Nova - Sun City (1978)

(Italian 1975-78)
.
Nova's fourth and last LP, Sun City was recorded in the Sound City Studios in L.A in 1978 and showed a harder, funkier sound with the magic guitar of Corrado Rustici (one of the most talented guitarists from that era) being a highlight as usual. However, the album seems to lack the magic displayed in their previous albums, perhaps a consequence of their producer Narada Michael Walden having left for a solo career, leaving John Ryan to produce the album.
Best tracks for me are definitely found on Side A while those on Side B just don't seem to compare, with maybe "sailors" being an exception.

The only real plus in this album is a predominance of Barry Sunjon's lead vocals which I feel are stronger than Rustici's. "Morning Light" is definitely the standout track on this album with some awesome guitar and saxophone work by Rustici and D'Anna respectively.
I must admit when I first heard this album, I was a little disappointed as it wasn't up to the standard of their previous releases, however, after repeated plays most tracks grow on you. Needless to say, the band called it a day not long after the release of 'Sun City', with Rustici moving onto the Afro-American music scene and guitar technique of Allan Holdsworth, deciding to accept an offer by Walden to play with him in San Francisco. D'Anna moved back from America to Italy to start a career as a producer. Which seems never to have come off the ground and he was not much later disappeared from the music. Interestingly enough, Ric Parnell went on to drum for Spinal Tap !
.
The rip was taken from vinyl at 320kps and includes full album artwork, including lyrics and choice photos of the band at their demise. If you haven't heard the first 3 albums, then you are better off starting with them instead (see previous Nova posts).
.
Tracks Listing
Side 1
01. Morning Flight (6:04)
02. Modern Living (4:09)
03. Illusion (3:30)
04. Light were my Years (4:51)
Side 2
05. Sailors (3:45)
06. Fantaisies (3:33)
07. Lean on Me (4:00)
08. All you have (Is what you are) (3:00)
09. Starchild (4:00)

Band Members:
Corrado Rustici (guitars, vocals)
Elio D'Anna (saxes, flutes, lyricon)
Renato Rosset (keyboards)
Ric Parnell (drums, percussion)
Barry 'Sunjon' Johnson (bass, vocals)
.
Nova Link (84Mb)  New Link 29/10/2015
.

The Saints - This Perfect Day Live (1977) - Ex Bootleg

(Australian 1974 - Present)
.
The Saints grew out of the Brisbane garage band Kid Galahad and the Eternals which featured vocalist Chris Bailey, guitarist Ed Kuepper and pianist come drummer Ivor Hay. They formed in 1973 and changed their name to the Saints a year later.
Like so many good things, The Saints began by accident rather than design.
Ed Kuepper, guitarist with Brisbane’s original punk heart-stoppers the Saints, had left school and was working in a Brisbane warehouse for Melbourne-based independent label Astor Records. The label operated from the 1960s through to the early 1980s, experiencing early success with pioneering Australian garage bands the Loved Ones and Masters Apprentices.
Working for Astor was a critical postgraduate education for Kuepper. Not only did he get his hands on slabs of deleted singles, it helped him unlock the mystery of the recording process. The Saints were already tearing up their neighbourhood with hot-shot high-energy rock & roll, but for the guitarist, everything that happened between the band’s sporadic live performances and his record collection was a mystery. [extract from wikipedia]

.Among other duties at Astor, Kuepper was fortunate to be in charge of handling requests for custom pressings. He began to receive tapes – often from truckies who played a little C&W in their spare time. Independent recording was far from a new thing, in Queensland or elsewhere. But until the penny dropped in Ed’s mind, no Australian band before them had ever thought to do it themselves.
Those three magic words, Do It Yourself, provided the keys to the kingdom.
Really, though, there was no choice. The Saints weren’t necessarily miles ahead of their time in world terms – the Ramones were getting it together in New York, and when Kuepper first heard the band, he was famously disappointed for feeling beaten to the punch. But Brisbane ain’t New York. Even in Sydney, no record company was game to touch the equally reviled Radio Birdman.

