Post 584 - Robin Jolley - Robin Jolley LP

There’s not much more I can write about Robin Jolley that I haven’t already  said in Post’s #4, #337, #532 and # #552, This is Robin’s one and only LP, released on Fable Records. The songs on this LP were produced by Doug Trevor and Brian Cadd.  It was recorded at Bill Armstrong Studios in Melbourne. Here to download is the Robin Jolly LP (FBAB-5302) from 1974. mp3

Post 583 - Gulliver Smith - Don't Keep Doin' It Duke - Black Hole

Born Kevin Smith, Gulliver Smith appeared as a child performer in Melbourne in the early 60s, covering golden oldies from the 50s. Eventually he left this scene to concentrate on his growing love of R&B and soul, with his band the Children in 1966. Dr Kandy’s Third Eye followed in 1967/8; in the vanguard of Sydney’s ‘flower-power’ psychedelic music period, their strange performances attracted Australian press attention. A series of short-lived, but interesting bands followed, but it was with Company Caine that his lyric writing became noticed and the band, despite poor media attention and no radio airplay, remains one of the great Australian cult bands of the 70s. Both their albums are now regarded as collector’s items. His solo album was well received, but it did not bring him a new audience. He moved back to Melbourne and led several more bands of variable quality which did not gather a following outside their small bohemian scene. Gulliver moved to England in 1977 and lived and worked there for many years. He returned to Australia in the late 80's and reformed Gulliver's Travels in 1989. He continues to write and perform under the slightly changed moniker of "Gullifer Smith". In 1996 he and his partner and collaborator Stephanie Hopkins released the excellent Deux Poetes album; he also co-wrote “A Touch Of Paradise” with Ross Wilson and was a hit for John Farnham.  In 1980 Smith released a single on Mighty Records “Don’t Keep Doin’ It Duke” b/w ‘Black Hole” (J.V.C.05). It was recorded in London and soon after it was withdrawn for what reason I don’t know. Even though it was never released I did picked up a copy and I have seen one on EBay going for $169.00 AUD so there’s a few out there it seems. I also heard that the song was about Ross Wilson or so they say. The thing that confuses me that on the back cover of the single it appears the B side is called “Dancing” and the song is about dancing but the label states that it’s called “Black Hole”.   Sadly we lost Gulliver on November 10th, 2014 from kidney failure, in Sydney. 

Post 582 - Victoria Nicolls - Midnight Rendezvous - Until Then

Victoria Nicholls (born 1954) is an Australian actress and television personality. Nicholls is well remembered by viewers for appearing in the Australian version of the game show “Sale of the Century” as a hostess from 1980 to 1982. She is also noted for her dramatic roles, such as Raeleen Archer in “The Restless Years” in the late 1970s, and as Officer Heather Rodgers in “Prisoner” in 1984. In 1995 she was a leading cast member of short-lived soap opera “Echo Point”. In 1979 she released the single “Midnight Rendezvous” b/w “Until Then” (AR-102) for Arrival Records. As far as I know this was her one and only recording. mp3 

Post 581 - Delilah - The Singles

There is no doubt about it; Delilah is a born performer, a born entertainer. At the early age of 4 years Delilah was entertaining neighborhood kids in her backyard in Baltimore, Maryland, charging one cent for admission. Later, inspired by the gospel music of her church choir, more interested in singing in school concerts then reading textbooks, Delilah with stardom in her eyes, headed for San Francisco, singing Jazz and Rhythm & Blues in a Pizza Parlor. A trip to Australia in the early 70s paved the way to an extensive, successful tour of South East Asia. The demand was such that she took in Indonesia, Taiwan, Bangkok, the Philippines and Hong Kong. A trail of rave reviews remained in her wake, wherever she performed. Hong Kong took her to heart, as many then and now are found to do. A weekly television show "Just Delilah" followed amidst modelling assignments and a film. Delilah's desire to return to her favorite country, Australia, was fulfilled when she returned to play in the stage production "The Wiz". It was around that time that Delilah decided to make Sydney her home. Here are Delilah’s three single releases from 1977 “My Guy” b/w “Leave Me” (MS-505), from 1988 “Where Is The Love” b/w “My Guy (New Version) (MS-511) and from 1980 “Sitting On The Edge Of The Ocean” b/w “Don’t You Walk That Way” (2079 503). The First two singles were produced by Robie Porter & Tony Hogarth for Miracle Records and the 3^rd single produced by Davidson & Neal for Airborne Records. Again thanks to Alan who had the 3^rd single as I did not know it existed. mp3 

Post 580 - Cats Under Pressure - Singles

Simon Hussey was working as a record producer on a single by the Lisa Bade Band which included guitarist Mark Greg.  When he formed Cats Under Pressure  in 1984 with himself on guitar, keyboards and backing vocals; Mark Greig on guitar and David Reyne (ex-Australian Crawl) on drums and lead vocals. They issued a self-titled mini LP on Freestyle Records, the label owned by Reyne's former band mates from Australian Crawl. It was produced by David Reyne's older brother, James, who was still Australian Crawl's lead singer. Cats Under Pressure followed with a single, "Let Me Be" b/w “Polar Notch” (FREE-0001), which was co-written by Hussey with David Reyne. A second single followed in 1985 “On Again Off Again” b/w “Ping Pong” (FREE-0006) this single was produced by Ian “Mack” MaKenzie and Hussey. During the 1980s and 1990s Hussey was a legal reporter transcribing court cases when not working in the music industry. Greig joined Australian Crawl until they disbanded in 1986. Reyne sang backing vocals on Chantoozies most popular tracks "Witch Queen", “He's Gonna Step On You Again" and "Love the One You're With”. He also began his acting career with a minor role in the 1983 film, Skin Deep. At the April 1985 TV Week Logie Awards ceremony, he won the 1984 Best New Talent Logie for his work in the ongoing role of Martin Kabel in the ABC series Sweet and Sour. These are the only two singles released by the band as well as the mini LP in 1984 which I’m yet to find a copy. A big thanks to Alan who provided me with the 2^nd single as well as the A side to the 1^st as mine was scratched pretty bad when I dug it out. mp3

Post 579 - Spaniards - The Singles

Following The Spaniards post yesterday I thought I’d post their three singles with a couple of non LP tracks for your collection. The first single “God Is A Shield” b/w “God Is A Shield (Extended) (KSS-1263) was produced by Red Hot Records and mixed by Ernie Rose with Tony Cohen doing the engineering. It was recorded in 1984 for I.C.Records. It was penned by Billy Miller. The 2^nd single recorded in 1985 for EMI “Angel” (EMI-1541) again written by Billy Miller and features an instrumental version on the B side. It was produce by Mark S.Berry and engineered by Ian “Mack” MacKenzie .  The 3^rd single “What Can I Do” b/w “Memory” ( EMI-1668) recorded for EMI in 1986 both feature on the mini LP “Locked In A Dance”, also produced by Mark S.Berry. Thanks to Henry for his help with this post. mp3 

Post 578 - Spaniards - Locked In A Dance

In 1983, Billy Miller formed The Spaniards with Mick Pealing ex Stars/Ideals on vocals and Mark Mannock ex Ideals on keyboards. The Spaniards utilised other musicians as required like Dave Springfield, Kevin Purcell, Russell Brown and John Annas. The band released three singles plus a mini LP here for you to download “Locked In A Dance” (EMM.430038) for EMI in 1986.  Additional players on the track “God Is A Shield” were Hendrick de Fries, James Freud and Wayne Young. mp3

Post 577 - The Studs - The New Studs Album

In 1977 Silver Studs Lance Reynolds and Gino Latorre continued as a duo, renaming themselves simply The Studs (and recruiting a new backing band). The debut single from The Studs was Funky Feet which reached Number 13 in October 1977. The duo completed an album which did not see the light of day until November 1978 and followed two more singles, Today I Met The Girl I’m Gonna Marry and Dr Bop. However The Studs only sang on side one with Stud front man Gino Latorre singing solo on side two, which featured his single “Crazy Lover”. The album was produced by Tony Hogarth at Trafalgar Studios, Sydney and Larrabee Studios Los Angeles between May 1977 and July 1978. Musicians included on this album were Tony Ansell, Stephen Murphy, Greg Lyons, Jim Kelly, James Taylor, Terry Young, Col Loughnan, Clydie King, Terry & Mona Lisa and Stephen Hopes. mp3 

Post 576 - Arnhem - Tropical Love - Dreamtime

I’m not too sure who “Arnhem” was but I thought I heard somewhere that they were an Aborigine group, like Yothu Yindi, but in saying that they don't sound like it at all. I looked up the name again and the closest I came to was "Arnhem Land", one of the five regions of the Northern Territory. All I can tell you is it's one of the largest Aboriginal Reserves in Australia. And that's how I assume these guys could have come from that area and how the name came about. All my books say is that they released the one single “Tropical Love” b/w “Dreamtime” (PRS 2593) for EMI. The book gives no other info like band members or where from. The single was produced by Christo and released in 1978. So once again maybe someone out there knows some more on these guys and will kindly drop us a line.   Thanks to Tim for this rare gem and Badger and Tim for  contacting their contacts in the hope of finding out more on the band but it seems they are a bit of a mystery to all. mp3 

Post 575 - The Red House Roll Band - O Lucky Man - Movin' On

Originally formed as Red House Roll Band, this Geelong (Victoria) quartet was that city's premier rock attraction during the mid-1970s, members then were Malcolm Donnelly - lead guitar, vocals, John Ferguson - lead guitar, lead vocals, Jack Green - bass, Claude Ragone - drums. The Red House Roll Band provided a very theatrical stage show like Alice Cooper with band members dressing up in skeleton suits or Superman outfits. In 1973 the band signed a record deal with Atlantic, which resulted in the single “Oh! Lucky Man” b/w “Movin’ On” (45 10026). Taken from the British feature film of the same name, the band's version of Alan Price's song became a regional hit. But the band went into hibernation and re-emerged in late 1975 as Redhouse, with a completely revised line-up comprising Green, John Dallimore, Jacques De Jongh and Gary Crothall. Redhouse built up a strong following on the Melbourne pub circuit as a hard-working heavy rock band. In July 1976, De Jongh left the band to join Hush. Graham Matters on vocals and Garry Quince on guitar and keyboards took his place. In September, Redhouse entered the studio to record a debut album, “One More Squeeze”. The album did not reflect the band's onstage energy and presented as a lightweight guitar-pop LP. The album produced the singles “I Like Dancing” in October 1976 and “Who's Foolin' Who?”  in February 1977. mp3

Post 574 - The Johnnys - Live at La Dolce Vita

The Johnnys were an Australian pub rock band from Sydney in 1982–1989 that combined country and punk musical styles. Members included founder, Roddy Ray'da  and Spencer P. Jones. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, "Despite being one of the most popular bands on the pub-rock circuit, The Johnnys never crossed over into the premier league". Cult following in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Local boy Carl described them as "bigger than the Rolling Stones". This album was recorded at La Dolce Vita, Lausanne Switzerland on the 1.5.90, during The Johnnys European tour in 1990. "The Johnnys Live At La Dolce Vita" (HICD 9130) was recorded for Urbane Records and released in 1991.mp3  

Post 573 - Coconut Rough LP

Coconut Rough was formed in 1982 by lead singer Andrew Snoid, formerly with New Zealand bands The Whizz Kids, Pop Mechanix and Australian-based New Zealand group The Swingers, and guitarist Mark Bell. Bell later joined Snoid in a reformed Pop Mechanix. Other member were Dennis "Choc" Te Whare, keyboardist Stuart Pearce and drummer Paul Hewitt - and later guitarist Bones Hillman.They decided on the name "Coconut Rough" based on a type of sweet treat popular in Australia and New Zealand. The band's biggest hit was also their first single - "Sierra Leone" hit the top five in the 1983 New Zealand pop charts. The song was aided by one of the first New Zealand music videos with special effects. In 2001, "Sierra Leone" was voted the 94th best New Zealand song of all time by members of APRA.They were an opening act for The Police at their Western Springs concert in 1984, but had folded before the end of that year. Here's their one and olny LP recorded in 1984 for Mushroom Records "Coconut Rough" (L38216). The album was produced by Dave Marett and engineered by Graeme Myhre. It was recorded at Mandrill Studios in Auckland. Phil Judd did the painting for the front cover.mp3

