{"product_id":"skippy-knows","title":"Skippy Knows","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Talking Heads, New Order and Arthur Russell. In 1985, Australian musical iconoclast David Chesworth joined forces with\nfriends Philip Jackson and Warwick Bone to form Whadya Want? Their sole\nalbum \u003ci\u003eSkippy Knows\u003c\/i\u003e is a quintessential mid 80s artefact, melding elements\nof post-punk, art pop and club-facing dance music. Now a coveted\ncollectors item, at first it seemed to disappear almost without trace.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid’s background in celebrated Melbourne group Essendon Airport had\nalready seen him explore funk and hypnotic rhythm on their 1981 album\n\u003ci\u003ePalimpsest\u003c\/i\u003e (since reissued by Chapter alongside David’s early solo albums).\nPhilip also created compelling electronic post-punk in bands Equal Local\nand Whirlywirld, while Warwick was a mysterious studio maverick.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe songs came from a performance David gave in 1983 at the Paris\nAutumn Festival, whose Australian focus that year saw a host of\nantipodean artists invited to perform internationally for the first time.\nDavid wrote a suite of songs commenting on the archetypes and\nstereotypes of Australian culture, then going through a brief vogue with\nthe success of Men At Work, Bowie’s Let’s Dance video and Crocodile\nDundee. David performed to backing tapes and slide projections showing\nclichéd images of Australia – kangaroos, platypuses, pristine beaches –\nwith cryptic messages superimposed.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBack in Melbourne, David decided to document this project with help from\nPhilip and Warwick, who had access to a high-tech studio featuring a\nFairlight CMI and the then-new Yamaha DX7. They recorded late at night\nand roped in friends such as ex-Essendon Airport pals Robert Goodge and\nIan Cox (both playing in I’m Talking by this point), Mick Hauser (Equal\nLocal), Michael Sheridan (Max Q), Paul Schütze (Laughing Hands) and Bill\nMcDonald (Paul Kelly).\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a kinetic, oddly moving collection of eccentric dance pop, at\ntimes propulsive, at times introspective, captured with a high-sheen studio\ngloss that few art-minded Australian musicians could afford at the time.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis first ever reissue comes with three digital-only bonus tracks (including\nirresistible single B-side Involved With You) plus liner notes from David and\noriginal slides from his 1983 performance. The album is pressed in striking\nwhite-in-red “colour-in-colour” vinyl.\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chapter Music","offers":[{"title":"White LP","offer_id":50460998697291,"sku":"2011920","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/CH176_Whadya_Want_Skippy_Knows_1500_cb68c462_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727241623","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/skippy-knows","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}