Unwashed singles going steady

Press, 26 April 1984, Page 18

Unwashed singles going steady

The first thing you notice about this package of two 45 rpm discs from the Dunedin band, The Great Unwashed, is the brilliant pop art plastic sleeve enclosing the records — there is definitely a fertile imagination at work here.

The band, which late last year released its debut LP, comprises the guitarist, David Kilgour, and the drummer, Hamish Kilgour, formerly of the Clean, and the bassist, Peter Gutteridge.

“Singles” is a more disciplined affair that their LP, which showed the band occasionally losing its musical focus. The five songs contained are concise, cleanly produced examples of pop music built around the steady drumming of Hamish Kilgour and the ringing guitar of his brother, David. Gutteridge, however, has three songs in this package which reveal his songwriting talent. Of these, “Born

In The Wrong Time” impresses with a loping melody that sticks in the memory. “Boat With No Name” is also good, but “Can’t Find Water” is rather ordinary in comparison. “Neck Of The Woods,” the video of which has recently been shown on “Radio With Pictures,” blends a typically insistent chorus with the frenzied guitar of David Kilgour, whose powerful style is reminiscent of ex-Toy Love guitarist, Alec Bathgate. The remaining track is “Duane Eddy,” a twangy tribute (or perhaps parody) of the subject matter, which is a fine example of Great Unwashed pop sensibility. Although they have yet to record a song as good as “Slug Song,” for instance, The Great Unwashed have a quirky and consistently interesting package in “Singles” — this one should reward repeated listening. -TONY GREEN