ARIEL - THE LIVE ADVENTURES OF 2CD

On Digitally Remastered Double CD collection, Aztec Records presents three magnificent concerts from ARIEL, encompassing the years 1975, 1976 and 1997. This is the second in the Aztec “Live Adventures of…” series – after Madder Lake – with many more to follow…

Specifically, “The Live Adventures of Ariel” continues to explore the works of the visionary and redoubtable Mike Rudd, with Aztec having previously reissued the landmark Spectrum albums Part One and Milesago, Indelible Murtceps’ ‘Warts Up Your Nose’, Spectrum Indelible Murtceps’ Testimonial and Ariel’s Rock & Roll Scars.

The musical journey that took Mike Rudd from R&B fanatic with 1960s garage rock champions Chants R&B through the 1970s glory days of Spectrum and Ariel onto elder statesmanship of the Australian music scene, is surely one of the most remarkable in this country. This is the man who gave the nation the enduring #1 hit single ‘I’ll be Gone’, a song that has become so ingrained in the collective Australian psyche as to be accepted unconditionally and universally, surely the sign of a truly great composition.

From 1973 to 1977 Ariel was one of the hardest working bands on the Australian pub rock circuit, and at the top tier on the Melbourne band scene. Featuring Rudd, stalwart bassist Bill Putt, inspirational lead guitarist Harvey James, fellow songwriter Glyn Mason and dynamic drummer John Lee (replaced by Nigel Macara), the band consistently fronted “Full House” signs wherever they played. Rudd says: “We were a typically hard-working band, and we would do that whole pub and club circuit. Sometimes we’d fit in three gigs in a night. I think the thing we can say about these recordings is that it emphasises the fact that we always played at a consistent standard. We didn’t really have bad gigs, in the sense that the band was being careless.”

These concerts bristle with exciting moments, the band capable of delivering no-frills, guitar-driven, hard rock with the likes of ‘We are Indelible’, ‘Keep on Dancing (With Me)’, ‘Rock & Roll Scars’, ‘Worm Turning Blues’ and ‘Real Meanie’, as well as reworking Spectrum classics such as ‘What the World Needs is a New Pair of Socks’ and ‘I’ll be Gone’. There’s also the 10-minute ‘Mutant Medley’ from the (at the time) aborted Jellabad Mutant project. The concert venues sourced are the Station Hotel, Prahran (1975), Studio 221, Darlinghurst (1976) and a reunion gig from the Continental, Prahran (1997).

Highlights

This double CD features Digitally Remastered sound by Gil Matthews, and 12-page booklet containing a fresh interview with Mike Rudd in which he discusses all things Ariel-related. 

Three magnificent concerts from ARIEL: the Station Hotel, Prahran (1975), Studio 221, Darlinghurst (1976) and a reunion gig from the Continental, Prahran (1997).

Includes ‘We are Indelible’, ‘Keep on Dancing’, ‘Rock & Roll Scars’, ‘Worm Turning Blues’ and the Spectrum classic ‘I’ll be Gone’

 “The Live Adventures of Ariel” is a must-have for fans of Classic Aussie Rock...