W.O.C.K On Vinyl - The Angels / Status Quo: Haven't I Heard That Riff Before #2

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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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This month's W.O.C.K On Vinyl is the result of something that was brought to my attention by a regular blog follower (Dave). I was mortified to learn that The Angels' iconic anthem "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" is so much like Status Quo's B-Side single "Lonely Night" which was released 2 years earlier, that one can't but conclude that their song is a rip off.  
Originally a slow acoustic ballad about death, the Angel's song became immortal thanks to an expletive-laden chant grafted on to the chorus by the band's fans when audiences began shouting “No way! Get fucked! Fuck off!” in the empty space in the chorus after Neeson’s lingering question. 
In an article written by Darryl Mason for The Guardian, he states "Bassist and vocalist Bernard ‘Doc’ Neeson came up with "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", and a version was recorded for the band's debut album. Vanda and Young were convinced it would be a hit, but its likeness to a Status Quo B-side, "Lonely Night", became impossible to ignore. So the Angels re-recorded the song, speeding it up, and adding the "ambulance siren" opening guitar riff.
Released in March 1976, the single stalled at No 58 in the charts. A third version was recorded in 1978 for US release and also flopped. However, subsequent songs like No Secrets, Take a Long Line and I Ain’t the One succeeded where See Your Face Again had failed, and by the late 70s the Angels were in the front rank of Australian rock. 
"Back in the 80s, Neeson told reporters that the song began its life as a slow, acoustic ballad. The inspiration for the lyrics, he said, came from hearing a friend describe his grief following the death of a girlfriend in a motorcycle accident. He didn’t mention Status Quo’s Lonely Night, or its remarkably similar key line, “I never thought I'd see or hear you again.”
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Ian Brock has commented on YouTube that "In the book 'The A-Z of Status Quo' by Dave Oxley, it tells the story - An international tribunal ruled, based on evidence by a musicologist, that The Angels song was a mere copy of the original Quo version which was written and recorded almost 2 years before. A percentage of all income from the Angels is paid to Status Quo. This is one Aussie who knows the true story".
However, Denis Mac has commented on YouTube that "Actually Quo don't get royalties from the Angels. John Brewster from the Angels was later in a band with Alan Lancaster called 'The Party Boys' and the royalties are all fiction and the supposed 'coincidence' was first brought to the attention of the world through a Parody Website."
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No matter what the situation was, there is no disputing that both tracks are very, very similar both in melody, rhythm and lyrics.

The reason why very few people know about this plagiarism I think is because Quo's single was a B-Side track (to Break The Rules) and did not appear on any of their albums.  Now there is no taking away the fact that the Angel's rendition of this tune was one of the most popular songs ever played in pubs around Australia back in the 70's and 80's but the iconic status of this anthem is up for review in my opinion - what do you think? 
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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) of both tracks in question along with label scans for each single, and the C in W.O.C.K on Vinyl this month could very well stand for Copyright breach.

Angels V's Status Quo Link  (16Mb) New Link 15/11/2024

Finch - Nothing To Hide (1978) + Bonus Live Track

(Australian 1973-1979)
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A terrific copy of this long deleted 2nd and final album from under-rated Sydney hard working rock band Finch. Their debut album Thunderbird is now considered a semi-progressive rock rarity and this effort isn’t that far from the mark either. Whilst their slow-tempo ballad single "Where Were You" rocketed to the top of the charts the remainder of the songs found here are in contrast consisting of more mainstream rock tracks with some neat guitar work.
This probably didn’t appeal to the teeny-bopper buying public at the time and consequently this album sold rather poorly and slipped between the cracks which is a shame really as it is a solid effort throughout with classy production and strong self-penned songs to carry it along at a great pace.
On the back of the No.1 single Finch ventured to the USA only to be told to change their name so as not to conflict with the local outfit of the same identity … so Finch was shelved and the new tag of Contraband emerged.
A highly recommended 70’s rock LP that is worthy of more than casual consideration … in fact I reckon it’s a real gem with some outstanding guitar rock tracks.
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Finch trace their roots back to the mid-'70s Sydney-based band Stillwater which featured the talents of guitarist Graham Kennedy, drummer Peter McFarlane, singer Owen Orford, guitarist Gary Quince and Bob Spencer, and bassist Tony Strain. By 1976 they were known as Finch, over the next two years the recording five  tracks for the 1974 soundtrack 'Drouyn', and two studio albums - 1976's 'Thunderbird', and 1976's 'Nothing To Hide'.   
And here's where is starts to get a little confusing.  By 1978 the line-up had coalesed around  former AC/DC bassist Rick Evans, guitarist Kennedy, drummer McFarlane, and lead singer Orford.  Following the release of their third Australia album 'Nothing To Hide' the band was signed by the American Portrait label.  The resulting exposure found the band's management concerned about the possibility of a lawsuit given there was a Dutch band operating under the same name.   With that in mind the band elected to morph into Contraband.   After making a slight and meaningless modification to the cover art, the album was released in the States under the Contraband moniker.  Produced by Peter Dawkins, 'Nothing To Hide' showcased material from three of the four members.
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As lead singer Orford was pretty good - exemplified by performances like "Changes", "Say You'll Be There" and "Leave the Killing To You" he had a nice hard rock screech that was well suited to the genre, but not as irritating as the late Bon Scott could occasionally be.  In fact, that served as a good baseline for the entire album - AC/DC-styled hard rock, but more melodic and musically varied than much of the competition, with a couple of tracks even incorporating a modest, but attractive southern rock feel ('That's Your Way' and the ballad "Say You'll Be There").  Kennedy and former member Chris Jones were both accomplished guitarists adding the right amount of crunch to these tunes, while the Evan-McFarlane rhythm section was first rate throughout.   Admittedly the band occasionally brushed a bit too close to anonymous AOR ("Foolin''), but luckily those were the exceptions to the rule.   As I said, a surprisingly good and largely unknown late-'70s hard rock release that's well worth looking for.
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Finch on Countdown 1978

