Tall Dwarfs
Encyclopedia
Tall Dwarfs are a New Zealand
rock band formed in 1981 by Chris Knox
and Alec Bathgate
who, through their do-it-yourself ethic, helped pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music. The duo formed out of the ashes of Toy Love
.
The band lacked a drummer but would use household objects and handclaps to act as percussion. Either member can play guitar
; with 12 strings
and bass guitar
often heard on their records. Both can play organ
as well, which has been utilised on some of their songs. The Casiotone
is used frequently too, especially in live-concerts.
Their debut was the EP Three Songs (1981), and for many years they released EPs only. The album Weeville
(1990) was their first full-length album. They did, however, release a number of full-length compilations of their EPs, like Hello Cruel World
and The Short And Sick Of It.
In the liner notes to their album 3 EPs
(1994) (released as a single CD, or as three vinyl EPs collected in one box) they asked for listeners' rhythm tracks: "Send us your idea of a great T.D. throb." The responses came from many different countries and were used for the next album, Stumpy
(1997). This album was therefore officially credited to "International Tall Dwarfs."
Bands who have claimed to be influenced by the Tall Dwarfs include Elf Power
, Neutral Milk Hotel
and Olivia Tremor Control. In 2005 they did a small number of concerts in the USA, playing with the Olivia Tremor Control.
and Australia
. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by the Tall Dwarfs.
And on other labels than Flying Nun:
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rock band formed in 1981 by Chris Knox
Chris Knox
Chris Knox is a New Zealand rock and roll musician, cartoonist, and DVD reviewer who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate, much loved for their honest,...
and Alec Bathgate
Alec Bathgate
Alec Bathgate is a New Zealand musician who was a key member of The Enemy and Toy Love, as well as being one half of Flying Nun Records act Tall Dwarfs alongside Chris Knox. As well as playing guitar in these bands, he has released two solo albums....
who, through their do-it-yourself ethic, helped pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music. The duo formed out of the ashes of Toy Love
Toy Love
Toy Love was a New Zealand New Wave/punk rock band fronted by Chris Knox. Other members were guitarist Alec Bathgate, bass player Paul Kean, drummer Mike Dooley, and keyboard player Jane Walker...
.
The band lacked a drummer but would use household objects and handclaps to act as percussion. Either member can play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
; with 12 strings
Twelve string guitar
The twelve-string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with 12 strings in 6 courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar...
and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
often heard on their records. Both can play organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
as well, which has been utilised on some of their songs. The Casiotone
Casiotone
Casiotone refers to a series of home electronic keyboards released by Casio Computer Co. in the early 1980s.These first keyboards used a sound synthesis technique known as Vowel-Consonant synthesis to approximate the sounds of other instruments...
is used frequently too, especially in live-concerts.
Their debut was the EP Three Songs (1981), and for many years they released EPs only. The album Weeville
Weeville
-Track listing:#"Lag"#"What More"#"Breath"#"Skin Of My Teeth"#"Crawl"#"Sign The Dotted Line"#"Pirouette"#"Lucky"#"Bodies"#"Mr. Broccoli"#"Lie"#"The Winner"#"Rorschach"#"Tip Of My Tongue"#"Ozone"#"Hallelujah Boy"...
(1990) was their first full-length album. They did, however, release a number of full-length compilations of their EPs, like Hello Cruel World
Hello Cruel World
Hello Cruel World is an album by New Zealand band, Tall Dwarfs released in 1988. In 2005, the album was later rereleased but as an 18-track CD....
and The Short And Sick Of It.
In the liner notes to their album 3 EPs
3 EPs
3 EPs is a full-length CD by New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs released in 1994. The CD consists of three parts, A Question Of Medical Ethics, Up The Down Staircase and Sam's Spaniel, which apparently at the same time were also released as three vinyl EPs collected in one box.-Track listing:All songs...
(1994) (released as a single CD, or as three vinyl EPs collected in one box) they asked for listeners' rhythm tracks: "Send us your idea of a great T.D. throb." The responses came from many different countries and were used for the next album, Stumpy
Stumpy (album)
Stumpy is an album by New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs released in 1996. The album is officially credited to the "International Tall Dwarfs", because sounds on cassette by 16 home tapers from around the globe were used to create the music...
(1997). This album was therefore officially credited to "International Tall Dwarfs."
Bands who have claimed to be influenced by the Tall Dwarfs include Elf Power
Elf Power
Elf Power is an indie rock band that originated in Athens, Georgia. Currently, the line-up consists of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger, keyboardist Laura Carter, guitarist Jimmy Hughes, bassist Derek Almstead, and drummer Eric Harris...
, Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation....
and Olivia Tremor Control. In 2005 they did a small number of concerts in the USA, playing with the Olivia Tremor Control.