Emboldened, the Saints booked themselves into Bruce Window’s 16 track studio in West End. Two hours later, they emerged with three minutes of history. "(I’m) Stranded" was released on the band’s own Fatal Label, was sent around the world, and by September 1976 – before the Damned, before the Pistols and the Clash – the Saints found themselves a momentary cause celebre, thanks to a stunning review in London’s Sounds magazine. And then got signed by EMI which, for the band, is where it all started to go downhill.
The Saints' debut single '"(I'm) Stranded" (September, 1976) was voted Single Of The Week by British rock music paper Sounds.
In July, 1977 The Saints scored a Top 40 hit in Britain with "This Perfect Day". The band did not make the Top 40 in Australia until April, 1986 with "Just Like Fire Would".
In 1977 The Saints recorded cover versions of Connie Francis' "Lipstick On Your Collar", and Ike And Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High" for the One, Two, Three, Four E.P. (October, 1977).

In 1978, the press reported The Saints' derogatory comments about the Australian pop scene, and in particular television music show Countdown. As a result, the group was banned from appearing on Countdown.
The cover of The Saints' album Prehistoric Sounds (October, 1978) featured a still from the classic 1951 B-grade science fiction film When Worlds Collide.
Kuepper, Hay and Ward left the band in 1978 but Chris Bailey continued touring and recording as The Saints with a revolving line-up of musicians throughout the 80’s. After releasing a couple of records under his own name, Bailey reformed The Saints in 1996. Once again without any of the other founding members but they have reunited occasionally to perform live.
The only constant factor in The Saints' tortuous history has been lead singer Chris Bailey, with much speculation over the shakey relationship between Bailey and Kuepper. [extract from Soundslike Brisbane.com]

.In January 2009, musical journalist Bruce Elder interviewed Bailey in an attempt to clarify this speculation once and for all....
.
"ED, DO you hate me?" calls out Chris Bailey, singer with the legendary punk band the Saints. From across the room Ed Kuepper, guitarist with the band, replies quietly: "No, Chris, I love you." "He loves me and I love him," says Bailey. Kuepper adds: "The band didn't split up with a lot of personal animosity going on. It was more a case of moving apart musically which is sometimes presented as though that is not a legitimate reason." They are responding to one of the great myths of the Australian music industry. That the Saints, who, apart from one brief reunion about 18 months ago at the Queensland Music Festival, have been kept apart for 30 years only because Bailey and Kuepper hate each other's guts. It has never been true. Bailey recalls a night in late 1978 - "Back when you were going to become our manager, baby" - an offer the band made and I declined when we all sat in a curry house in the north London suburb of Hampstead. It was pretty much the end of the road for the band. Kuepper and Bailey were heading in different directions. EMI was showing a distinct lack of interest and their manager had returned to Australia. The future looked bleak. Out of that moment evolved Kuepper's remarkable career both as a solo artist and leading such prodigiously talented "jazz punk" outfits as the Laughing Clowns. Bailey, who lives in Europe, has forged a double career as a self-styled solo "troubadour" and touring with a new manifestation of the Saints. Of the other members, the stories verge on the bizarre. Ivor Hay sells cardboard coffins and is the managing director of OnEarth, a company which promotes itself as "Australia's Only Alternative Funeral Casket Manufacturer". Bailey says: "It's not like you can tell he hasn't played for a while. He is absolutely astonishing. Ivor has always had great flamboyance and that hasn't deserted him." Bailey is less forthcoming about Arch Larizza saying enigmatically: "Archie's gorgeous. He's been playing non-stop. He's a virtuoso. Seriously, he really is. I had forgotten how well he played. Also a few years ago he turned me on to the ukulele." The reunion is a surprise to Bailey who admits that when first approached he thought it was "a wanky stupid idea [but] it has turned out to be a lot fresher and it's actually quite exciting. The personality blend of Ed, Ivor, Archie and myself is cool. Cutting aside all the bullshit. They actually can play. We're actually a half-decent rock'n'roll band. I don't think we're blemishing our copybook." So, why get back together after so many years? Bailey is wonderfully blunt: "Money."
.
This rip was taken from vinyl at 192kps and includes limited artwork (thanks to Bruce at madplace blogspot) The concert was recorded at a punk festival at The Hope and Anchor in November 1977, during their first tour of the United Kingdom. The audience, wanting their punk bands to look like a punk band, never really took to the Saints and the response on this record is lukewarm at best but the music is pure brilliance.
.
Track Listing

