The Bushwackers - Murrumbidgee (1977)

 (Australian 1971 - Present)

The Bushwackers were familiar to many Australians before turning to country music in the late 1970s. Founded in Melbourne in 1971 by Dave Isom, Jan Wositzky, Bert Kahanoff and Mick Slocum, they gained international recognition when their frenetic folk/rock sound became prominent in the world wide revival of traditional song and dance. The band was conceived at Latrobe University in Melbourne when the founding members, in order to qualify for a grant to travel to the Aquarius Arts Festival 1972 at the ANU in Canberra, had to register as a formal act, consequently taking their name from the title of an album by the English folk singer Martyn Wyndham-Read.

Later, Dobe Newton (vocalist from 1973) and Roger Corbett (1980) took up the mantle and the Bushwackers started evolving with a strong country music flavour while still retaining their passionate focus on being Australian. Notable recordings include Faces in the Street, Beneath the Southern Cross, Bushfire, Murrumbidgee and The Shearers Dream – two of which were released through Australian record label Astor Records. The album And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda was released through EMI records in 1976 and is regarded as one of their finest recordings.

After his stint in The Bushwackers, Dave Isom co-founded The Sundowners with Peter McDonald from The Mulga Bill's Bicycle Band in 1977. They played Australian folk music and recorded their first album "Colonial Classics" in the early 80s.

The Bushwackers won their first Golden Guitar in 1981, becoming a fixture in Tamworth where their famous “Chardonnay” show is still a finale of the Festival.

They toured widely and, with Dobe and Roger as the core, a veritable cavalcade of talented country performers flowed through their ranks … Tommy Emmanuel, Clare O’Meara, Mark Oats and Michael Vidale to name a few.

For decades, Dobe and Roger and their “mates” have brought together the folk stories and traditional music of Australia, writing about, performing, recording and celebrating our heritage with an exciting mix of emotion, humour and floor-thumping energy.

A household name, The Bushwackers hold a unique place in the hearts of so many proud Australians. [extract from the Tamworth Festival Website]

The Bushwackers 1977

Album Review (by Paul The Stockman)

Their landmark ‘Murrumbidgee’ LP was recorded at London’s Morgan Studios with the legendary producer, John Wood, in 1977.
The opening track "Augathella Station" is more usually known as "Brisbane Ladies" or similar. It was penned by one Saul Mendelsohn, a stockman, in the 1880s but minor variations have been collected. It is firmly based on the British sea song "Spanish Ladies" about British sailors returning to England from Spain.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, someone with little or no idea decided the song could benefit from some tinkering. Now I'm not opposed to a bit of sensible tinkering - it is a folk song after all. I could live with the elimination of most of the place names although I can't see the point of it. The really absurd bit though is that this version has the drovers still in possession of the herd of cattle on the trip back to Augathella Station (Ranch) after having sold them in Brisbane?? No, they would not have driven any stock back home! Further, this version also has the drovers spending all their "money on the shanty town women" in some country town on the way home. This raises two points - firstly, it was very unlikely that any drovers that way inclined would have any money left after the "Brisbane Ladies" and the "girls of Toowong" (Toowong is an inner suburb of Brisbane) but more tellingly, Australia may have had "shantys" (inns), but not "shanty towns" in that sense and "shanty town women" appears to someone's crude attempt at evoking the concept of USA wild west saloon girls. Altogether, it is very disappointing that the Bushwackers had anything to do with such unauthentic garbage.

The Bushwackers pictured in London in 1976 before their Cambridge Folk Festival appearance. They appeared on the main stage alongside Don McLean, David Bromberg and Steve Goodman. 

"Rain Tumbles Down" was one of the legendary Slim Dusty's earliest songs; the classic "When the Rain Tumbles down in July". He wrote it in 1945 and it was first released in 1947 on the old Regal Zonophone label as a 78rpm. The initial release was definitely of the Australian "hillbilly" style but Slim thankfully released continuously improved performances of the song over the years and they appeared on several of his 103 albums. The Bushwackers remain fairly true to the song and it retains a country and western feel.

Great versions of "The Lachlan Tigers" and "Flash Jack from Gundagai".

For those who may be wondering, the LP cover is of a "lagerphone" in frantic motion. A very popular instrument in any respectable "Bush Band". It's often thought to be purely an Australian invention but it's an import from England but given the now very common name "lagerphone" in Australia (because of all the crown beer bottletops used in its construction). [see http://australianfolk.blogspot.com]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my well played vinyl. I've applied some minor crackle and pop removals to freshen up the rip, but in my opinion the crackles give the music a more rustic and natural sound that enhances the listening experience.  Full album artwork and label scans are also included.  To clench the deal, I've also included as a bonus track, their original 1973 single release of "When The Rain Tumbles Down In July" (a shorter / different sounding version than that on this album) recorded on Warner Bros.

Tracklist

01 Augathella Station 3:54

02 Lachlan Tigers 3:14

03 Billy Of Tea 3:52

04 Cold Feet      2:27

05 Rain Tumbles Down       4:18

06 Streets Of Forbes 5:14

07 The Cameo 1:05

08 Tomahawkin' Fred 2:53

09 Murrumbidgee River     4:59

10 Flash Jack 2:47

11 When The Rain Tumbles Down In July (1973 single)  3:00

Crédits

Bass – Pete Farndon

Bodhrán, Harmonica, Vocals – Jan Wositzky

Drums – Dave Mattacks

Fiddle, Viola, Vocals – Dave Kidd

Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin – Louis McManus

Piano, Accordion, Vocals – Mick Slocum

Producer – John Wood

Vocals – Dobe Newton

The Bushwackers  (217Mb)  New Link 16/10/2023

Original Bushwhackers - The Shearers Dream (1974)

(Australian 1971 - Present)
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The Bushwhackers formed as a result of one long afternoon session at the South Morang Pub, then taking  off through the La Trobe Uni Folk Club.
Dave made the  point that with the 'Colonials' band there was a desire to be proud of their Australianness and to look in keeping with the era from where the songs had derived, from that golden age before World War1 and where the lyrics were all about the Bushmen–shearers, bushwhackers, drovers and so on. They bought the finest made moleskins, long leather boots and the best vests.

The new Bushwackers Band (without the h – The Original Bushwackers & Bullockies Band) had formed in Melbourne in 1971. Shirley Andrews related to me these new ‘bushwackers’ had individually been either members or attendants of the Bush Music Club or Victorian Folk Music Club (VFMC). Jan Wositzky clarified this point by saying Dave Isom had been a member of Captain Matchbox and ran the La Trobe Uni Folk Club, but neither Dave nor Bert Kahanoff, the third initial founder with himself, were hanging out with the VFMC. As far as he knew he was the only one who went there, though all were associated with the VFMC via the Nariel Creek folk festival. Jan learn't the dances at VFMC dances and at Nariel Creek, and so became the band's dance caller. Through the VFMC Shirley Andrews work shopped and taught the folk dances she had profiled through ‘The Tradition’ and Take Your Partners so Jan certainly had good experience with dancing and then calling.
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After the Bushwackers formed they published ‘The Bushwackers Band Song Book’ in 1978’ and ‘The Bushwackers Band Dance Book’ in 1980. Both were excellent publications and although ‘bush dance’ doesn’t seem a term they then used, the connotation was certainly there in well-presented illustrations with Australian themes and bush style settings. [extract from 'Evolution of ‘Bush Dance’ part 5' ]
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The Bushies
Perhaps it's because we're a young country that appreciation of our folk heritage has been slow to develop. The emergence of groups playing "bush music" over the last few years has led to a greater awareness of the rich legacy brought here by our primarily English, Irish and Scots ancestors and the distinctly Australian bush ballads developed by succeeding generations.

The Bushies have been instrumental in keeping this tradition alive and developing on it — this album was recorded in 1974 and is full of the excitement and vigor of accomplished young musicians drawing on a rich cultural stream. Surprisingly and shamefully Australian folk albums are not numerous and this one can lay claim to being important for its influence.
Rollicking and brash, the line-up features bush bass — extremely hard to record but certainly more authentic than acoustic or electric bass. Soon after recording the album the band toured Europe to great success and the LP release was delayed until their return. Originally pressed on a picture record (now a collectors item - Picture Records PRF 1007) it has been through several mutations and has at various stages been hard to obtain.
The Bushies have themselves changed line-up, name and sound; recording the music for TV's "Cash & Company" and a further album — "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda".  They have toured Australia and returned to Europe to spread the word on our music. "The Shearers' Dream" is a landmark album which will be kept in print as part of our efforts to record Australian music [Linear Notes by Keith Gisss]
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This post consists of both FLACs ripped from my 2nd hand vinyl copy. Having found it at my local flee market, it was not in the greatest state and restoring this classic album to a listenable state was no mean feat. After many hours of removing pops and crackles, this album is finally ready for your next 'bush dance' in the comfort of your own home.  Full album artwork provided (including alternative release by Rainbow Records shown below) along with a multitude of band photos thanks to Dave Isom, sourced from his Blog
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Track Listing

01 - South Australia
02 - Red Hot Woodstove
03 - Maranoa Drovers
04 - Ned Kelly Was Born in a Ramshackle Hut
05 - Swagless Swaggie
06 - Drops of Brandy
07 - Rye Buck Shearer
08 - Woolloomooloo Lair
09 - Holy Dan
10 - Bullocky Oh
11 - Jim Jones At Botany Bay
12 - Bush Girl
13 - Denis O'Reilly
14 - Shearers' Dream

At the time of recording the Bushwhackers were:
Davs Isom: Guitar, Five string banjo, vocaJs.
Mick Slocum: Accordions, Angla, Concertina, vocals.
Tony Hunt. Fiddle, Viola, Five string banjo.
Jan Wositzky: Harmonica, Bodhran, Bush bass, vocals, spoons.
Dobs Newton: Lagerphone (or Murrumbidgee River Rattler), whistle, vocals.
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The Original Bushwhackers FLAC Link (269Mb)
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The Bushwackers - Lively (1984)

(Australian 1971 - Present)
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When a group of Melbourne university students gathered to share their love of traditional music in 1971, little did they realise that they were establishing a musical ‘institution’.

There had been ‘bush bands’ before, but none that captured the public’s imagination to such an extent that they were able to turn professional.

Having established residencies in Melbourne pubs, the band’s attention quickly turned to Europe where two of their great influences – Fairport Convention and Planxty were leading a folk revival. They wanted to be part of the action, and in 1974 took off to try their luck. While in the United Kingdom, the Bushwackers were befriended by such top-ranked folk acts as the Chieftains, the Dubliners, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span.

Originally a trio featuring Jan Wositsky (vocals, harmonica, banjo, bass and various forms of traditional bush percussion), Dave Isom (guitar, vocals and mandolin) and Bert Kahanoff (largerphone), the Bushwackers attracted large crowds with their early performances in Melbourne.

The Bushwackers - early 1970's

In Australia, they continued to attract enthusiastic crowds to their performances at the Dan O'Connell Hotel in Fitzroy, where they appeared every Friday night from 1977 to 1980.  They released their first single, "When the Rain Tumbles Down in July," in 1973.

Their first 8-10 years were split between extensive tours at ‘home’, and 5 European tours from the band’s base in London. Their energy and musicianship made an instant impact – Melody Maker describing them as taking the UK folk scene “by storm”. Numerous and extensive tours of the UK, Ireland, France, Holland and Germany established them as confirmed club and festival favourites – Cambridge, Rotterdam, Edinburgh …., and their debut LP ‘The Shearers’ Dream’ reached No.1 on the Melody Maker Folk Chart. The combination of traditional instruments, electric guitar and bass and the unique percussive drive of the Lagerphone, meant they rocked like no other folk band!

During their home visits, the band began to explore and popularise the neglected area of bush dance.

The Bushwackers - early 1980's

The late 70s and early to mid 80s saw the band’s self-promoted Bush Dance Spectaculars attract 2-3,000 people to Town Halls and major venues throughout Australia. The impact of this dance phenomenon saw a single from their (Gold) ‘Dance Album’ reach the No. 14 on Melbourne’s leading commercial Pop/Rock station!

With the addition of drums in 1980, the Bushies entered musical territory previously unexplored in Australia. This was the decade of the ‘pub rock’ boom, and saw the band sharing stages (and holding their own) with the cream of Aussie rock – The Angels, Men At Work, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil.

The band released two Australian Song Books and two dance books and albums which – to this day, hold sales records. No Aussie school could do without them.

This decade also saw the band ‘adopted’ by country music fans and, on their first visit (1981) to Australia’s largest music event – the 10-day, 4,000 gig Tamworth Country Music Festival, the band was awarded it’s highest honour – A Golden Guitar.?(They’ve returned every year, playing to sell-out crowds).

The band’s constant search and reputation for musical excellence saw them attract some of Australia’s best – drummers Robby Ross (Goanna) and Freddie Strauks (Skyhooks), guitar legends Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Housden (Little River Band), Tim Gaze (Ariel, Rose Tattoo) and bassist Pete Farndon who went on to international fame with The Pretenders.

