When Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons released Screaming Targets in late 1979 it pushed them into the premier league. They'd already established themselves as one of the greatest pub-rocking acts of the day, having slogged around the touring circuit for over three years. Unfortunately, their first two albums hadn't sold very well but they finally made a chart impact when the 1978 single 'So Young' hit the Top 30. The perfect break-through act (to use some kind of industry parlance) was just about to hit the crest of the music wave.
And Screaming Targets did not disappoint – it was exceedingly accomplished, with a tough but accessible production sound courtesy of English producer Pete Solley and full of absolutely first-rate songs. The band's funky and energetic mix of R&B and soul had already done the job but it was when singer Joe Camilleri infused the music with a large dose of reggae rhythms that the hit singles arrived: 'Hit And Run' and 'Shape I'm In'. The album also caught the New Wave mood of the times with such outstanding album tracks as 'Don't Wanna Come Down', 'Close To The Bone', 'Thin Line' and Paul Kelly's 'Only The Lonely Hearted'. Elvis Costello would have killed to have written some of those riffs; in fact he must have been listening closely because he went on to record a version of 'So Young'.
The initial pressing of the album came with a bonus, limited edition live album of material recorded in Melbourne during April 1979. This was the band playing at the top of its game, featuring swampy and rockin' covers of 'Security', 'Not A Woman, Not A Child' and 'Mona', matched by 'So Young' and the 10-minute progressive rock epic 'The Cthulhu'. All are present and correct on Disc One of this collection.
I'd often been puzzled in the past when occasionally Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons would be compared to the Rolling Stones. After listening to Disc One non-stop for a couple of days… I get it now! Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons were out-Stonesing the Stones by a mile at the time. Man, these guys could rock – and of course the rhythm section of bassist John Power and drummer Gary Young was one of the tightest in the land. Add the high-tensile, interlocking guitar riffs of Jeff Burstin and Tony Faehse and the wailing sax lines of Camilleri and brother-in-crime Wilbur Wilde and you have an iconic band up there with the best throughout the history of Aussie rock.
Disc Two (entitled The Rhythm & Blues) keeps up the pace but not surprisingly it ranges all over the place, mixing previously unreleased demos (from 1976 up to the 2003 Ricochet album) with a whole raft of live cuts. It is staggering to consider that such incredible tracks as 'The Rhythm & Blues' (the band sounding like Rose Tattoo!), 'Rock It', 'Fix It Up', 'Hard Luck Story' and 'Ain't Got No Money' have never seen the light of day before.
Another rarity here is 'Glad I'm Living Here', taken from the original movie soundtrack to Oz: A Rock 'n' Roll Road Movie (1976). Which begs the question: where is the only other Mushroom rarity, the cover of Chuck Berry's 'Run, Rudolph, Run' (and its B-side for that matter, 'Guess Who') produced by Ross Wilson, issued as a single in 1975 and credited to Jo Jo Zep and His Little Helpers? David Laing described 'Run, Rudolph, Run' as “only a novelty song” but I see it as a missed opportunity on an otherwise fabulous release.
—Ian McFarlane