RADIO BIRDMAN - RADIOS APPEAR

Radio Birdman

Title: Radios Appear  -  Company: Trafalgar (Aust)  -  Cat No: (trl-1001)

Format: 12" lp  -  Released: July 1977  -  Status: Deleted

 

Radios Appear was Radio Birdman's first full length album. Recorded piecemeal over 1976 and early 1977, on weekends and nights when the studio had no paying customers, it was finally released on the Trafalgar label, created specifically to release Birdman records. In addition to mail order, the album was literally distributed by hand, out of the back of station wagons driven by band members and friends.

The band thus wrote the Australian handbook on DIY independent music.

It was hailed as a breakthrough album in Australian music, a turning point after the scene's early and mid seventies stagnation. Radios Appear was given a 5 star review in Rolling Stone, and the album gave the band a needed boost to depart Sydney as a national touring entity, while still maintaining their renegade status.

 

Of Interest:

The album's title was taken from the song Dominance and Submission by Blue Oyster Cult, one of the band's most important early influences. Recording and mixing sessions were often tense, due to strong personality discordance between the band and the engineer/producer John Sayers. Sayers, who liked to work beneath pyramids, was either a holdover from hippie days, or a prescient before-the-wave New Ager, if there is a difference. In any case the friction worked to good effect, the outcome being well worth the prolonged struggle.

 

Track Listing:

Side 1:

TV Eye ( The Stooges ) (4:21 m:s)

Murder City Nights ( D Tek ) (2:24 m:s)

Anglo Girl Desire ( D Tek ) (3:07 m:s)

Man With Golden Helmet ( D Tek / S Kambly ) (5:40 m:s)

Descent into The Maelstrom ( D Tek ) (4:22 m:s)

Side 2:

Monday Morning Gunk ( D Tek ) (3:05 m:s)

Do The Pop ( D Tek / M Sisto ) (2:33 m:s)

Love Kills ( D Tek ) (3:42 m:s)

Hand Of Law ( D Tek ) (4:43 m:s)

New Race ( D Tek ) (2:44 m:s)

 

The Musicians:

Rob Younger - Lead Vocals

Deniz Tek - Guitar & Vocals

Chris Masuak - Guitar, Vocals & Piano on Maelstrom

Warwick Gilbert - Bass

Ron Keeley - Drums  -  Pip Hoyle

Piano on Love Kills & Golden Helmet

 

Technical Details:

Produced and recorded by John Sayers & Charles Fisher

Recorded at Trafalgar Studios, Sydney

Engineered by John Sayers

 

Reissues:

Company                               Cat No                 Format     Released     Status

WEA/Trafalgar (Australia) *     (trl-1001)                 12" lp      Oct 1977    Deleted

Big Time (Australia) **            (btd-906)                 12" lp    June 1984    Deleted

WEA/Trafalgar (Australia) ***  (wea 255957.1)        12" lp     April 1989    Deleted

WEA (Australia)                     (wea 229255957.2)    cd        Sept 1992    Deleted

 

* This release had a different insert to the original pressing.

** This was a budget reissue with no insert.    

*** There was no insert with this reissue.

 

 

 

Radio Birdman

Title: Radios Appear (Overseas)  -  Company: WEA/Trafalgar (Australia)

Cat No: (trl-102)  -  Format: 12" lp  -  Released: Feb 1978  -  Status: Deleted

 

This version of Radios Appear came about after Sire Records signed the band. The terms of the deal included the right to redo some of the original album for overseas release. The band took advantage of this to update the album, changing parts of it they didn't like. They completely re-recorded new versions of some songs, remixed others, and added some new tunes. The resulting album is over 50% different from the original Australian version, and has different cover and liner photos.

The band refers to this record as "the white album".

Radio Birdman had changed substantially in the previous year since the Australian version of the

album came out, with Pip Hoyle, keyboardist and original member, rejoining the band full time.

Deniz had been in America, hanging out with Sonics' Rendezvous Band, and came back full of

inspiration and new song ideas. Not wanting to wait to record a whole new album, the band was

keen on presenting its most current direction to the outside world.

 

Track Listing:

Side 1:

What Gives? ( W Gilbert / D Tek ) (2:22 m:s)

Non Stop Girls ( D Tek ) (2:40 m:s)

Do The Pop ( D Tek / M Sisto ) (2:30 m:s)

Man With Golden Helmet ( D Tek / S Kambly ) (5:37 m:s)

Descent into The Maelstrom ( D Tek ) (4:22 m:s)

New Race ( D Tek ) (2:35 m:s)

Side 2:

Aloha Steve & Danno ( D Tek / R Younger / M Stevens ) (3:57 m:s)

Anglo Girl Desire ( D Tek ) (3:04 m:s)

Murder City Nights ( D Tek ) (2:22 m:s)

You're Gonna Miss Me ( 13th Floor Elevators ) (2:25 m:s)

Hand Of Law ( D Tek ) (4:44 m:s)

Hit Them Again ( D Tek / R Asheton ) (4:32 m:s)

 

The Musicians:

Rob Younger - Vocals

Deniz Tek - Guitar

Chris Masuak - Guitar & Piano on Maelstrom

Pip Hoyle - Organ & Piano

Warwick Gilbert - Bass

Ron Keeley - Drums

 

Technical Details:

Produced by John Sayers & Charles Fisher  /  Engineered by John Sayers

Recorded at Trafalgar Studios  /  Mastered at Masterdisk NYC by Joe Gastwirt

 

 

Other Releases:                        

Company                                Cat No                 Format      Released     Status

Phonogram/Sire (UK)               (9103-332)            12" lp        May 1978    Deleted

