The Easybeats: The Shame Just Drained CD Track Listing

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The Easybeats The Shame Just Drained (1977)
Originally Released 1977\nRepertoire CD Edition Released 1992\n2nd Repertoire CD Edition Released November 14, 2002\n''Complete Easybeats'' compilation Released February 19, 2004\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: (''Complete Easybeats'') The Complete Easybeats from the Australian-based Albert Productions -- the company to which the Easybeats were originally signed -- is what it says, all of the group's authorized masters and all but a tiny handful of known outtakes, from their first Australian Parlophone sides to their last post-"Friday on My Mind" follow-ups, assembled on six CDs in a slipcase. Each of the discs is identical in title, packaging, and song content to the individual Repertoire Records reissues of the group's catalog from the early '90s, and what's more, so far as this writer can tell, the discs use the same early-'90s masters that were the sources for the Repertoire CDs. Fortunately, those were of such high quality to begin with that they were still up to modern standards circa 2004; unfortunately, as most serious fans (at whom this release is obviously aimed) are likely to already own at least two or three of the six CDs in this box in their Repertoire editions, it is not as attractive a box as it might otherwise be -- the producers should have gone for 24-bit remastering on at least the original Australian LP material, which is exclusive to this and the Repertoire CDs. As it is, however, if all one owns is one of the ubiquitous best-of compilations on the band, then this is still a box to seriously consider -- the group's 1964-1966 Merseybeat-influenced sides from the first three discs have a special charm and energy all their own, while the Friday on My Mind and Shame Just Drained discs present the full range of their peak years; only the Vigil disc, covering the final phase of their history, is of dubious value. With a U.S. list price that breaks down to around seven and a half dollars a disc, this is a lot cheaper than the Repertoire discs ever went for, and is a handy way to get the group's entire history in one fell swoop. There will still be a few things to own, such as the Raven Records live disc and a DVD or two, but this set takes care of about 98 percent of everything of note the band ever did of note. -- Bruce Eder\n\nAmazon.com Product Description\nImport reissue of 1977 compilation includes nine bonus tracks, 'Do You Have A Soul' (3rd Version), 'Check The Bassline', 'Watch Me Burn', 'Where Did You Go Last Night', 'Heaven & Hell', 'Happy Is The Man', 'Land Of Make Believe', 'Coke Jingle #.1' & 'Coke Ads #.2 & 3'. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Must for the Easybeats Fan, February 2, 2001\nReviewer: Randall E. Adams (Los Angeles, CA United States)\nOnce you've acquired a few of the Easybeats' official albums and have become hooked on this group (nothing else is possible), buy this disc. It consists primarily of demos recorded by the band in 1967 and 1968, plus some tracks from an album that was shelved. The demos are good quality, so don't worry about the sound. There is also a track from their first demo in 1964 and a great shelved single from 1966. This material was originally issued on vinyl with very good liner notes by Glenn Baker, but unfortunately the CD issue omits the notes. The CD issue adds some tracks which belong here (more demos) but also includes some "Good Friday" outtakes which really don't belong here. The Coke ads are fun. \nDo not be put off by the "demo" status of many of these tracks. Harry Vanda and George Young were prolific and ambitious songwriters and they recorded these demos to sell their songs. They are very well developed. Indeed tracks like "Peter," "Wait a Minute," and "The Shame Just Drained" are better than most of the tracks released on their official album from 1968, "Vigil" (aka "Falling Off the Edge of the World"). And as for the tracks from the shelved album, "Where Old Men Go" and "Amanda Storey" are quite moving. "Station on Third Avenue" is an endlessly fascinating number, which was covered by the Marmalade. This is top drawer stuff; it's just all in mono.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nInteresting contents, but for completists., June 24, 2000\nReviewer: David Goodwin (Westchester, NY United States)\nAs this disc is from the early 90s, it's somewhat indicative of how reissues worked before reissue labels became the enigma they are today. Precious little information is given in the liner notes (which are the same on each CD), and the tracklisting information is only really given in the inner cover.\n\nHaving said that, however, Shame Just Drained is a fascinating release, and one that is worthwhile for Easybeats fans. It's basically an outtakes/rarities collection, although it's certainly not limited to alternates; tracks like Shame Just Drained and Lisa are wonderful on their own.