Eskimo Joe “Girl” (Anniversary Edition)
To celebrate one of Perth’s finest trios, Eskimo Joe, turning twenty one in 2018, Warner Music in partnership with the band members will be reissuing the entire band’s back catalogue albums in special new formats on special CD, vinyl and digital editions. The first in the series is Eskimo Joe’s 2001 debut album Girl and will be available on limited edition green vinyl as well as a remastered CD with twelve bonus songs. “This reissue of our debut album ‘Girl’ brings together both the original album, early demos of familiar songs, live recordings, B-sides and our new 2018 interpretation of the hit ‘Liar’,” says Eskimo Joe’s singer, Kav Temperley.
However it was their debut album Girl that really put them on the map with constant touring and radio play, going gold in Australia. The band’s original sound was derived from melodies of sixties rock-pop groups. They are where you’ll find Eskimo’s minimal catch tunes, laced with simplistic melodic and rhythmic patterns, backed behind some fun lyrics based upon the fascination and confusion found in the young male’s perception of girls.
The first track Head Hurts opens the album and sets up a list of songs that were released as singles including, Wake Up, Planet Earth, Who Sold Her Out and Liar. The album features Eskimo Joe’s signature rock sound edged in our memories that we have been blessed to hear for over two decades. Along with Kav’s distinctive voice that is a known commodity in the Australian music industry with EJ, solo projects and other band and musical productions.
The bonus tracks are an interesting pick and it seems like a clean out of their recording vault. There is a couple of new findings including Hey Now and Old and New along with some demos that didn’t feature on the Girl album. The final three songs featured on the extended version are notable inclusions, with an acoustic version of Who Sold Her Out, a live recording at the Chapel of Planet Earth and my favourite track, the 2018 Eskimo Joe mix of their hit song, Liar.
If you are a fan of Eskimo Joe and already own a copy of the original album or if you are a music lover of Australian rock music, this is a must purchase for your record collection. This record laid the foundation and roots of Eskimo Joe to become one of Australia’s premier recording and touring bands over the last twenty years.
Album Review by Rob Lyon