01 - Do the Robot

02 - Lost and Found
03 - Lipstick on Your Collar
04 - River Deep Mountain High
05 - Memories Passed
06 - Run Down
07 - This Perfect Day
08 - Messin' With the Kid
09 - 'Orstralia
10 - Nights in Venice
11 - I'm (Stranded)
12 - Demolition Girl
13 - One Way Street
.
Band Members:
Chris Bailey (Vocals, Guitar)
Ed Kuepper (Guitar)
Ivor Hay (Drums)Kym Bradshaw (Bass)
.
The Saints Live (61Mb) Link Fixed 16/11/2024
.

Crawler - Selftitled (1977) + Snake, Rattle & Roll (1978)

(U.S 1976-1979)
.
Crawler was a band created from the ashes of "Back Street Crawler", following the death of guitarist, Paul Kossoff. Atlantic Records suggested the band continue with another well-known guitarist, ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor or they'd be dropped. Despite being broke, they declined, instead recruiting Geoff Whitehorn, previously with the band "If".
The band abbreviated their name to Crawler, and the eponymous first album, 'Crawler,' was released in 1977 on Epic. Despite being well-written, superbly recorded, and receiving good reviews, it struggled in the year of disco, punk rock and new wave. Nevertheless, it did well in the USA, thanks to airplay of the track "Stone Cold Sober", on FM radio stations. The band concentrated on the American market. Working with producer Gary Lyons, they released a second album, 'Snake, Rattle & Roll'. A great album of classy bluesy melodic rock with good vocals and nice guitar work.
The band toured the UK with Boxer and Moon in a successful three-band package tour. Their distinctive live sound was dominated by Whitehorn's guitar and Rabbit's swirling keyboards.
An exhaustive series of live performances found Crawler as support band for Robin Trower, Cheap Trick, and Foreigner and a 54-date tour across the USA as support band for Kansas. At the end of a USA tour in December 1978, keyboard player John 'Rabbit' Bundrick left to work with The Who. The band folded soon after.
In recent years, a number of live albums, including Snakebite (2001) and Pastime Dreamer (2003), recorded during tours in 1977 and 1978, have been released from John Bundrick's private collection of recordings [extract from wikipedia]
.
I bought their first album purely based on its 'eye grabbing cover' and hearing "Pastime Dreamer" blasting out of my local Import Record store's speakers, while thumbing through the C section. A few tracks later, "Stone Cold Sober" came thrashing out and hit me right between the eyes. Needless to say, I didn't get to the D section - I'd already made my choice in 'record' time.
Although I was familiar with Paul Kossoff's band 'Back Street Crawler', I didn't really make the connection between the two bands until many years later - sad hey!
..
The rips provided here were taken from CD at 320kps and include full album artwork. (My vinyl copies have seen better days, so no vinyl rip this time)
.
Track Listing (Crawler)
01. Without You Baby - 3:29
02. You Got Money - 3:30
03. Sold On Down The Line - 3:47
04. One Too Many Lovers - 4:03
05. You Are My Saviour - 4:49
06. Pastime Dreamer - 4:33
07. Never Loved A Woman - 4:14
08. You And Me - 4:07
09. Stone Cold Sober - 5:38
[Bonus Track]
10. Stone Cold Sober (Single version) - 2:55
.
Track Listing (Snake, Rattle & Roll)
01. Sail On – 3:59
02. Disc Heroes – 3:20
03. How Will You Break My Heart – 3:43
04. Muddy Water – 4:07
05. First Class Operator – 3:30
06. Where Is The Money – 4:24
07. Hold On – 1:43
08. Midnight Blues – 4:18
09. Liar – 3:40
10. One Way Street – 4:45
.
Band Members:
Terry Slesser (Vocals)
Geoff Whitehorn (Guitar)
Tony Braunagel (Drums, Vocals)
John "Rabbit" Bundrick (Keyboards)
Terry Wilson (Bass) .
[additional support artists]
Ted Bunting (Saxophone)
Chris Wood (Flute)
Tony Carr (Percussion)
Stevie Lange (Backing Vocals)
.
Crawler Link (80Mb) 
.
Snake Rattle & Roll Link (71Mb)
. .

