Albatross - A Breath Of Fresh Air (1973) plus bonus track

 (Australian 1972 - 1973)

Albatross (not to be confused with the two American bands, one hard rock, the other symphonic prog, of the same name) formed in September 1972, after the split of legendary Sydney band Tamam Shud. The initial lineup was a trio, comprising Bjerre and Baron (both ex-Shud) and drummer Kim Bryant (ex-Country Radio). In a podcast interview hosted by Purple Haze at Southern FM, Bjerre stated that he was getting tired of the pressures being placed on Tamam Shud to become bigger and better, particularly with its sound, and found himself wanting to be part of something simpler and avoid becoming a band with big multi-story PA stacks and sound systems. 

While bands like The Aztecs and The La De Das and were mining the rich veins of blues, boogie and heavy rock, Albatross took a different tack, exploring a mellower, acoustically-based style that was a development from the quieter side of Tamam Shud's progressive/psychedelic sound. Albatross' music incorporated elements of folk and country music, as were a number of other contemporary Australian groups like Country Radio, The Flying Circus and The Dingoes. Lyrically, the band's material continued Bjerre's concerns with spirituality, nature and environmental issues.

The band's home-base was on Sydney's northern beaches, and during the year of its existence Albatross played regularly at the Memorial Hall in the Sydney beachside suburb of Mona Vale. At New Year 1972-73 Albatross played at the ill-fated Bungool Festival near Windor, NSW, which was poorly attended due conflict with the local council, which led to the first day of the event being cancelled. In early 1973, the band was augmented by Lindsay's first wife Simone on vocals (who provided backing vocals, not unlike that of Linda McCartney in Paul McCartney's band Wings) and in April they were joined by multi-instrumentalist Richard Lockwood, formerly of Tully, who had also played with the last version of Tamam Shud.

 

Albatross - Original Lineup

This new lineup recorded the group's only LP, A Breath Of Fresh Air (Warner Reprise), which also included session contributions from Gary Frederick (slide guitar), Pirana organist Keith Greig and Country Radio's Chris Blanchflower (harmonica). It's a fine album, and long overdue for reissue. Bjerre's unusual voice is perhaps an acquired taste but the album is full of excellent material, beautifully played and very well recorded. The pacey opening track "Full Moon" is a road song that opens with an innovative string arrangement, moving into a heavier style that recall Tamam Shud, and it's decorated with some very tasty "Layla"-style slide guitar from Gary Fredericks. Other highlights include the rollicking "Bouzouki Boogie" and "Nimbin Stopover", a commemoration in song of the 1973 Aquarius Festival, which features the inimitable harmonica stylings of Blanchflower.

Another highly sought-after Warner album from this period, 'Total Union' by Band Of Light, has been recently reissued by Gil Matthews' Aztec Music label, so there is some hope that the Albatross album will eventually be remastered and re-released on CD. Sadly, this has not happened yet, but one can only hope. Meanwhile, the original LP -- which presumably sold few copies -- has become highly collectible, with copies now changing hands for over $200.

Albatross gained important exposure with a prestigious support spot on Frank Zappa's his first Australian tour in July 1973, but the band did not last out the year, and had already broken up by the time the LP was released in November.

Lindsay Bjerre spent the next few years pursuing spiritual interests and travelling; he also wrote a (never-performed) rock opera and studied mime in England with theatrical legend Lindsay Kemp. He re-emerged in 1977, with a new performance persona, simply called Bjerre, and with support from Countdown he scored a surprise hit with the single "She Taught Me How To Love Again" taken from his Phillips LP called "Stealing The Hours".

This post consists of FLACs ripped from vinyl (sourced from Midoztouch) and includes full album artwork. I thought I'd also include Bjerre's 1977 single "She Taught Me How To Love Again" as a bonus track to sweeten the deal. This track was sourced from the CD compilation 'Australian Pop of the 70s Vol 1 - Get That Jive'.

Track Listing

1. Full Moon (6:06)
2. The Drowning Song (3:57)
3. Escher's Door (4:47)
4. Drop Me A Line (3:20)
5. Bouzouki Boogie (4:09)
6. A Breath Of Fresh Air (4:19)
7. The Games Cards Play (3:05)
8. Nimbin Stopover (3:33)
9. Mermaid (4:42)
10. A Message To You (3:00)
11. Seashell Secrets (3:08)
12. Wings Of The Albatross (2:27)
13. The Angel And The Boy (3:00)
14. She Taught Me How To Love [Bonus Solo Track] (3:31)

Band Members:

Peter Baron (bass)
Kim Bryant (drums)
Lindsay Bjerre (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin)
Simone Bjerre (vocals, First Wife ! )
Richard Lockwood (sax, flute, clarinet)
Keith Greig (keyboards)
Gary Fredericks (slide guitar)


Albatross Link (309Mb)