The new Saints album ‘King of the Sun’  features 11 brand-new Bailey compositions recorded at Trackdown Studio, Sydney, and includes a bonus disc ‘Songs from the Stash’, a selection of classic Saints material. Bailey and drummer, Peter Wilkinson are out of the studio and ready to bring ‘King Of The Sun’ to life,  and are  hitting the road with some intimate and festivals shows on Friday 23rd November at The Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC,  Friday 30th November at Fly by Night, Perth WA, Saturday 8th December at Homebake, Sydney NSW.

Drummer Peter Wilkinson selected some of his favourite tracks for our mixtape #58 and it’s a cracker!

The Beatles – Love Me Do 

The song that changed the game. My earliest memory of recorded music was a 45-inch 4-track EP of The Beatles from my Dad’s record collection. Four lads from Liverpool selling product back to America. And just to rub it in, they played the theme of this song on harmonica, the instrument of the cotton fields and the music that gave birth to rock’n’roll. Genius!

Led Zeppelin – Black Dog 

The song that seduced me into becoming a drummer. I was still listening to ‘Top Of The Pops’ when a mate’s older brother asked if he could play his new record on my Dad’s stereo. It was Led Zeppelin IV with John Bonham on drums. I was sold. It took many years for me to realize that no-one could ever play like Bonzo, but I kept on trying.

The Who – Substitute 

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Having thrown in my towel over John Bonham, I figured that Keith Moon was an easier path to follow. How wrong was I. Despite playing the court jester, Keith was deceptively brilliant. Listen to the tightness of the drum breaks in this song and then go try and play them.

The Gun Club – Lucky Jim 

So enough English stuff. Going back to the country that gave us jazz, rock’n’roll, punk rock/new wave and hip-hop, my choice of American bands is The Gun Club. Lead singer, Jeffrey Lee Pierce could write a tune and had a voice to die for, which unfortunately occurred all too prematurely. It was a tough choice to pick one of his songs but I decided on ‘Lucky Jim’. It has the rhythm of an old English sea shanty with the voice of a drowned angel. Just beautiful.

Hüsker Dü – Pink Turns To Blue 

Another US band that got me through lonely times was Husker Du. They came out of Minneapolis in the wake of punk rock. Like Lennon and McCartney, they shared songwriting duties and battling egos, but still managed to blend melody and personality in equal measure. Check them out.

The Saints – No Time 

Closing the rock’n’roll circle that is England, America and Australia, forgive my indulgence by including a song by the band that brought me to your country. It’s the B-side of the debut Saints single (‘I’m Stranded’) and it’s called ‘No Time’. It features original Saints drummer, Ivor Hay, on drums, and like all my heroes, I am still striving to emulate him. Enjoy this two minutes and 48 seconds of undiluted venom.

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