Portrait  later issued Contraband’s debut single, "That’s Your Way", in October 1978 and in that same month, Barry Cram (ex-Avalanche) replaced McFarlane, who joined Swanee.
The Contraband Album was released in May 1979, accompanied by the singles "Rainin’ Again" and "Gimme Some Lovin" (a cover of the Spencer Davis Group track). The album created interest in the USA but was not successful in Australia. Portrait eventually dropped Contraband later in the year due to lack of interest and the band eventually broke up (Extracts from BadCatRecords with thanks].

.This post contains FLACs ripped from a vinyl copy supplied by an unknown member of the original Midoztouch forum, along with full album artwork.  Thanks to HipTony2 for the above video recorded at the Adelaide Festival in 1978. This video clip was aired on 'Rage Goes Retro', ABC TV Australia, 18th January, 2014. I have ripped this video to mp3 and included it with this post as a bonus track.
This album is certainly a difficult album to come by, although I do remember seeing it in the shops when first released and coming very close to buying it. I was well into heavy rock at the time, so it probably didn't meet my selection criteria based on the single that was on the charts at the time.  Hindsight can be a cruel sometimes!
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Track Listing

01. That's Your Way
02. Changes
03. Foolin'
04. Say you'll Be There
05. Leave The Killing To You
06. Nothin' To Hide
07. Dreamer
08. Where Were You
09. One More Time
10. Right Day For A Riot
11. Where Were You (Bonus Live - Adelaide Festival, 1978)
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Band Members were:
Owen Orford  (Vocals)
Mark Evans  (Bass, Backing Vocals)
Chris Jones  (Guitar)
Graham Kennedy  (Guitar, Backing Vocals
Peter McFarlane  (Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals)
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Finch FLAC Link (303Mb) New Link 21/12/2023

The Party Boys - You Need Professonal Help (1985)

(Australian 1982–1992, 1999, 2011)
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The Party Boys were originally formed by bassist Paul Christie as a one-off cover band for a two-week tour, beginning an odyssey that eventually ended ten years later, after several successful albums that comprised some of Australia's most successful performers.

After leaving Mondo Rock in 1982, Christie called up several friends to form a band to perform cover songs on the pub circuit. They proved so successful that a live album was released of their fourth gig, titled 'Live at Several 21st's', and it reached number nine on the Australian national charts in March 1983. James Reyne went back to his band, Australian Crawl, and Richard Clapton took his place as lead singer. This lineup released another album, Greatest Hits (of Other People), which reached number 25 nationally.

Robin "the Beast" Riley (ex-Rose Tattoo) replaced Harvey James on guitar and Shirley Strachan (ex-Skyhooks) replaced Richard Clapton as lead singer. A new live album, 'No Song Too Sacred', was then released. In 1985, the Party Boys toured with a new lineup which included American guitarist Joe Walsh (ex-James Gang, Eagles), vocalist Marc Hunter (from Dragon), and Richard Harvey (ex-Divinyls) on drums. A fourth live album, You Need Professional Help, was released from the sold-out tour.

