Welcome to my forum connected to countdownmemories.com

Discuss everything COUNTDOWN and beyond!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Countdown Episodes * 70s & 80s Australian Music Programs * Music Video * Molly
Trading *  Collecting * Archival Information * Record/CD releases and more .........

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

COUNTDOWN IS BACK THIS JANUARY, 2019 ...  ON rage !!!!!
Stay tuned below with regular Countdown full archival information for each Countdown episode rage shall be airing every Saturday throughout January ...

Countdownmemories.com forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

I noticed So Long still had the old rage logo on before the song title so it couldn't have been lost or new to the library or it would have had the new one

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

JASE
I noticed So Long still had the old rage logo on before the song title so it couldn't have been lost or new to the library or it would have had the new one


I unfortunately had a brief power black out just before the clip started, so I missed that (just as well it's repeated again tonight).

The earliest I noticed the new logo/font size/less sharpness was during the Mardi Gras episode in 2012, so presumably it was encoded in the rage library before then. Slightly rude of them not to give it an airing until now, given that a lot of people have asked for it, but at least it's finally being played.

One of the things I find fascinating about Fischer-Z is that they were one-hit wonders... twice, 8 years apart, in Oz . The only other band/artist I can think of who had a similar fate was Underworld.

Shockingly, neither 'So Long' (#72) nor 'Perfect Day' (#91) were hits in their homeland, the UK, and their only other charting single (The Worker), didn't crack the top 50 there (#53) but was their biggest 'hit'.

I remember reading that John Watts (the singer and only consistent band member between 'So Long' and 'Perfect Day') wrote numerous songs based on the stories of patients he dealt with as a psychiatric nurse (or at least working in an institute, I don't remember exactly).

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

ohnoitisnathan

Shockingly, neither 'So Long' (#72) nor 'Perfect Day' (#91) were hits in their homeland, the UK, and their only other charting single (The Worker), didn't crack the top 50 there (#53) but was their biggest 'hit'.


They had more success in Europe and for a long time were based in Germany and Holland where they had a more appreciative audience, or at least enough to make a living from it.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

I remember seeing the clip for 'Perfect Day' for the first time on The Factory. Always assumed it was previously a big hit in the UK, which is why the show gave it a look in. When I first came across 'So Long' on '1980...The Summer', I had to question if it was the same band/singer, cause 8 years is a long time between drinks.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

I have all those albums as well, Guru.
After hearing So Long on the radio I was so impressed that I went out and bought all the Fischer-Z albums at the time of their release, as well as picking up their first album with the wonderful Pretty Paracetamol on it.
They are still amongst my favourite albums even now.

Yes, like you, can't believe this band weren't far more popular in the UK.
Perhaps a bit too confronting and edgy for the mainstream and they did highlight some pretty dark and depressing subjects,(the threat of nuclear war, suicide, etc),in their songs.
Also, John Watt's high piercing voice in the early days was definitely an acquired taste.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

JASE
I noticed So Long still had the old rage logo on before the song title so it couldn't have been lost or new to the library or it would have had the new one


ohnoitisnathan
Slightly rude of them not to give it an airing until now, given that a lot of people have asked for it, but at least it's finally being played.



Hmmm...so they did have it all this time and just couldn't be bothered to play it !
Bet we see it half a dozen times in the next 6 months now they've finally dragged it out.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

Yeah Nathan, I read that John formerly worked as a nurse in a psychiatric ward in the early days and that's where he got a lot of the material for his songs.
Also probably why his writing is somewhat dark and depressing.

As you say, Guru, Fischer-Z were always more popular in Germany and Holland for some reason, as is John Watts today.
He comes across as a very smart but cynical man.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

They may have had more of a (live?) following in Germany, but they didn't do any better on the charts there. Just looked it up and their only charting album listed is 'Stream' from 1995, peaking at just #80. No singles chart entries are listed.

