It’s the best news that fans of legendary Aussie music will hear all year, with iconic Melbourne outfit TISM finally making their debut on Spotify today.
If you’re a diehard TISM fan, then you would be aware of three tragic things. Firstly, it’s the fact that their 2004 split was the end of something truly special. Secondly, that owning physical copies of their music requires frequent trips to eBay and a hefty bank balance. And finally, that their music has been conspicuously absent from Spotify.
Of course, if you’re a user of Apple Music, their tunes have been available for quite some time. In fact, when the group released their catalogue to iTunes back in 2009, they beefed it up with a handful of bonus tracks that would undoubtedly tickle the fancy of any TISM tragic.
Now, the iconic Melbourne group have joined the world’s most popular streaming site, with the vast majority of their back catalogue being released onto Spotify today.
Check out ‘(He’ll Never Be An) Ol’ Man River’ by TISM:
So what’s on offer? Well, fans now have access to the group’s entire collection of albums and EPs, along with a bunch of singles as well.
Notably, their infamous withdrawn Australia The Lucky Cunt EP has been tacked onto the end of The Beasts Of Suburban in accordance with CD reissues of the latter, while the bonus disc to www.tism.wanker.com has found an appropriate home behind the main album.
What’s missing though? Well, sadly fans haven’t got access to a few of their singles, like their 1997 non-album track ‘Shut Up – The Footy’s On The Radio’, or B-sides from their 1998 singles onwards. Meanwhile, the classic ‘2 Pot Screama’ rock opera is absent from De Rigeurmortis, while their Machines Against The Rage live album, their Gold! Gold! Gold For Australia! bonus disc, and the collection of “bedroom recordings” that accompanied 2002’s best.off compilation are sadly absent as well.
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Their Gentlemen Start Your Egos comp is also missing (though many of the songs are still available on other releases, save for the country version of ‘Defecate On My Face’), as is their Collected Recordings box set, which was worth it mainly for the bonus tracks appended to their studio albums.
Likewise, fans haven’t got access to the bonus tracks found on the iTunes release of these releases, save for the live rendition of ‘Death Death Death’ found at the end of the ‘Defecate On My Face’ single. Be sure to check that one out though, with the 13-minute version featuring an extended (and frankly, gratuitous) drum solo from Humphrey B. Flaubert.
According to a typically-irreverent (and apparently recently-written) biography for the group, TISM noted of their addition to the streaming service: “We look forward to great success on Spotify, and hope to achieve the 4.7 million downloads it will take for them to pay us the final $7.50 we need for our osteoarthritis pills.”
So does this mean a reunion tour is on the cards? Well, let me break the news with a resounding “nope”. While members have expressed no desire in a reunion tour, the 2008 passing of guitarist James Paull (best known as Tokin’ Blackman) has left a hole that can’t really be filled for either fans or band members.
However, Damian Cowell (previously known as the aforementioned Humphrey B. Flaubert) can be found fronting his eponymous Disco Machine, often accompanied by comedian Tony Martin, while Jack Holt (formerly known as Jock Cheese) can these days be seen leading his new band, The Collaborators.
In recent news, TISM hit the headlines last year when a Victorian politician raised the idea of renaming the Mordialloc Freeway to the TISM Mordialloc Freeway, in honour of their southern suburbs origin, and their notable mention of the road in a 1988 song.
You might have a bit trouble searching for TISM on Spotify following their launch, so be sure to follow this link to head along to the band profile.
Check out TISM’s greatest hits on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX5Ey5TTZgc7h?si=kZcJBS6hQESzHmYwY7IYrw
