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Taming the Outback, "1986-1989"
There's a mix of joy and sadness for me when it comes to releases such as this. On one hand, there's an archeological fascination of seeing and hearing a band’s entire output compiled into a single release. However, there's also the slightly depressing realization that their hours of blood and sweat and trying to "make it" can be so succinctly collected. In this case, an entire career of unsung, aggressively sharp post-punk is tightly compiled into this lovingly packaged collection.
In their four year career, the trio of drummer Daryl Amos, bassist Jason Sherwin, and vocalist/guitarist Tony Sampson, never managed to even put out a full album, though most of the pieces for one were recorded.Instead there was a limited 7" and cassette EP that found their way out.All of that material appears here, along with a few unreleased studio recordings and live tracks of not stellar, but better-than-expected quality.
Taming the Outback's sound feels of the era:not dated, but there is a certain sense of epicness that early Echo and the Bunnymen and U2 traded in.Lots of big echos and reverbs that make even the slightest guitar sound a massive production.That, paired with a taut rhythmic section that is reminiscent of Killing Joke’s mid period career.
"Fire & Smoke," the A side of their only 7" exemplifies this, with prominent bass rhythms and rapid drums alongside expansive guitar notes and punctuated with piano.The other track from that release, "Blue Heart" is of similar construction, but has a slower, more dour tone throughout.
"Mistrust" or "Eight-Hour King" both have guitar and drum passages that definitely made me think of U2's Boy (which isn't a bad thing), but with more of a sense of aggression rather than stadium grandstanding."No Soul to Bare," on the other hand, feels far more immediate and energetic, even through the less than polished production (it is essentially a live in the studio demo).
The unreleased live tracks vary in quality, but are all listenable."Devil's Calling" could pass for a studio demo, with its clear production and distinct instrument sounds."Wild," on the other hand, has that muffled, fluttering cassette tape sound to it that detracts, but also adds a little bit of nostalgia for anyone who ever enjoyed a multiple-generation analog bootleg.
In retrospect, I don't know how the band’s career would have panned out had they existed longer.A controversial gig flier depicting the band crucified in a field (reproduced on the cover to this disc) that was likely part artistic statement and part publicity stunt didn't really help the band publicly, and was probably one of the first nails in their coffin.
I say I'm not sure because I can't declare that this is some lost diamond in the rough or anything.It's a very well done and memorable post-punk collection that fans of the genre, such as myself wouldenjoy.It isn't, however, some sort of revelatory piece of art that will change the universe with this greater level of recognition, but it doesn't need to be.
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