Marc Hunter & Joe Walsh - Selina's Nightclub Dec, 1974

While on a break between Dragon tours (during which Marc's former bandmate Paul Hewson died unexpectedly, in January 1985), Hunter joined The Party Boys for a sold-out national tour, recording the album 'You Need Professional Help'.

In 1986, Angry Anderson (from Rose Tattoo) took over lead vocals under another revised lineup: Christie (now playing second drums), Kevin Borich, Richard Harvey, John Brewster (ex-Angels), and Alan Lancaster (ex-Status Quo). With John Swan (from Swanee) replacing Angry Anderson, this was the lineup that ushered in the Party Boys' most successful phase.Their self-titled album 'The Party Boys' was released in December 1987 and included six original songs. The single "He's Gonna Step on You Again" reached number one in June 1987. At the height of their success, singer John Swan left to work on a film, Chase the Moon, which was never completed, and was briefly replaced by Graham Bonnett. Swan returned for the Party Boys' support to AC/DC's February 1988 Australian tour. Joe Walsh returned in late 1988 and appeared on the band's next studio single, "Follow Your Heart," released in March 1989. Later that year, U.K. bluesman Eric Burdon became the Party Boys' seventh lead singer.

In late 1989, Christie put together a new recording lineup: Ross Wilson on vocals, Stuart Fraser on guitar (from Noiseworks), Rick Mellick on keyboards, Dorian West on bass, Adrian Cannon on drums, and Kevin Bennett and Alex Smith providing backing vocals. Wilson's original vocals on their next single, a cover of Manfred Mann's "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy," couldn't be used due to contractual reasons, and singer Vince Contarino, from Adelaide cover band the Zep Boys, re-recorded the vocals. Released in early 1990, it peaked at number 24. A final Party Boys single, Billy Preston's "That's the Way God Planned It," was released in September 1992. The Party Boys were at an end and Christie wrote a book about the music industry, The Rock Music Self Management Manual, and became a band manager himself. [extract by Brendan Swift at All Music.com]
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You Need Professional Help is the fourth album by the Australian rock band The Party Boys. The line-up for this release was founding members Kevin Borich and Paul Christie, plus Joe Walsh, Dragon vocalist Marc Hunter and former Divinyls drummer Richard Harvey. Following the tradition set by the band's other albums, this was a live album recorded during a national tour and features no original tracks. However, some tracks were the players' own work, such as "Rocky Mountain Way" from Walsh's 1973 album The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get, "Rock 'n' Roll is a Loser's Game", a Hunter song from his album Big City Talk and "Don't Let Go", a Kevin Borich Express song. "Duelling Guitars" may qualify as an 'original' and was presumably created as a crowd-pleaser by Borich and Walsh. Artists covered by the band on this album include Bruce Springsteen, Eagles and Jimi Hendrix. You Need Professional Help was recorded at the Moby Dick Surf Club.
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This post consists of both FLACs ripped from my crispy clean vinyl and includes full album artwork for both LP and CD.
(Thanks to Freypower for photos of Marc & Joe).   These boys certainly don't need professional help when it comes to doing covers of great rock classics, and hold their own on all fronts. Borich and Walsh bounce guitar licks off one another as if they were joined at the hip, while Marc Hunter proves that he's one of the best vocalist that has come out of New Zealand and sing on Australian soil.
The back cover of the album is a bit 'risque' and so I thought it worth while to put here for your judgment. Perhaps I need professional help?
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Tracklist
01 - The Shape I'm In  *
02 - Life In The Fast Lane **
03 - Cover Me *
04 - Don't Let Go +
05 - Fire +
06 - Rock 'n' Roll Is A Loser's Game *
07 - Duelling Guitars *
08 - You Got To Move *
09 - Rocky Mountain Way ** 
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Featuring:
Kevin Borich (Guitar / Vocals) +
Paul Christie (Bass / Vocals)
Marc Hunter (Vocals) *
Richard Harvey (Drums)
Joe Walsh (Guitar / Vocals) **
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The Party Boys FLACs (277Mb) New Link 30/01/2017
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R.E.M - Losing My Religion: Vol 4. Unauthorised (1991) Bootleg

(U.S 1980 – 2011)
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R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's unclear vocals. R.E.M. released its first single, "Radio Free Europe", in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone. The single was followed by the Chronic Town EP in 1982, the band's first release on I.R.S. Records. In 1983, the group released its critically acclaimed debut album, Murmur, and built its reputation over the next few years through subsequent releases, constant touring, and the support of college radio. Following years of underground success, R.E.M. achieved a mainstream hit in 1987 with the single "The One I Love". In light of the band's breakthrough, the December 1987 cover of Rolling Stone declared R.E.M. "America's Best Rock & Roll Band". Consequently, the group signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988, and began to espouse political and environmental concerns while playing large arenas worldwide.

By the early 1990s, when alternative rock began to experience broad mainstream success, R.E.M. was viewed by subsequent acts such as Nirvana and Pavement as a pioneer of the genre and released its two most commercially successful albums, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), which veered from the band's established sound.
Out Of Time's lead single "Losing My Religion" was a worldwide hit that received heavy rotation on radio, as did the music video on MTV. "Losing My Religion" was R.E.M.'s highest-charting single in the US, reaching number four on the Billboard charts. "There have been very few life-changing events in our career because our career has been so gradual," Mills said years later. "If you want to talk about life changing, I think 'Losing My Religion' is the closest it gets"
 R.E.M.'s 1994 release, Monster, was a return to a more rock-oriented sound. The band began its first tour in six years to support the album; the tour was marred by medical emergencies suffered by three band members. In 1996, R.E.M. re-signed with Warner Bros. for a reported US $80 million, at the time the most expensive recording contract in history. The following year, Bill Berry left the band, while Buck, Mills, and Stipe continued the group as a trio. Through some changes in musical style, the band continued its career into the next decade with mixed critical and commercial success. In 2007, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. R.E.M. disbanded in September 2011, announcing the split on its website.
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Here is a real gem for fans of REM . There are two concerts taken from the radio, the main one being fully acoustic. Best of all is that it includes issues of very early REM recordings. For a small time in the mid-90s in Australia, a legal loophole allowed these 'Unauthorised Recordings' to be widely available (usually on the 'Banana' label). They were usually re-releases of previously hard-to-find boots. So no doubt some of you have this title under a different name and possibly a less edited version.
The post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from a very 'appealing' Banana bootleg release and includes full album artwork.
This is a very cute, loose REM radio session with the boys in a playful mood. Quite a few oddities and snippets such as Spooky, Tusk and Jackson make this a compelling listen. The last 2 tracks are tacked on at the end and are from a completely different recording session. This 2nd version of  "Losing My Religion" is more like their original hit single recording and "Shiny Happy People" is a bit of a filler.

Track Listing
01. World Leader Pretend
02. Half a World Away
03. Disturbance at the Heron House
04. Radio Song
05. Low
06. Love is All Around
07. Tusk
08. Losing My Religion
09. Bandwagon
10. Endgame
11. Jackson
12. Swan Swan H
13. Spooky
14. Radio Ethiopia
15. Fall on Me
16. Losing My religion (version 2)
17. Shiny Happy People
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Tracks 1-15:  KCRW Studios, Santa Monica, California, April 3, 1991.
Tracks 16-17: Saturday Night Live, New York, April 13, 1991.
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 R.E.M  Link (119 Mb)  New Link 31/01/2017
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Brian Cadd - White On White (1976) plus Bonus Single

(Australian 1965 - Present)
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Australian singer Brian Cadd is one of those people who never became as well known as he could have. Those who heard Cadd's 1970s pop/rock felt that he had a lot of potential as both a singer and a songwriter -- and, in fact, his songs were recorded by well-known artists like Glen Campbell, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Little River Band.
After releasing his third solo album, Moonshine in 1974, Cadd left Australia for the US. Based in Los Angeles, Cadd became a studio-bound songwriter, apart from one tour with the Bootleg Family Band.
But none of Cadd's American releases were big sellers. After recording a few LPs for the Chelsea label in the early '70s, Cadd moved to Capitol Records with 1976's little-known 'White on White'. Favoring an approach that is somewhere between Elton John and Billy Joel, Cadd delivers an album that is generally decent but not mind-blowing. "All in the Way (That They Use My Face)," "White on White Eldorado," and "W.C. I See" (an ode to actor W.C. Fields) are pleasant, catchy numbers, although one senses that Cadd was capable of more. He even does a rehash of his 1972 hit single "Ginger Man". In 1976, Capitol hoped that people who were into Elton John (whose 1970s drummer Nigel Olsson is employed on this record), Randy Newman, and Billy Joel would get into Cadd as well. But White on White (which has never been reissued on CD) wasn't the hit that Cadd was hoping for, and the LP ended up in the cutout bins after a few years. [Review by Alex Henderson, Rovi]
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The following is an extract from Cadd's autobiography 'From This Side Of Things' in which he givers us an insight into the making of the album 'White On White':

When I first got to LA, I became friends with a guy called Spence Berland, who ran the powerful industry magazine called Record World, Billboard magazine's only other serious competitor after Cashbox. He was a cocky little New York hustler somewhat in the line of Irving Azoff, although each of them would probably disagree on that!
Nevertheless, he was extremely influential and had taken a real shine to me. We became and have stayed friends. He was very much for Robert Appere. BNB were happy with either Appere or Stewart. My friends were divided between Botnick and Appere.
Robert was the leading contender because he was so hot within the industry. He also was very positive (read egotistical) and had lots of ideas (read off-the-wall). So I went with him.
I had heaps of songs at that stage, having been buried in the dungeon at Capitol Records for months and also having brought so many with me from Australia. We sifted through them and Robert booked the studio and some players.

