Post 291 - Debutantes - Various Artist LP

The "Debutantes" LP in 1977 was the first 33 1/3 RPM of six new acts. If you lived in the South Eastern part of Australia you would have already seen Stiletto and The Sports live in concert. Others such as Mark Gillespie who lived in Yowrie N.S.W. and Adrian Hann a teacher, this LP presents their work for the first time. The last two acts Wayne Burt and Red Symons have been heard before on record as members of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and Skyhooks. The songs recorded for this album were the first solo recordings by these artists. Here to download is the LP "Debutantes" (OZS-1005). The album was engineered by John French with production by Ross Wilson, Red Symons, Adrian Hann and Wayne Burt.

Post 290 - Pattie - Gravitation / Let The Music Start

At 15, Little Pattie left Sydney Girl's High School to concentrate on her singing career. She scored three more hit singles during 1964 and made regular television appearances on shows like Bandstand, Saturday Date and Sing, Sing, Sing. In 1966, Pattie (having dropped the 'Little') toured Vietnam to entertain Australian troops. Despite assurances of absolute safety, at the tender age of 17 she found herself being evacuated from the beach at Long Tan, and returned home a changed (and more politically mature) person. Here to download is her 1969 single for Columbia "Gravitation" b/w "Let The Music Start" (DO-8694) it was produced by David McKay. In 1972 she played a leading role in the Australian Labor Party's It's Time campaign, which saw Gough Whitlam elected as the first Labor Prime Minister in 23 years. Although Patricia Amphlett tried in recent years to forge a career as an adult singer, she fell into a common fate for child stars, the public refused to let her grow up. Thanks to Micko for help with this one.

Post 289 - All The Way Soundtrack LP

All the Way is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network in 1988. The series was set in the 1960s - the first episode took place on 22 November 1963 - and examined life for an Australian family during the decade of JFK, the Vietnam war, civil rights activism and The Beatles linked by three sisters (played by Diana Davidson, Maggie Millar and Rowena Wallace). A young Dannii Minogue also featured prominently in the cast. All the Way started out as a six-part mini-series before being extended to an ongoing series. However, it failed to catch on with audiences and was axed after 26 episodes. Here to download is the soundtrack album from the series "All The Way" (463256 1) on CBS Records. Artists that appear on this LP are Peter Chambers, Rick Price, Graham Matters and a host of others. Thanks to Peter S for this album.

Post 288 - Darryl Cotton - Can't Face The Music

On post #74 you will find the A side of this non LP track. The A side was "Don't Let It Get To You" which appeared on the album "Best Seat In The House". Darryl produced this side of the single which was released on Ross Wilson and Glenn Wheatley's Oz label, which issued the single in August 1978. Here to download is that B side "Can't Face The Music" (OZ-11774). As far as I can find out this track has never appeared on an album. Darryl performs regularly with the band Cotton Keays & Morris with fellow 1960s performers Jim Keays from The Masters Apprentices and Russell Morris. He has also performed and recorded with the Australian Youth Choir.

Post 287 - La De Das - You And Me

To me the La De Das often made their B sides as good if not better then the A side of some singles. An example is on post # 25 the B side of "Gonna See My Baby Tonight," "Fare Thee Well" which I have always thought was far better than the A side. With the follow up single "Morning Good Morning", the B side again was a great track written and sang by Phil Key who also sang the A side. Here to download is that B side "You And Me" (EA-9845). It was produced by Red Coe for His Master's Voice Records in 1972. Phil Key and bass player Peter Roberts left in October of 1972 to form Band of Light. After the split of Band of Light in 1975, Phil Key left the music business and spent several years living quietly, raising a family and working as a cab driver in Sydney. He died from a congenital heart condition in 1984.

Post 286 - Various - A Tribute to Rock Around The Clock

In 1977 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the release of Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock," 2SM and its sister radio station 3XY in Melbourne and 4IP in Brisbane with the ANZ Bank commissioned the cream of Aussie talent to record this limited edition version. Together with Festival Records to salute the classic song, vocals were supplied by Glenn Shorrock, Graeme "Shirley" Strachan, John Paul Young, Daryl Braithwaite, Renee Geyer and Frankie J. Holden with Ol' 55. Here to download is that single "Rock Around The Clock" (SMX 46633) with the B side an introduction to how the record was put together with the voice of....I don't know but maybe someone does.

Post 285 - Fourth House - Swampy Crocodile

Actually there was no group called Fourth House. The vocals were by Wild Cherries / Virgil Brothers singer Danny Robinson and the backing was done by studio musicians. Danny, while visiting friend David McKay who was playing Jimmy Cliff's version of Cat Stevens "Wild World", on the spur of the moment decided to record a version also. Here to download is the B side of that single an instrumental penned by Hans Poulsen "Swampy Crocodile" (FB-035) on Fable Records, the A side was produced by David McKay so I can only guess he did this side as well but there are no production credets on the lable. Fourth House was not followed up with any other recording. Danny had retired by this time and had no interest in getting back into pop music.

