The Stems: Heads Up 2007

Leaders Dom Mariani and Richard Lane formed Australia garage/punk rockers the Stems in 1983. Playing such local venues as The Wizbah, The Old Melbourne, and The Shenton Park on a regular

basis, the group built a substantial following, resulting in the release of their debut single in mid-1985, "Make You Mine" b/w "She's A Monster." Further releases soon followed, including singles, EPs (such as the Love Will Grow EP, produced by Radio Birdman's Rob Younger), and full-lengths (1987's best-selling At First Sight Violets Are Blue).
Strangely, at the height of their success, the group suddenly disbanded. But over the years, Mariani and Lane have been able to put their differences aside to reunite the Stems for the odd reunion show, including a pair of shows in 1997 (which coincided with the release an archival live release from the good old days, titled Weed Out!: Live at the Old Melbourne).

After twenty years The Stems returned in 2007 with their long overdue second album "Heads Up". It was almost as if they were never gone. Not only the same line-up remained, but also the same energy and excitement. The heady mix of garage rock and power pop makes for a fun and easily listenable sound. Think The Kinks crossed with The Jam and maybe a little Velvet Underground thrown in for good measure. For the first time ever released on vinyl. Only 500 copies have been made.

It's incongruous to think that "Heads Up" was only The Stems's second full-length album and the band's first new release in 20 years. Incongruous not just because The Stems remain one of

Australia's most virtuous garage and power pop bands despite a playing and recording history that lasted a mere few years in the mid-1980s. But also because Heads Up is so pure, fresh and potent that it could have been recovered from recording sessions shelved at the height of the band's original popularity.

Ten new original tunes were recorded in Perth in earlier part of 2007 at the vintage recording compound of KingDom Studios and later mixed at Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati by producer John Curley (Afghan Wigs, Greenhornes, Ronnie Spector & the White Stripes). Heads-Up was well received by fans and critics alike, and would reset the path for the bands resurgence as live touring act.

"A cracking collection" - Rolling Stone

"Pure, fresh and potent" - Patrick Emery, Beat Magazine - Album of the Week

"…jaw droppingly perfect" - Faster Louder

"Heads Up represents a fantastic return to the scene" -  Steve Bellf

As suggested with their reunion shows all over the world, starting some two years ago, Australia’s own “knights of fuzz” are back, with their “Heads Up” above most of the moderndaze garage

beatsters still having a thing or two to learn from the likes of The Stems, or other yet to be retired pioneering garage-punk revivalists, such as The Chesterfield Kings or The Cynics, both with brand new releases out this year as well.
With the main Stem, Dom Mariani, delivering the bulk of the goods, he provides us with the opening punked-up r’n’b fuzz of "Leave You Way Behind", followed by an even more freaky beat of "She Sees Everything", carried out on the wings of the (British) Birds, and of course, there’s a usual dose of Americanized riff-laden blast, with the ‘Machine-powered "Hellbound Train" being as good an example as any.

Making the diversity of Don’s contribution even wider, there’s the Spencer Davis Group-like blue-eyed soul organ-ization of Get To Know Me, as well as Get So Bad, a piece of powered-up classic mid’60s Merseybeat. As for the rest of The Stems, they seem to be rearing their own heads up pretty high as well, with drummer Dave Shaw delivering the slightlydelic jangle of Surround Me, this time with the American Byrds being the ones to provide the wings.

While Don’s fellow axeman, Richard Lane (note the cool reference within the brackets, reading R.Lane!), comes up with a pretty cool pair of What’s Your Stand and Only If You Want, with the former sounding like a bunch of garage-punkers, backing the likes of such harmony-laden groups like The Cyrkle or something, while the latter is another power-chord stomper, with the power this time being supplied by ’67 Who.

Hold your mop-topped heads up everyone, ‘cause you don’t wanna miss this!

Label: Shock ‎– ST-707

Format: CD, Album

Country: Australia

Released: 06 Oct 2007

Genre: Rock

Style: Garage Rock, Power Pop

TRAXS

01. Leave You Way Behind (D Mariani) (3:45 m:s)

02. She Sees Everything (D Mariani) (4:39 m:s)

03. Undying Love (D Mariani) (4:16 m:s)

04. Surround Me (D Shaw) (4:11 m:s)

05. What's Your Stand (R Lane / G Morris) (3:37 m:s)

06. Get To Know Me (D Mariani) (4:20 m:s)

07. Hellbound Train (D Mariani) (3:47 m:s)

08. The Liar (D Shaw) (4:06 m:s)

09. Only If You Want It (R Lane / G Morris) (3:54 m:s)

10. Get So Bad (D Mariani) (3:57 m:s)

   

Recorded At – Kingdom Studios

Mixed At – Ultrasuede Studio

Mastered At – Ocean Way Recording

Credits

Bass, Vocals – Julian Matthews

Drums, Vocals, Percussion – Dave Shaw

Engineer – Dom Monteleone

Guitar, Vocals, Organ, Harmonica – Richard Lane

Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals, Percussion – Dom Mariani

Mastered By – Alan Yoshida

Mixed By – John Curley

Producer – Dom Monteleone, The Stems

MP3 @ 320 Size:  94,2 MB

FLAC  Size:  275 MB