Tamam Shud | Artist
Tamam Shud was an Australian psychedelic, progressive and surf rock band formed 1964 in Newcastle, New South Wales, by initial lineup Peter Barron (bass), Dannie Davidson (drums), Lindsay Bjerre (vocals) and Alex "Zac" Zytnik (lead guitar). Originally a three-piece named The Sunsets, Bjerre, Barron and Davidson changed their name to Tamam Shud after issuing several Singles and an EP in 1967. Tamam Shud played acid-progressive rock influenced by bands like Cream, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Eric Burdon and Grateful Dead. Along with contemporaries Tully, Tamam Shud appealed to the burgeoning surf audience due to their psychedelic sound, and their multi-media performances with Sydney film and light show collective, Ubu. Their debut album Evolution from 1968 was commissioned by filmmaker Paul Witzig, who used four tracks on the soundtrack of his surfing film of the same name. Screenings of the film with the band in attendance were popular events up and down the coast. In 1969 Tim Gaze, a 16 year old guitar prodigy, replaced Zytnik on lead guitar and co-lead vocals. Gaze was to become a mainstay of Australian psych-rock music in bands Kahvas Jute, Ariel and Rose Tattoo. Dannie Davidson would also join Gaze in Kahvas Jute. The band's second album Goolutionites and the Real People came out in 1970. It has an underlying environmental theme and has been described as "their masterpiece, an ambitious concept suite, a carefully crafted song cycle of cosmic enlightenment and cascading acid-rock". The band split in 1972 but reformed briefly to record their third and final studio album Permanent Culture in 1993. Other notable releases are the excellent Bali Waters EP from 1972 and the 2003 Live in Concert archival release. Also there are three Tamam Shud tracks featured on the cult surf movie "Morning of the Earth". Out of interest, tamám shud, translated as "finished" or "the very end", comes from the 11th century Persian poem The Rubáiyát of Omar Kyayyám.
Artist Website: tamamshud.com.au
Featured Albums: Tamam Shud
Related Artists: Kahvas Jute, Ariel, Blackfeather, The Sunsets, Albatross
Video Clips: Lady Sunshine, America, Mr Sunshine
