Mam'Selles - It's A Bubble Gum World - VINYL LP

Music Theatre Hour - Anything Goes Music Theatre Hour [COMPACT DISCS] date 02/03/2004

(I have) two fantastic singles by The Particles... they are two of my most prized vinyl possessions - Carrie Brownstein (Sleater Kinney) on NPR The Particles formed at the height of the punk movement in Sydney, Australia in 1977, and spent their early years hanging out with punk legends The Saints. But by their first recordings in 1979 they were something else entirely - pioneers of infectiously melodic, playfully subversive indie pop. They deserve to be held up alongside contemporaries such as Orange Juice or Television Personalities, and 1980s Bubblegum makes a strong case for this with the first overview of their sporadic recording career. Guitarist Peter Williams and vocalist Astrid Spielman were the core of the group, surviving numerous lineups until the band dissolved in the mid 80s. Other bandmates include members of Chapter DIY heroes The Cannanes and fondly-remembered indie pop band The Lighthouse Keepers. The Particles only released three seven inch EPs and a handful of compilation tracks, but their scant recorded work is laden with inventive, irresistible pop hits. After self-releasing two EPs Colour In (1980) and Advanced Colouring (1981), their final EP I Luv Trumpet (1983) was the second ever on iconic Sydney tag Waterfront Records. This makes The Particles unlikely labelmates with the likes of Nirvana, L7 and Henry Rollins, who all went on to records via Waterfront in Australia in the 90s. On 1980s Bubblegum, Chapter Music presents every known recording by the Particles, including digital bonus tracks from a 1983 live radio session on Sydney station Triple J. The LP features extensive liner notes based on interviews with bandmembers. Astrid Spielman tragically passed away from a brain haemorrhage in 2015, but the sheer joyful magic of her and Peter's music lives on with 1980s Bubblegum.

Originally released on CD in 1996 on the independent Razor & Tie tag, Graham Parker's Acid Bubblegum finally makes it's LP debut, pressed onto pink bubblegum vinyl. Following several acoustic-based albums, Acid Bubblegum found pre-punk angry young man Parker roaring back into venomous form backed by an all-star band of Jimmy Destri (Blondie), Andrew Bodnar (The Rumour) and Gary Burke (Joe Jackson). The bracing lyrical attack of Acid Bubblegum is, if anything, only more relevant today. Includes new liner notes essay by Graham Parker.