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Wednesday 31 December 2014

Bill & Boyd - 1975 - Bill & Boyd


Slap Your Draughty Blue Jeans/The Prisoner Song/Santa Never Made It Into Darwin/Question/Country Wine/Chulu Chululu/Meanwhile Back In Abeline/Put Another Log On The Fire/Someone To Love/I'll Be Your Baby Tonight/Union Silver/It's A Small World/Aussie/ Cloudy Summer Afternoon
 
 
Bill Gate and Boyd Robertson were mates at Naenae College in Wellington when they began singing together, adapting the style of America's Everly Brothers.They recorded a remarkable thirty-two singles between 1960 and 1978, and
continued performing the club circuit in Australia until the late eighties. From the beginning they were always more popular with parents than teenagers,probably just a little too nice for rock and roll.
In 1964 Bill and Boyd moved to Australia on the strength of their first Australian hit "Chulu Chululu". It was a bright, sing-along song recorded live at the Rotorua Sound Shell in New Zealand. The talented pair were quick to gain popularity, appearing regularly on TV, particularly on Bandstand, and working clubs around Australia. They left for America early in 1968, touring with the Supremes and Herb Alpert. On their return to Australia, they established themselves as a top club act. In 1970, they joined Ron Tudor's newly formed Fable label. Their first release, in July 1970, was a version of "It's A Small World" which, although a steady seller, didn't quite make the top 40. They had several releases of singles and albums over the next four years. It wasn't until 1975 that they had their most success, after recording a song called "Santa Never Made It Into Darwin". The song documented the events of Cyclone Tracy that devastated the city of Darwin on Christmas eve 1974. The song made it to number 1 on the Australian national charts. Their 1975 album release was "Bill and Boyd". It was released in two formats, the first from Fable and the second from Axis. The Axis version contains three extra songs, two of which have not been available anywhere else at the time. Another single called "Put Another Log On The Fire" followed, and Bill and Boyd were a household name in Australia. After that they took a break from recording and concentrated on touring

Monday 29 December 2014

Fourmyula - 1970 - Otaki


Otaki/Which Way Did She Go





Line-Up:
    Martin Hope (Lead Guitar / Vocals)
    Wayne Mason (Rhythm Guitar / Organ / Vocals)
    Ali Richardson (Bass Guitar / Vocals)
    Chris Parry (Drums)
The story of the Fourmyula begins with songwriter Wayne Mason. He was born in New Plymouth in 1949, and lived in Rotorua for a period in the 50's before moving to Upper Hutt in 1958. There he began to take piano lessons. Although serious, he would break into a bit of boogie-woogie whenever there were a few spare minutes at lessons. In 1962 his father bought him a guitar and he formed his first band with classmates from Heretaunga College. Calling themselves the Southern Auroras, they consisted of Frank Stevenson on vocals, Martin Hope on lead guitar, Les Gruebner on bass, Jim McEwan on drums, and Wayne on rhythm guitar and piano.
As a group they never really got going, but it was a sufficient experience to learn their musical basics. In September 1963, they changed their name to the Sine Waves. They got regular work playing at Saturday night dances, but in 1964 Jim McEwan had to pull out of the group as his parents objected to his late nights. His place was taken by another school friend, Chris Parry.

Insect 1966, Martin Hope, Wayne Mason, Ron Gascoigne and Chris Parry.
With Parry now in the group, they decided on another name change, calling themselves the Insect. For the next two years they played the Hutt Valley circuit of high school dances, youth clubs, social functions and bible classes, gaining a considerable reputation for themselves. The Hutt Valley produced some very reputable bands during the 60's, and by the mid-60's the better ones were the Bitter End, the Roadrunners, the Dedikation and the Insect.
By mid-1966 Frank Stevenson left the group to begin his cabaret career as Frankie Stevens. A reshuffle of the group took place with Martin Hope taking over lead vocals, and Wayne Mason moving to keyboards. Les Gruebner also left and his position was taken by Ron Gascoigne, but Ron stayed less than six months and by the end of 1966 he had left to join the Simple Image. A new bass player was required and he was Alistair Richardson. Time for a new name and the Fourmyula was born, consisting of Hope, Mason, Richardson and Parry.

Fourmyula 1967 Richardson, Mason, Parry and Hope.
The Fourmyula debuted at an Upper Hutt dance on March 11, 1967, and the more they played the stronger their popularity became. They invested all their spare cash into new equipment and clothes to perform in. They entered a "National Battle of the Sounds" competition in September 1967 and won the Wellington heat. In January 1968, the finals were held in the Lower Hutt and the winners of other regional heats included the Hi-Revving Tongues and the In-Betweens. Supported by a home audience, the Fourmyula easily won the final and the prize that went with it was a trip to Britain aboard a Sitmar liner.
While the band had been rehearsing for the competition, they made a demo tape which they gave to HMV's Howard Gable. He liked what he heard, but felt they needed a stronger lead singer. Meanwhile they set off for their first tour of the South Island. Their booking agent found a new vocalist and he caught up with the band in Dunedin in March 1968. His name was Carl Evenson, and he had been vocalist with the Kal-Q-Lated Risk.

