Post 471 - Doug Parkinson – Sailin’ (Sydney-Hobart) – Sailin’ (Sydney-Hobart)(Instrumental)

Douglas "Doug" Parkinson is an Australian singer who first came to fame with his band, Doug Parkinson In Focus, in 1969. He has had numerous hits on the Australian Top 40 charts. This single here for you is from 1984 “Sailin’ (Sydney-Hobart)” b/w “Sailin’ (Sydney-Hobart) (Instrumental)”
(OZ-1414) recorded on OZ Records. Produced by Peter J Martin who also co-wrote the song. The B side is credited to The Kites which I would assume was Doug’s backing band for this single. Engineered by Richard Lush and recorded at Paradise Studios, Sydney.

post 470 - Peter McKenna – Things To Remember – Lady Oh Lady

Peter McKenna was born on the 27th August 1946 in Brunswick West, Victoria, he is a former Australian rules footballer who represented Collingwood and Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. He also represented Devonport in the North West Football Union (NWFU), and Northcote, Port Melbourne and Geelong West in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Regarded as one of the best full-forwards to ever play the game, McKenna holds the record for the longest sequence of matches in which he scored at least one goal: 120 matches. At his peak, Peter McKenna could lay claim to being the most popular footballer in the VFL – and, indeed, given the burgeoning impact of the mass media, almost certainly the most popular footballer ever in Australia up to that point. Not only was he a highly successful full forward playing for the nation's most popular sporting club, he possessed a Beatle-esque 'look' which, by the standards of the time, was an adman's dream. During this time, he recorded his first pop single “Things to Remember” b/w “Lady Oh Lady” (FB-031), written by Melbourne singer/songwriter Colin Buckley for Fable Records in 1970.

Post 469 - Little River Band - L.R.B. Rocks On For ANZ

This one sided 7” promotional single (played at 33 rpm) produced by the ANZ Bank around 1976. It is presented as though it is a radio program (stations 3XY / 2SM / 4IP get a mention). Little River Band perform two songs with lyrics about the services supplied by the ANZ. A tacky cross promotion LRB were roped in to doing to plug their "After Hours" album and up and coming Aussie talent while pushing the virtues of the ANZ bank. Probably the brainchild of some advertising execs as a way to encourage youth to open accounts with that bank. LRB's Glenn Shorrock and Beeb Birtles both sing  tracks about the ANZ Bank on this single. I also asked Beeb Birtles about this recording and this is what he told me....

Hi Garry,

All I can tell you is that when LRB first formed in 1975 we were all broke. We had just returned from England and went on the dole. To make some quick money we wrote and recorded some advertisements. The first one I wrote was for the Witchery chain and then we wrote some for the ANZ bank. I'm not sure why they pressed up singles of it.

Beeb.

Post 468 - Luigi Risotto – Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport - If I Should Plant A Tiny Seed Of Love

Mike Willesee had a character appear on his programme; a comedian who did an ethnic routine as "Luigi Risotto".  Colin McEwan, who migrated from Scotland as a child, was a long-time breakfast announcer on 3AK radio in Melbourne, where he created the character of taxi driver Luigi Risotto, and also made regular appearances on the TV variety program In Melbourne Tonight. In 1975 Luigi recorded a single for Fable Records a version of Rolf Harris’s “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” b/w  “If I Should Plant A Tiny Seed Of Love” (FB- 240). But McEwan was most popular for the stage and TV productions of the irreverent Naked Vicar Show in the 1970s and Kingswood Country in the 1980s, in which he played Datsun dealer Bob Bulpitt, the annoying brother of Kingswood-mad Ted Bulpitt.   He suffered a stroke in the late 1990s, which robbed him of the ability to mould his rich, deep voice, effectively ending his career. On the 21 August 2005, McEwan, 64, lost his battle with liver cancer. Colin is survived by wife Rae and his son David. 

Post 467-Punkz - Anyway You Want It - I Can’t Control Myself

 Punkz came to the attention of Glenn A. Baker who also managed Ol'55. Mushroom Records issued  "Anyway You Want It" b/w “I Can’t Control Myself” (K-6631), in 1976 and "Take Me For What I'm Worth" 1977. Neither song made an impact on the charts. Soon after, the band changed its name to Cheek and covered The Mighty Avengers' "So Much In Love" which can be found at post # 84. 

