The Fireman's Curse is the second studio album by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors, which was released on 5 September 1983. It was co-produced by Konrad Plank and the band in Neunkirchen, Germany. The album peaked at No. 77 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 46 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The lead single, "Judas Sheep", was released in August that year but failed to reach the Top 50 on the Australian singles chart, however it appeared in the top 40 in New Zealand.
The Fireman's Curse was prepared in June and July 1983, Hunters & Collectors had decamped from United Kingdom, where they had been based while touring Europe for six months,[1] to Neunkirchen, West Germany. There they recorded their second album, which was co-produced with Konrad 'Conny' Plank (Can, Cluster, Kraftwerk), at Conny's Studio, with Dave Hutchins engineering. It was released by White Label/Mushroom Records and Virgin Records on 5 September 1983.[2][3]
[Virgin] picked us up because of our commercial potential, because of our image. They saw us as having a groovy tribal funk post-nuclear Mad Max image. In actual reality ... we looked like a football team, like Australian boys. When they heard The Fireman's Curse (the second album), they dropped us because they didn't think it was commercial.
In Seymour's autobiography, Thirteen Tonne Theory: Life Inside Hunters and Collectors (2008), he recalled that their three-record deal with Virgin was broken when he and fellow band members insulted the label's executive, Simon Draper, by telling him that he was "a poncy little blueblood" with no faith in them.[5][6] While in the UK and attempting to enter the local market, the group's members "were doing odd jobs, illegally, to keep afloat and getting steadily more miserable in the process".[7] In the book, Seymour also describes this album as "an unmitigated disaster; an awful collection of tuneless songs full of twisted invective (mine, mostly) and apocalyptic moaning... The whole exercise was excruciatingly juvenile and a tragic waste of what could easily have been an international breakthrough record."[5]
The album did not reach the top 50 in Australia, peaking at No. 77 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart but it did reach No. 46 on the New Zealand Albums Chart.[8][9][10] Its lead single, "Judas Sheep", released in August,[1] reached No. 35 in New Zealand but did not chart in Australia.[8][10] They had supported their releases with an eight-week tour of Australia during August and September.[1] After the second single, "Sway", released in November, failed to chart in both markets,[8][10] the group disbanded briefly.[2][5]
In July 1991 it was re-issued on CD by Mushroom Records and was subsequently re-mastered and re-issued by Liberation Music on 11 August 2003.
Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt The Fireman's Curse was "overly ambitious and cluttered, and generally suffered from a lack of fresh ideas".[2] Fellow music journalist, Mark Dodshon of The Sydney Morning Herald, predicted that it was "a likely winner" with their new material showing "there are no radical departures in musical style".[12]
Track listingedit
All tracks are written by John Archer, Geoff Crosby, Doug Falconer, Martin Lubran, Greg Perano, Robert Miles, Mark Seymour, Michael Waters.[13]
^ abHolmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan; Bamford, Alan. . Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
^Sarno, Tony (27 April 1986). "Can INXS Break the International Sound Barrier". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). ACT: National Library of Australia. p. 42. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
^Dodshon, Mark (17 August 1983). "Fireman's Curse a Likely Winner for the Hunters". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
^"ACE Title Search". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 6 April 2014. Note: User may have to enter details e.g. at 'Titles' enter Prologue/Curse; or at 'Performers' enter Hunters & Collectors
April 17, 2024
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The Fireman s Curse is the second studio album by Australian rock band Hunters amp Collectors which was released on 5 September 1983 It was co produced by Konrad Plank and the band in Neunkirchen Germany The album peaked at No 77 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No 46 on the New Zealand Albums Chart The lead single Judas Sheep was released in August that year but failed to reach the Top 50 on the Australian singles chart however it appeared in the top 40 in New Zealand The Fireman s CurseStudio album by Hunters amp CollectorsReleased5 September 1983 1983 09 05 RecordedJune July 1983 Conny s Studio Neunkirchen GermanyGenreRockLength40 04LabelWhite Mushroom VirginProducerKonrad Plank Hunters amp CollectorsHunters amp Collectors chronologyHunters amp Collectors 1982 The Fireman s Curse 1983 The Jaws of Life 1984 Singles from Hunters amp Collectors Judas Sheep Released August 1983 Sway Released November 1983The Fireman s Curse1991 version White Label Mushroom It was the final album to feature percussionist Greg Perano and the only album to feature guitarist Martin Lubran Contents 1 Background 2 Reception 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 5 Charts 6 ReferencesBackground editThe Fireman s Curse was prepared in June and July 1983 Hunters amp Collectors had decamped from United Kingdom where they had been based