The Sound And The Fury

AMM 2021 Feature Album Day 4

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 11:02:00 +0000

Kahvas Jute were a heavy and loud blues based rock band, who made this one incredible album and then kinda went nowhere. The album is now highly collectable, and I wish I owned it. It was released in early 1971 on Infinity Records through Festival, and never scored a repress, so originals are scarce. It sounds incredible and the remaster on Aztec circa 2006 sounds brilliant. Bassist Bobby Daisley has a field day here, and so does teenage guitarist Tim Gaze. Gaze went on to re-join Tamam Shud after this album (he was in the Shud before he split to form Kahvas Jute) and Daisley went to England and played in Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne in the 80s, among many others since.

AMM 2021 Feature Album, Day 3

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 10:38:00 +0000

Courtney Barnett is an incredible and unique songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. She has a unique style of singing, almost half sung and half spoken, but she tells a great story and plays a mean guitar. This live set for MTV Unplugged (who knew that was still a thing, huh?) is relaxed and gives her space to jam and to get some friends in the process. One of whom is Paul Kelly....

AMM 2021 Feature Album Day 2:

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 05:34:00 +0000

Richard Clapton is a legend. As a singer songwriter he's as good, if not better than Jackson Browne, and this album, his fourth, is one of his very best. Tracks like "Deep Water", "Goodbye Tiger" and "Down In The Lucky Country" are things of beauty. Also features the guitar stylings of Kirk Lorange (no apostrophe!)

Australian Music Month (AMM) Feature Album Day 1

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 10:51:00 +0000

Skulker were an all-female, four piece Alt.rock band from Sydney. This is their debut album and its exuberance is infectious.

The title of the album is so named because they were kicked out of a potentially lucrative spot on the entertainment lineup of Club Med in Tahiti for being....

They at least got their vengeance by cheekily naming their debut after such a mortifying incident.

Australian Music Month (AMM) Feature Album Day 0

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 10:46:00 +0000

Every year in November the ABC hosts Australian Music Month, and every year in November I listen to an Australia album every day, and share the picture on our socials.

Day 0: Kings of the Sun - Full Frontal Attack

Why Day 0? Well I made my career in the IT industry, and IT personnel know that numbers in computing start at zero, and so does our annual countdown.

Kings of the Sun were a band that were in a similar league to the hair metal bands of the LA strip in the 80s, but they were much more streetwise, and nowhere near as gratuitously ridiculous and grandiose as Motley Crue, RATT or Poison. Their first album was produced in America by Eddie Kramer, famous for working with Led Zeppelin among other artists. It had a big polished sound, but none of their singles charted higher than #47 in Australia and their albums sold well, but not well enough to be remembered.

Full Frontal Attack was produced by William Wittman and did poorly in the marketplace, despite some provocative press advertising.

As a record, it still stands up, but I still reach for their first album as a preference. This one has a few flat spots in terms of songs, but tracks like "Drop The Gun" are indispensable.

The Beatles reissue and remix "Let It Be"

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 10:15:00 +0000

For the last few years, The Beatles have been reissuing remixed versions of their most treasured albums: Sgt Pepper, The White Album, Abbey Road, and my original thought has been "why?" I love those albums, but really, the only reason I can think of for remixing them is to do away with the dodgy 60s sounding stereo mixes. The engineers of the time didn't spend too much time on them (they spent all their energies perfecting the mono mix), so the panning of instruments sounds a bit odd to modern ears.

And so it comes around to Let It Be in 2021. It too received the remix treatment, and again, why? Paul McCartney has already issued "Let It Be: Naked" in 2003. So let's dig into the what's here and why.

Let It Be was a contentious project from the get go. Morale in the band was at an all time low, and trying to flesh out an idea for a project to re-ignite enthusiasm was difficult. The idea was to work up new material and play live again, but they owed their film company another picture - Yellow Submarine still was a way off yet.

The Apple Corps project was a way to keep ownership of more of their money and intellectual property, so they formed a label and a publishing company, a recording studio, an electronics R&D centre, and a fashion boutique. Largely, it was a disaster. The Apple Boutique was a haven for shoplifters and lost money hand over foot, Magic Alex, in charge of electronic R&D was a shyster who squandered loads of cash and achieved nothing, and the record label was short lived and only moderately successful. It all went downhill from there.

Get Back, as the project was originally coined, was designed as a circuit breaker, to get back to basics and work together as a band creating music, as opposed to in isolation as it was for most of the White Album. They also decided to film the creative process, but more on that later.

Over the course of January 1969 they set about working up material, and also loosely jamming on old songs and vintage favourites. The filming took place on a sound stage at a film studio, but that was fraught with tension too. The live concert idea went through many iterations and ideas and they ended up just jamming on the roof of their offices in Saville Row, London.

The project was shelved ultimately after no one could agree on a final product. A single was released from the project, "Get Back"/"Don't Bring Me Down" but nothing else surfaced.

Glyn Johns, an engineer who would soon go on to engineer some of The Who's major triumphs, like "Who's Next" had a crack at making an album of the tapes, but the Beatles shelved his version. The only part that saw the light of day from Johns' mixes was the "Get Back" single. The tapes were handed over to Phil Spector, for him to tamper with, and provide the album we've all loved since 1970.

Spector's production was notorious, because he added massed choirs, reverb and overblown orchestrations to the mix and to some listeners (and especially Paul McCartney), it killed the music with kindness. That's why Paul remixed and reissued Let It Be in the "Naked" format in 2003 - the way he wanted it to sound.

This new boxed set was particularly anticipated by me, as I do love the music on this album, but as there has already been a revisionist version previously issued, plus outtakes on the Beatles Anthology and a number of bootlegs of this material, what is there that could be exhumed from the vaults that would be interesting?

As it turns out, this box included the official release of the Glyn Johns mix, although that has been doing the rounds on the internet as a bootleg for years now. The rest of the alternate takes are works in progress, that are reasonably sloppy and don't add much to the picture of the album's creation. There are some demos of songs that would end up on post Beatles solo albums, like Teddy Boy and Gimme Some Truth, and some rehearsals for songs that ended up on Abbey Road, however, a lot of that stuff was also on Anthology 3.

