DUMB AND THE UGLY; Atmospheres of Metal (30th Anniversary Edition) LP
$60.00
Dumb and the Ugly were a truly iconic Australian avant-garde metal band. Forming in 1987, it consisted of Michael Sheridan (No, Max Q) on guitar; John Murphy (Whirlywirld, Orchestra of Skin and Bone, Max Q) on drums and synthesisers; and David Brown (Bucketrider, Candlesnuffer) on bass guitar and guitar.
Dumb and the Ugly originally released Atmospheres of Metal in CD format on the Dr Jim’s label in 1992. Now, for it’s 30th anniversary, Trash Cult Records together with Zenith Wa Records are extremely proud to present Atmospheres of Metal in a 12″ Gatefold LP, completely remastered for vinyl, complete with an insert of information and images. This release is an integral piece of Australian musical history.
The seminal work of dark rock & ambience from 1992 includes the guest appearances of: vocalist – Mia Stone (Stone Circus), turntablist – Olly Olsen (Psy Harmonics), and vocalist – Jason Vassallo (Christ Bait).
A limited edition run of 200 copies only. Re-mastered for vinyl by Simon Polinski
I was a late teen and, like many my age, a regular visitor to all that Brunswick Street in Nth Fitzroy had to offer. Cheap rents and creative community made for a scene bubbling over with innovative and artistic purpose. Polyester books was a mainstay for the freaks and oddballs, a badge most perverts and bohemians confidently wore with pride. Polyester presented a space where you could easily waste the better part of half a day trying to choose from a shop choc full of rare and obscure bootleg VHS tapes, books and other underground oddities.
Literally only a block further up the road, the same crowd of subversives would gather to drink and watch live music upon the soiled carpets of the Punters Club. The Punters Club was one of the great Melbourne pubs of the thriving 90’s scene…arguably the best. This is also where I first happened upon Dumb and the Ugly.
Dumb and the Ugly’s live show, in my opinion, placed them among the top tier of the Melbourne music scene of the time. Although musically they had a different sound, their live show was equal to, or better than the more well-known bands, such as the bands around the Dog Meat or Au-go-go labels.
Michael Sheridan, Dave Brown and John Murphy, playing together as Dumb and the Ugly, had already released a debut 12” mini album, as well as a 7” single on the now legendary ‘Dr Jim’s Records’ label by 1991. Also, by 1991, the entire music industry, including Dr Jim was moving toward CD releases in favour of the outdated vinyl format. By 1992, the trio of Brown, Murphy and Sheridan had recorded their new Long Player and were ready for its release. CD allowed for longer track time than they would have been able to squeeze onto a vinyl LP, which the trio used to their advantage, stretching out some of the droning noisier tracks into the 8 minute zone. The Dumb and the Ugly trio were long-time friends and came together out of an incredibly fertile musical scene. They recruited some friends to help out on the new recording including long-time friend and collaborator Ollie Olsen, as well as Christbait vocalist Jason Vassallo, and local renowned front-woman Mia Stone.
Certainly, “Atmospheres of Metal” made its way into my top 10 Australian albums list, and still does. I spoke to Dave and Michael early in 2023, and the opportunity arose of doing a split label release of AOM. We knew that this was a no brainer. Atmospheres of Metal still holds its own even 30 years after its initial release and rightfully deserves a top-notch vinyl re-issue.
If only we could so easily do the same thing for the early 90’s Brunswick Street scene…
Mick Derrick – TRASH CULT (Eaglehawk, 2023)
