Brief interview with Mark Seymour on the sudden success of the Human Frailty album.

Author: Daily Sun.

Date: 3 April 1986.

Original URL: N/A.

Article Text

Only a few months ago, Mark Seymour, frontman for Hunters & Collectors, was baffled about why the band had never made it commercially.

Now he’s delighted, but still baffled, that the Melbourne band’s latest single Say Goodbye is screaming up the charts hotter and faster than anything else they had come up with.

It’s not that Seymour had no faith in the latest album, Human Frailty, but that the Australian music scene was so unpredictable.

“When we worked on the album we really wanted to come up with something that would grab people’s attention,” he said.

“When the song started to surface commercially, we knew we had done it.

“Our prime concern was to match the radio airplay with our strong live following.”

Last weekend, Hunters played at Rainbow Rock on the Sunshine Coast.
Seymour said the band was very nervous.

“We hadn’t done an open-air gig as big as that one and it was difficult at first,” he said.

“The crowds weren’t the best. Some were drunk and they felt out of place when we played a lot of old stuff.

“From what I can gather, those who did know our material received it very well.”

He said he thought people still considered Hunters & Collectors “a weird sort of a group”.

“Because Say Goodbye was commercial, I think we are capable of coming up with more commercial songs – and that proves we are not that weird after all,” he said.

“The band wants to continue its emotional content in the material.”

The next single off the album will be Throw Your Arms Around Me.

The band released it some time ago with very little success.

“We have been in the studio and re-mixed it, so I think it will go over well this time around,” he said.

“The production last time was poor.

“To the band, it is a great song and should get the justification it deserved.

“It’s a change of sound and the vocals are a lot clearer, with more melody and control.”

He said the remixed version also had more guitar.

At the end of May, Hunters & Collectors head off to New Zealand for a two week tour.

“We will be doing a Greenpeace benefit concert. The band can’t wait to get over there,” Seymour said.

“So, Queenslanders won’t see us back until around the middle of the year.”

Seymour said Human Frailty still had a least four songs in contention for single release on a national basis.

“Stuck On You and Is There Anyone In There will be released as singles later on,” he said.

“The album itself, in terms of accessibility, directness and emotion is creative.

“I think it has a very wide appeal.”

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Thanks to Stephen for typing out this article for us all to enjoy.