Search - Easybeats :: Shame Just Drained

Interesting contents, but for completists.

David Goodwin | Westchester, NY United States | 06/25/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As this disc is from the early 90s, it's somewhat indicative of how reissues worked before reissue labels became the enigma they are today. Precious little information is given in the liner notes (which are the same on each CD), and the tracklisting information is only really given in the inner cover.Having said that, however, Shame Just Drained is a fascinating release, and one that is worthwhile for Easybeats fans. It's basically an outtakes/rarities collection, although it's certainly not limited to alternates; tracks like Shame Just Drained and Lisa are wonderful on their own.However, quite a few of the songs on this CD are obviously dubbed from acetate and LP (not Repertoire's fault...I'm pretty sure they were this way on the original LP too), and the lack of REALLY GOOD LINER NOTES is something of a downside. Still, it's a worthwhile purchase, and it can be found as a midline import quite easily."

A Must for the Easybeats Fan

Randall E. Adams | Los Angeles, CA United States | 02/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once you've acquired a few of the Easybeats' official albums and have become hooked on this group (nothing else is possible), buy this disc. It consists primarily of demos recorded by the band in 1967 and 1968, plus some tracks from an album that was shelved. The demos are good quality, so don't worry about the sound. There is also a track from their first demo in 1964 and a great shelved single from 1966. This material was originally issued on vinyl with very good liner notes by Glenn Baker, but unfortunately the CD issue omits the notes. The CD issue adds some tracks which belong here (more demos) but also includes some "Good Friday" outtakes which really don't belong here. The Coke ads are fun. Do not be put off by the "demo" status of many of these tracks. Harry Vanda and George Young were prolific and ambitious songwriters and they recorded these demos to sell their songs. They are very well developed. Indeed tracks like "Peter," "Wait a Minute," and "The Shame Just Drained" are better than most of the tracks released on their official album from 1968, "Vigil" (aka "Falling Off the Edge of the World"). And as for the tracks from the shelved album, "Where Old Men Go" and "Amanda Storey" are quite moving. "Station on Third Avenue" is an endlessly fascinating number, which was covered by the Marmalade. This is top drawer stuff; it's just all in mono."

Fractured Originality

Geoffrey F. Wilimek | Oceanside, CA United States | 05/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I gave this album 4 stars as to not mislead fans of the typical Easybeats sound into thinking this is their definitive album or something. However, this has actually been my favorite Easybeats listening experience I've had so far. After I bought 'Friday On My Mind' I bought 'The Shame Just Drained' about 3 months later not even paying attention to the fact that it's some kind of compilation. I probably never would have got it if I knew. Anyway, I put it on and I couldn't believe what I was hearing! This is the Easybeats? Every song was different and surprising! I couldn't put my finger on the style and the songs just kept amazing me. It was creative (listen to the track "Peter") and yet loud and passionate. It felt like they were erasing the Kinks from my memory. There are a few duds, mostly in the additional 9 tracks, but overall a great body of work. I mean I thought it was an actual album the whole first listen.



I read the liner notes after the drive home listening to it and found out that it's a bunch of demos and aussie only ep releases etc.! I couldn't believe it. The next thing a bought was 'It's 2 Easy' and while the album tracks are great pop, they aren't nearly as inspired as it's bonus tracks like the invigorating "I'll Make You Happy" and the unbelievable "A Very Special Man" that sounds utterly ahead of it's time. 'The Shame Just Drained' is like a whole album of this quirky creative songwriting that could have made them standout a lot more in the 60s.



I've begun to feel that there are two Easybeats; the rumbunctious freeform popsmiths that created material like that on this disc and the subdued assie band struggling to catch the ear of the typical 60s scene at the expence of their originality and legacy. They seemed to have this sense and no one got it so they never used it. They just put out the nice pop tunes and made nice pop records and shelved most of their forward-thinking aggressive material in production 'cause no one understood the value of standing out as opposed to fitting in. Oh well, this is proof that the Easybeats weren't a simple one-hit-wonder merseybeat inflienced outfit. Highly recommended to those who don't see what's special about this band."