KIM SALMON & THE SURREALISTS
Kim Salmon was the leader of Australia's swamp rock noise band THE SCIENTISTS, a band that proved to be more influentially successful than commercially. The Scientists were, simply put, one of the best rock n' roll bands ever - their sound was raw, dense and noisy while at the same time bluesy and rootsy. While many rock n' roll bands, over time, refine their sound and become more accessible The Scientists did quite the opposite as each record became more abstract and challenging than the last.
In 1987 The Scientists finally called it a day and Kim Salmon formed the Surrealists and immediately cut their debut album, "Hit Me With The Surreal Feel". The Surrealists were even rawer and more minimal than the Scientists and, as one Australian rock scribe put it, their debut sounded as though it cost about $60 to make. Released in 1988, this record pre-dated the whole lo-fi craze by a good five years. If fans started to suspect that maybe The Scientists had "artsy" leanings then there was little question left now - "Hit Me With The Surreal Feel" is LOADED with Dadaist and Surrealist references. Art aside, however, this was one of the rawest albums ever released and it is pure rock n' roll at it's very black heart. Kim has said of this record, "it comes down to the fact that I just really liked crappy production. I had a crappy studio and all I listened to was blown-out Link Wray records with scratches all over 'em." You can't knock that philosophy.
The record was released in an edition of 1000 on Red Eye in Australia and went immediately out of print. In 1997, In The Red was proud to re-release it - putting it on CD for the first time ever. This album is twisted and nightmarish - a demented mix of psycho-blues, creepy lounge and crude rock n' roll. A mind-boggling masterpiece.