They had some chart success in the Netherlands though (title/date of chart entry/peak/weeks):

Titel Binnenkomst Piek Weken
The Worker 15/09/1979 26 7
So Long 31/05/1980 12 9
Room Service / Limbo 04/10/1980 41 1
Marliese 28/03/1981 5 9
One Voice (John Watts) 27/03/1982 41 3

Albums

Titel Binnenkomst Piek Weken
Word Salad 15/09/1979 21 7
Going Deaf For A Living 17/05/1980 6 18
Red Skies Over Paradise 04/04/1981 2 17
One More Twist (John Watts) 20/03/1982 11 10
The Iceberg Model (John Watts) 26/02/1983 17 7



And Belgium:

Singles - Ultratop
Titel Binnenkomst Piek Weken
The Worker 06/10/1979 23 2
So Long 14/06/1980 14 8
Marliese 02/05/1981 21 4


From what I can see, 'Perfect Day' wasn't a hit anywhere but Australia.


Christina

He comes across as a very smart but cynical man.


Reminds me of a great (or at least I thought) quote: "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cyncism by those who do not possess it."

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

I was the same too, always loved "So Long". First heard it when I bought 1980 The Summer (Guru Bob's current id pic!). I didn't buy it until 1983 & got it from the bargain bin at the local record store for 99 cents! (Luckily, it was only 99 cents, because trying to convince my mum to spend $9.99 on LP's then was never easy!).

Anyway... Always found this a sad song, particularly love the full length version also that is on the album (which i have on CD now).

Perfect Day was a song I loved too, and same, I also had to investigate if it was the same band, as 7 years, (back in the day), seemed like an eternity between hits.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

Did anyone else notice Billy Joel's 'Pressure' (audio) playing during the last few seconds of the Bananarama 'Shy Boy' video airing on Rage? You can hear it if you turn the volume up (not even that much). How bizarre, and surely a tape source error.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

ohnoitisnathan
They may have had more of a (live?) following in Germany, but they didn't do any better on the charts there. Just looked it up and their only charting album listed is 'Stream' from 1995, peaking at just #80


Interesting - they deserved to do much better than they ever did.



Matt
I was the same too, always loved "So Long".
Anyway... Always found this a sad song, particularly love the full length version also that is on the album (which i have on CD now).

Perfect Day was a song I loved too, and same, I also had to investigate if it was the same band, as 7 years, (back in the day), seemed like an eternity between hits.


Yes, So Long is such a haunting song. Quite bitter as well - an ode to stalking if ever I heard one.

Yep, a lo-o-o-ng time between drinks.
As soon as I heard Perfect Day I recognised who it was because of the singer's distinctive voice.
Really love this song as well - was so pleased to see them back again after all that time, (albeit briefly).

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

ohnoitisnathan
Did anyone else notice Billy Joel's 'Pressure' (audio) playing during the last few seconds of the Bananarama 'Shy Boy' video airing on Rage? You can hear it if you turn the volume up (not even that much). How bizarre, and surely a tape source error.


Sorry Nathan, didn't get to record the handful of treats on Saturday night, but how funny is that. BTW - was the small snippet from 20/5/84 Countdown any good?

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

ohnoitisnathan
Did anyone else notice Billy Joel's 'Pressure' (audio) playing during the last few seconds of the Bananarama 'Shy Boy' video airing on Rage? You can hear it if you turn the volume up (not even that much). How bizarre, and surely a tape source error.


That sounds like when Shy Boy was being transferred the Billy Joel audio was playing on another source and the cabling used to connect everything together wasn't properly earthed/isolated. The reason you can hear it in the fade is that broadcast audio is put through a series of compressors and limiters - its job is to reduce overloud sounds, and raise the quieter ones, which creates an audio level to air that is solid and doesn't vary. During a song's fade, it gets quieter which kicks the compressor into raising that level bit by bit, revealing any imperfections or things like tape noise present in the source, that when playing at normal level is hidden as the compressor makes room to accomodate that level and quieter sound is squeezed out during that time. It's only when audio hits that compressor that's lower than it's set for that it raises it gradually.

Re: Countdown segment + a handful of not-previously-aired-on-rage retro clips this weekend

^ Thanks for that insight, Frankster.