Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

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Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby fange » 27 Jul 2015, 16:06

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If anybody embodied the DIY ethos of 70s punk, it was The Saints. They were just a quartet of teenagers who liked loud rock and roll, hated the straight-laced society they were living in - in their case, 70s Brisbane - and the belief to start making their own records and setting up their own gigs.

In September '76, they recorded one of my favourite ever 7'' singles, '(I'm) Stranded' b/w 'No Time'...




...and then hastily recorded some more tunes to make a debut album when people realized these grotty Aussies were the real deal.

The 2nd album Eternally Yours is my favourite, made with more care and money, and found the band still firing together and recorded properly this time.

Here are a couple from it, 'Know Your Product' and 'Lost and Found'...




The 3rd LP, Prehistoric Sounds is where the cracks really started to show between the groups main creative forces, singer Chris Bailey and guitarist Ed Kuepper. The former wanted to keep the straight-ahead,commercial punk and rock direction, the later wanted more varied sounds and shades incorporated from the jazz, blues and soul side of things in particular.

Here are a couple from that LP, 'Swing For The Crime' and 'Everyday's A Holiday, Every Night's A Party'...




The original founding group would split after this, though the members would meet, record and play together many times over the next years right up until today. Bailey kept the rights to The Saints as a name, something which didn't sit too well with Kuepper, who would later call one of his groups The Aints in a none-too-subtle swipe at his ex-band mate.

I'll be back at a later date to talk about some their individual work in the 80s and beyond - I hope Jeff K, pig bodine, Mission and several other BCB Saints fans will come along and give some of their views and faves too.
Last edited by fange on 09 Jul 2018, 10:25, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby 'skope » 27 Jul 2015, 17:34

nice write-up, flange!

(i'm) stranded is certainly the bomb. i think it would have been difficult for any band to follow that up. unfortunately, the saints never did.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby never/ever » 27 Jul 2015, 21:58

It's funny how Bailey would be the one keeping The Saints well within their punk-origins but as soon as Kuepper left, the band took all sorts of different directions, not to mention all sorts of different musicians being part on the line-up. Still, a Little Madness and All Saints Day had some good moments- Just Like Fire Would had a fair bit of airplay in the Netherlands too where both Bailey and Kuepper played live quite a lot back in the 80s.
(I'm) Stranded is a great, great song. Still think that Know Your Product with horns is a stroke if genial madness that worked really well. You could hear the punknoscenti go 'Oi!' Still one of my faves, as is this:



Solo-Kuepper/the Aints is still imbued with a lot of the genius of the man. Have you got any favourites of of that catalogue, Ange?
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby fange » 28 Jul 2015, 04:58

Oh absolutely. Saw him live many times and in many settings, from acoustic to full on feedback assault. His prolificness and desire to do everything his way means he has largely flown under the commercial radar except for a short period in the late 80-early 90s, but he has made some fine music throughout that time. His voice was ALWAYS an acquired taste, and for many people I've talked to it's sometimes a deal breaker with Kuepper, but again his musicality shines through for me. A lot a feel, despite being technically lacking.

Here are a couple of faves of mine from Ed's Laughing Clowns period, 'New Bully in the Town'...


Jeff Wegener was just a fantastic drummer. And 'Eternally Yours'...


After he disbanded the Clowns to record and tour under his own name for a while, some of my fave tunes are 'Also Sprach The King of Euro Disco'...


'The Way I Made You Feel'...


and 'Real Wild Life'...


And the Aints were a glorious noisefest on record and live, with my fave probably 'It's Still Nowhere'...


What that man could/can do with a guitar is a bit underappreciated for mine.
Last edited by fange on 09 Jul 2018, 10:28, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby trans-chigley express » 28 Jul 2015, 05:28

A former Aussie colleague of mine was a big Ed Kuepper fan and lent me a bunch of CDs to check out. Honey Steel's Gold is one I can remember, I forget the others. I had never made the connection that he was in the Saints.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby HarryIrene » 28 Jul 2015, 16:07

That Aints album Ascension is incendiary. One of the loudest guitar albums you could want. Honey Steel's Gold was a brilliant solo album too. He was really prolific during that time, releasing loads of solo albums, sometimes 2 or 3 a year. He seems to have pretty much stopped releasing new music in the last few years. Maybe it's the economics of the music business nowadays and he can't afford to put out lots of records or he just ran out of songs.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby The Prof » 28 Jul 2015, 16:30

He looks and acts a bit like mcCartney these days

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby fange » 29 Jul 2015, 02:05

^^
Yeah, there is a touch of Macca there huh, and not just coz he's playin bass in that shot. When and where'd you get that pic, prof?
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby The Prof » 29 Jul 2015, 07:48

Taken in Leeds a few weeks ago. I dunno if it was a tour or just a few isolated gigs they were doing. They were good, but they've lost all their edge. It was hard to imagine he is still the same snotty-nosed Aussie kid from all those classic punk singles.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby fange » 29 Jul 2015, 13:02

He mellowed pretty quick, did Bailey.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby Rayge » 15 Jan 2018, 19:56

bump
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby naughty boy » 15 Jan 2018, 20:50

fange wrote:He mellowed pretty quick, did Bailey.


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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby sloopjohnc » 15 Jan 2018, 21:15

I'm Stranded is a classic, but Chris Bailey's solo albums are pretty good too.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - The Saints

Postby mentalist (slight return) » 15 Jan 2018, 21:28

Nights In Venice at the famous Paddo Town Hall gig. Oof! etc.

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