By 1986, the Bats had released three critically acclaimed EPs, but still had not released a full-length album. While touring in the U.K. that year, an acquaintance in Glasgow offered the use of his home 8 track studio. Half of the tracks for what would become Daddy's Highway were recorded there.[7]
Upon their return to New Zealand, recording was completed at Nightshift in Christchurch, and the album was released by Flying Nun in 1987. "Block of Wood" was released as a 7-inch vinyl single.[8]
Reception
Daddy's Highway is the Bats' most highly regarded album, and has been named one of the best New Zealand albums of the 1980s.[9]Billboard Los Angeles bureau chief Dave DiMartino named it one of the 10 best albums of 1989 in a year-end issue of that magazine,[10] while Everett True called it a "minor masterpiece".[5] In 2000, it placed No. 88 in Rip It Up magazine's list of New Zealand's Top 100 Albums of All Time.[11] Notable tracks on the album include "North by North", "Tragedy" and the lead single, "Block of Wood", all of which were staples on New Zealand student radio.
Reissues
The compact disc release swapped the order of sides one and two of the LP and added five bonus tracks: "Calm Before the Storm" and "Candidate", which were the B-sides to the "Block of Wood" single; and "Mad on You", "Trouble in This Town" and "Made Up in Blue", which constituted the band's Made Up in Blue EP.
In October 2010, Flying Nun reissued Daddy's Highway. The album was remastered by Paul Kean, and the same five bonus tracks were added.
