RIP Chris Bailey

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MiB81
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RIP Chris Bailey

Post by MiB81 »

Another sad loss
From Nick Cave,
"One week ago today, I was standing in front of a photo on display in the Stranger Than Kindness - The Nick Cave Exhibition in Montreal. It is an extraordinary photo that came to light a few years ago — it shows the singer, Chris Bailey, of the Brisbane band, the Saints, sitting collapsed on stage in a small club in Melbourne, watched by a very young and unformed Nick Cave. In the photo Chris is already committed to his life as perhaps the greatest and most anarchic rock ‘n’ roll singer Australia would ever produce. Conversely, I am in that stonewashed and uncertain state between failing art school and, well, I am not quite sure what. You can almost see the thought bubble forming above my head as an alternate plan presents itself.

In the late seventies, the Saints came down from Brisbane and tore their way through Sydney and Melbourne with their famously anarchic shows. It is impossible to exaggerate the resulting radical galvanising effect on the Melbourne scene – these legendary performances changed the lives of so many people, myself included.

So, it is with immense sadness that we learn of Chris Bailey’s death. Too many great singers have died recently and, once again, I don’t have the words that will in any way adequately measure the extent of our collective loss. I can only simply repeat, for the record, that, in my opinion, the Saints were Australia’s greatest band, and that Chris Bailey was my favourite singer.

Chris and I got to know each other well and went on to do a bunch of things together over the years, but it is this photo that I will treasure – a moment of realisation and divergence, as a drunk singer sits slumped on a stage floor, his very presence in that moment approximating some kind of moral purity or essential truth, and a young man watching transfixed, feeling his own best laid plans fall away as the thought bubble above his head fills with its sudden and outrageous revelation, ‘This is what I want to do and this is who I want to be.’

With enormous gratitude to Chris Bailey and may he rest in peace."
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and all the cunts that should fuck off...
Greatkudu
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Re: RIP Chris Bailey

Post by Greatkudu »

Even though I said I wasn't posting anymore, I had to return to say what a sad loss, another great goes, all the best seem to be passing. Rip. Lt Kudu.
Palais81
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Re: RIP Chris Bailey

Post by Palais81 »

Greatkudu wrote: 11 Apr 2022, 23:53 Even though I said I wasn't posting anymore, I had to return to say what a sad loss, another great goes, all the best seem to be passing. Rip. Lt Kudu.
Yes it is sad news. The first 2 Saints albums are excellent (I'm lucky enough to have them on vinyl). Their is a fantastic version of Demolition Girl on the Hope and Anchor album. This was the first time I heard them when my brother bought the album for the Stranglers songs. Then later Ward left the Saints and appeared on Machine Gun Ettiquette with his great sounding Rickenbacker.

Ed Keupper went on to record some of my favourite solo albums - well worth checking out. Also, Ed has toured with the Bad Seeds.

The Saints - a quality set of musicians indeed.
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MiB81
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Re: RIP Chris Bailey

Post by MiB81 »

I know it's a common sequence in music but I always heard a bit of Hanging Around in this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdytiYSt_mQ
...I'm making lists of all the people I love,
and all the cunts that should fuck off...
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