Post 572 - Patricia Stephenson - Somtimes - So Easy To Remember

Patricia Stephenson was a regular cast member of Channel 7 Perth's Stars of the Future in the 70s. She was of Burmese descent, and was a popular cabaret performer around Perth. Patricia won the 1973 series of Showcase, the same year as The Moir Sisters & stage star John Lidgerwood appeared. She made her acting debut  in Channel 10's other sex 'n' sin soap "The Box" as Suki King . In 1975 she recorded this single for Fable Records "Sometimes" b/w "So Easy To Remember" (FB 253). The single was produced by Doug Trevor, he also wrote the B side. The trail goes a bit cold after 1975 tho..mp3

Post 571 - Diamond Cutter - Wild Colonial Woman - There You Go

Fraternity’s  John Bisset’s love of London women, pubs and beer slowed him down somewhat, but he eventually returned to Sydney in 1981. He managed to score a programming gig with LaPorte Chemicals in Banksmeadow and a flat share over the road from the Robin Hood pub in Waverley with two lovely young women. John Eyers from “Fraternity” came visiting and wrought havoc in John’s life by taking him on a tour of his regular hangouts, meeting some very extraordinary people and experiencing new heights of alienation and paranoia by sampling the substances they offered. John’s erratic drunken personality swings became too much for my young flatmates and he moved to a flat near Bondi Beach. He drank at the Bondi and the Astra and at a late night watering hole called the Fondu . Through another ex-Fraternity member John Freeman he met Billy McMahon who had played bass with John Swann's band “Swanee”. He eventually recruited a guitarist Brett Hamlyn, vocalist Terry Barker and drummer John Affleck and Mal Logan and rehearsed in a Darlinghurst studio for a few months late in 1982. They called the band “Diamond Cutter” and started playing around Sydney and the Gold Coast in 1983. In mid-1983 they attracted the offer of a recording contract from CBS records on the strength of demo tapes they made of their   original material. His day gig later was with Ajax Chemicals in Auburn as a freelancer with a Kiwi boss called John Rolley. With the help of a young girlfriend John stayed off the booze for about 6 months during Diamond Cutter's rise. She encouraged him to attend several sessions with a psychologist who first suggested to him that he may be an alcoholic. He actually attended one meeting for alcoholics in West Sydney but he wasn't totally ego-deflated enough to get on board at that time. A strange sequence of seemingly supernatural events got John back onto the booze in a big way and he managed to destroy his credibility and ultimately Diamond Cutter as well. It’s a pity that only one single was released by Diamond Cutter “ Wild Colonial Woman” b/w “There You Go” (BA 223156) in 1984 for CBS. John penned both sides of the single, the single was produced by the band with Guy Gray & Steve Bywaters engineering and Chris Gilbey mixing the record at Studio 301, Sydney.  mp3

Post 570 - Healing Force - Golden Miles - The Gully

Healing Force was something of a 'supergroup', and its history intersects with several other important bands of the period, notably King Harvest and Friends. They made only one single, but it is still widely regarded as one of the flagship Australian progressive rock releases of the early '70s. All the members had a wealth of experience – Laurie Pryor had been the drummer in the The Twilights; Charlie Tumahai   was from Nova Express; Mal Logan was from The Rebels and Lindsay Wells had been a member of Perth's rock pioneers Bakery.  The first line-up formed late in 1970 and began playing in Adelaide over the '70/'71 Christmas period. They played at several early rock festivals including Launching Place. In April 1971, they signed with Robie Porter's new Sparmac label. Midway through 1971, they expanded to a five piece with the addition of John Pugh (ex-18th Century Quartet) on guitar. In July, they released their single.  "Golden Miles" b/w “The Gully” (SPR-009), penned by Lindsay Wells, it is one of the most admired Australian progressive rock recordings of the period. It was very successful and spent nineteen weeks in the Melbourne charts, barely missing out on entering the Top 30. It features rippling Hammond organ by Mal Logan, highlighted by the soaring vocals of the late Charlie Tumahai. The flip-side, another Lindsay Wells composition, was heavier but almost as good. Just before the single hit the charts, Charlie quit to join Chain and the group returned to a four piece. Pryor left soon after and was replaced by Joe Tattersall (ex-Barrelhouse), but then Lindsay also left and the band fizzled out. In November 1972, Healing Force reformed with Logan, Pryor and Pugh, plus newcomers Gus Feniwck (bass) and Mal Capewell (ex-Company Caine) on reeds. This version performed at the Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1973, with Charlie rejoining especially for the show. One track from their set, "Erection", was included on the Mushroom Records Sunbury '73 album. They disbanded shortly afterwards, during preparations for a planned LP, leaving their considerable promise sadly unfulfilled. mp3

Post 569 - Johnny Devlin & Sailing- I'm Heading For L.A - I'm Heading For L.A. (Instrumental)

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984. Legendary rocker  Johnny Devlin who turned his talents to sport for this single that was sponsored by a very well-known Australian airline Qantas who were involved in getting the many Olympic fans to the U.S. Johnny’s backed by Sailing on this single and it was released on Majical Records and judging by the Cat. # JD-001 must be the first release. Technician was Richard Lush and was recorded at Paradise Studios.  Side B was an instrumental version of “I’m Heading For L.A.” and featured Tim Fitzgerald on Lead Guitar. Again thanks to Tim for digging out this gem.   Flac 