1968, Mason, Evenson, Richardson, Hope and Parry.
While they were traveling, Richardson and Mason began writing a song. The result was "Come With Me", which they took to their first recording session. The group wanted to release it as their first single, but Howard Gable already had a song by Martha and the Vandellas, "Honey Chile", lined up. The boys persisted and a compromise was reached by putting "Come With Me" as the B-side of the single. When the single was released by HMV in July 1968, it was only "Come With Me" that received the attention of DJs and the public. It spent three weeks at number two on the national charts and stayed on the charts for three months.
The Fourmyula had become New Zealand's top band overnight. Television appearances, radio interviews and newspaper articles followed. Mason and Richardson continued writing new songs and in October 1968, HMV made the unusual move of releasing the next two singles at the same time. They were "Alice Is There"/"I Dig Your Act" and "I Know Why"/"It's Only Make Believe". The two singles reached number 4 and 7 respectively on the charts. They also released their self-titled debut album in time for the Christmas market.
 
At this stage they still hadn't taken their prize for winning the "Battle of the Sounds" competition, so in January 1969 they recorded their second album, "Green B Holiday" and three more singles to be released while they took their trip. They were "Start By Giving To Me"/"If I Had The Time", "Home"/"Tell Me No Lies" and "Forever"/"Mr Whippy".

1969, Richardson, Parry, Mason, Evenson and Hope.
On February 8, 1969, the Fourmyula sailed to England on the Fairsky. Once there, they were soon faced with the realities of international rock'n'roll. With very little work available for them, they spent a lot of time watching some of the major acts that were performing at the time. They did get a few poor-paying gigs, and after a lot of pestering to Decca, they had a recording session at Abbey Road. The result was a cover of Hans Poulsen's "Lady Scorpio" and it was released in New Zealand in August and reached number 7 on the charts. An EP of four hits was subsequently released, called "Four Hits Of The Fourmyula".
While they were in England they realised there was new music around and that they were out of touch with current trends. They stayed in England for four months and returned to New Zealand with the best musical equipment available, their hair longer, their music louder and themselves a lot wiser.

In England 1969.
Their first gig back in New Zealand was at the Astoria Ballroom in Palmerston North. The venue was packed, but the crowd was in for a big surprise. This was a totally different band to the one that left New Zealand six months earlier. Their clothes were different, they looked different, but when they plugged into their massive stack of equipment, heads jerked back as they opened with a version of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times". What followed was a set of covers from what they had heard in England and by the time they had finished, the audience just stood in total disbelief and silence. It wasn't what the audience wanted and bowing to their pressure they had to revert to the style they had become famous for.

Back from England 1969.
They went back to the studio and worked with Peter Dawkins to record their next two singles and an album for release in the new year. The first single, "I'll Sing You A Song"/"Mill Stream" was released in October 1969. This was the last of the Mason-Richardson compositions. From this point on, the songwriting role was left to Mason alone. The single reached number 3 on the charts.
The Fourmyula spent most of October and November touring the country, trying to earn as much income as they could, so that they could return to England and have a decent go at making it big on the international circuit. They left in December, knowing perfectly well what lay ahead of them, and vowing not to return to New Zealand unless they returned in triumph.
The second of the two singles was released in December 1969. It was a composition Mason had put together while they were in the studio recording their album. The group had forgotten about it, but Peter Dawkins saw great potential in it, which was evident by the amount of work he put into the production. The single was "Nature"/"Home" and in the first few weeks of January 1970 it had reached number 1 on the national charts. "Nature" also won Wayne the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Award. Their third album they had recorded before departure was also released. It was called "Creation".
When the boys received the news of the success of their single in New Zealand, they didn't really care as that part of their life was behind them, as was the style of music that "Nature" represented. They were now free from audience demand and could concentrate their efforts on a more aggressive sound. They did however use their New Zealand success status to keep the pressure on Decca. A follow-up single, "Make Me Happy"/"Lord, I'm Coming Home", struggled on the charts, only making it to number 19. HMV released a fourth album called "The Fourmyula Live (With Special Guest Star Shane)".
Throughout 1970, Fourmyula performed extensively around Britain and Europe, proving very popular in Scandinavia. Their sound became heavier, but with Mason's melodic touches, they could not be branded heavy metal.
In mid-1970, Decca took a gamble and allowed the group to record an album. Out of those sessions came a track called "Otaki". It was released in August 1970, with "Which Way Did She Go" on the reverse. It would rate as their heaviest single and made it to number 15. That was the last time the Fourmyula made it onto the New Zealand charts. Two more singles, "Turn Your Back On The Wind"/"Believe In Love" and "Lullaby"/"Molly", were released and both failed miserably.
To avoid confusion with a similar named group, Fourmyula renamed themselves Pipp (a Danish word meaning 'mad') for the release of "Otaki" in Britain. It received no airplay and sold very few copies. Decca's interest in the band waned and they kept postponing the release of the album, eventually advising the group that it would not be released at all.
At that point enthusiasm in the band died. Wayne Mason was the first to leave. He was replaced by Canadian Paul Pryde in October 1970. The group continued as Pipp for a little while, but without success they slowly disbanded.



Sunday 21 December 2014

Don Lane - 1968 - Don Lane


Georgy Girl/Girl From Ipanema/The Lady Is A Tramp/Peg Of My Heart/Linda/Try To Remember/I've Got A Crush On You/Someone's In The Kitchen With Dinah/Nancy With The Laughing Face/Candy/I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance/Oh! You Beautiful Doll/When I Fall In Love/The Sadder But Wiser Girl For Me


Morton Donald Isaacson (13 November 1933 – 22 October 2009), known professionally as Don Lane, was a Gold Logie winning American-born talk show host and singer. Lane became best known for his television career in Australia, especially for hosting The Don Lane Show which aired on the Nine Network from 1975 to 1983.

