FLAMING HANDS - Wake Up Screaming (7" Single)

A while back I posted two 7" singles, It's Just That I Miss You and The Edge, from obscure Australian new wave pop band Flaming Hands. Here's another of their singles, Wake Up Screaming, from 1980.

Wake Up Screaming was produced by seminal Australian rock musician Lobby Loyde, and like the band's debut single, a cover of I Belong to Nobody by Soul Inc., it features an organic, 60s-inspired rock sound. It also boasts a memorable melody by guitarist and songwriter Jeff Sullivan, a very cool sax break and the pure-yet-powerful vocals of singer Julie Mostyn.

The B side, Sweet Revenge, finds Mostyn musing about taking emotional revenge on a lover who has betrayed her. Musically, the song has a similar vibe to the A side and is just as strong. It begins with a simple, sing-songy vocal intro with a girl-group melody and crescendos into a true pop confection highlighted by a sparkling piano solo and a more aggressive guitar sound as the song reaches its end.

Wake Up Screaming is one of my favorite singles, has never been reissued in any format and like everything else by the Flaming Hands, deserves to be discovered my more people.

Flaming Hands - Wake Up Screaming (7" single, 1980)

Track listing:
1 - Wake Up Screaming
2 - Sweet Revenge

FOR FANS OF:
The Dugites, The Tribe, Blondie, INXS, The Pretenders, The Sinceros, The Motels, Martha and the Muffins, The Tourists

FLAMING HANDS - Aussie New Wave Gem #3

Similar to aforementioned Aussie gems #1 and #2, The Tribe and The Dugites, Sydney's Flaming Hands were an early 80s Australian new wave pop band that recorded some amazing songs. Unfortunately, their output never translated to much more than a cult following, and today there is very little information available on the band.

Flaming Hands' principal members were singer Julie Mostyn and songwriter/guitarist Jeff Sullivan, who together created something truly special. Sullivan delivered memorable, hook-filled songs that Mostyn made sparkle with her soaring, soulful vocals.

The band released their first single - I Belong to Nobody / The Stranger - on Phantom Records in 1980. They followed it up with four more singles - Wake Up Screaming / Sweet Revenge, It's Just That I Miss You / Go Or Stay, Cast My Love / Kismet and The Edge / Sacrifice. These singles were marked by an earthier sound than what Flaming Hands would be producing by the time they released their first and only full-length album in 1984. The self-titled LP, which featured Andrew Fariss and Kirk Pengilly from INXS, is enjoyable but relies a bit too heavily on synths. You can check it out on the Ausrock blog.

Unfortunately, the LP failed to get them the recognition they deserved, and Flaming Hands called it quits shortly after its release.


The Edge is arguably Flaming Hands' finest moment. It is around three minutes of melodic power pop bliss, enhanced by simple-yet-poignant lyrics and Mostyn's spot-on vocals. Another of the band's most powerful singles is the heartfelt ballad It's Just That I Miss You, backed with the punchy Go Or Stay.

Flaming Hands material has still not seen a CD release, but you can find my vinyl rips of The Edge and It's Just That I Miss You singles below. You can find most of the other singles on Overhere's blog.

- Flaming Hands - It's Just That I Miss You / Go Or Stay (7" Single, 1982)
- Flaming Hands - The Edge / Sacrifice (7" Single, 1983)


FOR FANS OF:
The Dugites, The Tribe, Blondie, INXS, The Pretenders, The Sinceros, The Motels, Martha and the Muffins, The Tourists

WEB LINKS:
- Flaming Hands on RateYourMusic
- Break Down and Cry Video on Youtube