Precursor - Little People, Big Defects - 12" Mini Album - LAST COPIES!
THEY'RE baaaaaack! Morbid, moshing, thrashing, pizza-eating, beer-guzzling Satanists from the four corners of hell! PRECURSOR has re-released its legendary 'Little People, Big Defects' six-track EP from 1991.
The original cassette tape sold over 500 copies around the world, and the Canberra live shows were fun and chaotic: youth cafes, skate parks, uni bars and the infamous Terrace all bore the brunt of the head-banging, stage-diving apocalyptic frenzy.
Recorded in spring of '91 at 2XX community radio studios and produced by Martin Shepherd, 'Little People, Big Defects' features Wally (Simon) on vocals, Bill and Ivan playing guitar, bass by Spewy and Mags on drums.
So what's been happening with PRECURSOR the past 28 years?
"The reissue came about when I was scrounging around in my shed, looking for a bag of mull I knew was somewhere," says Spewy, who left Canberra for Lismore in 1996, taking his Elephant Records label to a beaut farmhouse in the Byron Hinterland.
"I'd been growing mull when I was at uni to pay off my credit cards, and had a bit of a postal racket sending gold tops down to Middleton Street at Stanmore to satisfy the Sydney craze for mushies.
"PRECURSOR formed in '89 when I turned up to a bass lesson and Ivan was leaving his guitar lesson with the same bloke. We had a chat about obscure thrash bands; Ivan was into Sodom and Kreator and I liked Celtic Frost and Voivod. We thought we should definitely form a band."
Spewy has rambled on so much at this point, he has forgotten about what he was searching for in his Central Coast shed, and why.
"Oh yeah," says Spewy. "I was looking for this mull bag and I found Wally's original artwork and I'd just pressed 100 LPs for my new band, Space Boozzies. I thought, 'Why the fuck not?' and got on the blower to Mags to get a file off him 'cos the DAT had disintegrated."
There are some things about PRECURSOR that remain a mystery, due to the inevitable march of time. Also, too many bongs and beers.
Mags is alive and well and about to set off on a world tour with Pod People. Bill hot-footed it to Crescent Head, NSW, waaay last century, and spends most of his time surfing and living in the bush. Wally (Simon Walbrook) is an A-list music producer/sound editor and designer for film and TV, based in Melbourne. Ivan is MIA; last seen hanging out in Melbourne. Riff Sausage Machine, we love you and if you are reading this, please call ya mum (update; Ivan is alive and well last spotted hauling his arse down Jammo waterslide.)
Get in quick! Obviously the PRECURSOR of today is too old/slow/famous/can't be fucked to back up this rare and wonderful recording with a slew of gigs, or even a single live appearance. However, this theory was disproved with a special reunion at the Old Canberra Inn last year for PRECURSOR's de-facto manager Andy Dykes, with Norro (The VeeBees), Spewy, Mags, Bill, and Josh Nixon stepping in for Ivan to perform a totally moshable version of Cryptic Self Mutilation.
"I don't know what we were smoking," Spewy reminisced. "But man, some of the shit we wrote is so complex I can't work it out again 28 years later."
Limited to 25 copies on 10” vinyl (Due to demand and production considerations it is now 50 copies on 12") , 'Little People, Big Defects' sounds shit-hot as ever, mastered by Mikey Young, plus original artwork) from Wally and Ben Green (label)