Deniz Tek – Take It To The Vertical: Deniz Tek

Deniz Tek Take It To The Vertical is the first-ever vinyl pressing of Tek’s 1992 solo debut, reissued here by Wild Honey Records (catalog WH 65) after decades out of print and genuinely difficult to track down in any format. Originally released through Redeye/Polydor Records Australia, this album has existed largely as a gap in the discographies of collectors who care about the harder end of Australian rock history. Wild Honey is putting that right, and this is part two of their ongoing archival series dedicated to Tek’s work.

The Artist Behind Deniz Tek Take It To The Vertical

Tek founded Radio Birdman in the mid-1970s, bringing a raw, Detroit-rooted guitar attack into Australia’s emerging punk scene at a moment when that kind of uncompromising sound was exactly what was needed. His playing is direct and physical. It does not decorate. Anyone who has followed the lineage from the MC5 and Stooges through to the harder strains of Australian rock will understand exactly where Tek sits in that chain. This album represents his first move outside the Radio Birdman framework, and the personnel he assembled for it makes the context clear immediately.

What Makes This Pressing Worth Your Attention

The recording took place at SugarHill Studios in Houston, Texas, a room with serious history behind it. Chris Masuak, Tek’s Radio Birdman bandmate, plays guitar and keyboards throughout. Scott Asheton of The Stooges handles drums. That rhythm section connection to the Detroit source material Tek has always drawn from is not incidental. It shapes the whole record. The eleven tracks here, running from “Run Out Of Water” through to “Press On”, reflect a guitarist working with players who understand the same musical language. There is no mismatch in approach.

This Wild Honey LP adds material that was not part of the original release. A bonus track appears here for the first time alongside the original eleven. The package also includes extensive liner notes and never-before-seen photographs, which makes this more than a straight repress. For anyone who tried to find the original Redeye/Polydor pressing and came up empty, which is most people who tried, this is a legitimate opportunity to own the album properly, on vinyl, in a version that actually adds to the historical record rather than simply duplicating it.

Tracklist

1. RUN OUT OF WATER
2. DON'T AXE ME
3. STEEL BEACH
4. WHERE DREAMS GO
5. ME & GENE
6. DEAD IF LOOKS COULD KILL
7. IS IT GOOD ENOUGH
8. TORPEDO WOMAN
9. THOSE TIMES ARE GONE
10. SHIPS IN
11. PRESS ON