Dynamic Hepnotics - Live (1984)

(Australian 1979–1986)
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The Dynamic Hepnotics were a successful Australian soul/blues/funk band during the 1980s, with a line up that went through a number of changes during the bands time from 1979 to 1986. No matter where I saw the Dynamic Hepnotics play, they were consistently great to hear live.
The Dynamic Hepnotics formed in Sydney in 1979 with Tim Martin on saxophone (ex-Friends), Manuel Patti on bass guitar, Richard Ruhle on drums, Andrew Silver on guitar (Big Town Playboys) and "Continental" Robert Susz on vocals and harmonica (Rugcutters, Humdinger Dogs). One of their early gigs was at the Potts Point night club, Arthur's. In May 1980 this line-up issued a four-track extended play, Shakin' All Over on the Mambo label. By the time of its release, Silver and Susz had been joined by Bruce Allen on saxophone (ex-Jeff St John Band, Ol' 55), Allen Britton on bass guitar (Mangrove Boogie Kings) and Robert Souter on drums (Lizard, Gulliver's Travels, Living Legends). The group issued a single, "Hepnobeat", in September 1981 and subsequently changed from Mambo to Missing Link Records. Jim Niven from The Sports played organ on the single. An early line-up featured television presenter, Jonathan Coleman, on piano.
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In August 1982 they released a six-track EP, Strange Land, which was produced by Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons) for Missing Link. The group contributed to the soundtrack of 1983 feature film, Going Down. By 1984 the band had signed with Mushroom Records' White Label Records. In late January Dynamic Hepnotics appeared at the Narara Music Festival. They released a single, "I'll Make You", in May. Their highest charting hit, "Soul Kind of Feeling", appeared on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart in October 1984 and peaked at No. 5.
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Early in 1985, they issued Live (aka The Dynamic Hepnotics Live), which including cover versions and originals recorded live in the studio. An audible hissing noise was recorded onto the album from the sound of fire extinguishers used to put out a fire under the stage as the group performed. Mike Gubb joined on keyboards. Live was followed by "Gotta Be Wrong (Way to Love)" in May, which reached the top 20. Their album, Take You Higher, reached the top 20 on the related Albums Chart in June. At the end of that year, Dave Brewer replaced Silver on guitar, Mark Simmonds replaced

"Continental" Robert Susz

Allen on saxophone and Peter Bishop joined on trumpet. The group's final single, "On Our Way Now", was released in March 1986, which reached the top 100. Souter was replaced by Duncan Archibald on drums, Gubb was replaced by Chris Pascoe on keyboards and Lloyd Swanton replaced Britton on bass guitar. However, the group disbanded before the end of the year. In 1986, "Soul Kind of Feeling" won the APRA Music Award for 'Most Performed Australasian Popular Work'.
In November 1998 Susz reformed The Dynamic Hepnotics to perform at the Mushroom 25 Live concert, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Mushroom Records.Frontman "Continental" Robert Susz went on to form the band 'The Mighty Reapers' after the split of The Dynamic Hepnotics in 1988. Susz still performs today in the group 'Continental Blues Party'.
Robert Susz and members of The Dynamic Hepnotics came back together in 1998 to perform at the Mushroom 25 Live concert, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Mushroom Records.
The band won the APRA award for most played song on radio in 1986 with the song "Soul Kind Of Feeling" which stayed in the Australian Top 10 for 6 months.
The band broke up in 1986 after releasing 4 albums. Most of the band members went on to play with other well know Australian bands. [extracts from Wikipedia]
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After Disbandment
In 1988 Susz formed a "stylish soul / R&B" group, The Mighty Reapers, with Archibald, Brewer and Ruhle. That group recorded three albums, The Mighty Reapers (1993), Trouble People (1994) and The Hurt Is On (1997). Susz was later in the group, Continental Blues Party. Formed in 1999, this sophisticated Sydney R&B outfit led by singer-songwriter-harmonica player Continental Robert Susz of Dynamic Heptonics and Mighty Reapers fame continues in the tradition of those great 80's and 90's bands specialising in soul, blues and burning funk. On the Soul Side transforms a live performance vibe into a studio setting the way Blues Party albums were created by many 50's and 60's era Afro-American Soul and Blues artists. In doing so, it captures a distinctively smooth, genuine black music sound that carves a niche on the local contemporary scene for one highly experienced team drawn from earlier successful Susz combos.
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Bruce Allen later toured &/or recorded with The Allniters, Eurogliders, The Eddys, Glenn Shorrock, Doug Parkinson and Ross Wilson, and currently performs with a number of Sydney-based bands including The Layabouts, The Bellhops and The Hollywood Hombres. Mike Gubb has worked with a number of Australian bands, including Mental As Anything, Ganggajang, The Whitlams and Dog Trumpet. Lloyd Swanton formed a jazz trio, The Necks, in 1987 with Chris Abrahams and Tony Buck. Dave Brewer has worked with The Catholics (formed by Swanton in 1991) and currently performs with Perth-based blues band The Doodaddies. In late 2008, Brewer released a solo album titled Life of Riley. Richard Ruhle performs with Sydney-based jazz 4-piece Seriously Cool. Robert Souter performs with Mental As Anything. Duncan Archibald performs with Sydney-based band The Moods.
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This post consists of an MP3 rip (320kps) taken from vinyl and includes album artwork. I have chosen to include the bonus track "Louie Louie", taken from another gig in 1984, when they played at the Prospect Hill Hotel (thanks to Gruntrat from his LivePreserver website)
The Dynamic Hepnotics were exactly that, Hypnotic.....they got people up and dancing with their infectious funky blues and soul music and this album captures some of this hype.
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Track Listing
01- Turn On Your Love Light
02 - Out Of Control
03 - I'll Make You

