The Riptides - Sunset Strip 7" (1978)

The Riptides formed in 1977 as The Grudge. The band emerged from the Architecture Department of the University of Queensland. In 1978, The Grudge changed names to, firstly, The Neon Steal and then The Numbers. The Numbers were part of the burgeoning Brisbane punk/new wave scene which also gave rise to The Leftovers, The Apartments, The Go-Betweens, The Survivors, Razar, The Humans and The X-Men. In September 1978, The Numbers issued the rare `Sunset Strip’ EP (500 copies) on The Go-Betweens’ Able label. The tracks `Sunset Strip’, `Magic Castle’ and `Rules of Love’ were punchy and energetic and featured a brilliant, English-flavoured 1960s-inspired pop sound. In early 1979, Robert Vickers left The Numbers. He traveled to New York where he joined The Colors; in 1983, he joined The Go-Betweens. Mark Callaghan switched to bass, and The Numbers became The Riptides (in order to avoid confusion with a Sydney band also called The Numbers). The band remixed the `Sunset Strip’ EP and reissued it in July 1979,credited to The Riptides (in a pressing of 2000 copies). ~ ganggajang.com