Saturday 20 December 2014

Marty Rhone - 1976 - Denim & Lace


You Can't Have Me/Star Song/Only If You Want Me/Move On Me/Take Away/Celebratin'/Denim And Lace/Little Miss Demeanour/Playing Your Game/Instant Coffee, Instant Tea/It's No Good/They Made It Rock


Marty Rhone (born Karel Lawrence van Rhoon, 7 May 1948, Soerabaja, Dutch East Indies) is a pop singer-songwriter, actor and talent manager. In July 1975 his single, "Denim and Lace", peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. He had another hit in June 1977 with "Mean Pair of Jeans", which reached No. 11. As an actor he appeared on the Australian stage in Godspell (1972–73); on TV in Number 96 (1974) and Class of '75 (1975); and in the London theatre production of The King and I (1979–80) alongside Yul Brynner. From late 1987 to August 1990, he was the business manager of a trio of brothers, the Australian boxing champions: Dean (heavyweight class), Guy (light heavyweight) and Troy Waters (junior middleweight).

Saturday 29 November 2014

Road Apple - 1979 - Take A Bite


I Know The Feeling/Namatjira/Bending The Strings/Turn Me Loose/Fire On The Mountain/Clyde/Last Train Fom Poor Valley/Fourex Beer And Slim Dusty Music/Stretch My Mind/Rolling Stone/Another Rodeo/Orange Blossom Special (Phase Too)


I think this album will be treat for those that love Australian Country Music The band is called Roadapple. I've never heard of them but there is quite a bit of info on the covers (Yay for covers). The band members are Greg Louttit (Acoustic and Bass Guitar) John Harty (Mandolin) Andy Grant (Acoustic and Bass Guitar) Rainor Webb (Banjo) Kornell Banks (Fiddle) Guest Musicians are Peter Richardson (Tambourine) with Stuart Watson and Marcus Holden (Fiddles).

The Majority of the music is Bluegrass and it motors along. There are a couple of originals with rest being covers. There is a nice rendition of the Doctor Hook hit "Cover of the Rolling Stone" and one that stuck out for me "Fourex Beer And Slim Dusty Music".
There is one track # six which on playback I thought what am I going to do with this The start of it sounded like someone had been using the record for a Frisbee but no it turns out it was only special effects here I am cleaning up records and these guys are putting the sound of old crackling records back on.

A nice gesture by the band was donating all the royalties from the sale of the record to The Variety Club Of Australia there is a copy of the thankyou note on the back cover. I hope it sold well in country Australia.


The Album has cover scans and is in WAVE format

Saturday 22 November 2014

Zoot - Just Zoot


1 X 2 X 3 X 4/Mr. Songwriter/Flying/Yes I'm Glad/Who's Afraid Of You/About Time/Monty And Me/Sailing/Feelings/Sha La La/She's Alright/Shake A Feather


Zoot were a pop/rock band formed in Adelaide, South Australia in 1965 as Down the Line. They changed their name to Zoot in 1967 and by 1968 had relocated to Melbourne. They had a top five hit on the Go-Set national singles chart with a heavy rock cover of The Beatles' ballad "Eleanor Rigby" released in 1970; but they disbanded in May 1971.

Mainstay bass guitarist, Beeb Birtles, was later a founder of Little River Band in 1975 and guitarist singer-songwriter, Rick Springfield, who moved to the United States in 1972, achieved international fame as a solo artist, songwriter and actor.


Band Members

Beeb Birtles – bass guitar, guitar (2011), vocals (1965–1971, 2011)
Darryl Cotton – lead vocals, guitar (1965–1971, 2011; died 2012)
Teddy Higgins – drums (1965–1968)
John D'Arcy – guitar, vocals (1965–1968)
Steve Stone – guitar (1968)
Rick Brewer – drums (1968–1971, 2011)
Roger Hicks – guitar (1968–1969)
Rick Springfield – lead guitar, vocals (1969–1971, 2011)

Zoot reunited for the Rick Springfield and Friends cruise in November 2011. Sadly Darryl Cotton passed away 8 months later from liver cancer.

Sunday 2 November 2014

Benjamin Hugg - 1974 - Early One Morning


Interlude (Early One Morning)/Thank God You're Here With Me/Such Little Time/Lovely Picture/Silly Minded People/Alleys Of Austin/Michinberry Walk/My Jenny/Here Comes Alice And Me/I've Found Love/Hand Me Down Second Hand Smile/Epilouge (Early One Morning)


 Benjamin Hugg was a Melbourne based folk singer who had a #35 hit with "Thank God You're Here With Me" in 1974, The album contains some folk and poptunes .He released a second single "Minchinberry Walk" in 1975 .His second album "What's Been Happening" came out in 1975 Hugg formed a touring band The Benjamin Hugg Band which comprised of Greg Johnson (guitar) Keith Miller (bass) David Pitt (drums). At the 1974 King of Pop Awards Benjamin received the Best New Talent Award he then dissappeared from public view.

Bejamin's real name was Gary Hughes, he was born in Germany and came to Australia in the '70s. He married and had two daughters but was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, and died with his family around him at his home in Melbourne in 1991.



Friday 24 October 2014

Ray Arnott - 1979 - Rude Dudes


Some Feelings/On the Run/K.O.Love/The World Needs a Shake Up/Rock'n'Roll Girl/Need Your Love/Shaky Knee/Ambush/Boogie On/Teenage Blues


 
Raymond "Ray" Walter Arnott is an Australian rock drummer, singer-songwriter, he was a member of Spectrum (1970–1973), which had a number one hit with "I'll Be Gone" (recorded before Arnott joined) in January 1971. He also had short stints with The Dingoes in the 1970s and Cold Chisel in 1980s.


