Refreshed

RADIO BIRDMAN
The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978)
(Sub Pop)
Australian legend Radio Birdman occupies a curious place in rock history. Less anarchic than the Stooges and the MC5 (primary inspirations to bandleader Deniz Tek, who's originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan), more intense than the arena rock bands popular in the mid-70s, and more sophisticated than the punk bands that sprang up around it, the Sydney sextet never gained a sizable audience, either at home or abroad. They negotiated the choppy waters running between the classic rock and punk continents. Guitarists Tek and Chris Masuak constitute a fierce, exciting six-string team, keyboardist Pip Hoyle leavens the firestorm with just the right piano and organ flourishes and bassist Warwick Gilbert and drummer Ron Keely make up a loose, versatile rhythm section. Singer Rob Younger rarely screams or growls, preferring to convey Tek's songs with a seething croon, as if he's holding back what he really wants to say. While it's an approach that finds a great deal of acceptance these days in bands like the Hellacopters and the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, it baffled both camps at the time. It was only after their split that the band became an Australian underground rock legend, partially because of the ridiculous number of bands Birdman spawned: the New Christs, the Visitors, the Lime Spiders, the Screaming Tribesman, New Race and the Deniz Tek Group.

The band preached the rock & roll gospel on two EPs (1976's Burn My Eye and 1988's More Fun, a live record released 10 years after the group's dissolution) and two albums (1978's Radios Appear and 1981's posthumous Living Eyes), with only Radios receiving a wide release outside of Australia. The Essential finally corrects this grave disservice with a generous sampling of all their recorded output (minus their '97 reunion tour souvenir Ritualism). While "essential" may be a bit strong (where's "Hit Them Again," co-written by Tek and the Stooges' Ron Asheton, or the band's highly-regarded cover of Iggy Pop's "TV Eye?"), this album is still a thorough survey of the songs that made the band great. "Burn My Eye," "Smith and Wesson Blues," "Descent into the Maelstrom," "New Race" ("Yeah, hup!") and "Aloha Steve and Danno," an affectionate tribute to the TV show that kept many bored young Aussie punks off the streets, are the most obvious delights to be found here, being the band's most popular songs. Of course, "popular" is a relative term with Birdman, so for newcomers "What Gives?," "I-94," "Alone in the Endzone," "Hand of Law" and "Do the Pop" will sound just as amazing, as well they should. The Essential is a start-to-finish rock & roll revelation, blowing the minds of newcomers and old loyalist alike. If this isn't what's meant by the phrase "classic rock," it should be. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Saints, the MC5, early Blue Öyster Cult