The Saints (band)

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The Saints
The Saints current line-up performing at the Download Festival, 2005. Left to Right: Chris Bailey, Peter Wilkinson and Casper Wijnberg.
Background information
Origin	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Genre(s)	Punk rock (early) Pop punk (mid) Punk blues (later)
Associated acts	Kid Galahad and the Eternals
Website	The Saints site The Saints on Myspace Ed Kuepper site Ed Kuepper on Myspace The Aints on myspace
Members
Chris Bailey Caspar Wijnberg Peter Wilkinson
Former members
Ed Kuepper Kym Bradshaw Ivor Hay Algy Ward Roger Cawkwell Barry "Barrington" Francis Mark Birmingham Janine Hall Ian Shedden Richard Burgman Tracy Pew Arturo "Archie" Larizza Michael Bayliss Andy Faulkner Martin Bjerregaard Marty Willson-Piper

The Saints are an Australian rock band, formed in Brisbane in 1974. They are considered to be one of the first and most influential punk groups. By 1975, contemporaneous with the Ramones, The Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzzsaw" guitar that characterised early punk rock. With their first single "(I'm) Stranded", in late 1976, they released a record ahead of better-known punk acts like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. Bob Geldof has been quoted as saying, "Rock music in the Seventies was changed by three bands — the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and The Saints".^[1][2]

The founding members of the band, other than Chris Bailey, left during the 1970s. During the 1980s, The Saints progressively adopted a more mainstream, classic rock style, and they achieved increasing commercial success in Australia.

[edit] 1974-76: formative years

The original members of the band were schoolmates Chris Bailey (singer-songwriter, later a guitarist); Ed Kuepper (guitarist-songwriter); and Ivor Hay (drummer). Their musical inspiration came from sources as diverse as 1950s rock 'n' roll such as Little Richard and Elvis Presley (an early incarnation of the group was called Kid Galahad and the Eternals)^[2] and 1960s proto-punk bands like The Stooges and MC5.

[edit] 1976–77: (I'm) Stranded

The cover of The Saints' debut album, (I'm) Stranded (1977)

In September 1976, with bass player Kym Bradshaw, The Saints independently recorded and distributed copies of their debut single "(I'm) Stranded". In the UK, Sounds magazine declared it "Single of this and every week",^[3] and the band was signed to a three-album contract with EMI. Later the same year they recorded their first LP, released in February 1977, also called (I'm) Stranded.

In mid-1977 the Brisbane punk rock band moved to the UK, where it became apparent that they and their label had different ideas as to how they should be marketed. EMI planned to sell The Saints as a typical punk band, complete with ripped clothes and spiky hair. The Saints insisted on maintaining a more downbeat image.^[2] Nevetheless one single, "This Perfect Day", showed potential of a commercial breakthrough when it made #34 in the UK; further movement up the charts was frustrated by EMI's failure to press enough copies of the record to satisfy demand.^[3]

[edit] 1977–78: Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds

Later in 1977, with bass player Alisdair "Algy" Ward, The Saints recorded a second album, Eternally Yours. This showed the band moving towards a more R&B style of rock, including a brass section (very reminiscent of Kuepper's subsequent band The Laughing Clowns) on songs like "Know Your Product".

Eternally Yours (1978) The Saints' second release.

Another track on the album, "Private Affair", focussed on what the band members saw as the pigeon-holing, hype and commercialisation of punk:

And now you think that you got a first in fashion

New uniforms we all look the same

A new vogue for the now generation

A new profit in the same old game

We got new thoughts, new ideas it's all so groovy

It's just a shame that we've all seen the same old movies

The Saints continued their musical development with the jazz-blues influenced LP Prehistoric Sounds in 1978; some critics see the 'jazz-punk' sound of Kuepper's next band, The Laughing Clowns, germinating on this record.^[4] Its commercial failure led to EMI dropping the band.

[edit] 1979: Kuepper's departure

Amidst the stew of frustrated talent and pressure cooker attention, relations between Kuepper and Bailey deteriorated beyond repair. Kuepper, Hay and Ward left the band soon afterwards and Kuepper began pursuing a more avant-garde direction with The Laughing Clowns. He continues to be one of Australia's most influential and highly regarded musicians with over twenty solo albums to his credit.

Bailey continued to use the name of The Saints with a variety other musicians including, briefly, Ivor Hay; in 1984 Kuepper was about to rejoin for a tour but in the end pulled out.

[edit] 1981–present

Bailey eventually achieved a commercial breakthrough with All Fools Day in 1987 (see 1987 in music), which sold moderately well across most of the world, as did the follow-up, Prodigal Son. Since then, he has continued touring and recording with various incarnations of The Saints.

Kuepper's riposte to Bailey's ongoing use of the name was to call one of his own bands The Aints. Later, Bailey and Kuepper buried the hatchet and, in September 2001, the original line-up came together for a one-off reunion when they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.^[5]

During the 1990s Chris Bailey released a few solo albums, amongst others 54 Days at Sea, which displayed a melodic and melancholic side mixed with South American influences. In 1997 came a new Saints album, Howling, a grungy low-fi recording. Spit the Blues Out in 2001 paid tribute to Bailey's blues roots. Bailey's old friend Patrick Mathé, of French label New Rose, played harmonica on the album.

