Current Traffic

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Post 169 - Concert For Darwin LP

Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974. It is the most compact hurricane or equivalent strength tropical cyclone on record in the Australian basin, with gale-force winds extending only 48 kilometres. Tracy killed 71 people, caused $837 million in damage and destroyed more than 70 percent of Darwin's buildings, including 80 percent of houses. Tracy left homeless more than 20,000 out of the 49,000 inhabitants of the city. A benefit concert at the Sydney Opera House in January 1975 raises $75,000 for victims of the Cyclone Tracy disaster. Under the musical direction of Tommy Tycho and performances by Brian Cadd & The Bootleg Family, Don Lane, William Shakespeare, Rolf Harris, Mary Jane Boyd, Colleen Hewitt, Barry Crocker, Paul Hogan and Winifred Atwell to name a few. Released by RCA M7 and Festival Records and produced by Roger Woodward, Robert Gunn. Here to download is the 1975 double album "Concert For Darwin" (SMX-44978) live at the Sydney Opera House.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks Ozzie quite an interesting and varied lineup liikyng forward to a listen

Unknown said...

jeez all over the place with looking lol

Frank Calabrese said...

I seem to recall seeing this on TV at the time and you're right about it being a mish-mash of artists, but what a great cause and a true time capsule of the period, especially David Frost's jibes at Gough Whitlam and his globe trotting, which is somewhat deja vu with the Current PM :-)

Many thanks OZZIE : -) (see I remembered this time)

Unknown said...

Here is the track list
THIS IS A VERY RARE VINYL SET /GATE-FOLD / NEAR MINT

CONCERT FOR DARWIN - LIVE AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

A VERY COLLECTABLE ALBUM SET.

RECORD1-SIDE1

STRIKE UP THE BAND-TOMMY TYCHO

FROST THEME-ORCH.

MONOLOGUE-DAVID FROST

BLACK AND WHITE RAG-WINIFRED ATWELL

MEDLEY:-WINIFRED ATWELL

DAY BY DAY - COLLEEN HEWITT

LISZT'S HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY NO.2- ISADORE GOODMAN

SIDE2:

LET GO-BRIAN CADD AND THE BOOTLEG FAMILY

VESTALAJUBA-DON SMITH

VILIA-JUNE BRONHILL

ONLY MAKE BELIEVE-DON SMITH&JUNE BRONHILL

TIJUANA BRASS MEDLEY:-TOMMY TYCHO

I CAN'T STOP MYSELF FROM LOVING YOU-WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

RECORD2,SIDE1

CORNER OF THE SKY-BARRY CROCKER

NESSUN DORMA-BARRY CROCKER

MONOLOUGE-DAME JOAN HAMMOND

POLONAISE IN F SHARP MINOR-ROGER WOODWARD

IF HE WALKED INTO MY LIFE-TONI LAMOND

MONOLOGUE-I AM A MAN-DON LANE

RECORD2,SIDE2:

RHYTHM OF LIFE-CLARIE POOL SINGERS

MAN I LOVE-MARY JANE BOYD

MONOLOGUE-PAUL HOGAN

MONOLOGUE-McADAM-ROLF HARRIS

EULOGY-DAVID FROST

SONG FOR DARWIN-ROLF HARRIS.

Stone Ebony Shelter said...

I gratefully downloaded this album solely in order to hear again Mary Jane Boyd's "Man I Love". It has been many years since I have been able to enjoy Miss Boyd's exquisite voice. Her hauntingly beautiful version of this song has lived in my heart since I first heard it when this concert was originally telecast. What a talent! What a loss! She is missed!Thank you, Ozzie, for preserving an important slice of Australia's history and musical prestige.

Lawman said...

I was the producer of the Opera House Concert for Darwin.

The LP was a limited edition and the masters were destroyed as was the video tape of the concert so that no-one could exploit the cause.

Lawman said...

Yes Mary Jane was wonderful and performed at many concerts around the country that I produced.

It was devastating to lose her such a wondeful person and enormous talent.

jfkscw said...

It's gone 37 years since the Concert for Darwin but I remember watching it on TV as clear as if I watched it only last evening. That concert boosted our spirits after such a tragedy. I bought the album and still have it. It's in mint condition and I often play it. As a side track to this, can anyone please help me to find Rona Coleman who was "Eliza" in the JCW 1968-69 revival of "My Fair Lady?" I've lost contact with her. Thanks.