Post 284 - Liv Maessen - Knock, Knock Who's There EP

Noted for her deep, resonant contralto voice, Melbourne singer Liv Maessen launched her career in 1969 when she entered the popular TV talent quest New Faces. The young mother of two won her heat and went on to take out second place in the series final. Her first single was a song called "The Love Moth". Released on the Polydor label in Dec. 1969, it scraped into the bottom end of the national Top 40 in April 1970, peaking at #39. Her second single, issued in April 1970, was a cover of Mary Hopkin's UK hit "Knock, Knock, Who's There". Liv's version was included in the first batch of singles released by Ron Tudor's new record company Fable Records and it quickly shot to the top of the charts. It became her most successful recording and one of the biggest Australian singles of the year. It stayed on the charts for 23 weeks and earned Liv the unique distinction of being the first Australian female singer ever to be awarded a Gold Record, for sales of over 50,000 copies. Her third single moved into the country pop genre with a rendition of Anne Murray's US hit "Snowbird". It made the national Top 20, but this proved to be her last chart hit. In March 1971 she released her fourth single, "Hurry On Down", which sold only moderately and didn't chart. Here to download is the 1970 EP "Knock, Knock Who's There" (FBE 1) arranged by John Farrar. In 1974 Liv released a new single on the Philips label, "Hey Mama, Sing Me A Song" which was apparently her last commercial recording. Nothing is currently known about what Liv is doing these days.

Post 283 - Johnny "Aldo" Lockwood - No. 96 / In My Deli

Johnny Lockwood was born on 7th of December 1920 in London. He is an Australian-based actor and comedy performer, possibly best known for his role in the 1970's television soap opera Number 96, playing Aldo Godolfus. Lockwood came to Australia in 1957 for a ten-week run with the Tivoli Theatre circuit, however after that job finished he remained in Australia for five years. Returned to the UK to play Fagin in Lionel Bart's Oliver! at the New Theatre but once that run finished Lockwood followed his yearnings and returned permanently to Australia. Lockwood spent a year with television series Sunnyside Up then went to the U.S. to perform in Las Vegas and returned to Australia for a two-year run with classic comedy series The Mavis Bramston Show. The role in Number 96 followed in 1972. Lockwood was an original cast member of the series and his character, bumbling Jewish proprietor Aldo Godolfus, was one of the show's most well known and recognised figures. The character was killed off in a dramatic revamp of the series - the infamous bomb blast storyline - in September 1975. Here to download is a single Johnny recorded in the Number 96 period as did Abigail, Joe Hasham and Pat McDonald and Ron Shand. The single was released in 1972 on Banner Records "No. 96" b/w "In My Deli" (BNK-4909). It was penned by Clyde Collins with the B side penned by Collins & Sandy Garrick. The record was produced by Sandy Garrick at Festival Studios Sydney. In the early 2000's Lockwood continued to make television and film appearances including roles in Moulin Rouge! And miniseries The Potato Factory.

Post 282 - Jackie Rice - Leave It Alone / I Only Need A Friend

Jackie Rice vocalist with Mr. George released a single in 1984 on M.O. Records. There’s not a lot on information about Jackie or this recording out there unfortunately. The 5th edition of the Who's Who Of Australian Rock only says "Leave It Alone" 1984. Both tracks were written by Jackie. The single was produced by Brian King and engineered by Martin Benge. Here to download is the single "Leave It Alone" b/w "I Only Need A Friend" (MOS-1365). 

Post 281 - Normie Rowe - Piano Man LP

Normie Rowe was born Norman John Rowe on 1 February 1947. He was the pre-eminent male solo star of Australian music in the 1960s. Known for his bright, edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence, many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Pat Aulton, house producer for the Sunshine Records, Spin Records and Festival Records labels. Backed by his band The Playboys, Rowe released a string of Australian pop hits on the Sunshine Records label that kept him at the top of the charts and made him the most popular solo performer of the mid-1960s. Normie's double sided hit "Que Sera Sera" b/w "Shakin' All Over" was one of the most successful Australian singles of the 1960s. Between '65 and '67 Normie was Australia's most popular male star but his career was cut short when he was drafted for compulsory military service in late 1967. He was discharged from the army in February 1970. His Vietnam experiences left a deep impression on him, and since that time he has worked extensively on behalf of other Vietnam veterans. Normie had one last minor hit in May 1970 with the song "Hello", written by Johnny Young, and he released an album of the same name. It was revealed many years later that Young's song "Smiley", a major hit for Ronnie Burns in 1969, was written about Normie. Unfortunately, his national service stint had effectively ended his pop career, and Normie was never able to recover the momentum and mass popularity he lost because of being enlisted. In his absence, Ronnie Burns and Johnny Farnham had taken over and Farnham was now the new King of Pop. The strong anti-war sentiment of the period affected him, and like many Vietnam vets, Normie suffered considerably because of his service, and regrettably, many people took out their anger about the war on veterans. Normie himself has said that he was treated like a pariah by the very people who had been buying his records and screaming at his concerts. Normie remained a popular attraction at clubs, corporate functions and on the rock & roll revival circuit in the 1990s. Here to download from 1985 is his LP "Piano Man" (HAM 123) on Hammard Records. Normie's most recent album, Missing In Action, includes his own version of "Smiley".