Today's bummer news is learning that Chris Bailey, the lead singer of seminal Australian punk band The Saints, died at the age of 65 this month. The Saints formed in Brisbane in 1973 and their 1976 single (I'm) Stranded was the first punk single by a non-American band. With its distorted guitar onslaught and raw vocal, it still sounds dynamic and timeless:
(I'm) Stranded was chosen for the title of the band's first record. The band's second single was Erotic Neurotic, and it follows that same model of guitar onslaught backing raw, deadpan vocals:
For their second studio album, Eternally Yours, the band mixed their punk sonic onslaught with R&B style horns. Know Your Product wass the standout single from the album:
As was No, Your Product:
The third album Prehistoric Sounds presaged the breakup of the original lineup of the band, with Chris Bailey wanting to pursue a more traditional rock-and-roll sound while lead guitarist Ed Kuepper wanted to move in a more avante-garde direction. Here's the Bailey-penned Take This Heart of Mine:
Mr Bailey kept soldiering on throughout the 1980s, releasing the poignant Ghost Ships in 1984:
In 1986, the Saints released the album All Fools' Day, which hit the Australian charts and was a commercial success in the United States. The lead single, workingman's anthem Just Like Fire Would, became a bit of a standard, and was even covered by that Springstone fella:
Chris Bailey and the Saints were instrumental in inspiring other Australian musical legends such as Nick Cave. Mr Bailey's career was stellar, his music ranging from raw DIY punk to R&B to an antipodean take on Americana music. As always, the best tribute to the man is to blast his music on full volume.
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