40 Years of Punk & New Wave 1977: (I'm) Stranded - The Saints

 

(I'm) Stranded - The Saints
Harvest Records
Produced by Mark Moffat and Rod Coe
Released February 1977

Side 1

Side 2

Singles on (I'm) Stranded

 

(I'm) Stranded / No Time

Fatal Records*

September 1976

*Fatal Records was a label the band set up in order to release their debut single. EMI Australia reissued the single and in the UK in 1977 it was issued on Power Exchange Records and Tapes.

It was also issued as a Double A-Sided Split EP

 New Wave EP

A-Side: (I'm) Stranded / No Time - The Saints

A-Side: S'Cool Days / On A Line - Stanley Frank

Power Exchange Records

12th August 1977

(Italian Picture Cover)

Erotic Neurotic / One Way Street

Harvest

8th April 1977

One Two Three Four EP

Lipstick On Your Collar / One Way Street / River Deep Mountain High / Demolition Girl

September 1977

By the release of the EP there had been a change in line up with the addition of Algy Ward on Bass after the departure of Kym Bradshaw.

This Perfect Day single which was released in July 1977 was included on the 2007 CD Release among the bonus tracks and a re-recorded version of the song appeared on their Second Album Eternally Yours.

Side 1: This Perfect Day

Side 2: L-I-E-S / Do The Robot

Harvest

Produced by Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey

Released 1st July 1977

UK Chart #34

*************

If you thought for a moment that Punk Rock was just something that was done by the Brits and the Americans, then think again. It was finding its feet in parts of Europe and of all the strangest places on earth, Brisbane, Australia!

The Saints had formed in 1974 but by 1975 they were already playing in a style that would be considered to be "punk rock".

Their debut single (I'm) Stranded was released on their own label Fatal due to the fact that no labels showed any interest in them. Copies were sent to radio stations and magazines in Australia and the UK with one landing on the desk of John Peel. He aired it for the first time on the 29th September 1976 on his show that featured by the way 9 songs from Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key of Life album - four from Side 1 and the complete Side 2!

This must have been the way they came to the attention of EMI in London who promptly informed their Australian Office to sign the band to a three album deal!

Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared it, "Single of this and every week".

(I'm) Stranded got a UK release on the Power Exhange Records and Tapes label, which was quite bizzare as the label had been on the go for a few years specialised in releasing Black music, particularly Soul Music (they had released the likes of the O' Jays, J.J. Barrie,  The Imperials etc as well as some "novelty" singles).

The album was recorded over the course of two days in December 1976 and  the band relocated to Sydney in early 1977. By May 1977 they had found their way to the UK where they were already butting heads with their label who wanted to promote them as an all out Spikey haired, Torn clothing Punk Band, The Saints meanwhile were dead set against that wishing to maintain a more downbeat image!

For an album and single that didn't do too well it is surprising the impact they have had, particularly in their homeland. In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary and named "(I'm) Stranded" in its Top 30 Australian songs of all time. In 2007, "I'm Stranded" was one of the first 20 songs stored on the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry. Their debut album was listed at #20 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums in October 2010.

If you like your rock and roll to be rough and ready and scuzzy then this album is a winner for you! 

A couple of years ago there was a bit of a new interest in The Saints after Bruce Springsteen had recorded one of their songs (Just Like Fire Would) for his High Hopes album. It was a song that that he played live when touring in Australia in 2013 in the hometown of The Saints. He was telling everyone that they should be listening to the band especially this album. So if my recommending of the album is not sufficient enough I think The Boss Seal of Approval should do it!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 263 - The Saints

(I'm) Stranded - The Saints

Harvest Records

Produced by Mark Moffat and Rod Coe

Released 21st February 1977

 

 

Tracklist

A1 (I'm) Stranded    
A2 One Way Street    
A3 Wild About You    
A4 Messin' With The Kid    
A5 Erotic Neurotic    
B1 No Time    
B2 Kissin' Cousins    
B3 Story Of Love    
B4 Demolition Girl    
B5 Nights In Venice

Singles on (I'm) Stranded

(I'm) Stranded / No Time

Fatal Records*

September 1976

*Fatal Records was a label the band set up in order to release their debut single. EMI Australia reissued the single and in the UK in 1977 it was issued on Power Exchange Records and Tapes.

(Italian Picture Cover)

Erotic Neurotic / One Way Street

One Two Three Four EP

Lipstick On Your Collar / One Way Street / River Deep Mountain High / Demolition Girl

September 1977

*************

This month sees The Saints Debut single (I'm) Stranded reach the tender age of 40 years old! Wow! Hard to believe isn't it?

John Peel had played it for the first time on his show on 29th September 1976 and also featured it during the Punk Rock Special on 10th December 1976.

Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared it, "Single of this and every week".

The album was recorded over a two day period in December 1976 and released in February 1977.

"The Saints aren't your average rock band. Never have been, never want to be." - Chris Bailey

After the release of the second single Erotic Neurotic the band moved to the UK where EMI were planning to promote them as a typical punk band, complete with ripped clothes and spiky hair – The Saints insisted on maintaining a more downbeat image.

Their third single in 1977, This Perfect Day, was not on the album but was reserved for their Second Album Eternally Yours (released in May 1978). It did give them a hit single here in the UK reaching #34 and they also appeared on Top of the Pops (see link). 

The album is listed at #20 in the 100 Best Australian Albums. The song (I'm) Stranded also featured in the 2001 Top 30 Australian Songs of All Time.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

The Saints - Stranded Documentary 2015

 This film explores the unique set of circumstances in 1970's Brisbane that fostered The Saints; the sweaty rebellion of Brisbane's oppressed youth as punk counterculture challenged QLD's notorious police force. Featuring interviews with the members of the band, including its leaders Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey, as well as the likes of Sir Bob Geldof, former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra and Buzzcocks guitarist Steve Diggle, the documentary is set to examine how the oppressive and conservative government of Joh Bjelke-Petersen in the 1970s helped act as a catalyst for the rise of punk rock in Australia, and how as a result The Saints went on to be one of the most influential bands this country has ever produced.

(I'm) Stranded - the album.

 Great Australian Albums Series:

(I'm) Stranded - The Saints 1977

(I'm) Stranded - 1976 Promo Video

For More Music etc from The Saints

Click Here!

Alphabet Beats #130: S is for....The Saints

S is for....

"The Saints aren't your average rock band. Never have been, never want to be." - Chris Bailey

The Saints are a rock band, originating in Brisbane, Australia founded by Chris Bailey (singer-songwriter, later guitarist), Ivor Hay (drummer), and Ed Kuepper (guitarist-songwriter) in 1974. Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups. In 1975, contemporaneous with United States' Ramones, The Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzz saw" guitar that characterised early punk rock. With their debut single, "(I'm) Stranded", in September 1976, they became the first alleged punk band outside the US to release a record, ahead of better-known acts including the Sex Pistols and The Clash. They are one of the first and most influential groups of the genre.

In early 1979, The Saints had imploded, leaving Bailey to continue the band, with a variable line-up. All Fools Day peaked in the Top 30 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in April 1986. Bailey also has a solo career and had relocated to Sweden by 1994. The band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2001.

The Saints continue to record and perform worldwide.

I loved the fact that Bruce Springsteen included a song by The Saints on his album 'High Hopes' ('Just Like Fire Would') that was released last year. If people were left scratching their heads about them I reckon that people were dashing to You Tube, iTunes and the Record Store to find themselves some music by a band that Springsteen said are, "one of my favourite early Australian punk bands, The Saints (check out "I'm Stranded)". Not only did he record it but he showed the band great honour when he played it live in concert last year on the opening night of the Australian Leg of the High Hopes Tour in Perth and a further 8 times in the remaining 11 shows!

