The Mutton Birds

David Long on guitars and Don McGlashan on lead vocals and bass guitar formed the Mutton Birds in Auckland as a three-piece rock group in early 1991.[1][2] For their first live performance, on Saint Patrick's Day, they used an interim drummer who was soon replaced by Ross Burge.[1] McGlashan had been a member of Blam Blam Blam (1982, 1984) and the Front Lawn (1985–1993), Long had played in the Six Volts and appeared on the Front Lawn's albums.[1] Burge had been a member of the Spines and Sneaky Feelings, and early on, he was drumming both for Dribbling Darts (1989–1993) and the Mutton Birds. In 1992, the three-piece band gained Alan Gregg, also from Dribbling Darts, on bass guitar.[1]

As a four-piece they recorded their first self-titled album.[1] It peaked at No. 2 on the New Zealand Albums Chart in September 1992,[3] and was certified platinum in New Zealand.[1] It was in the top 50 for 52 non-consecutive weeks.[3] They gained notice outside college radio for their cover version of "Nature" (August 1992), which reached No. 4 on the related singles chart.[3] The original was recorded by the Fourmyula in 1969 (written by keyboardist Wayne Mason), and in 2001 was voted as New Zealand's greatest song of the previous 75 years.[4]

They signed with EMI Australia, which financed their second studio album, Salty (April 1994).[1][2] This was self-produced and mixed by American producer-engineer Tchad Blake (Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Crowded House).[1] It reached No. 3 and was certified platinum in New Zealand.[1][3] Salty provided a number-one hit single, "The Heater", in April, and top 10 position for "Anchor Me" (October).[3] McGlashan won an APRA Silver Scroll song writing award for the latter hit.[1][5] Their next album, Nature (September 1995), was a compilation of tracks selected from their first two albums with additional production by Neil Finn (of Crowded House), via Virgin Records for the United Kingdom market.[1][2]

Their third studio album, Envy of Angels, was recorded in Wales and released in November 1996, with Hugh Jones producing (the Bluetones, Dodgy, Echo and the Bunnymen).[1][2] It peaked at No. 4 in New Zealand.[3] The band moved to London where they remained until 2000.[2] During 1996 the Mutton Birds contributed a cover version of Blue Öyster Cult's 1976 single, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", to the soundtrack of Peter Jackson's film The Frighteners.[1] Their version reached the ARIA Singles Chart top 50 early in the following year.[1][6] By that time Long had already returned to New Zealand and he was replaced on guitar by New Zealand-born, British-based Chris Sheehan (of the Starlings).[1]

The Mutton Birds performing at Bar Bodega, Wellington, 2012

In 1997 the band played concerts in Canada as part of the Another Roadside Attraction festival tour.[7] They established their own label, Gravy Train Records, and issued two limited-release albums, Angle of Entry (an acoustic live album) in late 1997 and Too Hard Basket (subtitled B-sides and Bastards, a compilation of contained rarities) in 1998.[1] In mid-1998 Gregg left and was replaced by English-born Tony Fisher on bass guitar and keyboards.[1] The group's fourth studio album, Rain, Steam and Speed (February 1999), appeared on shhh! Records.[1][2] Another live album, Live in Manchester, was issued before their 2000 UK tour, during which their line-up was augmented by ex-Garageland guitarist, Andrew Claridge.

For the New Zealand and Australian tour in October–November 1999, Burge's former band mate Matthew Bannister (Sneaky Feelings, Dribbling Darts) was added to the line-up. The group returned to New Zealand in 2000. A greatest hits compilation, Flock, was released in 2002 but they disbanded by mid-year. In 2012 the Mutton Birds temporarily reunited with the line-up of Burge, Gregg, Long and McGlashan, to play at New Zealand wineries in February and early March.[8] Another live album from that tour, Free Range: The Mutton Birds Live 2012, was issued in November.[9]

• Dix, John, Stranded In Paradise, Penguin, 2005. ISBN 0-14-301953-8
• Eggleton, David, Ready To Fly, Craig Potton, 2003. ISBN 1-877333-06-9
• Shute, Gareth, NZ Rock 1987–2007, Auckland, Random House, 2008. ISBN 978-1-86979-000-4
• Spittle, Gordon, Counting The Beat, GP Publications, 1997. ISBN 1-86956-213-5

• Official website archived from the original on 9 June 2002. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
• A Religion of a Kind – The Mutton Birds and beyond fansite.