THE VISITORS - The Visitors (Citadel)
This one writes itself but for the uninitiated, here's a quick recap.The Visitors were one of the spin-offs from Radio Birdman's acridly spectacular (first) demise in 1978. Three of their five members were ex-members, the other two followers, one of them especially close and a contributor to boot.
Lack of time, and Deniz Tek's plan to move back to the USA, rather than demand limited their live appearances to a dozen, in and around Sydney in 1978-79. The band's only physical legacy was a tape of songs, all of them eventually released on an EP on Phantom and a subsequent full-length album (vinyl on Citadel, CD on Redeye) both very posthumous.
Of course the story doesn't end there. Some of the best of their songs were revived, and kept alive, by the New Race tour of Australia in 1981 and on that band's live "The First And The Last" album. A generation of rabid fans who missed the original Visitors were sent scurrying for their recordings on the strength of brief inhalation. An aching Angie Pepper version of "Miss You Too Much" just added fuel to the fire.
A reunion almost occurred to coincide with the DKT-MC5 run through Australia a few years back. Flick forward to December 2005 when a re-tooled version of the band played just two shows, with the Godoy twins (from Tek's US band) filling the engine room spots. A third line-up of the band (this time with drummer Nik Rieth, bassist Andy Newman and the added sax of prodigy Jack Shanley) appeared in 2008 and so far has played five shows.
So what's the big deal about a CD re-issue of a long out-of-print album? It's the songs, stupid. Lean and focused, full of mythical, often surreal lyrics and equally lyrical playing. Some of them would have almost certainly made it to another Radio Birdman album, had the members re-assembled upon their return to Australia back in '78 instead of forming splinter groups (the Visitors, the Hitmen and the Other Side.)
Given added room to move, Deniz's Tek's stun guitar darts in and out of these tunes like a shark cruising for unwary swimmers, while Pip Hoyle's unique keyboard stylings both embellish and embrace. Original drummer Ron Keeley's skittish rhythms work perfectly in this setting and he was working with a virtuoso in bassist Steve Harris whose fluidity and tunefulness set something of a benchmark.
Mark Sisto's Morrison-esque vocal casts the perfect pall of doom and the big and the beefy choruses the band came up with to accompany him were an inspired, rather than cheesy, touch. Testifying to this stuff is dead easy: If you don't know a lyric, sing "whoa-oh-oh".
The Visitors were like a re-tooled Birdman, stripped down and given a new set of tyres.
So they're the reasons to believe. What are the reasons to buy? Sonically, there's a slight upgrade under the hood. A re-mastering tweak has rendered the album a dB or two louder with a bit more crunch in the top and bottom ends. There's a booklet with unseen photos and a lengthy essay (you'd never guess who wrote it) - and you won't have to pay silly amounts on eBay because Citadel supplies direct. Steak knives not included.
If you have already have vinyl and CD, grab the latest silver platter and pass one on to someone less fortunate. There are a handful of albums worth buying over and over and this is one. - The Barman
