Little Heroes - Selftitled (1981) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1980-1984)
.
Little Heroes were a popular Australian rock band in the 1980s. They are best known for their hit single "One Perfect Day", which was released in 1982.
Melbourne band 'Little Heroes' evolved out of Carlton pub-rock band Secret Police which occupied Roger Hart, John Taylor and Bruce Pumpa during 1978 and 1979. The line-up was completed by Andrew Callender (guitar, vocals), Peter Linley (sax) and original bass player Neil Walker. Prior to Secret Police, Hart played in The Cruisers which comprised Shane Day (vocals), Chris Dyson (guitar), Frank Savage (guitar), Derek McCathie (bass) and John Lloyd (drums). Secret Police did not issue any records, although posthumously the band contributed the tracks "Emotion" and "Everybody Looks Lonely at Night" to Missing Links' 1981 Various Artists album The Melbourne Club. The Little Heroes came second in the Victorian heat of the 1980 Battle of the Sounds, and then took out first place in the national final with prize money of $5000. The band issued its debut independent single "She Says"/"Coming Home" in November 1980.

Huk (Foote) Treloar (ex-Bleeding Hearts, High Rise Bombers, Living Legends, Sneakers) replaced Bruce Pumpa and the band issued the featured album  'Little Heroes' (August 1981). The album produced three singles, "For a Bleeding Heart"/"She Says" (March 1981), "Last Number One"/"Catch Me" (June) and "India was Calling Me"/"Pretty Shadow" (September). At the end of 1981, Alan 'Clutch' Robertson replaced Treloar on drums. The new line-up issued the 'Play by Numbers' album (August 1982) which peaked at #25 on the national chart during September. The album yielded the band's only national Top 20 hit single, "One Perfect Day"/"Just Can't Wait" (#12 nationally and #6 in Melbourne during May 1982). Two further singles were lifted from the album, "Young Hearts"/"Please Don't Wear that Hat" (#35 in September) and "Saturday (Afternoon) Inside"/"To Be Her Cat" (October).
.

By that stage, Martin Fisher (ex-Breakers) had replaced Crosbie on keyboards, and Peter Leslie had replaced Taylor on bass. At the end of 1982, Fisher and Leslie both left to join Dear Enemy, and Paul Brickhill (keyboards; ex-MEO-245) and Rick Loroit (bass; ex-Inserts) came in as replacements. Anthony Tavasz (ex-Modesty) replaced Loroit after four weeks. Paul Bell also joined on guitar to allow Hart more freedom as lead vocalist. Through all the changes, the band travelled to the UK to record its third album with producer Rupert Hine. The polished Watch the World album (September 1983) included three singles, "Watch the World"/ "Whose Turn to Cry?" (August), "Bon Voyage"/"Let It Go" (November) and "Modern Times"/"Painting Pictures" (March 1984). Watch the World reached #24 on the national chart in October, but by June 1984 The Little Heroes had called it a day. [extract from Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop / Ian McFarlane 1999].
.

Little Heroes: On The Brink
(Article from Countdown Magazine, Vol 1, No.5, November 1982)

Like most bands that seem to emerge from nowhere, Little Heroes are far from a new1 outfit. The group first came together in 1979 as Secret Police and managed to top the 3RRR-FM chart in Melbourne with a self-financed single "She Says / Comin' Home". A year later they became Little Heroes and walked off with the 1980 National Battle of the Sounds grand final. This led to a recording deal with Giant Records and a debut album which was not viewed terribly fondly by either the band or the public.

It was not until mid-1982 that they were able to break through the radio barrier and establish themselves as a major act.
The key was the truly fascinating single 'One Perfect Day', which seemed to impress an enormously wide span of people, from head-banger to synthesizer junkies. It emphasised Little Heroes unique scope of appeal, which enables their musis to be played on ethnic, community and ABC radio, as much as it is on the rock airwaves.
The creative nucleus of Little Heroes is 27 year old lead vocalist/lead guitarist/song-writer Roger Hart, a much-travelled lad from an art school background who paints professionally under the name Roger Wells. Roger was working as a tram conductor in the mid-seventies when he formed a group called 'The Cruisers' with Flowers drummer John Lloyd and Dots guitarist Chris Dyson. At the same time he earned a BA in Philosophy at Melbourne University and a Diploma of Education at Melbourne State College.Little Heroes have undergone some severe line-up changes since inception. In fact Roger is the only member remaining from the original unit. It is his attitudes, influences and style which permeate the music of Little Heroes. His lyrics invoke a unique mood, as evidenced by the band's second, and infinitely superior, album 'Play By Numbers'. This LP features the current lineup of: (as seen left to right) Alan 'Clutch' Robertson (drums), Peter Leslie (bass), Roger, and Martin Fisher (keyboards). Martin was formerly members of The Breakers.Roger found the switch from art to music a little puzzling and is still trying to come to grips with critics and reviewers who fail to grasp his intent. When I did my art, I never worked with other people" he explains. I could close myself away and do whatever I wanted and no-one could criticise me because it was my art and nobody else's opinion counted. But then I started playing in a band and all of a sudden people were saying "Hey, you get a terrible guitar sound" or whatever. It's different from art, so different".
Gradually Roger is assimilating himself into the ruthless world of rock and learning the rules for success, But it will always be very much on his terms. The originality of his songs sparkle - intricate and obscure gems like "India Was Calling Me", "Melbourne's Just Not New York", "Dusseldorf" and, of course, "One Perfect Day".
Littte Heroes are on the brink of enormous success, with strong international interest already apparent.  Their future certainly bears watching....

This will be my last post for 2012 and I hope you enjoy this Aussie rarity. The post consists of  freshly ripped MP3's (320kps) taken from a recently acquired LP, found sitting in a Bazar in Geelong West.  Full album artwork is included for LP, including lyric sheet and band member photos. I have also included as a bonus their Independent Single release "She Says" / "Coming Home" which are considerably different to the later recordings on their debut album (thanks to ecrob at Midoztouch for this indie release).