The real revelations are the jams with Billy Preston, like "Without a Song", and a band rehearsal of "All Things Must Pass" that was rejected as a Beatles song (which is unthinkable knowing what we know now!).

The real money, in my view, is the fact that director Peter Jackson has been through the 50 hours of video footage and is creating a 6-hour documentary from the remaining footage that wasn't issued in the original 1970 film. There promises to be some seriously fascinating things uncovered in that, and for that I cannot wait.

Review: The Cast, by Michael Waugh

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 07:08:00 +0000

Michael Waugh - “The Cast”

Michael Waugh has released his new record entitled “The Cast”. I’ve reviewed his previous albums before, and I've said in the past his albums are pretty much a trademark of quality. They’re all beautifully produced and accompanied by Shane Nicholson. The songs are interesting and heart-wrenching. This fourth album is no different.

This isn’t trying to sound dismissive. Quite the opposite, in fact. However, it would make for a boring review if that was all you could say about the record. The fact is, with each new release, Michael is in fact becoming braver as a storyteller. Each subsequent album has taken bigger and bolder steps in directions other country performers, nay ANY modern performers, fear to tread.

What makes “The Cast” so compelling is that this is, quite simply, “dangerous” music. Dangerous to every bloke, simply because it dares to challenge and question the very core of masculinity we all grew up with. The core beliefs that boys from the 1980s and older all carry with them (I know, because I’m one of them). It dares to point out that all the crap we grew up believing we had to be, in order to be a “real man” is exactly that - crap. These are songs that dare to shoot holes in the facade that we’re all guilty of wearing.

And what’s more, songs like “He Taught Me” and “The Cast” also are textbook examples of something that us “real men” are terrified of: being vulnerable. Real men can’t be vulnerable. Boys don’t cry, or some shit. Being vulnerable is when the hunter becomes the hunted. It’s where you become less than you hold yourself to be.

Michael Waugh’s music reminds me that this model of masculinity needs to change - for the good of men everywhere, our partners, our kids, and for society at large. These songs remind me that I have feelings too - as much as I don’t want to admit that I do. And bloody hell, they don't half hit me deeply.

Speaking of dangerous, the album opener “Swollen” dares to call us fellas all out for being - complacent at best, ignorant at worst, about our battles with food, the struggle to stay healthy as we age, the battle to lose weight and stupid backhanded jokes we throw at each other when we plump up a bit. “You look like you’ve been in a good paddock, mate”.

While we’re at it, “Dark” looks at alcohol-fueled blokes and the danger they can be for unsuspecting women on a night out. A big topic to be discussed, and one we try hard to avoid, and one we cannot escape now.

During the writing and recording process of this album, two of Michael’s biggest influences - his mum and dad - both passed away. There are beautiful tributes to them in the form of “He Taught Me” and “Hold On To The Ones You Love”. “Too Many Drawers”, in honour of his late mother, is made all the more poignant because it features Felicity Urquhart, herself a legend in Australian Country circles, and an artist that was a favourite of Michael’s mum.

This is an album of music with its heart on its sleeve, and blood and guts on its boots. It’s a rare artist who finds new ways to move me to tears with each new album. It’s almost as if he has looked into my soul at my deepest and darkest memories and fears, grabbed half a dozen of them and turned them into songs powerful enough to tear down the rugged macho shell I’ve spent my entire life building around myself. Come album number 5 in a couple of years time, no doubt he’ll do it all again. But for now, “The Cast” has given me cause to stop, pause and reflect on who I am and what needs to change. If a few more of us can do that as a result of listening to this album, Michael will have changed the world. If only a little bit.

The Sound and the Fury Podcast Season Three

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 05:11:00 +0000

The Sound and the Fury Podcast

Season Three

What is the Sound and the Fury Podcast?
It’s a series of short programs about music. This is my story, of a socially awkward kid, growing up in rural parts of the NSW Hunter Valley, trying to find a culture in a place of blandness and mediocrity. Trying to find something meaningful to hang on to, in a place where heroes are hard to find. Fortunately there was music to fill the void, and i found it in unlikely places and from unlikely sources.

Season Three looks at some of the music that is near and dear to me, and the often obscure places I found it.

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Episode 21: George Formby

Episode 22: Redgum

Episode 23: Chad Morgan

Episode 24: Cold Chisel

Episode 25: The Stone Roses

Episode 26: The Mixtape From Hell

Episode 27: My First Gig

Episode 28: Harvest on Vinyl

Episode 29: Nirvana

Episode 30: Slade

Take a listen and immerse yourself in this. Enjoy! For more Sound and the Fury Podcasts:

Click Here for Season One

Click Here for Season Two

The Sound and the Fury Podcast Season Two

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 04:47:00 +0000

The Sound and the Fury Podcast

Season Two

Season Two looks at my earliest musical development, from my first steps at learning an instrument, to navigating my way through music education and then onto pub stages in my home town as a fan, roadie and band member.

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Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

Episode 17: A Tribute to Strange Brew

Episode 18: The Atomic Fish Files Part 1

Episode 19: The Atomic Fish Files Part 2

Episode 20: The Atomic Fish Files Part 3

Bonus Episode: The Atomic Fish Files - The Director's Cut

Complete with bonus material included.

Take a listen and immerse yourself in this. Enjoy!

For more Sound and the Fury Podcast, click here for Season One
Click here for Season Three

The Sound and the Fury Podcast Season One

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 12:18:00 +0000

The Sound and the Fury Podcast

Season One

Season One looks at my earliest recollections of the music that had a major impact on me.

