Blam Blam Blam were a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

pop/rock/alternative band. Tim Mahon (bass) and Mark Bell (guitar, vocals) had been members of

The Plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

and

The Whizz Kids The Whizz Kids was a New Zealand rock band featuring Andrew Snoid, Mark Bell, Tim Mahon, and Ian Gilroy, who had previously played together in The Plague. They released a 7" single called "Occupational Hazard" on Ripper Records in 1980, with ...

. After losing their drummer Ian Gilroy to

The Swingers The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band who were together from 1979 to 1982 and whose biggest single was the song " Counting the Beat". Background Formed out of the remnants of the Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd (guit ...

in 1980, Tim and Mark joined up with

Don McGlashan Donald McGlashan (born 18 July 1959) is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who Is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for ci ...

, a multi-instrumentalist who played drums and sang many lead vocals.

History

The band's first release was the song ''Motivation'' on the

Propeller Records Propeller Records was an independent record label formed in Auckland, New Zealand, by Simon Grigg in 1980. 1980-81 In the years prior to 1980 the New Zealand contemporary recording industry was largely moribund. The major record labels were eith ...

''Class of 81'' compilation album in March 1981.Propeller Records Blam Blam Blam biography
/ref> They then released a four-track self-titled EP for the label, which hit the top 40 in

. 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" (which McGlashan later re-recorded with The Mutton Birds). In 1982 vocalist Dick Driver joined the band, but soon left. The band recorded an album ''Luxury Length'', which reached No. 4. in the New Zealand charts. Later that year the band were involved in a car accident where Tim Mahon was seriously injured. In 1984 the band briefly reunited, recording the live album ''The Blam Blam Blam story''.

has since worked on a number of movie soundtracks, and been in the bands

The Front Lawn The Front Lawn was a New Zealand musical/theatrical duo founded by Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair in 1985. In 1989 and 1990, they were joined by actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand. The Front Lawn were known for their live performances, and toured e ...

, From Scratch, and

The Mutton Birds The Mutton Birds were a New Zealand rock music group formed in Auckland in 1991 by Ross Burge, David Long and Don McGlashan, with Alan Gregg joining a year later. Four of their albums reached the top 10 on the New Zealand Albums Chart ...

, and recorded an album for

with

Ivan Zagni Ivan Zagni (born 16 October 1942) is a New Zealand-based musician and composer who has been a member of bands such as Jody Grind, Big Sideways and Avant Garage, and has recorded albums with Aynsley Dunbar, Elton Dean, Don McGlashan and Peter Scho ...

, who was a guest on ''Luxury Length''. Tim Mahon and Mark Bell both played in

'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. One of its notable uses was as a maiden speech in Parliament in 2002.

Metiria Turei Metiria Leanne Agnes Stanton Turei (born 1970) is a New Zealand academic and a former New Zealand politician. She was a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2017 and the female co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 2009 to 2017 ...

of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

read a Maori translation of the song, which Russell Brown's liner notes to ''The 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's

Kog Transmissions Kog (, german: Kaag''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 4: ''Štajersko''. 1904. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 226.) is a village in the hills northeast of Ormož in northeastern Slovenia, ...

, 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.Blam Blam Blam: Rising from the wreckage
- Stuff, 21 July 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2020

Discography

Albums

Singles

Compilations

*''

The Complete Blam Blam Blam ''The Complete Blam Blam Bam'' is a compilation LP by Blam Blam Blam. It was released on November, 1992. Track listing #''There Is No Depression In New Zealand'' - 03:17 #''Battleship Grey'' - 03:01 #''Maids To Order'' - 03:27 #''Dr. Who'' - ...

'' (1992)

References

* Chunn, Mike and Chunn, Jeremy, ''The Mechanics of Popular Music, A New Zealand Perspective'', GP Publications, 1995. * Dix, John, ''Stranded in Paradise'', Penguin, 2005. * Eggleton, David, ''Ready To Fly'', Craig Potton, 2003. * Spittle, Gordon, ''Counting The Beat'', GP Publications, 1997.

External links

Propeller Records Blam Blam Blam biography

Discogs discography

Audioculture biography

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''Rip It Up'', 1 July 1981, p1
Blam Blam Blam: Rising from the wreckage
- Stuff, 21 July 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2020
Blam Blam Blam
videos at NZ On Screen {{Authority control APRA Award winners Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1984 New Zealand alternative rock groups 1980 establishments in New Zealand 1984 disestablishments in New Zealand