Another night (Citizen Band) (LP 460)

Citizen Band C.B. Bootleg (Vinyl, CBS, 1980) *** 

Genre: NZ pop/rock

Places I remember: Slow Boat Records (Wellington)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Feel Good (no live version available on YouTube so enjoy the studio one again instead).

Gear costume:  Ladder Song, Julia  

Active compensatory factors: Has it really been 40 years? Seems like last week that me Kevy and Greg were going gaga over Mike and Geoff Chunn's next band after splitting from Split Enz.

They'd joined up with two others - Brent Eccles on drums and Greg Clark on lead guitar, both from Space Waltz, to produce Citizen Band. 

Two studio albums later and then this live album and that was that. 

Initially, I was disappointed when C.B. Bootleg came out. So much that I sold my copy (this is a replacement bought last year while on holiday in Wellington).

For a starter, the faux bootleg cover is a poor choice - it's been done to death and this one isn't a good example of the sub-genre.

As a live album, it just doesn't have the flow of a live concert. It feels disjointed and a little flat. Having relistened to it, I'm more inclined to its rocky charms. Ladder Song and especially I Feel Good get the juices flowing.

Where do they all belong? Moving to Australia wasn't a good idea (is it ever?), they weren't ours anymore, and then in 1982 it was all over Rover. 

Instead - return to that sublime debut album and dig that tex! 

I feel good (Citizen Band) (LP 248-249)

Citizen Band Citizen Band (Vinyl - Polydor/ Mandrill, 1978) ****
Citizen Band Just Drove Thru Town (Vinyl - CBS, 1979) ***

Genre:  New Zealand rock/pop

Places I remember:  Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: My Pohutukawa (from Citizen Band)




Gear costume:  The Ladder Song (a great single and off Citizen Band) and Rust In My Car (a good single of off Just Drove Thru Town)




Active compensatory factors: Second year at Auckland University and Greg Knowles and I fell head over heels for the smarty pants Beatles-esque fun rock 'n' roll of Citizen Band. Greg lead the cheerleading and he was spot on.

We'd been to a gig featuring Geoff Chunn's previous band (After Hours) and thought they were a promising band. 

Kevin Simms joined the party because he had a cassette tape of CB live at Westlake Girls' (I think it was there rather than the Boys' version). Of course, we were all big Split Enz fans so we were up for CB from the off.

Fair to say we all bonded over the music which was all grrrreat.

What a line up - The Ladder Song, Dig That Tex, My Pohutukawa, Julia, I Feel Good (showing the boys knew their kiwi music history), and capped off by the wig out that is Tex Goes To The Tinema (sic). It's a NZ music classic.

Second album syndrome hit them after that. Jay Lewis may have felt like a smart choice as producer but the glossy mix is underwhelming. Glyn Tucker Jnr shoulda done it again.

What a shame because Geoff Chunn's songs are worthy and the musicians are all ace faces.

Where do they all belong? In my heart forever. Dig that Tex!

Ooee what a lovely pair (Citizen Band) #86 - 87

Citizen Band The Ladder Song/ Martin: Spaceman (Pete's Best) (Mandrill Drill 8,  1978)

Citizen Band Somebody Else/ Holy Fulele (Mandrill Drill 11,  1978)

Clearly the boys were huge Beatles fans (Pete Best was the drummer before Richard Starkey). This pair of singles are examples of superior hero worship at work.

The Ladder Song is my favourite CB song. It has great lyrics with hints of naughtiness, it has a stonking riff by Greg Clark, it has a brilliant vocal from Geoff Chunn, and I'm a sucker for stop start dynamics in a song.

Somebody Else is a worthy single but it wasn't a hit at the time. It's from the melodic Beatle inspired heart of the band and wasn't included on either of the first two albums.

Hidden gems: Martin etc is quirky and a B side is its rightful home (like You Know My Name by The Beatles), but Holy Fulele is the real deal. It's a great dumb pop song. It knows it (Mike Chunn has a certain Louie Louie vocal style) and it doesn't try to be anything but a great dumb pop song. Like My Pohutakawa it revels in its kiwiana clothes.

Neither song appeared on albums so I guess you'll have to take my word for it.

I was far out, I was groovy (Citizen Band) #84 - 85

Citizen Band In A Lifetime/ Good Morning Citizen (Mandrill M 10007,  1977)

Citizen Band I Feel Good/ 1 Good Morning Citizen 2 My Pohutakawa (Mandrill Drill 4,  1977)

I'm pretty sure it was my old school friend, and (in 1977) my varsity buddy, Greg Knowles who broke the news about Citizen Band. He'd heard about them, maybe from his big brother Michael or maybe it was his sister Susan (pretty sure it wasn't his mum although she was pretty hip as I remember).

Anyway GK was a fan and pretty soon, after he shared the secret, so was I. We loved them partly because they were so accessible. Our new University friend, Kevin Simms, had a tape of Citizen Band and Hello Sailor live at Westlake Girls' High School - the bands often played college gigs - they were cunning! How great was that - we were practically related!

We knew Mike from Split Ends (before they became the Enz) and we'd seen Geoff in After Hours at the Old Maid(ment) Theatre at Auckland University before Waves played. We knew Eccles and Clark from the awesome Space Waltz album.

We were ready for Citizen Band!
 

In A Lifetime had stiffed before Greg shared his discovery and I was ignorant of its existence until after I Feel Good and the other great songs on their first album - Citizen Band.

In A Lifetime didn't make the album, whereas the B side did! The A side is an okay song but it's not representative of the boys' quirky sense of humour and the melodies that would later come pouring out of the classic Geoff Chunn/ Warren Sly writing partnership.

It's I Feel Good where the CB story really starts. A remake of the old Larry's Rebels song; it injects more drive (go Brent!), more infectious fun and more guitar to the original great song. It's become a CB signature tune.

Hidden gems: Good Morning Citizen was clearly a band favourite - it appears as two B sides and is the opening track on their first album but it's not a great song. That description does apply to My Pohutakawa. It IS a great kiwi song.

You're my Pohutakawa, you're my greenstone, my paua, you're the mussel in my sholes, the sausage in my rolls.

Genius! Sholes rhymes with rolls! That's CB at its finest.

They redid the song for the album so this single version is quite rare and I prefer the energy here to the album version. Looking for an alternative national anthem? Right here!