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Episodes 1 and 2:

Episodes 3 and 4:

Episode 5: Newcastle Reflections

Episode 6: The Who

Episode 7: The Treasure Chest

Episode 8: Charles Bradley

Episode 9: Radio

Episode 10: An Introduction to Michael Waugh

Episode 11: Use Your Illusion

Episode 12: Farewell to the World

Bonus Episode: Getting By - The History and Music of Even

Take a listen and immerse yourself in this. Enjoy!

For more Sound and the Fury Podcast

click here for Season Two

Click here for Season Three

The Sound and the Fury Podcast Returns...

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 11:58:00 +0000

The Sound and the Fury Podcast returns...

...with an actual podcast!

This podcast has been in the works for a while now and it makes sense to post the shows here instead of the mess that is my Mixcloud page. I'm still at a loss as to whether this is good enough to be uploaded to Spotify yet, and as such I have kept it purely to Mixcloud.

The Sound and the Fury Podcast, the show, is an autobiographical show that tells a little bit about me but also explains how my life has been shaped by the biggest love of my life: music. It looks into the cultural aspects of New South Wales in the 1980s where I grew up, in particular around the Newcastle area, and it tries to make sense of where I've come from.

It is available here on Mixcloud

Metallica’s "Load" at 25

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 11:45:00 +0000

This year, June 4 marks 25 years of the release of Metallica’s controversial album “Load”. Although it was a huge seller at the time, it drove an ideological wedge through the band’s fanbase, and even between band members. The story is a rich and complex one, and one that really needs to ask questions of both band and their fans.

Metal fans are an unforgiving bunch. They know what they want from their favourite band, or so they think. They want the same thing but better than last time. This goes a long way to explaining why a Status Quo record from 2010 sounds a lot like one from 1972. Yet for creative types, musicians especially, it can get tiring retreading the same formula over and over again. The problem is that fans are always the first to tell their heroes “I've followed you from the very beginning, but what you’re doing now is a travesty, man”.

It reminds me of that scene in the Simpsons where Bart and Lisa are persuaded to participate in the focus group about cartoon show Itchy and Scratchy, and their responses lead creator Roger Meyers Jr to snap at them “you kids don’t know what you like!”

Herein lies the problem. How can Metallica, one of the most influential metal bands of the late 20th century, a band who were one of the defining acts of a new genre called “Thrash Metal”, diversify and try something new, still keep their muse intact, and yet keep their fans happy? If they go one way, they’ll be hammered for doing the same thing as they’ve always done and this time it sounds boring. If they move too far away from their “signature sound”, they’ll be criticised for sounding nothing like they used to. Metallica fans had already been asked to relax their standards to accept the new glistening and streamlined sound on the band’s 1991 self titled album, after the band explained that the complex arrangements of the songs on their 1988 album “...And Justice for All” were too complex to pull off successfully on stage.

As music fans, we don’t know what we want, really.

And let’s face it. We didn’t know we needed Metallica, or Nirvana or the Beatles or ANYONE of any of the millions of artists and musicians in our lives until we heard them for the first time, right? So how do we know if any new record by any band is worth listening to?

And is “Load” any good, after all this time and listening to it again with fresh ears?

Well it depends on what your metric for evaluation of it is.

Does it stand up against the band’s classic works that came before?

And does it hang together as a body of songs unto itself?

On both fronts, “Load” is found wanting.

“Load” was never going to hold a candle to “Master of Puppets” or “Ride the Lightning”. Nor could it - as musicians and as people, the members of Metallica had changed. They were never going to write those sorts of songs again. Change is inevitable, but rarely is it accepted by metal fans who just want loud and heavy. As a work that explores new horizons, it is admirable and brave, but it misses all the aspects of Metallica that make them unique. Instead of incorporating new directions into their sound, they spend too much time trying to sound like other bands. Bands like Clutch, Kyuss and Gov’t Mule, who were likely influenced by Metallica originally, and bands who do this kind of groove-heavy sound better.

As a body of songs? Well...the band have put all their stock in the riffs and forgotten to write melodies to most of these songs. And the riffs themselves aren’t terribly interesting. Standard blues rock fare that has been done a million times before, with a leaden backbeat that doesn’t know how to swing.

Knowing what Metallica’s fanbase is like, it takes some balls to put out a song like “Mama Said”, with its loose country twang and lap steel guitars on it. It also takes some guts to put out “Until It Sleeps” which was so clearly influenced by grunge that it sounds like an outtake from a Smashing Pumpkins album. They get credit for being daring in the face of audience expectations, but it doesn’t make them highlights.

If there is a jewel anywhere in this rusty crown of a record, it is “Hero of the Day”, which has a gorgeous heartbroken melody and good use of swelling dynamics. A highlight on an overlong album with very few of them. At 79 minutes long, the album has a lot of noise but is short on clever configurations of it. I should be thankful that it’s not a longer album. The final track “The Outlaw Torn” had to be trimmed of 50 seconds in order for the album to fit on one CD.

Most, if not all of the hair metal bands who survived the grunge explosion of 1991 were given a bit of a kick up the butt from the younger upstarts of the new scene, leading many to evolve and change their look and sound. Metallica did the same, cutting their hair (Shock! Horror!) and trying to move in new directions. The first fruits of these changes are on “Load” and despite spending 12 months recording it, Metallica still came up with something that is less than the sum of its parts.

In a strange way, the harbinger for the disastrous few years to come after the release of this album was when singer James Hetfield and bassist Jason Newstead made a trip to Australia in person to appear on Triple J’s Request Fest in May 1996 to premiere the album’s lead single “Until it Sleeps”. They played the song twice and Hetfield and Newstead took talkback from the fans, who largely panned it. This led to many callers getting a serve from Newstead, being told they weren’t real fans because they couldn’t understand where they were coming from. “Load” then only sold about a quarter of what their previous self-titled album sold. And then the Napster thing happened. Then things turned into a full blown crisis when it came to record what eventually became the “St Anger” album, with the band hiring a “personal enhancement coach” to counsel the band and to sort out their personal issues before a record could be made, as seen in the film “Some Kind of Monster”.

