THE APARTMENTS

The Apartments first came together in Brisbane in 1978 with Walsh (guitar, vocals), Michael O'Connell (guitar, vocals), Peter Whitby (bass, vocals) and Peter Martin (drums). The band's name derives from Billy Wilder's 1960 film The Apartment. While in The Apartments, Walsh briefly joined The Go-Betweens as guitarist when they were offered an 8-album contract by Beserkley Records. During an interview at the time, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan spoke about Walsh and the "variety of personalities and image" in the Go-Betweens. McLennan said, "Walsh is night" and Forster "We are day" with McLennan adding "We’re sun, he’s rain." Four years after Grant McLennan's death, Walsh wrote about this period and his friendship with The Go-Betweens in a piece entitled "Who will remember your tunes?" When the Beserkley deal fell through, Walsh returned to The Apartments and The Go-Betweens resumed as a three-piece. The Go-Betweens affectionately commemorated Walsh's style and his time with them on the B side of their next single, "Don't Let Him Come Back": "Here he comes, with his twelve o’clock junk…who’s that dressed in black? Who’s that in his apartment?"

The Apartments' first EP 'The Return of the Hypnotist' was recorded for The Go-Betweens' Able Label in May, 1979. The Apartments broke up in October 1979 when Walsh left Brisbane. 'The Return of the Hypnotist' EP was released the same month. In 1984 Walsh reformed the Apartments with a line-up including ex-Out of Nowhere members, Gary Warner (piano), Joseph Borkowski (bass) and Graeme Beavis (guitar), and Bruce Carrick (drums). The band recorded the single, "All You Wanted / Fever Elsewhere" on the Hot label. Early in 1985 The Apartments recorded demos for a proposed debut album.

In June 1985, Rough Trade records signed The Apartments on the basis of the demos recorded earlier in the year. Walsh then moved to London and the Apartments' first album, 'The Evening Visits...and Stays for Year's was released by Rough Trade Records in 1985. The Apartments were joined by guest musicians Clare Kenny (formerly of Orange Juice, bass, vocals), Ben Watt of Everything but the Girl, and Graham Lee of The Triffids. Reviewing 'The Evening Visits...' for the NME, critic Jane Wilkes wrote "after whetting our appetites with last year's classic import single 'All You Wanted' The Apartments have stunned us to a reverential silence. This album is a pure heart-wrencher, and should only be listened to after dark." French music critic and biographer of Serge Gainsbourg, Bayon, writing in Libération, drew favourable comparisons to a diverse range of musicians, both contemporary (Cocteau Twins, Felt, Nick Cave) and preceding (Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Alex Chilton). 'The Evening Visits...' subsequently appeared in the NME's 1985 'Albums of the Year' end of year critic list and became a cult hit in France."All You Wanted" was reissued by Rough Trade, the single reaching #29 on the UK Independent Chart in 1986.

Following an English tour with Everything but the Girl, a new line-up emerged that included Jurgen Hobbs (bass), Judy Anderson (piano, organ) and Nick Allum (drums). This incarnation of the band played shows in the UK and Europe and released a single, "The Shyest Time", in 1988. "The Shyest Time" was featured on the soundtrack of John Hughes' movie Some Kind of Wonderful. Subsequent litigation between The Apartments and Hughes' production company over recording prevented the Apartments from releasing new material for nearly 18 months.

With Rough Trade in receivership as the Eighties ended, Walsh left England for Australia. He continued writing and occasional performances as a duet with Amanda Brown of The Go Betweens and as the Apartments with Ed Kuepper. Recordings of both were extensively bootlegged. In 1993, The Apartments recorded 'Drift', the first Apartments album released in Australia, on Melbourne label Torn & Frayed. 'Drift' was next released in France on New Rose. The album (like its predecessor) achieved high praise in France, with Les Inrockuptibles placing 'Drift' at #19 in their end of year list in 1993 and 7th place in the readers' list. Due to its popularity in France, the album was re-released and remastered through French indie label Talitres in 2010.

A tour of France followed in 1994 with The Apartments consisting of Walsh, two members of Big Heavy Stuff — Eliot Fish (bass, vocals) and Greg Atkinson (guitar, vocals) — and Nick Allum on drums. The Apartments then recorded three more albums in quick succession: 'A Life Full of Farewells' (1995), the acoustic 'Fête Foraine' (1996), and 'Apart' (1997). Rolling Stone reviewer Rob O'Connor described 'A Life Full of Farewells' as "the sort of ornate pop record one usually associates with big-budget psychedelia or overstudied Anglo pop. For the most part, Walsh's songs enable listeners to enjoy time spent in places we would usually rather not be." Mojo said "Taken together, 1985's 'The Evening Visits...', 1993's 'Drift 'and 1995's 'A Life Full of Farewells' constitute the finest, most distinguished catalogue I've heard in the past decade or so."

On the final day of mixing and recording apart Walsh was informed that his young son had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. After this, Walsh suspended writing and touring for the Apartments to devote his attention to his son, who died two years later in September 1999. Walsh later described his reasons for not resuming his musical career after his son's death. "I just wanted nothing to do with anything that didn't have him in it. I felt like I had been given every chance of happiness and he got none. I felt entitled to nothing."

In 2007, encouraged by John Willsteed, bass player on 'Drift', Walsh was convinced briefly to perform again and the Apartments (Walsh, Eliot Fish, Willsteed, Jeff Crawley, George Bibicos and Gene Maynard (drums)) played the Pig City Festival at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. Walsh then agreed to shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Walsh played three shows in France in November 2009. Walsh played with Fish (with two French musicians on some songs) in Chinon, Paris (L'Européen) and Clermont-Ferrand. The Apartments were supported by French band 49 Swimming Pools, who, as fans of The Apartments, organised the tour.

