This Reissue of the Scientists Is Some Riveting, Disruptive Rock ‘n’ Roll

Revisiting the Aussie band’s ’70s and ’80s heyday.


The Scientists
A Place Called Bad
Numero Group

Courtesy of Numero Group

Possibly the most creative reissue label in operation today, Chicago’s Numero Group hits another home run with A Place Called Bad. This sizzling four-disc set surveys the stormy, unpredictable run of The Scientists, a raucous Perth, Australia-spawned quartet that flourished artistically (if not commercially) from the late-’70s to the mid-’80s.

Fronted by the irrepressible Kim Salmon, a great rock ‘n’ roll shouter in the classic bad-boy mode, the band originally played trashy punk in the beloved tradition of the Stooges and New York Dolls, then evolved into a much odder enterprise echoing the confrontational performance art of Suicide and The Cramps. Regardless of mode, Salmon and company are riveting. More than three decades on, every note crackles with disruptive energy.

WE'LL BE BLUNT:

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate