“I don’t think there’s an Australian sound to Radio Birdman. I think there’s a Radio Birdman sound to Australia.” – Pip Hoyle, longtime keyboard player for Radio Birdman
American expat. ER doctor. US Navy flight surgeon. Deniz Tek – the lead guitarist of Radio Birdman - is the most interesting man alive. Ready but, oh, so not willing, to star in the next battery of Dos Equis commercials. Tek has little patience for such pampering. When asked about the tough life of being a rock and roller, Tek nonchalantly replies..
“Touring’s not difficult. When people talk about the hardship of the road, that’s a bunch of crap. Touring is spending all day getting to the next place and then having someone buy you dinner. Then you work for an hour and a half, and go to sleep. The next morning, you go to the next place. I mean, what could be easier than that?
Growing up on the outskirts of Detroit in the 60s, the son of a University of Michigan professor, Motor City madness runs through his veins. He recounts...
“The annual Ann Arbor Blues Festival brought in Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Hound Dog Taylor… even Led Zeppelin played there. It was cool, Led Zeppelin got kind of a lukewarm response, then One String Sam came up and brought the place down. It was like One-String Sam blew Led Zeppelin off the stage. Everyone thought that was really cool.”
A lot of people describe Radio Birdman as proto-punk. While not entirely inaccurate, it’s not entirely accurate either. A better descriptor would be proto-American Underground. Or Proto-Australian Rock. Or even proto-Kiwi Rock. More akin music evolutionary-wise to the impact of The Velvet Underground. Their sonic descendants were not so much punk bands but the broad swath of 80s American Underground bands that made up such kindred scenes as the Paisley Underground and Cowpunk. Bands like The Dream Syndicate, The Feelies, The Meat Puppets and Eleventh Dream Day.
I'm going to blame it on Australia. On the wide-open spaces. On the surf. For there's a decided pastoral element to their music. They are less city than they think they are. Or pretend to be. And that juxtaposition is what makes them stand out compared with so many of their Class of '77 brethren and ultimately makes them essential listening.
Tldr: If their record company Sire hadn't gone belly-up, they probably would have been one of the biggest names of the Class of '77. Instead they're one of the biggest & most legendary cult bands of indie rock. These are...
The TWO you NEED
1. Radios Appear (1977)
2. Living Eyes (1981)
It doesn't get talked about enough. That early Blue Oyster Cult were a massive influence on Radio Birdman. Right up there with The Stooges and MC5. And this live album from 1974 showcases that connection the best. It's like a cross between those early live Grateful Dead LPs, garage rock and old time blistering rock n' roll. There are many Blue Oyster Cult fans that feel this captures their essence even better than their first three studio albums. And I'm not really going to disagree. Highly Recommended! Ignore the haters over at Allmusic on this one!
In the upcoming week or so, I'm going to attempt the impossible - rank the TEN best punk albums of 1977! Only those ten will be inducted into my Hall Of Fame. Considering there are at least twenty Essential punk albums from that year, including the recently blogged Radios Appear, I'm already biting my nails and drinking too much coffee. Save my nails and HELP! Simply tell me what your TOP TEN PUNK Albums of 1977 would look like, ranked in order! Muchas!
edit: Ten too much? No worries! Top FIVES would also be helpful! 😎
OK here is mine (sorry a top 20) in a very broad sense (but I think I'm missing some) and knowing that many bands released two punk albums in that year:
1. Marquee Moon by Television (US) (but maybe not really to be considered a punk album rather than one of the best guitar albums ever)
2. I'm Stranded by The Saints (AU): even better than my number 3 which is an accomplishment and is very underrated
3. Never Mind The Bollocks by The Sex Pistols (UK): has long been my favorite
4. Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers (UK): Down In The Sewer
5. Motörhead by Motörhead (UK): maybe more metal but with a real punk atmosphere
6. No More Heroes by The Stranglers (UK): Something Better Change was the first punk song that really hit me hard.
7. Lust For Life by Iggy Pop (UK) was the first song I taped on my new cassette player when I was 14.
8. Rocket To Russia by The Ramones (US)
9. Damned, Damned, Damned by The Damned (UK)
10. Pure Mania by The Vibrators (UK)
11. This Is The Modern World by The Jam (UK)
12. Leave Home by The Ramones (US)
13. Pink Flag by Wire (UK): funny that you already could call it post punk while it was released in 1977
14. The Clash by The Clash (UK)
15. In The City by The Jam
16. Blank Generation by Richard Hell & The Vodoids (US)
17. Music For Pleasure by The Damned
18. Stick To Me by by Graham Parkerr & The Rumour
19. My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello
20. Life On the Line by Eddie & The Hot Rods: I added this album to complete the top 20 because I never listened to it but is the most important punk album on my wishlist but there are others like The Dictators
Of course many of these albums would never be called punk if they had not been released in 1977. I'm also certain the order would change if I listened to some of those albums again. So I'm very interested how this turns out...
