Three D Radio announcer, Megan Cat (up until recently with her husband, the late Peter Brat) lives in "The BratHaus" a rural seaside home about 100km from Adelaide on South Australia's scenic Fleurieu Peninsula.
Veteran musician Peter, and artist/musician Megan, were long-time DJs on Three D Radio 93.7fm
, Adelaide's eclectic independent music station.
Together Peter & Megan, known as "The Cat and The Brat" created this blog to allow listeners to review the playlists of their radio show, "Technicolour Dreaming" , watch clips of selected songs and simply join them in the enjoyment of their favourite music... psychedelia, 60's garage,
surf, punk/post-punk, pop, folk-rock, glam, 'Krautrock', goth, 80's electro... and much more!
But The Cat is carrying on the tradition, with guest co-presenters, and "Technicolour Dreaming" will continue in the same format, drawing from the huge "Cat & Brat" music collection, with the addition of new releases and reissues to keep things current. The Brat is hugely missed, but the show must go on, as he wanted...

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Technicolour Dreaming

On this week’s show, we ranged from the debut 7” singles by mid-70’s New Yorkers, Patti Smith and Blondie (the original version of ‘X Offender’ and, in our opinion, superior to the better known album take!), to more recent tracks from San Francisco’s fantastic Thee Oh Sees, Toronto’s brilliant psych band, the Hoa Hoa’s, and Melbourne’s all-girl punk rockers, the Spazzys. We interviewed two members of Adelaide band Van Cleef, Chris and Mike, who also chose an eclectic set for us to play... including a song from the sound-track to Dario Argento’s 1982 movie, ‘Tenebre’, to a Roger Taylor-sung Queen track, to the Stooges. Naturally, we also played a number from the current ‘Album of the Month’ by Belles Will Ring... plus much more...
...so here is the playlist...
Dean & Britta – Incandescent Innocent     (13 Most Beautiful... Songs for Andy Warhol’s screen tests)
Dallas – I sold myself to the Devil & he told me I was cheap [Odd remix]     (‘4 Top Ten Hits’, cdEP 2004 Adelaide, Aust.)
Julian Cope – Safesurfer     (Peggy Suicide)
Patti Smith – Piss Factory     (7”single 1974 USA)
Blondie – X Offender     (7”single 1976 USA)
Thee Oh Sees – Ruby Come Home     (Help)
the Spazzys – I don’t want to go to the party     (‘Paco Doesn’t Love Me’ cdEP, 2004 Aust.)
the Hoa Hoa’s – Feels So Good Inside     (Pop/Drone/Pedals)
the Rolling Stones – We Love You     (7”single 1967 UK)
Firewater – Paint It Black     (Songs We Should Have Written)
Goblin – Waiting Death     (soundtrack from ‘Tenebre’ 1982 Italy)
Queen – Fight from the Inside     (News of the World)
Van Cleef – Outrider     (Where the River Meets the Rock)
Van Cleef – Dalek Gulch     (Where the River Meets the Rock)
White Knuckle Fever – White Knuckle Ride     (demo 2010 Sydney, Aust.)
Isolation Valve – Virus Envy     (‘Dear Warren Ellis’ – demo 2011 Adelaide)
the Stooges – Down on the Street     (‘Fun House’ LP 1970 USA)
Belles Will Ring – Redwood Hill     (Crystal Palace)  #

    # “Album of the Month”

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Obscured By... June 21 2011

A veritable around-the-world musical trip, taking in US garage rock classics and rarities - Swiss beat band The Sevens - the more gentle sounds of Owls Of The Swamp and some Dark Britannica - comparing the riff in 'Suspect Device' to that of a Montrose track of some years earlier - demos, rarities, eclectic and hard to categorise music.  Yep, sounds like another Obscured By... this time with a solo Michael Hunter.

Lloyd's World - Pinky L'amour  (Aust 7" single 1968)
Galadriel - Working (Galadriel LP and single B-side, 1971 Aust)
Dizzy Limits - Alone  (NZ 7"  1970)
Samael Lilith - Sitting In The Park  (single B side, 1970  Aust)
Oakapple Day - No Face No Name No Number  (7" single 1969  Aust)
Mark Handley & The Bone Idols - Testing 1-2  ("Handley With Care" 2008  UK)
Owls Of The Swamp - By The Riverside  ("Go With River" 2011  Aust)

