STACK #222 April 2023

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Each month we hand pick a collection of reissues, limited

editions or just straight classic long players that deserve a place in any

record collection. Words Paul Jones & Zoë Radas

POWDERFINGER DOUBLE ALLERGIC (1996) 20TH ANNIVERSARY LTD. EDN. WHITE VINYL

On their second album, Powderfinger discovered that leaving space within their ropy guitar-driven sound – and allowing

CYNDI LAUPER TRUE COLORS (1986) JB-EXCLUSIVE VOODOO VINYL

All eyes were on music’s biggest skirt-swisher in 1986, as critics slavered to see whether Cyndi Lauper could maintain the favour of her debut: the multi-platinum and Grammy-winning She’s So Unusual. And while True Colours is still youthful and wild, its touches of gravitas succeeded in giving Lauper’s star the kind of maturity she was looking for.

Bernard Fanning’s distinctively wiry and wide-mouthed delivery to loosely knot around their arrangements – was a recipe for rock success. On this limited edition vinyl to honour the Brissie group’s breakout album’s 20th anniversary, Side One gives us the grimy-elbowed Skinny Jean , the lackadaisical velour of D.A.F., and Boing Boing ’s shuddering, warped wail. Side Two packs in serene single Living Type , slinking acoustic number JC , the original CD’s four hidden tracks and more. Double Allergic marked the first time the now lauded icons cracked the ARIA Top 5; it went three times platinum, and whet Australia’s appetite for the leviathan that was 1998’s Internationalist. TOP TRACK: D.A.F. FAST FACT: The album’s second single D.A.F. is named for its chord progression, ”Because we were stupid,” bassist John Collins has said. The track hit number 18 in the ’96 Hottest 100.

Her signature hiccups and hoots send opener Change of Heart over the moon with its dramatic, churning bass and electric guitar effects (not to mention a snare that could be heard from Mars). The jaunty two-step of Maybe He’ll Know gives way to the album’s quiet standout, Boy Blue ; Lauper displays dashes of Nicks witchery here, flinging from sweetheart to renegade in her supple delivery. In the title track – the only song not written or co-written by the artist – Lauper’s childlike articulation in the verses comes across as gently encouraging rather than twee, before she pulls all the gumption from her guts and delivers the chorus’s earnest vibrato (and there’s nothing quite as stunningly poignant as her ”like a rainbow”). Lauper’s cover of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On has a slow, mambo-like rhythm and incorporates some of Gaye’s vocables, while her fabulous version of New Orleans classic Iko Iko spotlights her flair for the percussive. The Faraway Nearby and 911 are crammed with super-synthesised sounds, Lauper’s voice slicing through all the warped pan flute you can poke a stick at, and then the atmosphere returns for closer One Track Mind , an ominously pulsing soundscape with a Dracula-esque organ and bewitching, undulating middle eight.. TOP TRACK: Boy Blue FAST FACT: Backing vocals were variously provided by The Bangles, Billy Joel, and Aimee Mann; Pee Wee Herman is credited as a ”guest operator” for track nine, 911 .

BASEMENT JAXX ROOTY PINK AND BLUE VINYL REISSUE

(2001)

There are a handful of dance albums that deserve a place in any burgeoning record collection. Alongside the likes of Groove Armada’s Vertigo , The Chemical Brothers’ Exit Planet Dust , Massive Attack’s Blue Lines and Leftfield’s Leftism , Basement

THE RUBENS THE RUBENS (2012) PURPLE AND WHITE MARBLED VINYL

Seldom had the youth of Oz heard an organ and an electric guitar in such unflappable lockstep in homegrown music (we’re not letting you in, The Doors) than on The Rubens’ debut. The self-titled alt-rock

Jaxx’s Rooty is an essential addition. Duo Felix Burton and Simon Ratcliffe’s capacity to channel house, reggae, R&B, hardcore, jazz and even punk into a coherent street symphony of 12 bangers is at the heart of the record’s success. From the metal riffs and contorted Gary Numan samples on surging club anthem Where’s Your Head At, to Romeo ’s fusion of styles, the fresh sounding Rooty still holds the power to pull you out your seat. TOP TRACK: Where’s Your Head At FAST FACT: Rooty was the name of a regular club night the duo held in Brixton, London.

record puts keys right in the foreground from its opening moments, before vocalist Sam Margin slides down the banister with his Julian Casablancas face on and delivers four singles in a row. That keys, guitar and vocals are so well-meshed right across this album probably finds its reason in the fact that there’s blood behind the swagger – Sam’s brothers Elliott and Izaac have manned the piano and lead axe since The Rubens’ inception – but that doesn’t change the prevailing feeling of The Rubens , which is one of totally unhurried cool. Reissued on smooth purple and white marbled vinyl, this is one for those lazy, bratty days when you’re in the mood for cheeky disobedience, but not necessarily the rage that comes with heavy rock. TOP TRACK: Elvis FAST FACT: While recording, the band reportedly had to make a stand to stop celebrated producer and co-writer David Kahne from adding too many synth parts to their songs.

76 APRIL 2023

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