I hope to see you back in the new year and remember, if it wasn't released on vinyl then you won't find it here....

Tracklisting

01 - For A Bleeding Heart 

02 - India Was Calling Me  

03 - The Last Number One 

04 - Catch Me 

05 - At Zorba's 

06 - That Girl 

07 - Pretty Shadow

08 - She Says 

09 - That's Me 

10 - Coming Home 

Bonus Tracks

11 - She Says (A-Side Independent Single)

12 - Coming Home (B-Side Independent Single)
.

Band Members:

Robert Hart (aka Robert Wells) - Vocals and Guitar

David Crosbie - Keyboards and Vocals

John (Freddie) Taylor - Bass and Vocals 

Huk (Foote) Treloar - Drums
.

Little Heroes Link (109Mb)
.

Red Siren - All Is Forgiven (1989)

(U.S 1987 - 1990)
.

For today's post, I'm featuring a band that no one knew what to make of when they came out.
Were they metal?
Were they pop?
The band had metal looks and guitars, strong female vocals, lyrics and hooks.
Mercury Records thought they had a blockbuster.



The band is Siren (later called Red Siren). I vaguely remember the early promo hype Mercury Records made over this 1989 album. First, it was supposedly the very first major label studio album that wasn't mastered on tape, but totally to digital hard drive - something that would be eventually be standard in the recording industry.

While the ELP-esque cover artwork might suggest a progressive rock album, Siren's sound definitely falls into the mainstream pop/rock style of the late 80's. I hear a lot of similarities to artists like Private Life, Robin Beck, and 80's era Heart, and singer Kristin Massey's vocals sound like a cross between Stevie Nicks and Belinda Carlisle.

Red Siren is a prime example of forgotten mediocrity of the ‘80s. They looked like they wanted to be bad-asses but didn’t have any punch at all. The singer (Kristin Massey) was kind of hot and “All Is Forgiven” is by far the best thing they ever did, but even that tune is the standard middle ground of 1989 rock. I love the video for it though. Both the bassist (Jon Brant - ex Cheap Trick) and drummer (Gregg Potter) are rocking out way too hard for what they’re playing. The barely moving guitarist has it just right.

While I don't necessarily advocate this album is worth a 5-star rating, it's still a very solid pop/rock album. When it's good (see "All Is Forgiven", "One Good Lover", "Stand Up", and "Master Of The Land"), it's very good. Unfortunately some of the more laid back songs like "How Dare a Woman" and others on the B-Side kill the momentum a bit and give the album a sense of unevenness. And while the musicianship is very tight, you can't help but wish they had come up with some better guitar hooks to really grab people's attention. It was the 80's after all.

I do agree that this album was sadly overlooked. Given some of the similar artists that made it big in that era, Siren definitely deserved more success, and would have if the record company had done something - anything - to promote the band. Instead the band's legacy lies with those who were either with them from the start or people like me who ran across the disc in a cutout bin and decided to take a chance.

Kristin Massey

If for some unknown reason you go to look for the album, keep an eye out for Siren as well as Red Siren. As for Siren, things didn't go so good. First, they were forced to legally change their name to Red Siren (reportedly after another band named Siren threatened to sue.) The first pressings of their 'All Is Forgiven' LP/CD (under the name Siren) quickly became collector's items. Unfortunately, my pressing is not one of them!

After a second single "One Good Lover" stalled in the lower reaches of the rock charts, they disbanded. Red Siren's bassist Jon Brant played in Cheap Trick briefly, but not much is known of the other members of the band. That's how it goes in rock n' roll sometimes. So enjoy this little chestnut.....
.
This post is an MP3 rip (320kps) ripped from my vinyl copy and includes full album artwork for both LP and CD.  Sound quality is exceptional.
For more information about Red Siren and their latest release 'Recovered', take a look at their website HERE  (thanks to Pete Zaria for the heads up)

Track Listing
01.      All Is Forgiven      4:01
02.      One Good Lover      3:53
03.      Don't Let Go          4:15
04.      Master of the Land      4:00
05.      Stand Up          4:25
06.      Good Kid          4:41
07.      How Dare a Woman      4:40
08.      Rock-A-Bye          4:01
09.      Love Shut Down      3:21
10.      So Far Away          4:16

Band Members
Kristin Massey - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Robert Haas - lead guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboards, Synclavier, background vocals
Gregg Potter - drums
Jon Brant - bass guitar
.
Red Siren Link (125Mb)
.

W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Canned Heat: Christmas Album

.
Before things get too serious at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be considered to be either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
.

The American blues rock band Canned Heat, were formed in 1965 in California. They are probably best known for Al 'Blind Owl' Wilson's distinctive high pitched vocals, singing "Goin' up the Country" and "On the Road Again". They released their self titled debut album after an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, but it was their follow-ups that brought them their greatest success.
The albums Boogie with Canned Heat and Livin' the Blues brought the tracks "On the Road Again" and "Goin' up the Country". The songs were a chart success and became synonymous with Woodstock, when they were included in the film and soundtrack of the event.
The band teamed up with blues legend John Lee Hooker in 1970, for their next album Hooker 'n' The Heat. The album brought them a hit with "Let's Work Together" and provided Hooker with his first top 100 charting album. Although this was overshadowed by the death of Wilson, and the loss to the band of his distinctive vocals.

