My Top 1000 Songs #169: Rolling Moon

I'm frankly surprised I've gotten this far down the list without hitting any Flying Nun acts. The various New Zealand indie bands who started making fantastic music in the 80s--the Clean, the Bats, the Chills, the Verlaines, Look Blue Go Purple, etc.--have been a big part of my life for decades. Ah, well, they'll be finding their way into the mix soon enough.

And this one seems like an ideal starting point, as the Chills' 1986 compilation of early singles, Kaleidoscope World, was my introduction to the Kiwi Rock scene when it arrived at the college radio station. I played the album to death, both on my show and in my dorm room; a fistful of raw yet catchy tunes that blended the current vogue in jangly guitar pop with a more retro garage/psychedelic sound. 

Catchiest of all was "Rolling Moon," driven largely by that simple but entrancing guitar riff, a riveting jangle you felt compelled to try to pluck out on your beat up electric guitar. I couldn't always make out Martin Phillips' accented lyrics, but that one repeated plea--"Please oh God don't take us home"--grabbed me on first listen.

Live in '88: