James Baker Select Biography

This is Bludge's very patchy and totally-based-on-anecdote overview of Baker's career. 

The Victims 1977-1978

The original Baker-Faulkner outfit and one of the best and most authentic Australian (or otherwise) punk bands. "Television Addict" (download it here) and "Disco Junkie" are virtually punk anthems. Faulkner's finest recorded performances.

The Scientists 1978-1981 

Baker wrote a lot (I think most?) of the songs during the first band, producing monotonal pop-gems which the rest of the band refined, most notably by way of catchy melody. The Scientists output from this period (one album, a few singles, and I think one or two EP's) are pure rock and roll, as lyrical as dumbness ever got. 

Hoodoo Gurus 1981-1984 

Complex history culminating in Faulkner's sacking of Baker after the release of  "Stone Age Romeos".

The Beasts of Bourbon 1983-1985

Great rock and roll band. James is on "Axeman's Jazz" and "Sour Mash", the first two albums. Wrote their biggest song of the period, "Dropout". The drumming on the first album seems to come from nowhere, as if Charlie Watts had been out drinking with Bo Diddley for three days. The Beasts still rocked after James left to do the Dubrovniks; not easy to replace both Baker and Sudjovic, but they were eventually sorted by Tony Pola and Brian Hooper.

The James Baker Experience 1985-1986

A trash band featuring Stu Spasm on guitar and Tex Perkins on bass with the exquisite trash tempo of "Born to be Punched". See the film-clip here.

The Dubrovniks 1987-94

 This band is almost unkown in Australia, yet still dearly loved in Europe where they toured several times. They sold a lot of units and played to a lot of folks.  Very tasteful, very rock and roll, not a single drum roll on the first album.

The Rockin' Hendy 1987 -->

Hard rock and roll appropriately inspired by The Ramones. After too long an absence, the band have finally got a myspace here.