Originating from Newcastle, New South Wales as 4 Strangers, then The Sunsets, this bunch of acid-eating freak rockers relocated to Sydney and became Tamam Shud in 1968.
With their minds blown by LSD and the sounds of Jefferson Airplane, Floyd, Hendrix and Cream, their debut album, Evolution, was released via CBS in 1969.
By the time Goolutionites And The Real People was released, the Shud had clearly become more experienced, not only in the mind-altering world but also in their musical abilities. A progression from their debut in every aspect, it has become one of Australia’s most sought-after vinyl treasures of the period.
Opening with the ecology-themed dreamy title track is like the calm before the storm, as they then rip into the early Grand Funk-styled blast of They’ll Take You Down On The Lot. However, it’s on the third track, I Love You All, where things really start to move. Lead guitarist Tim Gaze had a spine-tingling tone, working in perfect duality with guitarist/vocalist Lindsay Bjerre.
The material here varies from pastoral, dreamy folk to heavier, melancholic moments, as on the nine-minute epic *Heaven Is Closed. *Elements of jazz-rock can be also be heard throughout.
Tamam Shud disbanded in 1972, by which time Gaze and drummer Dannie Davidson had gone on to form the excellent Kahvas Jute with future Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley.
