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Tuesday 26 January 2010

Post 237 - Sunbury - Various LP

The Sunbury Pop Festival was an Australian rock music festival held on the Australia Day long weekend from 1972 to 1975. The four Sunbury Pop Festivals were held on on the same 620-acre (2.5 km2) private farm along Jacksons Creek, on the southern outskirts of Sunbury, between Sunbury and Diggers Rest. The Property was owned by farmer and local identity George Duncan. It has been estimated that as many as 40,000 people attended Sunbury in 1972, although figures vary considerably depending on the source. Music entrepreneur Michael Gudinski had some involvement with the first Sunbury festival as well as managing several of the major acts appearing, he operated a lucrative concession selling watermelon to festival goers. British owned record company EMI released a double-album of live performances from the 1972 festival. Here for you to download is that LP "Sunbury" (SOXLP 7561/2) on HMV/EMI Records. Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs also released a live recording of their performance at the '72 festival on the independent Havoc Records label. In 1974 the festival featured its first international act Queen, who were booed off the stage to screams of 'go back to Pommyland, ya pooftahs'. Skyhooks were also booed off stage, and after watching a recording of their performance, lead singer Steve Hill quit and was replaced by Graham "Shirley" Strachan. The first Sunbury Pop festival titled "Rock Happening of 1972" and ran from Saturday January 29 to Monday January 31, 1972. The attendance was 35,000 - 40,000 and the entry fee was $6.00 (3 days), $5.00 (2 days), $1.00 (1 day).

1 comment:

cliffsearch said...

Nice..Sunbury was a big deal down here in Victoria. Were there any other Sunbury Albums released ? Interesting that Michael Gudinski was linked to Sunbury. Thought he only handled artists on his own lable (Mushroom)..Mushroom must have evolved after 1974 I assume. I have the Mushroom evolution concert, which was released 1982, at the Myer Music Bowl..Looks like Gudinki tried to revive Sunbury in his own way. Nice work on the track separation, I think I'd be to lazy to do that LOL...Regards