the LP · track by track · from the zine, 2025
The Saints · (I'm) Stranded
(I'm) Stranded. Oh man, where to start? This song is fucking phenomenal. From Kuepper's shocking buzzsaw guitar and Bailey's deadpan bored vocals, this song is so amazing and laid the foundation for the entire Brisbane music scene. The guitar was actually tuned slightly flat for this song, due to musicians back in the 70s having nothing that accurate to tune off, and wow, I have so much to say about this song. Ed Kuepper wrote this song on a midnight train ride to his parent's house in Oxley, and with nothing to do, he wrote a song about how lost and alienated he felt in being in a boring conservative city ruled by authoritarian premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, disappointment over romantic troubles 'honey, such a stupid girl', and seeing the dirty gritty state of riding the last train out of the city. This song was before any UK punk releases, and The Saints did it very DIY. They recorded this in a recording studio meant for ad jingles as it was cheap, and they pressed 500 records of this themselves because one of their members worked for a record company and they knew that it was cheap to do so. The Saints were hated by the entire Brisbane scene at the time, who were mostly playing shitty soft rock, funk, and disco, while they played hard rock 'n' roll. They were the first to rent community halls as venues, and this song means a lot to me.
One Way Street. A song about how the narrator wants to 'get some changes made' and overall get something done in a town that feels like a one way street, all throughout the city, downtown and uptown, and how some people 'creeps' just want to ruin you and make you fall down, but how he's gonna get shit done anyway.
Wild About You. A cover of The Missing Links song, they were a rock 'n' roll band from Sydney in the 60s. The song is about how the narrator is wild about a girl.
Messin' With The Kid. A touching sad, slow rock ballad, and immediately you can tell it's about being a young person in Brisbane in the 70s, and even some people can relate to it today. It's about how empty and stranded The Saints felt as outcasts.
Erotic Neurotic. A reworked version of the rock staple 'I Want To Be Your Man', made more erratic and neurotic, with a fast punk rock riff, and lyrics that cut all the bullshit out. Amazing track.
No Time. A song about how the narrator is sick of girls wasting his time, and how he doesn't care who he ends up with as long as she doesn't use him and breakup with him after a short while.
Kissin' Cousins. An Elvis Presley cover. Honestly the weak point of this album, but it's still a rock n roll song.
Story Of Love. Another good slowish ballad about the narrator feeling confused about a girl. Not that much deep meaning, but the delivery and instrumental makes this song gold.
Demolition Girl. A song about a girl who makes the narrator feel at wits end and very depressed, being the demolition of him. Very punk and fast.
Nights In Venice. A very fucking simple riff. E and then A. Any person who can pick up a guitar can play this song. A longer track that reflects what The Saints would do live sometimes, with long extended breakdowns. It's about the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, and how the narrator hears girls moaning in the room next to him, and about how he's faced with enormous heartbreak and jealousy. A fiery end to an epic record.