445. Gonna Hustle You by The Legendary Masked Surfers 1973

One of my favourite surf records ever. This song first came out years before as a Jan And Dean record until the shipment of records was halted because somebody actually woke up to what hustling some girl on the beach was all about. Subsequently they re-recorded the vocals and released it as New Girl in school. Jan and Dean fell out of fashion and Jan had a terrible car crash and that was that. Until 1973 when Dean Torrence and Brian Wilson went into the studio and recorded a bunch of tracks as the Legendary Masked Surfers.
Not a big surf fan I listened to Jan and Dean's music because Keith Moon of the Who said they were his favourite artists. So I checked them out. Some brilliant songs. Some slightly naff songs about grannies in hot rods. In 1973 they had a hit in Melbourne with Summer Means Fun as The LMS. I was riding my bike into Blackburn, crossing over Canterbury Road when this came on the transistor radio, My radio was tied to the front of my handlebars. A bike stereo you might say. DJs in those days did strange things. This DJ played Summer Means Fun and then bang into Gonna Hustle You. 3XY goes surf. Fantastic moment. And I was riding downhill, Warm weather, wind blowing my long hair back. It could of been Malibu. Unfortunately it was Nunawading.

444. These Boots Are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra 1966

well it would be a bit of an untruth to say I fell for this song back in the sixties when I was all cool  and groovy and iconic. But no. At the time I thought it was just a novelty song. It took the year 1977 and going to see the band The Boys next Door play as often as I could for me to love this song. I first heard of the Boys Next Door through Bruce Mine who the first time I went over to his place told me about the different punk bands already in Melbourne. But the roughest and toughest and the ones who meant it were The Boys Next Door. When I got to see them a few weeks later at a scout hall in Malvern I think I was knocked out by just how good they were. With a bunch of covers and a few of their own songs and a small crowd of punks and bystanders they just kicked down the doors. The next day my girlfriend was cutting my hair.
The band was all charisma. Especially Nick Cave. They did versions of I'm Eighteen, Andy Warhol (that was killer version of the Bowie song) and Boots. And they really kicked it with this one. The song just kept building up and up to a climax which doesn't appear on the original. Unfortunately it didn't quite work on their recorded version either. it came across, well, like a novelty song.
Nancy Sinatra's version still holds up though. And was a staple of the Rubber Soul night club. And the video once seen is not forgotten.

443. Statue of Liberty by XTC 1978

In 1977 there was a tidal wave of new bands springing up in England. In 1978 they just kept on coming. The amazing thing was not only just how good they were at the time but how good they sound now. And after the initial punk thrash of early punk (not that there was anything wrong with that)  the sounds we were hearing were increasingly diverse.
XTC have been a particular favourite of mine over the years. This was the first song of theirs I heard and it just sounded so cool coming out over the car radio one Sunday afternoon in Nunawading. With all this new music we had to find new radio stations. Luckily we were able to pick up Triple R way out there in the suburbs and we'd listen to it on Sunday afternoons when they seemed to play new music from the UK.
In my memory it seems that they played a lot of XTC.  Or maybe the sound was just perfect for radio. All tinny guitars and bleeps and heavy rhythm.
I was driving the crappy Datsun Bluebird. A carburettor held together with band aids and chewing gum. Terry towelling seat covers. Blue of course. A box on wheels. But when songs like this were blasting from the radio or from the cassette player we travelled on sound. And that was good enough.

442. Perfect Skin by Lloyd Cole and The Commotions 1984

1984. A time of white Hanes T-shirts and 501 jeans. Endless pap on the radio. But the Eighties also had plenty of great bands too.
When we first heard about Lloyd Cole and The Commotions the hype kind of hit first. From the very cool Andy Warhol type cover with all the songs on the front to the almost Factory look of their promo shots. And they were from Scotland which was very cool at the time. However when we started hearing the songs they lived up to the hype completely.
I was still playing in a band but I was also DJing regularly and I had moved into a flat in South Yarra three flights up and just off Toorak Road. My balcony was big enough for one chair but I would sit out there on warm nights and could see the city lights. At night I would tape video clips and old movies while I slept then get up and skip through the VHS tapes looking for interesting bits. At the time it seemed like all the good stuff was on while we slept.
I didn't know my neighbours. I was on top of the world. Photos of the place now look like it was endless summer. I got myself a Fiat 128 which broke down everytime it the weather got too hot. Because I was 3 floors up I eventually had to sell my Fender Twin Reverb Amp because I couldn't get it up the stairs without half killing myself it was so heavy.
But it was great time. Soundtracked by Indie pop.

441. If You Wanna by The Vaccines 2011

I think I first heard this song on a TV special on Channel 2 when they were presenting bands from Glastonbury. The reason I think that rather than know it was that I was sure I heard the track the previous summer in the UK. Driving the car from Blackpool to London. But that was 2010 and it wasn't released until 2011.
Anyway my wife Liz told me about it so I didn't even get there first in my own family. Check out this band on the TV. They're great. And they were. Short sharp songs. Energy to burn. I think the album clicked in at a little over 30 minutes if that.
It's always good when you find a song that you both feel is terrific. That the kids sang along to this too while we drove to places was another bonus.
They played in Melbourne the other week. I didn't go though I would have liked to. They were the support act to Two Door Cinema club who I wasn't really interested in seeing. It cost over 100 bucks and it was at Festival Hall. Not the best place to see any band despite it's history.

440. the Night by The Four Seasons 1975

A few blogs ago I was talking about Red Light by Billy Ocean. A song I wouldn't immediately associate with Northern Soul but in 75 got some major plays at the nightclubs. Same thing with this one. Heard about it first through one of those Northern Soul 100 lists you can find scattered around the Internet but used to be in magazines. seeing the name Four Seasons didn't inspire me but when I heard that bass line that begins the song I was hooked. And I remember having a secret liking of another hit of theirs from around the same time called Who Loves You. Like the Bee Gees,  the Four Seasons hit big once again in the land of disco.
Back in the UK in July after Michael played me "Red Light" I tried to tell him about a song which had the same feel.  The Night I said. He found a copy but it sounded very different. The Night was a big song up North in the UK. Bigger than I thought because they were playing a remix. Too fast of course because had to be brought into the future where everyone dances a lot faster. Yes there is more punch to the drums but I don't want it. It's that bass and tambourine in the song that I fell for.
Back in the 90s we sold our album to a Philippine record Label. They thought "After The Fire" was a great song. It would be a hit single. So could we remix it. Out there somewhere is a Dance remix of a Little murders song. you have been warned.

439. I'll Keep On Holding On by The Action 1966

It may have come out first in 1966 but I didn't hear this gem until it was released in a picture sleeve during the peak of the Mod revival. First heard it played at Locomotion the little Mod Club at the Prince Alfred on Church Street in Richmond. I've already talked a lot about that place so I won't go into any more details. Though did I mention it was every Wednesday night. Which meant sometimes we'd play a gig like the Exford and our core audience was down the Mod Club. Luckily Little Murders managed to retain a sizable audience that just liked our poppy version of rock and roll.
Unlike the punk movement when it began the Mods had a ton of great music on hand. Sixties, soul, ska and The Jam. Plus a few excellent new singles by current bands. The little clubs that popped up were always brimming with great dance music. The clothes were sharp. And it was fun. We developed our own subculture here in Melbourne. We had fanzines and clubs and organised scooter runs. It was a great time.