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Monday, January 1, 2018

3 Voices - 3 Voices - Unsung UN 1 - New Zealand 1983 (vinyl)


I thought it was time to start reviewing records again as I haven't done any for quite some time and I can't go tramping at the moment due to my disc prolapse in my back and also since I stopped reviewing on this blog I have jumped back on the vinyl bandwagon after 20 years of CDs and downloads. Also my main vinyl focus had been collecting New Zealand music both old and new after many years of only partially supporting the local music scene. My rediscovery of the local scene has unveiled to me a fantastic array of awesome New Zealand Music of which I had no idea of it's existence and also reminded me of how good a lot of the older stuff from my youth actually was. Also, of course I wish to continue supporting the live scene here as I have been, the scene is as healthy and as vibrant as ever, even though the audience is not big.
 Unsung Music was an apparently short lived record label out of Auckland from 1982 to 1983, according to what is listed on Discogs. 3 Voices was the first release on the label. This appears to be their only album and there are 10 members listed on the jacket, of which only one name is familiar to me. There is very little information on either 3 Voices or Unsung on the net and nothing at all on Audioculture, the preeminent NZ music web site.
 The record was a bit of a blind buy for me. I found it in the NZ music bins at my local second hand record shop, the price was pretty good and it looked interesting and I was buying up just about anything NZ that I could afford. As I will probably mention a lot in the future, these New Zealand vinyl pressings from when we still had a local pressing plant are very good and this 35 year old record sounds very impressive both vinyl wise and sonically for the music it's self. It was well looked after by it's previous owner(s).
 Musically, this record is a great addition to my NZ music collection and I am most impressed with the contents. The music is a complex amalgamation of pop, reggae and jazz and reminds me of a more commercial, poppy variant of the Braille music that was coming out of Wellington around the same time although it is not something you would likely hear in radio. There were other bands mining this style of music in NZ around the time also. The album is Strong throughout and reveals a lot of depth on careful listen. A most enjoyable record. Rating 3.5/5.




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