Canned Heat - King Biscuit Flower Hour (1979) + Bonus E.P

(U.S 1965 - Present)
.

The blues-rock band Canned Heat was formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by blues fans Al Wilson and Bob Hite and burst on the national scene with an appearance at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. They demonstrated deep knowledge of the blues and showed more authenticity than similar blues bands of the time.
Canned Heat took its name from Tommy Johnson's 1928 "Canned Heat Blues", a song about an alcoholic who had desperately turned to drinking Sterno, generically called "canned heat".
As an official member of Canned Heat, Adolfo de la Parra played his first gig on December 1, 1967, sharing top billing with the Doors at the Long Beach Auditorium. This began what Fito refers to as the classic and perhaps best known Canned Heat line-up, who together recorded some of the bands most famous and well-regarded songs. During this "classic" period, Skip Taylor and John Hartmann introduced the use of band member nicknames:
.

• Bob "The Bear" Hite
• Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson
• Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (and later Harvey "The Snake" Mandel)
• Larry "The Mole" Taylor
• Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra

Their second released album, Boogie with Canned Heat, included "On the Road Again", an updated version of a 1950's composition by Floyd Jones. "On the Road Again" became the band's break-out song and was a worldwide success, becoming a number one hit in most markets and finally put a blues song on the top charts. The album also included a twelve-minute version of "Fried Hockey Boogie", (credited to Larry Taylor, but rather obviously derived from John Lee Hooker’s "Boogie Chillen" riff) allowed each member to stretch out on his instrument while establishing them with hippie ballroom audiences across America as the “kings of the boogie”. Hite’s "Amphetamine Annie" (a tune inspired by the drug abuse of an acquaintance), became one of their most enduring songs and one of the first “anti-drug” songs of the decade. Although not featured on the album's artwork, this was the first Canned Heat Album to have featured drummer Fito de la Parra.
Canned Heat never quite made the big time despite their acclaimed albums and their 1969 appearance at Woodstock. After the untimely death of Wilson in 1970, the band released a string of albums that pleased their few loyal fans but escaped mainstream attention.
.
King Biscuit Flower Hour Concert Review.
Recorded at Parr Meadows - Long Island, New York in 1979, this King Biscuit Flower Hour release captures Canned Heat in a complete, original and uninterrupted live performance.
Ten years after they scorched the crowd at Woodstock with "Shake 'N Boogie" and "Goin' Up The Country" (both included here), and twelve years after they released their eponymous debut album for Liberty , the Canned Heat was still going strong.
This set opens with a rousing "On The Road Again" the first and biggest hit the band had. Bob Hite's voice is in fine shape, as are his harmonica licks. Fito de la Parra and Larry Taylor form a formidable rhythm section and really keep things moving nicely. Jay Spell's stride piano playing defines "Boogie-Woogie Blues". Mike Mann may have been the most under-rated guitar player in the business. All together these guys made great music - I dare anyone to sit still while this disc is playing.


 It is obvious the crowd that attended this concert was having a great time. The band cooked, the crowd was excited and King Biscuit captured it as well as could be asked. There is a lot of atmosphere on the recording, but unlike many live recordings the crowd noise does not distract. Instead it adds to the feeling of excitement. I think that with Canned Heat, as with the Grateful Dead and other blues bands, the crowd is as much a part of the performance as the music.
The bass is rock solid, the pace of the music moves forward like a locomotive that will not be denied. The recording is multi-tracked to the max but this is done in a way that makes the performance easier to digest instead of more difficult. Voices are well placed at the center of the mix and band banter between tracks help to keep the listener entertained, even when the boogie takes a break! Instruments do not wander but occupy their own space, as in life. Detail is present and it is easy to follow the progression of any single instrument. On "Human Condition", for instance (my favorite track), you can listen to Mike Mann's rhythm guitar chords mixed deep during the chorus, and then, as he steps forward to solo, the sound just comes forward with him. This is exactly what I hear in a good blues club from a band that knows how to play. There is a natural homogeneity of sound, until it is time for something to stand out!
If you like Blues Traveler you will love this disc. In fact, if you love Blues Traveler you probably already love Canned Heat - and if not maybe this is a good place to start. This is not your typical audiophile fare. It is, however, a great sounding disc full of awesome music with the power to move the listener. That, after all, is what this hobby is about. [Many thanks to Joe Cornwall of Impact Acoustics for sharing his music review]

