Deniz Tek

Though we might wait until doomsday before the original Saints ever reunite, Australia's other major pioneering punk band, Radio Birdman, did. They sadly restricted their appearances to their home continent, but managed to play in front of tens of thousands more than they ever did at the Big Day Out, the Down Under Lollapalooza. U.S. fans and punk historians writhing in jealousy will probably never get to see the band live -- they never even played in the U.S. when 1977's Radios Appear was issued in the country on Sire in 1978 with different tracks -- but the band's creative force, Deniz Tek, is plunging straight-ahead with his old band's sound. Even missing Rob Younger's snarl-talk vocals, most of the 11 songs sound exactly like Tek's old marauders, strip-mining the MC5/Stooges punked-up Chuck Berry riffs and gruff, tough vocal style so long and loud, you'd think these were Birdman outtakes. One or two selections, such as "Away From Here" and the closing "VMO," try something more fresh (more meditative and less knock-you-over-the-head), and a few skewed, rhythmic numbers show the influence of Tek's mentor, MC5's Wayne Kramer (with whom he released a side-project LP as Dodge Main). Tek knew MC5 from growing up in Ann Arbor, MI, and even bought the guitar he still plays from that band's Fred "Sonic" Smith as MC5 was breaking up in the early '70s. But mostly, Le Bonne is that fiery style later looted wholesale by the also-spirited Celibate Rifles -- whose guitarist, Kent Steedman, and drummer, Nik Reith, pay Tek back in this lineup -- and 300 other younger Aussie bands. As per the title of the best song here, this is "Ze Good Way." ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, All Music Guide