In early 1971 he replaced original drummer Mark Kennedy in the renowned Australian progressive rock group Spectrum and he remained with them until they split in early 1973. He sang backing and lead vocals with the band, as well as drumming, and he contributed several songs to their repertoire.
Arnott left Spectrum to join Mighty Kong, a new band formed by ex-Daddy Cool members Ross Wilson and Ross Hannaford, but the new group was very short-lived and broke up soon after recording its only LP in late 1973.
Arnott took over the drum stool from the original drummer in two of the most prominent Australian groups of the period, The Dingoes in the late 1970s and Cold Chisel in 1983, but in both cases his tenure was relatively short.
Cold Chisel frontman Jim Barnes took on Arnott for his first two solo releases, the Bodyswerve album in 1984 and For the Working Class Man album in 1985.
Arnott now lives and works on the Mid North coast of Australia as a teacher at Lismore Heights Public School and occasional band member.

New Link Added 15.01.2021

 

Saturday 27 September 2014

Air Supply - Life Support


 Give Me Love/Looking Out For Something Outside/Lost In Love/I Just Like The Feeling/More Than Natural/Just Another Woman/Bring Out The Magic/Don't Want To Lose You/Natural


Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of singer-songwriter and guitarist Graham Russell and lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock . They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s. They formed in Australia in 1975 and have included various accompanying musicians and singers. They have sold more than 100 million albums.
Life Support is the fourth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1979. The album contains the original version of the later hit single "Lost in Love", which peaked at #1 on Australian charts. "Just Another Woman" would also be re-released on the album Lost in Love.
Life Support, a concept album which included a picture disc on its first printing. Session musicians included Mike Bukowsky on brass, Tommy Emmanuel on guitar, Frank Esler-Smith as arranger and keyboardist, Geoff Oakes on brass, Coz Russo on keyboards and Peter Walker (ex-Bakery) on guitar. Esler-Smith had been the orchestral arranger for the production of Jesus Christ Superstar where Hitchcock and Russell had initially met, and he would maintain a long association with Air Supply throughout his life. Produced by Charles Fisher (Radio Birdman, Ol' 55), the album was recorded in the Trafalgar Studios in Sydney, Australia where, as recalled on the 2005 DVD, he had half an inch between the end of his guitar and the studio wall. The album had a five-and-a-half minute version of "Lost in Love", written by Russell in 15 minutes; it was released as a single and peaked at No. 13 in Australia and No. 13 in New Zealand.   New Link Added 02.07.2021

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Bullet - Rock My Lady


Rock My Lady/Mover


This single was the only known output from this Sydney band. Released on the Atlantics’ own label, Bullet was in fact an off-shoot from Bullett, losing a T and 3 members during the transition with only bassist Alex Smith remaining. Both Rock My Lady and Mover are solid examples of mid 70s Aussie Boogie/ Hard Rock, with perhaps Mover having the edge over the A side. The Band were active from 1972 to 1976.





Members

Kim Williams-Drums
Alex Smith-Bass
Wayne Smith-Guitar

Saturday 6 September 2014

Johnny Farnham - 1973 - Sings..Hits Magic Rock 'N' Roll


Everything Is Out Of Season/Nobody's Fool/It's Up To You/If You Would Stay/Sweet Cherry Wine/Don't You Know It's Magic/Rock Me Baby/Lucille/Blueberry Hill/Johnny 'B' Goode/Diana/Memphis Tennessee



This album was released in 1973 and has three singles from '72 and '73 "Rock Me Baby /Nobody's Fool " #4 "Don't You Know It's Magic/Sweet Cherry Wine" #12 "Everything Is Out Of Season/It's Up To You" #8 and "If You Would Stay" the B-side of Shake A Hand which charted at #24 The rest of the album is made up of Rock 'n' Roll standards so as the title suggests there are some hits and some Rock 'n' Roll.
So a nice little package for you John Farnham fans.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

La De Das - Anthology-Rock 'n' Roll Decade (1965-74)


Little Girl/How Is The Air Up There/Don't You Stand In My Way/I Take What I Want/On Top Of The World/ Jump Back/Hey Baby/Find Us A Way/All Purpose Low/Intro-Covered In Gold/Ruby For The Lady/Come And Fly With Me/Swallow, Little Swallow/You Can't Take It With You/ Life Is Leaving!/Tales Of The Nile/Winter Song/Lullabye/Civic Pride/The Chant/Come Together/Sweet Girl/Gonna See My Baby Tonight/Morning Good Morning (Outro New World Motors Ad)/Rock Me Baby (Live)/The Place/Too Pooped To Pop/ I'm In Love Again/Honky Tonkin'/All Along The Watchtower/Gone Dead Train/I'm Ready (Live)



The band which eventually became The La De Das was started by three young musicians from the rural Huapai district, near Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. Friends Kevin Borich, Brett Neilson and Trevor Wilson were all from Rutherford High School in Te Atatu. The Mergers formed in late 1963 as a Shadows-style instrumental group and began playing local dances and school socials, but The Beatles' visit in June 1964, and the emergence of The Rolling Stones, crystallised the need for change of style and a lead singer. Trevor Wilson suggested a friend from nearby Mt Albert Grammar School, Phil Key, who joined as vocalist and rhythm guitarist.