\n\nHowever, quite a few of the songs on this CD are obviously dubbed from acetate and LP (not Repertoire's fault...I'm pretty sure they were this way on the original LP too), and the lack of REALLY GOOD LINER NOTES is something of a downside. Still, it's a worthwhile purchase, and it can be found as a midline import quite easily.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFractured Originality, May 19, 2006\nReviewer: Geoffrey F. Wilimek "BevRage" (Oceanside, CA United States)\nI gave this album 4 stars as to not mislead fans of the typical Easybeats sound into thinking this is their definitive album or something. However, this has actually been my favorite Easybeats listening experience I've had so far. After I bought 'Friday On My Mind' I bought 'The Shame Just Drained' about 3 months later not even paying attention to the fact that it's some kind of compilation. I probably never would have got it if I knew. Anyway, I put it on and I couldn't believe what I was hearing! This is the Easybeats? Every song was different and surprising! I couldn't put my finger on the style and the songs just kept amazing me. It was creative (listen to the track "Peter") and yet loud and passionate. It felt like they were erasing the Kinks from my memory. There are a few duds, mostly in the additional 9 tracks, but overall a great body of work. I mean I thought it was an actual album the whole first listen. \n\nI read the liner notes after the drive home listening to it and found out that it's a bunch of demos and aussie only ep releases etc.! I couldn't believe it. The next thing a bought was 'It's 2 Easy' and while the album tracks are great pop, they aren't nearly as inspired as it's bonus tracks like the invigorating "I'll Make You Happy" and the unbelievable "A Very Special Man" that sounds utterly ahead of it's time. 'The Shame Just Drained' is like a whole album of this quirky creative songwriting that could have made them standout a lot more in the 60s. \n\nI've begun to feel that there are two Easybeats; the rumbunctious freeform popsmiths that created material like that on this disc and the subdued assie band struggling to catch the ear of the typical 60s scene at the expence of their originality and legacy. They seemed to have this sense and no one got it so they never used it. They just put out the nice pop tunes and made nice pop records and shelved most of their forward-thinking aggressive material in production 'cause no one understood the value of standing out as opposed to fitting in. Oh well, this is proof that the Easybeats weren't a simple one-hit-wonder merseybeat inflienced outfit. Highly recommended to those who don't see what's special about this band. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGreat Easybeats Outtakes, Demos etc., June 21, 2004\nReviewer: Morten Vindberg\n"The Shame Just Drained" was originally released in 1977 as a 15 track collection of outtakes, rarities, EP-tracks etc. Most of the songs were recorded when the band was at the height of their creativity and productivity around 1967-68.\n\nMost of it is high-class material; some songs were recorded for an aborted album project and most of them are great. Some of the songs are demos recorded for various artists like Los Bravos and Mike Furber. Most of these recordings sound finished and would have been great additions to their regular albums. Especially the title track, "I`m On Fire" and "Wait a Minute" are standouts. \n\nThe EP-track "Lisa" is another highlight.\n\nIf you like their original albums "Good Friday" and "Vigil" you`re bound to like this one.\n\nThis CD version contains 9 bonus tracks. \n\nThe alternate version of the great song "Do You Have a Soul" is so close to the original that it`s very hard to tell the difference. \n\n"Heaven and Hell" is a great single which never made it to the charts, possibly because of some controversial lyrics which made some radio-station ban it. This version contains one changed lyric line. "Happy is the Man" and "Land of Make Believe" are 2 more great recordings also in slightly different versions. The Coke Jingles are just fun and actually pretty good.\n\nThe CD has been criticized for not containing the original Glenn A. Baker liner notes. I don`t understand this. My copy has them, but they`re printed very diminished, so I think you`ll need you reading-glasses to interpret them.\n\nMaybe some listeners will find the album a little uneven, but for an Easybeats fan, this is a 5 star album.