Back in 1977 & 1978 I would go round to Bruce Milne's place in Hawthorn to drink coffee and talk about music. Each time I went round he would play me something new that he'd dug up from the USA or the UK. He played the Boys "First Time " single and pointed out how the vocals were non existent in the mix. (and if you were the vocalist how would you like that? ) The Residents and how magnificent they were though I never understood that band but I could see how they led to early Devo. Modern Lovers who just blew my mind. And in a similar vein were the Twinkeys with this slice of neo Velvet Underground masterpiece of low fi indie out there rock and roll.
These were the days when if you liked a record you'd either tape it it or go searching for it in every record shop in Melbourne. I didn't want to start taping any of Bruce's stuff because he had so much of it. The walls of his abode were lined with fruit crates full of records. Biggest collection I'd ever seen. Where would one start or for that mind stop taping all this brilliant hard to get stuff. I knew that was out of the question. So I looked. Then I found a copy in some cheap bin in a now forgotten store. Second hand. A bit worn. But that just added to the pleasure. It seems to change speed a bit but listening to the recording someone else posted on YouTube I think that's what the record really does sound like. Anyway it's a thing of beauty with it's sub Lou Reed lyrics about rubber hoses and cross dressing. I even like the "alien" backing vocals. brilliant!
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