The Economic Wizards "The second Coming" EP 1986

...The Wizards’ next EP, aptly named The Second Coming, was released in 1986, having been funded by their Band of the Year prize money. Produced by Sam Ford, it was engineered by Steve Buckland, who was also the band’s manager at that time. Buckland worked tirelessly to promote the disorganised and somewhat anarchic Wizards, as acknowledged by Jim Steel in his liner notes: “Special thanks to Steve Buckland for patience and service beyond the call of nature”. With a tighter, raunchier sound than its predecessor, this record also had four tracks: ‘The Floor (Haemorrhage All Over)’, ‘Septicaemia’, ‘Fundamental Baby’, and ‘Muleskinner Blues’...
...Chris Bourke wrote an enthusiastic review in Rip It Up (August 1986): “The Economic Wizards have always been great fun, and they can hang a song together too … Excellent vocals from Jim Steel to classic Chuck Berry riffing and a mean and obscene harp player. In a world dominated by pretension, the true rock and roll spirit of the Wizards is refreshing. Melodies, one-liners and messages too: ‘Jesus Christ in blue suede shoes / Leading the dance of the chosen few / Someone tell me what can an atheist do?’ (‘Fundamental Baby’, the best song here). Funnier than the Johnnys — and more musical too!”
Although Jim Steel wrote most of the Economic Wizards’ lyrics, other band members and friends made memorable contributions, notably Lois Flange (‘Pakuranga Girl’), Katie Brockie (‘Short Arms & Long Pockets’) and Matthew Clouston (‘If Anyone Can the Vatican Can’, undoubtedly the best R&B song ever written about the Pope!).
Guitarist and open-tuning maestro Landy Brockie also played a major role in creating melodies and riffs, while his brother John could wield a pencil as well as a plectrum. Not content with “pumping out a throbbing beat”, he had a keen eye for caricature, as evidenced in several of the band’s posters.
Over time, as band members focused more on raising children than raising hell, gigs became less frequent, but there were still some memorable occasions. One such was the epically debauched New Year’s Eve party on Great Barrier Island in 1998, when half the audience ended up dancing drunkenly on stage and the gravel road out was lined with unconscious partygoers the next morning, as if they had simply dropped in their tracks as they staggered home. In a rare rock-and-roll-royalty moment, band members were ferried off the island the next day in a Piper Cherokee piloted by The Rev’s brother, Greg.As the Muldoon era faded from public consciousness, the Economic Wizards’ name became less relevant, and they decided to change it. Several options were considered, including “The Sausages”, “The Love Handles” (my personal favourite) and “The Rank Outsiders”. The latter was eventually chosen, despite the discovery of an LGBTQ military association with the same name.
It was under this name that the band’s final album was recorded in 1996. This took place in South Head Hall, 50km north of Auckland, where they decamped for several days. Producer and engineer John Kempt converted the hall into a temporary recording studio, with different instruments isolated in different rooms, including the men’s bathroom. Ten tracks were successfully completed, but despite the high quality of both songs and production, the album has yet to be released.
The Economic Wizards never really broke up. There were no Beatles-like dramas or musical incompatibilities. No one found God or felt the need to work on a solo project. When half the band moved to the South Island, it just became too hard to get together. And then Jim Steel – Paddy to his friends – received a head injury after being hit by a bus. His health went into a decline, and he passed away in 2019. The last time the band played together was at Paddy’s farewell. - Andrew Campbell and AudioCulture

trax:
01 The Floor (Haemmorage All Over) 02 Septicaemia 03 Fundamental Baby 04 Muleskinner Blues
…served by Gaius…