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Blam Blam Blam | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Years active | 1980–1984 |
| Past members | Tim Mahon Mark Bell Ian Gilroy Don McGlashan |
Blam Blam Blam were a New Zealand pop/rock/alternative band.Tim Mahon (bass) andMark Bell (guitar, vocals) had been members ofThe Plague andThe Whizz Kids. After losing their drummer Ian Gilroy toThe Swingers in 1980, Tim and Mark joined up withDon McGlashan, a multi-instrumentalist who played drums and sang many lead vocals.
The band's first release was the songMotivation on thePropeller RecordsClass of 81 compilation album in March 1981.[1] They then released a four-track self-titled EP for the label, which hit the top 40 in New Zealand.[1] The band had two hit singles in 1981 with "There is No Depression in New Zealand", and "Don't Fight it Marsha, It's Bigger Than Both of Us"[1] (which McGlashan later re-recorded with The Mutton Birds).
In 1982 vocalistDick Driver joined the band, but soon left.[1] The band recorded an albumLuxury Length, which reached No. 4. in the New Zealand charts.[1] Later that year the band were involved in a car accident where Tim Mahon was seriously injured.[1]
In 1984 the band briefly reunited, recording the live albumThe Blam Blam Blam story.Don McGlashan has since worked on a number of movie soundtracks, and been in the bandsThe Front Lawn,From Scratch, andThe Mutton Birds, and recorded an album forPropeller Records withIvan Zagni, who was a guest onLuxury Length.Tim Mahon andMark Bell both played inIvan Zagni's Big Sideways and Avant Garage groups.Tim Mahon has since worked in music management.Mark Bell works as a session guitarist and as a journalist.
"There is no Depression in New Zealand" remains a well-known song in its home country.[2] One of its notable uses was as a maiden speech in Parliament in 2002.Metiria Turei of theGreen Party read aMaori translation of the song, which Russell Brown's liner notes toThe Complete Blam Blam Blam (see below) described as "a quirky, arty, militant thing to do. Which probably makes it a perfect Blam Blam Blam moment."
The Complete Blam Blam Blam was released in 1992. It contained almost the entire Blam Blam Blam back catalogue. This was remastered in 2003 by Chris Chetland at Auckland'sKog Transmissions, on a single CD, although the general consensus seems to be that the earlier mastering was superior. Another reunion tour accompanied the release.
They reformed again for a tour in mid-2007. In August and September 2019 a reunion tour included dates in Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Paekakariki and Wellington.[3]
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ[4] | |||
| 1982 | Luxury Length |
| 4 |
| 1984 | The Blam Blam Blam Story |
| 27 |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ[4] | |||
| 1981 | Blam, Blam, Blam | 25 | EP |
| 1981 | "There is No Depression in New Zealand" | 11 | Non-album single |
| 1981 | "Don't Fight it Marsha, It's Bigger than Both of Us" | 17 | Luxury Length |
| 1982 | "Call for Help" | 50 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
