Junkyard (album)

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Junkyard
Studio album by The Birthday Party
Released	July 1982
Recorded	A.A.V. Studio 2, Melbourne and Matrix Studios, London 1981 & 1982
Genre	Post punk
Length	47:08
Label	4AD
Producer	Richard Mazda, Tony Cohen and Nick Launay
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
The Birthday Party chronology
Prayers on Fire (1981) Junkyard (1982) Mutiny/The Bad Seed (1983)

Junkyard is a 1982 album by The Birthday Party. The album was recorded with Tony Cohen at Armstrong's Audio Visual (A.A.V.) Studios in Melbourne in December 1981 and January 1982. Additional tracks were recorded in London's Matrix Studios with punk producer Richard Mazda in May 1982. Mazda's previous work with ATV and The Fall had brought him to their attention. Later CD re-issues added the "Release the Bats/Blast Off!" single recorded at London's Townhouse Studio with Nick Launay in April 1981.

The album was a somewhat transitional record for a variety of reasons. 16 February 1982 in Melbourne,Tracy Pew (the band's bass player) is arrested for drunk driving. For this and several other outstanding offences he serves 2.5 months in Pentridge Jail (a labour camp) in Australia, and so Barry Adamson was drafted in on bass duties for several tracks. Despite the fact that many of the band members were definitely 'under the influence' through the recording, the sessions resulted in a ground breaking album, full of "sound and fury".

The cover art is by Ed Roth and features his most famous character Rat Fink riding on a hot rod and peppering an unfortunate cat with buckshot.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Blast Off!"
2. "She's Hit"
3. "Dead Joe"
4. "The Dim Locator"
5. "Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)"
6. "Several Sins"
7. "Big Jesus Trash Can"
8. "Kiss Me Black" (Barry Adamson on bass)
9. "6" Gold Blade"
10. "Kewpie Doll"
11. "Junkyard"
12. "Dead Joe" (2nd version) (Barry Adamson on bass)
13. "Release the Bats"