04 - The Things I Do For You
05 - Hepnobeat
06 - Ain't That Enough
07 - The Last To Know
08 - (I'm A) Roadrunner
09 - Shake Your Hips
10 - Keep Workin'
11 - Louie Louie (Bonus Live Prospect Hill Hotel, 1984)
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Band Members:
Robert 'Continental' Susz  (Vocals, Harp)
Andrew Silver  (Guitar, Vocals)
Alan Britton (Bass, Vocals)
Robert Souter (Drums)
Bruce Allen (Saxaphone, Vocals)
Mike Gubb (Keyboards)
Guest Artist: Jason McDermid (Trumpet)
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Dynamic Hepnotics Link (108Mb)
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Bob Dylan - Live Unlicensed (1995) Bootleg

(U.S 1961 - Present)
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Live at Free Trade Hall, Manchester 1966

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, music producer, artist, and writer. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving his initial base in the culture of folk music behind, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" radically altered the parameters of popular music in 1965. His recordings employing electric instruments attracted denunciation and criticism from others in the folk movement, and this Bootleg recording comes from this era in his career.
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Dylan playing at Free Trade Hall, Manchester

This bootleg has since been officially released as 'Live 1966'. Only for the completist. This is a guasi-legit release, as a loophole in the Australian copyright law allowed such releases as long as they were printed in plain view that they were not licensed by the controlling Label. This title went a little overboard.
Long thought to have come from the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) show, it has now seen official release as Live 1966. Though the recording is now known to have come from the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, even the official release is subtitled the RAH concert in a nod to the most famous mis-named bootleg of all time. This Label was the premier boot manufacturer in the mid to late 1980's, and simultaneously released this title on vinyl as well. The incredible cover artwork on RAH is from one of the most sought after posters among Dylan collectors... the 1960's Martin Sharp poster. The recording is as crisp and clear (Excellent mono) as any that had been released to date. As this has become a retro-active pirate, it should be left for the completeist [source: Bobsboots.com]

The Swingin' Pig Vinyl Release

The Swingin' Pig released this album in 1989 on vinyl and on CD.  Although it has been released to death, you can't fault this incredible package.  The front cover is the rare Martin Sharp sixties poster.  The back cover lists lots of historical information.  Genuine piggy gold foil sticker on front.  Nice full printed labels (as was standard with this company in the late 80's) best feature # one: incredible looking white marble vinyl.  Best feature # two: great sound mastered from all new plates.  Of course, the source is the Manchester show; but in a testament to the longevity of the myth created by that handful of bootleg pioneers 30 years earlier, even the official Sony release of 1998 would be sub-titled - The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert.
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Note: During the end of the May 17, 1966 concert at the Manchester Free Trade Hall, Dylan was called "Judas!" by audience member Keith Butler, between the songs "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Like a Rolling Stone". Dylan answered back, and told the man that "I don't believe you . . . you're a liar!", before he shouted to the members of the band to "Play it fuckin' loud!", where they then finished off the set with "Like a Rolling Stone"
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In more detail, the story is as follows:
The incident occurred during Bob Dylan and The Hawks (later The Band) notorious UK tour in May 1966. It was on these dates that Bob first appeared in Britain with an electric band. (His tour the previous spring, immortalised in the film Don't Look Back, was still solo Dylan, in protest mode, with just an acoustic guitar.)

The 1966 bootleg was not only of first-rate sound quality; it was also the most dramatic, confrontational concert I'd ever heard - and I was a regular at Clash gigs at the time. It remains, for me, the most exciting live album of all. Dylan, on that tour, split his audiences straight down the middle. Many were thrilled by his new psychedelic songs and the massive onslaught of The Hawks roaring through the biggest PA system that had, at that point, been assembled in the UK. It had flown in with the band from Los Angeles.

But many others in those staid, municipal concert halls were outraged and betrayed by their darling acoustic minstrel plugging into the mains. (It was, though no one realised it at the time, the birth of rock music as opposed to pop music). No matter that Dylan had released five electric singles - notably, "Like a Rolling Stone" - and one electric album in the previous 12 months: British audiences were still getting up to speed on his earlier records and they wanted back the Woody Guthrie protégé they'd seen in 1965.