Bushwackers on stage at the Revesby Worker Club in 1984

In addition to ten albums, the group's music was heard on numerous movie and television soundtracks. In 1984, they announced they were disbanding due to "the costs of keeping the band on the road and the desire to spend more time with families." The group continued to get together for annual reunion tours from 1984 until 1990.

Late in 1993, Roger Corbett (bass, mandolin, harmonica and vocals), who joined the group in 1980, and Dobe Newton (largerphone, whistle, bodhran, bones, spoons and vocals), a member since 1973, re-formed the group. Although they initially called the reorganized band "the Range Rovers", they went back to their original name upon signing a publishing contract with Warner Chappell and a recording contract with ABC/EMI.

After decades of relentless touring, in 1995 the band decided to take a break from the road. The national broadcaster – ABC, marked the occasion with a 1-hour TV special “The Last Dance”. The band continued to record and perform at major festivals/events.

They’ve continued that policy to this day – always being in demand for their unique and powerful stage shows.  The current lineup features Mark Oates (fiddle), Pete Drummond (drums), Tim Gaze (guitar) and Pamela Drysdale (accordion, guitar and vocals).

In 2007, the band realised a long-held dream, traveling to Nashville for the Australian Festival. The combination of Australian songs and subject matter and celtic-influenced music proved just as popular with Americans as it had with European fans 30 years earlier!

How many still-performing bands can boast 25 studio and live albums covering vinyl, cassette, CD and MP3 formats !

This LP was recorded live at the Revesby Workers Club in Sydney in 1984. At that time, the members of the band were Dobe Newton (only remaining original member), Roger Corbett, Tommy Emmanuel, Danny Bourke, Tony O'Neill, and Freddy Strauks. Although the LP features only 12 tracks, it contains about one hour of music as there are some extra instrumental segments in some tracks.

The Bushwackers - 1984

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl copy which I found in amongst a 'complete set' of Bushwacker albums, at the local flee market. I picked this album up along with a few other titles for a song (pun intended) and it was obvious from their 'mint condition' that their previous owner had really looked after the collection. I'm normally not attracted to Bush/Folk music, but with the presence of Tommy Emmanuel (on guitar) and Freddy Strauks (on drums) I couldn't resists and am glad I did so - this is a great album.
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Track Listing

01 - Lime Juice Tub
02 - Lazy Harry's
03 - Marijuana Australia
04 - Murrumbidgee (instrumental)
05 - When the Rain Tumbles down in July
06 - And the band played Waltzing Matilda
07 - When Brittania ruled the Waves
08 - Les Darcy
09 - 1-2-3-4
10 - Beneath the Southern Cross
11 - Wall of Death12 - Waltzing Matilda (Queensland version)
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The Band:

Dobe Newton - Lagerphone., Percussion, Vocals
Roger Corbett - Bass, Vocals
Tommy Emmanuel - Guitar, Vocals
Danny Bourke - Fiddle
Tony O'Neill - Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals
Freddy Strauks - Drums, Vocals
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The Bushwackers FLACs (360Mb)
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Original T.V Themes - Rush, Cash & Co, Ben Hall, Seven Little Australians (1976) EP

On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future. Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788
A big part of my upbringing involved being educated in Australian History and topics such as the goldrush days and bushrangers were always favourites of mine.
Therefore, I would like to celebrate Australia Day by posting some music that has connections with the goldrush days / bushrangers. I hope you enjoy these and have a great Australia Day !
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(Various Australian Artists 1973-75)

In 1976, Image Records released four popular Australian T.V show themes on an E.P. called "Original T.V. Themes".
The songs include two tracks by Brian May And The ABC. Showband, "Theme from Rush" and the "Theme from Seven Little Australians" and two tracks by The Bushwackers, the "Theme from Cash & Co" and the "Theme from Ben Hall". All four shows were set in the Australian Colonial days and centered on themes such as The Goldrush and Bushrangers.
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Rush
In 1974 the Australian Broadcasting Commission took the initiative and produced the high quality, critically acclaimed series Rush. Two series were made of Rush, and they were effectively two different programmes. Rush was set on the Victorian goldfields in 1852 in the fictitious settlement of Crockers Gully.
The first series was set in Victoria during the gold rush of the 1850's, and was produced in Melbourne and filmed in black and white. A second series went to air two years later, and the period and location was changed to the 1860's in New South Wales. This time it was produced in Sydney, filmed in colour and featured an almost entirely new cast line-up - the only character carried over from the original was that of Sergeant McKellar, played by John Waters.

