In Love with These Times by Roger Shepherd

In Love with These Times by Roger Shepherd

Author:Roger Shepherd
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-05-11T16:00:00+00:00


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By 1985, we felt we had more than enough material for a multiband compilation. We pulled a track listing together and it looked very strong, although finding a name proved to be torturous. We finally settled on Tuatara. It didn’t feel too ‘naff Kiwiana’ at the time because naff Kiwiana didn’t really exist yet. That would come later when we started to manufacture nationalistic pride in the things that made us New Zealanders. Music was a part of that, hand in hand with Buzzy Bee and the Edmonds Cookery Book. But at the time Tuatara sounded right and cool. In hindsight it must have been totally meaningless to the international audience it was directed at. An ancient, slow-moving, stay-at-home lizard from New Zealand that would live a long, uneventful life if the rats let it be — perfect!

We asked Lesley MacLean to design a full-colour gatefold sleeve. Lesley had been designing magnificent, bright posters for us and she produced another winner with Tuatara. Roy Colbert wrote the sleeve notes and it was ready to go. There were the usual production headaches, including the first run of covers coming back a dark browny purple rather than bright red. But overall it was a great compilation with a brilliant cover that captured the essence of what was happening with the label in those early years. There was a joyous variety of material that all sat together harmoniously.

Tuatara kicks off with The Clean. ‘Tally Ho!’ was the logical choice, but I still felt it was too roughly recorded. It’s taken me thirty-odd years not to flinch whenever I hear the song in some hipster café or bar, or even the local supermarket. I always liked The Clean’s instrumentals, though — sort of psychedelic surf tunes that have a huge urgency. So I chose ‘Fish’ instead. In my mind it works as an overture or entry point to the alternative music world that Tuatara showcased.



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