Post 531 - The Mixtures - In The Summertime LP

In mid-1970 The Mixtures signed to a new Melbourne-based Fable Records. Its owner, industry veteran Ron Tudor, had made his name as a producer and A&R manager for the W&G and Astor labels. The Mixtures joined the Fable roster at a significant time. A few months before their first Fable single came out, the infamous 1970 Radio Ban came into force. The Mixtures were one of several Australian bands who successfully exploited this window of opportunity. Several acts including The Mixtures cut their own versions of proven British hits that were not being played in Australia because of the Radio Ban. Sydney band Autumn was another, scoring a major Sydney hit with their version of Christie's "Yellow River". When Tudor offered The Mixtures "In The Summertime", a song that had recently been a UK hit for Mungo Jerry. The band jumped at the chance to record it -- although Idris Jones declined to sing on it, feeling it was too 'poppy', so bassist Mick Flinn performed the lead vocal. Without any competition from the original, The Mixtures' version shot to #1 in August that year, at the height of the Radio Ban, and it stayed in the charts for 23 weeks. Happily they were able to capitalise on this good fortune with the follow-up, a similarly breezy, honky-tonk-style original, "The Pushbike Song", co-written by Idris Jones and his brother Evan. It was an even bigger success, providing them with back-to-back #1 singles, and charting for an impressive 25 weeks. Buoyed by the success of the singles, The Mixtures made the inevitable trip to England in January 1971. During this period they cut the tracks for their debut LP here for you to download, “In The Summertime” (FBSA-003), which was begun at Armstrong's Studios in Melbourne and finished at Morgan Studios in London. By the time they arrived in the UK there had been more line-up changes -- Idris Jones left again, replaced by Greg Cook (ex Cam-Pact), and Mick Holden briefly replaced departing drummer Gary Howard.