Beasts of Bourbon
The Axeman's Jazz

You think I'm psycho don't you mama?

Take a look at the cover photo (if you don't have it, no matter, look at the posted photo): Tex Perkins with his crooked grin poses as a third-rate Lux Interior, the others in the gang flaunt improbable helmets for those who have a certain age under their belt, with bellies made bloated by too many drinks. Ridiculous, right? You're totally wrong... they are a SUPERGROUP! They are the beasts of bourbon from Sydney, they come from the best bands in the area and in one afternoon, just one afternoon in '84, they recorded this album that cost a whole hundred dollars at Paradise Studio with their friend Billy Field, only to then vanish.

They will reunite only in 1989 to make three more in the span of three years.

The Australian bush is out there in its blinding white, but they, in the dim atmosphere of the venue, between a bourbon and a beer, unravel their rough stories with high alcohol content, halfway between a dreamy swamp rock and a dirty punk blues from the pub. Stories of hard lives, marked by all kinds of abuse, marriages that end with axes planted in skulls, dozens of deaths on the Highway, misfits of all kinds devoted to booze or drugs, losers forced to work all day to survive or to pay a prostitute.

It starts with "Psycho",  a piece of introspective ballad crap corroded by Kim Salmon's slide that slices through the smoke of too many cigarettes (it's a cover, listen to it in Elvis Costello's version on "Almost Blue"... and be moved).
The Stones-like "Evil Ruby" finds Perkins strangely still sober as he tries to be the Jagger of the situation to the twang of Spencer Jones's guitar. Instead, "Love & Death" and " Grave Yard Train" are a couple of feline boogies dragged along as only the Cramps and... the beasts of bourbon can do.
The guitars in "Good Times" set the distortions ablaze while Perkins's brutal and drunken scarecrow voice ironically shouts that these are good times!
I'd bet my beloved turntable that "Drop Out" is the track that Iggy would have wanted to sing: can you imagine him loudly singing "I wanna be a guru/ I wanna be a god / yeah I'm a drop out!" while the guitars are biting his ass? Fantastic, among the best tracks ever from the Australian combo.
The funky of "Save Me a Place" is something so torrid that it's necessary to put some ice cubes (horror!) in those glasses overflowing with bourbon.
"Lonesome Bones" is a delirious and visionary blues, chewed  down to the minimum rpm before the engine completely stalls coughing out poorly screwed bolts.
Another country ballad made with four guitar chords and the bass and drums that accompany it sadly, spitting chewed tobacco on the red dust to remind that that day in El Paso was a tragic day, it was "The Day Marty Robbins Die".
And finally... hallelujah! Everyone to pogo as if at a cowboy, no sorry, biker rally on acid with the backdrop of the setting sun on Ayers Rock... "Two Wheels for Jesus".

Well, the record is recorded. One last drink before returning to their own bands... will we meet again?

- Boh? The two of us have to deal with the Scientists.
- Damn,  I'm stuck with these Johnnys idiots.
- Damn! I have to go, I left the Hoodoo Gurus without a drummer, we're playing at the Marriotville Hotel tonight.
- Well, let's not talk about it anymore, let's kick luck aside.
- But I...
- Hey guys! Perkins wants to talk about it.
- Oh, you want to talk about it? Let's talk about it...