The Furys: Anthology

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * )

The Furys weren't the biggest or even the best Auckland band in the punk/new wave period, but their distinctive sound didn't quite fit with the three-chord thrash of the time.

Formed when guitarist Dave McLean quit Johnny and the Hookers, they delivered r'n'b (with a touch of rockabilly) of the old style, and the early 80s live tracks here show where they were coming from: Shakin' All Over, Fabian's 50s hit Tiger, the Flamin' Groovies' Shake Some Action and Brand New Cadillac and the Easybeats' Friday On My Mind.

But McLean also wrote the catchy and throbbing Auckland Fun, the 50s rebel rock of I Gotta Gun and the sax-driven voodoo swamp rock of King of the Heart Attack.

This 23-track retrospective - with a good bio-booklet - reminds us that they were the local equivalent of Dr Feelgood and that they rumbled on right through the 80s, even having a few shows and recording sessions in the 90s.

Being helmed by a guitarist means there are stabbing or soaring solos between McLean's whisky-gargle vocals, and there's a fine 1984 cover of Jimmy Dale Gilmour's new country classic Dallas, which Joe Ely had also done at the time.

The originals Ask Her to Dance and Keep It In wear their influences openly (Mink DeVille and Billy Burnette) and sometimes this comes off as a tribute to McLean's favourite bands, but Auckland Fun is a minor classic, and his beautiful, undeveloped Thief of Love, recorded at the Gluepot in 1988, deserves a major rediscovery. It wouldn't disgrace a Nick Lowe album, and that's very high praise indeed.

Label: Barking