.KBFH Rip was taken from a reissued CD (1995) at 320kps and includes full album artwork.
As a bonus, I have added one of my favourite Canned Heat E.P's which I purchased as a teenager. At the time, I was learning how to play flute and of course one of the most popular riffs at the time for flute (other than Jethro Tull's "Living In The Past") was Canned Heat's "Going Up The Country". Unfortunately, the KBFH concert posted here does not showcase a flute but rather a piano playing the classic riff instead (which doesn't quite sound the same - pity)
The four tracks on the E.P were ripped from a 'Best Of' CD at 320kps, to avoid the crackle and pops from a vinyl rip.
Enjoy some classic Canned Heat and remember - don't forget to Boogie, Boogie, Boogie....
.
Track list

1. Intro
2. On The Road Again
3. Bullfrog Blues
4. Chicken Shack
5. Stand Up (For What You Are)
6. Goin' Up The Country
7. Don't Know Where She Went (She Split)
8. Human Condition
9. Shake'n Boogie
[Bonus E.P ] 
1. Going Up The Country
2. Time Was
3. Poor Moon
4. Low Down
.
.Band members:
Bob 'The Bear' Hite - Harmonica, Vocals
Mike ' Hollywood Fats' Mann - Guitar
Larry 'The Mole' Taylor - Bass, Vocals
Fito de la Parra - Drums
Jay Spell - Piano, Vocals
.
KBFH Concert Link (102Mb) Link Fixed 18/09/2021
.
Going Up The Country (EP) Link (26Mb)  New Link 08/09/2018

.

Buffalo - Just In Case You're Wondering About Buffalo

(Australian 1971-1977)
.
Buffalo was an early heavy metal band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1971. The band left a legacy with Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and alternative rock movements. The band had evolved from the Brisbane blues-rock outfit Head, which was originally formed in 1968 by Dave Tice and Peter Wells. A change of lineup and a shift in musical direction saw the new band emerge - the name Buffalo was chosen (according to legend, randomly off a map of Australia) as it was seen a more marketable name than the previous Head, which had been considered to be offensive due to its sexual and drug connotations. [extract from wikipedia]

This heavy rock band were more popular in France than their native Australia. Based in Sydney, they played between 1972 - 77. They released one 45 as Head ("Hobo"/"Sad Song") before changing name to Buffalo. The "Suzie Sunshine" 45 typified their no-nonsense heavy riffing style, which was coupled with a non-album cover of Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go". They enjoyed considerable chart success with their first five albums all making the Top 100 album charts.
Their debut album 'Dead Forever' sported a sinister cover with a blood soaked face peering through the socket of a skull. The inner gatefold features the band playing amidst the tombstones of Sydney's Rookwood Cemetery. The heavy riffing title track is very much in the style of Black Sabbath. Other stronger numbers on an inconsistent album are covers of Blues Image's "Pay My Dues", Free's "I'm A Mover" and, of course, "Suzie Sunshine".

If 'Dead Forever' earned them a reputation as no-nonsense heavy riffers 'Volcanic Rock' certainly cemented it with tracks like "Sunshine (Come My Way)" (also released as a 45), "Til My Death" and "Skylock", which were just about as loud and aggressive as a band can get. Looser tracks like "Freedom" and "The Prophet" were less structured, more a vehicle for improvisation. Initial copies of the album came with a foldout lyric sheet and featured a cover illustration depicting a woman as a menstruating volcano!
1973 also saw the release of another 45 "Just A Little Rock 'n' Roll", which was very much in the 12-bar blues format.

Their third album, 'Only Want You For Your Body', released in 1974, sported a tasteless front cover which showed a hideously overweight woman screaming and chained to a torture rack. The musical format is high energy riff-laden heavy metal as they storm insensitively through Tice/Baxter compositions like "I'm A Skirt Lifter, Not A Shirt Raiser", "What's Going On, Stay With Me", "King's Cross Ladies" and a spirited version of Alvin Lee's "I'm Coming On".
"What's Going On" and "I'm Coming On" were also selected for 45 release and proved to be their finest 45. The year also saw the release of an ultra-rare EP, which is now very collectable. It comprised "Suzie Sunshine, Dead Forever, Barbershop Rock and Sunrise (Come My Way)". It came out on the Vertigo swirl label.