Post 568 - Norman & Effie - Amigos Para Siempre - Venereal Girl

"Effie" (full character name "Effie Stephanidis") is an outrageous comedic character played by Australian actress Mary Coustas. Coustas depicts a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian. The character originated in the comedy program Acropolis Now, which ran from 1989 to 1992. Effie's catchphrases include "How embarrassment!" (See malapropism) in response to any potentially embarrassing situation. She greets people with "Hello, good thanks" before they have even asked her how she is feeling. Norman Gunston was a satirical TV character performed by Australian actor and comedian Garry McDonald. The Gunston character was originally conceived by comedy writer Wendy Skelcher and first appeared as a minor character in the second series of the cult Australian TV comedy series The Aunty Jack Show in 1973. His segments as Norman in “What's On In Wollongong” became one of the most popular parts of the Aunty Jack Show, and Norman appeared on the “Aunty Jack Sings Wollongong” album along with McDonald's other character, Kid Eager. In 1992, Effie released a novelty single: a duet with Garry McDonald's Norman Gunston, recording their version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Amigos Para Siempre" (74321125792) for BMG Records. The song was the official song of the 1992 Summer Olympics (originally performed by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras). The single reached the Top 20 chart in Australia.   mp3

Post 567 - Col Elliott - It's A Quid Mate - Don't Knock It LP

Col Elliott has been pushing our belly-laugh buttons for over 40 years. He is one of Australia's most loved and in demand performers. Col takes his audience on an incredible ride with his stand-up, his zany characters and his unique brand of story-telling and music ......He does it all. His many album and DVD releases have not only given him gold and platinum status, but have generated a huge fan base which manages to cross all generational boundaries. Here from 1986 is Col’s LP “It's A Quid Mate - Don't Knock It” (COL-30008). Thanks to Tim for fixing this one  up for the Blog.   mp3 

Post 566 - Dark Tan - After Dark....Tan LP

Alston Koch, is a Sri Lanka born Australian singer-songwriter. He migrated to Sydney, Australia where he was most successful in the entertainment and professional music industry while recording for RCA/Laser Records and the Australian TV Network Channel 9's "Living Sound" recording label. In Australia, he formed his band Dark Tan and recorded three international hits on the RCA label. He has performed internationally with Dark Tan, S-witch, and as a solo artist. One notable appearance was during 'The Stars & Stripes Concert' in 1976, performing under the Sydney harbour bridge on a floating pontoon for Radio 2SM. Rock Brains Of The Universe and music historian Glenn A Baker has said that 'Alston & Dark Tan' were the originators of Disco Music in Australia. His first self-written major hit, "Disco Lady", earned him his first gold record. The song also won him and Dark Tan the 'Best New Talent' at the 1979 International Disc Jockey Association Awards (Before the ARIA'S ) and that same year Dark Tan won Australia's Observer newspaper's 'Best Disco Band' award. George Levendis of Motown Records in New York said he had the best soul voice in Australasia and Robert Racic the legendary Dance Music producer called him the Luther Vandross of Australia. Here to download is the “After Dark…..Tan” (VXL1-6514). The album was produced by Alston Koch except for the track Disco lady that was produced by Mario Millo. Engineers were Alex Duyser and Peter Hood. The album was recorded between January 1978 and March 1980.  On a personal note I must say I wasn’t a big fan of Disco at the time and I didn’t buy this LP until about 30 years later when I pick it up somewhere in a second-hand record store in Sydney.  A week ago I received an email from a guy in Canada named Andrew, he said he liked Australian music and wondered if I could help him track down a band called Dark Tan. I thought now there’s a name I haven’t heard of in a while. So after digging in some boxes I found the LP and I must be honest this is the first time I have played it and I must say Alston Koch has a brilliant voice, it really blew me away. I’m sorry now I never played it much sooner and I’ll be looking for other recordings by this man I can assure you.     MP3

Post 565 - Peter McKenna - Smile All The While - It Takes Time

McKenna was the second of five children to Winnie and Kevin McKenna. He grew up supporting Essendon and played soccer until he was 13. Recruited from West Heidelberg, McKenna credited Collingwood coach Bob Rose for patiently helping to shape him into the champion footballer he was to become.] In the opening round of the 1966 VFL season against Hawthorn at Victoria Park, McKenna gave a glimpse of what was to come when he kicked 12 goals in a match-winning effort, the first of thirteen occasions when he would kick ten or more goals in a game. However, McKenna's form dropped away and after being held goalless against North Melbourne in Round 6, he was dropped for the remainder of the season. McKenna topped the Magpies' goal kicking list for the first of eight consecutive times in 1967, booting 47 goals. Over the ensuing seasons he gradually improved, kicking 97 goals in 1969, before amassing an incredible tally of 143 the following year. What was even more incredible was that it was not sufficient to top the VFL's goal kicking list; Hawthorn's Peter Hudson kicked 146 goals, adding a record-equaling 150 goals in 1971 compared to McKenna's 'modest' tally of 134. From the start of the 1968 VFL season to Round 3, 1974, McKenna kicked at least one goal in 120 consecutive games, still a competition record.  But he did record two single when not playing football, on post # 470 you’ll find Peter’s first single for Fable Records and this one is from 1971 penned and produced by Johnny Young for Festival “Smile All the While” b/w “It Takes Time” (FK4383).  Altogether, McKenna's VFL record of 874 goals from 191 games was enough to place him as the league's fourth-highest goal kicker at the time of his retirement, behind only Gordon Coventry, Doug Wade and Jack Titus. At the start of the 2014 AFL season he sits ninth all-time. His full senior and representative career yielded 1213 goals.   mp3

Post 564 - Peter Williams - Hey Hey W.A. - I Found Out Where It's At

This single had me bewildered couldn’t find a thing on it anywhere, so what does one do but ask the man himself. This is what Peter Williams wrote me…….

Hi Gary,

Great to hear from you, Hey Hey W.A, was a song we recorded as a promotional vehicle for WA sport etc!  It was recorded in '78 and financed by local Perth Nightclub owner Bob Maher and was meant to be a "localised" WA   "Come on Aussie Come On!" It ended up with moderate local success; I did an appearance promoting it on an Edition of Donnie Sutherland's "Sounds" show that was televised from W.A.!! The song was used in a local W.A. Election by the Liberal party, and also in the 150th W.A. Anniversary Telethon.

Thanks very much Peter for this info on this single much appreciated. And another Peter for giving me these singles to fix up for the Blog.   

