Armchairs vs Flying Calvittos (Australia, 1979)

For a little change of pace here are 2 Australian EPs from 1979 that you probably don't see around too often.

First up are The Armchairs, co-founded by Ian Stephen and Johnny Topper. They released the Ski-Lo-Lo EP (1979) and Party Time LP (1982). The back of the EP sleeve is written entirely in French for whatever reason. There are also brief audio clips before and after each song on the EP. There is also some cool Armchairs stuff on YouTube such as:


The Flying Calvittos 'Goodbye You Spaghetti Punks' EP has one punky novelty in "Squeal Like A Pig" and some other interesting tunes. It has sold for decent prices on eBay in the past (see the auction results and pictures here). There was a CD release called 26 Hundred Moons (Calvitto Music CALD-01, 1996) that includes the EP and other songs recorded in 1987 and 1994. There were 500 numbered copies so it is probably tough to find now. If you like the EP then you may like the material on the CD though none of it is close to the genius(?) of "Squeal Like A Pig". The credits notes in the CD booklet also mention a 7" called "When You Start" released in 1988 that I have never seen mention of anywhere else.

Armchairs - Ski-Lo-Lo EP (Dining Room / Brian Henderson // Cat In The Box / Elvis Presley) (Reverse RR002, 1979)
Flying Calvittos - Goodbye You Spaghetti Punks EP (Mamma's Recipe Feeds The People / Mamma's Table // Squeal Like A Pig / Fastnet / Lucky To Be Australian) (Groove PRS2728, 1979)