Album of the week- GOD: "GOD".

If there is one band on earth who can get away with self-titling what is essentially a reissue, it's these guys.
More than twenty years after their last show, but only weeks after a version of "My Pal" brought down the curtain on the Tote, this feels very timely. Or maybe it's just about fucking time.
If you weren't around back in the day to see them, and haven't heard either "Rock Is Hell" or "For Lovers Only", this may surprise you. Regardless of whether you were or not, my tip is to play disc two first. It includes the whole of their final show, at the Central Cub in Richmond in July 1989. Thirteen tracks, unedited but remastered, that show them in all their loud sweaty glory. A must.

Oh my. God.

The long-lost Melbourne teenage band's entire recorded output, plus live stuff, is being re-issued by Afterburn Records (same folks who did Bored!'s re-issue) on CD. Check out the contents:

DISC 1

FOR LOVERS ONLY LP
1. Gunk
2. Headin' For The Id
3. Golly Wolly Golly Wolly Hoo Hoo Ha
4. Sook
5. Snake Charmer
6. Talkin' Rude On The Telephone
7. Blistered Mind
8. She's Hungry
9. Half-Ass
10. Bone Dry
11. The Day They Buried Hemensley
12. Dominatrix
13. Life's So Hard
14. Love You To Death

MY PAL 7''
15. My Pal
16. A Man Without A Woman Is Like A Nun Without A Jackhammer

ROCK IS HELL Mini-LP
17. Rockin' Marky
18. Human Abbreviation
19. Magic Crayfus
20. Meat Cleaver Boy
21. Chockablock Rock 'n' Roll (unabridged version)
22. Rok Zombi
23. Wormsweat
24. Tommy The Toilet

DISC 2

COVERS
1. Real Cool Time (Stooges)
2. Strutter (Kiss)

LIVE (GOD's Final Show 30/9/1989)
3. Gunk
4. Headin' For The Id
5. The Day They Buried Hemensley
6. Rok Zombi
7. Talkin' Rude On The Telephone
8. Blistered Mind
9. She's Hungry
10. Half-Ass
11. My Pal
12. Meat Cleaver Boy
13. Human Abbreviation
14. Snake Charmer
15. Chockablock Rock 'n' Roll
16. Love You To Death

Five years ago today, Tim Hemensley passed away

I can't help feeling that Australian music is a lesser place.

If Powder Monkeys were Tim's only contribution, that'd be enough, but there was plenty more in the shape of GOD and Bored! with whom he played for a while. There's some reader tributes to Tim from just after his death posted at the I-94 Bar here. Tim's father Kris runs an occasional retrospective of his writing here. The man's own words - and his sister's moving eulogy - probably say it better than anyone else can.

Collector Scum Corner (1)

The I-94 Bar Blog...bringing you only the best in listening pleasure:

Remembering Tim Hemensley

As the fourth anniversary of Tim's death approaches, it felt like an appropriate time to post some thoughts.
I met Tim when we were both quite young- I was about 18, he was about 11. I already knew who he was- the local papers delighted in carrying stories about the "primary school punk" antics of his first band, Royal Flush. For whatever reason, we didn't get on too well at first, but by the time GOD were up and running we were firm friends.
He had a complicated and busy life, usually based around music, girls and partying, and would occassionally drop by my East Melbourne flat late at night, for a chat, to play a new record he'd discovered ("Hermann Brood! He's like, like, the Dutch Lou Reed!") or just shoot the shit in general.
I was overseas during his time in Bored! and the Powdermonkeys, and bitterly regret never getting to see him play live with either of them.

There are some samples of their stuff available here courtesy of John Nolan's Powdermonkeys home page. Take a minute out to listen.

The last time I saw him was the Saturday before his death. Tracey & I went to the infamous "Star Wars" bar at the Espy, to see Tim's old bandmate Joel Silbersher playing with HOSS. He seemed to know everyone in the room, and was in fine form that night, darting from conversation to conversation, drinking anyone's beer, even getting up to sing. At one slightly serious moment I pointedly asked him how he was doing- a polite way to ask about his off and on chemical dabblings- and he assured us he was fine. He looked it too. Damn, but it was fun to hang out with him.
Then on the following Wednesday, listening to RRR on my way home having just been sacked from my job, I heard the news of his death.
I don't want to talk about the funeral, or the wake.
So, he's gone, but in no way is he forgotten. There's a memorial plaque on the wall of the Tote, and the Tim Hemensley medal is awarded at the St. Kilda Community Cup each year. He was partly responsible for christening me with this nom de plume, that I still use proudly. I still find myself humming "You piece of punk rock shit, you know you look like all fuck" now and again sometimes, and I'll make a point of playing some of his stuff over the next few days, too.

And I'm sure he'll get a mention from the stage on Saturday night.

Members wanted

Spotted this in the classified section of this week's Beat magazine:

Members wanted to form new exciting original unique high-energy rock 'n' roll band. Looking for talented, experienced and open-minded people to collaborate with and develop set for gigs and recording. I play guitar/bass, played with GOD, Patterson's Curse & Sauce. For more info visit www.mattyw.com/wantad

It would be good to see Matty out from behind the shop counter and back in the live game, hope this pans out for him.