The group decided that "The Mergers" failed to reflect the toughness of their music, so began searching for another name. One promoter even changed their name to The Gonks for an early 1965 gig at a summer carnival. They decided on The Criminals, but Key's mother was not impressed and after rehearsals one night at the Wilson house she jokingly suggested instead that they call themselves "something nice, like the la-de-das ...". Key loved it and the name stuck.

By early 1965 their weekend hobby had taken off and they were getting regular bookings on Auckland's booming dance circuit. Their first recordings were made in an Auckland 2-track studio. They cut two tracks written by Borich, "Ever Since That Night" and "Little Girl" (co-written with Trevor Wilson). The single was released on the Talent City label in April 1965, but it only sold to friends, family and fans.

In November 1965 they got a major break when they were called up to fill in at The Platterack. The La De Da's went over well and were offered further bookings at the club. After Phil Key finished school in December, the band turned professional. The Platterack took on The Las De Da's as the resident band, replacing the Dallas Four. The band received £12 per week and were soon packing out the club on a regular basis. It was here they linked up with one of the regular patrons, Bruce Howard, a classically trained keyboard player. Bruce auditioned at the next rehearsal and joined the band. He and Trevor Wilson became the creative core of the band, writing all their original material.

In January 1966 Stebbing was given an import copy of a Changin' Times album by Philips A&R man John McCready, and he immediately tagged the track "How Is The Air Up There?" as possible song for a local band. The La De Da's performed a demo, resulting in them cutting a recording and signing to Zodiac for both management and production, with their recordings distributed through Phillips. They recorded a series of hits through 1966-67, which are now regarded as classics of 60s R&B.

Their third single, a John Mayall song called "On Top Of The World", eventually peaked at #2. Stebbing then offered them residency at his Galaxie nightclub and they were regulars on the C'mon TV show. As indicated by the choice of B-side, the band were now well and truly into their Mod phase, setting Auckland trends with plaid trousers, satin shirts and buckle shoes. The bands situation is described by Phil Key:


The hits just inspired confidence in us. We became totally involved in getting dressed up and going out to gigs, the gigs and rehearsals were everything. Nothing worried us, we were so busy consuming what was happening around us. We were super aware, on top of every trend in music and clothes and language. We tried to be honest and sincere with our music, only playing and recording what we liked. The guys in the good record bars dug what we were doing and they got in all the latest English R&B records for us. We were listening to Zoot Money, John Mayall, Manfred Mann, The Animals, all that sort of stuff and trying to create that sound. We were different from groups like The Underdogs who just played 12-bar blues all night; we tried to be a lot more imaginative about what we did ... We had no idea what we were earning on tour, we just spent what we wanted and ploughed the rest back into the band. We had our way with girls, bought more clothes and equipment and just enjoyed being stars.

In November '66 "How Is The Air Up There" reached the finals of the Loxene Golden Disc and recorded their debut album of covers, which was released in time for Christmas 1966, it immediately sold out of its first pressing.

Keyboard player Claude Papesch introduced them to Bruce Channel's "Hey Baby" and predicted it would be a surefire hit for them. They cut it immediately, released it as their next single in February, and resulted in their first #1 hit in March 1967.

In April they released their classic Stupidity EP. Like their debut album, the songs were all proven stage favourites: "Stupidity", "Coming Home", the Young Rascals’ "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" and Otis Redding's "Respect". Aficionados now regard it as one of the best of New Zealand R&B records of the 1960s.

While preparing for their second album, Trevor Wilson started developing what would later be called "rock opera". For the basis of the piece he chose to adapt Oscar Wilde's classic tale "The Happy Prince". At this point Bruce Howard was his only ally in the band, but together they started to piece the work together. This was the seed of later divisions within the band.

The second LP, Find Us A Way showed the band moving away from their R&B roots and taking in new influences from acts like The Spencer Davis Group, who were themselves starting to take move away from their earlier style. This time the album contained some original compositions as well as stage favourites. Although they were apparently unhappy about not being not consulted over the final track selection or the cover art, it also sold very well.


May 1967 was The La De Da's' first trip to Australia. The trip included a week-long engagement at Ward Austin's Jungle disco, followed by a support slot on the shows at the Sydney Stadium by The Easybeats, who had just returned from the UK. The band were told to clean up their image, so they had their near-shoulder-length hair trimmed back. In following publicity, the band were pitched at the teenage market, a ploy which did not sit comfortably with them.

"All Purpose Low"/"My Girl", was released in June and went to #3 on the NZ charts, followed in August by "Rosalie"/"Find Us A Way" which reached #5.

On the eve of their second visit to Australia, drummer Brett Neilson left the group. He was replaced by Bryan Harris, drummer with The Action. In February 1968, The La De Das' made their second trip to Australia, gaining a reputation for uncompromising and flamboyant live shows on the Sydney circuit. Now dubbed "The Beautiful La De Das" they were at the forefront of Australian psychedelia. In June, Bryan Harris left and he was replaced by Keith Barber, from The Wild Cherries. In August, they made their second trip to Melbourne and they packed out venues around the city. The direct result was their winning the vote as "Best Australian Disco Act" in the 1968 Go-Set Pop Poll in December.

Jimmy Stewart, an expatriate English producer, had recently set up a new independent label, Sweet Peach. Stewart approached the La De Da's with an offer to record and release The Happy Prince in late 1968. The band began intensive rehearsals in preparation for recording at Bill Armstrong's Melbourne studio. But by November the label had pulled out and the deal collapsed. It was at this point that Melbourne identity Adrian Rawlins came to their rescue. At a gig at the Here Disco in North Sydney; he exhorted the band not to give up on the project and his enthusiasm convinced Trevor Wilson to give it one more try. Gathering support from Widmer and Cordon Bleu, Barry Kimberly of publishers Essex Music and the EMI label, Rawlins and Widmer managed to stitch together a deal to record the album.

