Geisha - Midnight To Dawn (1987) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1983–1988, 1998, 2007–2014)

Geisha was formed in the Melbourne, Australia in 1983 by songwriter, guitarist and frontman Chris Doheny.

Having grown up through the Sixties and Seventies, Chris had previously played in a number of bands, driven by his love of music and the inspiration he gained from listening to the Beatles and other popular acts of the that period. With the formation of Geisha, a distinct shift towards the "new romantic" movement so prevalent in the late Seventies and early Eighties helped shape the group's image and led to their popular success. Often compared to international acts such as Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet Geisha were to become hugely successful on the Australian music scene.

Geisha 1985

Soon after their formation, the band was signed by EMI and in April 1985 released their first single "Fool's Way". Buoyed by airplay of this and by their success on the Melbourne live circuit, two further singles followed in that same year with the releases of "Rainy Day" in July and "Kabuki" in September, the latter reaching number 1 on the Melbourne Charts towards the end of that same year. As well as the three singles, their first album (simply entitled "Geisha") was also released by EMI in 1985.

EMI released "repackaged" versions of "Rainy Day" in early 1986 but the band was busy producing their next single. In August, the hit single "Part Time Love Affair/Twilight Love" was released giving the band their first National Top 10 hit (peaking at #3 on the Melbourne charts). Constant touring and promotional tasks continued throughout the year.

In late 1986-early 1987, the band was undergoing some internal reorganization. The band changed its structure from a 5-piece outfit to a 3-piece outfit with Chris taking on the job of bass guitarist as well as vocalist. The change forced the band to try and break away from the "eighties" mold set by so many acts of the time allowing their new songs, which now were to be more guitar-based, to take on a harder, rock edge. Whilst enabling a different 'style' of music to emerge, the amended (and reduced) line-up made it somewhat difficult to deliver their entire Geisha repertoire in a live situation.

So, in 1987, Chris put together a completely revamped line-up comprising Rob Dean (guitar - formerly of the English group "Japan"), Laurence Maddy (keyboards), Chris Doheny (bass/vocalist) and Tom Hosie (drums) who had previously played with James Freud in the band Berlin. Again, success followed later that year with the release of the second Geisha album "Midnight To Dawn". Three singles were spawned from this album - "Calling Your Name/Don't Come Knocking After Midnight", "Normal People/Paranoid Street" and "Never Tell You Why/Shining Star" and further touring and media appearances ensued for the remainder of the year and into 1988.  However, Geisha eventually broke up in April 1988.

Geisha 1987
L-R: Ken Sheppard, Chris Doheny, Bret Luton 

Doheny continued shaping the musical landscape over the years, forming various bands with a who’s who of Melbourne’s elite musos. But it was in 1994 when his voice became etched into the national psyche with “More Than a Game,” the rousing theme for Nine’s The Footy Show, and has become an AFL football anthem.  It remains arguably the longest running unchanged theme for an Australian television show.

Doheny revived Geisha in various forms - including a 1998 compilation and a 2007 reboot - and remained a passionate performer and collaborator throughout his life. Chris Doheny carved a singular path through Australian music history, from Countdown-era chart success to the stadium-sized anthem that became the heartbeat of AFL culture.

RIP Chris Doheny 

Tragically, Chris Doheny (64) died in 2025 in a road accident on the Thiele Highway, near Kings Bridge Road, Kapunda. [Extracts from Wikipedia & Instagram]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my CD copy of the album along with full album artwork for both vinyl and CD formats.  I am also including some B-Side Singles and Demo's that were not included on this album plus [Chris Doheny's single "More Than A Game" - thanks to Beergut at Ausrock], as bonus tracks.  Some of these bonus tracks have been ripped from vinyl and are flagged appropriately.   I am also including edited artwork to reflect these additions.

As a special treat, I am also including a 12" Single release of their single "Calling Your Name" which features a extended 'New York Dance Mix' and a 'Dub Mix'. [Thanks to Deutros at Ausrock]

Track Listing

01 - Normal People

02 - Take Aim And Fire

03 - Calling Your Name

04 - Beauty In Emotion

05 - Never Tell You Why

06 - No Heart

07 - Part Time Love Affair

08 - Midnight To Dawn

09 - Shining Star

10 - Anger

Bonus Tracks

11 - Don't Come Knocking After Midnight (B-Side Single)+

12 - Paranoid Street (Demo Version)*

13 - Slow Boat To Nowhere (Demo version)*

14 - Twilight Love (B-Side Single)+

15 - More Than A Game (Chris Doheny Solo Single)#

+ Ripped from Vinyl

* Taken from Geisha Demo Sessions 86-87 (2007)

# Taken from Unofficial National Anthems Vol II (2003)

Band Members:

Chris Doheny - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass & Keyboards

Ken Sheppard - Guitars, Keyboards, Programming & Vocals

Bret Luton - Drums & Percussion

Geisha Link (484Mb)