As they approach their 30th anniversary, one of Australia’s most loved and respected rock bands, The Screaming Jets, is gearing up for the release of a very special record – GOTCHA COVERED.
Available from July 27, GOTCHA COVERED , the eighth full-length album from The Jets, was largely inspired by the band’s favourite radio hits of the last 50+ years, and songs that evoke nostalgic reference to the past. The Screaming Jets salute an eclectic collection of Aussie artists with their own trademark interpretation of songs from The Easybeats, Men At Work, Paul Kelly, The Angels, You Am I, Hoodoo Gurus, INXS and AC/DC, just to name a few.
The Screaming Jets are well known for their ability to take a classic song and make it their own … think Roland Howard’s “Shivers”, Barry MacGuire’s “Eve of Destruction”, Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”, Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In the Free World” … they’ve adopted these songs as their own over the years.
In typical maverick style, the boys have taken it to the next level with an album of covers from a legendary line-up of Australian artists that have in some way, over three decades, influenced the band’s illustrious rock odyssey.
Produced by longtime collaborator Steve James (All For One, Living in England EP, Tear of Thought, World Gone Crazy and the band’s most recent release from 2016, Chrome), the selection of tracks were recorded raw and live at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne earlier in the year. What came out of the studio was a collection of 15 iconic Aussie songs spanning the mid 1960’s to late 1990’s, paying homage to a cross-section of Australian music history.
Singer and front man Dave Gleeson muses, “What we came up with was a great Aussie party album. Covering songs that have shaped us; songs from our youth; songs that have been written and performed by contemporaries and songs that will make even the most loyal fan go “what the” … I can’t wait to get out with the boys and belt these songs out with the rest of Australia…”
The closing track of GOTCHA COVERED, ‘Guitar Band’, features 16 of Australia’s finest guitar players (not including Jets players Scott Kingman and Jimi Hocking) contributing to what has become an epic version of Stevie Wright’s 1974 classic. Turning the 3min 21sec original song into a 14 min 21 sec musical behemoth, as The Jets’ Paul Woseen says, “Guitar Band turned into our own Guitarmageddon, featuring solos from solos from some of Australia’s finest guitar players.”
The guesting shredders include Rick Brewster (The Angels), Nat Allison (Suzi Quatro), Tim Henwood (SuperJesus/ Palace Of The King), Cam McKenzie (Horsehead/ Mark Seymour band), Bob Spencer (The Angels/ Rose Tattoo), Dave Leslie (Baby Animals), Brett Kingman (James Reyne), Brett Williams (the Choirboys), Warwick Scott (Skunkhour), Ronnie Simmons (Richie Ramone), Danny Spencer (Jimmy Barnes/ Richard Clapton), Chris Hawker (Taxiride), Pete Wanno (Suzi Quatro/ Josie Jason), Stuart Fraser (Noiseworks/ John Farnham), Stu Marshall (Empires Of Eden) and Zakk Zedras (Chocolate Starfish).
The GOTCHA COVERED tracklisting includes:
TITLE ARTIST RELEASED ALBUM
Wedding Ring The Easybeats 1965 It’s Too Easy
Razors Edge Goanna 1983 Spirit Of Place
Gimme Head The Radiators 1979 Feel The Heat
Overkill Men At Work 1983 Cargo
Darling It Hurts Paul Kelly 1986 Gossip
Right Time Hoodoo Gurus 1993 Crank
Walls Flowers 1981 Icehouse
Purple Sneakers You Am I 1995 Hi Fi Way
Aloha Steve & Dano Radio Birdman 1978 Radios Appear
Shadow Boxer The Angels 1979 No Exit
This Time INXS 1985 Listen Like Thieves
Errol Australian Crawl 1981 Sirocco
Rain Dragon 1983 Body & The Beat
Rock’n’Roll Damnation AC/DC 1978 Powerage
Guitar Band Stevie Wright 1974 Hard Road
Catch the Screaming Jets on the Rock Radio Riot Tour, with special guests Boom Crash Opera
Presented by Triple M
Tickets: www.thescreamingjets.com.au
Friday 3 August – Bridge Hotel, Sydney – The Screaming Jets only*
Saturday 4 August – Bridge Hotel, Sydney – The Screaming Jets only*
Sunday 5 August – Bridge Hotel, Sydney – The Screaming Jets only*
Friday 10 August – Shoppingtown Hotel, Doncaster, VIC
Saturday 11 August – Village Green Hotel, Mulgrave, VIC
Friday 17 August – Kingsford Juniors, Sydney NSW
Saturday 18 August – Rooty Hill RSL, NSW
Friday 24 August – Parkwood Tavern, Gold Coast, QLD
Saturday 25 August – Hamilton Hotel, Brisbane, QLD
Friday 31 August – The Gov, Adelaide, SA
Saturday 1 September – The Gov, Adelaide, SA
Friday 7 September – Ravenswood Hotel, WA
Saturday 8 September – Charles Hotel, Perth WA
Friday 14 September – Miranda Hotel, Sydney NSW
Saturday 15 September – Revesby Workers, Sydney NSW
*GOTCHA COVERED album launch – playing 2 sets, the new album in full + the hits and fan favourites