Overseen by David Woodley-Page, The Happy Prince was recorded over four weeks in early 1969. The process of "bouncing down"—dubbing a completed 4-track recording onto one track of another tape was succeptable to the buildup of noise on the master tape. However, The Happy Prince effectively became Australia's first 8-track recording, achieved by recording onto on two Scully half-inch, 4-track recorders that were electronically synchronised. This de facto 8-track method provided much greater scope for multitracking and overdubbing and a considerable improvement in overall sound quality. The band released The Happy Prince in April 1969. Hailed as the first Australian concept album, the ambitious LP was a suite of songs co-written by Howard and Wilson. Rave reviews from critics failed to transfer into sales, and the band came close to splitting after its release.

Their next tour was to England. Their Traffic covers carried little weight on Traffic's home turf, so they abandoned touring to record new material. They preformed a few well-received shows at London's Stax Club, the Corn Exchange and at clubs in Birmingham, but the gigs soon dried up. They left England to perform a month of poorly paid gigs in France.

Leaving Wilson in the UK, the rest of the group returned to Australia. On their return they found out that there was far less work on offer than they had been led to believe, but they took what was available and continued gigging to pay back the airfares. Reno Tahei (ex-Sounds Unlimited, Compulsion, Castaways, Luke's Walnut, Genesis) filled in on drums for a few months until Wilson returned. Tahei was arrested and was deported back to New Zealand.

The sudden exit of Tahei, Howard and Wilson regrouped as a four-piece. Peter Roberts from Freshwater joined on bass. At Byron Bay on New Year's Eve 1970, the La De Da's unveiled their new 4-piece's stripped-down hard rock style, which took them back to their R&B roots, and drew heavily from 12-bar Chicago blues and the legacy of Jimi Hendrix. The new lineup got a rousing reception at the Wallacia Festival in January. They regularly shared bills with the leading groups of the day -- Tamam Shud, Company Caine, Chain and the similarly revitalised Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs.

In the latter half of the year they often appeared alongside new sensations Daddy Cool and the press made much of the supposed rivalry between the two bands. In September they teamed with Chain, Tamam Shud and Country Radio for two outdoor concerts at Wollongong and Sydney Showgrounds, before a combined crowd of about 10,000 people, and on Boxing Day 1971 they co-headlined with Daddy Cool before an estimated 50,000 people at the 3XY Rosebud Show in Victoria, cementing their position as one of the top three bands in the country, beside The Aztecs and Daddy Cool.

Towards the end of the year, the La De Da's recorded their fourth single. When released in November, "Gonna See My Baby Tonight" drew a rave review from Molly Meldrum in Go-Set ("...a fantastic song, intelligently recorded, it has to be number one.") and it raced up the charts, reaching #6.



In November '71 the La De Da's were scheduled to go to New Zealand for a four-week return tour. Although the shows sold out well in advance, the group dropped out at the last minute. In January 1972 they performed at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival, and they proved to be one of the highlights of the weekend. "Roundabout", "Gonna See My Baby Tonight" and the yet-to-be-released "Morning Good Morning" were included on EMI's Sunbury double album live set, released in October '72.

Michael Chugg of Consolidated Rock was hired as their full-time agent, and the group was soon netting regular fees of $300–400 per show.  Chugg later left Con Rock and set up his own agency, Sunrise, which continued to handle The La De Da's.

They continued to draw huge crowds through 1972, touring nationally supporting Manfred Mann's Chapter III, and making a record-breaking appearance with Gerry Humphries, Friends and Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs at 3XY's free concert at the Myer Music Bowl, which drew over 200,000 people --- the largest concert audience ever in Australia at that time.

In spite of the successes, internal tension in the band had been growing. Phil Key and Peter Roberts abruptly left the group in September 1972 to form a new four piece outfit called Band of Light. Michael Chugg had resigned as their manager a month before the split, and they were now managed by Roger Davies. Kevin Borich—now the only remaining original member— brought in Ronnie Peel to continue the band. He retained Keith Barber and decided to carry on as a power trio. Their debut performance as a trio was at Sydney's Paddington Town Hall in November.


In January, the new La De Da's lineup headlined the Great Ngaruawahia Festival back in New Zealand. According to John Dix, the La De Da's delivered "...a well paced set [that] blew Black Sabbath and everything New Zealand had to offer clear off the stage."[citation needed] Following this, they completed a short major-city concert tour in May. For the rest of the year, it was a constant round of touring, either as headliners, or sharing the bill with Sherbet, or as support to visiting international acts such as Little Richard, Gary Glitter, Three Dog Night, The Guess Who and Lindisfarne. They also provided backing on two tracks for Richard Clapton's debut album Prussian Blue.

On 8 July, on the way to a Lindisfarne gig, their truck was involved in a head-on collision on the Hume Highway between Holbrook and Albury. Ronnie Peel and their roadie John Brewster (not John Brewster of The Angels) were both hospitalised, although their injuries were not serious. The major casualty was the band's equipment, most of which was destroyed in the crash. Three weeks later the Sunrise agency organised a benefit gig in Sydney at the Green Elephant (the Doncaster Theatre) in Kensington, including the Las De Da's, Sherbet, Buffalo, Pirana, Lotus, Home, Country Radio, I'Tambu, Original Battersea Heroes and Hush, which raised almost $2000 for the group.

