Speaking of The Thanes, here is singer Lenny Helsing, pre-Thanes in The Green Telescope. It may seem slightly mad (and probably is) to go all the way around the world to buy a record by an Edinburgh band, but you just don't see these in Scotland anymore, plus I was much too young to buy it first time around. To my surprise I've seen lots of Lenny's old records (Thanes, Green Telescope and even The Stayrcase) in various Melbourne record shops and having spoken to a few folks it seems that he was a bit of hero here back in the garage revival days, and of course Melbourne label Corduroy (now defunct?) put out a couple of The Thanes' records.Anyway, I've posted the three band originals (the other track is an Outsiders cover, naturally). The production is great especially considering the 1985 date, and although obviously indebted to '60s garage and nederbeat, some punk/indie elements (in a good way), nice songwriting, and Lenny's awesome vocals combine to make this much more than an exercise in nostalgia; in fact to my ears it's one of the best artefacts of the 80s garage revival.
I think some of these tracks are on a CD entitled 'Gardyloo! Edinburgh's Detritus 1983-2003' a collection of overlooked garage and rock'n'roll. Unsure if you can get this in the shops, but if you message Beatsville they might sell you one, as I know Angus has plenty in his cupboard! Lenny also drums on the cracking new Wildebeests LP which I advise tracking down.
The GREEN TELESCOPE- Two By Two
The GREEN TELESCOPE- A Glimpse
The GREEN TELESCOPE- Make Me Stay
