Richard Wagner - Selftitled (1978)

(U.S 1964 - 2014)

Chances are that you’re familiar with guitarist and songwriter Richard 'Dick' Wagner’s talents even if you don’t recognize his name. As frontman for the mid-to-late 1960s Motor City hard rock outfit 'Frost', Wagner was a contemporary of such legends as the MC5, the Stooges, Bob Seger, and Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes. After Frost had run its course, Wagner formed the power trio Ursa Major (with former Amboy Dukes bassist Greg Arama). That band’s lone Bob Ezrin-produced their 1972 magnum opus, a magnificent beast of shimmering, buzzing guitarwork, explosive rhythms, and Wagner’s wordy, Dylan like lyrics; but went absolutely nowhere on the charts.

Although Ursa Major’s self-titled LP flopped and the band broke-up, Wagner developed a friendship with their young producer and Ezrin – fresh off a hit with Alice Cooper’s 'School’s Out' album. Ezrin would eventually use Wagner as his secret weapon in the studio. The guitarist would record and tour with Cooper throughout his initial solo years and well into the 1980s, writing hits like “Only Women Bleed” and “I Never Cry.”

Ezrin then partnered Wagner and fellow Detroit guitarist Steve Hunter with Lou Reed, the pair bringing lightning to Reed's 'Berlin' and thunder to the live 'Rock N’ Roll Animal'albums. Wagner would later play on sessions (and hits) by Etta James, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, and Kiss (playing acoustic guitar on “Beth”). It was the dueling guitars of Wagner and Hunter that set fire to Aerosmith’s “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” from the band’s 'Get Your Wings'.

Solo Debut Album
Given their friendship and strong working relationship, it was therefore only natural that Ezrin would produce Wagner’s 1978 solo debut album. Both men pulled names from their extensive artist connections, lining up a talented studio band for the project that included guitarists Steve Hunter and Domenic Trioano (from the James Gang); bassists Prakash John (Parliament/Funkadelic) and Bob Babbitt; and drummers Whitey Glan and Allan Schwartzberg. Considering Wagner’s hard rock credentials, his solo debut comes across – at first spin – as a relatively lightweight affair; kind of like a boxer dropping pounds to punch down in a lower weight class. That doesn’t make it a bad album, just an unexpected cruiserweight effort, with a greater reliance on melody and songcraft than previous, which would serve Wagner’s songwriting efforts well in the future.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper Tour)

The album opens with a cover of Andy Pratt’s elegant “Some Things Go On Forever,” a piano-driven ballad that manages to channel a bit of the old Ursa Major magic nonetheless with intertwined guitars and beefy rhythms. “Don’t Stop The Music” is a similar construct, albeit a Wagner original, and it treads awfully close to Gary Wright's “Dreamweaver” turf with a chiffon arrangement, ethereal instrumentation, floating vocals, and Ernie Watt’s wired jazz-funk sax solo playing off of Wagner’s soulful fretwork. The song itself is an ode to rock ‘n’ roll and the DJs playing it on the radio, lyrically concealing a deceptive romantic undercurrent.

Don't forget ya guitar Richard

“Nightwork” echoes Wagner’s late-career return to the blues, the song a hard-luck tale turned smooth R&B romp with sultry backing vocals and subtle horn flourishes. It’s Wagner’s fluid guitarplay that stands out, though, driving the performance into a more soulful corner, the guitarist mixing scraps of Ernie Isley, George Benson, and Sly Stone in creating his own bluesy, funky contemporary edge. By contrast, “Heartlands” comes across as a country-flavored symphony with acoustic string plucking and a folkish lyrical slant with Wagner’s plaintive vocals up front and high in the mix, wearing his sentiment on his sleeve before the entire band kicks in and swerves the entire affair into the melancholy-tinged “Oceans.”

With a little louder guitars and a tougher arrangement, I could easily see “Oceans” as an Ursa Major jam. It’s more nuanced here, though, with swelling, lush instrumentation; obligatory whale cries in the background (it was the late 1970s, after all…); and some prog-rock styled playing that wouldn’t sound out-of-place on a Pink Floyd album. “Go Down Together” is the album’s foot-stomper, Wagner’s opening solo knocking down anything Ted Nugent tried to do during the decade. An up-tempo six-string rocker with honky-tonk piano, strident rhythms, and sizzling fretwork, it’s one of Wagner’s finest rock ‘n’ roll moments with a great storyline and an overall vibe that could have made it a big hit if FM radio hadn’t gone all wussy and corporate by ’78.

Swerving the listener once again, “Small Town Boy” is nifty slice of pop-rock fluff with island rhythms similar to those of Pablo Cruise and is probably the most radio-friendly tune on the album. Wagner takes his cue from Nashville with the country-rock tune “Hand Me Down Heartaches,” a lovely melody surrounding finely-crafted lyrics and backed by the slightest of twangy instrumentation that works mostly because of Wagner’s earnest, emotionally-charged vocals.

