The Datsuns

Here's a good one for today, New Zealand's crazy hard rocking Datsuns.....I am going to include their
new release on this, something I don't generaly do, but I think that the Datsuns are SO overlooked in the USA that I (sincerely hope that) I am doing them a favor....if the band complains in any way I will remove the album or the whole post.....

The Datsuns started out in the late 1990's with vocalist/bassist Rudolf De Borst, guitarist Phil Somervill, drummer Matt Osment, and were soon joined by second guitarist Christian Livingstone. Their self titled debut album did very well in Australia and New Zealand, I remember hearing it when it first came out in the USA and thinking they'd really catch on here......they didn't really, but thier with frantic garage rockers such as the shoulda been a classsic "Motherfucker From Hell" as well as (on this version) Japanses versions of the earlier wonderful singles "Supergyration!" and "Transistor"....this is a solid four star album, it's a hard rocking garage stomp from the first note and it's a damn good one. One of my top ten albums, in fact, of 2002.

Big things seemed in store, as they played Ozzfest and opened for Metallica in 2003, but their second album, "Outta Sight/Outta Mind" is not really up to the standards of the first, therocking is still there but there is much less insanity, although "Blacken My Thumb" and "Girl's Best Friend" are fine tracks, it's NOT a "bad" album, just something of a sophomore slump in my opinion. Still worthwhile, by no means essential.


2006 saw something of a comeback effort with "Smoke and Mirrors", again not much of a commercial success, but still with some good rocking garage tunes such as "System Overload"  and "Stuck Here For Days".....album #4 came along in 2008, "Headstunts", which again, showed that these guys for whatever reason, were not going to reach "Journey"-level sales numbers, for my money it's nearly as solid as anything they've done, filled with classic Datusns-style garage noise, lots of it too, "Human Error", "Eye of the Needle", "Hey paranoid People", lots more, arguaeably thier best effort since that fine debut album.

They took four years before releasing the next disc, "Death Rattle Boogie", as you may have noted,
with bands such as this (NOT a "put-down"), the formula, once dialed in, does not change a lot, so we get another fine stack of garage rock tracks, which although they were from 2012, also could have been from 2000, or 1990, or 1968.....the mark of GOOD modern day garage rock. This one features "Skull Full of Bone", "The Gods are Bored", "Brain Tonic"......if you are not familiar with the Datuns, check the awesome debut first, and work your way forward, you should like the whole batch.
Nowthen, "Deep Sleep" has jsut been released in the past few weeks.....as I said before if there is an issue with ANYONE I will remove it, no questions asked. Someone sent it to me just this past weekend and to be completely honest, I have not listened to it yet.....reports (from the guy who sent it to me) seem fairly positive, we will all find out together, but it this is a band that has been cranking out insanity-laced garage rock since the late 1990's, I doubt it's going to display a whole lot of "growth".....honestly, I want no problems....if the band, the label, ANYONE has an issue with me posting such a new album, I will remove it, I just don't see it headed for big things in the USA without a little help, which I am trying to administer......

Along the way the Datsuns have dropped a handful of EP's and singles, there is some overlap with the albums, BUT there are also some cool non-LP tracks smuggled in among these, (especially recommended is the "Harmonic Generator" EP, with an unreleasd song and a bunch of live takes) so check below you may find a way cool Datsuns rarity......and I also have a fairly rare (I think) concert recording from a fairly explosive London 2004 show, showing off the bands somewhat legendary live chops.......If you check only the debut, PLEASE check out this solid live effort as well, it goes like an earthquake.....they must be "some kinda' on the stage, at least from what this disc shows.....
So, here's everything I can muster up by the Datsuns.....if they are new to you, hope you enjoy, if not, hopefully at least the live disc or the singles provide you with something new.....great stuff here.

THE DATSUNS-01 Sittin' Pretty/02 Motherfucker From Hell/03 Lady/04 Harmonic Generator/05
What Would I Know/06 At Your Touch/07 Fink For the Man/08 In Love/09 You Build Me Up to Bring Me Down/10 Freeze Sucker/11 Supergyraton! (Japanese Bonus Track)/12 Transistor (Japanese Bonus Track)

OUTTA SIGHT OUTTA MIND-01 Blacken My Thumb/02 That Sure Ain't Right/03 Girls Best Friend/04 Messin Around/05 Cherry Lane/06 Get Up! (Don't Fight It)/07 Hong Kong Fury/08 What I've Lost/09 You Can't Find Me/10 Don't Come Knocking/11 Lucille/12 I Got No Words

SMOKE AND MIRRORS-01 Who Are You Stamping Your Foot For/02 System Overload/03 Waiting For Your Time To Come/04 Stuck Here For Days/05 Maximum Heartbreak/06 All Aboard/07 Sucha Pretty Curse/08 Blood Red/09 Emperor's New Clothes/10 Too Little Fire

HEADSTUNTS-01 Human Error/02 Hey Paranoid People! (What's In Your Head!)/03 Your Bones/04 Ready Set Go/05 Yeah Yeah Just ANother Mistake/06 Eye of the Needle/07 So Long/08 Cruel Cruel Fate/09 Highschool Hoodlums/10 Cry Crybaby/11 Pity Pity Please/12 Somebody Better

DEATH RATTLE BOOGIE-01 Gods Are Bored/02 Gold Halo/03 Axethrower/04 Bullseye/05 Skull Full of Bone/06 Shadow Looms Large/07 Wander the Night/08 Helping Hands/09 Hole In Your Head/10 Fools Gold/11 Goodbye Ghosts/12 Colour of the Moon/13 Brain Tonic/14 Death of Me

DEEP SLEEP-01 Caught In the Silver/02 Bad Taste/03 Claw Machine/04 Shaky Mirrors/05 500 Eyes/06 That's What You Get/07 Creature of the Week/08 Looking Glass Lies/09 Sun In My Eyes/10 Deep Sleep

HARMONIC GENERATOR EP-01 Harmonic Generator (Radio 1 Live Maida Vale Session)/02 Sittin Pretty (Radio 1 Live Maida Vale Session)/03 Fink For the man (Radio 1 Live maida Vale Session)/04 Little Bruise (SBN Session)/05 O Woe Is Me/06 Freeze Sucker (SBN Session)

STUCK HERE FOR DAYS EP-01 Stick Here For Days/02 Kick a bang/03 Sky Is Falling/04 One Eye Open

MOTHERFUCKER FROM HELL SINGLE-01 Motherfucker From Hell/02 I Ain't Got Time For Love/03 In Love (Toe Rag Version)

BLACKEN MY THUMB SINGLE-01 Blacken My Thumb/02 Good Luck..You're Gonna Need It/03 Burst Your Bubble

GIRL'S BEST FRIEND SINGLE-01 Girl's Best Friend/02 Charging Rhino/03 Conversation Killer

LIVE LONDON 5/27/04-01 Get Up/That Sure Ain't Right/Motherfucker From Hell/02 Messin' Around/03 What Would I Know/04 Girls Best Friend/05 Sittin Pretty/06 Harmonic Genrator/07 Fink For the Man/08 What I've Lost/09 You Can't Find Me/10 Freeze Sucker/11 Blacken My Thumb/12 In Love