Review of Wide Open Road, The Best Of... Album by The Triffids

The Triffids were born, post Punk fest in Perth's Leederville Town Hall, after a day long existence as Logic, and following on from their formative multimedia based early life as, firstly, Daisy and then Blok Music. 1978 saw the band start in earnest after some of their early work had met with generally unfavourable responses. The driving force behind The Triffids, David McComb, was determined the band would succeed, even to the extent of trying to pursued band members to sideline their education for the good of the band. The early years were spent gigging extensively, clocking up many miles travelling between Sydney, Melbourne and their home town of Perth.

From 1978 to 1983 they managed to gain a following through putting out 6 independently produced cassettes which they sold at gigs and local record stores. Up until '83 however they only had limited label backing, releasing two EP's and a single. Their debut album was to arrive in November 1983 and was titled 'Treeless Plain'. From here on in until their last studio release, the Stephen Street produced 'Black Swan', is where The Triffids grew, where they gained their reputation and where David McComb, the main songwriter and front man with 'the voice of an outback preacher', shone.

The Triffids Wide Open Road, The Best Of... Album


Regarded by many as a seminal Australian band, The Triffids material was often well received but was never as commercially successful as some of their antipodean contemporaries. This would be a significant factor in the bands eventual break up in 1989. David McComb, posthumously, and The Triffids, have subsequently been inductees into Australia's Hall Of Fame.

What this 'Best Of' compilation more than adequately encapsulates is the quality of McCombs song writing, the depth and character of the band and the evolution of their sound from the more playful stripped down to the emotive and dramatic. Each of the 6 studio albums is represented and clustered together, other than their best known, most commercially successful track, 'Wide Open Road' which serves as the albums opener. Originally reaching the heady heights of #26 in the British singles charts, 'Wide Open Road' has since been included in The Australian Performing Rights Association Top 30 Australian songs. (If you're interested, and I know you must be, Men At Work register at #4 whilst sadly neither Kylie or Rolfe made the list at all) Also from 'Born Sandy Devotional', their second album are 'The Seabirds', 'Lonely Stretch' and Stolen Property'. Upon release Mat Snow of the NME gushed that 'The Triffids have delivered what they've long promised. Born Sandy Devotional is a masterpiece.'

The Triffids enjoyed the attention of John Peel, toured with the likes of Echo And The Bunnymen and were even requested to be on the same bill as INXS, at Michael Hutchence behest. Their line up changed along the way but was always held together by their resolute helmsman, David McComb. Their output veered from The Teardrop Explodes/Bunnymen sound of Beautiful Waste to the INXS like 'Hell Of A Summer' through to the Jonathan Richman lightness of 'Reverie'. Ironically the song that feels the more contemporary of all on the album is that sung not by David but by a reluctant Jill Birt. 'Raining Pleasure' with it's string treatments, acoustic guitar and haunting refrain stands out as clearly influential piece. Almost as memorable, for vastly differing reasons, would have to be the narrative, tense and raw energy of 'Kathy Knows'.

As you may expect some songs have lasted the test of time better than others. The 80's flavoured melodrama of 'Stolen Property' with it's aptly 'Kangaroo' (This Mortal Coil) like opening bass line shows it's age. Similarly 'Bury Me Deep In Love' (Once covered by Kylie), 'Jerdacuttup Man' and 'Trick Of The Light', all from the troublesome 'Calenture' album, sound dated and do detract from the quality heard on the rest of the album.

'Wide Open Road, The Best Of The Triffids' is a fitting tribute to the band, and its creator and composer. The release of the concise Best Of album coincides with a box set release the same day, containing 10 discs and practically all of The Triffids work ever recorded. Four days later at the Barbican you can catch the remaining band members, as well as family and friends (Likely to include Bad Seeds Martin P Casey, a former Triffids Bassist, and Mick Harvey). The tribute show, already performed in Australia, entitled 'A Secret In The Shape Of A Song' will feature the songs and poetry of David McComb who sadly died in 1999. Devout Triffids fans, and those with an inquisitive nature for all things regarded as best kept secrets, need only apply.

Andrew Lockwood.


Site - http://www.thetriffids.com

Contactmusic