Wagner closes his solo debut with the grandiloquent “Motor City Showdown,” a street-savvy medium-tempo soft-rocker just a step away from Jim Steinman with its swells of orchestration surrounding and coddling Wagner’s oblique ‘Sharks vs. Jets’ story-song lyrics. It’s a strange but effective song to end the album with, veering dangerously close to the prog-rock edge in its ambition but with an undeniable singer/songwriter veneer lying close to the surface. It’s a gorgeous performance, and the musicians imbue it with a sort of majesty and grandeur that’s out-of-sync with contemporary rock sounds (circa 1978). Appropriately, Wagner’s searing guitar solo on his trusty Mockingbird guitar is threaded through the outro, ending the album with a quiet dignity.

CD Reissue cover with name change

Unfortunately, the album sold poorly in spite of the guitarist’s reputation – probably due to Atlantic Records’ enormous blunder of naming the disc Richard Wagner (rather than Dick Wagner, the name by which he performed), which allegedly confused record stores into stocking it in the classical music section with Richard Wagner, the German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor, best known for his operas. With the albums reissue on CD in 2014, Real Gone Music has corrected this mistake and re-titled the album 'Dick Wagner'.

Decidedly less blustery than much of Wagner’s earlier band work, his never less than stellar guitar playing provides the steely muscle rippling beneath the surface of many of the album’s songs. Dick Wagner is definitely an album of its time, and yet also curiously out-of-step with late ‘70s trends in rock music, which just further spotlights Wagner’s unique vision and talents. If you’re not expecting the second coming of Frost or a sequel to Rock N Roll Animal, you’ll find a lot to like among the lofty pop-rock tunes to be found on Dick Wagner. [extract from The Reverend's Rock 'n' Roll Archives]

This post consists of FLACs freshly ripped from my near mint vinyl (purchased from Reading Records in Carlton, Melbourne back in the late 70's) and includes full album artwork for both CD and vinyl, and label scans.  Although I enjoy listening to this album, I have always compared it to Dick's co-guitarist Steve Hunter's solo album 'Swept Away', released the year before (see my post), which I actually enjoy listening to more. Interestingly enough Hunter plays rhythm guitar on Wagner's album however Wagner didn't play on Hunter's album, although Bob Ezrin did, playing keyboards. Go figure.

Track Listing:

A1 Some Things Go On Forever*   3:37

A2 Don't Stop The Music 5:44

A3 Nightwork 4:34

A4 Heartlands 1:38

A5 Oceans 5:30

B1 Go Down Together 4:07

B2 Small Town Boy 4:21

B3 Hand Me Down Heartaches 5:11

B4 Motor City Showdown 6:19

All tracks written by Richard Wagner except *Andy Pratt

Band Credits:

Backing Vocals – Brooks Hunnicutt, Laurel Massé, Lisa Roberts, 

Bass – Bob Babbitt, Prakash John

Drums – Allan Schwartzberg, Whitey Glan

Guitar – Domenic Troiano, Steve Hunter

Keyboards – Bob Ezrin, Dave Tyson*, Fred Mandel, Paul Griffin, Phil Aaberg*

Lead Vocals, Guitar, Soloist [All Guitar Solos], Backing Vocals – Richard Wagner*

Percussion – Jim Maelen*

Modern Folk Quartet*, Tony Kosinec

Saxophone [solo] – Ernie Watts (tracks: A2)

Producer, Engineer, Mixed By [Remix] – Bob Ezrin & Brian Christian

Orchestrations – Allan Macmillan, Bob Ezrin

Richard Wagner Link (214Mb)

REPOST: Robin Trower - Live In Concert, New George's San Raphael, CA - KRQR-FM Broadcast (1988) - Ex SB

(U.K 1973-Present)

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Robin Trower's career has spanned more than four decades, starting first with Procol Harum and then as a solo artist in the early 70's. He is one of the finest guitarists in Rock n' Roll history. Throughout his long and winding solo career, Robin Trower has been called the "White" Hendrix due to his uncanny ability to channel Hendrix' bluesy / psychedelic, Fender Strat-fueled playing style. This of course was what attracted me to his music in the first place as I am a huge Hendrix fan also. However, by the dawn of the '80s, it became quite obvious that Trower's stardam was rapidly fading, as each album sold less than its predecessor. A brief union with ex-Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce spawned a pair of releases, 1981's B.L.T. and 1982's Truce, before Trower returned back to his solo career. The mid-late '80s saw Trower try and expand his audience with several releases that attempted to update his blues-rock style (such as 1987's slick produced Passion), but none returned the guitarist back to the top of the charts. Nevertheless, I believe this 2nd incarnation of Trower's band was as good as that first one which featured the lengendary James Dewar on vocals. In fact, Trower's album, 'Living Out of Time' (2004), featured the return of veteran bandmates Dave Bronze on bass, vocalist Davey Pattison (formerly with Ronnie Montrose's band Gamma) and Pete Thompson on drums - the same lineup as the mid 1980s albums 'Passion' and 'Take What You Need'.
The FM concert provided here features the same band members, and the recording was made on Trowers promotional tour for his then up and coming 'Take What You Need' LP. The concert was played at New George's San Raphael on 27-01-1988 and broadcast by a San Francisco FM radio station - 97.3 KRQR. This is a good show...KRQR used to do weekly live broadcasts from New George's for a short period of time in '88, the majority of which were local acts. This was one of the big names that they managed to broadcast. There were also shows by Paul Collins (The Beat), Eddie & The Tide, and Soft White Underbelly (a.k.a. Blue Oyster Cult). A small correction worth noting: the town actually spells it "Rafael," not "Raphael."