Post 563 - Peter Williams - Give Me A Sign - My Guitar

After “The Groove” broke up Peter Williams decided to concentrate on song writing for a while and had some success.  He wrote a song that ended up being recorded by a number of people including “The Marmalade”, “Joe Dolan”, a Scottish Group named “The Dream Police” who some members from became “The Average White Band”, Hamish Stuart (the vocalist) was later in “ Paul McCartney’s Band”. Another song was recorded by Tina Charles the U.K. disco singer, another he wrote was “The Good Book” recorded by Lon Satin who was understudy to “Sammy Davis Junior” in the musical “Golden Boy”.  Even Kiwi recording artists Frankie Stevens & Kal Q Lated Risk recorded a song Peter penned “I’ll be home”. During this period he released the only solo record he ever released called “Give me a sign” / “My Guitar” (6006 105) on Phillips recorded in the U.K.  This record was produced by Alan Parker, guitarist from “Blue Mink” & it wasn’t until many years later that Peter realised that Herbie Flowers on bass & the rest of “Blue Mink” were the “backing band.” Peter penned both sides of this single. mp3 

Post 562 - Martin Plaza - Plaza Suite

Best known as one of the main vocalist/songwriter in Mental as Anything Martin Plaza was born Martin Edward Murphy on the 1^st of January 1956 in Sydney’s North Shore.  He took advantage of the first real break in the Mentals' career and released his debut solo album in 1986. “Plaza Suite” was not a departure from what the Mentals were doing on their previous album, “Fundamental as Anything.” Most tracks on this LP could have been on Mentals albums. A batch of great songs, Plaza sounds confident and self-assured on this album, never letting the album's slick sound take over. His voice is still one of the best in the music world, a perfect mixture of Orbison, Presley, and Ferry. The album is mostly self- written, and his brilliant cover of "Concrete and Clay" fits in with the originals perfectly. Plaza and the Mentals have always specialized in great song writing, and almost every track here is no exception to that rule. The opener, "Pit Stop," contains all the elements of the perfect Plaza song with his heartfelt vocals. Other highlights includes a great pop song "Miss You Like Mad" and "Use Me All Over," "I Could Be So Good," and “Best Foot Forward." flac

Post 561 - Greg Anderson - Greg Anderson LP

Greg Anderson born in Melbourne, on the 12th Oct. 1950, was a "one-hit wonder" in terms of pop chart success, but he was born into show business and he has been performing for most of his life. His parents had a whip-cracking act, and at fifteen months old the infant Greg was appearing with them on tour in England at venues like the London Palladium, and he regularly appeared with them as he grew up. At seven he took part in the Moomba Rodeo Festival as a trick rider and by the time he was ten years old Greg was appearing on major television shows and performing his own stage show for Coca Cola, which travelled throughout his home state of Victoria, after which he joined Channel Nine's "Tarax Show", where he performed weekly. At 15, Greg gained national recognition by reaching the Grand Final of the prestigious television talent quest Showcase, which led to him being represented by top management agency NLT. By the mid-Sixties the multi-talented youngster -- who sang, danced and played guitar, piano and drums -- was a regular on the Melbourne pop circuit, making TV appearances and undertaking country tours. Some of his TV appearances were on the pop show Kommotion, and he recorded his first two singles for the short-lived Kommotion label. Greg's debut single (Feb. 1966) is of particular interest to Bee Gees fanatics because it features uncredited backing by The Vince Maloney Sect (who also released one single of their own on Kommotion). The A-side of the single is a pounding cover of "I Feel Good"; this was not the James Brown classic, but a song written by the great Allen Toussaint under the pseudonym 'Naomi Neville'. By 1970, Greg's music had taken a new direction and he had begun writing his own material. That year he was one of the Australian performers chosen to represent Australia at Expo '70 in Osaka. Later that year he scored his only national hit, the title track for the telemovie “No Roses For Michael”, one of the first local screen productions to address the rising problem of heroin addiction among young Australians. “No Roses For Michael" (Festival, 1970), written by Greg and produced by Pat Aulton, gained a lot of airplay in late 1970 peaked at #21 at the end of October. It was followed by a self-titled album “Greg Anderson” (L 25053) for Festival Records here for you to download. Greg recorded three more singles for Festival, one in 1971 and two in 1972, but evidently none of these made any impression on the charts. A curious feature of all three is that the A-side of his Dec. 1971 single, "It's Over", was evidently recycled as the B-side of both subsequent singles. mp3 

Post 560 - Margot Moir - Strong & Mighty

Margot Moir was the middle sister to Jean and Lesley Moir, who in 1974 had a #8 hit with “Good Morning How Are You” as the Moir Sisters. Margot also issued a solo single, “Scarlet Skies” b/w “Tightrope” in 1989, and album, “Strong And Mighty” (NEW2009 2) for New Market Music in 1996. Two names that popped out at me were Peter Cupples on backing vocals and Broderick Smith on harp, also on backing vocals Margot’s husband Claude Cesario and daughter Rae. Margot was also in big demand as a session backing vocalist, she was handpicked by John Farnham himself for the inaugural Whispering Jack tour. Recently she recorded and sang with the bands “Raymalane” and “Celtic Spirit. “For over 10 years.  Sadly Margot died on 26 January 2015 at age 56 at Royal Melbourne Hospital due to complications from long term diabetes.     mp3

Post 559 - King Biscuit Time - A Beer And A Bex

This mini LP was sent to me from my friend Tim in Taree who found this gem in a second hand record shop. According to my books it was released in 1985 and they were a Sydney band. This is the only recording the band released, “A Beer and a Bex” (KBT-789) on Seahorse Productions. David Davies – guitar & vocals penned all four tracks, other members are Mark Elliott – sax, Larry Freidberg – drums, Rupert Jeans – guitar, Ralph Marshall – bass and Rada – keyboards. At this time that’s all there is on this great Rock/Blues band. After having a listen to this mini LP all it left me with is wanting more, a very good album indeed, like the man said “Do yourself a favour”. Thanks Tim.     mp3

