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The Saints - "(I'm) Stranded"

If you haven't yet met Australia's other punk rock princes--cousins in spirit to Radio Birdman--then it's time to get the introductions outta the way. The Saints were every bit as relevant as the more heralded Birdman, and their legacy was sealed in 2000 with the release of a two-CD compilation, Wild About You: 1976-1978 Complete Studio Recordings.

Boosted in confidence by the arrival of The Ramones debut record, which only solidified the group's opinion of itself, The Saints booked themselves studio time in June of 1976 and came out on the other side with the single, "(I'm) Stranded". By February of 1977, their debut full-length of the same name dropped and became a small international hit after receiving rave reviews in Melody Maker and Sniffin' Glue. The attention paved the way for the group to bolt for London that summer. Their timing was impecable, even though guitarist Edmund Kuepper didn't care much for being lumped in with Britain's "punk" rockers.

While The Saints never officially broke up, they did become a shell of their former self, all but abandoning their original sound as the band's core members moved on until all that was left was singer Chris Bailey. Fast forward 28 years and we find Bailey performing with a new group of musicians on WFMU's exceptional rock and roll variety show, The Cherry Blossom Clinic. The old tunes--like "(I'm) Stranded", "No Time", "Nights in Venice", and "Know Your Product"--still sound pretty fucking good. Click here, and scroll down to the bottom of the page to listen in.