'It Was So Little Of What I Wanted': Pseudo Echo’s Disastrous Decision To Go Rock

They had made their name as the most consistently successful synthpop band in Australia, but when it came time for Pseudo Echo’s third album, they sounded – and looked – completely different. 

In the new episode of podcast A Journey Through Aussie Pop, singer Brian Canham recalled the band’s rock makeover for 1988’s Race. He also revealed the behind-the-scenes turmoil within Pseudo Echo and the way his bandmates drove the shift in direction – one that wasn’t as well received as their earlier work.

“They weren’t my songs and it wasn’t exactly where I wanted to go,” Canham explained. “I did have a vision in my head and that wasn’t the vision, but I had to deal with the fact that by this stage the record company were on board with these songs. It was so little of what I wanted it to be.”

The move was especially noteworthy given Pseudo Echo’s early struggles and eventual triumph on a rock-dominated live scene. In the episode, Canham shared his memories of the band’s early days.

“The biggest challenge was to your personal safety, I think,” he said. “There were beer glasses thrown up on stage. Guys didn’t want to accept it. They would just say, ‘Where’s the proper music?’”

The singer, who still fronts Pseudo Echo today, also recalled the story of the band’s chart-topping remake of Funky Town.

“We put it into the set one night as an encore, and it just went over unbelievably”, he said. “We knew it was going to be big because all of the right people were saying it was going to be big.”

Listen to A Journey Through Aussie Pop on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast platforms or at chartbeats.com.au/aussie.