Post 558 - Tony Savage Band – Bye Bye Bluebird – Faster Than Lightning

This may well be my shortest notes on the Blog by far. Being a Vanda & Young composition I thought there would be something out there on this band but nothing, they appear in only one of my books and all it gives you is the name of the band and the song title well really not even that because the books says the song was Bye Bye Love, a big typo for sure. I haven’t even come across this label before “Living Sound “. The producer is Tony Savage and engineer Peter Hood and the single recorded in 1977 with Tony writing the B side. No band members no nothing. So enjoy these rare tracks “Bye Bye Bluebird” b/w “Faster Than Lightning” (LS-102901), I’d say until I find out different this was the only record released by this band.    mp3

Post 557 - Jel Elliff - The Singles - 1971/1975

 Jel Elliff was born in Scotland and came to Australia in 1970 . He was first heard of in a Sydney band called "Chantry Barn" whose other members included Al Ward (later of Al Ward/Dan Johnson fame) and a female singer, Jel's girlfriend at that time, Del Ford aka Delores Foxtonfinn who was last heard of in a Newcastle band in the 1990's called "Me, Me, Me". Chantry Barn, as far as I know, never recorded anything official but was a great live act around the folk clubs of Sydney. When Chantry Barn broke up, Jel went solo, scoring a contract with the Australian HMV label. From 1970 – 1972 he released 4 singles:

What Are You Doing Sunday / Willoughby (May 1971, #44 Adelaide; #30 Brisbane; #23 Perth) HMV EA-9560

Going Nowhere / Pearly John (Aug 1971, #28 Adelaide) HMV EA-9625

Cotton Jenny / Suzanne (Jan 1972, #32 Brisbane) HMV EA-9776

Silvertown Girl / Morning Has Broken (Nov 1972) (Did Not Chart) HMV EA-9955

No album was ever released but surely after 4 singles one must have been in the works at some point. Jel toured around the country but mostly in Sydney & Melbourne. In November 1971 Jel represented Australia with the song “Going Nowhere” at “Yamaha's World Popular Song Festival” in Tokyo where he reached the 2nd semi-final and also won the “Composers Award”.

After his HMV contract ran out Jel returned to his birth country of England. Now, having reverted to his real name of “Jel Tyson”, he formed a band with another Australian, Paul Matthews (real name: Paul Simmons). They called themselves “Alaska” and started playing gigs in the pub and folk club scene around London. Before too long they managed to score a recording contract with the Warner Brothers label. Two singles were forthcoming:

I Don't Know Why / Out on a Limb (#19 UK Charts) (Warner Bros K16440 UK, July 26, 1974); Warner Bros 6338 (Aust, Nov 1974)

Lend a Hand / Turn Around (Warner Bros K16546 UK, May 9, 1975)

The singles (the first one was also released in Australia) had a “McGuinness Flint” type of sound and the first single managed to get some good airplay and ended up in the English charts getting as high as #19. Unfortunately the second single flopped and the album they had recorded during 1975 wasn’t released which is a great shame as it’s quite wonderful with its "America" style acoustic arrangements and wonderful harmonies. I have had the pleasure of hearing this fine  album and I can’t work out why it was never released.

Following the demise of “Alaska” (circa late 70’s) Jel found himself in America (Chicago to be precise) where he ended up fronting one of Chicago's top 80's bands - "The Reason". This band generated a large and loyal following throughout the midwest, gaining success by opening for major acts such as Duran Duran, The Psychedelic Furs, The Go-Go's and The Stray Cats before disbanding in the mid-80's. Jel then returned to Sydney, Australia, where he built a state-of-the-art recording studio - “Fat Boy Studios”. Fat Boy served as the recording studio for budding Aussie rock groups such as The Church, The Hoodoo Gurus and Midnight Oil. During this time he also formed a few bands - “Different Tongues" and "The Bleeding Hearts" were two of them and they played around the Sydney pub scene. I don't think any of these bands ever officially released anything but their many demo recordings are pretty good for the time. Eventually, in the early 90's, Jel closed the studio and returned once again to the U.S. and there he raised a family. He is still in the US and has over the years fronted a couple of bands with the most recent being an almost straight country band called “The Autrys” which are far removed and, in my opinion, nowhere as good as the acoustic and jangle pop he did so well in the 70’s and 80’s. He also released a CD circa early 2000’s called “Bleeding Hearts”.

Here to download are all of the “Jel Elliff” H.M.V recordings as well as the two Warner Bros “Alaska” singles. Like so many artists on this Blog there was little if any info on Jel Elliff, so a “BIG” thanks goes to Ian MacCarthy for helping with the history of Jel. Any corrections would be most welcome.        mp3

Post 556 - The Bootleg Family - Singles Collection

Brian Cadd originally put together The Bootleg Family Band (aka The Bootleg Family & The Bootleg Band) as the house band for the independent label Bootleg, which Fable Records boss Ron Tudor had established with Brian in late 1972. The idea was that the Bootleg house band would provide musical backing for records and tours for him and the other artists signed to the label. The Bootleg members were all seasoned veterans of the Melbourne scene, equally at home on stage or in the studio. Drummer Geoff Cox was one of Melbourne's most in-demand studio players, with a huge string of sessions to his credit.  Gus Fenwick was a former member of the highly-rated but short-lived Healing Force. Trumpeter Russell Smith joined the band in April 1973, making it an eight piece. He was a long-serving member of the Ram Jam Big Band, Levi Smith's Clefs. Other members included Tony Naylor (guitar), Brian Fitzgerald (keyboards) 1973-75, Penny Dyer (vocals), Angela Jones (vocals), Louise Lincoln (vocals), Clive Harrison (bass) 1975, and Ian Mason (keyboards) 1975. Besides backing Cadd and other Bootleg artists, the Bootleg Family Band recorded four Singles (here for you to download) and scored two major hits under its own name. Their debut was a cover of Loggins and Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance" and featured Cadd prominently. The second single "Wake Up Australia" failed to chart but the third single, a cover of the late Betty Everett's "Shoop Shoop Song” became a Top 10 hit. The four single A-sides were combined for the four-track Bootleg Family Band EP alongside their fourth and last single "Green Door", which barely scraped into the Top 100.  By 1975 it was becoming difficult to keep the large band on the road, so in May the line-up was cut back to a four-piece comprising Naylor and Cox with new members Ian Mason replacing Fitzgerald (who moved to America) and Clive Harrison replacing Fenwick. Renamed simply The Bootleg Band, this line-up was used for mostly for touring, although they issued a final single "How Do I Try?" which scraped into the lower half of the Top 100.When Brian Cadd relocated to the States at the end of '75, Mason left the group and the remaining members renamed themselves “Avalanche”. A big thanks to Badger & Tim for the help with a couple of singles because mine had seen better days.    mp3 UPDATE Thanks to WoodyNet for some great art work for this collection ART 

