Biography
Wreck Small Speakers On Expensive Stereos were a Dunedin-based duo consisting of Michael Morley and Richard Ram – though in an early video recording Morley states the group had formed ‘Up North’ before heading to Dunedin.
The duo released a handful of handmade cassettes and had an affiliation with Bob Scott‘s Every Secret Thing label, with both album releases and compilation appearances. Their most well known material is the River Falling Love EP which was released on Flying Nun Records in 1986 before being expanded and re-released by US label Ajax in 1993.
Morley formed the Dead C in 1987, effectively bring an end to Wreck Small Speakers.
The groups recordings are based around strong rhythm tracks – usually plucked bass guitar and drum machine, with shout-sung vocals, fractured guitar riffs and organ squeels, with samples and other sound manipulations added into the mix. Though experimental, Wreck Small Speakers retained a high level of musicality and accessibility.
Both their creative genius and the quality of their songs really shines through on the groups lo-fi cassette recordings. The slinky, funky bass and proto-rap vocals on ‘Over My Skull’, the low-key beauty of River Falling Love highlight ‘All Of This’, and Denise Roughan’s wonderful appearance on their most well-known song ‘Rain’.
Small scraps of the bands fairly substantial discography have appeared in the digitally archived era, however if ever there was a Flying Nun Records associated act that could use an anthology release it would be Wreck Small Speakers – its been almost two decades since Morley’s Dead C band mate Bruce Russell released A Child’s Guide To Wreck Small Speakers on his own Xpressway label.
Members
- Michael Morley (The Red Orchestra, The Never Quartet, The Righteous Yeah, 2 Foot Flame, Angelhead, Body/Gate/Head, Pink Plastic Gods, Sun Valley, Tanaka-Nixon Meeting, The Dead C, The Fuck Chairs, The Weeds, Cobweb Iris, Gate, guitar / organ / vocals)
- Richard Ram (Pink Plastic Gods, bass / guitar / vocals)
Contributors
- Denise Roughan (The Neanics, Pink Plastic Gods, The 3Ds, Ghost Club, Marineville, The Renderers, Lishka, recorder / vocals)
- Lesley Paris (The Neanics, Craven A’s, Olla, The Puddle, The Cartilage Family, Alpaca Brothers, Buster, drums)
- Ivan Purvis (Love in a Gas Oven, Alpaca Brothers, guitar)
- Bruce Blucher (Brown Velvet Couch, Cyclops, Pink Plastic Gods, Pointy Little Stick, Alpaca Brothers, drums)
- Martin Kean (The Blue Meanies, The Chills, The Pterodactyls, The Letter 5, Stereolab, guitar)
- Robert Scott (Gina Rocco And The Rockettes, Mr Big Nose, Pink Plastic Gods, The Bats, The Clean, The Magick Heads, The Weeds, Raith Rovers, guitar / vocals)
Discography
- My Blue Fairy Godmother (1983, Wrecked Music, WRECK14)
- 3.V.M. EP (1983, Wrecked Music, WRECK20)
- Over My Skull cassette single (1984, Every Secret Thing, EST 06)
- Cave cassette (1984, Every Secret Thing, EST 21)
- Worlds Fall Apart cassette (1984, Every Secret Thing, EST 24)
- A Summer In Taradale cassette (1985, self-released)
- River Falling Love EP (1986, Flying Nun Records, FN068)
- A Child’s Guide To Wreck Small Speakers cassette (1988, Xpressway, XWAY03)
- River Falling Love reissue (1993, Ajax, AJAX 029)