Instant Peterson, AKA Lewis Fidock, is a sculptor, DJ and radio presenter from Melbourne. You may have heard him on Andras Fox's Strange Holiday program on RRR, or seen him playing at Toff in Town. Lewis is also a collector of records, amassing many crates of odd and rare releases. Lewis is an open minded aesthete, but even he knows that sometimes you can judge a record by it's sleeve. Over the next couple of days THUMP receives a guided tour of some favourite musical artworks, beginning in the black and white section. The following records are lacking in colour but rich in charm. Tomorrow we'll be showing you his top five records with colour.MODERN JAZZ – THE NUDE
Instant Peterson: Released on Australian imprint Cleopatra Records in 1986, Modern Jazz was just one of the many side projects involving underground icon Ash Wednesday of Metronomes fame. As far as the sleeve credits go, there's no information about who designed this absolute gem of a sleeve, and unfortunately I'm not technology-savvy enough to upload the image and find the artist responsible myself. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on this record, I recommend playing "The Great Outdoors" at full blast. It's a song guaranteed to turn an evening of canapés and light conversation into beer bongs and full-blown nudity, as the title would suggest.
VITO RICCI – MUSIC FROM MEMORY
This LP gave title to the amazing newly established reissue label Music From Memory operating out of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Released on tiny imprint Creation Records in 1985, this album could be interpreted as a New York equivalent to Modern Jazz's The Nude. The sleeve was designed by Paul Leone and printed in Canada, so once again I'm left following a loose thread for more information. From a quick glance it's fair to say that the inspiration for this design probably went hand in hand with the astonishment of seeing for the first time, what now look like primitive computer graphics. The liner notes thank a Jon Gordon for "electronic bondage" which seems like a great two word summary for the sounds you'll find on this obscure LP. It also comes with instructions to "play it loud"!
LEON LOWMAN – SYNTHESEAS
I bought this album off eBay a few years ago based purely on the cover design and titles of the songs listed on the back, which include "Liquid Diamonds" and "Tears Behind The Smile". Privately released by the man himself in 1980, I never expected it to be half as prolific as the jacket sleeve and song titles would suggest. So much so in fact, that the aforementioned usic From Memory label would go on to reissue a compilation of Lowman's work. The compilation includes tracks from this highly collectable LP as well as material from a cassette fellow digger and friend Michael Kucyk of Noise In My Head notoriety went halves in buying titled "Sound Horizon". Surf and synth enthusiast Lowman dedicates this release to "all those who love to ride the surf".
DAVE DOUGLAS – FRAGRANT BREEZE
There's nothing better (or worse in some cases) than a 7" with a printed sleeve, and this record is a true testament to that. I picked up this incredibly scarce self released EP on Project 9 records at the Essendon record fair last year and have been thoroughly enjoying looking and listening to it ever since. This record is a personal holy grail and a saving grace for the dying and somewhat exhausted sound of Australian folk rock at the turn of 1980's. This record came out in 1978 and that's about as much as I can tell you, seeing it's next to impossible to find out anything more online. If you're currently riding the nu-hippy bandwagon, do yourself and everybody else a favour by ditching the shit clothing and searching for records like this instead. A much more authentic experience indeed, hopefully we'll hear this one reissued somewhere in the future.
WHADYA WANT? – LIFE ON TV
Another incredible sleeve design accompanying a 7" release, this time from Melbourne based Whadya Want? Released on Correct Records in 1985, this was one of many side projects by the inimitable David Chesworth. Chesworth's music has come to define a unique experimental electronic sound prevalent in Australia during the late 70's and 80's. Although barely heard and incredibly hard to find these days, it remains testament to a consolidation of the cultural aesthetic driving Australian art and music of the time. Always working in collaboration with designers and visual artists near and dear, Chesworth's exploration of pop music nuances continues to inspire new audiences to this day. The sleeve was designed by Melissa and Peter Webb and tastefully captures the electricity of this exciting period and rise of the TV inviting itself in as an extra member to families nationwide. Apart from all of invaluable information, it's a fucking cracker of a record and will have listeners everywhere asking for a rewind. A special thank you to Guy Blackman for introducing me to this one.Check in tomorrow for the full-colour tour of Instant Peterson's famed record collection
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Instant Peterson: Released on Australian imprint Cleopatra Records in 1986, Modern Jazz was just one of the many side projects involving underground icon Ash Wednesday of Metronomes fame. As far as the sleeve credits go, there's no information about who designed this absolute gem of a sleeve, and unfortunately I'm not technology-savvy enough to upload the image and find the artist responsible myself. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on this record, I recommend playing "The Great Outdoors" at full blast. It's a song guaranteed to turn an evening of canapés and light conversation into beer bongs and full-blown nudity, as the title would suggest.
This LP gave title to the amazing newly established reissue label Music From Memory operating out of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Released on tiny imprint Creation Records in 1985, this album could be interpreted as a New York equivalent to Modern Jazz's The Nude. The sleeve was designed by Paul Leone and printed in Canada, so once again I'm left following a loose thread for more information. From a quick glance it's fair to say that the inspiration for this design probably went hand in hand with the astonishment of seeing for the first time, what now look like primitive computer graphics. The liner notes thank a Jon Gordon for "electronic bondage" which seems like a great two word summary for the sounds you'll find on this obscure LP. It also comes with instructions to "play it loud"!
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I bought this album off eBay a few years ago based purely on the cover design and titles of the songs listed on the back, which include "Liquid Diamonds" and "Tears Behind The Smile". Privately released by the man himself in 1980, I never expected it to be half as prolific as the jacket sleeve and song titles would suggest. So much so in fact, that the aforementioned usic From Memory label would go on to reissue a compilation of Lowman's work. The compilation includes tracks from this highly collectable LP as well as material from a cassette fellow digger and friend Michael Kucyk of Noise In My Head notoriety went halves in buying titled "Sound Horizon". Surf and synth enthusiast Lowman dedicates this release to "all those who love to ride the surf".
There's nothing better (or worse in some cases) than a 7" with a printed sleeve, and this record is a true testament to that. I picked up this incredibly scarce self released EP on Project 9 records at the Essendon record fair last year and have been thoroughly enjoying looking and listening to it ever since. This record is a personal holy grail and a saving grace for the dying and somewhat exhausted sound of Australian folk rock at the turn of 1980's. This record came out in 1978 and that's about as much as I can tell you, seeing it's next to impossible to find out anything more online. If you're currently riding the nu-hippy bandwagon, do yourself and everybody else a favour by ditching the shit clothing and searching for records like this instead. A much more authentic experience indeed, hopefully we'll hear this one reissued somewhere in the future.
Another incredible sleeve design accompanying a 7" release, this time from Melbourne based Whadya Want? Released on Correct Records in 1985, this was one of many side projects by the inimitable David Chesworth. Chesworth's music has come to define a unique experimental electronic sound prevalent in Australia during the late 70's and 80's. Although barely heard and incredibly hard to find these days, it remains testament to a consolidation of the cultural aesthetic driving Australian art and music of the time. Always working in collaboration with designers and visual artists near and dear, Chesworth's exploration of pop music nuances continues to inspire new audiences to this day. The sleeve was designed by Melissa and Peter Webb and tastefully captures the electricity of this exciting period and rise of the TV inviting itself in as an extra member to families nationwide. Apart from all of invaluable information, it's a fucking cracker of a record and will have listeners everywhere asking for a rewind. A special thank you to Guy Blackman for introducing me to this one.Check in tomorrow for the full-colour tour of Instant Peterson's famed record collection