while touring Europe for six months 1 to Neunkirchen West Germany There they recorded their second album which was co produced with Konrad Conny Plank Can Cluster Kraftwerk at Conny s Studio with Dave Hutchins engineering It was released by White Label Mushroom Records and Virgin Records on 5 September 1983 2 3 Virgin picked us up because of our commercial potential because of our image They saw us as having a groovy tribal funk post nuclear Mad Max image In actual reality we looked like a football team like Australian boys When they heard The Fireman s Curse the second album they dropped us because they didn t think it was commercial Mark Seymour 27 April 1986 The Canberra Times 4 In Seymour s autobiography Thirteen Tonne Theory Life Inside Hunters and Collectors 2008 he recalled that their three record deal with Virgin was broken when he and fellow band members insulted the label s executive Simon Draper by telling him that he was a poncy little blueblood with no faith in them 5 6 While in the UK and attempting to enter the local market the group s members were doing odd jobs illegally to keep afloat and getting steadily more miserable in the process 7 In the book Seymour also describes this album as an unmitigated disaster an awful collection of tuneless songs full of twisted invective mine mostly and apocalyptic moaning The whole exercise was excruciatingly juvenile and a tragic waste of what could easily have been an international breakthrough record 5 The album did not reach the top 50 in Australia peaking at No 77 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart but it did reach No 46 on the New Zealand Albums Chart 8 9 10 Its lead single Judas Sheep released in August 1 reached No 35 in New Zealand but did not chart in Australia 8 10 They had supported their releases with an eight week tour of Australia during August and September 1 After the second single Sway released in November failed to chart in both markets 8 10 the group disbanded briefly 2 5 In July 1991 it was re issued on CD by Mushroom Records and was subsequently re mastered and re issued by Liberation Music on 11 August 2003 Reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 11 Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane felt The Fireman s Curse was overly ambitious and cluttered and generally suffered from a lack of fresh ideas 2 Fellow music journalist Mark Dodshon of The Sydney Morning Herald predicted that it was a likely winner with their new material showing there are no radical departures in musical style 12 Track listing editAll tracks are written by John Archer Geoff Crosby Doug Falconer Martin Lubran Greg Perano Robert Miles Mark Seymour Michael Waters 13 No TitleLength1 Prologue 0 322 Curse 5 453 Fish Roar 3 174 Blind Snake Sundae 6 105 Mr Right 3 376 Sway 5 547 Judas Sheep 4 048 Eggheart 5 019 Drinking Bomb 4 4910 Epilogue 0 55Personnel editCredited to 2 3 Hunters amp Collectors membersJohn Archer electric bass Geoff Crosby keyboards Doug Falconer drums Martin Lubran guitar Robert Miles live sound art director Greg Perano percussion Mark Seymour guitar lead vocals Horns of Contempt membersJack Howard trumpet Jeremy Smith French horn Michael Waters trombone Production detailsProducer Konrad Plank Hunters amp CollectorsCharts editChart 1983 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 8 9 77New Zealand Albums Chart 10 46References edit a b c Dempsey Shelley 3 August 1983 Success bid paying off The Canberra Times ACT 1926 1995 National Library of Australia p 23 Retrieved 6 April 2014 a b c d McFarlane Ian 1999 Encyclopedia entry for Hunters amp Collectors Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop Allen amp Unwin ISBN 1 86448 768 2 Archived from the original on 29 August 2004 Retrieved 6 April 2014 a b Holmgren Magnus Warnqvist Stefan Bamford Alan Hunters and Collectors Australian Rock Database Passagen se Magnus Holmgren Archived from the original on 12 June 2012 Retrieved 6 April 2014 Sarno Tony 27 April 1986 Can INXS Break the International Sound Barrier The Canberra Times ACT 1926 1995 ACT National Library of Australia p 42 Retrieved 6 April 2014 a b c Seymour Mark 2008 Thirteen Tonne Theory Life Inside Hunters and Collectors Melbourne Vic Penguin Group Australia ISBN 978 0 670 07165 4 Webb Carolyn 1 March 2008 How one curry might have cost a Melbourne band superstar status The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 5 April 2014 Export Quality The Australian News Corp Australia 1 March 2008 Retrieved 6 April 2014 a b c d Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book ISBN 0 646 11917 6 NOTE Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting until ARIA created their own charts in mid 1988 a b Hunters amp Collectors discography Australian Charts Portal Retrieved 26 November 2008 a b c d Hung Stefan Hunters amp Collectors discography New Zealand Charts Portal Hung Medien Retrieved 4 April 2014 Fireman s Curse Hunters amp Collectors AllMusic Retrieved 6 April 2014 Dodshon Mark 17 August 1983 Fireman s Curse a Likely Winner for the Hunters The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 6 April 2014 ACE Title Search American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers ASCAP Retrieved 6 April 2014 Note User may have to enter details e g at Titles enter Prologue Curse or at Performers enter Hunters amp Collectors Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Fireman 27s Curse amp oldid 1215384173, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
