W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Joe Camilleri - 92.3 EON-FM Will Achieve (1980)

  Before things get too serious here 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 categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

It can be said that Joe Camilleri is one of the most talented musical artists to call Australia home.
It's 48 years since Camilleri originally joined the Falcons, consisting of Wayne Burt and Jeff Burstin (both ex-Rock Granite) on guitars, John Power (from the Foreday Riders and Company Caine) on bass and former Daddy Cool drummer Gary Young - to record a version of 'Run Rudolph Run' as a Christmas single produced by Ross Wilson.

Even by that stage Camilleri was a local veteran, having played with mid-60's R&B band the King Bees, then the Adderly Smith Blues Band (which allegedly sacked him for sounding too much like Mick Jagger), Lipp and the Double Dekker Brothers, The Sharks and The Pelaco Brothers (with Stephen Cummings).

After recording the albums 'Don't Waste It' and 'Whip It Out', the mini-albums 'Loud and Clear' and 'So Young' (the title of which was covered by Elvis Costello) for Oz Records, the band - and its shifting cast of players - found themselves at Mushroom Records. By this stage Wayne Burt, one of the nations' great songwriters even then, had left - to be replaced by Tony Faehse (who had played in Alvin Stardust's band) - and the composing duties were thrown over to Camilleri and his colleagues. Soon afterwards, the ebullient Wilbur Wilde, who had been an integral member of Ol' 55, also joined the band.

The label move also teamed Camilleri up with producer Peter Solley who oversaw the hit singles 'Hit & Run', 'Shape I'm In' and 'All I Wanna Do' and the albums 'Screaming Targets' (1979), 'Hats Off Step Lively' (1981) and the 'Dexterity' mini-album (1981). The band toured overseas and even got to play at the Montreux Jazz and Blues festival.

Joe Camilleri and his Falcons

It was around this time that Australia's first commercial FM station (92.3 EON-FM) began broadcasting and to assist their launch across Victorian airways, they asked Joe Camilleri to write and sing a promotional radio jingle, which he entitled 'Will Achieve'. The single was produced by Camilleri along with long time friend Jimbo Barton (Engineer)

To hear some other 93.3 EON-FM Radio Jingles, jump across to soundcloud.com

92.3 EON-FM
43 Bank Street South Melbourne

92.3 EON-FM
Australia’s first commercial FM station began broadcasting on 92.3FM Melbourne on July 11 1980, first as EON-FM and later as Triple M on 105.1FM. A consortium that included entrepreneur Bill Armstrong, band manager Glenn Wheatley and stockbroker Bill Conn successfully bid on one of two Melbourne FM licenses in 1979. Armstrong headed the consortium, having seen the commercial opportunities of FM radio in the US and the UK and despite their application, had no blueprint from which to launch from. They did, however, beat Fox FM to the airwaves by just two weeks.

Clyde Simpson was the station’s first general manager, Lee Simon the first program director and Billy Pinnell the Melbourne station’s first music programmer. Other radio broadcasters that commenced their careers at EON-FM included Gavin Wood, John Peters and John Hood. Lee Simon who is affectionately known as the ‘godfather’ of rock radio and gave 47 years of service to the Aussie radio industry, having started out as a high-rating jock first on 3XY.

At first, EON played songs that “would not be played elsewhere”, having no playlist and avoiding Top 40 songs. “We thought we were going to be the beginning of a new era,” Armstrong admits. “It took us a while to realise we were wrong.” Simon went against the flow of the album rock formats favoured by Australia’s FM stations and radically changed EON-FM format by playing Top 40 hits and staging outdoor concerts. EON finally topped Melbourne’s ratings in 1985 and sold to Hoyts one year later for $37.5 million. The deal was reportedly negotiated by Wheatley. The station was rebranded 3MMM (Triple M) on November 27 in 1988 and moved to 105.1FM.

It launched the careers of programming greats including Ian Grace, Brad March, Jeff Allis, Grant Tothill and the network’s current head of content Mike Fitzpatrick. And so many more. “We’re all honoured to be the custodians of this radio station, and the history of EON as Australia’s first commercial FM,” Fitzpatrick told Radio Today. “It’s not lost on us how much we owe the founders, people like Lee, Gracie and Karl. Thanks to them, we’re able to continue to create great radio today.”

Over four decades the station’s many programmers are credited for breaking some of radio’s best lineups: The D Generation, The Cage and The Shebang among the alumni [extract from radiotoday.com.au]

This month's WOCK on vinyl post features another release by Joe Camilleri, this time a very rare radio promo jingle for the first FM radio station to hit the Australian Airwaves back in 1980. 92.3 EON-FM was my favourite radio station at the time and it was also renowned for organising and simulcasting rock concerts in Melbourne. 

Joe Camilleri Today

I came across this single at my local flee market some years ago  and it was the 92.3 EON-FM label that first caught my eye. It was only later that I noted thatJoe Camilleri was the artist and quite possibly his Falcons doing the backing. I don't think it would be the Black Sorrows as they didn't form until 1981. 

This is a great recording with a catchy 'reggae' riff and lyrics, which I'm sure would have pleased the radio station and listeners.  It certainly ticks the Obscure box with very few appearing on eBay for sale. I suspect it would have been a limited pressing, so I'm happy to own this copy.  The B-Side is just the backing band with no vocals, and was probably used for segment intro's and alike.

Hope this brings back memories for those of you who lived in Melbourne back in the 80's

Ripped to FLAC with label scans. Thanks to the EON-FM Facebook for the photos 

92.3 EON-FM Will Achieve (33Mb)