By mid-year, the band were being hailed as Australia's leading live act and Borich's was widely regarded as our pre-eminent guitar hero. With Chugg back on board as manager, Kevin was impatient to record a new album. EMI agreed to a new record in September. But the first sessions at EMI's studios were deemed unsatisfactory by the band and all but two tracks were scrapped. (The two tracks, "She Tell Me What To Do" and "No Law Against Having Fun" later surfaced on the compilation LP Legend.)

Later sessions were recorded with different equipment at the Green Elephant Hotel, and were more successful. The resulting LP, Rock'n'Roll Sandwich, was lauded by Glenn Baker as "one of Australia's finest rock albums, a fiery, cohesive work dominated by the superbly talented Kevin Borich and carried off by the reliable gutsiness of Peel and Barber." Touring behind the new LP, released in November 1973, the La De Da's enjoyed their most successful period to date, including supports for Elton John and Suzi Quatro on their Australian tours.

The solid gigging continued through 1974 and into 1975, including a well-received appearance at the final Sunbury Festival in January 1975.

During 1975 problems for the band increased—Australian commercial radio was ignoring their records, and internal tensions were building. The situation was described by Glenn A. Baker 1981:


The disintegration that took hold ... was an easily diagnosed malady which has afflicted every Australian rock & roll band that has ever achieved a degree of popular success. Essentially it comes down to: the bigger you become, the more meaningless your future. Overseas bands can make an album, do a tour and then hide away for a year or two to prepare the next LP with no concern for loss of position. In Australia, just three months off the road to prepare new material and a band's gig price drops to half, the media erects new superstars in their place, and the public acts as if they never were ... That is what killed the La De Da's: the bludgeoning effect of realising that, after 10 hard years, nothing tangible had really been achieved and the only thing that lay ahead was more of the same.

By early 1975, the band's spirits were flagging. In March EMI issued Legend, a valedictory sampler of single A-sides, recent recordings and leftovers put together by Michael Chugg, which also included a much-requested studio rendition of "All Along The Watchtower", Kevin's Hendrix-inspired live showpiece.

In May 1975, Borich officially announced that the La De Da's would disband.  New Link Added 18.04.2021

Saturday 23 August 2014

The Models - 1980 - ALPHABRAVOCHARLIEDELTAECHOFOXTROTGOLF WAVE


21 Hz/Strategic Air Command/Two People Per Sq Km/Pull The Pin/Twice Removed/Pate Pedestrian/Kissing 'Round Corners/All Stop/Uncontrollable Boy (I'm Just An)/Young Rodents/Hans Stand A War Record/Happy Birthday IBM


Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often referred to as "The Models" (Mark Ferrie refers to "The Models" in his work bio for example). They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit, appeared on the Australian singles charts in July 1985. The related album, Out of Mind, Out of Sight, peaked at No. 3 on the Australian albums charts after its release in August. Out of Mind, Out of Sight appeared on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with the single, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", peaking at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. An earlier song from the same album, "Barbados", had peaked at No. 2 on the Australian singles chart.

Models early line-up included Andrew Duffield on keyboards, Mark Ferrie on bass guitar, Janis Freidenfelds (aka Johnny Crash) on drums and percussion, and Sean Kelly on vocals and lead guitar. A later line-up was mainstay Kelly on guitar, James Freud on vocals and bass, Roger Mason on keyboards, Barton Price on drums, and James Valentine on saxophone. Backing singers in the group included Zan Abeyratne and Kate Ceberano (both from I'm Talking) and Canadian-born Wendy Matthews. In early 1989, Duffield, Kelly, Matthews and Valentine were members of Absent Friends. On 27 October 2010, Models were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame by Matthews. New Link Added 30.03.2021

Wednesday 2 July 2014

The Saints - Casablanca [FLAC]



Follow The Leader / Rescue / Senile Dementia / Casablanca / Curtains / Come On / A 1000 Faces / Animal / Out In The Jungle / Beginning Of The Tomato Party / Out Of Sight

The Saints on "Casablanca" were Chris Bailey (guitar / vocals), Janine Hall (bass) and Iain Shedden (drums) with the aid of a number of "hired guns". It was recorded at Matrix Studios in London in February 1982 but wasn't released by Mushroom Records in Australia until 1987

Monday 16 June 2014

Emma Hannah - Things We Do For Love


Babe/Hold Tight/Sometimes When We Touch/Sometimes When We Touch/Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone/The Rose/Love Don't Live Here Anymore/Do That To Me One More Time/Living Thing-Telephone Line/Don't Give Up On Us Baby/I Don't Wanna Talk About It/Slipping Away From Me/We Don't Talk Anymore/Stay With Me Till Dawn-If You Leave Me Now/Can We Still Be Friends/The Things We Do For Love/Close To You/All in Good Time



Emma Hannah was born on December 14th 1944 in Young, NSW.

Emma’s busy career in the music industry began in her teenage years. After early classical training, she became very involved in the flourishing Folk movement, and has been a professional singer and musician from that time on. In the mid 1960’s she appeared on the television show - Gary Shearston's 'Just Folk', along with concert performances across a wide area of the Eastern states of Australia

In the early 1970’s she became a regular on John Williamson's popular 'Travlin' Out West' TV series. Later on she made many more appearances on television, including 'Reg Lindsay's Country Homestead'.

In 1975 she signed a recording contract with Wizard Records. Her first single was “Give a Hand, Take a Hand”. In 1976 a Second single “Waiting For The Rain” released. This single charted well in most states which lead to appearances on the television shows “Don Lane” and “Ernie Sigley”. The same year an Album “Be a Lady in the Daytime” was released.

She was inducted into the Hands of Fame in 1979. Her single “Angel of the Morning” won her a national award for Best Country Record of the Year. Then in 1980 she released "Things We Do For Love" an album of 20 great love songs. Emma is still active today. 

Saturday 1 March 2014

The Shivers - Big Love





Baby Says / Not In Love / Washaway / In My World / Big Love / The Gun / It Hurts / Close My Eyes / Town Is Gone / Sorry / Fortress Of Solitude / Under His Thumb



This is an album by Melbourne band The Shivers, released on Mushroom Records in 1990. They appeared to have all the necessary ingredients required to make a strong impact on the pop market of the day yet failed to do so, which is something I have always thought was a little puzzling.

The band was Wendy Morrison (vocals, piano), Don Ely (guitar), Chris Barton (drums) and Arch Larizza (bass, keyboards & guitar), with support musicians including Julian Mathews and David Shaw of the Stems, Chong Lim, Mark Punch and Mark Moffatt. Larizza, had previously been a member of The Saints.

Wendy Morrison went on to collaborate with Richard Pleasance in Felt and they released a CD in 1996. In 1998 Pleasance was working on the music for the popular ABC TV series SeaChange and he brought Morrison in to sing the show's theme song. 

Friday 28 February 2014

John Rowles - John Rowles


By The Time I Get To Phoenix/Domino/If I Only Had Time/It Takes Two/Lonely Street/Only You/
Honey/Walk In The Sun/I Really Don't Want To Know/Do It/Love Of The World/Dock Of The Bay



John Edward Rowles OBE (born 26 March 1947) is a New Zealand singer. He was most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, and best known in New Zealand for his song Cheryl Moana Marie, which he had written about his younger sister.

Rowles was born in Whakatane, New Zealand, and is part Māori. His father, Eddie Hohapata Rowles, played for the 1938 Māori All Blacks. His mother was Pākehā. He was brought up in Kawerau, in the North Island of New Zealand. Rowles' birth name was simply John Rowles; he added the middle name "Edward" after his brother of that name died at a young age.

Rowles is best known in New Zealand and Australia, though he has also performed in the United States, particularly Las Vegas, Nevada and Hawaii, where he was managed by Kimo Wilder McVay. In the United Kingdom he was best known for the hit "If I Only Had Time", which reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in spring 1968, and stayed in the chart for eighteen weeks. This was a cover version of the French song "Je n'aurai pas le temps" with which the French singer Michel Fugain, had a hit in 1967.

Rowles had another Top 20 hit in the UK with "Hush... Not a Word to Mary", also in 1968

Stockley See Mason Band - Beg Steal Or Borrow


Endless Love/The One And Only/Paradise For Fools/How Come You're Never Home When I Call/Blue Horizon/The Last One To Know/ Eldorado/Lucy/Beg Steal Or Borrow


The Stockley See Mason Band is a super group of sorts with three established guitarists. This is the SSM Band’s only album from 1979 “Beg Steal Or Borrow”. As would be obvious to those who are into knowing who the musos are in the bands we loved back then, each of these 3 guys already had an amazing pedigree as guitarists, singers & songwriters with some of our best bands when they came together in 1978.  Chris Stockley had played in Cam-Pact, Axiom, The Dingoes, Greg Quill’s Southern Cross & had tenures with Rock Doctors, Jimmy Barnes & Broderick Smith among many others to come.

 Same See had been an early member of Sherbet before making his name with Flying Circus, Fraternity, Greg Quill’s Southern Cross & later on John Farnham’s band, Goanna, Zarzoff Brothers & again Brod Smith.

 Add Glyn Mason’s pedigree & it’s very apparent what a talented band we have her. Glyn came to Australia from NZ with The Rebels (formerly Larry’s Rebels), then quickly found himself part of the Chain line-up that recorded Live & Live Again. After replacing Jeff St John in Copperwine for a short time he formed the groundbreakinbg country rock group Home who recorded 2 albums, then he joined Mike Rudd in Ariel to share vocals & writing duties. He was also a prominent performer at the Andy Durant Memorial Concert.”

Saturday 15 February 2014

The Zimmermen - Rivers Of Corn





Don't Go To Sydney / Push And Shove / I'm Happy / No One Else / I Like To Fight With My Wife / Seventeen / Happy Heart / Shake Down / Get Off The Phone / Ordinary Man / I Shall Return



A pun on Bob Dylan's real name, Robert Zimmermen, John Dowler's Australian country-rock outfit Zimmermen are best remembered for their standout hit "Don't Go to Sydney." After working with several bands during the late '70s and early '80s, John Dowler formed Zimmermen in June 1983. They found immediate success on the Melbourne pub-circuit where they supported such acts as the Hoodoo Gurus and the Sunnyboys.

By the end of 1984, band members Steve Connolly and Michael Barclay had left to join the Paul Kelly Band (which became the Coloured Girls the following year). Guitarist Peter Tulloch and drummer Graeme Perry replaced them for the group's debut single, "Don't Go to Sydney," released in January 1985. It became one of the most successful Australian independent singles of 1986 and, after Neil Osborn joined the band as permanent drummer, the band released their debut album, Rivers of Corn, which contained the single "Ordinary Man." (All Music Guide)

Here is that debut album, which was released on Au-Go-Go Records in 1986. Those Lobby Loyde fans amongst us may be interested to know that he recorded two tracks on the album.
New Link Added 04.05.2021