''Transfusion'' is the second EP by the Australian rock group

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drummer ...

. It was released on 27 September 1993 by

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. The album was the group's first recording with Polydor, as the group had signed with the label due to the success of the previous EP by the band, ''

''. The song "Reap What You Sow" is the first song by Powderfinger to have a music video. The EP received minor chart success, though not achieving a mainstream

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

position. It reached the #1 position on the ARIA Alternative Chart, taking the place of

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

's single "

Heart-Shaped Box "Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993. ...

History

''Transfusion'' was recorded and produced by Powderfinger and Jeff Lovejoy in 1993 under the Polydor

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

, at Red Zeds studios in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

.Wooldridge, Simon (March 1997)
"Out of the Blue"
. ''Juice''. (Archived by
. Despite working with Polydor, the group did not sign any contract prior to work on the EP. Says

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Bernard Fanning Bernard Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning received ...

, "We haven’t signed anything... we certainly haven’t signed with them (Polydor)". This statement also refuted rumours that the band had signed with various labels including "Red Eye, Emily, Polydor, and Imago", according to Fanning.McKenzie, Simon (22 September 1993). "The Evolution and Distribution of Transfusion". ''Time Off''.
Archived
by Powderfinger Central. In producing ''Transfusion'', the band aimed to move away from the "sixties" tag that had been placed on them by the musical community. According to Fanning, it is

human nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

that "you really can’t help but categorise", and this instinct was something the EP attempted to move away from. He went on to say that "it’d be nice, in a perfect world, just to be judged on your own merits", whilst hitting back at those who gave Powderfinger the "sixties" tag by saying that "people that say that aren’t really listening, I think".

Release

Publicity

In order to publicise the release, Powderfinger decided to film a music video its first track, "Reap What You Sow". The music video was directed by the advertisement director David Barker of Film Headquarters. This work with Barker proved amicable, and lead to the band's following seven music videos also being directed by him. The "Reap What You Sow" video used black-and-white footage of Fanning lying in a creek floating and leaning on rocks. These scenes are intercut with more black-and-white scenes of the band performing the song, in one setting on the side of a mountain overlooking their home city of Brisbane. In another setting, the band is shownin full colour playing live to an audience. Later in the video, the whole band are recreating in the creek seen earlier in the video. The video uses a range of filters and effects, including reversed scenes and visual filters.

Response

''Transfusion'' replaced "

" by

at the top of the ARIA alternative music chart in 1993. Despite appearing a notable achievement, Fanning downplayed its significance, telling ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine, "All it did was make us aware of how few people buy records." He estimated that it had taken 1,000 sales for the EP to top the alternative music chart. Fanning said he hoped that the EP’s chart success would open doors for Powderfinger to play at renowned concerts such as the

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...

.McPherson, Matthew (September 1994). "Powderfinger". ''

'', pg. 23.
Archived
by
. "Reap What You Sow", the opening track on ''Transfusion'', received air time on

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to th ...

in Brisbane, and on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

nationwide in Australia.Budden, Matt (14 May 1996).
"Powder Pick Up To Cure All Your Allergies"
. ''Concrete Press''. Archived b

. The song topped local community

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and

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

record store charts. It was recognised as "(establishing) the band's tone and moral stance from the outset".

Charts

Track listing

All music and lyrics written by

, John Collins,

Ian Haug Ian Haug (born 21 February 1970) is an Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and backing vocalist in the rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989 until its breakup in 2010. He is presently a member of The Church. Po ...

Darren Middleton Darren Middleton (born 4 October 1971) is an Australian musician, best known as lead guitarist and songwriter for alternative rock band Powderfinger. He was also lead singer/songwriter for Drag; his current solo tour is 'Splinters', a follow-u ...

Jon Coghill Jon Coghill (born 26 August 1971) is an Australian drummer best known for his work with Australian rock band, Powderfinger, although he has also toured with Regurgitator. Coghill replaced Powderfinger's original drummer Steven Bishop in 1991 wh ...

. # "Reap What You Sow" – 5:29 # "Change the Tide" – 4:40 # "Blind to Reason" – 6:11 # "Mama Harry" – 3:11 # "Rise Up" – 5:00

Personnel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transfusion (Ep) Powderfinger albums 1993 EPs