The band continued to record, but as the Seventies wore on there was less of an audience for their work. Although they have a core following, for which they tour and release records, they have failed to match the heights of their late sixties period.
.
After putting out a few CDs together during the past few years, Len Fico, President of Fuel 2000 Records, suggested that the band put together a Christmas album. He had seen a few other classic groups have success with Holiday CDs and thought that the Heat might have similar success.
'Christmas Album' was released Sep 25, 2007 on the VarSse Sarabande (USA) label. Canned Heatn were: Robert Lucas (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Greg Kage (vocals, bass guitar); Barry Levenson (guitar); Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra (drums); Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, Bob 'The Bear' Hite, Henry Vestine, Larry Taylor.
Along with another old friend, Jay Spell, recorded their renditions and adaptations of some traditional Christmas songs to combine with some of their older Holiday recordings. "Jingle Bells" dates from 1857 and was originally titled "One Horse Open Sleigh" by composer James S. Pierpont. It soon became more widely known by the opening line of its chorus and has been "Jingle Bells" ever since. Just about every parent has warned their kids that "you better watch out" and "you better be good" because "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"!    
So WOCK out kids - here comes Santa and the Heat is definitely on !
.
Track Listing

01. Deck the Halls
02. Christmas Boogie with the Chipmunks
03. Christmas Blues
04. Santa Claus is coming to town
05. I won't be home for Christmas
06. Boogie at Christmas
07. Santa Claus is back in town
08. Jingle Bells
09. Christmas Blues featuring Dr. John
10. Boogie Boy
11. Christmas Blues featuring Eric Clapton and John Popper
.
As usual, I'm posting December's W.O.C.K on Vinyl post alittle earlier than usual, to coincide with the Christmas season.  The Rip is taken from CD in MP3 format (320kps) and includes full album artwork.  New Improved RIP
.
MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone and I HO HO HOpe to see (and hear from) you all, back at ROCK on Vinyl next year for some more Vinyl / Bootleg releases. And as the Heat would say, 'Don't forget to Boogie, Boogie, Boogie....'
.
Canned Heat Christmas Link (45Mb) New Link 10/04/2020
.
 

Goldrush - Live At Last (1983)

(Australian 1980 - 1985)
.

Back in 1980 when Tommy Emmanuel was taking a break from the guitar, he and his brother Phil put together a band called Goldrush with Tommy on drums and vocals, and Phil on Electric Lead and vocals. There is only one recording of the band recorded live direct to to disk with no overdubbing. This is it. Other band members include David Mare or vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, Chris Haigh on bass guitar and vocals, Mark Collins on banjo, mandolin, electric guitar and vocals. This Sydney based country/bluegrass/rock band played predominantly Neil Young stuff at the time along with some America and Lynard Skynard material. 
In 1983 “Goldrush-Live at Last” was released on an unsuspecting public. It was different from everything else that was out there at the time. It was predominantly Country rock/Bluegrass in it’s feel, but the band featured some of Australia’s most outstanding musical talent. Phil Emmanuel: Electric guitars Tommy Emmanuel: Drums Mark Collins: Banjo, Mandolin and guitars Dave Mare: Lead vocals/Acoustic and Electric guitars Chris Haigh: Bass guitar.

Phil Emmanuel

An original track penned by Dave Mare and Dennis James titled, “Keep in touch”, received some limited airplay being released as the band's only single (backed by T.F.F) and now fetches big money on eBay (last one I saw went for $47). But it was live where Goldrush really made it’s mark, with the audience being totally spellbound by the guitar wizardry of Phil Emmanuel, the finger gymnastics of Mark collins, and the novelty of Tommy Emmanuel, now a world class guitarist, playing drums.” [extract from Australian Music History]
.
Tommy Emmanuel gained further prominence in the late 1970s as the lead guitarist in The Southern Star Band, the backing group for vocalist Doug Parkinson. During the early 1980s, he joined the reformed lineup of leading 1970s rock group Dragon, touring widely with them, including a 1987 tour with Tina Turner. He left the group to embark on a solo career. Throughout his career he has played with many notable artists including Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, Sir George Martin, Air Supply, John Denver, Les Paul, Edgar Cruz and Doc Watson.

Tommy Emmanuel

In 1994, Australian music veteran John Farnham invited him to play guitar next to Stuart Fraser from Noiseworks for the Concert For Rwanda. Emmanuel became a member of Farnham's band.
Emmanuel and his brother Phil performed live in Sydney at the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics in 2000. The event was televised worldwide with an estimated 2.85 billion viewers. When performing together the pair will sometimes share and play just one guitar with each having one hand free.
.
This post is for a mate of mine, Steve, who requested the album recently at a 60th Birthday party. It is a Vinyl Rip in glorious FLAC format - my copy is almost virgin and exhibits very little surface noise. You'd almost swear the thing was ripped from CD. As usual, full album artwork is included along with label scans.
.
Tracklist
01. White Russia
02. Sweet Elise
03. Cactus
04. TFF
05. Desert Wind
06. Keep In Touch
07. Duelling Banjos
08. Sweet Home Alabama
09. Dixie Breakdown
.
Band Members:
Doug Bligh – Drums
Mark Collins – Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar and Vocals
Guy Dickerson – Guitar and Vocals
Tommy Emmanuel – Drums and Guitar
Phil Emmanuel – Guitar
Chris Haigh – Bass and Vocals
David Mare – Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
Tony Slavich – Keyboards
John Spence – Drums
Bruce Worrell – Bass
.
.
Goldrush FLAC Link (291Mb) New Link 22/12/2023
.

Red Hot Peppers - Bright Red (1977)

(New Zealand 1975-1977)
.
Not to be confused with American band Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the Red Hot Peppers originated in 1975 out of the 1953 Memorial Rock 'n' Roll Band. Originator, Robbie Laven, emigrated from Holland with his family in 1959. In 1960 he enrolled at Auckland University to study law. While there, he became involved in the folk club, soon becoming its president. Robbie spent many years in the education cycle, as a student, a lecturer and a post-graduate, and during this time he became a central figure in New Zealand musical circles.

During his studies, Robbie moved to Waikato University, and it was there that he became more involved in rock music. In 1971 he formed the 1953 Memorial Rock 'n' Roll Band. In the line-up were Robbie, who was proficient on over 50 instruments, ranging from the banjo, guitar, mandolin and sitar, to such items as the dulcimer and yang ch'in, Rob Murdoch on piano, guitar and vocals, Mitch Park on bass guitar, Bren Collinson on drums, and Helen Collinson on vocals. They were a very popular attraction at University Arts Festivals. In 1973 they released a single on the Family label called "Tallahassee Lassie"/"Let The Good Times Roll".