.I particularly like this concert as Trower's guitar playing is not self indulgent and he gets down to business immediately by giving the audience what they want, "Too Rolling Stoned" starts the concert and then the band proceeds to provide a mixture of new material blended in with the old. Davey Pattison's vocals are very strong and he is able to reproduce the old material with uncanny similarity to that of Dewar. Trower's guitar work is nothing short of brilliant and is consistently supported by his rhythm team with 'David Bronze' on bass and 'Pete Thompson' on drums. The combined tracks 'Day Of The Eagle / Bridge Of Sighs' are spectacular, with Trower demonstrating total control of feedback and guitar work that almost mesmorizes the listener. The new material is strong and tight, showing that the band was well rehearsed at the time. This is probably one of the best soundboard recordings I have heard and almost out does his earlier commercially released live material on 'Trower Live!' and 'Beyond The Mist'. All in all, this is a classic set and should not be overlooked if you are a Trower fan.

The rip was taken from Cassette in FLAC format (thanks to Draftervoi at Voodoo Wagon) and includes customised artwork, along with artwork from alternate bootleg releases (see below)

New Improved Rip and Artwork

.Track Listing

01 Too Rolling Stoned
02 Love Attack
03 Day of the Eagle
04 Bridge of Sighs
05 Second Time
06 No Time
07 Take What You Need
08 Rock Me Baby
09 Tear It Up
10 Little Bit of Sympathy

11 Lady Love

12 Into The Flame

Band Members:
Robin Trower - Guitar
Davey Pattison - Vocals
Dave Bronze - Bass
Pete Thompson - Drums

Robin Trower Link (692Mb) 

New Link 04/10/2025

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: The Ash - The Singles (1970-71)

 Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

This Melbourne-based hard rock band, which operated between 1969-72, was strongly influenced by Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull. There were three different lineups; the second (1971) included several members of noted Sydney band Lotus. The central member, and the only person common to all three lineups, was vocalist Criston Barker (also known as Criston Somerset) but the second lineup is also notable for the presence of drummer Derek Pellicci, who went on to play with Mississippi and LRB.

The Ash's debut single "Avignon" / "Sable", produced by John Farrar, is credited as one of the first locally-produced 45s to be released in a picture sleeve -- packaging which until then was usually only used for EPs. Vernon Joyson describes it as:

" ... a slow ballad in the early Bee Gees mould, whilst the riffy, although poorly recorded, flip side displayed a strong Anglophile influence, midways between Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin."

The group also made a promotional film-clip for "Avignon" and was recently posted on YouTube by Criston (see towards bottom of post).

The Ash (Mk II)

It was the inaugural release for the newly established Havoc label, which was set up by Melbourne jazz saxophonist Frank "The Lion" Smith and agent-manager Rod De Courcy. Although the label lasted only four years (folding ca. 1975 after Smith died suddenly in 1974), HAVOC was notable for concentrating on new releases by Melbourne-based rock bands of the period, and their LPs, which were pressed in New Zealand, were renowned for their superior quality compared to the local product.

There was a major lineup change after the single came out, and by the time they recorded their next single the group consisted of Criston Barker (vocals), Ron Hood (guitar), Gary "Blockhead" Porthouse (bass) and Derek Pellicci (drums); Peter Gregory (ex The Expression) filled in on guitar for a short time.

The second Ash single "Midnight Witch" -- written by Doug Ford of The Masters Apprentices -- was produced by Havoc house engineer Gil Matthews (The Aztecs). Ian MacFarlane in the magazine 'Freedom Train' describes it as:

" ... hard hitting prog-psych, with a series of rich, staccato riffs and a throbbing bass line. The flip side is in similar mould if a little faster."

However Criston says the band was disappointed both with the production and a perceived lack of commitment from the label, so he and Derek moved to Sydney, hoping to make a new start. There they hooked up with Kim Dawson (guitar) and Warwick Wilkes (organ) both formerly of Lotus, plus noted bassist Tim Partridge, to become the the third and final lineup of The Ash. They performed regularly at Whisky A Go-Go, Chequers and numerous other Sydney venues until the group ended in 1972.