Post 555 - Cyril B. Bunter Band - 2JJJ Live EP

If you wanted to experience Cyril B. Bunter Band in their own natural habitat, the only place to be was The Welcome Inn, the first bar up from the docks at the dirty end of Sussex Street. A fine standalone toilet tile pub where the band could turn up and play Loud, with no neighbours to complain. For almost five years from 1972, every Friday and Saturday, The Bunters, lit only by a couple of lights, would crank out set after set of filthy, blues-drenched boogie, always with the little front bar packed fit-to-bust: Usually three or four hundred sweaty people squeezed into a room that comfortably held maybe a hundred heads. There was no stage, the band played on the floor hard up against the wall, eyeball-to-eyeball with the front row of fans just three feet away. The regulars congregated from all points on the weekends from Bondi, Botany and Blacktown, from Clovelly, Cronulla and Collaroy, Manly and Maroubra, and everyone just had a ball. Spreading their wings beyond their Surry Hills/Bondi roots, The Bunters went on to become friends and touring partners with many great’s. Between ‘77 and ‘85, they performed on endless roads how tours including three national tours opening for “John Mayall’s BluesBreakers” and four tours with “Canned Heat”. After becoming fast friends with the band during three tours together, “George Thorogood and the Destroyers” recorded The Bunters’ song “Boogie People” as the title track of their 1985 album. Melbourne’s king of the blues, “Dutch Tilders”, travelled the Hume and Pacific Highways with The Bunters as his backing band during the same period. Recordings from the Bunters was scarce, their focus was always purely on the live connection, their sole studio album, “Mad Money In High Places”, available only at these shows. Original only ever one pressing a 1000 copies, and it sold out quickly. Here to download from a 2JJ Studio 221 concert, recorded in Glorious Mono around Dec. 1980 - Jan.1981 is the rare “2JJJ Live EP” (Z-OO1) released on Porksword Productions and produced Keith Walker and Jeff Baker.    mp3

Post 554 - Johnny Dick – The Warrior – She Was My Babe

Have had a few requests for this single over the years and finally I snapped up a copy off EBay just before Christmas. Born in the Welsh town of Llanfairfechan but before he grew old enough to have to pronounce it his parents moved to New Zealand.  Drumming since the age of 12 Johnny Dick has played with the cream of Aussie music such as Max Merritt, The Aztecs, In Focus, Fanny Adams, The Wild Cherries, La De Das, Stevie Wright Band and John Paul Young’s All Stars Band. In an interview I once heard with Johnny he said when he first came to Australia playing in Max Merritt’s band at the Rex Hotel, the place was packed with musicians, one of them being Billy Thorpe. After the show Billy walked up to him and said he wanted him in his band. He asked Billy who else was in the band and Billy told him he would put the band around him so Johnny said could he bring the bass player Teddy Toi and Billy agreed then asked who was the lovely lady standing over there, which was Max’s girlfriend Jackie Holmes it was a sad night for Max he lost his bass player drummer and girl all in the one night. Here to download is Johnny’s one and only single “The Warrior” b/w “She Was My Babe” (AP-10949) for Albert Productions and produced by Vanda & Young in 1975. JD was with the JPY All Stars Band when this record single was released, so I would imagine they would have backed him, maybe someone out there knows for sure.    mp3 

Post 553 - Linda George – Circle Dance

Linda George is an English-born Australian pop, jazz fusion and soul singer from the 1970s. In 1973, George performed the role of Acid Queen for the Australian stage performance of The Who's rock opera, Tommy. She won the TV Week King of Pop award for "Best New Female Artist". Her cover version of "Neither One of Us” peaked at No. 12 on the Australian Singles Chart and her 1974 single "Mama's Little Girl" reached the Top Ten. Linda has provided backing vocals on releases by her contemporaries, including Brian Cadd, Madder Lake, Daryl Braithwaite, Normie Rowe, Jo Jo Zep, John Farnham, and Kerrie Biddell as well as many others. Throughout this time she worked with various ensembles. From early 1979 to 1981 she worked with the Paul Mckay Sound. During the early 1990s, Linda toured Russia with two of her seven brothers and Colin Hopkins, working for the Freedom from Hunger campaign. Back in Melbourne, she created a venue, Music on Q, for local original artists. She recorded an album here for you to download, “Circle Dance”, with Hopkins and Alex Pertout which was released in 1996 as a limited edition CD. Other musicians on this album were Ben Robertson, Darryn Farrugla, Sarah Morse, Graham Evans, Penny Dyer, Christine Sullivan and Tony Varcoe.     mp3 

Post 552 - Robin Jolley – Baby, What’s Been Getting To You – One Night

This was Robin’s 2^nd last single as far as I know, released on L & Y Records in 1975. The single “Baby, What’s Been Getting To You” b/w “One Night” (K-6160), the A side was written by Marty Kristian and the B side written by Dave Bartholomew, Earl King and Anita Steinman and popularized by Elvis Presley in 1957. The single was produced by Lesley Shaw with help from Ross Burton and John French.    mp3 