Towards the end of the year guitarist John Baxter was sacked and the band were never quite as popular again. He was replaced by Karl Taylor and ex-Band Of Light slide guitar ace Norm Roue but the latter suffered a breakdown at the end of the year and walked out on the band. He did contribute to their fourth album, 'Mother's Choice' which came out in 1976 and two 45s were put out as a taster, "Little Queenie"/"Girl Can't Help It" and "Lucky"/"On My Way". The two flip sides were not included on the subsequent album release and remained non-album releases until Raven Records' 'Skirt Lifters (Highlights And Oversights 1972-76)' appeared in 1990. "Little Queenie" featured some cool slide guitar from Roue and "Lucky" had a good rock 'n' roll beat, but the old Buffalo magic was missing. In 1976, they finally fell apart when founding bassist Peter Wells left at the end of the year to link up with Angry Anderson and Ian Rilen in Rose Tattoo. They did manage a couple more 45s in 1976, plus a further one the following year and the 'Average Rock 'n' Roller' album. [ extract from orexisofdeath.blogspot.com]
. .
The following is a rare interview by Anthony O'Grady with Buffalo published in 'RAM' magazine No.6, May 17, 1975 (p18-19) entitled:
..
Buffalo started about five years ago. Singer Dave Tice and bass player Peter Wells came from Brisbane to Sydney in a band called 'Head' which lasted three or four weeks then broke up. That's when they got together with a guitar player called John Baxter. And a little while afterwards Jimmy Economou came in as drummer.
The group recorded three albums with Spencer Lee as producer and Tice and Baxter as the main songwriters. Times change though. John Baxter left the group late last year and the new band (featuring Norm Roue on slide guitar and Karl Taylor on guitar) will produce the next album themselves. "We were reaching stalemate" says Dave Tice. "The band was settling into a groove and the music wasn't changing over much. John had a few things he wanted to do, the rest of the band had a few ideas that were different. Now we only do two or three numbers from the first three albums. Audiences have been pretty cool about it. "Only Want You For Your Body' was in the same vein as the other two albums - but it was as far as we thought we could take it. There wasn't much point in carrying on with it".

Another argument for change was that the music on those first three albums was invariably compared with Black Sabbath and (early) Uriah Heep. "Yeah, that was pretty upsetting" quotes Tice. "In some ways I could see why . It didn't really hurt us, cause those bands were big news......still are to a point. So it helped us, if anything. But Uriah Heep for instance are pretty much into harmonies and we never were - we were always a lot more basic than either Black sabbath or Uriah Heep. Sabbath were always into smart-arse little time changes and things like that. We were a lot looser.
Our sort of music, even now we've changed as for people who live in the country towns and suburbs. The people who live in the city......well, the majority of them..." "Trendies" puts in Jimmy Economou.

 "Yeah" says Dave Tice with some emphasis 'Trendies. Super cool people. We've never been a super cool band. Real scruffy, that's us.
'Working class" adds bass player Peter Wells.
"John Baxter bought an E-type Jagu-ah" Dave Tice again. "Super-capitalist. Dunno how he got the bread together. Must have been a very frugal lad"
Hardly poor working class status symbol to be sure. Yer actual working class y'see is not the purr of E-type twin exhausts - according to the creed of Buffalo, it's volume.
"You gotta play loud" says Dave Tice, stating the creed. "The louder the better" says Jimmy Economous in a rapid fire of rhetoric. "If you can hear yourself, don't matter if no one else can hear you. The louder the better. if I was building amps...I'd make 'em 1,000 watts with just one knob. On and off. It's all ya'need. Turn 'er on and go".
Dave Tice is is chuckling at Jimmy's enthusiasm. He agrees. "Rock and Roll" he weighs in "Its your body music. It's not in your mind, not the way we play it anyway. It communicates physically".

