Beat Crazy
by The Joe Jackson Band
from Beat Crazy (1980)
sorry, the MP3 is no longer available for download
6.4 MB download; 4:14 running time) lyrics
Great Southern Land
by Icehouse
from Primitive Man (1982)
sorry, the MP3 is no longer available for download
8.1 MB download; 5:16 running time) lyrics
I Muse Aloud
by Jane Siberry
from No Borders Here (1984)
sorry, the MP3 is no longer available for download
6.8 MB download; 4:13 running time) lyrics
Recently I have been going through my cassettes and converting them to CD before they deteriorate any further. Not that they are in particularly bad shape—it’s just that analog recordings (such as cassettes and vinyl records) start to degrade the moment they are recorded. The transfer process will take a very long time, since I have something like 800–900 cassettes. I think. Most of them are not commercial cassettes; my pre-CD modus operandi was to record every LP I bought onto a high quality cassette the first or second time I played it. I’m especially glad I did it that way now, since it appears the cassettes have held up better over time than my LPs—though of course there’s no substitute for records when it comes to album art.
Anyway, today I’m talking about songs from three of my favorite albums of the early ’80s: Beat Crazy, Primitive Man, and No Borders Here. Speaking of album art, Beat Crazy and Primitive Man are wonderful, though very different, examples of the genre. I’ll try to get a scan of each up here pretty soon—please check back.
I was a big fan of the ska music of the early ’80s—bands like The English Beat, The Selecter, and so forth. In “Beat Crazy,” the Joe Jackson Band combines elements of ska with early rock’n’roll into a highly danceable hipster hoedown. What a band that was, too—besides being brilliant players on their own, the combination of Gary Sanford on guitar, Dave Houghton on drums, and Graham Maby on bass with Jackson’s keyboards was one of the most cogent outfits I’ve ever seen. On this song the vocal interplay is interesting: Maby sings the more vulnerable-sounding verses (starting with “Kids today…”) while Jackson sings the punkier lines, both interspersed with heavily-echoed outbursts from Houghton.
Primitive Man shows a more subdued, keyboard-oriented approach. It’s very much a producer’s record rather than a band record. I’ve always been haunted by Iva Davies’ paen to the two sides of Australia, “Great Southern Land.” There’s a contrast between the melodic, poetic verse sections—which take place in the city, by the sea—and the visceral, sensual, stream-of-consciousness lyrics of the Outback (“Great Southern Land…”) sections. The latter are not really choruses but perform a similar function in the song structure. Nice work.
Jane Siberry is one of those artists who never quite managed to take off, and I think it’s a shame. There’s a big element of performance art in her work, more Kate Bush than Laurie Anderson, if that makes any sense—though I hate to mention either of them because Siberry is very much her own self. I would have liked to see what she could have done, given a decent budget (“Mimi On the Beach” could be a mini-opera all by itself), but unfortunately it was not to be. She continues to make music to this day, which you can check out at www.janesiberry.com, with extensive notes and lyrics about all her albums and some free downloadable MP3s. “I Muse Aloud” is one of the happiest songs I’ve ever heard, about those all-too-brief moments when being in love makes you in love with the whole world, in a really innocent way. The song is so buoyant you don’t even notice most of it is in 5/8 time, and that says a lot. In her notes for No Borders Here on her website, Siberry mentions that they used the sound of bantam roosters crowing while playing the song live but left it off the recorded version. I think that would have been a nice touch, but it’s one of those things that can kill a recording if it’s not perfect, and essential, so it’s not surprising they left it out.
Finally, while writing this, I noticed how much each of these albums reflects its place of origin: Joe Jackson Band in London, Icehouse in Australia, and Jane Siberry in Toronto. Compare and contrast, class, and you can hand in your papers later.
GReat Southern Land is the Best Song It ever had !!!!
Great Southern Land was a hell of a song - I heard it in Yahoo Serious's "Young Einstein". I'm trying to get hold of the complete soundtrack to that movie on CD, so if anyone can help, please contact me through my website. Thanks. :-) Shame the MP3 of GSL is not available here any more. :-(
Hello --
My name is Lesa Frankenberry and I live in Point Marion PA. I am writing to you in the hope that you can help me find (somewhere - anywhere - I've been all over the internet and I can't find a copy of this) a video or DVD copy of the music video of the song "Icehouse", by "Icehouse", from the album "Icehouse".
My dear sweet husband is 39 years old and was diagnosed two years ago with Lou Gehrig's Disease (or ALS). This is a fatal disease with a predicted life-span of 2-4 years, and he's already a two-year veteran. His disease progression has been fast and he's lost alot of ground in the past year. There's so many things that he once did that he can no longer do - he used to play drums for a band, he used to ride a motorcycle, he used to be able to fix anything and everything in our home. Now because of the muscle loss caused by ALS his activities revolve around doing "computer stuff", watching TV, or listening to music. Anyhow, the reason I'm writing is that he has been a HUGE fan of Iva Davies and Icehouse since he was a teenager, and I have been trying to find a copy of this video for him. I hate to sound so dramatic, but honest to God, it's one of the last things he wants - to be able to see this video again and for a few minutes remember his youth. He doesn't feel like he has much time left, so I'm trying anything I can to find this video for him.
Are you aware of any way I can get my hands on a copy of this? I have been e-mailing ever websight I can find that mentions Iva Davies or Icehouse, just trying to find this - someone must have a copy of this, somewhere! I would thank you from the bottom of my heart if you could help me with this. My husband (Kenny is his name by the way) is the best person I know, and since he's been diagnosed with such a horrible hopless disease I just want to do everything and anything I can to make him happy while I still have him.
Thank you for your time. Please let me know if you can or can't help with this request. I'll understand if you're just as clueless about this as we have been:)
Very sincerely,
Lesa Frankenberry
frankenberryl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu
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