To the credit of the band, they have managed to stave off the heat of criticism by keeping a steady stream of fan club only releases of live sets from the “golden” era, keeping fans happy while trying out new things on their albums, including a highly controversial duet project with Lou Reed, but that’s for another time…

Guns n' Roses' Use Your Illusion at 30

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 11:38:00 +0000

September 17, 2021 marks 30 years since Guns ‘N’ Roses made the most audacious step of their career up to that point, and released two new albums of all new material on the same day - Use Your Illusion 1 and Use Your Illusion 2.

Guns and Roses sprung up out of the LA hard rock and metal scene, lumped in with bands like Motley Crue and Poison, with their long hair and leather clothes. However, GnR were far more street-wise and dirty. Their image was less about being made up and coiffured; theirs was “lived in” - from the squalor and grime of the city’s seedy underbelly. This made them far more threatening to the parents of suburban middle American teens, and it meant that their records sold by the truckload. Their debut album “Appetite for Destruction” was a slow burner upon release in 1987, but when the now-iconic ballad “Sweet Child O’Mine” was released after the record was in stores for almost a year, the band’s success took off like a rocket.

In Australia, Guns n Roses were the preserve of the metalhead community. At the time, the cool surfie kids at my high school didn’t listen to that sort of music - they were all into Midnight Oil and INXS. Only the socially awkward types who wore black jeans and flannelette shirts listened to heavy metal. “Appetite for Destruction” was the album I played at low volume or in headphones, lest my mum heard the swearing in it, and confiscated the tape.

Something happened between the release of “Appetite...” and “Use Your Illusion..” though. There seemed to be a cross pollination of the tastes of each of the sub-groups at school and all of a sudden the surfies are now listening to Metallica. This meant that expectation for a new GnR album, which felt like forever since their last album, was at fever pitch.

When the Use Your Illusion albums were released in 1991, it seemed like an over-correction of sorts. The band essentially copped out on a proper followup to “Appetite for Destruction” with what really amounts to little more than a double EP - a reissue of their debut “Live *?@! Like a Suicide” on side 1 with 4 new acoustic songs on side 2, a record called “G’n’R Lies”.

What we were treated to, after nearly three years of hype, rumour and scuttlebutt, was 150 minutes of new music, which also included a couple of songs that were drip fed to the public as part of film soundtracks (“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was in Days of Thunder, while “You Could Be Mine” was the signature tune attached to Terminator 2: Judgement Day). They were never intended as a double album, however their titles and artwork almost beg you to treat them as one complete piece.

Collectively, the two albums run the gamut of styles, from pounding punk rock, to country, blues, sneering vitriol, multi-part epics, heartfelt ballads, and an ill-advised attempt at rap music. No fewer than six tracks clock in at over 7 minutes long, the longest being “Coma” at over 10 minutes long, which comes complete with a defibrillator solo.

Most record stores were offering deals and discounts to customers to buy both records together, as my local store did and therefore, upon release, both albums hit the top of the ARIA album charts at the same time. Although, there is only room for one title at the #1 spot, and so UYI 2 scored that spot, with UYI 1 at number 2. For the next 18 months, both albums were rarely out of the Australian top 50 album charts, although Use Your Illusion 1 seemed to hang around longer.

Thirty years on, with the band about to tour Australia again in November (pandemic permitting), have the albums stood the test of time?

History shows us that being self indulgent enough to release two very long albums in one go at that point was a bad idea - with grunge just around the corner, waiting to consign the pomposity of hair metal into the past. That said, what we’re left with is a collection of songs that, when taken together, are as wild and as careering an experience as any of the classic double albums like The Beatles’ “The White Album” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk”. In its own way, like those albums, some songs deserve to be removed, some edited.

There is still no forgiving vocalist Axl Rose’s rant against rock journalists, abusing them by name in “Get In The Ring”. There was no need for the alternate lyric version of “Don’t Cry” on UYI 2 when the original version is perfectly decent. The subtle beauty of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” didn’t need to be bludgeoned to death with Axl’s heavy handed arrangement of it, and times have changed now such that the misogyny of “Back off Bitch” really doesn’t belong here anymore.

The risks the band takes are, more often than not, rewarding. The sprawling, multipart suites of “November Rain” and “Estranged” are still beautiful; the 10 minute total-recall-nightmare of a drug overdose “Coma” is still chilling; and “Civil War” is still poignant. They still sound most at home on the pounding rockers, like “Right Next Door To Hell”, “Shotgun Blues”, “Double Talkin’ Jive”, “Pretty Tied Up”, “Locomotive”, “You Could Be Mine”. Axl’s breathless savagery on “Garden of Eden” is every bit as bracing now as it was then.

Most surprising however, is how comfortable they sound being bluesy and occasionally vulnerable. When Axl relaxes the reins a bit, and lets Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan a bit of room to play, you get outstanding tracks like “Dust and Bones” and “14 Years”. When Rose lets his guard down we get songs like “Dead Horse” and “Yesterdays” which show a gift for melody which he is rarely given credit for.

If one is to take the two albums as a unified whole, across 8 sides of vinyl as my copy is, the whole thing runs out of steam on UYI 2, where it feels like things like the overlong country rock experiment “Breakdown” were just thrown in just to make up the numbers. Was a cover of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” truly necessary? What was the point of the 86-second closing track “My World” where Axl tries on his best Ice T impression and comes off sounding like sour milk?

It is revisionist of me to try and edit these albums down to a single album. There’s more wheat than chaff on this record. However it's up to each listener to determine that. We have Spotify and Apple Music now, we can all make our own playlist of the highlights and make our own perfect version of the album. As it stands, its a perfect example of the decadence and excess of the time, just before it all came crashing down.

Oh well, whatever, nevermind…

Is Australian Radio pulling its weight?

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 11:48:00 +0000

Radio in Australia forms a dual passion and frustration for me. Passion in that it continues to fascinate me as to how content is created and presented so seamlessly, and frustration in how it so often misses the mark.

