Blam Blam Blam

Last updated

Blam Blam Blam
OriginNew Zealand
Years active1980–1984
Past members Tim Mahon
Mark Bell
Ian Gilroy
Don McGlashan

Blam Blam Blam were a New Zealand pop/rock/alternative band. Tim Mahon (bass) and Mark Bell (guitar, vocals) had been members of The Plague and The Whizz Kids. After losing their drummer Ian Gilroy to The Swingers in 1980, Tim and Mark joined up with Don McGlashan, a multi-instrumentalist who played drums and sang many lead vocals.

Contents

History

The band's first release was the song Motivation on the Propeller Records Class of 81 compilation album in March 1981. [1] They then released a four-track self-titled EP for the label, which hit the top 40 in New Zealand. [1] The band had two hit singles in 1981 with "There is No Depression in New Zealand", and "Don't Fight it Marsha, It's Bigger Than Both of Us" [1] (which McGlashan later re-recorded with The Mutton Birds).

In 1982 vocalist Dick Driver joined the band, but soon left. [1] The band recorded an album Luxury Length, which reached No. 4. in the New Zealand charts. [1] Later that year the band were involved in a car accident where Tim Mahon was seriously injured. [1]

In 1984 the band briefly reunited, recording the live album The Blam Blam Blam story. Don McGlashan has since worked on a number of movie soundtracks, and been in the bands The Front Lawn, From Scratch, and The Mutton Birds, and recorded an album for Propeller Records with Ivan Zagni, who was a guest on Luxury Length. Tim Mahon and Mark Bell both played in Ivan Zagni's Big Sideways and Avant Garage groups. Tim Mahon has since worked in music management. Mark Bell works as a session guitarist and as a journalist.

"There is no Depression in New Zealand" remains a well-known song in its home country. [2] One of its notable uses was as a maiden speech in Parliament in 2002. Metiria Turei of the Green Party read a Maori translation of the song, which Russell Brown's liner notes to The Complete Blam Blam Blam (see below) described as "a quirky, arty, militant thing to do. Which probably makes it a perfect Blam Blam Blam moment."

The Complete Blam Blam Blam was released in 1992. It contained almost the entire Blam Blam Blam back catalogue. This was remastered in 2003 by Chris Chetland at Auckland's Kog Transmissions, on a single CD, although the general consensus seems to be that the earlier mastering was superior. Another reunion tour accompanied the release.

They reformed again for a tour in mid-2007. In August and September 2019 a reunion tour included dates in Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Paekakariki and Wellington. [3]

Discography

Albums

YearTitleDetailsPeak chart
positions
NZ [4]
1982Luxury Length
  • Label: Propeller
  • Catalogue: REV 204
4
1984The Blam Blam Blam Story27

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum
NZ [4]
1981Blam, Blam, Blam25EP
1981"There is No Depression in New Zealand"11Non-album single
1981"Don't Fight it Marsha, It's Bigger than Both of Us"17Luxury Length
1982"Call for Help"50
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Finn</span> New Zealand musician (born 1958)

Neil Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz, of which he shared lead duties with his brother Tim, and the lead singer, guitarist, and a founding member of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 until 2022. Ed O'Brien of Radiohead has hailed Finn as popular music's "most prolific writer of great songs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Split Enz</span> New Zealand new wave band (1972–2009)

Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visual style and theatrical performances. The band later moved toward a pop/new wave sound that yielded the breakthrough hit single "I Got You" (1980). Split Enz broke up in 1984. Since that time, the band has staged several brief reunions.