The Purple Minds Of Lazeron - Dragonfly  ("John Barleycorn Reborn", 2007  UK)
Sand Snowman - Stained Glass Morning  ("John Barleycorn Reborn", 2007 UK)
The One Way Street - Tears In My Eyes  (7" 1967   US)
The Dovers - What Am I Gonna Do  (7" 1966  US)
The Choir - It's Cold Outside  (7" 1966  US)
The Psychopaths - See The Girl   (7" 1966  US)
The Band Of Wynand - Day Time Night Time  (7" c 1966  US)
Montrose - Space Station #5  ("Montrose" 1973  US)
Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device  (orig single 1978, UK)
Belle Stars - Sweet Memory  (Stiff Records Box Set and  7" single 1982 UK)
Electric Guitars - Language Problems  (Stiff Records Box Set and  7" single 1981 UK)
Mark Ferrie - The Ton  (7" B-side 1982  Aust)
The Sevens - 1.  In God I Trust  2.  Run Me Down   ("The Sevens", 1965 Swiss)
House Of Nimrod - Slightly Delic   (7" 1967 NZ)
Sevil & Ayla - Bebek   ("Turkish Freakout" CD - orig release 1974)
Baris Manco - Hal Hal  ("Turkish Freakout"CD - orig release 1980)
Water Rats Picnic - Dreams Are Lost   (self-titled cassette, Aust 1987)
Skyhooks - Horror Movie  (1974 demo  Aust)
Sparkle - Coming To Take You Away  (7" B-side 1976  Aust)
The Scientists - Sorry Sorry Sorry  ("Rubber Never Sleeps", 1978 demo  Aust)
Birdmen Paradoxyl - Black Ban Emotion  (local demo c 1988)
Left Of Centre - Sweet Angelique  (7" single, local 1979)
Spires That In The Sunset Rise - Shining  ("Four Winds The Walker", 2005  US)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Technicolour Dreaming


Once again, the Cat and the Brat featured an eclectic mix of bands and locales, ranging from the USA with the 60s garage/psych/pop of Penny Arkade and the Moving Sidewalks and into the 70s with Devo and Suicide, a cluster of Australian 80s, from the obscure Nick Gogol to the original ‘Le’ Hoodoo Gurus, right up to new releases from Queensland’s Lobster Prophets, Melbourne’s YIS and Adelaide’s Jay Walker & the Pedestrians. We also played a track by great Adelaide 80s band, the Spikes, in memory of their guitarist Ian List, who passed away this week. Naturally we concluded the show with a song from our current “Album of the Month” by Sydney’s Belles Will Ring...
... so here is the playlist...
Blue Sunshine Minds – How Does it Feel? (‘Burn Your Fingers on the Sun’ – compilation)
Penny Arkade – Colour Fantasy   (‘Not the Freeze’ LP 1968 US)
Lady Strangelove – In Meltdown   (‘Sweet Exchange’ EP, Aust. 2011)
the Stevenson Ranch Dravidians – Stargazer   (‘Psychedelica 3’ – compilation)
Andrew Douglas Rothbard – Lucien   (Abandoned Meander)
Sir Lord Von Raven – The Glass Castle (Please Throw Me Back in the Ocean)
Jay Walker and the Pedestrians – Summer at Last   (Liquid Sun)
Lobster Prophet – Krill of Krull   (Tropical Alien)
the Moving Sidewalks – 99th floor   (7”single 1967 US)
the Spikes – River Of Love   (‘Colour In A Black Forest’ LP, 1986 Adelaide)
Luke Haines – Russian Futurists Black Out The Sun   (21st Century Man)
White Denim – Street Joy   (“D”)
Gang of Four – 5:45   (Entertainment)
Suicide – Rocket USA   (Suicide)
Nick Gogol – Girl From Tractor Factory (7”single 1985 Adelaide)
YIS – (I Feel) Repulsed   (Kingdom Of Fuzz)
Devo – Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo)
the Minutemen – Voodoo Slaves (7”single 1982 Aust.) 
Le Hoodoo Gurus – Leilani [Original 1983 Version]   (7”single Aust.)
Belles Will Ring – Palisade Alley   (Crystal Theatre)  #

     # Album of the Month

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Obscured By...

