RADIO BIRDMAN - LIVING EYES
Radio Birdman
Title: Living Eyes - Company: WEA (Australia) - Cat No: (768085)
Format: 12" lp - Released: April 1981 - Status: Deleted
Living Eyes is the product of three weeks at Rockfield Studios in Wales, during a break in the action of the 1978 tour of Britain and Europe. The band stoically did its best in the studio, even though relations between members were falling apart and total disintegration was imminent. Deniz feels now that accepting the role of producer was a mistake. But again, tension probably worked to advantage, yielding hard edged and compelling, albeit bitter, performances.
These initial releases suffered from the fact that, with the band's breakup from Sire happening prior to this recording, the responsibility for paying the studio as well as the ownership of the master was unclear. The true master tape was never obtained by the band, these albums being cut from an inferior tape dub of trial mixes. The sound quality, while marginally acceptable, was a source of grief for the band until 1995, when Red Eye's John Foy retrieved the master tapes from Rockfield and the album was finally remixed and mastered properly.
Track Listing:
Side 1:
More Fun ( D Tek ) (1:59 m:s)
TPBR Combo ( D Tek / C Masuak ) (2:07 m:s)
455 SD ( D Tek ) (2:36 m:s)
Do The Movin' Change ( D Tek ) (2:25 m:s)
I-94 ( D Tek / C Jones ) (2:58 m:s)
Iskender Time ( D Tek ) (1:46 m:s)
Burn My Eye '78 ( D Tek ) (1:32 m:s)
Side 2:
Time To Fall ( D Tek ) (3:08 m:s)
Smith and Wesson Blues ( D Tek ) (2:53 m:s)
Crying Sun ( W Gilbert / D Tek ) (2:51 m:s)
Breaks My Heart ( D Tek ) (2:58 m:s)
Alone In The Endzone ( D Tek ) (2:01 m:s)
Hanging On ( D Tek ) (3:29 m:s)
The Musicians:
Rob Younger - Vocals
Deniz Tek - Guitar, Harmonies
Chris Masuak - Guitar, Harmonies, Percussion
Pip Hoyle - Organ & Piano
Warwick Gilbert - Bass
Ron Keeley - Drums
Technical Details:
Produced by Deniz Tek
Engineered by John Acock
Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales April 1978
Reissues:
Company Cat No Format Released Status
Big Time (Australia) * (btd-501) 12" vinyl lp June 1984 Deleted
WEA/Trafalgar (Australia) (255959.1) 12" vinyl lp April 1989 Deleted
WEA/Trafalgar (Australia) (255959.2) cd Sept 1992 Deleted
* Compiled with Radios Appear as a budget double LP package
Radio Birdman
Title: Living Eyes - Company: Red Eye/Polygram (Australia)
Cat No: (redcd53) - Format: cd album - Released: 1995 - Status: Deleted
This reissue is actually completely remixed from the original 24 track 2" masters, which were found in the vaults at Rockfield Studios in 1995. The seven boxes of tape, seriously deteriorated. were couriered to Sydney, where EMI engineers meticulously hand restored them. The mix is sonically superior to the original, with correction of many of the technical faults that had bothered the band about prior releases. The band considers this to be the definitive version of Living Eyes.
The mixing sessions served to bring the band members together again (minus Ron Keeley) in their earlier haunt, Trafalgar Studios (renamed Electric Ave). Their first time working on a musical project as a team in 18 years, they discussed the possibility of doing more music together. The event set the stage for the unexpected reunion tours that occurred within the following year.