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWait a Minute!, February 16, 2002\nReviewer: "leeleedee" (Lexington, Kentucky Cincinnati) \nNot bad. Some good songs here. You'd have to be a fanatic to want this, though. The Easybeats were a weird group--a bit like the Kinks and a bit like some vocally challenged combo in a provincial bar in a dusty corner of Australia or North Dakota, circa 1966. They anticipated groups like Family in that the Easybeats would try anything, they didn't really have a style. Their later forays into fake-Motown are truly horrible. So this one does contain a few really classic songs performed not so well. "Me and My Machine" is a great car song; "Wait a Minute" is a minor classic of a power-pop tune. The title track does the Easybeats trademark ominoso trick quite well, with ridiculous backing vocals. Where is Snowy Fleet now?\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nOriginally released in 1977 as a compilation of rarities, THE SHAME JUST DRAINED showcases The Easybeats' talents during their most productive period.\nThis import features nine exclusive tracks.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW: (''Complete Easybeats'')\nA "Complete" waste of an opportunity to be definitive, March 10, 2004\nReviewer: Charles Phelps (McKinney, TX United States)\n\nThe Band and the Music:\nFormed in Australia (by immigrant British and Dutch musicians), the Easybeats unfortunately didn't begin making and releasing records outside of Australia until late 1966, after the first wave of the British beat boom had crested and right before the summer of love. Thus, they missed out on the international exposure that slews of lesser bands were able to have. "Friday On My Mind" (recorded in England by Shel Talmy) was their first international hit in 1967. However, their next major recordings didn't come out until 1968 and by then, it was too late.\n\nAlmost all their recorded output is original songs (primarily Wright/Young at the beginning then Vanda/Young as time progressed). The songs are catchy, hook-laden, sometimes grungy, sometimes beautiful pop/rock music with memorable melodies, harmonies, and guitar riffs. I am not saying that they were the equivalent of the Beatles by any means but most of the music in consistently listenable and enjoyable. There are a few clunkers along the way I admit, but the good definitely outweighs the not-so-good. \n\nFor the music, I easily give 5 stars!!\n\nRepertoire CDs\n\nIn the early 90's, Germany's Repertoire Records reissued all 7 Easybeats albums (Easy, It's 2 Easy, Volume 3, Friday On My Mind, Vigil, Friends, and The Shame Just Drained) on CD.\n\nThe Pros:\n\n1. Each CD had the cover art from both the front and back (with liner notes) of the LPs.\n2. Each CD also contained a slew of bonus tracks covering every non-LP single and EP track, alternate take, alternate version, alternate mix, outtake, demo, Coke jingle, etc that the group recorded.\n3. Each CD has a discography and a write-up on the Easybeats rarities included in the reissues.\n4. Their entire recorded output is here (except for the Live -- Studio and Stage compilation)\n\nThe Cons:\n\n1. The CD liner notes were somewhat skimpy and were repeated for all the CDs.\n2. The bonus tracks are not always chronologically relevant to their placement on CD. For example: outtakes from the first recording session appear on the third CD instead of the first, an alternate mix of Friday On My Mind appears on CD rather than on the "Friday" CD and so on.\n3. The master tapes used are definitely not first generation, with a lot of tracks having tape hiss, low fidelity, and in some cases electronically re-processed stereo. Although the sound is a marked improvement over Albert's Absolute Anthology CD's which sound sourced from bad vinyl\n\nThis "Complete" collection:\n\nI assume that Repertoire's rights to the Easybeats has expired. Albert, who owns the material, issues The Complete Easybeats. I am thinking "Great!". Perhaps now, better master tapes will be used and the bonus tracks can be inserted with regard to chronological sequencing. Also, better liner notes, a full discography, etc.\n\nWhat do we get?\n\nA straight reissue of 6 of the 7 Repertoire CDs. The Friends CD is missing. The LP back cover art (with photos and liner notes) is missing. The discography information is missing. The rarities information is less detailed. \n\nThe same master tapes are used. The same liner notes are used although they are now included as a little booklet inserted in the box. No pictures, no additional information, no remastering.\n\nInstead of being truly complete, we get less than what Repertoire already gave us. \n\nIf you don't care about the packaging and just want the music, pick this up. It is a decent price. But, you will still need to track down a copy of the Repertoire Friends CD if you want the "complete" collection. Or, just hunt down all the Repertoire releases. The Easybeats' legacy deserves better treatment than what they got. And until Albert gives them a little respect and puts some effort into the packaging of the music, I suppose they will remain little more than a footnote to the British Invasion.\n\nIt is a shame really.
This rock cd contains 24 tracks and runs 64min 57sec.
Freedb: 6e0f3718
Buy: from Amazon.com

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