Wicked Songs: Primitive Calculators’ Pumping Ugly Muscle + Thrush & The Cunts’ Diseases + The Boys Next Door’s Shivers

Or I could just say it’s three tracks from the Dogs In Space soundtrack in 1986, which are just my faves! So I did promise more Primitive Calculators yesterday but instead spreading them out and having it at a later date I’m blogging about them today! Fuck knows why because it seems almost no one looked at it, thanks to the two hits/people who did but maybe I should just stop looking at my stats page? Plus your getting even more Thrush & The Cunts too who did make a cameo yesterday too. I figure, I might as well thrown in The Boys Next Door in too because I can’t seem to do just do a one track post anymore.

Below I have the songs are in the running order backwards from that soundtrack, which I never have own too. I do have two of the three songs here on something else but wish I did have the third on something, I guess it’s on my blog now! Both those first two bands reformed for Michael Hutchence debut movie called Dogs In Space and director by Richard Lowenstein, a total Aussie classic film which I can’t remember a thing about it to tell the truth but looks like you can watch the whole film on youtube now which I might just have after posting this. Both these two tracks kicking off side B of the vinyl soundtrack to Dogs In Space, as far as I can tell it’s not be reissue since the mid 80’s but Pumping Ugly Muscle is on the Tales From The Australian Underground Vol. 2 comp album which I’ve talked about on my blog, which I’m slowly writing a post about each of all the tracks on the two comp albums under that name. It’s been a long while since did the last song but I did actually have both Thug’s Fuck You Dad and Salamander Jim’s Hot Cakes For Daddy in the post about Tex Perkins’ book late last year so I guess I did, kind-of?

So Pumping Ugly Muscle was track number 11 on disc 2 on that Tales comp album. In liner notes to that comp it says Ollie Olsen “re-assembled” Primitive Calculators for the soundtrack using borrowed equipment plus in just a rehearsal lasting only a few hours they recorded the song which an old track that they previously leaved unrecorded. Directly quoting the liner notes now “Pumping Ugly Muscle the real musical heart of the film.” I wouldn’t have a clue if that is right or not? But can tell you I love this song so much, words fail me yet again here. BTW it’s also on comp album Chapter Music label’s Can’t Stop It! which is a live 70’s version and can be found here.

Next up is Thrush & The Cunts‘ Diseases which if for some reason you missed my post yesterday? Denise Rosenberg is from the Primitive Calculators too and is on this song also two other Thrush & The Cunts tracks are on the tail end of one of the two albums I was banging on about yesterday too. Most likely they can lay clam to the first all-female punk band in Australia! Am I right about that? Formed in 1979 which is close to any America and English or even pre-dates them. Denis saying she wanted a band name people would remember. This is the one song I’m missing but oh my how I love it too, total forgotten Aussie classic! A woman singing about all the diseases she has or had is just pure songwriting genius in my opinion, I fall totally in love every time I listen to it. I’m just guessing now but I would think it was the same deal as the Primitive Calculators song above, maybe an older song not recorded back in the late 70’s and then a little rehearsing  in 1986 and then record the track but I really can’t find much about this at all which is a tad little disappointing.

   On the very end of side A on this soundtrack is the song above that needs no intro at all but if you don’t know it for some unknown reason? It’s one of Nick Cave’s earliest recordings, that’s first time in 2018 I’ve name drop him on my blog too. But the song Shivers was written then sixteen old guitar player, songwriter Rowland S. Howard. Also from the late 70’s but off course this one was recorded then, it’s the very last track on the Door Door debut album by The Boys Next Door and was 7″ single in 1979 too. To me by far and away the very best of all the earliest songs by that band before changing into The Birthday Party band but that’s another story. Do I need to say anymore? Oh, my two most fave covers of this track I’ve blogged before here and here, if you wanna listen to them now? Maybe should have other post just for this track but oh well.

Side-notes: Michael Hutchence and Nick Cave did wanted to sing together at some point but then Hutchence passed away. Cave is godparent to Tigerlilly who’s Micheal’s child with Paula Yates. Micheal was the one who also got Kylie to do to the Wild Roses duet also then Cave sung Into My Arms song at Hutchence’s funnel plus refused to the TV cameras broadcast to him, saying it’s very bad taste for them doing all that or something like that!

Dog In Space soundtrack did have some solo Hutchence songs too plus other cast members singing Shivers cover which is nothing special but you can find all of them on youtube, if you wanna listen? Then also the soundtrack producer Ollie Olsen or well he did half of it, the then new stuff. Win/Lose by Ollie Olsen was another older song on it, also on the Tales Of The Australian Underground Vol. 2 but I’ll just have to save that one for later, OK? Also did have tracks by Iggy Pop, Brain Eno, Gang Of Four and from New Zealand a band called The Marching Girls are all the other tracks on that soundtrack.

Amazing it’s not had some kind-of super deluxe reissue or something in a world were record company’s re-released anything and everything over the last few years or so. With things like the big hit Aussie TV mini-series based on Micheal and INXS, it’s unbelievably really to think they haven’t yet. Maybe I would buy it just to get my hands on Thrush & The Cunts’ Diseases.

Happy snaps because I can’t help myself!

Primitive Calculators with Cave @ ATP fest. 2009, photo by Anthony Cornish.

In an age before selfies, it’s thanks to paparazzi for the only photo of Nick and Michael I can find today.

Dog In Space all black soundtrack album cover from 1986!

Anyway who out there would like to know my fave INXS album at some point in the near future?

So this was going to be a short quick post but seems is not now but hope someone out there enjoy it and these tracks?

Cheers 🙂