The Sports: Reckless (Expanded Edition) (Festival /Warner) [rating: 4.5/5]

The Sports: Don’t Throw Stones (Expanded Edition) (Festival/Warner) [rating: 4.5/5]

The Sports made four superb albums between 1978 and 1981. On the Mushroom label in Australia, the band were subsequently signed by Stiff Records in the UK and Arista/Sire in USA. The re-issues of their first two albums bristle with magic.

Reckless, their debut, was produced by Joe Camilieri. The Sports, fronted by Stephen Cummings, did their apprenticeship in pubs, mixing rockabilly and blue-eyed soul with the singer’s distinctive phrasing and lyrical gifts. Reckless remains so damn good it’s hard to believe there is another ‘CD and a half’ that goes on to impresses in equal measure.

Reckless, which moves between urgent and laconic, is an understated masterpiece. Boasting the single ‘Boys! (What Did The Detectives Say)’, stellar originals such as Amazon and the title track, this extended edition includes such jewels as ‘Cruisin In A Citroen’, the ‘indie’ ‘Twist Senorita’, a cover of the rockabilly standard ‘A Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache’ and the famed 3RMT live broadcast (that once popped up on the little know Missin’ Your Kissin’ album released through the Raven label aeons ago).

When archivists raid the vaults for ‘extras’ they usually come up with the sonic equivalent of a rusted bike and old lawnmower. Here curator David Laing has hit the mother load. By 1979 Cummings song writing foil Ed Bates had left the band and the group were working with English producer Pete Solley on Don’t Throw Stones. Cummings was writing with guitarist Andrew Pendlebury and Martin Armiger had joined. The sound became more polished, the production was bigger while the urgency in the playing and delivery remained. Radio was playing the album’s title track, as well as a re-worked Who Listens To The Radio and the Armiger penned Suspicious Minds. In the UK the band reworked old favourites, cut an EP (O.K, U.K!) and recorded, virtually, an album of unreleased songs. These combined releases offer the listener a host of not only killer tunes, but they display the building blocks that let us into the band’s creative process and follows their journey from self financed EP’s through to their assault on the US Top 40.

Rarely are the ‘missing links’ in an artist’s career as good as the material released to the public. Here, the Sports as they always did, go against the tide. The restored albums are a joy and lost tracks are worth the price of admission on their own.

Sean Sennett