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Another one for Australia Day 2016, this double A single released by Kamahl "My Home" b/w "Australia" (K-464). Recorded in 1988 for Festival Records and produced by Mike Harvey and George Bruno. "My Home" was written by Jackie Trent and Tony Hatch and "Australia" penned by Kamahl, Earl Robinson, Lewis Allen and George Bruno. In 2015 Kamahl sang "My Home" at the Newcastle citizenship ceremony & Australian Day awards at the Newcastle City Hall. mp3
To celebrate Australia Day I thought I'd post this rare gem I stumbled across on the net. Sherbet doing "Waltzing Matilda" while promoting their new single at the time "Free The People" live in the ABC studios on the GTK set. Can't find a year but I'd say it would have to be 1971 as that was when the single came out. mp3
Alongside Margret RoadKnight and Rob MacKenzie, Greg Quill was one of the first Australian rock musicians to be awarded an Arts Council grant, which enabled him to travel overseas. He moved part-time to Canada in mid-1975, and put together a new band, Southern Cross, in 1977; it included the long-serving Tony Bolton and noted Aussie musos Chris Stockley, Sam See and Bruce Worrall, both Stockley and See joined in Canada, as their respective groups had both moved to North America in the preceding years. Southern Cross recorded a single, "Been So Long" b/w "I Wonder Why" (100075), for Warner's Elektra label, which featured Greg, Sam See, Chris Stockley and Tony Bolton, plus Steve Hogg (bass), Ian Thomas (harmonies) and Hugh Syme (keyboards). It was released in Oct. 1978 but the group split at the end of 1978 during a tour of Australia. Sadly, the split was also effectively the end of the performing careers of both Quill and Bolton. Tony gave up playing after Southern Cross and eventually went into business; Greg too gave up playing professionally for over two decades, and settled permanently in Canada, eventually becoming a prominent journalist and music writer. His exit from music was, as he recounts, a disheartening experience at the time. Happily, that was not the end of the story for Greg Quill's music. He returned to Australia to visit his family in September 1999, and although he had long set aside thoughts of his earlier life in music, he experienced what he describes as an 'epiphany' on returning. He came home to find that his old hit "Gypsy Queen" had been just been re-recorded by country singer Adam Harvey. Heading to Melbourne, he had a emotional four-day reunion with former bandmates like Kerryn Tolhurst and Chris Stockley, and attended a concert by up-and-coming young country-rock artist, Cyndi Boste, whose recent album Kerryn had produced. That night she performed Greg's second hit "Wintersong". Over the next couple of years, Greg and Kerryn maintained contact and quietly began working on songs together. The result was the clutch of new tunes which eventually appeared in early 2003 on the superb Quill-Tolhurst album "So Rudely Interrupted". Sadly on May 5th 2013 we lost Greg from complications from pneumonia after suffering health issues for a number of years. He was only 66. mp3
Led by singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams, bassist Mark Gray and drummer 'The Sween', the band signed with CBS Records in 1985. Wa Wa Nee had four singles in the Australian top 40 from their debut album release of the same name. These included "Stimulation" which reached number 2 nationally in Australia in 1986, "I Could Make You Love Me" reaching number 5 in the same year, and both "One And One (Ain't I Good Enough)" and "Sugar Free" making the Top 20. "Sugar Free" also reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Top 40, peaking at number 35. This, however would be their only success in America; "Stimulation" was released as the follow-up single, but only reached #86, culminating their chart career there.The band's self-titled debut album went platinum in Australia, despite only reaching #29 on the charts.Their follow-up LP Blush was released in early 1989, and spawned three more Top 100 hits in Australia, "Can't Control Myself", "So Good" and "I Want You". The album however, received a lukewarm response, and the band has not charted in Australia since.Paul Gray of Wa Wa Nee appeared in the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series in Australia between late August and early September 2007 as a performer and musical director. He sang two songs: "Stimulation" and "Sugar Free". He has also appeared with 80s Enuff and Idols of the 80s.Gray performed Wa Wa Nee hits on 28 March 2010, at a fundraiser for the children of Jenin, a devastated area of the West Bank, Palestine. All funds went directly to the building of a pre-school in the area.Wa Wa Nee's "Stimulation" featured in the first episode of Channel 9's Underbelly: The Golden Mile (on Monday 12 April 2010). Gray performed at local music venues in Melbourne in 2010, with fellow 1980s hitmakers, Scott Carne (Kids in the Kitchen) and Brian Mannix (Uncanny X-Men). It was also featured in the 1988 film Satisfaction."Sugar Free" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Cassandra (1986).Paul Gray supported Belinda Carlisle on some of her dates of her 2011 Australian Tour. Wa Wa Nee also supported Rick Astley during his 2012 and 2014 tour of Australia. Here to download in the extended mix 12" single "I Could Make You Love Me" (Metal Dance Mix) b/w "Meela Polarmay" (Extended Mix) (BA-122 12), Recorded in 1986 for CBS Records. Thanks to Tim for finding this record for the Blog.mp3
Lovers Dream were a short lived Melbourne band that released one single for Fable Records in November 1971 "Party Line" b/w "Live Your Real Life Now" (FB-086). Both sides were penned by Brian Cadd and Don Mudie and the single was produced by Cadd. If you listen to the A side you can hear Brian singing backing vocals. Lovers Dream were Evelyn Davenport - Vocals, Roy Davenport - Lead Guitar, Peter Boyle - Bass, Buddy Hooper - Drums. Not much more info out there on this band but like I always say maybe someone will tell us more someday soon. mp3
The theme music to Sons and Daughters was written by Peter Pinne and Don Battye and sung by Kerri Biddell and Mick Leyton. There are two main versions of the music: one in three-four time and one in four-four time: the first version was used as the main closing theme for the majority of episodes shown in 1982 and 1983, while the second version was used predominantly for all the remaining episodes from 1984 to 1987. In addition, there was the opening theme, which consisted of the song's chorus followed by an instrumental, most of which was never heard to any great extent. The two full versions of the closing theme were released on the two sides of a 7" single in the UK in April 1984. Entitled "Sons and Daughters Theme" b/w "Sons And Daughters (extended)" (A1286) and credited to 'Kerri and Mick', the single reached Number 68 in the Top 75, and stayed in the charts for three weeks. It was released on A1 records. mp3
"Home and Away" b/w "Living In Summer Bay" (SCORE 19) is the theme song to the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. It was composed by Mike Perjanik and originally performed by Karen Boddington and Mark Williams. Their version was released as a single in 1989 and peaked at number 73 on the UK Singles Chart. There were seven different recorded versions of the theme song used over the years, including two recorded by Australian sibling trio The Robertson Brothers. The Home and Away theme song is no longer used in the opening titles and has been replaced by a 5-second instrumental version since 2010. However, it is still used in the closing credits for international broadcasts. The single was recorded in Alberts Studios Sydney. mp3