Radio occupies a unique position in the media landscape. It provides something that everyone has ready access to, and despite a changing entertainment landscape under pressure from Spotify, Netflix and other streaming giants, it continues to be successful.

With its continuing success, it could be argued that content directors are feeling untouchable, making content safe and bland enough not to offend anybody. Therefore it should come as no surprise to read that commercial radio are not upholding their local content quota requirements.

The reason these quotas exist in the first place is because commercial radio have never taken Australian music seriously. The quotas were instigated in 1942 for 2.5% locally composed music to be played in all radio programming. It was increased to 20% in 1976, and capped at 25% under the Australia/United States Free Trade Agreement. It has taken the ABC and community radio to pick up the slack, but it's still not an even balance.

Community Radio works hard to extend the music industry by giving airtime to bands that otherwise wouldn't see airplay, and the ABC are doing their best on Triple J and on Digital Radio with Triple J Unearthed and Double J. These sectors of the industry are not bound by local content quotas, so why are they doing the heavy lifting? The commercials have the money and the coverage. Why do they continue to drag their feet?

It may be that many stations are lost in the fog. Since rebranding a lot of regional stations under the name Triple M, Southern Cross Austereo have spent more money and airtime trying to be everything to everybody and doing very little of it well. The idea of Triple M is different in every market and there seems to be no unity between the music they play. The only constant seems to be an over-dominance of Football content. They seem to have taken up the idea that "you'll never go broke selling sport to Australians", with wall-to-wall rugby league in NSW with the occasional song thrown in the mix. The other way around the local content quota is to be a talk radio station, or to program a "Pure Gold" format, which plays no music newer than 2005.

I have written in these pages before about the cultural cringe and why Australian quotas are necessary. Years later, things haven't changed and I'm wondering if they ever will.

Michael Waugh - "The Asphalt and the Oval"

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 11:39:00 +0000

Image Source: The Groove Merchants

Michael Waugh is a rare artist. One that has a unique gift of compelling listeners with taste outside of his genre to sit up and take notice of his music. One that has the gift to be able to write songs to reduce grown men to tears. One who has the ability to tell stories from his own life we can all relate to.

With the release of his second album “The Asphalt and the Oval”, Michael has created another set of songs that tell the stories of those closest to him and those he's met in his many travels. They're told in a way that is universal; told in a way that feels real to everyone listening. These stories have happened to the people he knows, but they've all happened to us too. Some of us were the footy heroes of the school yard, the awkward kid reading under a tree, the struggling farmer trying to compete against big corporations. And even if you weren't any of these, by the end of it you feel a heavy sense of empathy for the predicaments of the characters in the song.

This is also the second album made with Alt.Country artist Shane Nicholson at his studio on the NSW Central Coast. Michael lays down his dexterous guitar playing and plaintive vocals while Shane provides all the instrumental backing, perfectly complimenting but never dominating the songs. Michael never shies away from his natural accent, adding that extra air of authenticity to the music.

Michael writes songs that are compelling not only because the stories are heartfelt and human, but they carry a sting in the tail - when you think you know the direction of the story by the end of the second verse, in the third verse he throws a curveball and turns it all upside down. The new single “Baling Twine” is a classic example. A small family farm inherited by two brothers, who struggle to hold on against automated production complexes moving in around them, the twist in the third verse packs an emotional punch.

This new set of songs tackles some of the same subjects handled on his debut “What We Might Be” but in many cases, he furthers the narratives on “Asphalt”. On his debut we're introduced to his mother on “Heyfield Girl” and some of her struggle is discussed further here in the eloquently titled “Shit Year”. Where the single from his previous album “Paul” deals with bullying as a result of kids being unable to accept difference, this is furthered with a twist on “They Don't Let Girls In The Game”. “The Asphalt and the Oval” also contains heartfelt reflections on fatherhood in “For a Moment” and “Kindergarten Fete”, and some fun reminiscences of being a country teenager in the 1980s in “Acid Wash” and “Driving With The Windows Down". The title track sees Michael reconciling with his past, laying down his grudges towards his school tormentors and celebrating the survivor with a bright future he’s become, and all with his unique brand of country humility.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the album for me is how Michael shines a cold hard spotlight on the nature of masculinity. While this topic is never far from discussion in country music, this time the behaviour of blokes is boldly analysed and examined - not in a judgmental or demeaning way, but not with rose coloured glasses either. The album’s second single “Footy Trip” paints a dark picture of blokes letting off steam on an end of season trip to the big smoke. “Tapping” is a sadly all too familiar tale of barmaids and the overzealous amorous advances by blokes who've had a few too many…

The jewel in the crown is the album’s first single “Little C Word”. How do you write a song about swearing in a way that will get played on radio? The answer is in this cleverly constructed song. And again, the sting is in the tail - watch that curve ball in the third verse.

Golden Guitar-winning country artist Matt Scullion said “It's easy to make people dance [with your music], but it's a lot harder to make them listen. And [Michael] makes them listen.” Michael Waugh is that rare artist - One with something to say, and one who says something that is worth listening to.

"The Asphalt and the Oval" is available now.

2016 Wrap-up

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Well, I for one am glad 2016 is done and dusted. It wasn't a great year personally for me, and for those of us who follow the world of music and entertainment, we lost too many great people.

I stopped writing this year because life got in the way, but in retrospect, there would have been too many "Vale" posts to write.

