Celebrating 45 years as a recording artist, young Ed Kuepper has decided to release not 1 not 2 but 3 new retrospective releases spanning four decades and a large chunk of his post-Saints musical output.
All three collections will be released on limited edition coloured vinyl with Kuepper’s singles selection to also be released as a 2CD set featuring a bonus disc comprised of B-sides, EP tracks and fan faves, just the sort of stuff we Kuepper-philes crave of our idol.
Ed Kuepper – Singles ’86 ‘ ’96 (Prince Melon Records)
Somewhat surprisingly: Singles ’86 – ‘96 is Kueppers first ever collection of 45’s and CD singles. From the spaghetti-western inspired opener of the 1986 cult-fave Also Sprach the King of Euro-disco through the baroque overtones of penultimate track All Of These Things – an overlooked classic in anyone’s language – via the coulda-been should-been of the much covered (and much coveted) 1992 classic The Way I Made You Feel these tracks and the other 17 collected here point to Kuepper’s seemingly effortless ability to roll out classic after classic during a decade that was arguably his most prolific.
Available as double LP on red, black, yellow and green vinyl or as a 2CD set with bonus disc.
Laughing Clowns – Golden Days // When Giants Walked the Earth (Prince Melon Records)
Golden Days meanwhile, is an entry-level collection of Kuepper’s immediate post-Saints band Laughing Clowns. Spanning 1979 – 1984 (as long as the lifespan of The Saints themselves) Laughing Clowns pushed the boundaries not just of conventional music but of the post-punk world also, literally turning all standard musical practices on their head by incorporating free-jazz, bluegrass, krautrock and more into one big beautiful petridish. The classic Eternally Yours is included here as are the equally as worthy Everything That Flies, Holy Joe and more.
“This is the band that I’ve called “the greatest live rock’n’roll band in the world ever, full stop”. This is the band that made me walk out of a Birthday Party gig, because I knew there wasn’t a hope in hell that Nick Cave’s group, even at the height of their awesome, spontaneous powers, could follow them.” – Everett True
Available on limited edition clear vinyl.
The Aints! Live at The Bowlo (Fatal Records)
The Aints! debut album The Church of Simultaneous Existence was the surprise hit of 2018. Twelve Kuepper penned tracks written in Brisbane, London and Sydney during the time frame 1969-1978, in and around the formation of The Saints the band Kuepper co-founded and appeared with from 1973 until their dissolution in 1978. Live at The Marrickville Bowlo is that same Aints! studio album recorded live at a sold out Sydney show two nights prior to the commencement of the album sessions proper. Polished it ain’t. Some arrangements may differ and not everyone is in tune but the quality of the songs and the performance overall place it right next to the studio version as an essential Kuepper artifact.
“.. the key to the success of this album – and to these ears it is one of the finest records of the year – is not that it echoes past glories or hints at what might have been had the early version of The Saints recorded a fourth album but that it is a powerful musical statement, timeless, with its own sound and vision. Sure, it’s rock’n’roll, but who else sounds like The Aints!?” – musictrust.com
Available on limited edition orange vinyl.