Click on the links to enjoy the music

The Music

    (I'm) Stranded (1977)

    Eternally Yours (1978)

    Prehistoric Sounds (1978)
    The Monkey Puzzle (1981)*
     Out in the Jungle... Where Things Ain't So Pleasant (1982)
        aka I Thought This Was Love, But This Ain't Casablanca
    A Little Madness to Be Free (1984)*
    All Fools Day (1986)*
    Prodigal Son (1988)*

Know Your Product: The Best of The Saints (1996)
    Howling (1997)*
    Everybody Knows the Monkey (1998)*
    Spit the Blues Out (2002) 

All Times Through Paradise (2004 79 Track Compilation) 

    Nothing Is Straight in My House (2005)
    Imperious Delirium (2006)*
    King of the Sun (2012)*
    King of the Sun/Midnight Sun - European edition (2014)

*incomplete

Singles and other bits

 (I'm) Stranded (1976)

Erotic Neurotic (1977)

This Perfect Day (1977)

Lipstick on Your Collar (1977)

Know Your Product (1978)

Security (1978)

Always (1980)

Let's Pretend (1981)

Follow The Leader (1982)

Grain of Sand (1984)

Just Like Fire Would (1986)

See You In Paradise (1986)

Stay (1988)

The Music Goes Round My Head (1989)

Live at The Hope and Anchor (1977)

 

The Saints - King of the Sun/King of the Midnight Sun (November 2014)

From Fire Records Website:

The legendary former garage-punks, recently covered by Bruce Springsteen, break new ground with two albums that are the same - but different...

Why would a band re-record their new album in its entirety and then release them both at the same time? Because, as leader Chris Bailey puts it, "it's both sides of The Saints in one package". And so the deluxe debut European release of their "King of the Sun" features not only that album - a beautiful, expansive collection that harks back to Saints high points like "Ghost Ships" - but also a freshly recorded rock'n'roll take on exactly the same set of songs, recorded as live, and called "King of the Midnight Sun".

"I'm very proud of the studio album as a listening piece," says Chris. "It's lyrical, musical, an exploration of songwriting. 'Midnight' is more a celebration of the strengths of a rock band. There's a swagger on it that there isn't on the original."

The impetus for the added recording came from the recent reintroduction to The Saints of Barrington Francis, who played in the band from 1979 to 1989. "There's magic that happens when Barrington, Peter [Wilkinson, the drummer] and I get together," says Chris. "In this technological world where everything is nine million tracks on computer it's very important to retain the immediacy of rock'n'roll, to keep that earthy, organic, primitive side. If you can type, you can type an album these days, but there's something that happens when you rely on people playing together."

The Saints have reached a huge new audience thanks to Bruce Springsteen, who covered their "Just Like Fire Would" on his 2014 global No 1 album, "High Hopes". "Bruce told me: 'I bought the album when it came out and I've always really loved that song'," says Chris. "I'd known that he'd done the song live on his last tour, but I never in my wildest imagining thought he'd release it".

It's the latest development in the career of a band that found themselves at the forefront of the punk revolution with the release of their era-defining single "(I'm) Stranded" in 1976, ("NME" made it Single of the Week; "Sounds" made it Single of the Year; and EMI executives raced to sign them), that led to "Top of the Pops", and a stack of classic albums. Since then The Saints have one moment blasted out the most raucous rock'n'roll, and the next created some the most affecting, emotional lyricism, and often even done it at the same time.

Chris Bailey's songwriting has always been key to The Saints. "My job is to come up with vignettes that make sense on a poetic, intellectual and artistic level, and in the context of a rock'n'roll band, which is what I always want The Saints to be," he says. "The Saints aren't your average rock band. Never have been, never want to be. This is another manifestation of that."

"Worshipped... a truly great band" - NME

"More stage presence than an army of attitudinal hipsters and a back catalogue to kill for" - The Independent

"Chris Bailey, a distillation of [John] Lennon and... Van [Morrison], and one of the great punk larynxes" - Uncut