Massappeal - Nobody likes a thinker (Album)
Poor little me, having only been in this country 6 years, it seems that I missed the 80’s heyday of Australian punk and hardcore. That however can be remedied because as soon as you put on this CD, that the wall of thrashing guitar comes pounding out of the stereo and makes me wish I had been around in those heady days of vomit and beer.
The re-releases of Massappeal's Jazz and Nobody Likes a Thinker and two recorded live shows has been packaged with surf/rock artist Ben Brown’s “Choose Life” cover artwork, and includes a 20 page booklet, featuring rare photographs and extended liner notes. The 38 track collection includes a demo from 1988 and two vintage live performances.
To coincide with this re-release, the band will soon embark on a run of live dates, to celebrate this re-issue and show those young hardcore bands how it’s done. The difference is these guys have a tune, and are not following the standard American formula, each song is different but down and dirty. They do it so well, Massappeal, very few hardcore bands around today have the originality and energy that these guys had.
The Dwarf tries to listen to this album in the background while getting on with the vacuuming but this stuff is too good. I love 'Deadheads', with added sound effects of someone pulling on a bong, how Australian can you get? There is a silliness and irreverence about these guys they just don’t take themselves to seriously, like the Ramones influence that can be heard in 'Rat in a Hole', they came to rock and roll, not be rock stars, and made great music while they were at it.
For me it was interesting to hear their live stuff, which I considered had the energy and vibrancy that seemed to be missing from their recorded tracks. Even the demo had a rawness about it that was very appealing. The last track on the double album was never recorded and is a great tune. Again the first CD, a released EP and their demo, is good, but the live recordings on the second CD are bloody great, listening to it I could be standing on sticky carpet at the back of some scummy pub, thrashing my head, beer in hand. I do hope these guys tour again because they will rock.
A quote from Randy Riemann, which describes their Canberra show, probably best describes the CD: “That was terrible and fucked up. No, that was amazing and blisteringly pure”
'Nuff said.
