released November 3, 2023

Compiled by JT
Mastering by Greg Wadley at Spill Studios
Design: Duncan Blachford, Tempo Haus
Honeypet, Surgery & Frustrations photos by Duncan Robinson

www.workingitout.org.au

Rare Units & Genius Heads is compilation of nipaluna/Hobart bands. This is the 50th release on Goulburn Street Records, an archival record label started by Julian Teakle in 2016. The label was established to release out of print or unreleased music by underground music acts active between 1992 – 2002, from nipaluna/Hobart and its surrounds.

To celebrate the 50th release from the label, Julian has compiled 15 previously unreleased or rare live recordings for a benefit compilation album. All the profits from Rare Units & Genius Heads will go to Working It Out, a local organisation who does amazing work supporting the lutruwita/Tasmanian LGBTIQ+ community. WIO is lutruwita’s/Tasmania’s only dedicated LGBTIQ+ support, advocacy and education service.

These songs were recorded live in Hobart & Melbourne in small venues and community radio stations between 1994 and 2000. They were recorded on what was available at the time, our scene was not flush with money and resources. Cheap good digital recording was still a few years away. More than often gigs were documented on dictaphone tape recorders, on cheap Sony or TDK cassettes from a Chickenfeed Discount store.

Sometimes a plucky Conservatorium student was able to borrow a portable DAT recorder. Sometimes someone had a pretty good semi-pro video camera on loan from their secondary college Media Studies class. We worked with what little we had, and managed to document a fertile, exciting music community. Think of the sounds gathered here as a journey through a pre-internet, murky, glorious DIY scene, filled with vibrant parochial weirdos at the end of the world.

Thank you: Duncan B, Greg, Chloe B, Rodger, Duncan R, Sarah, Edge Radio, Andy and all the bands, community radio and venues.

Dedicated to Tom Poulson.

This compilation was assembled in nipaluna.
We acknowledge and pay respect to the muwinina people, who are the traditional owners of the land.
Sovereignty was never ceded.