This new reissue of the earliest Warumpi Band recordings captures the group in covers mode, but far from merely another archival curiosity, these covers are bursting with an energy and enthusiasm for being in a room playing music with friends. The group steamrolls through classic rock hits from The Beatles, the Stones, Chuck Berry, Dylan, etc. in a way that moves beyond your typical covers band and into something I rarely feel is captured on record.
Whatever that “something” about the Warumpi Band in this era is, it reminds me of similar (and recent) reissue projects around The Klitz or Red Lights in the US. All three seem to capture groups or artists in formative years when tapes are rolling but the only people they are trying to satisfy/impress are themselves. Rock music at it’s best!
-Mitch (Repressed Repressed)