Post 551 - The Ormsby Brothers - The Ormsby Brothers LP

Following Post #549 I thought it only appropriate to put this LP on the Blog. The Ormsby Brothers only released one LP which won them the 1973 Easy Listening Vocal; Award by the Australian Federation of Commercial Broadcasters.  The latter part of the year was made up of T.V. and live appearances all over the country with the highlight being part of the first concert presented at the Sydney Opera House. The brothers were not contracted to a record company at the end of 1977; they had plans of putting together another album but are far as I can find out it never happen. I think it a bit strange that out of all my Australian books on Aussie music the only one that list The Ormsby Brother is Noel McGrath’s “Australian Encyclopaedia Of Rock. I have found this with a few bands/singers from time to time.  I can tell you this book now is in pieces I’ve used it so much and I’ve never found another to replace my battered version.  Here to download is there only LP from 1973 “The Ormsby Brothers” (EMC 2509) for EMI and produced by Peter Dawkins with arrangements by Mike Perjanik and engineered by John Taylor and Richard Lush. "UPDATE"
It’s always nice to get good feedback on the Blog and when it’s from an artist themselves it’s a real pleasure. Adrian Ormsby left some nice comments on the 2 posts of their material.   I recently received a detailed, personal email from him telling me so much more than any of the books. So if anyone is chasing particular details don't hesitate to contact me.

Post 550 - Tom - Tom - Legend Of The Phantom - Phantom

Very little is known about this single by “Tom –Tom”, in 1981 released this one and only single “Legend Of The Phantom” b/w “Phantom” (13127), also in 1981 released the same single under the name of Mr.Walker. The song was penned by Tom Moeller which I assume might be the singer on the record. It was also released on Tom – Tom Records. I’ve only seen this on EBay once and it went for big dollars. Thanks to Peter for lending me his single to post on the Blog.

Post 549 - The Ormbsy Brothers - Singles Collection

Neville, Michael and Adrian Ormsby were born in New Zealand and began singing as a group in 1967. In September of 1971 the boys moved to Australia. Prior to Christmas in 1972 they released their first single “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” b/w “The World Goes ‘Round & ‘Round” for H.M.V. Records. 1973 they released a cover of the Lesley Gore song “You Don’t Own Me” for EMI which became their only hit, making the top 10 in all states. They released a self-titled LP after the success of the single. They released six singles from ’71 to ’74 which only sold moderately and since 1975 they sang around the Sydney club circuit.   Here to download are all six singles with their B sides, a big thank you to Badger and his good friend Jason Johnstone who help me with the single “Bad Day For Love” which I didn’t even know about till I went to put this singles collection together...UPDATE Thanks to WoodyNet you can grab some great art work for this post here...Art 

Post 548 - The 4IP Good Guys - Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas) - It Must Be Love This Time

Here’s another from the 4IP Christmas singles, this one from 1973 again with Geoff Mullins on lead vocals. Produced by Rocky Thomas for RCA Records “Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas)” b/w “It Must Be Love This Time” (102379) is here for you to download. The A side written by John Denver,  Mullins also branched into record production, co-producing a small hit by another Brisbane DJ Graham “Robbo” Roberts in 1975, called “Havin’ a Barbie / Rock & Roll DJ” (which can be found at Post #492).  After his run in radio, Mullins transitioned into the TV news room as an anchor on Brisbane’s Channel 0 news. It appears that the annual Christmas song was released for the years 1971 through 1976, with DJ Paul J. Turner taking over the headline name from Geoff Mullins in 1974. “Jingle Bell Rock” was released for Christmas 1975 which had been previously used in 1971 (but whether they were re-recordings or simply the old songs re-issued is not clear).  Mullins had one other (non-Christmas) hit, attributable to Geoff Mullins & the Good Guys, with a release called “Cold of the Wind / Running Bear” in mid-1972 (peaked locally at #26). Again a big thank you to Badger for his help.   

Post 547 - Geoff Mullins with The Good Guys - Jingle Bell Rock - The Ringing Reindeer

 Geoff Mullins was a popular Good Guy DJ with Brisbane radio station 4IP (all 4IP DJs were known as Good Guys).  He was an influential member that helped forge 4IP’s ratings success through the early 1970s against bitter rival 4BC.  From Christmas 1971, the 4IP team released an annual Christmas song, which became a short-lived tradition over the next few years.  Geoff Mullins was the focus of these songs, and the main vocalist. Here to download is their first Christmas hit from 1971 “Jingle Bell Rock” b/w “The Ringing Reindeer” (101993) for RCA Records. The single was produced by Rocky Thomas and Brian Nicholls. “Jingle Bell Rock”, reached #1 on the 4IP chart.  Hopefully we may be able to track down the other Christmas singles the guys did in time. Thanks to Badger for the notes and record for this post made my job very easy. 

Post 546 - Various - Aussie Christmas 2011

Seeing the Christmas Season is upon us I thought I’d better dig out the Christmas music. In 2011 the Sunday Telegraph included this Christmas CD within its pages.  The eight tracks CD included Christmas songs from Anthony Callea, Human Nature, Hi-5, Olivia Newton-John &Vince Gill, Delta Goodrem, Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll & Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Gondwana Voices & Sydney Children’s Choir. 

Post 545 - Australian Cast - Return To The Forbidden Planet LP

Return to the Forbidden Planet is a Jukebox musical by playwright Bob Carlton based on Shakespeare's The Tempest and the 1950s science fiction film Forbidden Planet (which itself drew its plot loosely from The Tempest). It was billed as Shakespeare's forgotten rock and roll masterpiece.  Captain Tempest and his fearless crew journey into hyperspace...and beyond! This winner of the 1990 Olivier Award for Best Musical bursts with rock and roll hits, including "Great Balls of Fire”, "Good Vibrations”, “Teenager in Love", "The Young Ones" and "The Monster Mash".  The Australian version of “Return To The Forbidden Planet” (TVD 93354) was recorded Live at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. Cast members were Rory O’Donoghue, D.J.Foster, Tony Harvey, Jacqui Hall, Glen Hogstrom, Jonathon Maher, Julie Mullins, Rodney Dobson, Elliott Wiolshier, Tina Harris, Tom Lycos and George Washingmachine. The LP was produced by David Jacobsen in 1991 for ATA Records. I ask Rory O’Donoghue what he remembered about the show and he said…”It was rather a forgettable time Garry and a very strange show. From memory I believe it was “Young Girl" I sang but not sure what else is on LP”.flac