Marion Arts had spent much of the early seventies in another Waikato University band called, Swellsfoot Assembly. This group included Garth Porter, who would go on to be a founding member of Australia's Sherbet. Also in the group was bassist Paul Baxter. In early 1975, Marion Arts and Paul Baxter joined the 1953 Memorial Rock 'n' Roll Band, but the group didn't last much longer with this combination. Robbie Laven decided to form a different group and keeping the services of Marion Arts and Paul Baxter, he recruited Mike Farrell on guitar and Jim McMillan on drums and they called themselves the Red Hot Peppers. Mike Farrell had previously played with Tom Thumb and Rebirth.

The name came about as a tribute to Jelly Roll Morton's famed 1920 jazz band of the same name. But unlike them, there was very little jazz in this Red Hot Peppers repertoire.

Soon after their commencement, Mike Farrell was replaced by Robbie's brother Hans Laven. In December 1975, the group left on an extended national tour and they finally returned to Hamilton in May 1976. In October 1976, they left again, this time on a national tour of theatres under the sponsorship of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council. Crowds were generally small, but the band's standing was strong enough to warrant RCA releasing an album called "Toujours Yours". From it came the single "Dreams To Come"/"Cow Cow Boogie" released on Family. The album didn't sell very well, and the Red Hot Peppers disbanded early in 1977. Robbie and Marion, now an item, moved to Australia.

Late in 1977, Robbie and Marion met up with Mike Farrell again in Melbourne and they decided to reform the Red Hot Peppers. They added Vaughan Mayberry on drums, and Pete Kershaw on bass. With this combination, they released two albums in Australia. The first in 1977 called "Bright Red" and the second in 1978 "Stargazing". From the two albums came three singles, "Tears Of Silver"/"Heebie Jeebies", "I've Just Seen A Face"/"Can't Stop Bliss" and "Stargazing"/"Li'l Black Dog".

Despite building a cult following, they were unable to conquer Australia, so they once again disbanded with Robbie and Marion returning to Robbie's homeland, Holland. In Holland they released two albums together, the first in 1981 called "There's Two Sides To It" and the second in 1984 called "The Lost Angel".

Another album was released in New Zealand by the pair in 1988 on Ode called "Child's Play" [extract from sergent.com.au]

L - R: Hans Laven, Robbie Laven, Jim McMillan, Marion Arts, Paul Baxter

The following is an article entitled 'Red Hot Peppers Do The Cool Cucumber' published in the RAM magazine, May 5, 1978 (Page 7). The article was written by Andrea Jones:

Red Hot Peppers, one of the biggest acts on the Melbourne pub circuit; are a PR man's dream come true. Even if the name doesn't satisfy the writer's verbiage-hungry fingers, the fact that RHP play over 100 instruments should.
The band collect influences like urban dwellers collect neuroses. The band refuse to be pinned down to one style. In fact lead vocalist Marion Arts said she can't cope with more than three country songs without getting bored. Red Hot Peppers take their name from Jelly Roll Morton's New Orleans jazz band of the same name. But this New Zealand version plays a basic format of country/ blues/jazz. Around it they work band-leader Robbie Laven's menagerie of medieval and primitive instruments.
Robbie estimates it will be about ten years before he sees his entire collection of instruments together. At present they are hanging on friends' walls, rotting in neighbours' garages and collecting dust back home in New Zealand.
His zoo-proportioned musical menagerie has attracted the band a lot of press attention, but Robbie is adamant it was not intended as a gimmick. "The drive behind the use of these instruments is musical, not to see how many instruments we can get on stage," he explains.

"From a recording point of view it takes away the limitations completely, it also gives the album a cohesive quality to have these sounds recurring throughout and to have us playing them. Most session players sound like session players. But we don't have to use them. We are a lot freer because we know we have the use of these sounds at a finger-click's notice, and he stresses, "we can reproduce all these sounds in concert."
The group's influences are unusually diverse. Marion's only vocal training was in Gregorian Chants at a NZ convent school. She cites her favourite singers as Billie Holliday, Marlene Dietrich, Maria Muldaur . . . Robbie on the other hand is into Ry Cooder and Keith Richard. All of these and many other styles come out in their music.
Robbie's aim with RHP is "to combine the intense fire of the European gypsies with the control and laid-back quality of early negro jazz." (Al Grassby will be pleased — ed).
This aim is interpreted in different forms. One minute it is a countrified lullaby like "Tears of Silver", the next it's dixieland jazz like "Heebie Jeebies" and then it is a real country and western thing like "Sitting By The Roadside (Sighing)".
By this stage, your average semi-coma-tosed pub crowd has been left way, way behind. Marion said, "When We first came here we found that the audience had a real need to identify with the music."
Their single "Tears of Silver" has had that effect. It is something that the crowd can latch onto. Although it's not a chart-buster, Robbie is pleased with what it has done. "It has warmed everyone to us. We have made a lot of friends through it. I don't think it's a single, but it hasn't put anyone off—it's made a lot of goodwill towards us,
.

Taken from Countdown Annual 1979

"Singles success is so important in Australia, but we're not a singles band. We wouldn't be able to portray what we do fully on a single." Of course not. How could you get Jelly Roll Morton. Marlene Oietrich and Little Feat into one, commercially  viable 1978 single?
Is the broadness of their music commercially a bad move? The band admits there have been strong pressures to limit their styles and tone down the experiment bit.
But RHP won't have a bar of this. They're dedicated to what they do and determined to be successful with it. They say the fact they survived the New Zealand scene is proof enough of their dedication.
"In New Zealand it's not easy to be professional, and therefore there are not the same pressures when you get there. There is no way you're going to make money or become a superstar. You have to do it for the love of it," states Marion.
Having succeeded in that atmosphere and now having carved a niche into the cutthroat super-monotonous Melbourne pub circuit, they are anxious to move on once again. "It's time to get out of Melbourne," states Robbie. "We want to get onto the concert stage fairly quickly. Um, that's nice boys, but so do 95% of the bands in Australia.