Post 466 - North 2 Alaskans – Love Machine / Take A Letter Maria /Gonks Go Beat / That Freaky Gonk Thang

North 2 Alaskans featured Spencer P Jones  (later of The Johnnies and Beasts of Bourbon),  16 string fretless sitar, vocals, Frank Savage on vocals, double cutaway medieval dulcimer, Johnny Toppe bass, vocals, Steve Watson  single string lute, vocals, Jimi Williams guitar, keyboard,  vocals . They  were billed as the World’s first Psychedelic Cabaret Combo. Both these singles were released in 1982 “Love Machine” (MISS 36) ON Missing Link Records  was recorded by The Roosters and The Pastoral Symphony, both Aussie groups. The B side was a cover of R. B. Greaves 1969 single. The second single “Gonks Go Beat” (LRS-746) released on Green Records features a great version of Tommy James’s Crimson & Clover with a touch of Issi Dy’s Incense mixed in. I once heard  that they were a last minute booking after the hard rock band "No Fear" cancelled at the last minute at the Dee Why Hotel. Needless to say the audience were absolutely dumbstruck when they saw North 2 Alaskans. It was one of those amazing never to forget nights.

Post 465 - Ol'55 - Open Top Cars & Girls In Tight T-Shirts LP

There’s not much I haven’t already said about Ol’55 in resent posts, this LP released on J&B Records in 1986 holds a collection of 50 and 60’s classics done the Ol’55 way. The band at this time held Rock Pile Jones, Patrick Drummond, Terry Bellew, Geoff Plummer, Donny A. Dee and Mick Simmons. The LP was produced by Rich Griner and engineered by Joe Arthur. They also do a 1986 version of “This Little Girl” and “On The Prowl.” Drummer Geoff Plummer died on 2 February 2006.  Here to download is “Open Top Cars & Girls In Tight T-Shirts” (JB266).  

Post 464 - Rory O'Donoghue - Fatty Finn EP

Fatty Finn, is a popular long-run Australian comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Syd Nicholls. The strip was initially called Fat and His Friends and was first published in the Sunday News on 16 September 1923. Fat appeared as a Billy Bunterish almost bald, nasty schoolboy, complete with straw boater. Fat was usually the butt of his friend's jokes, with those early strips exhibiting much of the cruelty practiced by children and reflecting a school system which believed in corporal punishment. On August 1924 the title of the strip was changed to Fatty Finn, heralding a change in the strip's direction and the role of the main character, who evolved from an English boy lookalike into a knockabout schoolboy innocently living out his days in a never-never urban world. Over the next few years, Fatty gradually lost weight, gained a boy scout style uniform, a dog ('Pal'), a goat ('Hector') and permanent supporting characters including Headlights Hogan, Lolly Legs, Bruiser and Mr. Claffey the policeman. Fatty adopted a more heroic role and the comic moved closer to the standard 'kid' strip with a distinct Australian flavor.

In 1980 the strip was adapted into a feature film, Fatty Finn, directed by Maurice Murphy. The film grossed $1,064,000 at the box office in Australia and was nominated for seven Australian Film Institute Awards in 1981, including Best Original Music Score, which it won. The movie starred Bert Newton, Lorraine Bayly, Gerard Kennedy, Noni Hazlehurst and Ben Oxenbould who later played the character "Ben" in the sitcom, Hey Dad..!

Rory O’Donoghue & Grahame Bond penned the songs for the Soundtrack and the EP was released in 1980 on Polydor Records - apparently without the consent of O’Donoghue and Bond. O’Donoghue’s parents, Terence and Sybil O’Donoghue, who were with D’Oyly Carte Opera in London, both sing on the soundtrack.

Post 463 - The Prefects – Wait Until Midnight / Little Boys

The Prefects, discovered by music Guru Ian Meldrum, is one of the most successful to emerge from Perth. Dressed in school boy uniforms was leader Doug Allmark on bass and lead vocals, along with Brad Mack on key boards, Bob Johnson drums, Angela Jones vocals, Tony Serraro bass and guitarist Rod Stone. They recorded two singles, the one here for you to download “Wait Until Midnight” b/w “Little Boys” (K-8487) in 1981 on Infinity Records and “I Wanna Make Love” in 1882. Allmark penned both sides of this single as well as produced the record with Peter Grondman and Ross Cockie.

Post 462 - Set - Draggin' The Line / Sparkling Eyes

“Set” is one of those Aussie bands that there is no information out there anywhere it seems. Recorded in 1976 for Fable Records and produced by Warwick Thomas & Engineered by Kevin Kerr “Set” gave us a great cover of Tommy James’s 1971 hit “Draggin’ The Line” b/w “Sparkling Eyes” (FB-265). This is the only record “Set” ever recorded according to all my books but there is no entry of where the Band was based or any known members. Like I have said many other times with bands like this maybe someone out there in internet land knows something about these guys and will enlighten us more.