Tamam Shud had emerged from the “straighter” Sunsets in 1967. Leader Lindsay Bjerre had been swept along on the musical winds of change sweeping through the music world. As the absorbed the implications of artists such as Hendrix, Joplin, Sweetwater and Jefferson Airplane, they became the real deal in Australian rock music. Along with Tully they waged a titanic struggle for progressive rock supremacy in the late sixties and early seventies, trading surf soundtracks and life affirming live concerts as they pushed the definition of rock music further and further.
Sydney in 1969 was a fabulous place to be discovering rock music. Tamam Shud had released their first album, “Evolution”, and a live music scene based on an emerging University circuit was encouraging a range of experimental bands. In 1970 Tamam Shud had picked up a new guitarist, fifteen year old Tim Gaze, whose playing inspired an incendiary sound. Bjerre had crafted a suite of songs that issued a warning to the world, and Gaze’s playing lifted them onto a completely different plane. Coupled with the thunderous rhythm section of Peter Barron and Dannie Davidson, their 1970 concept album “Goolutionites and the Real People” was as good as anything coming from the west coast of the USA . The rest of the world may not have known it, but Tamam Shud were an international quality band in sound if not reputation.
Creating a kaleidoscope of acid trips, environmental awareness and a closeness to nature swathed in sunshine, “Goolutionites and the Real People” is a pure slice of 1970. Musically there is evidence aplenty that boy wonder Gaze was indeed the combination of Clapton, Hendrix and Green that Bjerre had dreamed of. There is amazing sensitivity in some of the playing. Listen as “Take a Walk on a Foggy Morn” segues into “Goolutionites Theme Part 1”, and then hear it explode into a “bad acid trip” in “Goolutionites Theme Part 2”. Instantly you’ll understand why this album has been spoken of in hushed tones for nearly forty years.
On the CD release, Aztec Music has produced some extraordinary bonus tracks. There’s the impossibly rare January 1972 single “I Got a Feeling” b/w “My Father Told Me”. It showed the band going in another new direction, capturing some elements of the singer/songwriter sound, but with the grittiness and authenticity the band was famous for softened slightly with harmonies that predicted the softer West Coast USA sound that was just around the corner.
Also included are the three “Morning of the Earth” soundtrack songs Tamam Shud recorded. The excellent liner notes will explain why Broderick Smith’s vocals adorn “First Things First”, which features the addition of Tully’s Richard Lockwood on reeds. Lockwood’s flute glides through the beautifully evocative “Bali Waters”, while “Sea the Swells” captures this incarnation of the band in absolutely peak form.
Rarest of all are the four live tracks from a Melbourne performance in December 1971. They give a tantalising glimpse of what could’ve been the third Tamam Shud album. If you’ve only ever read about the awesome power of Tamam Shud in concert, treat yourself to these four gems. Only “Bali Waters” would appear on record, while “Midday ‘Til Four”, “Being Absolutely Free” and “Bow Wow” show a supreme live band in command of both power and subtlety.
Lindsay Bjerre is one of the truly underrated heroes of Australian music. This release shows some of his sides, and what you hear is a visionary who was always ahead of prevailing trends. In Tim Gaze he found a guitarist who could help bring that vision to reality. The Barron/Davidson rhythm section was always a sympathetic presence who has never received their just recognition. Davidson would follow Gaze into Khavas Jute, while Barron was there supporting Bjerre as Tamam Shud evolved into the wonderfully pastoral Albatross whose beautiful album “A Breath of Fresh Air” is surely due for a digital makeover too.