Bailey and the current incarnation of The Saints released a new album in 2006, Imperious Delirium, undertaking a European tour to promote it. They will continue to tour America in the summer and autumn of 2007.

On July 14, 2007, Chris Bailey, Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay re-united for a one-off gig as part of the Queensland Music Festival.^[6] Caspar Wijnberg, who is in the current line up of The Saints, played bass.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

• (I'm) Stranded (1977)
• Eternally Yours (1978)
• Prehistoric Sounds (1978)
• The Monkey Puzzle (1981)
• I Thought This Was Love, But This Ain't Casablanca (1982) (released outside Australia as Out in the Jungle ... where things ain't so pleasant')
• A Little Madness to Be Free (1984)
• All Fools Day (1986)
• Prodigal Son (1988)
• Howling (1997)
• Everybody Knows the Monkey (1998)
• Spit the Blues Out (2002)
• Nothing is Straight in My House (2005)
• Imperious Delirium (2006)

[edit] Live albums

• Live in Mud Hut ... Somewhere in Europe (1985)
• The Most Primitive Band in the World (Live from the Twilight Zone, Brisbane 1974) (1995)

[edit] Compilation albums

• Best of the Saints (1986)
• Scarce (1989)
• The New Rose Years (1989)
• Songs of Salvation 1976-1988 (1991)
• Permanent Revolution (1991)
• Know Your Product - The Best of... (1996)
• 7799: Big Hits on the Underground (1999)
• Wild About You (2001)
• All Times Though Paradise (4-disc box set) (2005) Collection of the original band's first three albums including two complete live performances and numerous out-takes; remastered by Don Bartley with Ed Kuepper (EMI Australia)
• The Greatest Cowboy Movie Never Made (2006) (4-disc box set) Disc 1 - The Monkey Puzzle, Disc 2 - Out in the Jungle, Disc 3 - A Little Madness to be Free, Disc 4 - A Gallon of Rum Is a Harsh Mistress in the Morning After, Live in Oz. The compilation features albums from the early 1980s, after The Saints' punk phase. The "lost" EP Paralytic Tonight Dublin Tomorrow appears on Disc 1. "Live in Oz" is previously un-released and features a concert from 1981. (Cadiz)

[edit] Singles

• "(I’m) Stranded" / "No Time" (Fatal MA-7186 (Australia); Power Exchange PX-242 (UK); Sire 1005) (USA)) (1976)
• "Erotic Neurotic" / "One Way Street" (EMI Harvest SHAR-5123 (UK)) (1977)
• "This Perfect Day" / "L-I-E-S" (EMI Harvest SHAR-5130; also as 12" with bonus track "Do the Robot" HAR-5130 (UK)) (1977)
• "Lipstick on Your Collar" / "River Deep - Mountain High" (EMI 1C 006-82416 (UK)) (1977)
• "Know Your Product" / "Run Down" (EMI Harvest 11673 (UK)) (1978)
• "Security" / "All Times Through Paradise" (EMI Harvest SHAR-5166 (UK)) (1978)
• "Always" / "In the Mirror" (New Rose NEW-3 (France); Larrikin RISS-003 (Australia)) (1980)
• "Let's Pretend" / "Gypsy Woman" (Lost Rec 13093 (Australia)) (1981)
• "Follow the Leader" / "Animal" (Flicknife FLS-215) (1982)
• "Ghost Ships" / "Wrapped Up and Blue" (New Rose NEW-37 (France)) (1984)
• "Imagination" / "The Prisoner" (live) (New Rose NEW-43 (France)) (1984)
• "Just Like Fire Would" / "Storm" (Mushroom (Australia)) (1986)
• "(You Can't Tamper with) the Temple of the Lord" / "East is East" (Mushroom K-21 (Australia)) (1986)
• "See You in Paradise" / "Casablanca" (Mushroom (Australia)) (1986)
• "The Music Goes Round My Head"/ "Tomorrow" (K694 Mushroom (Australia)) (1988)
• "Stay"/ "Idiot Blues" (K-559 Mushroom (Australia)) (1988)

[edit] EPs

• "(I'm) Stranded" / "No Time" // B-side by Stanley Frank (split promo EP; Power Exchange (UK)) (1977)
• One Two Three Four (1977)
• Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow (1979)
• "Ghost Ships" / "Wrapped Up and Blue" // "Angels" / "Roses" (12" EP; New Rose (France)) (1984)
• "See You In Paradise"/"In The Mirror" // "Casablanca" / "Curtains" (12" EP X14336 Mushroom (Australia) (1986)
• Cheap Erotica (1993)

[edit] Charts

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

The Saints

• The Saints Offical Myspace page
• The Saints Official home page
• AMG Artist page
• The Saints: The Most Primitive Band In The World
• Ed Kuepper My space site
• The Kuepper files
• Laughing clowns