Well, I think I’m now going to do some greatest Aussie song-writers as my 10 fave songs in some blog posts. Who better to start with but Mr. Ed K? So that’s off course including his early bands: Laughing Clowns and The Saints. Recently he reformed The Aints for The Saints anniversary last year which was bloody great live when I seen them. My fingers, arms, legs are crossed hoping for some kind-of Laughing Clowns reunion sometime soon or later? That hasn’t happened but he’s doing a mid-year run of his very successful live request shows and playing yet more The Aints shows too. I’ve been to two of those request gigs over the last few years he’s been doing them, both gigs were a couple of years apart and which were totally different and highly entertaining night. He’s a very funny fucker too but in a total darkest black comedy style in between songs and he’s got some stories to tell, you just wish he would write a book or something?
Anyway going from his early days of the late 70’s to his last solo album in 2015 here’s my faves…
Messin’ With The Kid by The Saints – (I’m) Stranded (1977)
From 1977 and I have said this before on my blog here more than once, I think? I don’t know what is about this song but I do love it so much! It’s way longer and even slower than all the other one from the debut album (I’m) Stranded which I also named on my CA list too, link here if you want ever more?
Collapse Board by Laughing Clowns – History Of Rock N’ Roll Volume One (1984)
Skipping to 1980 and the then new band after he leaved The Saints, in all truth Laughing Clowns would be more of a fave for me, you know? I could listen to them forever and if you need just one band to some-up post-punk for me it would them, beyond epic and beyond just about everything really!
Eternity Yours by Laughing Clowns – Law Of Nature (1984)
So after saying that I’ve gotta pick a second song by them! From 1984 album Law Of Nature which was also another album on my CA list, link here too. Taking the album title of The Saints second album which never and song for them but for the Laughing Clowns.
Car Headlights – Electric Storm (1985)
In 1985 Ed finally when solo with the a great album called Electric Storm, so great it was re-recorded with a whole newer version in 2012 titled Second Winter which I do prefer so I totally agree with him re-working into this newly one, good work!
Also Sprach The King Of Euro-Disco – Rooms Of The Magnificent (1986)
I’ve wrote a whole blog post just about this song, it was like my second post when I started doing this, so here’s the link to it but god knows what the hell I was gibbering on about back then? I still love it now, would have be the first Kuepper song I ever heard too! From the 1986 album Rooms Of The Magnificent plus also could be found on comp album Tales From The Australian Underground which I wrote very first blog all about, linked again here but be warned it’s most likely a big mess, OK? Unlike now were it’s just total chaos!
The Way I Made You Feel – Honey Steel’s Gold (1992)
Don’t quote me but this song could be my all-time fave by him so I wasn’t number them but I guess it’s top track today, OK? It’s got everything I love about his songwriting and once again I don’t know what it is about it which makes it somehow better but it’s bloody great, how about I just say that? Bloody great song! From the unbelievable amazing album Honey Steel’s Gold from 1992.
Confessions Of A Window Cleaner – A King In The Kindness Room (1995)
By mid-90’s Ed was on a winning stretch, I could really pick anything around this time but this one for me is just a little bit better or something, it’s a wicked track by him. From the album A King In The Kindness Room in 1995 and four of these tracks today can be found on the three CD’s This Is The Magic Mile box-set too, I was trying not to total greatest hits type songs but only amazingly one song in my list today is on Ed Kuepper Sings His Greatest Hits For You comp album.
Fireman Joe – Frontierland (1996)
After saying that, three were singles which do have promo video clips, any guess which ones? Oh yeah, I’ve included them all here! Setting fire to a pile of pianos in this one, the song is from Frontierland album in 1996. Over this time it really is worth saying from mid-80’s to mid-90’s or maybe even late-90’s Ed did something like an album of pretty much new songs per year over that period.
Miracles (Are An Illusion) – Jean Lee And The Yellow Dog (2007)
Now I’ve get to 2007 and this song is my fave track from a record I named last year as my fave solo EK album called Jean Lee And The Yellow Dog so is on that CA list too, linked again here if you do want the full album? Very hard to just have one but I guess that’s it, if I have too pick!
Pavane – Lost Cities (2015)
After being so prolific Ed’s been very open about his writers block but also I got to say guess artists do slow down too. This is the opening track on his last album from 2015 called Lost Cities which as a whole record is an under-rated gem. I did blog about it too, if you want yet another link to that, here it is and that also after seeing play it live in full which was so very beautiful briefly.
So I’ve just got to ask now? What is your fave Ed K tune/s? Please do tell!
Cheers 🙂
a1000mistakes 
May I add this for your consideration? https://www.google.com.au/search?q=summer+wine+rockwiz&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-au&client=safari
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Oh yeah, Ed on rockwiz tv show doing Summer Wine with Clare Bowditch was pretty great! I think it would still be a fave rockwiz cover duet!
Cheers 🙂
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Hey man! Just letting you know I’ve enjoy those 70’s bands we were talking about a week or two ago or whatever it was? I’ve done some edits to my yearly playlist and fitted them plus a couple of others you might remember too! Let me know if wanna look/listen? And can give you the links! Plus with this rockwiz duet you inspired me to do a whole rockwiz blog post too, putting it up a bit later today!
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There are so many great duets on there. I have a sort of vague relationship with Mike Rudd so ‘crying’ is one of my favourites. I also, as I might have told you, have a long friendship with Dave Mason ….. but his duet was perhaps not his finest moment.
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I don’t remember seeing those ones but will see if I can find them on youtube, just posted it up so you can have a look and see what you think of my picks?
Is it funny being friends with a rock singer? I guess he’s just bloke you known for a long time who sings songs sometimes!
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There have been, to be sure, some funny times! I don’t know if you ever saw the Reels version of Bad Moon Rising. That is one of his better clips, although, in my opinion, there were better songs he did way back at the start of it all. A great version of ‘Lies’, for example, but I don’t think it was ever recorded. There was also a recording done by 2JJ in one of the Sydney jails when the band went by the name of Bruce Landers, but I asked Dave if he knew where a copy of that may still be, but he had no idea. There is a record somewhere of excerpts from several of those concerts on which he features (‘canned heat’, or some such name) but I can’t track that down either.
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Oh yeah, amazing they don’t dig it out and reissue it or something? all I have is The Reels best of CD called “Reel To Reel” plus another disc of solo Dave Mason called “Reelsville” which is him basically doing acoustic versions of the old songs, I think it was in the 2000’s? I really like/love The Reels, some songs made my cut in a few of my 80’s playlist too, you know?
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Dave has been a good friend to me, but more specifically, to my wife, for many many years. I have a great deal of respect for him.
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I have been lucky enough to be associated with some far more talented individuals than myself over the years. But, as you say, they are just people who play music, in the end.
My son, during his university/ squatting/ aspiring muso/penniless period got some friends to play at a house warming in some shithole in Petersham or somewhere a few years ago and apparently it went fairly well. At the end of the night the band asked him if he would be willing to manage them. He had more grandiose plans at the time and declined. That band are the Jezabells.
My point here is that these little brushes with creativity are not that rare, especially in Australia. And that’s why we like the place.
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🙂
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