The Ash (Mk I) at the Thumpin' Tumb

Review: 'Midnight Witch' b/w 'Warrant' (Havoc H.1002) 1971

Now this is more like it! At least Ash was a decent rock band. They formed around January 1970 and early on signed to The Master's Apprentices' booking management agency Drum (which also looked after The Sect and The Expression). They got plenty of gigs around the Melbourne dance and discotheque circuit. That year Ash also issued one of the first singles on the original Havoc label. Their sound had an English hard-rock flavour, although 'Avignon' was closer to the Bee Gees with harmonies and acoustic guitars.

For the second Ash single the band went all out with the throbbing 'Midnight Witch' and the hard-hitting 'Warrant' on the flip. Fuelled by a series of rich, staccato riffs and fuzz leads, plus the ominous vocals. 'Midnight Witch'is a classic example of where psychedelia crossed over with progressive rock. 'Warrant'picks up the pace a notch or two and makes for a heady ride.

You can add Ash to a list of classic Aussie progressive psych bands like Blackfeather, latter-day Master's Apprentices, Healing Force, Lotus, Bakery, Tamam Shud, Kahvas Jute, Fraternity etc at least for this one incredible single. Lyrically it's a putdown rather than a song of praise: "You're just an evil heartbreaker. oh what you do to a man". The earlier connection with The Masters paid off because not only did guitarist Doug Ford pen 'Midnight Witch' but also he played those mind-blowing guitar riffs (and it sounds like him singing as well, although lead singer Criston Barker was probably on hand as well). "Midnight Witch' is so close to the Masters' "Future of Our Nation' (also written by Ford) in feel, chord structure and melody that the correlation is unmistakable.

And this would tie in time-wise, because the Masters had returned to Australia from their first London sojourn in December 1970 and left again in May 1971. So 'Midnight Witch' would have been recorded sometime in between. It doesn't sound like Ford plays on 'Warrant' so it's obvious that the band's two guitarists at the time. Peter Gregory (ex-Expression) and Ron Hood, were pretty hot in the riff department themselves. It even sounds like they're trying to emulate Black Sabbath because they nick a riff or two from 'War Pigs' and the vocal effects from "Wicked World". [review taken from 'The Complete Havoc Singles']

After Ash

Criston, Tim and Derek were soon headhunted for a new band, teaming up with Leith Corbett (Heart'n'Soul, Dave Miller Set) on guitar, to form Arthur & The Argonaughts. After just two rehearsals, they were late entries into the Bonopart's Battle of the Sounds, and in front of a panel of judges which included John McDonald and Stuart Coupe they won the contest outright. They then returned to Melbourne where they became an immediate hit on the local circuit. Ian Ferguson replaced Tim on bass, and the group's brief career culminated in a performance at the Sunbury festival in January 1973.

Leith Corbett then went to England, and Criston went back to Sydney, where he joined a band called Sunday Mourning before returning to Melbourne and forming Freeway, which consisted of Criston (bass). Steve Welch (guitar), Frank Chic (vocals), John Grant (keys), and Bill Lincoln (drums). They recorded one album Riding High.

Ash's Promo Video 'Avignon, 1970

In 1979. Criston joined Air Supply as bass guitarist and he was part of the lineup that recorded the hit album Lost In Love. In 1983 he formed Apollo Bay with Tony Slavich (ex Ariel) on keyboards. Criston has continued in the industry as a producer-engineer, recording several albums, producing numerous video clips and TV shows, writing editorial and composing music for documentaries; he has recently completed a new album of songs, to be released in 2008.

Ian Ryan went on to Chook and Buster Brown. Derek Pellicci joined the expanded lineup of Mississippi around the same time as Beeb Birtles, when the group (previously called Alison Gros) added a rhythm section so that they could tour to promote their debut single and album. Derek stayed on when Mississippi evolved into Little River Band in early 1975.

he Ash performing 'Midnight Witch' on the ABC-TV program Hit Scene, 1971

 
Gary Porthouse was in a number of groups after Ash, such as Kush, Linda George and Plant and Rocksteady. Derek Pellicci asked him to join a new band that was being formed, but wouldn't tell him anything about the band as it was all hush, hush and a big secret. Gary was playing with Kush at the time and said no to Derek's invitation. Later the band turned out to be the 'Little River Band'. As of 2021, Gary was still working in a one man band called Round the Block. [extract from Milesago.com]

Havoc Record label

Havoc Records was established in Melbourne in 1970 by Rod De Courcy and Frank Smith, and although it only operated for about three years, it made a significant impact on the Australian music scene in the early 1970s. Many of the Havoc singles were manufactured in New Zealand, shipped back to Australia and distributed independently in the black company sleeve.

Distribution was later taken up by Tempo Sales together with a new label design, a blue “psychedelic” distributed in the yellow Tempo sleeve. Apparently the label is a collectable label amongst collectors and all are quite rare.

This post consists of FLACs (ripped from CD) and MP3 (ripped from vinyl) as indicated, and includes label scans for all 45's. This WOCK post definately ticks off the Obscue box as Ash was such a short lived Aussie band recording only 2 singles, which are incredibily hard to come by. 

1970 Single MP3 (320)

01 - Avignon  3:02

02 - Sable   3:46

1971 Single FLAC

01 - Midnight Witch  4:06

02 - Warrant  3:02

Ash Link (63Mb)

Alison Gros - Singles Collection (1971)

(Australian 1970-1971)

Alison Gros 1970
(Performing on Adelaide TV show 'In Time')

Alison Gros formed in Adelaide in 1970. Their name was presumably taken from the famous English folk song of the same name (which was memorably covered by Steeleye Span, among others). The group's main claim to fame is of course its founding member, Graeham Goble (Mississippi, Little River Band).

Band members were: Graeham Goble - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Russell Johnson - Guitar, vocals, John Darcy - Guitar, Vocals, John Mower - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Roger Linden - Bass, Rob Leedham - Bass, Shane Simon – Drums.

Their first single, released in 1970, was the first recording issued on on the shortlived Adelaide label Gamba, which issued about a dozen singles during 1970-71. The band relocated to Melbourne in 1971 and signed with Ron Tudor's Fable Records. They released two Singles on Fable during the year, both of which scraped into the bottom of the National Top 100. Their first Fable single (written by Goble) "If I Ask You" managed to reach #15 in the Adelaide charts.

Alison Gros performing "If I Ask You" on 'Hit Scene' ABC Channel 2, Melbourne, July 22nd, 1971
 
The groups's main claim to fame (if that's the right word) is the novelty pop recordings they made for Fable in the early '70s under the pseudonym Drummond. The first Drummond single was a version of George Harrison's "For You Blue" which came out in early 1971 but barely dented the charts, only reaching #94.

Alison Gros performing "I Think About" on 'Move', NWS Channel 9 Adelaide, South Australia 1971
 
However the next Drummond record ranks as one of the most bizarre Australian one-hit wonders of the decade. In mid-1971 Fable released Drummond's novelty version of the song "Daddy Cool". It was a blatant cash-in on the current popularity of Ross Wilson's Daddy Cool, who had taken their name from the song. At the time Drummond's version came out, Daddy Cool were dominating the singles charts with "Eagle Rock" and they had included a version of the old rock'n'roll standard (in a much more 'authentic' reading) on their hit debut LP.

Alison Gros performing "Love Song" on 'Move', NWS Channel 9 Adelaide, South Australia 1971

Proving the old adage that no-one ever lost money by over-estimating the taste of the general public, Drummond's novelty 'chipmunk' rendition of "Daddy Cool" rocketed up the charts, toppling "Eagle Rock" from the #1 spot in August. In all it spent a staggering 34 weeks on the national chart in the second half of 1971 and became one of the biggest selling Australian singles of the year.

Fable issued three subsequent singles under the Drummond moniker, but the members of Alison Gros were not involved -- these were recorded by anonymous session players, (presumably members of the Bootleg Family Band). By the end of 1971 Alison Gros had 'morphed' into Mississippi and recorded an excellent self-titled debut LP with the addition of session players Peter Jones (piano), Geoff Cox (drums), Barry Sullivan (bass, ex-Chain) and Graham Lyall (flute). It was released on Fable's new Bootleg imprint, a subsidiary label recently set by Tudor and musician Brian Cadd.

Founding member Russell Johnson died on 15 September 2007 after suffering a stroke. [Extract from Milesago Website]

This post consists of FLACs (thanks to Stacky at Ausrock) and single label scans but alas no artwork. Also included are bonus tracks in MP3 (320) format, sourced from the mp3.pm website

Track Listing:

01 Naturally

02 Would You Really Have To Go

03 If I Ask You

04 So Good

05 All The Days

06 Weaver of Life

07 In The Morning

08 It Must Be You

09 Changing

10 Don't Go

11 Sweet World

12 Three And A Half

13 We Are Together

14 I Think About

15 If I Ask You [Version 2]

16 Daddy Cool (Drummond)

Bonus Tracks:

17 California Dreaming

18 Everybody's Talkin

19 Love Song [Live on Move 1971]

20 Teach Your Children

21 You Ain't Goin Nowhere

Alison Gros Link (306Mb)

Johnny Farnham - Sings Hits From The Movies (1974)

(Australian 1967 - Present)

By the mid-1970s, Johnny Farnham's recording career had begun to dwindle and he turned more to stage musicals and television.

Official; 'King Of Pop' from 1969 - 1973, personable, enthusiastic Farnham was regularly on the charts until 1974, when the likes opf Daryl Braithwaite, John Paul Young and Shirley Strachan displaced him as a premier teen figure. After his fevered poip popularity of the late sixities, he turned his hand to a remarkable array of activities, including lead roles in stage productions of Charlie Girl, Pippin and the pantomime Dick Whittington, the hosting of television shows Opportunity Knocks, Bobby Dazzler and Survival, and the capturing of a major award at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokoyo. In 1972, he was crowned 'King Of Moomba'.