Here's a fairly thorough list of the entertainers we lost in 2016:

Robert Stigwood (artist manager for Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, et al)
David Bowie
Glenn Frey (guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for the Eagles)
Alan Rickman (notable for the character "Professor Snape" in the Harry Potter franchise)
Bryce Rohde (Aussie Jazz Pianist)
Paul Kantner (Guitarist in the Jefferson Airplane)
Maurice White (Vocalist from Earth, Wind and Fire)
Vanity (of Prince-associated project Vanity 6)
Harper Lee (author of the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird")
Sir George Martin (producer of many great records, including all of the Beatles catalog)
Jon English (Australian Rock star and theatre actor)
Keith Emerson (keyboardist of the Nice and Emerson Lake and Palmer)
Frank Sinatra Jnr (son of the late crooner Frank Sinatra)
Steve Young (outlaw Country singer)
Phife Dawg (rapper from A Tribe Called Quest)
Dennis Davis (drummer with David Bowie and Stevie Wonder)
Merle Haggard (Outlaw country singer)
Pete Zorn (multi-instrumentalist with Steeleye Span and Richard Thompson, among others)
Prince
Billy Paul (American soul singer, whose biggest hit was "Me and Mrs Jones")
Muhummad Ali (boxer and media figure)
Mac Cocker (Triple J broadcasting pioneer and father of Jarvis Cocker from Pulp)
Bernie Worrell (keyboard wizard with Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Heads)
Mac Rice (writer of "Mustang Sally" and Staple Singers' "Respect Yourself")
Bud Spencer (a favourite actor of mine, in films like "They Call me Trinity")
Scotty Moore (guitarist on all the early Elvis Presley records)
Alan Vega (founder of post-punk band Suicide)
Sandy Pearlman (manager of Blue Oyster Cult and founder of online download service E-Music)
Viola Beach (British band, all members of which died in a car accident)
Ronnie Corbett (British Comedian)
Rudy Van Gelder (producer of the some of the finest jazz records of the 20th century)
Prince Buster (Jamaican Reggae pioneer)
Buckwheat Zydeco (accordionist and Zydeco musician)
Ross Higgins (his most famous work was as Ted Bullpit in "Kingswood Country")
Fergus Miller, aka Bored Nothing (Australian indie Musician)
Mode Allison (American jazz pianist)
Milt Okun (producer for Warner Bros Records in the 1960s and 1970s)
Sharon Jones (American Soul Singer)
Hugh McDonald (songwriter and violinist in Redgum)
Florence Henderson (best known for her role as Carol Brady in "The Brady Bunch")
Ray Columbus (NZ singer in Ray Columbus and the Invaders, famous for their original hit "She's a Mod" in 1964)
Wayne Duncan (Daddy Cool)
Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool)
Leonard Cohen
Greg Lake (bassist in Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson)
Alan Thicke (American actor)
Rick Parfitt (rhythm guitarist in Status Quo)
George Michael (founder of WHAM! and solo artist)
Carrie Fisher (best known for her role as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" franchise)
Debbie Reynolds (mother of Carrie Fisher, actress)

Wow. We will miss each and every one of them.

Here's hoping for a better 2017. Happy new year to you all.

Last Words on...Glenn Frey

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 16 May 2016 12:17:00 +0000

Vale Glenn Frey

Eagles songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Glenn Frey passed away on January 18, 2016.

Despite a 14 year absence between their initial breakup in 1980 and their MTV reunion special in 1994, and then sporadic moments in the public eye between then and the release of their first new music since "The Long Run" ("Long Road out of Eden" appeared in 2008) The Eagles were ubiquitous: on radio, on T-shirts, in iconography, in appearances in films and so on.

Familiarity obviously breeds contempt. Because the news coverage and commentary in the wake of Glenn's death was markedly different than it was with David Bowie a week earlier. Almost all of the commentary was glowing for Bowie. The commentary on Glenn Frey was increasingly negative, claiming he was a rather unpleasant individual (and worse).

At the end of the day, it is counterproductive to be negative about him in death, just as it was in life. Sure enough in the "History of the Eagles" documentary, at least during the last half, he painted himself as an arsehole in dealing with his bandmates. We can criticise but nothing is going to change that. He wouldn't have cared what we thought anyway. It is what it is. What is probably better and a more fruitful enterprise is to look at what he managed to achieve.

No matter what we think about the Eagles, a hell of a lot of people like them. Even if you never want to hear "Hotel California" ever again, at least in this country, it broke open commercial radio to independent music (it's funny to think that The Eagles were considered "alternative" for the first couple of album releases!!!). Their albums were masterfully written and recorded, even if the lyrics of "Lyin' Eyes" are lazy and the song drones on for about 3 minutes too long.

Glenn Frey had palpable talent. He is clearly audible as a guest vocalist and guitarist on the early Bob Seger track "Ramblin' Gamblin Man" and on some of the Eagles' early records ("Desperado" especially) his guitar work is stellar.

Ubiquity clouds judgement and can negatively influence taste, but that's not the Eagles fault. You can't blame them for never being away from radio for long. Blame the commercial radio stations. I'm personally glad Glenn gave the world the music he did.

Vale Glenn. He will be missed.

Last Words on...David Bowie

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 16 May 2016 11:50:00 +0000

Vale David Bowie

David Bowie left this earth on the 10th January 2016. Yes it's taken me this long to find the words to write in response.

It's hard to process what Bowie's loss means to the world. Or even to me. The music he gave us indelibly soundtracked our lives for so long, and it did so with such potency. It felt like the music's charismatic creator would be around forever.

Never mind the fact that David himself was out of the public eye for a decade before the surprise release of "The Next Day" in 2013. Even with the release of the record, he remained reclusive, rarely making public appearances and making almost no attempts to promote the record. He didn't get a chance to promote his latest record "Blackstar", as his untimely passing occurred two days after the album's release.

Bowie always seemed to be masterfully in control of his music, his image and his career. He changed from one thing to another during the 1970s with effortless ease and grace, always ahead of the curve and defining trends rather than following them. It came as shock to me to read an old quote from the NME dating back to 1984:

"I always thought I was intellectual about what I do, but I’ve come to the realization that I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing half the time."

If he didn't know what he was doing then he was constantly trying on new concepts and ideas to see what fits. He was once described by filmmaker Nik Roeg as being "awkward within society". It appears to be that he was possibly changing the outward look to hide the insecurity within. That insecurity drove his restless creativity to go beyond the norms of what should be expected of him.

Watching the "Reality Tour" live DVD again in the wake of his passing, it appears that on this tour he was finally comfortable with himself, in his own skin. He'd finally reconciled what it meant to be David Bowie. It was a glorious sight.