Discography
| Date of Release | Title | Label | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPs | ||||||
| 1981 | Three Songs | Furtive Records | ||||
| 1982 | Louis Likes His Daily Dip Louis Likes His Daily Dip Louis Like His Daily Dip is an EP by New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs released in 1982.-Track listing:#"Louis The First"#"Maybe"#"Pictures On The Floor"#"Paul's Place"#"Clover"#"Song Of The Silence"#"Louis The Second"... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1983 | Canned Music | Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1984 | Slugbucket Hairybreath Monster | Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1985 | That's The Long And Short Of It | Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1985 | Three Songs - Re-Release | Flying Nun Records Flying Nun Records Flying Nun Records is an independent record label formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.-History:The label was formed in the flurry of new punk rock-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s... |
||||
| 1986 | Throw A Sickie Throw a Sickie -Track listing:#"Underhand" - 1:50#"Road & Hedgehog" - 1:42#"Attack Of The Munchies" - 3:40#"Come Inside" - 2:27#"The Universality Of Neighbourliness" - 0:57#"The Big Dive" 3:06#"No Place" 1:22#"And Other Kinds" 3:45#"Farewell" - 2:12... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1987 | Dogma Dogma (Tall Dwarfs album) -Track listing:... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1998 | Gluey, Gluey and The Ear Friend | Flying Nun Records | ||||
| Albums | ||||||
| 1990 | Weeville Weeville -Track listing:#"Lag"#"What More"#"Breath"#"Skin Of My Teeth"#"Crawl"#"Sign The Dotted Line"#"Pirouette"#"Lucky"#"Bodies"#"Mr. Broccoli"#"Lie"#"The Winner"#"Rorschach"#"Tip Of My Tongue"#"Ozone"#"Hallelujah Boy"... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1991 | Fork Songs (plus Dogma) | Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1994 | 3 EPs 3 EPs 3 EPs is a full-length CD by New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs released in 1994. The CD consists of three parts, A Question Of Medical Ethics, Up The Down Staircase and Sam's Spaniel, which apparently at the same time were also released as three vinyl EPs collected in one box.-Track listing:All songs... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1996 | Stumpy Stumpy (album) Stumpy is an album by New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs released in 1996. The album is officially credited to the "International Tall Dwarfs", because sounds on cassette by 16 home tapers from around the globe were used to create the music... (as the International Tall Dwarfs) |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1998 | Fifty Flavours of Glue Fifty Flavours of Glue Fifty Flavours of Glue is an album by New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs, released in 1998. It was released with the label number FN412.-Singles:"Gluey, Gluey and The Ear Friend" was released in 1998 containing the "Gluey Gluey" single and "The Ear Friend" EP.... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 2002 | The Sky Above The Mud Below The Sky Above The Mud Below The Sky Above the Mud Below is an album by New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs released in 2002. It includes an International Tall Dwarfs EP called The Weidenhaüsen Impediment , but it remains unclear whether this was also released separately. Friends recorded sounds for this EP, which were then turned... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| Compilation Albums | ||||||
| 1988 | Hello Cruel World Hello Cruel World Hello Cruel World is an album by New Zealand band, Tall Dwarfs released in 1988. In 2005, the album was later rereleased but as an 18-track CD.... |
Flying Nun Records | ||||
| 1992 | The Short And Sick Of It | Flying Nun Records | ||||
Featured appearances
Music by the Tall Dwarfs has appeared on many compilations by Flying Nun Records in both New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by the Tall Dwarfs.
- 1987 - TuataraTuatara (album)Tuatara – A Flying Nun Compilation is a compilation of previously released songs by artists on New Zealand based Flying Nun Records. It was released as a vinyl album by Flying Nun in 1985 and on CD with additional tracks...
- "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" - 1991 - Getting Older - "Crush"
- 1995 - AbbasalutelyAbbasalutelyAbbasalutely is a compilation album released in 1995 by New Zealand recording label Flying Nun Records as a tribute album to ABBA.-Track listing:-External links:*...
- "On And On And OnOn and On and On"On and On and On" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1980 for their Super Trouper album.The track, which had working titles "Esses vad det svänger när man spelar jazz" and "'Til the Night is Gone", was released as a single in a few countries, namely the United States, Japan,...
" (ABBAABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
cover) - 2002 - Under the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun RecordsUnder the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun RecordsUnder the Influence — 21 Years of Flying Nun Records is a double album including tracks by various bands signed or related to the Flying Nun Records label....
- "If I Were You" - 2006 - Flying Nun 25th Anniversary Boxset - "Crush"
And on other labels than Flying Nun:
- 1988 - Great Jewish Music: Marc BolanGreat Jewish Music: Marc BolanGreat Jewish Music: Marc Bolan is a tribute album featuring the music of English singer/songwriter Marc Bolan of the band T.Rex. Produced by Danny Cohen, it was released on John Zorn's label Tzadik Records in 1998 as part of their series on "Radical Jewish Culture", following similar prior tributes...
- "Ride a White Swan" (label Tzadik) - 1988 - It's Bigger Than Both of Us - "Nothing's Gonna Happen" ( Propeller Records )
External links
- Stasis - Tall Dwarfs, Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate fansite
- Flying Nun - Flying Nun Records official website