Expendables – In Between Gears [LP] (1985, Flying Nun Records)

 

Formed in Christchurch around singer, songwriter and guitarist Jay Clarkson, The Expendables grew directly out of They Were Expendable, the group Clarkson had started in 1982 after her earlier involvement with The Playthings. When David Toland, Donna Sheen and Nick Strong left They Were Expendable in late 1983, Clarkson rebuilt the group with bassist Michael Kime and drummer Robert Key, shortening the name to The Expendables. This trio recorded 'In Between Gears', following the earlier 'Big Strain' EP and the 1984 single 'The Flower / Man With No Desire'. 

'In Between Gears' appeared on Flying Nun in 1985 as a mini-LP, catalogue number FN029. The record contains eight tracks: “Say Cheese”, “Doesn't Matter”, “Caine”, “No Blame”, “Wrong Key”, “Cargo”, “Head For The Hills” and “Inbetween Gears”. The recordings were made at Progressive Studios in Christchurch, with “Say Cheese” recorded at The Lab in Auckland. Terry King handled the engineering, while Rex Visible and The Expendables were credited as producers. 

The record belongs to a particularly active period in Christchurch's underground. By the middle of the 1980s, Flying Nun had expanded beyond its original Christchurch base and was documenting a broad network of New Zealand guitar, post-punk and experimental groups. The label's catalogue was growing quickly, linking Christchurch with Dunedin, Auckland and other local scenes and giving groups such as The Expendables a way to release music without relying on the country's larger record companies. 

The Expendables were also involved in the touring network that was developing around Flying Nun. In 1984 Clarkson, Kime and Key joined The Chills, DoubleHappys and Children's Hour for the Looney Tours Roadshow, taking the groups around New Zealand. Their Christchurch activities were connected with venues such as the Gladstone, Star & Garter and Hillsborough, while Progressive Studios provided a regular recording base for musicians from the local scene. 

Jay Clarkson remained the central figure through the different versions of the group. Her subsequent projects included Breathing Cage, The Containers and a solo career, making the mid-1980s Expendables period an important stage in a much longer sequence of musical projects. The line-up was already changing around the time of the record. 'In Between Gears' documents Clarkson with Michael Kime and Robert Key, while Chris Matthews later took over on drums and Anthony Nevison joined on guitar. The album therefore captures a specific three-piece version of the group during its short run in the Christchurch scene. 

Flying Nun had been founded in Christchurch in 1981 by Roger Shepherd, initially concentrating on small-scale releases from local and South Island musicians. Its early records were made with limited resources, often using inexpensive studios and involving the artists closely in the artwork and production. The label remained based in Christchurch until 1988, and 'In Between Gears' comes from this formative period, when its catalogue was expanding rapidly while still maintaining close connections with the city's independent music community. 

 

Label: Flying Nun Records – FN029 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: New Zealand 

Released: May 1985 

Style: Indie Rock, New Wave, Pop Rock, Dunedin Sound, Folk Rock 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Say Cheese 

A2 A Different Matter 

A3 Cain 

A4 No Blame 

B1 Wrong Key 

B2 Cargo 

B3 Head For The Hills 

B4 In Between Gears 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE