REPOST: Various Artists - Live At The Station (1976)

(Australian 1976)
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The Station Hotel (located in Greville Street, Prahran), which was first established in 1904, was an important part of the local live music scene during the 1970s, where it played host to some of the biggest Australian bands of that decade, including AC/DC, The Dingoes, and Spectrum.
The venue was also the setting for the fabled, and extremely rare, 1976 vinyl LP, "Live At The Station Hotel" which featured performances from The Dingoes, The Wild Beaver Band, Myriad, and Saltbush.
Longtime Dingoes member John Bois recalls the iconic venue’s 70s heyday in his new book, The Dingoes’ Lament, which contains several extracts featuring The Station Hotel; one section reads:
Derelicts and dole dependents normally peopled the Station, as well as besotted bon vivants who claimed it was a haven of mateship, a place where men could be men out of earshot of nagging women. But to the untrained eye it looked more like a place of banishment.  Nevertheless, on Saturday it was transformed into a subcultural temple. The gods of that subculture were … The Dingoes.” [extract from tonedeaf.com.au]
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A highlight of the album is of course the Dingoes, but there's so much more on this album ..the superb songwritng skills of Carl Myriad & his band who include musos who went onto major success like guitarist Andrew Pendlebury (who went onto Sports & a solo career) & Mark Ferrie (Models)
And you must check out the amazing twin lead guitar attack of the great Mick Elliott & John Brunell playing some superb southern boogie in the Wild Beaver Band. Mick & drummer Noel Herridge had both been in the great Sid Rump before forming Wild Beaver Band.
Finally you have Saltbush, a terrific country band featuring vocalist/guitarist Bernie O'Brien (Bobby & Laurie's Rondells, Merv Benton's Tamlas) & drummer Harold Frith (the legendary Thunderbirds). See my recent post on this terrific 'Country Blues Band'   [comments by Micko at Midoztouch ]
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Although the Dingoes released an album entitled 'Live at The Station', it is this second 1976 release “Live At The Station Hotel” that best captures the spirit and the music played there. While it features some of Melbourne’s then best bands, it is not to acknowledge that almost every artist and band worth anything, played at the legendary Station Hotel at some time.
This album features four of all the great artists to have played there. In order as they appear on the album:
Myriad - Carrl Myriad – vocals & guitar: Andrew Pendlebury – lead guitar: Chris Wilson – vocals & organ: Mark Ferrie – Bass: Phillip Smith – vocals & drums.
Dingoes – Brod Smith – vocals: Chris Stockley – vocals & guitar: Kerryn Tolhurst – guitar: John DuBois – vocals & bass: Ray Arnott – Drums (What a line- up!)
Saltbush – Bernie O’Brien – vocals & lead guitar: Ross Nicholson – vocals & guitar: Polly Pyle – vocals & bass: Harold Frith – vocals & drums. For more information about Saltbush see my earlier post.
The Wild Beavers – Snowy ‘Cutmore’ Townshend – vocals: Mick Elliott – guitar: John Brunell – vocals & guitar: Mick Crawford – bass: Noel herridge – drums.

The Dingoes

This is arguably an amazing collection of styles among these four groups and now, some 37 years later we can recognise that many of these artists have gone on to become true legends of the Oz music scene! There is not a ‘dead’ track on this fantastic album.
If you have not been fortunate enough to hear this album as yet, then you will need to take my word for the fact that the atmosphere and crowds at the Station Hotel have driven these groups to play at their very best. Yet, there is more. Behind the scenes there are some now ‘legendary’ names of the Melbourne music scene at work.
Produced by Keith Glass (of Missing Link fame and himself a musician and singer of note) – having been a significant member of the 18th Century Quartet and Cam-pact, later to have sung a lead role in Hair, and part owner and founder of the also now legendary Archie & Jugheads Record Shop. The other part owner of that shop, David N. Pepperell (aka Doctor Pepper), also a man well know throughout the music scene both as originally the lead singer of the short lived Melbourne Group of the 60’s – The Union (notable for their recording of the Thump, a track acknowledging the Thumping Tum disco), and also well known for his music Journalism. Keith is credited as Producing this Album, and David as the “Drunken Producer” (or vice versa).
The third key man associated with both the production of the album, and credited with being the first promoter of the Station Hotel, and member of Cam- pact, notorious in his own right – Mark Barnes. The cover and notes reflect the quirks and skills of these three guys and along with John McDiarmid & Michael Shipley, who engineered the recording, we have been left with an absolute Classic Australian Recording!. [Review by Rob Greaves]
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The Wild Beavers

