STACK #205 Nov 2021

MUSIC FEATURE

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Each month we handpick a collection of reissues, limited editions or just straight classic long-players that deserve a place

in any record collection. Words Paul Jones, Amy Flower & Zoë Radas

TAME IMPALA INNERSPEAKER (2009) 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION 4XLP BOX SET

THE CHURCH PRIEST=AURA (1992) 2xLP LIMITED WHITE/BLACK SWIRLED VINYL

After recording the previous two albums in the US, and not necessarily loving the results, for album number eight The Church headed home to the familiar rooms of Sydney‘s Studios 301, the scene of their earlier works. The result? A generally chilled affair that still manages to throw in a few aural prickles, with side one opener Aura a portent of the atmospheric, often trippy joys to come, underlined by first single Ripple and its follow-up, Feel , both of which give off hints of shoegaze. Through 14 tracks – ten of which had single word titles – over 65 minutes, it‘s a sprawling, lush affair that warrants revisiting. TOP TRACK: Ripple FAST FACT: The album‘s peculiar title apparently stemmed from Steve Kilbey misreading a Spanish fan‘s English vocab notes, which read “priest= cura “

There was a time when the world didn‘t know of the psych-rock power of Tame Impala – in the studio basically just Perth bloke Kevin Parker – but that didn‘t last long once this debut announced their presence. Sounding like so many of the best bits of the 1960s and ‘70s, yet stamped with a 21st century knowingness,

the trip begins with album opener It Is Not Meant to Be , building to dreamy side two closer Solitude Is Bliss and onwards to super late-era Beatlesque finale, I Don‘t Really Mind . This highly-collectible box set packs the album over two discs, with two bonus 12-inchers housing remixes, instrumentals, demos and a side-long live jam – plus a collage of album sketches and superb 40-page booklet. TOP TRACK: Solitude Is Bliss FAST FACT: InnerSpeaker was recorded almost entirely in “a big, wooden house“ about four hours south of Perth, with an absence of internet, phone reception and TVs.

GANG OF YOUTHS THE POSITIONS (2014) 2xLP 180gm VINYL REISSUE

SUNNYBOYS SUNNYBOYS (1981) LIMITED EDITION LIGHT BLUE VINYL

Some debut albums serve as a statement of both intent and greatness to come. With The Positions , here luxuriating over two slabs of 180-gram vinyl, Gang of Youths certainly weren‘t wasting any time announcing their presence. Dealing in the sort of extended, gradual-build jams that U2 could only wish that their earlier works were as good as, leader David Le‘aupepe‘s raw vocals bring to mind American contemporaries such as Kings of Leon and The National. If the jams don‘t get you the lyrics will, with the songs forming what is basically a concept album centred around the singer‘s four-year relationship with a terminally ill partner. Just try not to feel listening to the album‘s big ballad, Knuckles White Dry . TOP TRACK: Magnolia FAST FACT: Some tracks on The Positions were recorded in New York, with the remainder laid down in Sydney.

Arguably one of the finest power pop exponents to ever emerge from Sydney‘s pub scene, this long-player from the relatively short-lived original Sunnyboys line-up remains a pop masterpiece today. There‘s no better example of leader Jeremy Oxley‘s skill with a hook than side two opener Alone with You , originally released on an EP (produced by Aussie legend Lobby Lloyd), and rerecorded as the version here which most of us know and love. First single Happy Man underlines the pop sensibilities, while showing off the understated production found throughout the album‘s 12 tracks that are, to purloin a classic saying, all killer and no filler. TOP TRACK: Alone with You FAST FACT: Sunnyboys were named after a classic 1970s “orange explosion“ flavoured Australian ice block that was originally shaped like a tetrahedron with four equilateral triangle sides.

22 NOVEMBER 2021

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