WEA/Sire (US)                        (srk6050)              12" lp        May 1978   Deleted

Phillips (France)                      (???)                    12" lp        May 1978    Deleted

Sire/GRT (Canada)                  (9147-6050)          12" lp        May 1978    Deleted

 

Reissues:

Company                                Cat No                 Format      Released     Status

Big Time (Australia) *               (btd-501)              12" lp        June 1984   Deleted

WEA (Australia)                       (255958.1)           12" lp        April 1989    Deleted

WEA/Trafalgar (Aust)               (255958.2)            cd            Sept 1992    Deleted

 

* Compiled with Living Eyes as a budget double LP package

Radio Birdman

Title: Radios Appear  -  Company: Red Eye (Aust)  -  Cat No: (redcd49)

Format: cd album -  Released: 1995  -  Status: Deleted

 

Deniz' solo deal with Red Eye ultimately led to the licensing of the Birdman catalogue to PolyGram. Radios Appear was remastered for the first time and repackaged.

The band were very pleased with the sound of this reissue, being the first high quality mastering job for CD. The fidelity and energy is miles beyond previous versions, being cut approximately 5db louder, making it sound more like the original Australian vinyl pressing.

The last 15 seconds of the bonus EP contain a radio add spoken by Deniz announcing a Birdman show at the Corrimal Town Hall.

 

Track Listing:

Aloha Steve & Danno ( D Tek / R Younger / M Stevens ) (3:57 m:s)

Non Stop Girls ( D Tek ) (2:41 m:s)

Anglo Girl Desire ( D Tek ) (3:07 m:s)

What Gives? ( W Gilbert / D Tek ) (2:26 m:s)

Murder City Nights ( D Tek ) (2:24 m:s)

Man With Golden Helmet ( D Tek / S Kambly ) (5:40 m:s)

Descent Into The Maelstrom ( D Tek ) (4:22 m:s)

Do The Pop ( D Tek / M Sisto ) (2:33 m:s)

Hand Of Law ( D Tek ) (4:43 m:s)

New Race ( D Tek ) (2:44 m:s)

Love Kills ( D Tek ) (3:42 m:s)

Monday Morning Gunk ( D Tek ) (3:05 m:s)

Hit Them Again ( D Tek / R Asheton ) (4:28 m:s)

TV Eye ( The Stooges ) (4:21 m:s)

You're Gonna Miss Me ( 13th Floor Elevators ) (2:41 m:s)

 

Some CDs came with a bonus Burn My Eye ep:

Smith and Wesson Blues ( D Tek ) (3:05 m:s)

Snake ( D Tek ) (3:06 m:s)

I-94 ( D Tek / C Jones ) (3:23 m:s)

Burned My Eye ( D Tek ) (2:17 m:s)

 

The Musicians:

Rob Younger - Vocals

Deniz Tek - Guitar

Chris Masuak - Guitar & Piano on Maelstrom

Ron Keeley - Drums

Pip Hoyle - Organ & Piano

Warwick Gilbert - Bass

 

Technical Details:

Produced by John Sayers & Charles Fisher

Recorded at Trafalgar Studios, Sydney

Engineered by Charles Fisher

Remastered by Don Bartley & Rob Younger

         at Studio 301 January 1995.

Radio Birdman

Title: Radios Appear  -  Company: Citadel (Aust)  -  Cat No: (citcd550)

Format: cd album  -  Released: May 2002  -  Status: Currently in print

 

With the licensing of the Birdman catalogue to the Red Eye label in 1995, Radios Appear was remastered for the first time and repackaged. It contained all the tracks found on both the original release and overseas version. This new Citadel reissue is basically the same with different packaging.

 

Track Listing:

Aloha Steve & Danno ( D Tek / R Younger / M Stevens ) (3:57)

Non Stop Girls ( D Tek ) (2:41 m:s)

Anglo Girl Desire ( D Tek ) (3:07 m:s)

What Gives? ( W Gilbert / D Tek ) (2:26 m:s)

Murder City Nights ( D Tek ) (2:24 m:s)

Man With Golden Helmet ( D Tek / S Kambly ) (5:40 m:s)

Descent into The Maelstrom ( D Tek ) (4:22 m:s)

Do The Pop ( D Tek / M Sisto ) (2:33 m:s)

Hand Of Law ( D Tek ) (4:43 m:s)

New Race ( D Tek ) (2:44 m:s)

Love Kills ( D Tek ) (3:42 m:s)

Monday Morning Gunk ( D Tek ) (4:28 m:s)

Hit Them Again ( D Tek / R Asheton ) (4:28 m:s)

TV Eye ( The Stooges ) (4:21 m:s)

You're Gonna Miss Me ( 13th Floor Elevators ) (2:41 m:s)

 

Burn My Eye - bonus EP - first 2500 copies

Smith and Wesson Blues (D Tek) (3:04 m:s)

Snake (D Tek) (3:06 m:s)

1-94 (D Tek / C Jones) (3:23 m:s)

Burned My Eye (D Tek) (2:20 m:s)

 

The Musicians:

Rob Younger - Vocals

Deniz Tek - Guitar

Chris Masuak - Guitar & Piano on Maelstrom

Ron Keeley - Drums

Pip Hoyle - Organ & Piano

Warwick Gilbert - Bass

 

Technical Details:

Produced by John Sayers & Charles Fisher at Trafalgar Studios, Sydney

Engineered by Charles Fisher

Remastered Jan '95 by Don Bartley & Rob Younger at Studio 301

Burn My Eye - bonus ep :

Produced by John Sayers and Charles Fisher at Trafalgar Studios, Sydney

Engineered by John Sayers