"Da kids..they don't wanna go to dance" Jimmy again. "And bloody sit there, listen to slow music. They wanna fight, dance, con a chick. Our kind of music goes with all that, y'know"
One wonders how you get a chick to hear you above the volume. 'But that's the whole point !' exclaims Jimmy. ""Da bloody kids they don wanna talk to each other. the wanna shout to each other. fight with each other. Dance with each other. When the music stops, then they start talking. who these days...except Trendies...want to con a chick real nicely. The kids these days who go to a dance, they ask straight out 'You wanna F#@k" And she says 'Yeah" And that's it.
"Except...well...if you're a Trendy, well..you have to buy her flowers, take 'er out, say nice things. but these days the kids, the real kids, just say it straight out."

Jimmy has a fine disdain for Trendies. Himself. Dave Tice blames T.V.
"Over the past few years, it's just about killed conversation anyway. How many people do you know, that you can have an intelligent conversation with? When the music's really loud, most kids actually find it easier to communicate ...through body language.
When the wind is blowing in the right direction, by the way, Buffalo can be heard 1/4 of a mile away.
They've applied the same language of the physical to their first three album covers as well. the first album 'Dead Forever' featured corpses and gore. The second, 'Volcanic Rock' was a graphic with vagina's and penises somehow included into an exploding mountain of motif.. The third 'Only Want You For Your Body' has aroused the most censure. It's a lady being tortured. Some stores are sealing it into brown paper bags before selling it.
"Some places in Queensland banned the first one" says Peter Wells. "I reckon the third one is the mildest of the lot actually" A lot of people didn't even see what was in the second one. The third one's got the most publicity but it's nothing really. I could have understood it if it had been the second, that was sexiest at least."
"You've gotta laugh at it" says Dice. "It's just bullshit really. So overstated, it's a joke".

"All the covers have been watered down actually. We have ideas about what we want, and most of the covers have been compromises of what we originally planned. Like the last one we had some incredible ideas for, but Phonogram (Buffalo's record company) wouldn't wear them. Like the general manager was overseas when the second album came out. And when he saw it, he wanted to recall every record in the stores!".

"One thing we wanted to do was have the Horden Pavilion all full of naked kids," says Jimmy.
"Phonogram wouldn't wear that", says Peter sadly. "We've never gone out and said "Let's do this cause it's going to be controversial" - Dave Tice - "Most of the things just come off the top of the head of the head. We feel like doing it, so we do it. Then someone jumps onto it and makes something of it. We try a lot of things. Like someone tells us about a little ballerina that can dance Swan Lake very nicely. So we asked her parents if she'd open a few shows for us. It doesn't mean she's going to join the group or anything. Madam Lash once wanted to gig with us, and we said 'OK' ".

Just in case you were wondering. Buffalo plan to call their fourth album "Songs For The Frustrated Housewife". It will come with a 10" vibrator. The cover will show their manager's mother being ravaged by the group. [note: of course this did not eventuate - not surprisingly !]

But the album will be a new musical direction at least. Previously Buffalo have never gone out of their way to look for hit single status. They're thinking about one now, though. The music the band is now playing features a few Chuck Berry numbers - an interim stage while the new line-up settles down and develops its own music.
"We're playing pretty well together" explains Dave Tice. But we're still finding out each other's styles and limitations. What we can and can't do. We're starting to write new stuff. But in the meantime we're doing a few old rock numbers to fill in."
So, thought the band, since we're doing the golden oldie stuff, why not have a go at a hit single. "Little Queenie" is the number they've ventured a chance on.
"In some ways it's going back to what we were originally into." says Mr. T ""Like the band Peter and were first in was very bluesy, very Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry amongst others. That's one of the reasons Norm Roue joined us from Band Of Light, his roots are blues too. We're all a lot happier with how the band is sounding now."

Are Buffalo's regular fans as happy not to hear the old fave rave-ups?
"We do notice, when we go to a place we haven't played at since the old line-up, at the start there's maybe a dozen or so people, calling out for songs from the albums, songs they've heard the old line-up play.
"And they'll say, 'Jeeze, what's happened to Buffalo, where's John Baxter?..."things like that. But after about half of the set, they're usually into what we're doing now. By the end of the set, we don't hear people yelling out for old songs."
"We've put down five songs of a new album so far" says Peter Wells.

