The Summertimes recently released a great album of power pop via the Rank & File label. The project of songwriters David Beniuk and David Challenger with an all star studio band that includes Ashley Naylor (Paul Kelly ,The Church), Stephen O’Brien (Tumbleweed) and Steve Bull (Icehouse). Produced by Paul McKercher.Dave from the band joined us for Put Your Records On.
Your first album. It can be the first record/cd/tape you bought, first album downloaded or just the first album you remember hearing that stuck with you.
Probably “Snap!” by The Jam. A double-album that was released a year after they broke up in 1982 … and ticks two of those boxes: the first I actually bought, and one that still resonates with me. It was a compilation of all their A and B-side singles, which perfectly reflected a mix of Paul Weller’s poignant social commentary with the band’s punchy, Rickenbacker-tinged Mod sound. And it highlights the fact that they were probably the last great singles band.
The album that changed your musical outlook. It can be your most influential, one that led you down a certain path, or had a long-lasting impact on you.
Hard to go past “Revolver” by The Beatles. The sound of the album is just stunning, and naturally the songs are incredible. Their look, from that 1966 period, was also really cool, as they briefly transitioned from their earlier mop-top style into the Summer of Love. And how does a band go from writing something like “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You” in 1964 to “Tomorrow Never Knows” just two years later? It was one of the greatest evolutions in popular music, ever.
An album that you love but is not as widely known as it should be.
“16 Lovers Lane” by The Go-Betweens. I adore all their albums but this one is very special. The production is lush and the songs are absolutely gorgeous. And it’s one of those LPs that takes me back to its time of release, and that year of my life, whenever I listen to it. I think it may have produced the band’s biggest hit with “Streets of Your Town”, but the album should be a lot better known globally than it is, given its brilliance.
The record that drew you in with its visuals. It can be the cover art, a press pic of the band that made you take notice, ect.
Memorable album artwork include the Sex Pistols’ “Never Mind the Bullocks”. No photo or graphics … just words in a stark mix of yellow, black and pink. And from that same era, The Clash’s “London Calling” cover, with bassist Paul Simonon doing his best to destroy his Fender Precision guitar.
The album you are currently loving the most at the moment.
It’s never really left my playlist since 1987, but I’ve been revisiting The Stems’ “At First Sight, Violets Are Blue” album over the past couple of months. One of the great power-pop LPs, and a timeless example of perfect hooks. I remember Ash Naylor saying recently just how good Dom Mariani is as a guitarist, which is really evident on this record.