To the very end, with the "Blackstar" album, he challenged the listener. Challenging them not to rest on their laurels and the assumptions of what David Bowie could be. He gave us what we now can assume were hints of his impending mortality, but the needle was barely off the record from the first playing of the album before that could fully set in. The news hit the world like a collective kick in the head.

Bowie gave the world so much joy with his fantastic and challenging creativity. He inspired and entertained us for close to 50 years and Earth's loss is Heaven's gain. The music will live with us and I'm personally greatful for his fine works.

Vale David. Your life's work will be remembered long after the pain of your sad passing has faded from our memories.

The Triumphant Return of FACEplant

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Sun, 15 May 2016 21:46:00 +0000

FACEplant, Grrumble and Shuda: Live at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle 14/05/2016

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. And there's nothing like a nostalgia gig to remind yourself how old you've become. Looking around the room at my fellow 1990s gig goers, my how we've aged! But all the beer bellies and receding, greying hairlines are not going to get in the way. The vibe in the room is electric and we're all hoping the main act will lift the roof off of this place.

We're gathered here on something of a red-letter occasion for adolescent Gen X Novocastrian gig goers from the 1990s: when FACEplant, the next big thing to follow Silverchair onto the national stage, make their rumoured resurrection a fact. Stories have been going around for years about this night, and finally, it happened.

The night opened with Shuda, a Central Coast band (they laughingly referred to themselves as "out-of-towners", but near enough). Warming up the crowd and fired up about the impending release of their second record, the crowd took to them and gave them some good attention. Pete Davies, combined larynx and 6-string shredder, is a big bloke with a big voice; the guitar in his hands looked almost miniature by comparison. He gave that thing a guttural rumble that let you know you were alive. He donned a King Parrot shirt for the set. However the band he fronts sounded nothing like the Sydney hardcore outfit. More like Shihad-meets-Iron Maiden. If anything, the first couple of songs sounded a little too deferential to their influences. Over the course of their short set they threw in enough stylistic curve balls to keep us guessing.

Grrumble

Aside from FACEplant getting back together, it was also a showcase for one of their contemporaries of the era, the recently reunited Grrumble. Grrumble made a mean sound out of one Les Paul, bass, vox and drums. While they trod a path with a heavy grunge feel, they always added elements of metal to the mix to create something quite interesting. They were a tight unit back in the day and tonight they proved they still had it. They played a crowd pleasing set, including this writer's personal favourite "Justice". Their 1995 EP has been reissued as was available at the Merch stand. Reviews to come later...

FACEplant

FACEplant (uppercase FACE, thank you) finally hit the stage to the sounds of an electronica and sample-heavy audio experiment. A remix of sorts of what turned out to be the opening song when the band slammed in seamlessly into the first chord. 20 years may have passed between gigs but who'd have known? The hair may be a lot shorter, but the band still had it. Their enthusiasm on stage was almost tangible and the packed house loved them for it. In 1994 the band were playing a melodic surf-grunge but by late 1995 they have turned darker into a drop-tuned, Shihad-esque grind. Tonight's set showed the best of both sides. They gave the crowd plenty to sing along to and quite a few tunes some of us hadn't heard - I'm looking forward to hearing them released in the near future. They played all the tracks from the now-near-impossible to find 1995 EP "Upper Case FACE" and taking a few risks with the arrangement on "Eyes", slowing down the tempo and revving up the drama.

FACEplant have made it clear they want to keep going as of now. If the shows are as good as Saturday night, the future looks bright for them. Now, if only they'd dig through the vault and release the vintage recordings for the fans and get some new tracks on the shelves to further the momentum.

Welcome back, lads...

Axl Rose joins AC/DC

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 11:58:00 +0000

Yes it's true.

Yes ok, it was reported on recently, someone having seen Axl leaving AC/DC's rehearsal space in Atlanta, but so what? That was speculation then, and I don't generally buy into speculation.

Now it has been confirmed by AC/DC's management and their label. Axl has only just decided to accept Slash and Duff McKagan back into the Guns n' Roses camp for a few gigs. While he was in pretty decent voice at recent shows, despite being immobilised with a broken foot. However, the prevailing opinion (and I tend to agree with it) is that Axl is an ill fit for AC/DC. Being a mega-fan of the band, as he is, is not enough of a pre-requisite for joining a band. He just isn't the right voice for the band.

I guess AC/DC need to be aware of the Latin term caveat emptor: "Let the buyer beware". Axl has some form, with his megalomaniac outbursts, turning up late, starting riots, bad behaviour towards fans and so on as a member of his own band. As a hired gun in someone else's outfit, technically there is no room for that sort of thing, but will he try it on? It's certainly possible, given his history.

AC/DC have been a massive concert draw and record seller for years, despite many people thinking that Brian Johnson was an ill fit for the band. Brian made it work, however. Loads of fans loved his voice fronting the band. Indeed his first appearance on record with them, "Back In Black", is the biggest selling rock album ever released at the time of writing. Since "Who Made Who" in 1986 they've been rather pedestrian on record, in this writer's opinion. The Bon Scott albums, all of them, are unimpeachable. A large number of what has come since is interchangeable at best and disposable at worst. What value is Axl Rose going to add to the band? Sure he's a famous name, but that's not enough.

It was like adding Terence Trent D'Arby as vocalist to replace Michael Hutchence in INXS. A big name, a great voice, but not the right fit. It remains to be seen if this can be pulled off...

Heat the popcorn, it will be very interesting...

Brian Johnson Leaves AC/DC

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 11:03:00 +0000

It's been news for a while now that Brian Johnson, longest serving vocalist for AC/DC, is no longer singing for the band.

Notice I didn't say "left the band". It depends on whose side of the story you hear as to whether he left for of his own accord, or he was pushed. A rather contentious podcast recently suggested Brian was forcefully ejected after disclosing his serious hearing loss, however the official press release from the band suggests he left.

