Bailter Space
Grader·Spader
12" single
(Flying Nun Records, 1988)
Bailter Space are what became of the gordons, who split after their second album, 1984's Volume 2, was released.
It's a bit circuituous, really. The first gordons album was recorded by the trio of John Halvorsen (g/v), Alister Parker (g/v), and Brent McLachlan (d). After it was released, to much acclaim, they split up. They then regrouped with Vince Pinker replacing Parker, and recorded Volume 2, toured, then split again.
A couple of years later, Parker started a new group, Bailter Space, with Hamish Kilgour (ex-The Clean) on drums. They released an eponymous 12" EP and a 7" single of New Man.
After that, half the band was replaced with Halvorsen, now on bass. That lineup recorded their debut LP, Tanker. The Grader·Spader single came from the album and featured two non-LP b-sides, the first of which is today's selection. It's also my favorite Bailter Space song and has not appeared on any of the reissues of Tanker or on any compilations, to the best of my knowledge.
After Tanker was released, they toured the USA with The Bats (I saw the two of them, and they were both amazing) then Kilgour left, to be replaced by Brent McLachlan, thus making Bailter Space now the same group as the original gordons.
Pretty twisted, huh?
3 biased opinions:
cool tune
Awesome song. I never fully got into these guys for whatever reason (though I love the Gordons CD that I have). One of my favorite local bands, Monsterland, covered a Bailter Space song on their last album... you'd think that would've been enough for me to go out and buy a bunch of Bailter Space records, but it wasn't.
I really only like their early stuff, honestly: the debut 12", the first two albums, Tanker and Thermos, and the two singles, "New Man" and "Grader·Spader." Unfortunately, I've not really cared for what I've heard of what followed.
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