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RAZE THE ROOF
"I was born and raised with the drumsticks in my hands …"
So starts Kings Of The Sun's new album, Razed On Rock. Clifford
Hoad is the greatest rock drummer Howzat! has seen. "The
opening track is the story of my life," he says. "And the
story of a lot of people's lives." Cliff and his brother,
Jeffrey - who is no longer a part of the band - were raised
on rock. Of course, there are many sub-genres: classic rock,
pub rock, prog rock … and Razed On Rock celebrates pretty
much every one. "All I can say is I tried to go back into
an 18-year-old's body when I wrote the songs," Cliff told
Howzat!'s buddy RRR's Neil Rogers, a long-time champion
of the band. "That naïve love of rock … you're hearing these
bands and you feel like something's going to happen in your
life." Razed On Rock - available at kingsofthesunband.com
- comes nearly 30 years to the day since the Kings' debut
single, Bottom Of My Heart. And it follows Cliff's comeback
album, 2013's Rock Til Ya Die. The new album showcases a
new band, featuring keyboards and female backing vocals.
"After Rock Til Ya Die, we went to Europe and under the
pressure of everything, the band sort of fell apart. I came
home with my tail between my legs, wondering what I was
going to do." A mate gave Cliff a Bowie biography. "I discovered
that every time he did an album, he basically had a new
band. As long as he had the ideas and the style in his head,
he could convey it to the musicians, and that's how he kept
inspired and fresh." The new album features a cautionary
tale called Fallen Rockstar. But Cliff is a survivor. A
Melbourne fan, Craig Crawford, posted this message on the
Kings' Facebook page after hearing one of the new songs,
Struck By Lightning: "Wake up call to all pretenders. THIS
is what WE want! Rocking riffs and a great tune. No computer
crap. Real people playing their instruments to breaking
point." Indeed. If rock is dead, nobody bothered to tell
Clifford Hoad.
REMEMBERING TRACY
The Birthday Party's bass player Tracy Pew died 30 years
ago this week, aged 28, after an epileptic seizure. Nick
Cave called Tracy: "The one male genius I've ever met."
HOT LINE
"This rock 'n' roll's gone to my head" - Kings Of The Sun,
Razed On Rock.
CHART WATCH
A Top 30 debut for Guy Sebastian.
The Greatest SIA (number 10)
Catch 22 ILLY FEATURING ANNE-MARIE (16)
Stranger PEKING DUK FEATURING ELLIPHANT (19)
Papercuts ILLY FEATURING VERA BLUE (25)
Set In Stone GUY SEBASTIAN (29, debut)
I Love You Always Forever BETTY WHO (32)
Say It FLUME (33)
Jessica Mauboy spends a third week on top - the longest
reign for an Aussie album this year.
The Secret Daughter JESSICA MAUBOY (number one)
Triple J's Like A Version 12 VARIOUS (five)
Two Vines EMPIRE OF THE SUN (seven, debut)
Wings Of The Wild DELTA GOODREM (13)
Let There Be Light HILLSONG WORSHIP (14)
Ripcord KEITH URBAN (15)
Tkay TKAY MAIDZA (20, debut)
The Complete Whispering Jack 30th Anniversary JOHN FARNHAM
(22)
This Is Acting SIA (23)
Dream Lover - The Bobby Darin Musical AUSTRALIAN CAST FEATURING
DAVID CAMPBELL (29)
Skeleton Tree NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS (30)
Hills End DMA's (37)
50 Best Songs PLAY SCHOOL (38)
HOWZAT! PLAYLIST
Razed On Rock KINGS OF THE SUN
Find Your Own Way THE EARTHMEN
Drive GRETTA RAY
Cosmic Science BEN LEE
Surely Gettin' On NIGHTHAWK
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