I have wonderful memories of watching this TV show (both series) and for this reason alone I purchased the EP featured here. I was a big fan of John Waters (and his character who sported a distinctive scar on his left cheek) and followed his acting career thereafter (ie. Breaker Morant, Jesus Christ Superstar). Of course the soundtrack theme was also very catchy and well suited to the colonial setting.
Robert McKellar was the Crockers Gully Police Sergeant, who had a rather colourful past. McKellar was in the Army in England, until he shot a Sergeant with whose wife he was having an affair, and was subsequently transported to Australia as a convict. He was released on a ticket-of-leave after four years and joined the Victoria Police. McKellar is subordinate to Gold Commissioner Fitzalan, and disagrees with Fitzalan's administration of the law. McKellar identifies with the miners and their problems, and was often at loggerheads with Fitzalan - but first and foremost he was a policeman and would do his duty.
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Seven Little Australians
Australian mini-series produced by the ABC, Australian Film Development Corporation, Ethel Turner Productions. It aired in 1973 (10 episodes) and featured Leonard Teal as Captain John Woolcot and Ruth Cracknel as Martha
Based on Ethel Turner's classic children's novel, this award-winning mini-series is about a family of seven children set in 1880s Australia. The father of this lively brood is the dashing Captain John Woolcot, and he would like to run his household with army discipline, but is no match for his seven mischievous and fun-loving children. The war of wills between the Captain and his troop of independent-minded sons and daughters is tempered by the gentle guidance of Esther, his wife, and the children's kindly step-mother.

Cash & Co
The gold rush days of the 1850’s were a significant part of Australia’s history, yet the subject was not treated in a television series until 1974. The ABC’s Rush was the first series of any note to deal with the period, and was closely followed by Homestead Film’s production of Cash & Co.
Unlike Rush, Cash & Co was conceived purely as an escapist adventure series. Although the stories are based on fact, they make no attempt to recreate any authentic events. However, much research was done to ensure the settings, costumes and props faithfully recreated the period.

The show’s theme tune and much of the incidental music was written and performed by the 'Bushwhackers And Bullockies Bush Band', later simply known as the 'Bushwackers Band'. The theme tune and some of the incidental music has also appeared on their albums.
Cash & Co reflected the view that not all outlaws were necessarily bad, but were sometimes reasonable men who were persecuted and driven outside the law by the law itself - as administered by ruthless officials, epitomised in this case by the corrupt police officer Lieutenant Keogh. The outlaws, Sam Cash (played by Serge Lazareff) and Joe Brady (played by Gus Mercurio with his gravelly, cigar choked voice), are on the run after being framed for murder by Keogh. In fact, Keogh and his troopers murdered Brady’s partner for not having a mining licence, and Brady would have been next if not for Cash’s timely intervention. The role of Jessica Johnson is played by Penne Hackforth-Jones. Jessica is strong-willed and as competent as any man, and features equally in the action scenes.
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Ben Hall
Ben Hall (May 9, 1837 – May 5, 1865) was an Australian bushranger. A bushranger is a thief who roamed the countryside and country towns of Australia, usually escaping on horseback, like a highwayman. Most bushrangers were simply criminals and thieves. Ben Hall is one of the few bushrangers, like Ned Kelly, who were thought of as outlaw heroes.
Ben Hall lived at a time when gold had been discovered in New South Wales and Victoria. Thousands of people went out to the places where gold had been discovered to seek their fortunes (hoping to get rich). Like many bushrangers, Ben Hall and his gang robbed coaches that were carrying gold from the goldfields. Ben Hall was able to avoid being arrested by the police for many years because he had many friends and relatives to help him [extract from wikipedia]
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Ben Hall was a 1975 historical mini-series produced by the ABC in Sydney as a co-production with the BBC. The Ben Hall set was located at Belrose in Sydney's north and the set formed the township of Wheogo in the mini-series. Strangely enough, there is scant information available for this mini-series and is not even featured on the ABC website. It would seem that this series has been treated as a poor cousin to the the acclaimed Rush mini-series.
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Track Listing
A1 Theme from "Rush" - Brian May & the ABC Showband
A2 Theme from "Seven Little Australians" - Brian May & the ABC Showband
B1 Theme from "Cash & Co" - The Bushwackers
B2 Theme from "Ben Hall" - The Bushwackers
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This posting includes rips taken from my mint condition vinyl at 320kps and full album artwork, label scans and select photos taken from each mini-series. Most of the information and photos posted were taken from Classic Australian Television
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Original TV Themes Link (23Mb)
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