The Mutton Birds
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The Mutton Birds are a band from New Zealand formed in 1991 by Don McGlashan, Ross Burge, and David Long.
All three members came into the band with experience: McGlashan came from Blam Blam Blam and The Front Lawn, guitarist Long had played in the Six Volts and Burge had played in the Spines and Sneaky Feelings. Burge was also playing in Dribbling Dartsalongside the Mutton Birds. They gained bassist Alan Gregg, also from Dribbling Darts in 1992 and recorded their first self-titled album. It went platinum in New Zealand and gained them notice outside college radio. It remained on the charts for over a year.
For their second album, Salty, they signed with EMI Australia. It was self-produced and mixed by Tchad Blake. Again the album went platinum in NZ but received little notice beyond Australia and New Zealand.
Their next album, Nature, was a collection of songs from their first two cds with production assistance from Neil Finn, released by Virgin Records.
Their third proper cd, Envy of Angels, was released in 1996 worldwide. It sold typically well in Australia and New Zealand, and sales increased from those of Nature in the rest of the world.
As they began touring, David Long quit, replaced by Chris Sheehan. Two self-released cds followed, Angle of Entry in 1997 and Too Hard Basket in 1998 as the band looked for a record company. By 1999, Alan Gregg had decided to leave the band. He was replaced by Tony Fisher for their latest cd, Rain, Steam, and Speed. A greatest hits collection called Flock was released in 2002.
Discography
- The Mutton Birds 1992
- Salty 1993
- Nature 1995
- Envy of Angels 1996
- Angle of Entry 1997
- Too Hard Basket 1998
- Rain, Steam, and Speed 1999
- Flock 2002
Links
The Mutton Birds Official Homepage (http://www.muttonbirds.co.nz/)