(Australian 1973 -1977)
Their second, the till recently long-lost 'Jellabad Mutant', was intended to be a thoroughly ambitious prog opera with no spared expense described as "a John Whyndham-ish science fiction concept piece". But after much work and rehearsals, the final tapes were ultimately rejected by EMI with its overflowing vault of turgid and twiddly prog. Mike Rudd reflects:
"It's interesting to speculate what might have happened had we been allowed to proceed with the Mutant with an intact budget {EMI slashed the budget for Rock 'n' Roll Scars adding to the pressure} and with the time to to reflect and be creative with the raw material you hear in the demos. I regret not going in to bat for it at the time. We had a fabulous opportunity with the best technical assistance any band could have wanted. But I didn't sell the dream, even to myself".
In October 1974, the band recorded their follow-up 'Rock 'n Roll Scars' at Abbey Road Studios with a much-altered line up. Upon returning to Australia from England, Rudd & Putt recruited Glyn Mason [Chain, Copperwine] on vocals & guitar, drummer John LEE and guitarist Harvey James. By mid-1975 Mike Rudd had become involved with New Zealanders Dragon and after more member changes, Ariel switched labels to CBS and released a third effort 'Goodnight Fiona' in 1976. The new line-up recorded "I Can Do Anything" and "Goodnight Fiona". The album was a showcase for Ariel’s pub-rock blues and country sound. It peaked at #19 in Melbourne during 1976.
By 1977, the remnants of the band had stretched ARIEL's potential as far as they felt possible and released the tongue-in-cheek 'Disco Dilemma' single just before the CBS contract expired. In August '77 a final concert was performed and later released as 'Aloha Ariel' and 'Live:More From Before'.
ARIEL was a bold, sometimes flamboyant group of guys who knew what they wanted and became one of the hardest-working institutions in the Aussie artrock scene, producing an ever-surprising collection of inventive but unpretentious heavy progressive rock music. [Atavachron (David) - progarchives.com]
By 1977, the remnants of the band had stretched ARIEL's potential as far as they felt possible and released the tongue-in-cheek 'Disco Dilemma' single just before the CBS contract expired. In August '77 a final concert was performed and later released as 'Aloha Ariel' and 'Live:More From Before'.
This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl (acquired second hand from a bazaar in Geelong) which was in pristine condition. Full album artwork along with label scans are included. I also felt it necessary to include their post album single release "Disco Dilemma" / "How Do You Do It" as bonus tracks, mainly because I loved this track when it was on the radio. I also saw them play live on numerous occasions in 76-77, including their final concert appearance at Dallas Brooks Hall, where they played Disco Dilemma.
Although not their best album release, Goodnight Fiona is still a strong release and under rated amongst other Aussie band releases during the same time period. Have a listen, you won't be disappointed.
Tracklist
01 - Hot Sweet Love
02 - Take Me For A Ride
03 - Goodnight Fiona
04 - Rock N' Roll Lady
05 - Rock Critic
06 - Cypherland Blues
07 - I'll Not Fade Away
08 - Redwing
09 - I Can Do Anything
10 - Caught In The Middle Again
11 - Disco Dilemma (Bonus A-Side 1977 Single)
12 - How Do You Do It (Bonus B-Side 1977 Single)
Ariel were:
Mike Rudd - Guitar, vocals, harmonica
Bill Putt - Bass
Nigel Macara - Drums, Percussion, vocal harmonies
Glyn Mason - Guitar, vocals
Tony Slavich - Keyboards, vocal harmonies
Ariel Link (297Mb) New Link 15/12/2023
Ariel were one of my favourite bands of the late 70s. I had the LP in 1976. Thank you for this, a better rip than I had, and particularly for the bonus single, which I didn't have.
ReplyDeleteG.
a big thank you also.
ReplyDeleteA repeat in full of BigGray's comments
Thanks for dropping by Bondie - glad I could provide you with something that you didn't already have. Cheers mate
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