In 1972, Farnham released the album 'Johnny Farnham Sings the Shows' which featured his recent hit 'Charlie Girl', and the following year released 'Hits Magic & Rock 'N Roll' featuring the Brian Cadd penned hit "Don't You Know It's Magic".

Farnham and 'Queen of Pop' for 1972–1973, Colleen Hewett, combined on the 1973–1974 stage musical, Pippin, and its associated show album released in 1974.

The original Australian production of Pippin opened in February 1974 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. It starred John Farnham as Pippin, with Ronne Arnold as the Leading Player, Colleen Hewett as Catherine, Nancye Hayes as Fastrada, David Ravenswood as Charles and Jenny Howard as Berthe. The production transferred to Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney in August 1974. A cast album was released.

Also in 1974, Farnham and Hewett were co-hosts of It's Magic, a children's TV series on Channel Ten.

Farnham released the 'featured' album 'Johnny Farnham Sings Hits From The Movies' in 1974, however it failed to chart at a time when more popular Australian artists were dominating the charts with glam and boogie rock.

Farnham's success continued virtually on the basis of his talent and personality alone and in the late to mid seventies his career was reduced to nightclub and cabaret performances trading on his past. Even his record company lost faith in him and eventually dropped him.

In 1980, changing from Johnny to the more mature John Farnham, he set about resurrecting his career. The trigger was a dramatically rearranged impassioned performance of the Beatles' "Help" on a nationally broadcast Royal Command TV concert. He reminded everyone what a fine singer he was, and in July released Uncovered, a well received comeback album recorded under the production eye of Little River Band's Graham Goble. In September 1982 long-time Farnham fan Goble was inspired to convince the rest of LRB they should take the radical move of removing Glenn Shorrock, singer of all the band's hits, and making Farnham their lead singer. The band's American record company was in shock. So were non-Australian fans. It was a hurdle Farnham could not overcome, and at the end of 1985 he left LRB and began work on a new make or break solo album.

The anthemic single "You're The Voice restored Farnham to #1 for the first time in 17 years. The carefully crafted adult contemporary October 1986 album 'Whispering Jack' was No.1 for 18 weeks, and became the biggest selling album in Australian history. "You're The Voice" sold a million copies in Europe and reached the top ten in England.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my pristine vinyl copy and includes full album artwork and label scans.  As far as I can tell, this album has never been released digitally, so grab it while you can folks.

(Note: This is another blog follower's requested post - enjoy RSVL)

Track Listing

SIDE A

01 Cabaret

02 Speak Softly Love

03 Everybody's Talkin'

04 The Summer Knows

05 Carnival

06 Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo

SIDE B

07 Medley:  Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head / The Rain In Spain / Singing In The Rain

08 Theme From 'Love Story'

09 Where's The Birdie

10 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

11 Mrs Robinson

Johnny Farnham Link (205Mb)

REPOST: Machinations - The Big Beat (1986) Mini LP

(Australian 1980- 1989, 1997)
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The Machinations formed around Tim Doyle and Tony Starr, who started writing together around the end of 1979, using what electronic instruments they could find. Their school friend Fred Loneragan joined as singer and they played their first show at Garibaldi's in Darlinghurst, Sydney in early 1980. Another school friend, Nero (Nick) Swan, soon joined on bass.
In late 1980, with the assistance of radio Triple J, the band recorded some songs at Trafalgar Studios; in November 1980, the band entered the studio with producer Lobby Loyde. These recordings resulted in the band's debut single, "Average Inadequacy"/"Arabia" (released 26 August 1981), and the four-track debut self-titled EP (20 November 1981), both released on the independent Phantom Records label.

"Average Inadequacy" created enough interest for Mushroom's White Label to sign the band and reissue the single with a new B-side, "Machinations of Dance" in March 1982. A year later, Machinations issued a new single, "Jack"/"Be Double" in February 1983. This was followed by "Pressure Sway"/"Pushbike" in June 1983. "Pressure Sway" became the band's first national mainstream charting single when it peaked at #21 during July 1983. "Pressure Sway" also made an impact in the United States reaching #40 on Billboard's Club Play Singles chart. In April 1983, Machinations released their debut album, Esteeem, which peaked at #54 on the Australian album charts. The third single from the album was, "Jumping the Gap"/"Terminal Wharf", released in October 1983.
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Following the album's release, and an Australian tour support slot with Joe Jackson, Machinations added Warren McLean on drums; prior to that the band used a drum machine (a Roland CR-78). The band entered Rhinoceros Studios with English producer Julian Mendelshon, emerging with the smoothest and most fully realised album of its career, Big Music, in July 1985. The album produced four hit singles. The first of these, "No Say in It"/"Man Overboard" pre-empted the album by nine months (it was released in September 1984) and ended up being the band’s highest charting single, peaking at #14 in October 1984. The second single, "My Heart's on Fire"/"Spark" followed in May 1985, it reached #27 in June 1985. The third single, "You Got Me Going Again"/"I Ain't Waiting for No Train" was released in August, 1985, making #39, however the fourth single, "Execution of Love"/"Dusted Down", released in December 1985 failed to chart. Naomi Star sang backing vocals on most of the album, although Inez Anthony was featured on "No Say in It". The album peaked at #20 on the national album charts, spending several weeks at that position. It was also released in the United States on the A&M label.
In 1985 Machinations performed the three national hit songs for the Oz for Africa concert (part of the global Live Aid program). It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US.
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In 1986, White Label issued the mini-album The Big Beat (featured in this post), which is a collection of dance remixes of singles like "No Say in It", "Execution of Love", "Pressure Sway" and "You Got Me Going Again", which reached #83 on the charts.
That same year, Warren McLean left Machinations to join Melbourne funk-pop outfit I'm Talking. Henry Downes took his place on drums. Downes was then replaced by John MacKay (ex-Sea Monsters) in early 1987. The band was back in the studios soon after with American producer Andy Wallace (Prince, Run DMC), recording a new album.
Machinations' third album, 'Uptown' was released in October 1988 and produced four singles spread out over eighteen months. The first single, "Do to You"/"Looking Out for You", was released in August 1987 and almost matched the highpoint of "No Say In It", reaching #15 in October 1987. The second single, "Intimacy"/"Hit by a Missile" (May 1988), reached #44, the third, "Do It to Me"/"Normal" (October 1988), peaked at #69 and the fourth, "Cars and Planes"/"Beats and Planes" (February 1989) failed to chart. The album was well received upon its release and reached #46 on the national album charts.
By that stage, Machinations had established themselves as a popular band on the Australian touring circuit. The band's activities were curtailed in early 1989 when a hit-and-run accident left Loneragan unconscious and with a broken back. He spent several months recuperating in hospital. Initially other band members intended to continue writing new material whilst Loneragan recovered from his injuries, but over time the various members left to pursue other projects. Swan toured with the James Freud's band and with MacKay performed with Absent Friends.
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Machinations re-unite in 2012
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While the band reformed for some select dates in the 1990s their latest reunion will be the first chance to see the group in full swing since its 1980s heyday.
Swan said "band members had remained good friends ever since it disbanded in 1989 and when a friend approached them about the possibility of reforming for a few shows they jumped at the chance".
He and singer Fred Loneragan had remained prominent in the industry and had played a number of sets together on the Absolutely 80s variety tour but both missed the chemistry of the original band.
“The Absolutely 80s shows were a lot of fun, but at the same time, it was frustrating only doing six songs - playing with a backing band wasn’t the same,” he said.
The experience did give the pair a chance to revisit the band’s material and decide which songs had withstood the test of time and which songs needed some reworking.
The group has been rehearsing for the gigs since December and Swan said fans could expect all the classic hits such as Pressure Sway and My Heart’s On Fire. But the show will also feature a range of early post-punk and some rarities and B-sides.
“Some of the songs we hadn’t played since the mid-80s but when we revisited them we thought they are damn fine songs,” he said.
The line-up is the same as in 1989 - Fred Loneragan, Nero Swan (bass), Tony Starr (synthesizers), Tim Doyle (guitar) and John Mackay (drums).
The band is so excited for the reunion they have all spent money updating their rigs and gear and will look to book a few shows in Melbourne and maybe one more in Sydney following the Bridge Hotel gigs [as reported in the North Shore Times, Feb 2012]
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my cassette tape release of this album which plays as good as the day it was purchased. I have included full album artwork from both the LP and cassette tape releases along with some select photos of the band from the 1980's.

Although a little dated in concept (with 12" dance mixes), this album is still entertaining to listen to - now where did I put my mirror ball ?

             New Improved Rip !
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Track Listing
01 One Closer Step
02 No Say In It
03 Execution Of Love
04 Pressure Sway
05 My Heart’s On Fire
06 Jumping The Gap
07 You Got Me Going Again
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Band Members:
Tim Doyle - guitar
Fred Loneragan - vocals
Warren McLean - drums
Tony Starr - keyboards
Nick (Nero) Swan - bass
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Machinations Link (305Mb) New Link 14/09/2025
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REPOST: Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Japan Tour '76 (1977)

(Canadian 1973-79, 1983-05, 2009-present)
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Leader Randy Bachman was founder-member of Canadian hit singles band Guess Who which he left in 1970 after illness and inter-group friction. Returning to native Canada, Bachman cut solo album Axe for RCA before forming outfit Brave Belt with brother Robbie, singer/bassist Fred Turner and erstwhile Guess Who founder Chad Allan. Originally with Reprise, for whom they recorded two albums, became BTO when Allan quit and third Bachman brother, Tim, joined line-up as additional guitarist. Band switched labels to Mercury for release of their first album, the riff-happy Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Although it might be open to debate as being formula cash-register boogie, BTO's rock is at least dexterously played and arranged, with dynamics reminiscent of mid-period Led Zeppelin.
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Tim Bachman quit after second (gold) album to study engineering and production. He was replaced by Blair Thornton.