I went to RYM and narrowed it down to punk from 1977 (which I'm sure you probably already did) and I saw a bunch of albums I was familiar with and a few that were new. I'll have to check out a few in the top 40 I'm unfamiliar with. 2 albums that show up on the list that I've been digging a lot lately would be.
Eddie and the Hot Rods debut, Teenage Depression, may be a bit more raw, but their songwriting solidifed on the second album Life on the Line.
I picked up the album for $7 at one of my local shops, and i think it was a good pickup. Endlessly catchy hooks and groovy tunes.
As far as The Stranglers are concerned, I never used to like them that much when compared to their counterparts of The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and The Damned, but I've recently caught on to what made them standout (and I'm not talking about the keyboards). They may have had even more apathy towards the world than the rest of them, which is really saying something. They're just pissed at the world on "No More Heroes".
Hey, this got me thinking about some singles that came out in '77 from bands that may not have released an album. Here's a bunch of singles from bands that never really made proper albums. (Except for the Buzzcocks of course.)
OK here is mine (sorry a top 20) in a very broad sense (but I think I'm missing some) and knowing that many bands released two punk albums in that year:
5. Motörhead by Motörhead (UK): maybe more metal but with a real punk atmosphere
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this pick! Very inspired choice. It was not even on my radar at the time of my initial post two days ago. But listening to it and their recordings that preceded it by a year or so - the On Parole LP which was eventually released in 1979 - again with fresh ears has been illuminating. First off, this album has aged well. I would now rank it in Motorhead's top 5. The songs "Motorhead", "Iron Horse/Born To Lose", "White Line Fever" are all vintage, fully-formed Motorhead classics. And the second track, "Vibrator" is totally a pub rock/punk rock song that wouldn't have sounded out of place on The Vibrators' debut, actually! So yeah... I don't know if it will make my top ten, BUT it's fricken' close. It's got its own personality and sound which I like. AND I would definitely classify it with the Class of '77. It's absolutely part of the same wave!
Definitely Highly Recommended! Perhaps Essential. Maybe even HOF!!! To be continued...
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Great call, 1Chief! Pub Rock has completely gotten the shaft! I’ve seen countless punk lists and charts over the years, and pub rock bands always get left off which is bollocks plain & simple. They built the concert circuit, established the back to the basics movement, and most importantly released some of the best rock & roll albums of the mid 70s. So I’m psyched to see that both dihansse and 1Chief are NOT making the same mistake that I and countless other list makers have made over the years by leaving them out. Because Eddie & The Hot Rods' Teenage Depression belongs in the conversation of first punk rock albums ever!
Just like Nirvana didn’t suddenly come from nowhere, neither did the Sex Pistols and The Clash.
Blimey, mate, just check out their cover of The Who’s "The Kids Are Alright." It's a fricken' punk landmark spray painted on the bathroom stall. A harder, rougher, & rowdier version of The Who. Which sounds like a pretty apt definition of mid-70s British punk to me when you get right down to it.
Essential (1976)!
So I will absolutely be considering their follow-up from 1977 - Life On The Line - for the top ten and thus a Hall Of Fame slot. Just like Motörhead's Motörhead it will be close.
Last edited by Repo on 08/17/2020 21:07; edited 1 time in total
Hey, this got me thinking about some singles that came out in '77 from bands that may not have released an album. Here's a bunch of singles from bands that never really made proper albums. (Except for the Buzzcocks of course.)
Great idea! Holds true across a lot of genres we're covering. Here's a track from '81 I just discovered from Aragorn - a NWOBHM band that influenced Hellhammer...
Well, that didn’t take long. Anvil were quickly dethroned as the speed metal champs of the Great White North only a year into their reign. They gave it a good fight. Upping their own metal game with Forged In Fire, but that was no match for Exciter. Many still consider Heavy Metal Maniac the quintessential speed metal album. The bench post by which all speed metal is gauged & tallied. It’s basic, brutal no holds barred metal with zero commercial aspirations. It is Priest and Iron Maiden on steroids. All bulked out and full of brawn. You could even call it simple-minded, but that would just make you a killjoy. A compact & tight brick of a band that just wanted to rock out, drink some beer and have fun. So not that far removed from Anvil. Lol. Kind of makes me want to move to Canada. The older I get, the more I appreciate that approach to life. Don’t overthink things. Drink a few beers on a Saturday night with friends. And, of course, rock out!
If you're still on the hunt for good Italian doom, here's a fantastic psychedelic rock/traditional doom EP. I know you'll like it 😉 _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
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