| The Mutton Birds | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Years active | 1991–2002 |
| Labels | EMI Virgin Records |
| Past members | |
| Don McGlashan Ross Burge David Long Chris Sheehan Alan Gregg Tony Fisher |
|
The Mutton Birds was a band from New Zealand formed in 1991 by Don McGlashan, Ross Burge, and David Long.
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All three members came into the band with experience: McGlashan came from Blam Blam Blam and The Front Lawn, guitarist Long had played in the Six Volts and Burge had played in the Spines and Sneaky Feelings. Burge was also playing in Dribbling Darts alongside the Mutton Birds. They gained bassist Alan Gregg, also from Dribbling Darts in 1992 and recorded their first self-titled album. It went platinum in New Zealand and gained them notice outside college radio, notably for a cover of Wayne Mason's "Nature" - originally recorded by Mason in 1970 with The Fourmyula and subsequently voted in 2002 as New Zealand's greatest song of the previous 75 years. The Mutton Birds debut album remained on the charts for over a year.
For their second album, Salty, they signed with EMI Australia. It was self-produced and mixed by Tchad Blake. Again the album went platinum in NZ but received little notice beyond Australia and New Zealand.
Their next album, Nature, was a collection of songs from their first two CDs with production assistance from Neil Finn, released by Virgin Records.
Their third proper CD, Envy of Angels, was recorded in Wales and released in 1996 worldwide. It sold typically well in Australia and New Zealand, and sales increased from those of Nature in the rest of the world. This year also saw The Mutton Birds' contribution to the soundtrack of Peter Jackson's film The Frighteners with a remake of Blue Öyster Cult's 1976 classic "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". The band now moved to the United Kingdom where they would remain based until 2000.
As they began touring, David Long quit, replaced by Chris Sheehan. Two self-released CDs followed, Angle of Entry (an acoustic live album) in 1997 and Too Hard Basket (subtitled B-sides and Bastards, it contained various rarities) in 1998 as the band looked for a record company. By 1999, Alan Gregg had decided to leave the band. He was replaced by Tony Fisher for their latest CD, Rain, Steam, and Speed which was also released independently. Another independently released live album (Live in Manchester) was issued in time for the 2000 UK tour. A greatest hits collection called Flock was released in 2002.
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Charted | Country | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Mutton Birds | Bag Records (EMI) | 2 | NZ[1] | 8282612 |
| 1993 | Salty | Virgin Records | 3 | NZ[2] | |
| 1995 | Nature | - | - | ||
| 1996 | Envy of Angels | EMI | 4 64 |
NZ[3] UK[4] |
|
| 1997 | Angle of Entry | Gravy Train Records | - | - | GRAVY CD1 |
| 1998 | Too Hard Basket | - | - | GRAVY CD2 | |
| 1999 | Rain, Steam, and Speed | shhh! Records | - | - | SHCDA 001 |
| 2000 | Live in Manchester | - | - | None on Sleeve or CD | |
| 2002 | Flock: The Best of the Mutton Birds | EMI | - | - |
The group have appeared on many compilation albums since the inception in New Zealand. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by the Mutton Birds.
| Year | Single | Album | Charted | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Dominion Road" | The Mutton Birds | #10 (NZ) | - |
| 1992 | "Nature" | The Mutton Birds | #4 (NZ) | - |
| 1992 | "Giant Friend" | The Mutton Birds | #20 (NZ) | - |
| 1993 | "Your Window" | The Mutton Birds | #19 (NZ) | - |
| 1994 | "Heater" | Salty | #1 (NZ) | - |
| 1994 | "In My Room" | Salty | #14 (NZ) | - |
| 1994 | "Ngaire" | Salty | #19 (NZ) | - |
| 1994 | "Anchor Me" | Salty | #10 (NZ) | - |
| 1996 | "She's Been Talking" | Envy of Angels | #19 (NZ) | - |
| 1997 | "Come Around" | Envy of Angels | #35 (NZ) | - |
| 1999 | "Pulled Along By Love" | Rain, Steam, and Speed | - |