But RHP are confident that that they can, and will do it. Marion Reasons, "We have a big enough range of material to complement a wide variety of bands, so we can make it a musically cohesive evening."
In New Zealand, RHP supported people such as J.J. Cale, Canned Heat, Flo and Eddie and Country Joe McDonald.
Right now, however, all hopes are pinned on the album. The music they play in concert has progressed somewhat from the album, but the band are all extremely pleased with it. Marion said, "I was quite excited when I heard it. The accent has changed a little since then, though. We've gained maturity, we're more integrated and on a lot closer wavelength with each other. I've been reading a book by Segovia and one part which really stood out said "You think you are developing all the time, but what you do best comes naturally".
In the near future Red Hot Peppers hope to be coming naturally all over Australia.
.
This post consists of  FLACs taken from my trusty Vinyl and comes with full album artwork, including label scans and a scan of the RAM article, as transcribe above.
This album takes a while to grow on you, however the musicianship on this record is outstanding to say the least and deserves a listen. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
.

Track Listing

01 - Swing High, Swing Low

02 - Interlude / Otto's Link
03 - Angel
04 - Interlude / Salterello
05 - Tears Of Silver
06 - Preacher Woman
07 - Heebie Jeebies
08 - You Can't Stop Bliss
09 - Interlude_Abi Marrijke
10 - Sitting By The Roadside (Sighing)
11 - Going Up The Bush
12 - I've Just Seen A Face
13 - Skylark
14 - Bright Red
.
Band Members:
Robbie Laven (Multi Instruments) 
Marion Arts (Vocals)
Mike Farrell (Guitar) 
Paul Baxter (Bass Guitar)
Jim McMillan (Drums)
.
Red Hot Peppers FLAC Link (247Mb) New Link 01/01/2024
.

Genesis - Live Unapproved (1993) Bootleg

(U.K 1967-1999, 2006-Present)
.
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently consists of its three longest-tenured members - Tony Banks (keyboards) and Mike Rutherford (bass, guitar), who were founder members; and Phil Collins (vocals, drums), who first joined in 1970. Past members Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute), Steve Hackett (guitar) and Anthony Phillips (guitar), also played major roles in the band in its early years. Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time, with approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide.
In 1968, they signed to Decca and, with help from producer Jonathan King, they recorded their first two singles, and the album 'From Genesis to Revelations' (Chris Stewart had been replaced on drums by John Silver) but were generally unsuccessful.

In 1970, the band came to the attention of Charisma, and with producer John Anthony they began to work on 'Trespass', a cult success.
After having replaced Phillips and Mayhew with Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, the classic Genesis line-up was in place, and the band went on their now legendary 1971 tour, a colourful line-up of strange performances.
It was with 'Foxtrot', however, that Genesis scored their first major critical success, followed by 'Selling England by the Pound' in 1973. It soon made number three in the UK charts, gave the band a reputation in America, and also provided their first UK hit-single.
A year later, Genesis (now big-time rock superstars) released the concept double album 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'. This album was also the last one to be made by the 'original' Genesis line-up.
In May 1975, Peter Gabriel announced his departure, and, almost two years later, Steve Hackett also left to embark upon a solo career.

In 1978, Collins, Banks and Rutherford moved from their prog-rock origins towards a light rock sound of the type that would dominate the worldwide charts in the 1980s. This resulted in their first top 40 single in the US with "Follow You Follow Me", their first number one album in the United Kingdom, Duke, and their only number one single in the United States, "Invisible Touch".
But when, in March 1996, Phil Collins suddenly announced that he had left the band, the Genesis-era finally ended.
.
Judging by the track listing on this live release, these recordings were  made while the band toured during the  'Invisible Touch' tour (1986-87). Further investigation has brought me to the conclusion that these recordings may have come from 'The Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Dec 19, 1986'. This is particular likely as the MOJO bootleg label is Australian and most of the concerts selected for release by this Bootleg label originated in Australia.
.

.

The Invisible Touch Tour: September 1986 – July 1987
With the enormous success of the Invisible Touch album, Genesis embarked on one of the largest tours of their career, playing in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Japan, and culminated in 4 nights at Wembley Stadium in the UK, capping one of the most successful tours in the history of Genesis, and documented on the Live at Wembley DVD.
For the full listing of Invisible Touch Tour Dates - see suppers-by-the-sea website
 .
Since the completion of the Mama tour in February 1984, Phil, Mike and Tony had gone their separate ways with various solo projects. Inevitably, press reports suggested the split of the band following Phil's solo success and continued session and production work. However the fans need not have worried as studio work began in the autumn of 1985, with premiers of the new material first on the B.B.C. TV's Old Grey Whistle Test programme on 17.12.85. As well as the first single "Invisible Touch", parts of another track were played under the title of Monkey Zulu, subsequently being titled "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight".
Undoubtedly the most commercial album to date Invisible Touch produced an incredible 5 singles, which all charted in North America although not reaching similar success in Europe. Assisted by the video promos by Jim Yukich's team, the band's popularity in the states reached an all time high, and inevitably the subsequent tour was scheduled to begin in the USA in September 1986. There were various attempts to take the tour further around the world than previously, with suggestions of concerts in communist China and the USSR. In the event however these plans failed to materialize, but Genesis did at last achieve the long promised trip to Australia and New Zealand, and in addition made the trip across the crumbling iron curtain to Hungary.
.

.
Tour rehearsals took place in Dallas and several reports credit rehearsals of old favourites like "Carpet Crawlers" which unfortunately never made the tour set. Apparently the non album track "Do The Neurotic" was rehearsed as a possible set closing number but eventually the old favourite Los Endos was retained. Backed by the refined light show, the tour began as scheduled in Detroit under the official title Invisible Tour. Due to huge ticket demand, only stadiums and outdoor arenas were considered, and this as well as mixed feelings over some of the shorter singles from the latest album continued the erosion of some of the bands older fan base, being more than replaced, in numbers at least, by many new fans. At least the introduction of near perfect video screens assisted the view at some of the larger venues. As well as live prospects of the band on stage, the video promos were played on these screens with the Benny Hill appearance on Anything She Does greeting the audience prior to the opening number of the set.