Brian 1976

The day arrived and I turned up at Sunset Sound where most of the album would be recorded. I looked through the control room into the studio where the musicians were setting up and nearly passed out!
My guitar player was Steve Cropper. Good grief, he had been involved in much of everything I liked in pop and R&B music, had been in Booker T and the MGs and had co-written 'Dock of the Bay', just about my favourite song. A southerner, he was very easy going and friendly and we became friends quickly.
On bass guitar was Dee Murray who, while still playing on and off with Elton, had moved to LA to do more sessions. On drums, also from Elton's band, was Nigel Olsson, another hero of mine.
Robert buzzed around everywhere while I sat there in absolute dread. How could I ever play with these guys? I ran through my song list in my head and everything sounded completely amateurish and naive.
Eventually I had to pick something to start, I forget which song now, and I played it through for them just piano and voice. My voice alternated between Tom Waits and Julie Andrews and I played like my fingers were glued together.
Immediately I finished, Steve said brightly, 'Man, that's a good tune.' He's never told me whether he really meant that but it got me through the moment and I was able to summon the courage to begin.
Once everyone started to play, I knew we'd made the right choice as players and, even though they were A-team stars, they were going to play as well as they could for me. Also, the sound through the headphones was mind-blowing! It turned out to be a wonderful day and we got several great tracks down. By the end of the session, we'd already started to bond and I finished up being able to count all three of them as friends for many years afterwards.
The sessions progressed through a couple of weeks and we started laying down overdubs. All sorts of amazing people played and sang on the album. I was absolutely in heaven and couldn't imagine how things could get any better. And they didn't.

It was an era in the business where cocaine was rife. It was so extreme in LA that virtually everyone I knew, it seemed, was permanently 'holding'. If you went to a meeting with anybody about anything it would start with either someone 'chopping out' or 'passing the bottle'. This latter method involved storing the coke in these little clear plastic bottles with black tops. Almost all of them had tiny metal spoons attached to the top by a small chain. So everyone just unscrewed the top, dug the spoon into the white powder and tipped a 'bump' into each nostril.
Immediately the gathering ratcheted up a number of notches and proceedings commenced. This was so common that no-one ever really thought about it. If there were people in attendance who were 'straight', everyone else just went to the bathroom. Going to the bathroom became a most frequent event as the 'hits' received from the tiny spoon were only small. Even so, the cocaine back then was a much purer and genuine article compared with what is mostly on sale around the place now. At least, that's what they tell me. Apparently, the 'trip to the bathroom' practice is still very much in evidence in our industry today.
I even saw a Vicks vapour stick that was originally designed to give you a hit of nasal passage-clearing medicine when applied to each nostril. It had been converted to administer exactly one decent 'bump' each time it was placed into a welcoming nostril!

As cocaine produces a reaction similar to having a slight head cold anyway, it was intriguing to see many of my colleagues armed with these relief-giving converted nasal applicators in every possible social and business situation and applying themselves busily to clearing up their colds'.
The biggest problem, of course, was that, although one's vibe and enthusiasm rose in direct proportion to the number of bumps, one's judgement went the other way. During that period, so much absolute rubbish was written and recorded due to this phenomenon that it's a wonder the music industry survived at all. Everything sounded absolutely like the very best music and playing you'd heard in your whole life up until that moment. Every solo was pure genius. Every sonic enhancement engineered on a track was worshipped with religious fervour. In fact legendary players and engineers consistently achieved deity status.
I can't tell you what Robert's consumption of anything really was. He didn't drink alcohol or smoke weed that I saw. He kept pretty much to himself but I can say that, whatever he was on, he often attained the level of minimally deranged. He was capable of extreme highs and corresponding lows. He was probably a good engineer and certainly he had the courage of a good producer. But everything was SO far over the top all the time, not just with him, but generally, that it all became very hard to keep together.

All of this was incredibly new to me. Sure, there was lots of drinking and smoking weed at sessions in Australia in those days but no significant hard drug use. I'd never seen cocaine before these LA sessions, even though it had been around for a long time in the States way before I got there.
The album was finally finished and, apart from some very bizarre mixing decisions, we all felt that it was a successful recording. It wasn't anywhere near the style or execution of my Australian albums but it had some amazing playing on it and most of the songs seemed to work. I know now that what it didn't have was focus. At least, focus towards any specific commercial music genre. So in a way it was really an album of all my latest songs but had little relevance to what I'd been previously as an artist, certainly not to what I'd become as a live performer.
It was also blatantly 'pop'. All through my career the 'rock band member' has never been far below the surface with me. Arguably the best solo album I recorded in the Australian period was the eponymous Brian Cadd album containing 'Ginger Man. And that was principally recorded as a three-piece band live in the studio and then added to minimally before mixing.
This Capitol album was cut four-piece but then added to mightily before mixing. No kitchen sink, but in other respects much of it resembled the last half of 'The Real Thing'. Sometimes I thought I heard Molly channelling me, whispering 'it still needs something else'.
Obviously we were all making a different record. I wanted to make an extension of what I'd done in Australia with different great players and in wonderful American studios. Capitol Records wanted what I'd done in Australia but aimed at a musical genre in the US that they could market it to. Robert was desperate to achieve another 'Laughter in the Rain radio hit that contained lots of radio hooks and lavish production. None of us succeeded!

Then the battle for the cover began. We took some great shots, all centred around the title 'White on White', which was abbreviated from my favourite track on the album 'White on White Eldorado'. To that end I was decked out in white tails with a white top hat, white waistcoat and no shirt. Steve Kipner's girlfriend Candy, who was a model, and her model girlfriend came with me and we drove around LA in a white on white Eldorado with everyone's tops down, including the two models most of the time. There is an incredible shot on the inside cover of this book showing the car and myself with some palm trees in the background that finished up being the Capitol Records publicity shot.
However, the art department of a huge record company can be a hazardous area. The A&R people wanted it out on a certain date but the art people couldn't do the artwork I wanted in time. Fights broke out everywhere but, as we all knew, in the end it would get down to who held the dollars. The Capitol art guy dismissed our fabulous front cover concept and went with the cover you got if you happened to buy the album, which was also released through Festival in Australia shortly later. A white cover with white toothpaste on it writing out the title words 'White on White'. One of the least inspired music art pieces of any generation. In fact, right down there with the Axiom Sitmar cover!
I was still very optimistic. Management seemed very optimistic. Those who had heard the album seemed to like it fine.

It was now mid '77 and the single and album both got really good reviews, even a few great ones, and radio started picking it up. Unfortunately, the radio was sporadic and spread out over the entire US. If the album had fitted a specific music genre, it might have been able to be broken in a particular area— if it had been more rock, it might have been perfect to start in Texas or even farther south and, as it added radio stations, to break it regionally before going national.
Being aimed at a pure pop audience meant that it needed to really break across the board and quickly. So, even when we got radio in quite a number of states, it was never large enough or specific enough to break the record in any one area. Even live performances wouldn't have helped. It needed concentrated pop radio and TV and we didn't get it. When I listen to the album now, I hear country-rock songs in the main being produced like Neil Sedaka would have done them. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.
Eventually Capitol gave up on the album and decided to have me start a new one. 'White on White' still served a useful purpose since it began to establish me as a writer there. I had some great publishing activity and wrote with a number of seasoned LA writers as a result. This increased over the years and I have enjoyed some lovely success in the U.S. and indeed around the world as a songwriter. I suppose, looking at my entire career, that's what I always really have been.
[Extract from Brian Cadd - From This Side Of Things, New Holland, 2010 p172-177]
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Brian also shares a funny story in his autobiography which relates to Jim Keays who was visiting him at the time, while he was promoting his White On White album:
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JIM KEAYS (lead singer of the Masters Apprentices): In 1976 when I was visiting Brian in LA, I went with him to Capitol Tower, whereupon the record company guys kindly invited me to accompany them on a promotional tour of various radio stations that had started to play tracks from the 'White on White' album. We flew to San Jose first up and did interviews there.