"And they sound so much better than anything on the old albums. Better drums, better bass. better everything." "I probably won't like it in about three or four weeks" says Dave gloomily. "It happens every time, you get so close to it. . . after you've put it down, you never want to hear it again. I can't bear to listen to any of our albums, it's an over-reaction against working so close to a song in the studio. We all really like the sound we're gettin' right now, like we know it's the best sound we've ever got. But I'm sure as soon as we're finished, we'll turn against it." "Yeah, sure, says Jimmy. Doesn't that make it hard playing material from albums in concert? "Na," says Dave. "Playing on stage is a different sort of thing altogether. It's a real energy thing. That's what I don't like about records actually . . . they lose so much energy. So much seems to get lost between what you put out in the studio and what you get back on record. It happens to us more than other bands I sup­pose, because live energy's our thing. But we couldn't really do a live album, cause the volume distorts the machines when they try to record it." Buffalo albums though, are listened to. Everything they've put out has reached the realms of gold.

"We were down in Parkes one time, says Peter Wells. "And these guys came up after the concert, I mean most peo­ple go to the concert then they go home. But these guys didn't seem to have no home to go to. Really, they were 14-15 maybe and they were really involved in the band. Tattoos and things like that. They don't work, they don't go to school. They had the band's albums, but they didn't have a record player for them. "There was this amazing chick says Jimmy. "She was fifteen. She'd tried to commit suicide twice. She'd just come out of a Girls Home. She had this sharpie haircut on top and really long hair at the side. She had a heart on one shoulder with 'Mick' in it. Except she'd cut out the skin ya see, so you could hardly see it. She said. That was an old boyfriend, I didn't dig him anymore'. 

She had J.B. on the other arm . . . Jerry Somebody . . . John Somebody ... "John Baxter?" suggests Dave Tice. "Anyway, she didn't dig him anymore either, so she'd cut the skin out there too . . ." "You won't find any university graduates in the band, that's for sure," says Dave Tice. "And you don't find many in our audiences either. "We get a few Trendies now and then, concludes Jimmy E. "They wanna know what we do. "How come you do all that screwing around? How come you play so loud? What are you guys all about?' We don' tell 'em of course, let 'em find out for themselves. Trendies may enroll in the Buffalo School of Body Language next time the group is in town. [Interview by Anthony O'Grady - RAM magazine]
.You can purchase the full catalogue of Buffalo's albums from Aztec Records.
.
Band Members (1972-1977):
Alan Milano, Dave Tice - (vocals)
John Baxter, Karl Taylor, Norm Roue - (guitar)
Peter Wells - (bass)
Paul Balbi, Jimmy Economou - (drums)
 .

Here are a couple of Buffalo singles from my private collection which I bought as a teenager. I'm pretty sure I got them from a bargain bin at Brash Suttons in Geelong which probably means I didn't pay much for them. I would imagine that they are worth a considerable amount today as Buffalo is a very collectable band.
I'm also including their E.P which I sourced from the web many moons ago (thanks to original uploader)

Buffalo Singles (mp3/320kps) + Label Scans

.

A. Just a Little Rock and Roll / B. Barbershop Rock (1972)   

A. Little Queenie / B. The Girl Can't Help It (1975)

A. Lucky / On My Way (1975)   New Link 12/11/2024

Buffalo E.P (mp3/320kps) + Label Scans

A. Suzie Sunshine / Dead Forever  B. Barbershop Rock / Sunrise (Come My Way) (1974) New Link 12/11/2024

Please note that there is a 'rogue album' floating about on the web called 'Buffalo - Unreleased Tracks (1972-1977)' but it contains no tracks relating to this Australian band. In fact, the tracks were recorded by an English cover band in the early 80's with the same name. The album itself is not bad - but if you are after the genuine article, then it's not for you (see below).

Track Listing
01 - Backs to the wall
02 - Cold as night
03 - Detroit motor city
04 - Ezy
05 - Gimme some lovin
06 - In the flesh
07 - The answer
08 - Take it to the limit
09 - The rumour
10 - Lady jane
11 - Rock circus
12 - Stacato
.