REPOST: Home - Long Long Way To Nowhere (1974)

(Australian 1972-1975)
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This album is one of the undiscovered gems of the 70's in my opinion.
Led by Glyn Mason following his departure from the famous Melbourne group Chain (and a short stint as leader of Copperwine when Jeff St. John left), this is what might be best described as country rock with some progressive elements. Mason went on to play with many other great Australian bands like Ariel, Richard Clapton and 'Stockley, See and Mason'.

Home had a connection to a variety of Oz and New Zealand Bands. The group members had been in several bands before producing their album 'Long Long Way To Nowhere' which featured the single “Bang, Bang, Bang”.
Mason's vocals sound very similar to Brian Cadd and Bob Dylan at times. Home played a sophisticated form of country rock, not dissimilar to the bands such as the Dingoes or early Little River Band or even the Savannah Silver Band.
The 4 minute single “Bang, Bang, Bang” is an edited version of the album release which is nearly 7 mins long and has the 3rd verse and other sections edited out.
Home released one other album in 1973, called 'At Last!' featuring a different bass player - Trevor Wilson and Mal Logan on keyboards.

.Phil Lawson originally played bass for SCRA and then Bakery (1973) and then finally took over from Trevor Wilson to play bass for Home in 1974. He eventually joined Richard Clapton in 1975 for a short stint with Sloppy Morris (on Blue Bay Blues) and eventually went on to play with Max Merrit & The Meteors in 1980.

Nevin 'Loppy' Morris played drums for Hot Cottage in 1970-71 and Richard Clapton in 1975 (playing drums on "Girls On The Avenue") before joining Home,and then went on to play drums for the Deltoids (blues and rockabilly) in early 80's.

Ian 'Gunther' Gorman has been in many Australian bands - almost a Who's Who's of Aussie Rock. His first band was Reeb Revol in 1969 (consisting of Graham Patrick, Paul Reynolds, Digger Royal, Ron Shepherd, Peter Smith). He then joined Salty Dog in 1972 and eventually left to play with Australian icons Daddy Cool.
In January 1975, Daddy Cool appeared at the final Sunbury Festival, after which (Ian) Gunther Gorman was recruited to bolster the group's lineup, and although it was clear by this time that Daddy Cool was well and truly past its use-by date, they soldiered on for a few more months. He was eventually replaced by Wayne Burt before Daddy Cool called it quits.

Gunther Gorman played guitar on Goodbye Tiger for Clapton in 1976 and also filled in for Sherbet when Clive Shakespeare left the band but was eventually replaced by Harvey James.
He then formed the Gunther's G-Force in 1978-1979 with Don Miller-Robinson, and then joined forces with the 'The Fives' in 1982 alongside Frankie J. Holden, Rockpile Jones, Jim Manzie, Geoff Plummer and Wilbur Wilde.
For more info and a link to Gorman's one and only solo album, see my blog post
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There's not one bad track on this album, the music is very laid back and really easy to listen to. It is almost mesmorizing at times with most tracks running between 5 to 10 minutes long - my favourite is Mr. Blue. All tracks are Australian compositions written by the band and the strong vocal harmonies of Mason and Lawson along with the technically perfect guitar work by Gorman make this album a true 'lost classic' from the 70's.
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This post consists of a FLAC rip of my 'near pristine' vinyl and includes full album artwork. I have also chosen to include the single edit version of "Bang, Bang, Bang" so you can compare it with the album version. Enjoy !

New Improved Rip !

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Track Listing
01 - Westward Bound
02 - Long Long Way To Nowhere
03 - Mr Blue
04 - Same Old Feeling Again
05 - Bang, Bang, Bang
06 - Always Over
07 - Riverflow
08 - Bang, Bang, Bang (Bonus Single)
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Band Members:
'Loppy' Nevin Morris (Drums, Percussion)
Phil Lawson (Bass, Vocal Harmonies)
Glyn Mason (Vocals, Rhythmn Guitar)
'Gunther' Ian Gorman (Lead Guitar, Vocal Harmonies)
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Home Link (372Mb)  New Link 20/02/2025
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Various Artists - Andrew Durant Memorial Concert (1980)

 (Australian 1980)

Andrew MacLeish Durant (2 October 1954 – 6 May 1980) was an Australian musician-songwriter. He was a member of country rock group Stars (1976–79) providing guitar, harmonica, and backing vocals. He was also a session and backing musician for a range of artists. He died of cancer, aged 25. On 19 August 1980 a tribute performance was held in his honour, with a live double-album recorded by various artists, Andrew Durant Memorial Concert, which was released on 9 March 1981. All but three tracks were written by Durant. It peaked at No. 8 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and reached No. 40 on the End of Year Top 100 Albums Chart for 1981...R.I.P

Andy's Story

Andrew was born in Adelaide on 2nd October, 1954, the youngest of six children. Four of his five brothers and sisters played guitar at various times, and this influence, together with the blues and folk records they brought home during their teenage years induced Andy to show a musical interest at a very early age. He taught himself to play guitar around the time he started High School, and developed to the point where he performed solo at school concerts. At the age of fifteen he bought his first electric guitar and started jamming with other beginners in the area; playing material from the Beatles, The Band, Cream and Grand Funk Railroad.

He quickly earned respect as the best local musician, showing a strong talent for guitar, harmonica and vocals. Songwriting ideas were also starting to come through at this time.

His friends also remember him for his performances at parties. playing accurate renditions of Dylan songs such as "Love Minus Zero - No Limit", "George Jackson", and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".

In late 1972 Andy, Glyn Dowding and I formed a band called Astrakhan, with the intent of developing a career- Towards the end of the band's 18 month life Andy introduced his first original song to our repertoire of material by groups such as Free and Deep Purple. He left Astrakhan just before it disbanded, and formed a band called Mirrormere, to play more experimental music under the influence of bands such as King Crimson.

In 1975, I formed Stars with Glyn. Mick Pealing and Graham Thompson. and after working for a year and earning ourselves a record contract in Melbourne, we asked Andy to rejoin us as rhythm guitarist/ harmony vocalist. He accepted, expressing an interest in developing his songwriting. Within only a few months he became the major writing force in the band, producing some ten songs, most of which were recorded for the Stars 'Paradise' album released in January 1978. These songs, which were to earn Andy his reputation as a songwriter, were his first serious works.

The Stars -1978

The success of Paradise led to a consistent national touring schedule for Stars. which, together with line-up changes, detained the release of the follow-up album 'Land of Fortune' till June 1979. ln August 1979, after months of hesitation. Andy submitted himself for medical tests to investigate the unusual growth of a mole on his back. The tests confirmed that the mole had become malignant. This form of cancer is called melanoma. Stars fulfilled their September commitments with a replacement guitarist while Andy recuperated after a removal operation. He resumed live performances with the band in October after further tests indicated an "all clear" on his health.

In November, Stars disbanded due to disappointing sales of the 'Land of Fortune' album, coupled with the need for new direction and a change of pace after four years of constant touring.

Andy was invited to Sydney in December to play guitar on Richard Clapton's current album, 'Dark Spaces', but had to abandon the project before completion due to the discomfort of severe back pains. He returned to Melbourne and after extensive medical tests at the Peter MacCallum Hospital, was diagnosed as having "secondary's" in the form of bone cancer. Extensive chemotherapy and ray treatment were prescribed immediately, but by February 1980, Andy was bedridden. To enable him to remain at home with his family regular ambulance transport was provided to and from the hospital.

Andy made clear his wish that his condition be kept secret, for the entitlement of his privacy, and to avoid the pain it would cause his many friends. He had great determination to win his battle and despite his illness, his talent and love for song writing continued to grow. The small group of family and friends who surrounded him encouraged him to further the musical statement he had already made. Andrew Durant died on Tuesday, May 6th. 1980, aged 25.

This Memorial Concert was conceived as a gesture of love and respect from Andy's friends and peers. The full potential of his talent may never be realized, but his music remains and it is befitting that it be performed in its entirety. Showtime will realise the magnitude of the entire entertainment industry pulling together to make this unique event possible.

The plan commenced with the intention of using proceeds of the concert to establish the annual "Andrew Durant Songwriter's Award". Sponsorship since received now enables us to direct the majority of the proceeds to the Peter MacCallum Hospital for further research into the drugs used in Andrew's treatment.

A copy of the Hospital's letter acknowledging the proposal is included below for your reference.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from both Vinyl (original 2LP release) and CD (bonus tracks) and includes full album artwork for both media, along with label scans

I saw Andy Durant playing with Stars back in 1977, during the 'Nightmovies Concerts' and was a huge fan of his guitar playing. His passing was a huge shock to the Australian Music Industry and fan community and his legacy will never be forgotten. This post is a tribute to both his amazing contributions to the Australian Music Scene and the strength he demonstrated as a Cancer patient.

Artists who contributed to this memorial concert were: Mick Pealing, Malcolm Eastick, Glyn Dowding, Renee Geyer, Broderick Smith, Ian Moss, Don Walker, Graham Thompson, Kerryn Tolhurst, Jimmy Barnes, Richard Clapton, Rick Formosa, John-James Hackett, Glyn Mason, Mick O'Connor, Billy Rogers

LP Track List

A1 Back Again 4:35
A2 Pick Up The Pieces 5:42
A3 Paradise 3:48
A4 Jive Town 3:51
A5 Good Times 1:17
B1 Last Of The Riverboats 4:03
B2 Jupiter Creek 4:19
B3 Ocean Deep 5:31
B4 Look After Yourself 4:03
C1 Innocent Bystanders 4:02
C2 Iceman 6:15
C3 Solitaire 6:02
C4 Wasted Words 5:22
D1 Song For The Road 4:55
D2 Mighty Rock 7:17
D3 Knockin' On Heavens Door 9:41

Bonus Tracks

01 - Let's Get Moving

02 - Living A Lie

03 - Red Neck Boogie

04 - West Is The Way

Andy Durant Memorial Concert Link (726Mb)