There were two ‘DOTS’ in the studio to present “Obscured by...” this week – Michael Hunter and Peter Brat. As usual, the music ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous; representing the former, we played the full version of ‘Psychedelic Journey’ by 6o’s New York band, Mystic Tide – and for the latter, a few tracks by some naff German 60’s bands trying to show their hipness by doing bizarre versions of popular songs. Clarinet-led instrumental version of ‘Apeman’ anyone? Hmmmm! The great Rattles song at the end of the set showed how it really should be done! We also featured a Billy Thorpe version of ‘Pride’ (better known in Australia as a hit for Ray Brown) plus the strange ‘folk’ of the Acid Gallery’sDance around the Maypole’, a rare incursion of the Dave Clark 5 into psychedelic pop, a version of ‘Aquarius’ from the musical ‘Hair’ by Aussie legends the Atlantics, and lots more... including a tribute to the members of young Queensland band Flannelette, who were killed recently in a motoring accident...
...so here is the playlist...
Vicki Sims & the Playboys – I wanna bop     (7”single 1961 Aust.)
the Vibratones – Man of Mystery     (7”single 1963 Aust.)
Haffy’s Whiskey Sour [aka Vanda/Young] – Shot in the Head     (7”single 1971 Aust.)
Paintbox – Come on Round     (7”single 1972 Aust.)
Red Symons – It’s only a Flipside     (7”single 1977 Aust.)
Innocents – the B-side     (7”single 1980 Aust.)
Craig Collinge – Improvisation #1     (Free Form Improvisations)
Procession – You/Me     (‘Procession’ LP 1968 Aust.)
Rex Gildo – Speedy Gonzales     (7”single, circa mid-60’s Germany)
Jo Ment – Get It On/Sweet HitchHiker     (7”single, c.early 70’s Germany)
Rolf Kuhn – Apeman     (7”single, c.early 70’s Germany)
Chris Roberts – Blowin’ in the Wind     (7”single, c.early 70’s Netherlands)
the Rattles – Lady Love     (7”single 1966 Germany)
Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs – Pride     (‘Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs’ LP 1965 Aust.)
Mystic Tide – Psychedelic Journey [Optical Illusion] Pts 1&2     (orig. 7”singles 1966 US)
Dave Clark 5 – Lost in his Dreams     (7”single 1967 UK)
Penny Arkade – the Freeze [demo version]     (Not the Freeze)
the Atlantics – Aquarius [rec. 2004]     (Collectibles)
the Acid Gallery – Dance around the Maypole    (7”single 1968 UK)
Faine Jade – It ain’t true     (7”single 1967 US)
Love Sculpture – In the Land of the Few     (7”single 1970 UK)
Flannelette – Where have you been     (demo 2011 Aust.)
Autumn – Yellow River     (7”single 1970 Aust.)
Plastic Penny – Give Me Money     (7”single 1967 UK)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Technicolour Dreaming

This week on Technicolour Dreaming, the Cat & the Brat interviewed Sam from new Melbourne band, Brat Farrar, who are playing in Adelaide this weekend as part of an Australian tour promoting their new 7” single. Sam also spoke of his ‘other band’, Digger & the Pussycats, and their recent gigs in China and Europe... Of course there was the usual eclectic mix of 60s Adelaide bands, such as Inside Looking Out, through to recent songs by Sparks and BrightblackMorningLight, as well as a track from our current ‘Album of the Month’ by Belles Will Ring. We also paid tribute to the late Martin Rushent, whose career as engineer, producer and musician spanned 40-odd years. We began with an example of his early engineering work, alongside Tony Visconti, on the classic “Electric Warrior” by T.Rex, before moving onto a selection of his production of many of the leading lights of the UK punk movement, such as the Buzzcocks, Generation X and the Stranglers... then, representing his pioneering work in the 80s ‘electro/dance’ era we played a Human League track, finishing with a recent song by his son’s band, Does It Offend You, Yeah?

... and here is the full playlist...

James Taylor Move – Still I Can Go On (7”single 1967 Adelaide)

the Bucket – I Can’t Help Thinking About You (7”single 1967 Adelaide)

Wright of Waye – You Can’t Do It Alone (7”single 1968 Australia)

Inside Looking Out - Morning Sun (7”single 1968 Adelaide)

BrightblackMorningLight – Friend Of Time (BrightblackMorningLight)

Brian Jonestown Massacre – Open Heart Surgery (Tepid Peppermint Wonderland)

the Sand Pebbles – Altered Images (Atlantis Regrets Nothing)

Sparks – Ugly Guys with Beautiful Girls (‘Lil Beethoven)

R.I.P. Martin Rushent [1948-2011]

T. Rex – Mambo Sun (Electric Warrior)

the Buzzcocks – Orgasm Addict (7”single 1977 UK)

Generation X – Ready Steady Go (7”single 1977 UK)

Altered Images – Dead Pop Stars (Pinky Blue)

The Rezillos – Top of the Pops (7”single 1978 UK)

The Stranglers – Curfew (Black and White)

The Human League – The Sound of the Crowd (Dare)

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Battle Royale (NME promo cd)

[interview]

Brat Farrar – It’s On Me, Brat Farrar (7”single 2011 Aust.)

Brat Farrar – I’m Not Free (7”single 2011 Aust.)

Belles Will Ring – Street Lamp Stomp (Crystal Theatre) #

# Album of the Week