In a radio interview, towards the end of the tour, Mike Rutherford gave the total of shows played as 112 in 59 cities, frequently with 3-4 concerts per town.

With such a tightly organized schedule it was perhaps inevitable that the set should remain largly standardized. Three variations were played, as follows:

North America, September - October:
Mama, Abacab, Land Of Confusion, That's All, Domino, In To Deep, The Brazilian, Follow You Follow Me, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Throwing It All Away, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Apocalypse in 9/8/ As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley

Australia / New Zealand, November - December :
Mama, Abacab, Domino, Your Own Special Way, In Too Deep, The Brazilian, That's All, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Throwing It All Away, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Apocalypse in 9/8/ As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley

Remainder of tour:
Mama, Abacab, Domino, That's All, The Brazilian, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Afterglow, Land Of Confusion, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Throwing It All Away, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley
.
During the Australian tour the medley changed with the return of In That Quiet Earth and Afterglow in the place of Unquiet Slumbers and Supper's Ready sections, which provides even more evidence to support the source of this MOJO bootleg recording as Australian (Sydney).

Other set changes were fairly minor. Due to fighting in the crowd at Rotterdam, the "Turn It On Again" medley was cut short for safety reasons. The main alternation was the occasional omission of "Tonight Tonight Tonight", particularly at indoor stadium gigs, due to problems with Phil's voice caused mainly by the amount of smoke build up from the audience. These problems would return during the next tour in 1992 as we shall see later. Close examination shows that in some of these problem venues, slight variations were made in other numbers of the set to assist in high note sections.
Of particular note in the Australian tour dates was the return of "Your Own Special Way" for the first time since 1977. Australian regulations apparently insist on involvement of local musicians in all live concerts and an eight piece string section was therefore added for this track and In Too Deep. Apparently the same musicians had assisted Phil's solo band during his 1985/86 tour dates which no doubt resulted in their selection here.
Other sections of the sets were subject to slight changes. Phil's audience participation time before "Home By The Sea" was retained, but with the climax amended to the levitation of the arena during the contact with the other world. Audience participation was also sought during the introduction to "Domino", and the closing introductions of the "Turn It On Again"  medley. The composition of this medley also standardized after the 1983/84 tour experimentations.
.
In retrospect therefore, what were the most memorable moments of the tour? Working screens and expertly handled lightning compensated the problems of massive venues to a great extent, and the official tour video and Visible Touch promo documentary gave a good moment of the tour itself (both have been combined on one release on the DVD Live At Wembley Stadium in 2003, which is also part of the Movie Box, released in 2009). The reduction of classic tracks in the set caused some ill feeling amongst older fans and in retrospect it might have been better to remain the original medley for the European dates. Overall however the tour was a complete success, for both old and new fans.

Unusually, Genesis re-formed twice for single events over the next three years, and as the make up for the sets were obviously influenced by the Invisible Touch tour sets it is worth mentioning them here.
Firstly, the band appeared at the Atlantic Records birthday party at Madison Square Gardens on 14th May 1988. A condensed set included portions of solo members material: Turn It On Again, That's All, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Land Of Confusion, Mama, Invisible Touch, All I Need Is A Miracle, You Can't Hurry Love, Shortcut To Somewhere, Turn It On Again - reprise
Finally the band regrouped at Knebworth on 30th June 1990 for a charity concert and played Mama, Throwing It All Away and the Turn It On Again-medley together with Phil's solo band which had played an earlier set [extract from www-genesis.com]
.

This post consists of an MP3 rip (320kps) taken from CD and includes album artwork for the MOJO release and alternative artwork for the Live at The Sydney Entertainment Centre title (see below).  The quality of the recording is excellent and would give it a 9 out of 10 rating.
The track listing on the MOJO is incorrect however, and so I have also include an edited version of this generic cover with the correct listing (see tracks 4, 6 & 7). All photos from the above article have also been included for your reference.
One bit of trivia I read recently (quite by accident) is that the term 'Invisible Touch' is another name for Cocaine, so listen to this bootleg in moderation please! 
.

Track Listing
01 - Instrumental Intro / The Brazillian (05:21)
02 - In The Cage / In That Quiet Earth (12:31)
03 - Afterglow (04:20)
04 - That's All (04:37)
05 - Abacab (08:30)
06 - In The Glow Of The Night (04:19)
07 - The Last Domino (06:42)
08 - Throwing It All Away (06:51)
09 - Invisible Touch (05:20)

Tour Band Members:
Phil Collins – drums, electronic percussion, lead vocals
Tony Banks – keyboards
Mike Rutherford – lead guitar, bass guitar+, bass pedals, backing vocals, Moog Taurus
Backing Musicians:
Daryl Stuermer – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, Moog Taurus
Chester Thompson – drums
.
Genesis Link (137Mb)
.

v Spy v Spy - Trash The Planet (1989)

(Australian 1981-1994)
.
Spy vs Spy, also known as v. Spy v. Spy, The Drug Grannies and The Spies, are an Australian ska/pub rock band from Sydney formed in 1981.They became known for tackling political issues through their music, including racism, homelessness and contemporary drug culture. They were named after a comic strip, "Spy vs. Spy" in the US Mad magazine.
The band's initial line-up was the trio of Craig Bloxom on bass guitar/lead vocals, Cliff Grigg on drums / percussion and Mike Weiley on lead guitar/vocals. Spy vs Spy's early music was ska-influenced indie rock, exemplified by their debut single "Do What You Say" on the independent Green label in April 1982.
They released an EP Four Fresh Lemons in August. Their music became more straight forward hard rock for their pub audiences. The band broke up in early 1983 only to reform mid-year, by which time they were using the name v. Spy v. Spy to avoid legal problems with Mad magazine. They were eventually signed to Midnight Oil's label Powderworks and managed by Oils manager, Gary Morris.
Their first full-length album Harry's Reasons was released in March 1986 and produced by Leszek Karski. They switched labels to WEA and had their highest charting success in February 1987 with their single "Don't Tear It Down" on the Australian singles chart and the associated album A.O. Mod. TV. Vers. peaked at #12 on the Australian albums chart.
Spy vs Spy's follow-up album, Xenophobia (Why?) was released in March 1988 peaked at #15 in Australia. It was produced by Karski and Guy Gray and released by WEA in 14 countries. Their 1989 album 'Trash the Planet' peaked at #22 on the ARIA Charts and stayed in the charts for 6 weeks. None of their subsequent releases reached the Australian Top 40. The band split and reformed a number of times but still developed a strong following in Brazil [ extract from http://www.vspy-vspy.com/]
.

