Current Traffic

Thursday 30 June 2011

Post 374 - The Reels - Beautiful LP


The Reels is an Australian rock/indie pop group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time. In late 1982, having signed a new contract with the RCA Records label, The Reels scored an unexpected hit with a wry, languid cover of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song, originally recorded by Herb Alpert, "This Guy's In Love With You", which reached No. 7. They followed this with a one-off album for K-tel here for you to download "Beautiful" (NA-616). Although the tracks on Beautiful walked a fine line between sincere tribute and gentle parody, it proved to be the biggest success of their career, selling in excess of 40,000 copies and reaching # 32 on the album charts.

Post 373 - Clive Shakespeare - I Realize / There's A Way


Clive Shakespeare was born on the 3rd of June 1949, in Southampton, England. His family migrated to Australia. As lead guitarist, he joined various bands including The Road Agents in 1968 in Sydney with Terry Hyland on vocals, then he formed Down Town Roll as a covers band. Other members were Adrian Cuff on organ, Frank Ma on vocals, Doug Rea on bass guitar, Pam Slater on vocals and Danny Taylor on drums. Rea, Shakespeare and Taylor went on to found pop/rock band, Sherbet later that year with Dennis Laughlin on vocals (ex-Sebastian Hardie Blues Band, Clapham Junction) and Sam See on organ, guitar, and vocals (Clapham Junction). Here to download is his one and only single on Infinity Records from 1977 "I Realize" b/w "There's A Way" (K 6750). Both sides were penned by Clive. Shakespeare worked in record production, including Paul Kelly's debut solo album "Post".

Post 372 - Little Nell Collection


"Little" Nell Campbell was born Laura Elizabeth Campbell on the 24th May 1953. She was born in Sydney, to Ruth and Ross Campbell, a writer, who called her "Little Nell" (after a character in Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop) in his family life column in the Sydney Daily Telegraph. She has three siblings, two sisters and a brother. She began dancing at the age of 10, after being diagnosed with Hepatitis A, to keep healthy. She attended high school at the Abbotsleigh School for Girls in Sydney. Campbell decided to use the name "Little Nell" as a stage name after her arrival in Britain in the early 1970s with her family. She sold clothes at Kensington Market; her stall was next to Freddie Mercury's. She also worked as a busker and her tap dancing is often noted as the reason why she was cast as Columbia in the original production of The Rocky Horror Show. She reprised the role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, released in 1975, and starred as Nurse Ansalong in the 1981 sequel, Shock Treatment. From the mid-1980s to 1998, Campbell owned three nightclubs in New York: Kiosk, E&O, and most famously Nell's. Nell's was sold in 1998, right before she gave birth to daughter Matilda Violet in June 1998 to ex-boyfriend and business partner Eamonn Roche. She recorded a hand full of singles between '76 & '80 all here for you to download, they are from 1975 "The Musical World Of Little Nell EP (AMS-7351) which came out on red vinyl, from 1978 "Fever" b/w "See You Round Like A Record" (AMS-7374) and from 1980 "Beauty Queen" b/w "Beauty Queen (slow version) (PRE-004). The first two single were released on A&M Records and the last single on PRE Records. Also we have included the 12” Disco version of “Fever” (SP-12031) on A&M. Campbell has written several magazine articles, including regular segments called "Mama Talks" and "First Look" in the now defunct "Talk magazine". She returned to Australia after selling her Boerum Hill house in Brooklyn in December 2005, and is now retired and living with her daughter in the Northern suburbs of Sydney.

Saturday 11 June 2011

Post 371 - Big Storm - Living In Exile LP


Sydney band Big Storm was formed by some of the most experienced musicians in the business. Stewart D'Arrietta, Don Miller-Robinson, Hughie Benjamin and Bjarne Ohlin. Despite the talent and pushing from WEA none of their singles were successful. The singles were "Rubber Love", "Happy New Year", "Not Guilty" and "Once In Bed" Here to download is their one and only LP released on Sire/Reprise "Living In Exile (25918-2), produced in 1987 by Don Miller-Robinson.

Post 370 - Box The Jesuit - Bloody Mary EP


Box The Jesuit formed from the ashes of Sydney group Madroom, founding members Goose & Susie took the band name from a 17th century old English seafaring slang term for masturbation. Box the Jesuit went through a number of line-up changes and indie record labels between 1986 and their break-up in 1995. They released their debut EP "Bloody Mary" on Snoyd Records. Here for you to download from 1987, recorded at Kings Lane Studios, Darlinghurst. There's a great version of Freashwater's 1970 song "Satan". The band became renowned for their wild and entertaining glam rock stage shows, lead singer Goose would often climb the speaker stacks. In January 1992 Box the Jesuit supported Nirvana at the inaugural Big Day Out. They released their final CD "Guide Dogs For The Spiritually Impaired" in July 1993, but sadly Goose died just three weeks later on 1 August 1993 following a long battle with lymphoma. It was one of Goose's final wishes that the band continue after he died, as he felt that the last line-up was the band's best. Ben Brown, lead singer of the Hellmen, took over as front man for a year. He was replaced by Martin Laud, Goose's younger brother in 1994. Even though the band felt they were writing some of their best music, it seemed that the audience's interest had died along with Goose. The last line-up recorded an album that was never released and later broke up in 1995.