A French tour for 2012 (It's Not Our World Anymore) was announced via French crowdfunding site Ulule. A series of shows took place in November and December, in art galleries and boutiques in Paris and La Rochelle and in regular music venues in Paris (Bouffes du Nord), Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Nantes, and Allonnes. Walsh played with Amanda Brown, Nick Allum (from the Fatima Mansions), Wayne Connolly (of Knievel), Fabien Tessier and Samuel Léger (of 49 Swimming Pools) and Gaël Riteau. The tour featured the use of photos of Jean Seberg taken on the set of the film À Bout de Souffle by Raymond Cauchetier. In collaboration with Parisian graphic designer Pascal Blua, Cauchetier personally approved Walsh's use of his images, some never before published, as stage backdrops and in promotional material for the tour.

During the 2012 It's Not Our World Anymore tour, the Apartments recorded a live session for the Label Pop radio programme on Radio France. This was later released by French label Talitres as a limited edition vinyl LP of 500 copies for Disquaire Day (Record Store Day), Seven Songs, on 20 April 2013. A double CD/LP/Cassette reissue of the Apartments debut album 'The Evening Visits... and Stays for Years', including rarities and demos, was released on 31 March 2015 by Brooklyn record label Captured Tracks. It covers the first seven years of material including the tracks from the first EP 'The Return of the Hypnotist'. Also included are liner notes by Walsh, Steven Schayer (ex-The Chills) and Robert Forster from the Go-Betweens.

In October 2013 Walsh began recording a new Apartments album in Sydney, Australia, at Alberts Studio with Wayne Connolly as producer. This album, 'No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal', was released by French label Microcultures in April 2015. The album was recorded with Apartments players Eliot Fish, Amanda Brown, Gene Maynard, Wayne Connolly, and various guests. Nick Allum recorded additional percussion and drums at Press Play Studios in London while French collaborators Natasha Penot and Antoine Chaperon from Grisbi recorded vocals and other instruments in their home studio in France. Natasha Penot features on the duet "Black Ribbons", which was originally released by Chapter Music in 2011 as a single with a Spring mix by Grisbi and an Autumn mix by John Willsteed. The NSNSNM recording of "Black Ribbons" features additional backing vocals as well as flugelhorn by Miroslav Bukovsky. Artwork for the album was done by Pascal Blua and 50 copies of limited-edition handwritten lyrics were made available through Microcultures during the pre-order stage.The first single taken from the album, "Twenty One", was released in January 2015. The Apartments toured France in September 2015.

Lyonel Sasso in French based Magic Revue Pop Moderne wrote "...This album is like our favorite season, a sky full of promises and memories. The choirs of September Skies resound as loudly as the heart racing - a simple joy. Walsh is like Ulysses, returning from his odyssey and his miracles. He continues to play the same pop music, regardless of the time spent, deadlines, contracts, money and disappointment." Uncut magazine awarded the album 9/10, with Jon Dale writing "...Played with quiet grace, the eight chamber-pop songs here are alternatively harrowing and redemptive, anchored by loss." In Australia, Noel Mengel said "Loss courses through these songs like blood through the veins...Just eight songs, less than 40 minutes of music. But what songs. It’s perfect just as it is."

While in Tours, France a video for "Please Don't Say Remember" was made by US Director Paul Harrill. At year's end, French music magazine Magic named 'No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal' #1 album of the year, a position never before achieved by an Australian artist. In Australia, ABC Radio National's music show, Inside Sleeve, named "Twenty One" the #1 song of 2015. In the US, ex-Mojo editor Dave DiMartino made the album his #1 in his albums of the year list, saying "The first album of new material in years from Australian Peter Milton Walsh of the Apartments is fantastic, emotionally profound, and maybe the most moving collection of songs I've heard in years. Untouchably great."

In September 2016, Riley Records released 'No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal' in Australia and New Zealand. This release includes two exclusive bonus tracks recorded following the April French Tour, "Nobody Like You", and an acoustic version of "Swap Places", featuring the tour trio. A video for the acoustic version of "Swap Places" was also released in September and features the photography of Jérôme Sevrette. In December 2016, Netherlands based label Brandy Alexander released 'No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal'. 

Members

Peter Walsh (guitar, vocals), Michael O'Connell (guitar, vocals), Peter Whitby (bass, vocals),Peter Martin (drums), Gary Warner (piano), Joseph Borkowski (bass), Graeme Beavis (guitar), Wayne Connolly (guitar), Bruce Carrick (drums), Jurgen Hobbs (bass), Judy Anderson (keyboards), Nick Allum (drums), Eliot Fish (bass, vocals), Greg Atkinson (guitar, vocals), John Willsteed (bass), Jeff Crawley, George Bibicos, Gene Maynard (drums), Amanda Brown (violin), Miro Bukovsky (trumpet), Clare Moore,

SINGLES 
''All You Wanted / Fever Elsewhere'' 1984 Hot A
''The Shyest Time'' 1987 MCA 
''Black Ribbons (Spring Mix) / Black Ribbons (Autumn Mix)'' 2011 Chapter Music  2011

EPs 

'The Return Of The Hypnotist' 1979 The Able Label

ALBUMS 
'The Evening Visits....And Stays For Years 1985 Rough Trade
'Drift' 1993 Torn & Frayed
'A Life Full Of Farewells' 1995 Hot Records
'Fête Foraine' 1996 Hot Records
'No Song No Spell No Madrigal' 2016

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apartments