CLINTON WALKER – Inner City Sound
The bands that spearheaded the late 70s punk scene in Australia — the Saints, the Birthday Party, Radio Birdman and the Go-Betweens — are among the most important of their time. Inner City Sound is the classic account of the explosive development of that scene. Original articles from fanzines and newspapers, together with almost 300 photographs, vividly portray the creative ferment of the period and the dozens of bands that sprang up in the wake of the pioneers, including the Scientists, Severed Heads, Sunnyboys, Hunters and Collectors and many more.
Inner City Sound was first published in late 1981, as the postpunk scene was approaching its zenith, but soon fell out of print. It became a lost classic, so sought after that it has been bootlegged like the rare singles listed in its discography, and its influence was so seminal it actually helped shape the Australian indie rock scene of the following decade. Its DIY graphics, high-octane prose and many rare images make Inner City Sound a crucial part of the culture it portrays.
This revised 2005 edition put Inner City Sound back into print for the first time in over 20 years. Editor Clinton Walker has added 32 extra pages of articles, photos and discographical data, which take the story through to its real resolution around 1985, when Nick Cave, the Go-Betweens, the Triffids, and others began to make their international breakthrough.
“One of the seminal texts of Australian music writing.” —Ian McFarlane (The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock)
“I grew up with Inner City Sound, lived vicariously through its pages. It gave me a firsthand account of a period in music that was vibrant, -innovative and filled with wonderful characters.”—Richard Kingsmill (Triple-J)