Roaring Jack
| Roaring Jack | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Folk punk , folk rock |
| founding | 1985, 1995 |
| resolution | 1992, 1995 |
| Founding members | |
| Alistair Hulett † | |
| Bob (Rab) Mannell | |
| Hunter Owens | |
| Dave Williams | |
| Steve Thompson † | |
| Last occupation | |
Vocals, guitar |
Alistair Hulett † |
Guitar, bouzouki, cister |
Bob (Rab) Mannell |
| Steven (Steph) Miller | |
Electric bass, banjo, fiddle |
Dave Williams |
Drums |
Rod Gilchrist † |
Roaring Jack (also known as The Jacks for short ) was an Australian folk-punk band that existed from 1985 to 1992 and was nominated for two ARIA Awards . The group dealt with communism , (revolutionary) socialism , class struggle , discrimination against ethnic minorities , the highland clearances , trade unions , capitalism and the labor movement .
history
The band gave their first concerts in Sydney in 1986, the founding members were the Scottish singer Alistair Hulett, the bassist Dave Williams, the drummer Steve Thompson, the guitarist Bob (Rab) Mannell and the American accordionist Hunter Owens. Owens and Hulett had already played together in a duo before the group was founded.
Owens was later replaced by Steven (Steph) Miller, Thompson after Rod Gilchrist recorded the first album.
Roaring Jack toured Australia with Billy Bragg , The Pogues and The Men They Couldn't Hang . Alistair Hulett wrote about his time at Roaring Jack: "We were a very big, and sometimes very drunk family." ("We were a very large, sometimes very drunk family") .
The band recorded three records for the Sydney label Mighty Boy Records: 1987 the mini-LP Street Celtability , 1988 the first album The Cat Among The Pigeons and 1990 the second and final album The Smoke Of Innocence . The German label Jump Up Records released all three records in 2003 as the two-CD edition The Complete Works . The band also released four singles from 1988 to 1991, including Framed , for which a music video was shot.
Roaring Jack was dissolved in 1992, after which Alistair Hulett began his internationally successful career as a folk musician and singer-songwriter , during which he often worked with ex- Fairport Convention member Dave Swarbrick and the band The Malkies. During this time, Hulett re-recorded some old Roaring Jack songs in acoustic versions, including a. Buy Us A Drink , Yuppietown , Among Proddy Dogs And Papes, and Suicide Town ; the album In the Backstreets of Paradise consists of songs that were originally written for Roaring Jack. Steph Miller, who had previously taken on the lead vocals for the songs Go, Leave , Moving On , Girl On A Gate and A Stranger And A Friend , founded his own bands (The Wickermen and Eva Trout) and released his solo album Strange Sea in 2004 .
In 1995 the band got together again for a single concert, but another reunion was ruled out.
Rod Gilchrist committed suicide in March 1998. He was the second former Roaring Jack member to die after Steve Thompson, who died of a brain tumor . A tribute performance for Gilchrist, organized by Steph Miller, took place on March 8th, and proceeds were donated to various organizations dealing with depression and anxiety disorders .
Death of Alistair Hulett
Alistair Hulett died on January 28, 2010 of liver failure and cancer . He was 59 years old.
Hulett's second wife, Fatima Uygun, published the following death notice:
Dear Friends,
It is with overwhelming sadness I write to report the death of Alistair Hulett - singer, songwriter, international socialist, revolutionary, ecologist, community activist and my partner and best friend of 17 years.
Alistair died on Thursday evening, 28 January at 6:30 pm at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. Many friends have been shocked by the severity and speed of his deterioration, none more so than myself. Alistair became ill very suddenly on New Year's Day and was hospitalized on January 5 with suspected food poisoning. Liver failure was later diagnosed and it was hoped that he could receive a liver transplant, but further investigation revealed a very aggressive form of cancer which had already spread from his liver to his lungs and stomach. Alistair died peacefully only days after the cancer was first detected. His funeral will be held at Linn Crematorium in Lainshaw Drive on Friday 5 Feb at 1:30 pm, with a reception afterwards (venue for this will be advised once confirmed). I would like to thank, with all my heart, the hundreds of people who wrote letters, sent emails, cards and left telephone messages of support during his short illness. They were a huge comfort to myself and his family. A memorial will also be held in Sydney organized by his family and friends in the next couple of months.
Alistair was a kind, gentle man who was committed to fighting for a better world - a world based on the principles of justice, equality, love and respect for all of humanity. The world was a better place for knowing him and is a sadder place for his loss. He leaves a great legacy in his music that will continue to bring inspiration to many who, like him, believed a better world was possible.
Fatima
Dear friend,
It is with overwhelming sorrow that I report the death of Alistair Hulett - singer, songwriter, socialist, revolutionary, ecologist, activist and my partner and best friend for 17 years.
