Backseat Mafia recently reviewed the brilliant collection of covers ‘…Another Country’ from Brisbane legends Ups and Downs: songs that influenced their shimmering jingle jangle sound from the eighties. They have just released a video to go with the imperious track ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime’ by the Korgis: a crystal clear and sparkling take on a brilliant track which is the very epitome of melancholia.
And, rather miraculously, a frighteningly youthful looking Rick Springfield guests with a rollicking guitar solo that somehow encapsulates a Beatlesque arc on the song. I am not sure if this has the same cache for non-Australians, but Rick Springfield was a major star in the eighties – an Australian who made it big in the US soapies and then released a number of tracks that were huge in the US and Australia, including the track ‘Jessie’s Girl‘ . A song that any indie kid in his or her right mind in Australia would have hated with gusto at the time, but over the passage of years, has been re-evaluated and redeemed as has Springfield himself. Now very much an icon, his contribution (from an ‘undisclosed location in the US) to the track is both remarkably good and so cool.
But enough of that link: Ups and Downs’s cover is perfect – there’s enough of a discernible Ups and Downs flavour imparted to this version that makes it fresh and vibrant and just so delicious. The production and guitars add a modernity to what is a classic track.
The video was shot in a COVID safe environment by band member Darren Atkinson in various band members’ lounge rooms, and just pours Queensland sunshine into your eyes and ears:
You can get the EP through here or listen via the link below.
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