Radio Birdman
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Radio Birdman – Smith & Wesson Blues
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Sydney, Australia (1974 – 1978, 1996 – 2008)
Radio Birdman was a punk band which formed in Sydney, Australia in 1974. The band’s best known lineup consisted of Deniz Tek (vocals, guitar), Rob Younger (vocals, guitar), Chris Masuak (guitar), Philip “Pip” Hoyle (keyboards), Warwick Gilbert (bass) and Ron Keeley (drums)
Radio Birdman formed in 1974 and began recording in 1976 when the single Burn My Eye was released. They took their name from a misheard lyric in The Stooges song,
1970. (The actual line is “Radio burnin’”) Their first LP, “Radios Appear” showed diverse influences, including Blue Öyster Cult and Detroit bands of the late 1960s, such as The MC5 and The Stooges.
The album was totally ignored by commercial radio but was championed by Sydney station 2JJ (Double Jay) and became sufficiently successful in Australia to lead to a contract with Sire Records (US label, home of The Ramones), who released a different version of Radios Appear internationally. It took three years to record a follow-up, Living Eyes, and by then, the Australian punk scene had diversified and the band broke up before the LP was released in 1978.
The band’s lyrics reference US-born guitarist/main songwriter Deniz Tek’s home state of Michigan, with lyrics from tracks such as “Murder City Nights” referring to Woodward Avenue in Detroit:
“Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action/Looking for a lover with a power reaction.”
Many of their other songs, such as “Hand Of Law” & “Descent Into The Maelstrom” deal in apocalyptic images of war and violence, but these are more than balanced by the lighter pop culture references of tunes such as “Aloha Steve & Danno”, an ode to the TV show Hawaii 5-0.
Radio Birdman formed in 1974 and began recording in 1976 when the single Burn My Eye was released. They took their name from a misheard lyric in The Stooges song,
The band’s lyrics reference US-born guitarist/main songwriter Deniz Tek’s home state of Michigan, with lyrics from tracks such as “Murder City Nights” referring to Woodward Avenue in Detroit:
“Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action/Looking for a lover with a power reaction.”
Many of their other songs, such as “Hand Of Law” & “Descent Into The Maelstrom” deal in apocalyptic images of war and violence, but these are more than balanced by the lighter pop culture references of tunes such as “Aloha Steve & Danno”, an ode to the TV show Hawaii 5-0.
Top Tracks
Top Albums
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Radios Appear
13,753 listeners12 tracks
Released:
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Essential Radio Birdman 1974-78
24,497 listeners22 tracks
Released:
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Zeno Beach
6,219 listeners13 tracks
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The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978)
2,397 listeners22 tracks
Released:
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