Alistair died on Thursday evening, January 28th, at 6:30 pm in the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. Many friends were shocked by the rapid and severe deterioration in his condition. Alistair suddenly fell ill on New Year's Day and was hospitalized on January 5 with suspected food poisoning. Liver failure was later diagnosed and a liver transplant was hoped for, but further investigation revealed a very aggressive form of cancer that had already spread to his lungs and stomach. Alistair died peacefully just days after the cancer was discovered. His funeral will take place at the Linn Crematorium on Lainshaw Drive on Friday, February 5th at 1:30 pm, with a reception afterwards (the location will be announced once confirmed). I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of people who sent letters, emails and cards and left phone messages during his brief illness.
Alistair was a kind, meek person who was committed to the struggle for a better world - a world based on the principles of justice, equality, love and respect for all human beings. The world was a better place through Alistair and is a sadder place through its loss. He leaves a great legacy in his music that will continue to inspire many who, like him, believe in a better world.
Fatima
A tribute gig was organized for Hulett and the album "Love, Loss & Liberty - the Songs of Alistair Hulett" was released. a. June Tabor , Roy Bailey , David Rovics , Banda Bassotti , Jason Wilson and the Irish Rovers covered selected songs by Hulett.
Political activities
The band was very active politically, together with the pub rock band The Urban Guerillas they gave several benefit concerts on the occasion of various political events, e. B. the First Gulf War .
In the early 1990s, Roaring Jack launched a campaign demanding the release of activist and suspected bomber Tim Anderson. Part of this campaign was the release of the single Framed , with which the group wanted to draw attention to the case. Roaring Jack also played a concert in front of the Long Bay Correctional Center, where Anderson was detained. After Anderson was found innocent and acquitted, the band gave a concert at Sydney's Sandringham Hotel.
Alistair Hulett joined the International Socialist Organization in 1991 and founded the Trotskyist Socialist Alternative in 1995 . Hulett supported the Builders Laborers Federation, Aboriginal Rights , the Maritime Union of Australia, and Scottish socialist John Maclean. Hulett attacked Stalinism , imperialism , postmodernism and Australian Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Ben Chifley several times . Hulett was a member of the Socialist Workers Party from the late 90s until his death in 2010 . Hulett was married to anti-fascism and anti-racism activist Fatima Uygun for 17 years .
style
Brian Gillespie described the band's style for Shite'N'Onions in 2003 with the following words:
"The best way to describe Roaring Jack, is to look at who they opened up for on gigs across Australia. Pretend for a moment that Billy Bragg had a Glaswegian accent, and he sang for The Men They Couldn't Hang. That's how I 'd describe it. "
"The best way to describe Roaring Jack is to take a look at the musicians you have played with on their Australian tours. Imagine that Billy Bragg sings with a Glaswegian accent and that he sings for The Men They Couldn't Hang. That's how I would describe it. "
The Guardian described Roaring Jack as "Australia's answer to the Pogues" ( "Australia's answer to the Pogues" ).
The Roaring Jacks sound is best seen as a mixture of The Men They Couldn't Hang and the Pogues, the band combined the rock influences of the Men They Couldn't Hang with the folk instruments of the Pogues (mandolin, banjo, accordion, tin Whistle etc.). Another characteristic of the band is the Scottish accent of Alistair Hulett.
reception
Warren Jones wrote in his 1987 Street Celtability review for Youth Voice :
"(...) the EP is quite a refreshing listening experience compared to the run-of-the-mill, over-produced and (so-called) apolitical releases of late."
"(...) the EP is a refreshing listening experience compared to the mediocre, over-produced and (so-called) apolitical releases of recent times."
Susan Ryan wrote for On The Street in 1987 :
"Roaring Jack are one of the strongest examples you can find of audience band interaction, and it's their close identity with their audience which has established them firmly in the inner city venues."
"Roaring Jack are one of the best examples of audience-band interaction, it is their identification with the audience that has firmly established them in downtown hangouts"
Jo Poidevin wrote in On The Street in 1989 :
"(...) if a better metaphor for revolutionary socialism than 'A cat among the pigeons' exists, I haven't heard it."
"(...) if there is a better metaphor for revolutionary socialism than 'a cat among the pigeons', I have not heard of her."
The album received a negative review from Clinton Walker ( Rolling Stone ):
"(...) in taking folk to rock they've only ended up with the worst in each. They should slow down and take a look back, and take stock."
"(...) the attempt to mix folk and rock ends with the worst of the two. You should slow down, take a look back and take stock."
Discography
Studio albums
- The Cat Among The Pigeons (1988)
- The Smoke Of Innocence (1990)
Mini LPs
- Street Celtability (1987)
Compilations
- The Complete Works of Roaring Jack 1987-1991 (2003)
Singles
- The Thin Red Line / Honkytonks In Heaven (1988)
- Destitution Road / Just Like Cigarettes (1988)
- The Swaggies Have All Waltzed Matilda Away / No Half Measures (1989)
- Framed / Criminal Justice (1991)