32 Songs - Track 26

Seems Twice - The Cruel Sea

No lyrics here buddy,
just driven rhythm.
Yeah!

Couldn't think of any better way to blow away the dust bunnies and pull this whole thing from under the rug where it got lost than with Tex and the boys. And let's get one thing clear right here, right now. Tex may be sex, but as far as I'm concerned the real movement in the trouser region happens when Tex gets the fuck off stage and Ken, Dan, Jim and James get goin. The instrumental tracks are what cemented the band's place in my heart.

In my usual fashion i was either just in front or just behind the pack. A girl i knew handed me a tape during a lazy Friday afternoon history class in early 1993. On it was This Is Not The Way Home. Not only did i fall for the band but it probably had something to do with me falling for the girl too. Of course it was completely unrequited and that just made the dirty bluesy sounds so much better. It's perfect while relaxin on the lawn, driven in the morn, stayin up to greet the dawn or feelin forlorn. I've driven the road from Canberra to Adelaide and back maybe a dozen times and every time I've had the boys keep me company.

The Cruel Sea, like Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, Men At Work and The Go-Betweens, sound like this wide brown land.

While This Is Not The Way Home was my introduction to the band it was the song Seems Twice off the massive follow-up The Honeymoon Is Over that remains the quintessential Cruel Sea experience. It is, surprise suprise an instrumental, with a slide guitar and a percussive beat that seem to be coming from many directions at once. The track rolls along like the Hay Plain and then the organ kicks in to bring it home. It's just under three minutes of pure listening pleasure and a worthy addition to my list of 32 songs.