Track Listing:
Hanging On ( D Tek ) (3:38 m:s)
455 SD ( D Tek ) (2:44 m:s)
Do The Movin' Change ( D Tek ) (2:27 m:s)
TPBR Combo ( D Tek / C Masuak ) (2:12 m:s)
I-94 ( D Tek / C Jones ) (2:49 m:s)
Iskender Time ( D Tek ) (1:49 m:s)
Burn My Eye '78 ( D Tek ) (1:35 m:s)
Alien Skies ( P Hoyle ) (3:15 m:s)
Time To Fall ( D Tek ) (3:11 m:s)
Smith and Wesson Blues ( D Tek ) (2:55 m:s)
Crying Sun ( W Gilbert / D Tek ) (2:56 m:s)
If I Wanted To ( D Tek / K Tek ) (3:06 m:s)
Breaks My Heart ( D Tek ) (3:01 m:s)
More Fun ( D Tek ) (1:59 m:s)
Alone In The Endzone ( D Tek ) (2:07 m:s)
Didn't Tell The Man ( C Masuak ) (3:14 m:s)
Dark Surprise ( D Tek ) (3:35 m:s)
The Musicians:
Rob Younger - Lead Vocals
Deniz Tek - Guitar, Harmonies
Chris Masuak - Guitar, Harmonies & Percussion
Pip Hoyle - Organ & Piano
Warwick Gilbert - Bass
Ron Keeley - Drums
Technical Details:
Produced by Deniz Tek
Engineered by John Acock
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales April 1978
Re-mixed by Deniz Tek, Rob Younger & Chris Masuak
Re-mix engineered by Phil Punch / At Electric Ave Studios, Sydney - Feb 1995
Mastered by Don Bartley & Rob Younger at Studio 301
Of Interest:
The artwork was also given a reworking with a completely new front cover, Rob in a balaclava.
Not everyone was happy with it, the old animosities surfacing at the slightest provocation.
Radio Birdman
Title: Living Eyes - Company: Citadel (Australia) - Cat No: (citcd551)
Format: cd album - Released: May 2002 - Status: Currently in print
Under the auspices of Red Eye Australia, Living Eyes was reissued in 1995 after being completely remixed from the original 24 track 2" masters, which had been found in the vaults at Rockfield Studios.
On the Red Eye reissue four Rockfield out-takes were added to the original thirteen titles. These had all been previously available in various formats. On this reissue, three of these extra tracks were deleted with only the instrumental Alien Skies remaining.
Track Listing:
Hanging On ( D Tek ) (3:38 m:s)
455 SD ( D Tek ) (2:44 m:s)
Do The Movin' Change ( D Tek ) (2:27 m:s)
TPBR Combo ( D Tek / C Masuak ) (2:12 m:s)
I-94 ( D Tek / C Jones ) (2:49 m:s)
Iskender Time ( D Tek ) (1:49 m:s)
Burn My Eye '78 ( D Tek ) (1:35 m:s)
Alien Skies ( P Hoyle ) (3:15 m:s)*
Time To Fall ( D Tek ) (3:11 m:s)
Smith and Wesson Blues ( D Tek ) (2:55 m:s)
Crying Sun ( W Gilbert / D Tek ) (2:56 m:s)
Breaks My Heart ( D Tek ) (3:01 m:s)
More Fun ( D Tek ) (1:59 m:s)
Alone In The Endzone ( D Tek ) (2:07 m:s)
More Fun - bonus EP - first 2500 copies
Dark Surprise ( D Tek ) (3:56 m:s)
Breaks My Heart ( D Tek ) (2:53 m:s)
More Fun ( D Tek ) (1:58 m:s)
Didn't Tell The Man ( C Masuak ) (3:14 m:s)
The Musicians:
Rob Younger - Lead Vocals
Deniz Tek - Guitar, Harmonies
Chris Masuak - Guitar, Harmonies & Percussion
Pip Hoyle - Organ & Piano
Warwick Gilbert - Bass
Ron Keeley - Drums
Technical Details:
Produced by Deniz Tek / Engineered by John Acock
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales April 1978
Re-mixed by Deniz Tek, Rob Younger & Chris Masuak
Re-mix engineered by Phil Punch At Electric Ave Studios, Sydney - Feb 1995
Mastered by Don Bartley & Rob Younger at Studio 301
More Fun - bonus ep :
Tracks 1,2,3 : Recorded live at Paddington Town Hall Dec '77
Produced by Charles Fisher / Mixed by Alan Thorne at Trafalgar Studios, Sydney
Track 4 : Produced by Deniz Tek / Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales
