Whitlams First Album “Fixed” With Remastering

The Whitlams’ 1993 debut album, Introducing The Whitlams, has received a remaster, vocalist and piano player Tim Freedman revealed on social media yesterday (6 July).

Featuring a mix of original songs and cover material, three of which were recorded in the studio, five were live recordings, and two came from an earlier demo. Stevie Plunder, the lead guitarist at the time, described the album’s sound as “Sort of happy, sensitive, not that loud... much more acoustic.”

“Over the years, I've been asked regularly to fix up the sound of Introducing the Whitlams on Spotify,” Freedman wrote on Facebook. “At last our debut album has been remastered (with a bit tighter bass) and uploaded properly. Have a listen.” Check out the remaster below.

In a real treat for longtime Whitlams fans, the band will be playing “at least half this album on the Early Years tour this Sep and Oct.”

The Whitlams announced their upcoming Early Years (1993 to 1997) Australian tour in May. The Living End’s Scott Owen will join the band on double bass to really bring those old songs to life. You can find all the tour dates here.

The Whitlams lived on the airwaves through the mid-90s, from their singles Gough in 1993, to the crossover hit I Make Hamburgers in 1995 to the frenetic You Sound Like Louis Burdett in 1997. Scott Owen will join the band for the first hour of the show, performing the best of Introducing The Whitlams, Undeniably The Whitlams and Eternal Nightcap.

“Scott and I have been talking about this idea for five years, and at last our schedules have clicked,” Freedman said in a statement. “Terepai [Richmond, drums] and Scott will absolutely explode in these early songs, and it will be thrilling to hear the energy that Andy Lewis brought to the first line-up so long ago on stage once again.” 

All tickets will be available through The Whitlams’ website.

Earlier this year, Freedman proved that he’s still serious about blowing up the pokies. Throwing his support behind a campaign to stop a Brisbane bowling club from being turned into a pokies venue, Freedman said, “The tide is turning against pokies around the country, and it's hard to believe that Brisbane Council have awarded this lease without proper process. Let's hope that they listen to the community.”

It's no surprise to fans, with Freedman a longtime anti-pokies advocate. The Whitlams’ hit, Blow Up The Pokies from 2000 was their highest charting hit and received a new lease on life in January with a new version from The Whitlams Black Stump Band, which climbed the Countrytown radio airplay charts, bringing a new audience to the song. The original was the second single from their double platinum smash album Love This City.