Goblin Mix + The Exploding Budgies "The Complete Goblin Mix & The Exploding Budgies" - Split Compilation, ed. 1991

The link between the 2 bands is guitarist David Mitchell (who went on to play in the truly wonderful 3D's and Ghost Club)...…I remember seeing the 3 piece Exploding Budgies live a number of times. They were great - quite insane in a lot of ways (not that you'd pick up on that from these recordings). They split toward the end of 1984. David Mitchell then joined Goblin Mix. I remember Goblin Mix being, visually quite confusing. Whereas The Budgies had the standard 'back-to-the-dolequeue-on-Monday' look of many of their contemporaries, each member of Goblin Mix sported a distinctive image. Dave Mitchell had the dishevelled drunken slob look and a rather frightening afro, the other guitarist looked like he was about to drop his guitar mid song and head off night-clubbing with his trendy clothes and perfectly coiffed haircut. The bass player had a sort of Teddy Boy look, but with an outrageous mulleted hairstyle and biker jacket. He also constantly looked like he was about to burst into tears. The drummer was a Robert Smith type goth who looked sorta furtive and embarrassed to be there. Musically they ranged from Mitchell's Dinosaur Jr'ish thrashes like 'Venus Flye Trap' and 'The Travelling Grave', to the other guys folk rocky fare with rather flowery romantic Blakes'ian prose (lots of 'Thy's, Thee's, 'Thou's'  etc...) and violins. I think he may have also been a bit of a Pogues fan 'cos he sounded a lot like Shane McGowan.

If it were just the Goblin Mix stuff - 2 and a half stars, but The Budgies were a really good forgotten band from a time (1983-85) when Auckland had very few decent ones. They knock it up a notch. - Smelsch

Members:

Bass – Alf Danielson (tracks: 6 to 15) / Bass, Vocals – Glenn Eisenhut* (tracks: 1 to 5) / Drums – Andrew Moon (tracks: 6 to 15), James Murray (2) (tracks: 1 to 5) / Guitar, Vocals – David Mitchell (tracks: 1 to 15), Phil Moore (tracks: 6 to 15)

trax:

The Exploding Budgies

01 Thornfield 02 Kenneth Anger 03 Hank Marvin 04 See You Around the Stones 05 Sunflower

Goblin Mix

06 Lament 07 The Water 08 Time Away 09 Unusual Wish 10 Travelling Grave 11 Venus Fleye Trap 12 The Winter Song 13 The Drinking Man's Curse 14 Coleridge / Up From the Sink I Spy 15 Fruit of the Womb

…served by Gaius...