.
Trash The Planet
Trash the Planet was recorded at the Manor studios in Oxfordshire UK with Craig Leon producing. It was the hottest summer in English history and I got viciously bitten by "Bowser", one of Richard Branson’s Irish Wolfhounds while doing the mix-down. I couldn’t walk for 3 weeks after that, because the huge hound of hell took a chunk out of my leg the size of a small volkswagen. I still walk with a limp and have a fear of small puppies. We spent more money on this album than any other and lived the life of rock stars by the pool out the back of the Manor while we worked on the album. Our manager at the time (he fleeced us, big time) brought his wife & child and enjoyed our money while it lasted. We grossed $960,000 from live shows in 1989 and where did all the money go? Up in smoke, thanks to management by sharks, the timeless story of rock bands the world over. Oh, by the way we spent two thousand English pounds on alcohol while making Trash the Planet. Well done boys! [comments by Craig Bloxom]
.

.
This post consists of FLACs and MP3 rip from CD (320kps) and includes full album artwork for both LP and CD. I've also included as a bonus track, a live recording "Hardtimes" which was recorded for a TripleM radio broadcast in Brisbane in the early nineties.  
Although not the Spies best album, this album is still a valuable item for any Aussie record collection and copies of this album fetch decent $$ on eBay. I'm keeping mine - that's for sure
.  

Track Listing

01. "Hardtimes" 2:51
02. "What the Future Holds" 4:21
03. "Take It or Leave It" 4:06
04. "Our House" 3:24
05. "Have no Fear" 3:25
06. "Clear Skies" 3:56
07. "Trash the Planet" 4:02
08. "Hooligans" 3:12
09. "Don't Fall Asleep at the Wheel" 4:17
10. "A New Start" 2:42
11. "Oceania" 2:48
12. "Hardtimes Live" (Bonus Triple M Live On The Wireless, Brisbane)
.
v. Spy v. Spy members:
Craig Bloxom — bass guitar, vocals
Cliff Grigg — drums, percussion
Michael Weiley — lead guitar
.  
v.Spy.v.Spy MP3 link (104Mb)

v.Spy.v.Spy FLAC link (287Mb)  New Link 02/02/2017
 
.

W.O.C.K On Vinyl - The Partridge Family: EP (1971)

.
Before things get too serious at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be considered to be either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
. 

In 1970, the Partridge Family was among the top-selling recording acts, not to mention one of the top-rated TV shows of its time. Either way, it made David Cassidy a successful teen idol until the show's cancellation in 1974. The Partridge Family consisted of Shirley Partridge (keyboards, vocals) and her five kids: Keith (lead vocalist and guitar), Laurie (keyboards, vocals), Danny (bass guitar, vocals), Chris (drums), and Tracy (tambourine). Rounding out the cast was their on screen manager, Reuben Kincaid.
With the exception of Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, none of the actors on the show actually sang or played on the group's records. In fact this was done by professional studio musicians and singers, with the family lip-synching to the tracks on camera. In fact, David Cassidy was originally hired for his looks, but when the producers found out that he could sing they realized that they could use him in the real band.

Many of the episode plots draw upon the comedic relationship between Reuben (Dave Madden) and Danny (Danny Bonaduce). These two were good friends both on and off the set. Other plot devices were Keith's good looks and popularity at school, Laurie's 70's style activism and some of the strange encounters that the family had when on the road in their bus.

The Partridge Family was true wholesome family programming. At the time Shirley Partridge was one of the the first single mother's to be featured on a television show. Originally the scripts called for her to be divorced, but this was changed to describe her as a widow.And of course, unlike other shows on TV at that point, "The Partridge Family" was a built-in hit machine fueled by the good looks and bubble gum charm of Cassidy.

The "group's" first No. 1 hit single, "I Think I Love You," was released to coincide with the debut of the show. Only Cassidy and Jones sang on the song and were backed by several famed studio musicians including Hal Blaine and Louis Shelton.
On Aug. 31, 1974, the curtain came down on "The Partridge Family."
In 2010, Cassidy, whose poster image was pinned up in thousands of teenage girls' bedrooms in the 1970s, toured in concert in America and worldwide -- and was a guest on the Oprah show in the same year.
.
OK - I'll admit that I was a big fan of the Patridge Family back in the early 70's when it aired on Australian T.V, but more because of the cheeky antics that Danny got up to each week, especially while teasing  manager 'Reuben Kincaid'.  The Patridge Family's music was catchy and I, like so many other young teenagers at that time enjoyed their big hit "I Think I Love You".
Needless to say, the show was Korny but at the time it was accepted and like the Monkees or the Banana Splits, T.V shows mixing music, comedy and sitcom were popular. If you don't agree with the Korny label for this WOCK posting, then the K can stand for Reuben Kincaid instead.
The Post is a 320kps MP3 rip from my 7" Vinyl EP which I've owned all these years and includes artwork and label scans. Condition of the vinyl is fairly good considering it is over 40 years old !
Oh, and if there are any enterprising producers out there reading this month's WOCK on vinyl, thinking about trying to make a "Partridge Family" reunion happen, take note that you'll need to go through their longtime manager, Reuben Kincaid first. 
.
Side A
01 - I Think I Love You
02 - Doesn't Somebody Want To be Wanted
Side B
03 - I'll Meet You Halfway
04 - I Woke Up In Love This Morning
.
The Patridge Family Link (30Mb) Link Fixed 19/11/2024
.