By now Canada's No. 1 band (supplanting Guess Who) had released 'Not Fragile' which provided a huge U.S. and U.K. single towards the end of 1974 with "You Ain't Seen Nuthin' Yet", a characteristically bombastic BTO title, and went on to become their first platinum album and the AOR favorite "Roll On Down the Highway". The band continued to steadily produce successful albums through the mid-1970s including 'Four Wheel Drive' and 'Head On' (both 1975). Each of these albums produced a hit single: "Hey You" (from Four Wheel Drive) and "Take It Like A Man" (from Head On). The latter song featured a guest appearance by Little Richard, who wailed away on his piano. Head On also featured the jazzy Randy Bachman composition "Lookin' Out for #1", which garnered considerable airplay on both traditional rock stations and also soft rock stations which normally did not play bands like B.T.O. In between the latter two albums, B.T.O. released their only non-album single "Down To The Line". This song would appear on some of the later compilation CD's, as well as on re-issues of the Head On album in CD format.
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The first B.T.O. compilation album, 'Best of BTO (So Far)', was released in 1976 and featured songs from each of the band's first five studio albums. A single—a re-release of "Gimme Your Money Please"—was put out from this album, and it also charted well keeping B.T.O. on both the AM & FM airwaves. This compilation album became the best-selling Bachman–Turner Overdrive album to date, reaching Double Platinum status in the U.S.
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Their only live album 'Japan Tour 1976' (as featured here) was only available in Canada and Japan for some strange reason. This is a shame as their sound on stage is as good as any studio recording they have made.
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The group gradually wound down after Randy's departure in 1977,Jim Clench replacing him for three more uneventful albums. Randy himself cut a second unsuccessful solo album, 'Survivor', in 1978 before forming BTO soundalikes Ironhorse. Randy also wrote songs with Beach Boy Carl Wilson, and spent part of the eighties re-forming Guess Who. Randy Bachman also knows his way around a production console.
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BTO's other claim to fame is that they are rock's best known Mormons (no alcohol, dope, tea, coffee, immorality etc) after The Osmonds. [extracts from The 'Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock', Salamandar Books, 1977 p16 and 'The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Rock', Carlton Books, 1994. p134]
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Live In Japan
(Review by Pete Pardo)
Live-Japan Tour was the only ever official live release from those mighty Canadians Bachman-Turner Overdrive, better known by many as B.T.O. Documenting their 1976 tour of Japan (just a short time before acts like Peter Frampton and Cheap Trick made it commonplace to record live albums there), this spectacular, but short, live album shows just how powerful a live act the band were at this time. Ironically, B.T.O. Live-Japan Tour was only released in Canada and Japan at the time, which is surprising seeing as how popular the band were in the US and Australia.

As a representative live B.T.O. album goes, this one falls way short due to the very limited song selection. My guess is that the entire show is floating around there somewhere, or locked in some record label executives vaults, which is a shame because the 8 songs on display here are fiery and heavy rocking B.T.O. at their best. Classics like "Roll On Down the Highway", "Hold Back the Water", and "Takin' Care of Business" feature all the trademark heavy riffs and catchy hooks that the band were famous for, and "Welcome Home", "Four Wheel Drive", and "Don't Get Yourself in Trouble" are as heavy as any band going back in 1976. As good as these live versions are, "Slow Down Boogie" and "Thank You-Domo" are kind of throwaways, and I would have rather they included "Let It Ride" or "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" or any number of their excellent albums tracks instead, but as a 42 minute live album, it does rock, and rock hard. Imagine what a double album would have been like (like Frampton's Comes Alive)

If you've longed for an official B.T.O. live album from their heyday, this is it. The sound is pretty damn good. You'll wish there were more songs, but we can't have everything I guess. 
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This post consists of a FLACs taken from a CD release and includes full album artwork for both LP and CD. Thanks to Deutros for the rip.

           NEW IMPROVED RIP !
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Track Listing

01.  Roll on Down the Highway
02.  Hold Back the Water
03.  Welcome Home
04.  Don't Get Yourself in Trouble
05.  Four-Wheel Drive
06.  Takin' Care of Business
07.  Slow Down Boogie
08.  Thank You - Domo
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BTO were:
Randy Bachman - Lead Guitar, Vocals
C.F. "Fred" Turner - Bass, Vocals
Blair Thornton - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Robbie Bachman - Drums
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BTO Japan Tour Link (94Mb) New Link 10/09/2025
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