Calling All NW Experts "R"

[NuWaveRx]

Been a while since I've posted in general and several weeks since my last installment on this topic...

For the several newbies here: The following are artists/bands in a long lost edition of the the Trouser Press Record Guides that I found in my attic. Their description of some artists interests me and I'd like to see what the NW gurus out there think about them

Up to the letter R:

Radio Birdman
Raincoats
Real Kids
Red Guitars
Reducers
Tom Robinson

As always all opinions and thoughts (and sample tunes) are welcome
Thanks!

[geoffolehane]

Ah yes, the Tom Robinson Band, one of the earliest openly gay New Wavers.

The second album TRB TWO was produced in part by Todd Rundgen.

[WolverineSyr]

I LOVE the REDUCERS! [:D]

Awesome, awesome power pop with a little punky edge. I don't know a lot about them, but "Let's Go" is one of my top 10 favorite songs. I believe they're still active. Allmusic has music smaples.

[glokstadt]

I have the 12" of Red Guitars - Good Technology, which I like very much! [:D]

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[Ollie Stench]

I'm going to try to keep this short:

Radio Birdman... seminal early/proto punk band from Australia. Had a Canadian drummer and a Detroit guitar player (Deniz Tek). Tek was friends with the Stooges and MC5 and had a very similar guitar style. He moved to Australia in 1972 for medical school. Birdman formed out of the ashes of 2 bands, TV Jones, and The Rats. They gigged hard in Australia and built up a loyal following. They recorded their debut album, Radios Appear, which was released in Australia in late '77. Sire Records picked it up in '78, rearranged the song list and gave it new artwork. This is usually referred to as "Radios Appear: Overseas Edition". A European/English tour followed and the band split up while there, but not before laying down tracks for the posthumos records "Living Eyes" LP and an EP whose title is eluding me right now.

They went their seperate ways forming splinter groups such as The Hitmen, The Visitors, The New Christs, and New Race.
Deniz Tek joined the (US) Air Force because he wanted to learn to fly jets, and he became very well-respected as a pilot. Then he moved to Montana where he became the cheif surgeon in a triage unit at a hospital. Rob Younger (vocals) became a pretty well-known producer in the Aussie rock world and kept his finger on the pulse with his band The New Christs.
In 1996 they got back together for a few reunion shows and wrote 2 new songs which were released on the live-in-the-studio album "Ritualism". The reunion lasted less than a year and all went their seperate ways again.
Then late last year (2005) word got out that they were getting back together to write and record a new album. "Zeno Beach" was just released last month and has won praise from fans and critics (although I must admit I don't like it that much).

As for their sound, it is very Detroit-style hard rock with flourishes of psychedelic organ (much like the Stranglers or The Doors) and a street-wise sense of attitude. They were branded as being fascists because of everyone involved in the band, both members and members of the crew, adopted a sort of uniform, and would defend the band almost religiously.

[NuWaveRx]

Thank you everyone for your opinions

Ollie, thanks for the detailed info on Radio Birdman. Just as aside--I imagine meeting Tek is interesting. Imagine being that multitalented: Pilot, Surgeon, and pro musician

Wolvie--I'll check allmusic, I like your description

Any more want to chime in??

[randy]

TRB TWO--Love that lp!!

Real Kids--Decent local guys-garage type sound.

[Ollie Stench]

[quote][i]Originally posted by NuWaveRx[/i]
<br>Ollie, thanks for the detailed info on Radio Birdman. Just as aside--I imagine meeting Tek is interesting. Imagine being that multitalented: Pilot, Surgeon, and pro musician[/quote]

I met Tek in about 99, 2000. In addition to being all of the above he is still really grounded and level headed. His co-workers at the hospital he works at know that he was "in some band in Australia, and goes back there every once in awhile", but that's about it.

When he played here at that time his drummer was a 17 year old kid (amazing drummer!) who lived down the street from Tek. He heard the kid practicing in the garage and knocked on the door and asked the kid if he wanted to jam. I can't really imagine Ron Ashton or Wayne Kramer doing something that un-rock star.

[Ollie Stench]

Oh, and really quickly:

Raincoats - post-punk girl group get compared to the Slits but more for their gender. K Records reissued a cd of their a few years back

Real Kids - garagey powerpop, really good. Think a really rough Plimsoles.

Tom Robinson - involved in the early UK punk scene but more by same place/same time than musical style. Closer to Joe Jackson/Elvis Costello/(early) Boomtown Rats than The Damned or The Clash.

[WolverineSyr]

Wasn't Kurt Cobain into The Raincoats? I recall they had something of a comeback around the same time of the grunge scene & somehow he was connected to renewed interest in them.

I think there may have been some reissues at that time, or some new music. I was never very into them. I didn't find their music to be that interesting or melodic.

[firefall]

I agree about Raincoats-nothing very interesting,the same with Delta 5 and all this punk funk movement,which had great mentors like Gang of Four and Slits but quickly became boring and too arty.
Anyone's interested about Real Kids,id also recommend John Felice's second band,The Taxi Boys in pure poppy guitar sound with only one mini lp.

[Quite Life]

Lets add:

Real Life
The Rich Kids

[Ollie Stench]

The Rich Kids was Glen Mattlock's band after he was out of The Sex Pistols, Midge Ure after he was out of Slik (and the PVC2 project) but before Visage and Ultravox. Much more powerpop/pop than one would expect. They had a few singles, 3 maybe?, and 1 LP entitled Ghosts Of Princes In Towers. Its not bad, but not that great considering its pedigree.

Mick Jones of The Clash was breifly involved but solely as a live hired hand. He didn't really write anything, and was always billed as "surprise mystry guitar player" on flyers.

[WolverineSyr]

Jeez, I always get the Rich Kids & the Skids mixed up. It's not like they sound similar either.

I like a few of The Rich Kids songs - the aforementioned Ghosts of Princes in Towers, Bullet Proof Lover & Put You in the Picture. They are much more power-pop than you'd expect.

[firefall]

Indeed the first version of Rich Kids'''Put you on the picture'',was from short lived Pvc2(with only one ep),and before Midge Ure join for a little Thin Lizzy(!).A kind of connection exists also with Zones as had two ex Slik members along with some help from Ure.