Russell Morris And The Rubes - Almost Frantic (1980) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1966-Present)
.
Originally a member of Melbourne's Somebody's Image between 1966-68, guitarist and vocalist Russell Morris struck out on his own in 1969. Morris' career started in September 1966 with the formation of the Melbourne group Somebody's Image, which rose to prominence with a local hit version of the Joe South song "Hush." He then achieved a No. 1 hit in 1969 with the Johnny Young song "The Real Thing" which was pruduced by the guru of Aussie Rock 'Ian Molly Meldrum'. "Real Thing" remained at No. 1 for weeks and was the largest selling Australian single in 1969. The song itself was a seven-minute epic moving from a gentle beginning through full-on psychedelia with sound effects and phasing (ending with a 'Zeig Heil' and a nuclear explosion!). His follow-up "The Girl That I Love"/"Part Three Into Paper Walls", also topped the charts in which it spent a total of twenty-one weeks. He set off for the U.K. to promote his singles (unsuccessfully) and recorded "Rachel", which made No. 25 in Australia, whilst there. He enjoyed several subsequent hits, including three Top Ten ones with "Mr. America", "Sweet, Sweet Love" and "Wings Of An Eagle". His debut album in 1971 also did well, narrowly missing the Top Ten. He later lived and toured in the U.S.A.. He continued to record into the nineties and went on to front several Melbourne bands after the timeframe of this book:- Russell Morris Band (1978-84), Russell Morris and The Rubes (1980-81), Russell Morris and The Lonely Boys (1986-89) and Russell Morris and The World (1990) [extract from Borderline Books]
.

Russel Morris And The Rubes On Countdown 1980

Russell Morris has experienced all the ups and downs of the rock 'n' roll industry. These included a lean period in the 1980s when he struggled to get 30 people to a gig and promoters stopped returning his calls.
There is a lot of information about Russell on various sites about his early career, but not much about what Russell has been doing in later years.-----Played the part of Riff Raff in the Rocky Horror Show ----1992 Played Simon Zealotes in Jesus Christ Superstar ---- 2000 The Real Thing and Wings of an Eagle included in the soundtrack of the Australian film "The Dish" ---2001 - Named in APRA's Top 20 "All Time Australian Greats" ---- March 2001 Russell took part in the "Gimme Ted" benefit concert ---- 2002 Russell took part in the Long Way to the Top extravaganza. ---- 2003 Russell was part of the Hard Road concert with Stevie Wright (EasyBeats). ---- The 25th Annual As A Songwriting Competition Awards Ceremony at Club Ashfield on 2 June, 2005. On that night Russell Morris was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame, with Ian 'Molly' Meldrum providing the induction speech. ---- June 2005 - Joined John Schumann & the

Russell Morris With 'Peace Glasses' 2002

Vagabond Crew with the Lawson Project. ---- August 2006 - Singing with the Stars - Concert Series. ---- August 2006 - Lobby Lloyd’s Benefit Concert ---- March 2007 - Russell Morris & Brian Cadd
"Unplugged". Two incredible nights performing with the Queensland Conservatorium students. ---- September 2007 - Wings of an Eagle included in the film of "The December Boys" ---- October 2007 - Concert for Max - Benefit concert for music legend Max Merritt. ---- October 2007 - Entertained the troops employed on Operation ANODE in the Solomon Islands. -------1 July 2008 - Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. - - - - July 2011 Brian Cadd & Russell Morris release a Country & Western album "Wild Bulls & Horses" - - - - 8th Nov 2011 - Russell presented with Support Act's Excellence in Community Support Award. ------- New Russell Morris blues album "Sharkmouth" official release Friday October 12, 2012...  [sourced from a Russell Morris Fan Page]
.

Russell Morris And The Rubes - Mushroom Evolution Concert 1982

.
The album featured here - "Almost Frantic" is not a bad album at all, sporting a remix of his earlier hit "Hush" along with his other single "In The Heat Of The Night". Overall, the album is hard hitting and has some great moments, including some great sax work by guest artist 'Wilbur Wilde' (from OL 55).

This post consists of a FLAC rip taken from my Vinyl copy of Almost Frantic and includes full album artwork for both LP and CD.
I have also included a live rendition of the hit "Hush" from a 1980 episode of Countdown as a bonus track. Likewise, live versions of  "In the Heat Of The Night" and "Roar Of The Wild Torpedoes" have also been added, sourced from the infamous Mushroom Evolution Concert held at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, in 1982.
As an extra special treat, I'm also including a YouTube clip of Morris doing "Hush" at the 'It's A Long Way To The Top Concert Spectacular'. Take note of his very cool 'Peace Glasses"

Note:  Although Sandman Records re-released this album on CD, it is no longer in stock  

.
Track Listing
01 - So Tough     3:20   
02 - Radio Active     3:18   
03 - Walk Don't Run     2:54   
04 - The Roar Of The Wild Torpedoes     3:12   
05 - Don't Want To Talk About It     3:26   
06 - Somebody's Watching The House     3:13   
07 - I Don't Like The Night     2:12   
08 - In The Heat Of The Night     3:42   
09 - Don't Look Over Your Shoulder     2:20   
10 - Hush   3:00
Bonus Tracks
11 - In The Heat Of The Night Live / Roar Of The Torpedoes (Mushroom Evolution Concert 1982)    7:53
12 - Hush Live (Countdown 1980)    2:47

Russell Morris and The Rubes were:
Russell Morris - vocals, guitar
Rich Puchala - drums
Max Chazan - guitar
Graham Thompson - bass
Bruce Haymes - keyboards
Wilbur Wilde - saxophone
Max Parker - backing vocals
.
Almost Frantic Link (303Mb) New Link 15/10/2023

.