The Mutton Birds were a New Zealand rock music group formed in Auckland in 1991 by Ross Burge, David Long and Don McGlashan, with Alan Gregg joining a year later. Four of their albums reached the top 10 on the New Zealand Albums Chart, The Mutton Birds (1992), Salty (1994), Envy of Angels (1996) and Rain, Steam and Speed (1999). They had a number-one hit with "The Heater" (1994), while their two other top 10 singles were a cover of "Nature" by the Fourmyula (1992), and an original, "Anchor Me" (1994). From 1996 to 2000 the group were based in England; they returned to New Zealand and then disbanded in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don McGlashan</span> New Zealand musician, songwriter, composer

Don McGlashan is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for cinema and television.

Mark Bell is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. He has played in bands such as The Plague, The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, Coconut Rough and Ivan Zagni's Big Sideways. He currently works as a session musician in New Zealand. He is a member of Jordan Luck's band Luck.

The Plague was a New Zealand theatrical punk/art rock band that was active from 1977 to 1979, and was led by Richard von Sturmer. Their most famous performance was at the Nambassa Music Festival in 1979 and they recorded four tracks for the Infectious EP. Von Sturmer went on to a career in writing and film-making and other members went on to play in bands such as The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, The Swingers, Coconut Rough and Pop Mechanix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Rayner</span> New Zealand musician (born 1952)

Anthony Edward Charles Rayner is a New Zealand musician who spent ten years as a keyboardist in the band Split Enz. He has also played in the groups Orb, Space Waltz, Crowded House, the Makers, The Angels in 1986-1987 and 801.

Supergroove is a New Zealand funk rock music group. Their debut album Traction was released in 1994. The group disbanded in 1997 but reformed in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westlake Boys High School</span> School

Westlake Boys High School is a state secondary school for boys in Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand. The school opened in 1962, when Westlake High School split into Westlake Girls High School on the existing site and Westlake Boys High School on a new site. Serving Years 9 to 13, the college has 2,676 students as of November 2024.

<i>Natures Best 3</i> 2003 compilation album by Natures Best series

Nature's Best 3 is a two-disc compilation album of 35 New Zealand popular music songs, numbers 66-100 on the APRA 75th Anniversary Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time. See Nature's Best for more information on the selection process of this list.

Netherworld Dancing Toys, often simply known as The NDTs, was a New Zealand band from Dunedin formed in 1982. In 1985, their single "For Today" reached number 3 in the New Zealand singles chart.

Propeller Records was an independent record label formed in Auckland, New Zealand, by Simon Grigg in 1980.

Malcolm Green is an English-born drummer best known as a member of New Zealand band Split Enz from 1976 to 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emlyn Crowther</span> Musical artist

Paul Emlyn Crowther is the former drummer of Split Enz who performed with the band from July 1974 to November 1976.

<i>Salty</i> (album) 1994 studio album by The Mutton Birds

Salty is the second album by the New Zealand rock band The Mutton Birds, released in 1994. Four songs — "The Heater", "Anchor Me", "In My Room" and "Ngaire" — reached the top 20 in the New Zealand singles chart with "The Heater" reaching No.1.

Tim Mahon is a New Zealand musician who played in the Plague, the Whizz Kids and Blam Blam Blam. He was seriously injured in a road accident while on tour with Blam Blam Blam, leading to the band breaking up.

Geoff Chunn is a New Zealand musician, best known as an early member of Split Enz.

Ivan Zagni is a New Zealand-based musician and composer who has been a member of bands such as The Jody Grind, Big Sideways and Avant Garage, and has recorded albums with Aynsley Dunbar, Elton Dean, Don McGlashan and Peter Scholes.

<i>The Complete Blam Blam Blam</i> 1992 compilation album by Blam Blam Blam

The Complete Blam Blam Bam is a compilation LP by Blam Blam Blam. It was released in November 1992.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Propeller Records Blam Blam Blam biography
  2. ↑ Blam Blam Blam – No Depression in New Zealand (1981) original version on YouTube
  3. ↑ Blam Blam Blam: Rising from the wreckage – Stuff, 21 July 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2020
  4. 1 2 "BLAM BLAM BLAM IN NEW ZEALAND CHARTS". charts.nz. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.