But from then on I have a hazy recollection of long-distance domestic unrest that seemed to overtake proceedings to the point that Brian had to urgently fly back to LA to attend to some kind of problem solving.It was then decided that I should continue on the tour as Brian Cadd because the record company guys figured that nobody would know the difference—we both looked similar with long hair and beards, and what's more I had a perfect Australian accent!
Only problem was I knew nothing about the album's tracks, recording details or anything else. However, I somehow managed to wing it in Oakland, San Francisco and in a number of other cities up and down the West Coast. I even succeeded in getting in a few mentions about this other hot Australian band I was a big fan of, the Masters Apprentices!   Priceless!
[Extract from Brian Cadd - From This Side Of Things, New Holland, 2010 p190]
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This post consists on MP3 (320kps) ripped from vinyl and includes full album artwork. In addition I have chosen to include an A-Side single from 1975 called "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" which was released on the Bootleg Label but has not appeared on any album. I quite like this album and especially like his revamped version of his 1972 hit "Ginger Man" and of course the title track "White On White (El Dorado)".

Track Listing
01 - I Can't Stand It    
02 - No Answer     3:24
03 - Heavenly Night In September     3:31
04 - Good Night Princess     4:15
05 - Pass On The Road     4:34
06 - All In The Way (That They Use My Face)     3:09
07 - White On White El Dorado     3:17
08 - Ginger Man     3:26
09 - W.C. I See     4:20
10 - Dance, Dance, Dance     4:19
11 - Longest Night    5:25
12 - Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' (Bonus Single) 2:27   
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Artists on Album:
Vocals, Piano – Brian Cadd
Bass – Dee Murray
Drums – Nigel Olsson
Guitar – Ritchie Zito, Steve Cropper
Guitar, Banjo, Jew's Harp – Ben Benay
Horns – Chuck Findley, Dick "Slyde" Hyde, Jackie Kelso, Jim Horn
Keyboards, Synthesizer – Billy Payne, William Smith
Pedal Steel Guitar – Sneaky PetePercussion – Gary Coleman
Backing Vocals – Buzz Clifford, Carmen Twillie, Danny Moore, Kathy Collier, Mathew Moore, Peter Beckett, Steve Kipner, Vennette Gloud
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Brian Cadd Link (105Mb)
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Nancy Sinatra - Movin' With Nancy (1967) plus Bonus Tracks

(U.S 1961 - Present)
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Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank Sinatra, is one of the most fluid superstars of the last fifty years. As a singer, movie starlet, multimedia trendsetter, proto-feminist muse, and fashionista, Sinatra has maintained an undeniable presence in contemporary culture. Through a series of mythic collaborations with Lee Hazlewood, Mel Tillis, Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Morrissey, and her famous father, she popularized the form of the male-female duet in American rock and roll. Her susurrating vocal style, sourced and echoed a hundred times over by the likes of Kim Gordon, Britta Phillips, and Lana Del Rey, divined the best elements of European chansons, jazz-blues, and confectionery standards with a loping, almost sardonic drawl that belies her New Jersey birthright. Heard in baroque masterpieces like “How Does that Grab You, Darlin’?” and “Summer Wine,” this vocal persona (whose apocryphal description as a “fourteen-year-old who screws truck drivers” is attributed to Hazlewood) caused the producer to refer to her by the affectionate moniker “Nasty.” Her bleached bouffant and leather boots introduced a particularly Californian “go-go” aesthetic from Europe, immortalized in the Movin’ with Nancy TV specials and her omnipresent classic “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.”
Nancy Sinatra’s career mirrors that of countless female artists who have come before and after her; namely, the fact that its prescience and influence have often been diminished (by both men and other women) because of her gender, and that its great successes are sometimes yoked unfairly to the men who surrounded her.

 Although it certainly can’t hurt when your father owns the record company, Nancy Sinatra wouldn’t have sold millions of records in the 1960s if she wasn’t putting out great pop music. In fact, had Sinatra not met songwriter/producer Lee Hazlewood, she might’ve been dropped, even by Reprise. Nepotism only goes so far (just ask her brother) and Sinatra’s early attempts at the pop charts went nowhere. Hazlewood had her sing in a lower key and tailored her material for a straight-talkin’ sassy “hip” image that was closely associated with go-go boots, eyeliner and miniskirts. Together they had a long string of chart-topping hit records, most sung by Nancy, but still some were duets they recorded together.

1967’s NBC TV special 'Movin’ With Nancy' was produced at the height of Sinatra’s career and featured guest appearances from her father, his pals Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., as well as an onscreen appearance by Hazlewood. Written by Tom Mankiewicz (who’d go on to the James Bond films and the Superman franchise of the 70s) and directed by Jack Haley Jr. (son of the “Tin Man” actor, one-time husband to Liza Minnelli and future producer of That’s Entertainment!), as far as variety specials went, Movin’ With Nancy was considered quite “different” for its time. For one thing, it’s not shot in a studio, but mostly outdoors, on various locations like a travelogue. The set pieces simply drift from one to the next and each is like a music video. Haley won an Emmy for his directing.

