Jack Frost - As Seen on TV
by Dixie Ernill
published: 8 / 7 / 2025
Label:
Select Label
Format: N/A
intro
In our Re: View section, in which we look back at albumsfrom the past, Dixie Ernill examines a new box set from Jack Frost, the 1990’s side project of Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens and Steve Kilbey from The Church, which collects together their two albums plus extra material.
The songs ‘Cattle and Cane’ (by The Go Betweens) and ‘Under The Milky Way’ (by The Church) are widely considered to be two of the best alternative songs to have come out of Australia in the last 50 years. The former was written by Grant McLennan and the latter by Steve Kilbey and both had been released prior to the pair forming Jack Frost. As such it is no surprise that the band would create two excellent albums, particular their self-titled debut in 1990, that are neatly gathered together with additional material in this box set along with a 3rd cd containing a collection of live and radio tracks. Jack Frost proved to be useful diversion for Grant McLennan as he gradually came to terms with the break-up of The Go-Betweens in 1989, and more tellingly his own break-up with partner Amanda Brown who had also been in his former band for the previous few years. The first album seems to nod heavily towards the above break-ups – especially on the sublime ‘Thought That I Was Over You’ and also has a number of other key tracks such as ‘Providence’ and ‘Even As We Speak’– both of which are utterly stunning. The second album came out some 6 years later (with both McLennan, solo, and Kilbey, in The Church, remaining busy on their day jobs in the intervening years by releasing a trio of albums each) and whilst it is a solid record (great by anyone else’s standards), it doesn’t match up to the debut. It is still well worth investigation. The live album is certainly of interest and not just for completists, as it contains lovely versions of many of the tracks from the debut along with stripped back versions of two Go-Betweens classics that had been penned by McLennan in the shape of ‘The Wrong Road’ and ‘Bye Bye Pride’. The only criticism of the box set is the lack of a glossy booklet, but I suppose when the music is this good who needs a distraction?
Track Listing:-
Also In Photoscapes
Australian Pink Floyd Show (2023)
Australian Pink Floyd Show (2023)
Bad Religion (2022)
Bathers (2024)
Bathers (2024)
Billy Idol (2022)
Black Country, New Road (2023)
Bleach Lab (2023)
Blossoms (2024)
Bluedot Festival (2022)
Bobbie Dazzle (2023)
Boy Bleach (2023)
Brix Smith (2023)
Brix Smith (2022)
Burning Witches (2023)
Cave Girl (2023)
Circa Waves (2025)
Dare (2022)
David Gray (2025)
Dead Poet Society (2024)
Dominum (2025)
Dropkick Murphys (2023)
Elbow (2022)
Eric Gales (2022)
Eve Davidson (2024)
Ezra Furman (2022)
Fantastic Negrito (2023)
Fergy LH (2024)
Flogging Molly (2022)
Fontaines DC (2021)
Frank Carter and The Sex Piatols (2024)
Freya Beer (2022)
Gary Numan (2025)
Glen Matlock (2021)
Grace Jones (2023)
Grace Jones (2023)
Graham Gouldman (2021)
Happy Mondays (2024)
Holly Johnson (2024)
Ian Prowse (2021)
Iraina Mancini (2023)
Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart (2022)
John Hassall (2025)
Killing Joke (2022)
Kim Wilde (2025)
Last Dinner Party (2024)
Lauren Mayberry (2025)
Leprous (2022)
Lewsberg (2022)
Libertines (2024)
Libertines (2022)
Libertines (2021)
Low Red Moon (2022)
Manfreds (2022)
Manfreds (2022)
Miles Kane (2022)
Morrissey (2025)
Moseley Folk and Arts Festival (2022)
Moseley Folk and Arts Festival (2022)
Moseley Folk and Arts Festival (2022)
Nicole Atkins and Jim Sclavunos (2023)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (2024)
Pale Blue Eyes (2023)
Paloma Faith (2024)
Pauline Murray (2022)
Peter Doherty (2023)
Pogues (2025)
Positive Vibration Festival of Reggae (2021)
Positive Vibration Festival of Reggae (2021)
Primal Scream (2025)
Psychedelic Furs (2022)
Public Image Ltd (2022)
Razorlight (2025)
Rise Against (2025)
Roisin Murphy (2023)
Roisin Murphy (2023)
Roxy Music (2022)
Sean Thompson-DeWolfe (2022)
Set It Off (2025)
She's In Parties (2023)
Sisters of Mercy (2023)
Sleeper (2021)
Sound of Joy Division Orchestrated (2022)
St Vincent (2022)
Steve Hackett (2022)
Steve Harley (2022)
Steve Harley (2021)
Stiff Little Fingers (2024)
Suzi Quatro (2024)
Troy Redfern (2022)
Troy Redfern (2022)
W.H. Lung (2022)
Waeve (2025)
Wet Leg (2022)
Who (2023)
Zo Lief (2022)
Band Links:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Frost_(Australian_band)Play in YouTube:-
Picture Gallery:-
most viewed articles
current edition
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - InterviewJack Frost - As Seen on TV
Nils Petter Molvaer - El Molino, Barcelona, 24/4/2025
John McKay - Interview
Editorial - July 2025
Robert Forster - Interview
When Rivers Meet - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Kruder and Dofmeister - Paral-lel 62, Barcelona, 27/4/2025
Skunk Anansie - Old Market, Brighton, 16/5/2025
Yardbirds - Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, 18/4/2025
previous editions
Boomtown Rats - Ten Songs That Made Me Love....Nitzer Ebb -
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EP
Oasis - Oasis, Earl's Court, London, 1995
Loop - Loop / Godflesh - Heaven, London, 4/6/2014
Super Furry Animals - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Brad Elvis - Interview
Not Forgotten Girl - Interview
Love - Reel to Real
Miscellaneous - Film
most viewed reviews
current edition
John McKay - Sixes and #SevensDavey Woodward - Mumbo in the Jumbo
Vultures - Liz Kershaw Session 16.06.88
Billy Nomates - Metalhorse
HAIM - I Quit
Peter Doolan - I Am a Tree Rooted to the Spot and a Snake Moves Around Me,in a Circle
Pulp - More
Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
Morcheeba - Escape The Chaos
Little Simz - Lotus
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart