Reg Lindsay - 1970 - Australia's King Of The Road FLAC

Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes/Shotgun Boogie/King Of The Road/That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine/Gonna Find Me A Bluebird/Four Walls/Bouquet Of Roses/Have I Told You Lately That I Love You/I Love You Because/Tears On My Pillow/Lonely River/Detroit City



It was sad that Reg Lindsay, one of Australia's most talented and successful country music stars, should have virtually disappeared from the country scene after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage in Tamworth in 1995.

Although he made a  welcome guest appearance on the Golden Guitar Awards in 1996, and appeared at a handful of other events during the late '90s, his health deteriorated and he never really regained his  ability to perform. He finally died on August 5th, 2008 at the age of 79.  

 Reg was a major figure in Australian country music from the early '50s to almost the end of the century. Born in 1929 in Parkes NSW, he will always be associated with his now legendary motorcycle ride from Adelaide to Sydney in 1951 for his winning tilt at Tim McNamara's famous talent quest. Already identified by that maker of stars, The Australian Amateur Hour, his Sydney win set him firmly on the road to commercial success, with a Rodeo records contract, Show Boat gigs, touring and recognition far and wide.

 But it wasn't just Reg's fine talents as a singer, songwriter and entertainer that set him apart. He had another key interest, one that was to benefit not only Reg but many other country entertainers. That was his interest and flair for broadcast media. But for the entry in Tim's Talent Quest he could have ended up as an ABC Rural Broadcaster. Instead, fortunately for us, he chose country music rather than just country, though his love for the bush continued for the rest of his life particularly through his enduring involvement with rodeo and horses.

In 1951 he talked his way onto 2CH in Sydney, shortly after switching to 2SM where he  entertained big audiences for over 12 years.

 But it wasn't just radio. In 1964 Reg was invited to take over Channel 9's country music show from Roger Cardwell. The Country & Western Hour was networked around Australia from Adelaide and was so successful that it ran for seven and a half years followed not long afterwards with a new TV show, Reg Lindsay's Country Homestead from Brisbane. Over his TV and radio years, Reg gave literally hundreds of young artists a boost, helping to develop the industry he loved so much.

In 1968 in the midst of his TV work, Reg started the Reg Lindsay Country Store in Parramatta which he ran for many years.

He also travelled and worked in America enjoying significant success in the late 60s and 70s and receiving many plaudits as well as appearing several times on the Grand Ole Opry. In 1977, John Minson and I watched Reg Lindsay performing at FanFair in Nashville and remember being highly impressed at how this outstanding Australian easily outsang and outshone so many of the much more famous American stars around him.

Reg was one of the first to be inducted into the Hands of Fame in 1977 and he collected a pile of other Awards and recognitions including three Golden Guitars for Best Male Vocal in 1974, 1978 and 1980, the Roll of Renown in 1984 and an OAM in 1989. He recorded some 64 Albums, composed and recorded over 500 songs. His big hits like "Armstrong" carried his voice and reputation as a singer to listeners all over the nation. It was country music with a universal appeal.

Reg Lindsay was a highly successful country music entertainer who through combining his flair for the media with his own huge singing talent was able to bring country music to many Australian over some five decades.

Reg was truly a trailblazer for today's country music.  Thanks to Mustang.

Jimmy Little - 1965 - Onward Christian Soldiers FLAC

Onward Christian Soldiers/All People That On Earth Dwell/He's Got The Whole World In His Hands/Fight The Good Fight/Nearer My God To Thee/One Road/I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say/Stand Up For Jesus/Lead Kindly Light/Hold The Fort/Holy, Holy, Holy/Lifeline



James Oswald Little was born on 1 March 1937, a member of the Yorta Yorta people with his mother, Frances, a Yorta Yorta woman and his father, James Little Sr, from the Yuin people. Little's totem is the long-necked turtle. Jimmy Little Sr. was a tap dancer, comedian, musician and singer who led his own vaudeville troupe along the Murray River during the 1930s and 1940s. His mother was a singer and yodeller who had joined Jimmy Sr.'s troupe.

Little grew up, the eldest of seven children, on the Cummeragunja Mission on the Murray River in New South Wales about 30-km from Echuca in Victoria. Little later recalled his upbringing, "[my parents] taught me well about the value of life, freedom, love, respect, all those basic things that we need. As Vaudevillians, I loved them. It was part of my dream to follow in the footsteps of Mum and Dad. And I'm so proud that I was able to do that". He became a devout non-denominational Christian. He is an uncle of writer, soprano, and composer Deborah Cheetham and older brother of the late Aboriginal author and singer-songwriter Betty Little. In February 1939, about 200 to 300 members of the mission participated in the Cummeragunja walk-off – in protest at the low standard living conditions. The Little family moved to his father's tribal land (near Wallaga Lake) and lived for some years on the New South Wales south coast at Nowra and Moruya.

Not long after moving, Frances died from a tetanus infection after cutting her finger on an oyster shell. At the age of 13 Little was given a guitar and within a year he was playing at local concerts. When 16 years old he travelled to Sydney to perform on a radio programme, Australia's Amateur Hour. In 1955 Little left home to live in Sydney and pursue a career in country music, he was influenced by Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis and Jim Reeves. His mellow style earned him the nicknames of "the Balladeer", "Gentleman Jim" and "the Honey Voice".

Tony Barber - 1966 - Someday...Now FLAC RE-POST

 Intro/Someday/No More Moanin'/If You Want My Old Clothes, It's Too Late I've Got 'em On/You Can't Lie To A Liar/Nobody/Someday Soon/Wait By The Water/Talkin'/Untrue/Tea For One/Fever/I Want Her Too/Is It Raining 


Anthony Arthur Barber, known as Tony Barber (born 3 December 1942, Norwich, Norfolk)
Tony Barber, former guitarist & songwriter with the original Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, debuted as a solo singer in 1966 with one of the best beat/pop singles of the era, and scoring a major Top 5 National Aussie hit straight off the bat with "Someday"..sounding not unlike his old band  He released six singles three extended plays and an LP in Australia in the mid-'60s.

Guitarist, singer, songwriter and author Tony Barber is one of the unsung heroes of the Beat Boom in Australia. Rock historian Dean Mittelhauser considered him "one of our most underrated performers from the Sixties" and felt that Tony had "played a bigger part in the success of Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs that has been generally credited".

Jimmy Little - 1963 - Sing To Glory FLAC

 I Am On The Battlefield/Royal Telephone/Just A Closer Walk/The Church In The Wildwood/By And By/Somebody's Knocking At The Door/When The Saints Go Marching In/Hornets/Life's Railway To Heaven/Old Time Religion/Each Step Of The Way/Answer The Call Of Jesus



 James Oswald Little, AO (1 March 1937 – 2 April 2012) was an Australian Aboriginal musician, actor and teacher from the Yorta Yorta people and was raised on the Cummeragunja Mission, New South Wales.

From 1951 he had a career as a singer-songwriter and guitarist, which spanned six decades. For many years he was the main Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene. His music was influenced by Nat King Cole and American country music artist Jim Reeves. His gospel song "Royal Telephone" (1963) sold over 75,000 copies and his most popular album, Messenger, peaked at No. 26 in 1999 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1999 Little was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and won an ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album. On Australia Day (26 January) 2004, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia with the citation, "For service to the entertainment industry as a singer, recording artist and songwriter and to the community through reconciliation and as an ambassador for Indigenous culture".

As an actor, he appeared in the films Shadow of the Boomerang (1960) and Until the end of the World (1991), in the theatre production Black Cockatoos and in the opera Black River. As a teacher, from 1985, he worked at the Eora Centre in Redfern and from 2000 was a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney's Koori Centre.

In 1958 Little married Marjorie Rose Peters and they had a daughter, Frances Claire Peters-Little. Little was a diabetic with a heart condition and, in 2004, had a kidney transplant. After his transplant he established the Jimmy Little Foundation to promote indigenous health and diet. Marjorie died in July 2011. On 2 April 2012, Little died at his home in Dubbo, aged 75 years.

The B0ys - 1981 - The B0ys FLAC

A1 Weoh, Weoh, Weoh    
A2 Same Game    
A3 Spend My Time    
A4 When You're Lonely    
A5 First Time    
A6 Waiting (All Night Long)    
B1 Leave It All Behind    
B2 Memory Lingers On    
B3 Hurt Me Babe    
B4 Why'd Ya Do That    
B5 On My Own







 Boys originally formed by guitar playing siblings, Lino and Camillo Del Roio, whilst still at high school as the Rockhouse Corporation in 1977 and started out as a cover band playing mostly top 40 rock but then progressed into playing original songs. "When You’re Lonely" was the first single released in August 1980, with the single going to No. 1 on the local charts and reaching No. 52 on the national singles charts. In September 1980 the band appeared on Countdown. The Boys released two further singles, "Hurt Me Babe" in March 1981 and "Weoh Weoh Weoh" in September 1981, which reached No. 57 and No. 76 on the national charts. The band released their self-titled debut in November 1981. In September 1982 they released, "Don't Say No", which was followed by their second album, Inside the Cage, in December 1982,. The band's original singer for the first album, Brent Lucanus, was replaced by Wayne Green (Wayne Green and the Phantoms) on their second album. A further single, "Lonely Dreamers", was released in March 1983, The original band went through several line-up changes but brothers Camillo Del Roio and Lino Del Roio were constant members throughout. The band split in 1983 but reformed in 1987 with Camillo and Lino on guitar, Eddie Parise on bass, drummer Frank Celenza, Tony Celiberti as keyboardist, and singer, Troy Newman (Extremists). A year later the band changed their name to Boyschool but split soon after.

Following the band's break up guitar playing brothers Camillo and Lino formed D.D and the Rockmen with Celenza

Lino Del Roio was appointed sales manager for Kosmic Sound (a music equipment supply company), in the late 1980s, which the two brothers subsequently bought, acquiring a number of other dealerships of leading brands of the time including exclusive dealerships for Steinberger and Ken Smith basses. They both played guitar for Western Australian hard rock outfit The Jets in the early 1990s. Tony Celeberti is an arranger for sheet music transcriptions who has worked on material by Guy Sebastian and Powderfinger, amongst others, for Australian publisher Music Sales. Brent Lucanus went on to play in a few bands around Perth, notably Change Alley with Gary Dunn.
and the DeMarchi sisters Suze and Denise. The band's drummer and bassist, Celenza and Parise, went on to form Bamboo Curtain, before joining Baby Animals. Troy Newman moved to Sydney following the band's break up and found moderate success as a solo performer, scoring a Billboard hit with the single "Love Gets Rough" and the album Gypsy Moon in 1991, released through Atlantic imprint East West Records and by Warner Music in Australia. He released a second album, It's Like This, in 1996. Newman died in March 1997.

Masters Apprentices - 1971 - Choice Cuts FLAC

Rio De Camero/Michael/Easy To Lie/Because I Love You/Catty/Our Friend Owsley Stanley III/Death Of A King/Song For A Lost Gypsy/I'm Your Satisfier/Song For Joey - Part II



 If you are not yet familiar with The Masters Apprentices, I should direct you to the fabulous anthology "Hands Of Time-1966-1972" on the Raven label. This faultless collection was compiled by Australian rock historian Glenn A. Baker, and provides and excellent introduction to this great Australian group, who along with The Easybeats were the two top acts down under in the late 60's early 70's.


 The Masters started life in 1966 as a primal R&B garage outfit that specialized in ultra primitive rock and roll in the style of The Pretty Things and Van Morrison's early group Them. Their early sides were penned by the group's guitarist, a gifted writer named Mick Bower, but their obvious focal point was lead singer Jim Keays. Keays had both style and talent, and possessed a wailing vocal range that would rival Pretty Things lead singer Phil May.

 Early Masters recordings such as "Undecided", "Buried And Dead" & "Hot Gully Wind" are top drawer, freakbeat ravers that take a back seat to no-one. As time went on Mick Bower's songwriting became more sophisticated and reflective, tracks such as "Wars Or Hands Of Time", "Theme For A Social Climber" & "Tired Of Just Wandering" showed tremendous maturity. Sadly Bower suffered something of a nervous breakdown and was advised by his doctor to leave the pop business, which he eventually did. 

This could have spelled the end for the Masters, but Jim Keays picked up the pieces and weathered the group through the flower-power era. This era of the group was resonsible for the classic "Elevator Driver" 45 and also "But One Day" (which was a Mick Bower holdover.) The Masters entered their next phase leaning towards a harder, more progressive sound which was first introduced with the 1969 album "Masterpiece." All the while the Masters were incredibly popular in Australia regardless of their several lineup shifts. Jim Keays was the one constant that kept the group's head above water. However as 1969 turned into 1970 the group felt they were stagnating in Australia and decided to take a shot at global acceptance and relocated to England.



The Masters arrived in England in the spring of 1970 and signed with the EMI progressive label Regal Zonophone (home to The Move, The Tickle, Procol Harum & others.) This lineup featured Jim Keays on lead vocals, guitarist Doug Ford (previously with The Missing Links & Running, Jumping, Standing Still), Glenn Wheatley-bass and Colin Burgess on drums. This lineup would prove to be group's finest since the Mick Bower days.

 The Masters managed to book Abbey Road Studios to record their first album on UK soil. "Choice Cuts" (which was issued in the UK simply as "Masters Apprentices" or the "chair album") was nothing short of a revelation and a quantum leap artistically for the group. This album is just a drop dead classic from the word go. Released in 1970 "Choice Cuts" is the equal of any great record you care to mention from that year. The Masters prove to be just that, masters of any style they chose to attempt, pop, folk, progressive and full tilt, heavy rock. It's all there and it's all good!

"Rio De Camero" is a vibrant opener which combines a latin, shuffle beat with Glenn Wheatley's fluid, upfront bass lines and funky minor chords played by Doug Ford. Keays interjects with his shrieking, double-tracked vocals, the whole thing ends with a rush of guitar muscle (this track was included on the "Hands Of Time" collection.) "Michael" begins as a plaintive acoustic ballad that quickly evolves into an all out heavy guitar blitz that simply never lets up. 

  "Easy To Lie" is absolutely threatening! It begins with Wheatley's throbbing bass line and leaps right into a massive acid guitar frenzy, Keays has his vocals treated to where he sounds like Ozzy Osbourne. Doug Ford hammers at his axe with the savage intenisty of T.S. McPhee of The Groundhogs, while the rhythm section lays down a sinister, gorilla beat that would have made the Hogs proud. Then comes an absolute curveball in "Because I Love You" which reminds me of Peter Frampton's melodic contributions to Humble Pie, the song employs bright acoustic guitar patterns to a rousing chorus which fades in the manner of The Beatles "Hey Jude" & Donovan's "Atlantis." I'm sure the female fans of the group dug this romantic tune all the way.

"Catty" returns to the blistering hard rock of "Easy To Lie", the spare, punishing guitar chords remind one of Free's late, great guitarist Paul Kossoff. While the overall feel of the number is that of a funky Black Sabbath. "Our Friend Owsley Stanley III" is also in Black Sabbath territory with an equal measure of "Stand Up" era Jethro Tull. Obviously the song is an ode to the US acid kingpin, perhaps acid got to Australia a bit late, as most groups were more into singing about granola and ecology flags in 1970.

"Death Of A King" is another Groundhogs style pissed off heavy ballad which concerns itself with the tragic death of Martin Luther King. This song addresses the subject in a much more convincing fashion than U2's self-serving "Pride" anthem. "Song For A Lost Gypsy" goes for the heavy thud of Blue Cheer with positive results. "I'm Your Satisfier" is a down and dirty, funky number that once again draws a Free comparison. The final piece "Song For Joey Part 2" begins with some lovely acoustic guitar work from Doug Ford before hurling another curveball at the listener, this piece quickly shifts into the greatest Van Morrison copy since the USA garage band Things To Come's "Sweetgina", however this one goes for Morrison's "Astral Weeks" style and Keays and Co. pull it off perfectly. 

  "Choice Cuts" was greeted by glowing reviews in the UK press but somehow the record failed to attract much action at the shops or on radio and sank into obscurity until being re-discovered by collectors in the 1980's. The record now changes hands for $150+ but it lives up to that lofty price tag with room to spare. There have been a few legal and semi-legal CD re-issues of it down the years, but it seems to be out of print at the moment. Hopefully this will change very soon. "Choice Cuts" is a dazzling blend of folk, heavy and progressive styles that should be in every serious record library. The good news is that the Masters would actually up the ante with "Choice Cuts" brilliant follow-up "A Toast To Panama Red" (more on that one in a bit.)

The Masters Apprentices were one of the great groups of the late 60's early 70's and it's about time their name starts getting mentioned next to the MC5, Pretty Things, Stooges, Groundhogs etc. because they no doubt belong in that company.  (Reviewed by Dave Furgess)