The Wild Beavers
'There's a riot in cell block No. 9 — And The Wild Beavers are playing'.
There are a couple of new bands playing around the traps in Melbourne which are expected to do a lot of barnstorming over the next few months. They've got style and energy and good things can be expected. One of these bands is The Wild Beaver Band. Lord knows what that name means, like, one hesitates to ask, it could be something a bit risque. The Wild Beavers" members seem to have a kind of grounding in the urban blues, but the music the band now makes is more akin to the Southern American sound of Charlie Daniels and Elvin Bishop and Jerry Jeff Walker and Little Feat, h's the fast and sweaty beer hall rock V roll type music which sounds real good, when it s played right.
The Beavers began just a few months ago, with old school chum Mark Barnes, from Prahran's Station Hotel, as their manager. They played a bit at The Station, then got a chance to back J.J. Cale in Melbourne on his recent tour, and after that, they started to get a lot of work, as crowds began to notice this bunch of new fellas.
But probably the most interesting gig they've had of late is playing to the minor offenders and well-behaved at Pentridge Prison in Coburg. It was a couple of weeks ago that The Beavers went out there for an open air rock show, playing to Divisions A. B and D. The several hundred men in that lot. who don t normally get a lot of entertainment, thought the Beavers were all right, and gave them a big reception.
According to Beaver vocalist Snowy "Cutmore" Townsend, the show went down particularly well with the rock-starved 56 ers (they ve been wearing their stovepipes in stir since they got locked up 20 years ago) who were thirsting for Chuck Berry.
Apparently most of the entertainment served up out that way consists of Salvation Army Bands, which arc all well and good, and it's nice of the Salvos lo make the effort, but somehow it's not always ... er. fun ... to listen to. Snowy says there's a young guy out there on several armed robbery counts (busy defending himself in court, with the defence that he was in plaster from the waist down during one of at le.ast of the jobs) who is trying like crazy to get some decent entertainment for the inmates. The Beavers were the first excursion, and it looks like paved the way for more cell block rock n roll.

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The audience really got stirred up and were required to sit down and behave, but these restrictions didn't stop them from yelling for more, and tapping their feet. One of the inmates took a great interest in the drum equipment, commenting that the cymbals were split. He offered to fix them for drummer Noel Herridge with his oxy-acetelene torch in the prison workshop. It turned out the guy was also a drummer who played with the Pentridge inmates band.
Another thing which amazed the band about this prison was the number of prisoners wandering around with long hair and earrings and stuff. But they couldn t check out about the hair situation in the maximum security section — like "H Division.
Well by now it's a reasonable time to acquaint you with all the band members who are as follows: Snowy Townsend, vocals; Mick Elliott, guitar; John Brunell, guitar; Mick Crawford, bass guitar-, Noel Herridge, drums. Mick Elliott has played with Sid Rumpo, Jim Keays and Moppa Blues way back in the dim dark last decade; Noel also played with Sid Rumpo. Together with their manager Mark, they form a formidable drinking team because according to Mark, they "went to school together, drink together, grew bad together and live together". Things look good for |he band at the moment as. according to Barnes, five record companies have expressed keen interest in the band to record, and they re sitting back and considering the possibilities. The first recording they'll be on is a 'Live at The Station Hotel' LP with The Dingoes and Saltbush etc. where they do these songs: "What Am I Doing Here", "Shanghais in Alleys" and "Messing Around The Town". [article by Jim Morris, RAM Magazine, #31, May 7, 1976]

 Myriad
Carrl Myriad has been a staple on the Australian folk, country & bush music scene now for close on 40 years & continues to perform around the country & record.
He's perhaps best known for his folk/rock debut album "Of All The Wounded People" which was recorded by Carrl & Janie Myriad (Janie Conway of Stiletto), which is an album I'll upload in the next few days. He's also known for his self named country/rock band Myriad who had a long standing residency at Prahran, Melbourne's legendary venue The Station Hotel in the mid -late 70's. Myriad (the band) also appeared on the Live At The Station album with the Dingoes, Saltbush and the Wild Beavers
Following tours with Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, and Melanie, Carrl travelled around Australia, which kindled an interest & research into the bush rangers Ned Kelly, Ben Hall, Mosquito etc. This developed into the concept show "In Search Of The Great South Land" which he toured around Australia to much acclaim. It was while he was in Tamworth in 1979 during that tour that he recorded this brilliant album that celebrates our wide brown land & it's inhabitants for the small Selection Records. [comments by Micko at Midoztouch]
For more info on Carrl Myriad, see musicminder.com
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This post consists of FLACs taken from Vinyl (released on the Lamington label) and includes full album artwork and label scans. Also included is a high resolution scan of the RAM Magazine article used for the rare background information provided on 'The Wild Beavers'. It is my opinion that their 3 tracks on this album are the highlight of this brilliant 'snapshot' of Melbourne Pub Rock from the 70's., in particular the hard riff driven song "What am I doing here?"
Repost made because I came across this album recently at my weekly trash & treasure, enabling me to make a fresh rip of the album in FLAC format. Another great $1 find !
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Track Listing

01 - Myriad - The Ballad Of The Glenrowan Hotel (Lookin' For Love)
02 - Myriad - Rock 'n' Roll Highway
03 - Myriad - Glenrowan
04 - The Dingoes - Marijuana Hell
05 - Mark Barnes - Mark's Rave
06 - The Dingoes - When A Man Loves A Woman
07 - Saltbush - Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother
08 - Saltbush - Stay All Night
09 - Wild Beaver Band - What Am I Doing Here
10 - Wild Beaver Band - How Come All You Dudes Look Like Cowboys
11 - Wild Beaver Band - Messin' Around The Town
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Live At The Station FLACs Link (301 Mb) Link added 3/07/2016
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