Thursday 25 June 2020

Shayne Carter - Scrapbook



From Wikipedia:
Shayne P Carter (born July 1964 in Dunedin, New Zealand) is a musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986–1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1994–2012). Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the New Zealand Herald Legacy Award (with Straitjacket Fits at the 2008 New Zealand Music Awards), and New Zealand Music Awards for Best Group and Best Rock Album (with Dimmer, 2004).

New Zealand music critic Nick Bollinger told North & South magazine in 2019: "To me, Shayne Carter really stands head and shoulders above pretty much the whole of the Dunedin scene. I mean, there were some other brilliant musicians, don’t get me wrong. But that was the era when shoe-gazing was at its peak – they wore black jerseys, stared at their shoes, and strummed their meaningful, heartfelt songs. But Shayne was different. Shayne was a rock star, and he knew it. He was actually aware of his charisma and what it meant to be a performer."
More info HERE.

I first became aware of Shayne Carter through his most well known band Straitjacket Fits, gradually discovering his early work with Bored Games (1978-1981) and DoubleHappys (1983-1985). After the demise of Straitjacket Fits I lost track of his musical career, I had heard the odd track by his next band Dimmer, but at the time wasn't too impressed with the trip hop direction he'd taken with the band. This changed when I quite recently heard a rather exceptional track from Dimmer's 4th and final album, 2009's "Degrees of Existence", and felt the need to hear all 4 Dimmer albums, plus his solo album "Offsider" from 2016. Well, the final Dimmer album I found quite astonishing, I'd put it up there with his best work with Straitjacket Fits. It was this which inspired me to create this anthology comprising his earliest work with Bored Games up to his most recent solo album.

Thanks once more to Manerg for his help and advice. I hope you enjoy this latest collection and keep on staying safe in these still hazardous times!

  1. Dimmer - Crystalator (2:56)
  2. Bored Games - Happy Endings (3:51)
  3. Straitjacket Fits - Cat Inna Can (3:50)
  4. Dimmer - Seed (4:04)
  5. DoubleHappys - Nerves (5:53)
  6. Straitjacket Fits - Skin to Wear (3:16)
  7. Shayne P Carter - Waiting Game (3:57)
  8. Dimmer - Degrees of Existence (4:29)
  9. Shayne Carter & Peter Jefferies - Randolph's Going Home (3:56)
10. Straitjacket Fits - Dialling a Prayer (3:52)
11. DoubleHappys - Others Way (3:32)
12. Bored Games - Joe 90 (4:18)
13. Straitjacket Fits - Spacing (3:23)
14. Shayne P Carter - We Will Rise Again (4:26)
15. Dimmer - Wrong Bus (3:58)
16. Shayne Carter & Peter Jefferies - Knocked Out or Thereabouts (1:42)
17. Straitjacket Fits - Bad Note for a Heart (3:30)
18. Straitjacket Fits - Life in One Chord (3:10)
19. Shayne P Carter - I Know Not Where I Stand (3:37)
20. Dimmer - Scrapbook (7:37)


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5 comments:

Unknown said...

Fantastic - a much-deserved revisit of a great musician's career.
I saw the Fits open for the La's in '91 or so, and they stole the show with ease.

Cheers,
JB

zipper said...

Another great comp of someone I'd heard of in passing but now realise that was my loss...until now. Thanks SB.

Anonymous said...

Nice work!

Bored Games was opening act at Toy Love's final all-ages Dunedin gig (1980). Even then you could tell Shayne would be a star.



Hamish

thank you said...

Dimmer are on tour in New Zealand 2022!


Hamish

Moriarty OK said...

Awesome! Although I can't believe you put Cat Inna Can on there! Even Shayne can't stomach that one (read his fantastic autobiography Dead People I Have Known if you get a chance).