Live From The Twilight Zone - Brisbane 1974

They Say...

Review by Jack Rabid, All Music Guide

Let's be frank. The Saints were to 1976 Australia what the Ramones were to the U.S. and the Sex Pistols were to Europe. None "invented" anything, as anyone who's heard the Stooges' Raw Power knows, but all were pied-piper trailblazers, their awesome power inspiring the formation of 100 hot punk bands. The Saints' 1976 single "(I'm) Stranded" took the U.S./U.K. by storm, but time forgot them unfairly (outside of down under where they remain legends). True, the newly curious are better directed to two classic LPs, originally issued here on Sire, 1977's stunningly brutal (I'm) Stranded and 1978's masterful Eternally Yours (and for non-punk fans, the other original-Saints LP, the 1978 import third LP, Prehistoric Sounds). But this 1974 -- yes, 1974 -- totally pre-punk, live-in-guitarist-Ed Kuepper's-mum's-garage, earlier look at the same songs is even more primitive, out-lo-fi-ing even Guided by Voices. It's low-rent but absolutely fascinating in its unadulterated, uncut rawness, and then-teenage yowler Chris Bailey is superb. This is so long before the first single and LP were recorded that drummer Ivor Hay was then occupying the bass slot (!?!), and the drumming is by the never-before-heard-on-record (and thus forgotten) Laurie Mysterio. Old fans will also be amazed to note that two tracks from Eternally Yours, "Do the Robot" and "(I'm) Misunderstood," plus the B-side of "This Perfect Day," "Lies," go back to 1974, four years before they appeared, and this is what they would have sounded like recorded (I'm) Stranded-style! (ditto the 1-2-3-4 EP cover of "River Deep, Mountain High"). And for archival importance, this is the first time we've ever heard the Saints cover the old soul standard "Knock on Wood." All in all, the highly interesting steps of a later giant, but get the Sire LPs first!