The best available band version of the last ever Fat song - a Walkman recording from a rehearsal session at Soundworks, Bayswater, Wednesday May 8 1991
Recorded live at the Arcdadia, Northbridge, Sunday April 28 1991
Recorded live at the Ozone, Northbridge, Saturday January 12 1991
SUPERMARKET OF TEMPTATION
(We Are) The Fat (short version) / Personal / When It's Hot / The Bottom Line / Busy Man / What Excuse Do You Need / (We Are) The Fat
This six track mini-album was released on vinyl in April 1989. The songs were recorded at Jingles Australia in September 1988, except for the song "Busy Man", which was actually a Love Pump song recorded a year previously, specifically for student radio station 6UVS's "Drivetime" LP compilation "Hometown Farewell Kiss", a project that had stalled for a period of time that was long enough to persuade the Love Pump/Fat participants that it had extinguished entirely, and hence was a sort of "green light" to use the previously "exclusive" track for their own purposes. The record itself was, in retrospect, perhaps a bit ill-conceived and a little hurried. But it sports a unique cover painted by local artist Richard Gunning. Only one proper CD-R copy of this record is currently extant, compared to the disastrously high number of the original that were produced.
LIVE AT THE 6UVS NEON PICNIC 19/3/89 ("VISIBLE RADIO")
(We Are) The Fat / Sticka Liquorice / Personal / The Walking Song / Busy Man / Can't Think Of Nothing / Hallucinations / What Excuse Do You Need / When It's Hot / Psychic Oasis / Sexual Magnet / Sannu
Now here's a thing. Here's a university radio station hosting an open-air show with several bands on the bill, and out the back, in a little mobile unit, are some keen young people with their hands on the dials of some equipment that looks very much like multitrack recording gear, taping it all, possibly for later broadcast. Fast forward to a few months later, and Fat band member Wes McCordey is on the phone to 6UVS saying "we did this free gig for you a while back, where's the tape of our show that Lee Hubber promised us?" Lo and behold, 6UVS/Drivetime sends him out a cassette dub of a badly mixed desk tape of The Fat's performance at the Neon Picnic. Typical of a lot of desk tapes, the balance of instruments on this recording leaves a lot to be desired. Ironically though, this is the only recording of a live performance of The Fat Mk I that is complete. There is some excruciatingly toe-curlingly long sequences of pfaffing around between songs, to the point where Val leaves his drum kit (and the stage) in frustration.
LIVE AT THE SHENTON PARK HOTEL 29/4/89
Sticka Liquorice (end only) / Personal / Can't Think Of Nothing / The Big One / Art / It's Not Unusual / Busy Man / Hallucinations / What Excuse Do You Need (end missing) / When It's Hot (last minute only) / The Walking Song / Psychic Oasis / Sexual Magnet / Sannu / Pull Up To The Bumper
This is a recording of The Fat Mk I's penultimate pub gig. The band's theme song "(We Are) The Fat" would have been first up, but it's to be expected that when you ask a mixer to tape the gig for you, they will forget to roll the tape until about the second song. Also, some songs have been partially taped over, due to the mixing guy reinserting the cassette on the wrong side to tape the last encore song. In terms of the gig, the band is playing well, the recording is nice and crisp, and the audience sounds appreciative and of a fair size. These are the only Fat live performances of "It's Not Unusual" and "Pull Up To The Bumper" currently in existence.
LIVE AT THE SHENTON PARK HOTEL 5/5/89 ("BON VOYAGE")
Fred Introduction / Psychic Oasis / Sticka Liquorice / Sexual Magnet / You Should Be Dancing / Busy Man (first half) / When It's Hot / Hallucinations / The Big One / Art / Sannu / (We Are) The Fat
The last ever Fat Mk I gig. This recording derives from a second-generational cassette in the possession of band member Wes McCordey. Due to it being a dub (and a partial one at that) of the original desk tape, the sound quality is not as good as it could be, although after much work it has scrubbed up quite well. The original track order had been scrambled somewhat when it was dubbed, but the second set is largely intact. In all, two or maybe three or four songs are missing altogether ( "Personal", "The Walking Song" and probably "What Excuse Do You Need" and "Cant Think Of Nothing"). This is a gig with a very good vibe. The band is firing (aided by guest saxophonist Lee Buddle) and the large crowd sounds responsive. The mix is very uneven for the first couple of songs, but resolves itself later. If anything, though, the recording suffers from an overly loud kick drum throughout.
THIS IS THE FAT (LIVE AT THE SHENTON PARK HOTEL 1989)
Fred Introduction / Psychic Oasis / Sticka Liquorice / Personal / Can't Think Of Nothing / The Walking Song / Sexual Magnet / It's Not Unusual / You Should Be Dancing / Busy Man / What Excuse Do You Need / When It's Hot / Hallucinations / The Big One / Art / Sannu / Pull Up To The Bumper / (We Are) The Fat
This album compiles the best versions of each song from the above three live albums and is edited together to seek to re-create an entire Fat Mk I show, in form if not verbatim reality (for one thing, an extra encore has been slipped in). About six songs have been edited or "sweetened". The Neon Picnic end to "What Excuse Do You Need" has been grafted onto the missing-end version from 29/4/89, "Busy Man" and "Psychic Oasis" draw from both the 29/4/89 and 5/5/89 versions, and "Sticka Liquorice" (suffering the worst from poorly balanced levels) has undergone major post-production, floating in a bass from the Neon Picnic version and having a snare added. None of these edits or any of the others I haven't mentioned will be apparent to the listener. Copies of this album were distributed to the ex-band members in late 1999. This compilation, in my opinion, is the best single audio document of this band called The Fat.
LIVE AT THE OZONE VOLUME 1 (24/12/90 & 12/1/91)
(24/12/90:) Love Is / What Excuse Do You Need / Can't Think Of Nothing / The Bottom Line / Psychic Oasis (12/1/91:) Concrete Jungle (second half) / Amazing Party / The Big One / Busy Man / What Excuse Do You Need / Makin' Love / Like It Or Not / Far From Home / You Should Be Dancing / Love Is / (We Are) The Fat
Due to the vagaries of live taping, only parts of these two Fat Mk III shows were taped. In the first instance, the mixing guy only remembered to start the tape near the latter part of the first set, and completely forgot to tape the second set at all. In the second instance, he remembered to roll tape near the end of the first set, but, luckily, (probably with some prompting) remembered to tape the second set. The Christmas Eve 1990 show was a very well-attended gig. The date of the first gig could possibly be 14/12/90
FINGERHEAD
Doesn't Matter That Much / Like It Or Not / Sweet Potato / Klus 1 (Jewpeaks) / Klus 2 (Mum-Dad) / Klus 3 (Take 9) / Jam 1 / Jam 2 / Val n Trev Groove / Why Don't You Go And Buy Some Cigarettes / I Like It This Way / GrooveJam 64 / Safari / 5/4 Jam / Table Jam / Nice G / Beserker Bongo And Bass / Me And My Moon rehearsal
This is a compilation of various collaborations between Love Pump/Fat core members Adrian, Val and Trevor, between the years 1988 and 1998. The material is all of a studio nature, although the technology level varies, depending on what sort of studio is involved. The name "Fingerhead" was coined hastily in the late 90s for a multimedia project Val was using these recordings for, and, as this configuration of musicians never had any sort of formalised appellation up to this point (other than a fairly arbitrary acronym "TVA" that sounded more like an abbreviation for some sort of Soya-based imitation meat product than anything else) the name has sort of stuck, for the time being at least.
