Ep491: Aussie Legend Tex Perkins - The Cruel Sea, The Beasts & Beyond

The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Australian icon Tex Perkins takes us through his legendary career, from The Cruel Sea & The Beasts recent works, to wild ARIA award nights, his atrocious habits with vinyl records, reissuing his works on vinyl and lots more.

Topics Include:

• Tex Perkins rehearsing with The Cruel Sea for upcoming gigs.
• Bringing back "deep cuts" from 30 years ago.
• Band already prepared the songs before his arrival.
• Feels like "personal karaoke" returning to old material.
• Gains fresh perspective on older songs with time.
• Sometimes writes songs instinctively, not from personal experience.
• Song "Hard For You" channeled rage he hadn't experienced.
• Recorded with Kid Congo Powers from Bad Seeds.
• ARIA Awards incident clarified - didn't stab anyone.
• Hit someone with a glass at an after-party.
• Molly Meldrum was present during the altercation.
• Lived with Jules Normington of Phantom Records.
• Paid rent by washing Jules' dishes.
• Had access to Jules' extensive record collection.
• Especially enjoyed 60s punk and garage rock records.
• Met John Foy, who was pedantic about record handling.
• Music scattered across many different record labels.
• Controls some albums, but not all.
• Universal owns The Cruel Sea and some Beasts albums.
• Axeman's Jazz recorded and mixed in six hours.
• Recent album "Ultimo" recorded differently - basic tracks then laptop.
• Modern recording allows more experimentation without studio costs.
• Prefers vinyl album lengths around 18-20 minutes per side.
• Three Legged Dog being released on three vinyl sides.
• Spanish reissues were "handshake deals" with unclear accounting.
• Appreciates unashamedly Australian content in newer bands.
• Newer bands don't hide their Australian accents.
• Never experienced censorship of his music.
• Had releases in different regions without his knowledge.
• No accounting from Big Time label after bankruptcy.
• Performed with The Legendary Stardust Cowboy in 1985.
• "Ledge" known for having "world's worst record" - Paralyzed.
• Backed Ledge with James Baker, Spencer Jones, Lachlan McLeod.
• Ledge progressively stripped during his performance.
• Threw Frisbee paper plates with drawings into the audience.

EXTENDED, Commercial free, high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8