We'll probably never know for certain. Suffice to say that the band have now been through their 3rd singer in their 40 year career and they are now looking for another one.

The question that I need to ask is why wasn't hearing protection ever considered at some stage in the past? It's not that big a deal, really. It shouldn't have come to this. Iggy Pop may reckon hearing protection is for chumps, but if you're onstage every night for 40 years dealing with volume at that level, seems fair to use it, doesn't it?

Now I hear Angus on the lookout for a new replacement singer to complete the last 10 dates on the Rock or Bust tour. Initial signs are not promising but more on that later...

Vale Lemmy

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 02:10:00 +0000

Inimitable frontman for Motorhead and former bass player for Hawkwind, Lemmy has died at age 70 after a short battle with illness.

Lemmy's rock and roll lifestyle has never been up for debate. Indeed, he never hid his vices either. The faster and louder aesthetic was, in a sense, a musical reflection of how he lived. However, he always seemed unflappable. He always seemed as though he was rock solid. Despite the fact he often sang about living in the moment and not giving a shit about tomorrow, it felt like he'd be around forever.

From a musical standpoint, his bass playing was more akin to a rhythm guitar player. Heavily strummed with a pick and played at massive volume, it had its own unique sound. You knew instinctively, as soon as it starts, that it's Motorohead.

The last album Motorhead released, "Bad Magic" was issued in 2015 when Lemmy was 69. It's one of the loudest and heaviest things the band have ever done. There was no signs of slowing down, or even changing the well-worn formula. Age did not weary him.

Vale Lemmy. Thanks for the music.

Vale Stevie Wright

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 02:30:00 +0000

Stevie Wright, aka Little Stevie, vocalist for the Easybeats, has died at the age of 68 on 27th December 2015, due to complications of Pneumonia.

Stevie was born in Leeds, England in 1947 and migrated to Australia at age 9. He joined as the Vocalist of the Easybeats with fellow migrants at the Villawood Migrant Hostel in Sydney when he was 17 (in 1964).

It's remarkable that by the time he was 22, the Easybeats had ceased to exist and he was, for all intents and purposes, a washed-up rock star. He did some theatre work in the form of Jesus Christ Superstar with John English and then had his biggest solo success with the albums "Hard Road" and "Black Eyed Bruiser" in 1974-5 before being dropped by Vanda and Young at Albert Productions for being heavily addicted to narcotics.

Sadly, Stevie's addiction held him down for the better part of two decades. It is well documented elsewhere the depths the addiction took him, the battles with electro-shock therapy moreso, so I don't need to go into them here. The only surprise to most is that he made it this long.

His contribution to Australian music cannot be understated. His charisma was fiery stage presence was of that, of not greater than that of John Lennon, if Molly Meldrum is correct (and I don't doubt it).

Those early Easybeats singles are still visceral and exciting 50 years later. Later tracks like "Evie" and "Guitar Band" crackle with soul. It was a real shame he couldn't go the distance. At one point he was viewed as the likely successor to Bon Scott in AC/DC, but with the addiction...

Vale Stevie. Thanks for the music.

Vale Scott Weiland

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 11:51:00 +0000

Vocalist for the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver Scott Weiland has passed away at age 48 from an alleged overdose.

Stone Temple Pilots were unfairly derided as third-rate grunge wannabes in the early part of their career, however they hit their straps with their third LP and kept up the pace for the next few until Scott was sacked for his unreliability. He formed Velvet Revolver with some ex members of Guns and Roses for two albums and then maintained a sporadic solo career, occasionally moonlighting in the vocalist seat with the reunited Doors on occasion.

While anyone who dies young is tragic, Scott's problems with substances were well documented and, like many others, I wondered why this hadn't happened earlier. That's not to be negative or morbid, however he spent a great many years dicing with his death via his addictions. While the news is still sad, there was always the feeling that it was a matter of when, rather than if...

Scott had a sonorous voice that didn't necessarily have a wide range, but he elevated those songs into the stratosphere. He sang exactly what was required of the music and never anything more, with equal parts sweetness and grit.

I'm grateful for those handful of albums he made with STP and it is a tragedy that he no longer with us. Vale Scott, you will be missed.

Recovery Revival This Weekend

thesoundandthefurypodcast@gmail.com (David Kowalski) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 03:35:00 +0000

RAGE on the ABC are having a celebration of all things 90s Indie rock this weekend with repeats of their now-classic Saturday Morning show Recovery.

The show ran from 1996 until sometime in 2000. Why would anyone in 2015 really care about this show?

At the height of the Indie rock boom in the mid-90s came this program on Saturday morning, live to air, commercial free, with live performances, interviews and stories of interest to the Triple J crowd of the time. It gave voice to a series of young people who had very little television experience and a public stage for many bands for whom we might not have been able to see live anywhere else.

Recovery was truly a unique animal. Sure there were crazy variety shows on TV at the time, like Hey Hey It's Saturday, but they were mainstream and had different intentions for their audience. Recovery was completely off the chain, a 3-hour blast of anarchic mayhem where anything that was possible would probably happen, however unlikely. Led by eyebrow-ringed, skate-show wearing host Dylan Lewis, this program was somehow held together with his patience and off-beat personality.

Lewis was also a lightning rod for some of the show's more memorable on-air mishaps. For example, Frenzal Rhomb were interviewed by him while they decided to take an electric razor to his head. Green Day came on for an interview completed off their faces and proceeded to spend most of their interview swearing live to air before kicking the house band off their instruments and launching into two verses of their most recent swear-along anthem "The Grouch".

Along with some memorable performances, it was a program of the sort that just doesn't occur on TV anymore. There's too much at stake for such risk taking these days.

Towards the end of its run the show's format changed, to a shorter show with fewer (and then, in the last few shows, none) live performances as the then Liberal government (with its anti-ABC bias) squeezed the broadcaster's budget.

Above all the show was just damn good fun. For those who think nothing good musically happened after the 80s, take a look at this special on Saturday night...