The Clear were a Palmerston North band that changed from a five piece band into a trio who later became the amphetamine reptile sounding LUNG and then toured the US and Europe. This EP is closer to the B-52's than the COWS. The song "Roger Says" is about Roger Douglas who was the Minister of Finance at the time. Despite the dated subject of one song it's still an interesting listen.
Edit linked changed. Let us know if it works or not. Here.
Hailing from Palmerston North, New Zealand band, Lung were around from 1990 -1995. In his book Ready To Fly, David Eggleton describes the band as an industrial band heavily influenced by former Palmerston band The Skeptics. In the early nineties Rip It Up magazine grouped the band with Shihad and Bailterspace as part of a local industrial movement. Lung were originally The Clear who came out of the ashes of Palmerston North's Ode records signing Thin Red Line and released an EP of New wave/pop.
The Clear's line up changed completely and the band recorded Live Stomach in 1990 on a 4 track at Palmerston North's Stomach music centre which had recently been set up. On the Yellow Bike records catalogue Live Stomach was described as thrashy pop based punk rock songs from the precursor to Lung.
Tracklist
1. Temptation 2. The quiet sleeping 3. Trees in Autumn 4. Dinosaur 5. Backyard Boy 6. Full Moon 7. Why did we ever come to this place? 8. This darkness 9. Killing time 10. I like to Fish
If I remember rightly, why did we ever come to this place? had a video which received TV airplay on the revamped Radio With Pictures.
The band changed their name as they were sometimes confused with the Flying Nun band The Clean and a few people were disappointed learning that it was not the reformed Dunedin band touring. Lung's Cactii album was recorded at Writhe studios by Brent McLachlan from Bailter Space and The Gordons. Screams from the gutter describes Lung as one of the greatest bands you never heard. Their sound could easily fit in with the sound of Touch and Go Records or Amphetamine Reptile. The only band that comes to mind with a similar sound is Wreck(on C/Z Records. Their sound could be described as dark, a little noisy, moody, disturbed. Like a strange blend of Chokebore, old Cows, and Flour.
Full Moon again is not on this file as it's the same song as Full Moon on the Live Stomach album. As I lived in Palmerston North for quite some time I saw Lung/The Clear a number of times. Cactii was one of the first CDs I bought. At one stage I lived around the corner from the imaginatively named Albert pub which was on Albert street which was a band venue for a number of years. Times changed and the Albert became a sports bar and the former venue turned into a karoake bar. Noise complaints were still received. I know this because I lived opposite the Albert for almost a year. Also I was doing a computer course at Manawatu Polytechnic in 1991 and one of my tutors was a fill-in bassist for Lung at the Massey University orientation toga party.
1 She's got a gun 3:24 2 Sarah 3:36 3 Sleep 3:20 4 Sub 2:24 5 Lurch 2:47 6 Hardwired 6:15 7 Numb 3:52 8 Eat the Poor 3:51 9 Ride 2:34
Lung's 3 Heads on a Plate (1993) was mostly recorded in Germany but three songs were recorded at Palmerston North's Stomach studio. The Yellow Bike pressing had a different tracklisting to the US Restless pressing which included a couple of songs from the Cactii album. My tracklisting is possibly different again.
1. Car Crash 2. Compellor 3. Elvis Arsehole 4. Exit 5. Johnny Favourite 6. Melonoma 7. Paralysis 8. Resuscitate 9. Slaughterhouse 10. Splinter 11. Swing
The previous incarnation of Palmerston North band, The Clear before the EP was an 80s band called Thin Red Line who released a number of vinyl 12 inch releases. Thin Red Line usually used a drum machine and their music often used elements of punk and jazz and the band's lyrical subject were often Maori, activist issues and Christianity. The band used both male and female vocals at differing times.
The band were a five or six piece when The Clear EP was released. They later became a trio and released the Live Stomach in 1990. The album was called Live Stomach not because it was a live album but because it was the first album recorded at Palmerston North's venue/practice space/music class area, The Stomach. Guitarist/vocalist, Dave White was the driving force in the Stomach's existence.
In the early days of the Stomach there were often jam sessions where anyone could turn up and play. I went along to one of the early ones around 89 and watched Dave and Boris who was later in Flamin' Werepigsplay S.O.D. covers and the song I like To Fish which appears on this CD only release. It seems amazing thinking that was half my lifetime ago.
Kelvin from Brainless Child zine reviewed this album and wrote: The Clear, like the 3Ds have the ability to move form speed, distortion and grunge to more melodic guitar pop songs.
All 10 songs on this CD are good, stand out songs include Dinosaur, This Darkness and I like to Fish Overall this CD has a good atmosphere, probably something to do with the fact that it was recorded live in a stomach.
The Clear later became Lung when they were touring outside New Zealand because a few people had thought the Flying Nun records band The Clean were doing a reunion tour.
