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Before things get too serious at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song or album at the end of each month, that could be considered to be either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
The Pelaco Brothers formed in 1974 in Melbourne with Joe Camilleri (ex-King Bees, Lipp and the Double Dekker Brothers, Sharks) on saxophone and vocals, Stephen Cummings (ex-Ewe and the Merinos) on lead vocals, Peter Lillie on guitar and vocals, Johnny Topper on bass guitar, Karl Wolfe on drums and Chris Worrall on guitar.
The group was actually formed by Johnny Topper and Peter Lillie. The pair had been indulging in performance art with a concept of The After Dinner Moose. Topper was keen to give up the theatre and start a magazine with a friend, Stephen Cummings. Instead he was persuaded by Lillie to buy musical instruments and start a band which eventually included saxophonist Joe Camilleri. The band sang about truck drivers, roadhouse ladies and endless highways, playing a mix of rockabilly, R&B and Western Swing that forged a new musical aesthetic for the local scene.
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| The Pelco Bros - Stephen Cummings with his back turned |
The group were named after the Pelaco Sign located in Richmond, Melbourne (see below) which advertised a local shirt manufacturer. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, they played "rockabilly, country swing and R&B that recalled American outfits like Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks. Yet, the band's delivery presented a fiercely Australian outlook". Only existing for 18 months, they later included Ed Bates on guitar and Peter Martin on slide guitar.
In 1982, The Pelaco Brothers music was used for a suburban horror film, 'This Woman Is Not a Car.'
So this month's WOCK on Vinyl is far from being Weird or Crazy. It is however, a very rare E.P due to it's limited print run and so ticks the Obscure category. In fact, the rips contained in this post (MP3 / 320kps) was only sourced recently and I am very grateful to TARAGO for providing them. The artwork for the 'Notorious EP' was sourced from Mr Weird and Wacky with thanks.
To add icing on the cake, I have managed to source some of these tracks and others in FLAC format from some Aussie compilation CDs that I own and have included them in this package.
The music contained within is fantastic and gives us a great insight into where Stephen Cummings and Joe Camilleri first developed their skills in the music industry, later to appear in the Sports and Jo Jo Zep respectively.
To read a full account of the Pelaco Bros, select the review article below, which is also included with the post along with the artwork
Track List:
01 - Truckdrivin’ Queen
02 - Conga Line
03 - Cat Clothes
04 - Milkcow Blues
05 - Eskimo In Paris
06 - Mellow Saxophone
'The Lost Demos' from The Pelaco Bros. (1975)
01 - French Pom Pom
02 - I Can’t Do That
03 - 3rd Degree
04 - Ten Pin King
05 - Mordialloc
Bonus FLAC tracks
01 - Conga Line
02 - Mechanics in a Relaxed Manner
03 - Rockabilly Heaven
04 - Truck Driving Queen
05 - Truckdrivin' Guru
Members:
Joe Camilleri (saxophone vocals),
Stephen Cummings (vocals),
Peter Lillie (guitar),
Johnny Topper (bass),
Karl Wolfe (drums)
Chris Worrall (guitar),
Ed Bates (guitar)
Peter Martin (slide guitar)
The Pelaco Bros Link (183Mb)
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