Big Sideways

  • Big Sideways
  • Big Sideways (NZ Unsung) 1983 

No kidding big: this New Zealand band boasts a dozen members, including four horn people, four guitarists and two drummers. Seven of ’em are songwriters, which (not surprisingly) makes this a pretty eclectic record, fusing rock, jazz, funk and antipodean ethnic musics. Capped off with idealistic lyrics, Big Sideways is upbeat and intelligent; highly arranged but hardly slick.

[Ira Robbins]