The show was sponsored in its entirety by the Royal Crown Cola company (“It’s the mad, mad, mad, mad cola!” as you will be reminded over and over and over again) and their commercials are in the video below, so we get to see Movin’ With Nancy exactly the way it aired on December 11, 1967. Of special note is the premiere of that classic oddball psych number “Some Velvet Morning,” which made about as much sense then as it does today. If that doesn’t send a special thrill up your leg, I don’t know what would. Also, at the very end of her bit with Sammy? That innocent peck on the cheek was apparently the very first (non-scripted) interracial kiss on network television. This proved to be controversial, but was done spontaneously as Davis was actually saying goodbye to Sinatra in that shot and leaving the set for another job. There wasn’t a second take [extract from dangerousminds]

Album Review
To anyone who likes the Lee Hazlewood stuff, this is another highly recommendable Nancy Sinatra album to put in your collection. Six of these songs are his… and the other six are the vast array of show tunes and weird covers for anyone who prefers those. So, in some ways, this is the all-encompassing Nancy Sinatra album!

Of course, the best song on this album is "Some Velvet Morning"… It was the best thing about Nancy & Lee as well! Grr… why must those record company bastards make us buy the same songs twice!! If you thought that was bad, here's another instance of "Jackson" making it the third time it popped up in unchanged form in her discography. They should have just written new songs. Man. Another one, "Friday's Child," appeared in Nancy in London, but this was an actual re-recording, and a massive improvement. Instead of the sloppy, and somewhat cheese ball original, this one has dark, brilliantly orchestrated strings and a really awesome electric guitar noodling throughout. So that's cool.
The two-minute "I Gotta Get Out of This Town" opens the album, and it's quite a spirited piece with Sinatra giving her great bad-girl vocal performance and punchy albeit typical '60s arrangements. It's nothing more than a fun song to hear. "See the Children" is a great Hazlewood ballad with a fine melody and wonderful sort of contemplative arrangements. It's nothing that'll move you to pieces, but it's endearing. "This Town" is also a fine composition of his, but I think the instrumentation should have been different… I do like the atmosphere, but it seemed much more reserved and smoother, and it would have been more effective if it was brassier.

The covers aren't quite as splendid as those Hazlewood originals, overall, but there are a number of minor gems in here. "Who Will Buy" is a rock 'n' roll interpretation of the song from the hit play Oliver!. It's a beautiful song, and the arrangements are done well… So the idea worked great. "What I'd Say" is a really bizarre cover of the Ray Charles song … so bizarre that I can't decide if I like or hate its sloppiness. That sax solo at the beginning is so hyper that it tries to beat out the general pace of the song! Making it weirder is that there is nothing about Nancy Sinatra's voice that would make one thing that it would suit the material …….. and it really doesn't. Give it credit for being fun, but in the end, I'm never going to want to listen to it again. Frank Sinatra comes in and sings "Younger Than Springtime" all by himself. …Er… whose album is this? And there's an OK though uninspired duet with Dean Martin, "Things." …Well, it doesn't annoy me at least.  [review by Don Ignacio]
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OK, so this is a trip down memory lane, for those of you who grew up in the 60's. Lots of fun even for those who weren't even around in the 60's and again, it was the 'cover' that caught my attention with this one. Like Cilla Black, Nancy Sinatra did some great record covers and probably sold the vinyl based on this alone.
This post consists of MP3s (320kps) ripped from my A+ vinyl and includes full album artwork and label scans. Also included are some bonus tracks, taken from singles that my parents bought back in the 60's which I remember playing as a young boy and probably attribute to my obsession with music throughout my life!  Firstly, Nancy's first big hit "These Boots Were Made For Walkin' " and it's flip side "The City Never Sleeps At Night" and her later hit single "Lightning's Girl" with it's B-Side "Until It's Time For You To Go". 
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Track Listing
01. I gotta get out of this town

02. Who will buy
03. Wait till you see him
04. Younger than springtime (frank sinatra)
05. Things (with Dean Martin)
06. Some velvet morning (with Lee Hazlewood)
07. See the little children
08. Up, up and away
09. Friday's child
10. Jackson (with Lee Hazlewood)
11. This town
12. What'd I say

Bonus Tracks

13. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (A-Side Single)

14. The City Never Sleeps At Night (B-Side Single)

15. Lightning's Girl (A-Side Single)

16. Until It's Time For You To Go (B-Side Single)

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Nancy Sinatra (112Mb)  New Link 26/12/2023

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