The Stones - Complete Recordings (1982-83)

You just have to love that name, don't you? Such naughty, cheeky boys. Along with the Chills, the Verlaines, and the Sneaky Feelings, the Stones first appeared on the legendary Dunedin Double EP in 1982. To the sad deprivation of music lovers the world over, they only went on to record one more EP, 1983's 'Another Disc, Another Dollar.' Like so many Flying Nun acts, the Stones have been tragically denied any kind of retrospective, so I decided to collect the songs that appeared on these two releases for your listening pleasure! While I've read that these EPs didn't do justice to the chaotic power of the Stones live, the songs they managed to record possess a brilliantly raw, primal urgency as led by the late, great Wayne Elsey. The Stones performed their own beautifully volatile mix of down n' dirty, stompin' garage and surf-rock filtered through the lens of that most unfathomably glorious of times, post-punk Dunedin. Just fantastic kiwi minimalism and ingenuity at work here, folks. And does "Down and Around" sound like the Chills' "Dan Destiny and the Silver Dawn" to anyone else? Just me? Anyway, after you hear these songs, you'll wish the Stones had left behind a long recorded legacy too; unfortunately, the magic is all too brief. After the demise of the Stones, Wayne Elsey would go on to form the excellent but similarly short-lived DoubleHappys with Shayne Carter. Seek out the 'Nerves' compilation if you haven't! DoubleHappys would eventually evolve into the Straitjacket Fits after Elsey's tragically premature death in 1985. The Stones' faultless songs, however, will always remain; enjoy! - Ariel

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I've got most of these requests coming up too! If I've forgotten anything from this list, please let me know.

The Terminals - Little Things
Bailter Space - Nelsh Bailter Space EP
Jay Clarkson - S/T EP
Fatal Jelly Space - Hole EP

Or, if there's anything else you'd like to see on this blog, do leave a comment!