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This tension between artist and audience snapped in an almighty confrontation on the bootleg. Slow hand-clapping and jeering throughout Dylan's electric half of the show - which was later properly identified as his concert at Manchester's Free Trade Hall on 17 May 1966 and finally given official release by Columbia Records in 1998 - climaxes with one betrayed folkie letting fly with a long yell of "Judas!" It became the most famous heckle in rock'n'roll history.

Dylan is rattled, and for an awkward second the audience is stunned - until a yelp of solidarity with the heckler goes up. It is still a genuinely shocking moment. (Concert-goers in those days were routinely reverential. They still stood for the national anthem at the end). Dylan eventually composes himself and leers: "I don't believe you. You're a liar!" And then, off mic: "You fucking liar!" (some claim he said: "Play fucking loud!") before he and the band kick into the most majestic, terrifying version of "Like a Rolling Stone", their final number - a performance of Gothic immensity surely drawn from Dylan by his anger at that single shout.

The heckler was identified some 33 years later as 'Keith Butler' when he spoke with Chris Nelson in an indepth interview. He wasn't proud of what he had said, as he states "The 'Judas!' shout, that's something that I hadn't talked about barely at all....It was embarrassing. It wasn't something you felt particularly proud of. That had been buried away."
To read the full interview, see here. Note too, that I have included a podcast documentary of the concert produced by BBC Radio, that discusses this famous concert at length.

The post is an MP3 rip (320kps) taken from from CD bootleg and includes full album artwork, along with the alternative (and famous) artwork for the RAH release (see below). The quality of the recording is quite astonishing considering it was done in 1966.
Note that the original CD is a single music file, however, I have broken the recording into 8 separate audio files (using Audiodacity), according to the track listing. Also note that I have removed about 30 secs of inaudible banter by Dylan at the start of "One Too Many Mornings" to improve your listening experience.
Standout tracks for me on this album are "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and "Like A Rolling Stone".
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Track Listing
01 - Tell Me Momma

02 - I Don't Believe You
03 - Baby Let Me Follow You Down
04 - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
05 - Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
06 - One Too Many Mornings
07 - Ballad Of A Thin Man
08 - Like A Rolling Stone
09 - Podcast Documentary of the Concert

Dylan is backed by The Hawks (aka The Band)
Rick Danko – bass guitar, vocal
Garth Hudson – organ
Mickey Jones – drums
Richard Manuel – piano
Robbie Robertson – electric guitar
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Bob Dylan Link (177Mb)  New Link 05/08/2016
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Various Artists - King Of Pop 74' - 75' (1974)

(Various Australian Artists 1974)
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In Australia, Rock Music Awards have had a somewhat haphazard existence. Looking back on the 1967 King Of Pop Award, Ed Nimmervoll wrote:- 'Normie Rowe was the first King Of Pop, although accidentally rather than officially. "Go Set" was the big teen magazine of the day and in 1967 they conducted a standard pop poll to arrive at the most popular personalities and groups of the day .. When those awards were announced on the Go!! Television Show, in a moment of fun it was decided to close the show with a mock crowning of the King Of Pop'. (from Juke, 28 October 1978).

Such was the beginnings of the 'King of Pop' awards which evolved into the T.V. Week King Of Pop Awards (also known as the T.V. Week Rock Awards). But well before all that was the National Battle Of The Sounds.

Like Australia's major TV awards, the Logies, The King Of Pop Awards were inaugurated and run by the Packer-owned TV WEEK magazine. Like the Logies they were decided by reader polls. The awards began in in 1967. The awards ceremony was televised by the 0-10 Network from 1967 to 1975, and from 1976 to 1978 they were handled by the Nine Network.

Singer Normie Rowe won for the first two years. He was succeeded by singer Johnny Farnham, who won the award for five consecutive years from 1969 to 1973. The "Queen Of Pop" title was added in 1972 although there had been a "Best Female Artist" award since 1969. Colleen Hewett took the honours in 1973, only to loose it to Debbie Byrne in the following year.  Farnham was also dethrowned by a young Jamie Redfern  who went on to work with the famous pianist 'Liberace' in the U.S.

There were also other awards such as "Best DJ" and Most Popular Group".
In 1979 the awards were overhauled, the now old-fashioned "King Of Pop" title was dispensed with, and they were renamed the "TV Week Countdown Awards" and were screened on the ABC in conjunction with the ABC pop show of the same name. The Countdown Awards were eventually discontinued in the '80s, some time before Countdown was axed in 1989. By this time, the peer-voted ARIA awards were becoming recognised as the major award for popular music.

For a complete listing of award winners between 1967-1978 see the Milesago website

More information on Jamie Redfern can be found here, and Debbie Byrne at her own website

This record was a unique first in Australian Pop-recording industry. It was released as a souvenir of the "Pop world's most glittering night". Next to the list of various artists, the cover depicts the trophy that was presented to award winners.
As it says on the sleeve: The album "features 20 tracks from all your top performers." It contains many hit songs by previous King Of Pop winners and guest presenters. David Cassidy and Gary Glitter were the guest presenters at the 1974 King of Pop Awards on March 8th, 1974.
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1974 Award winners were:
King of Pop — Jamie Redfern
Queen of Pop — Debbie Byrne
Best New Talent – Benjamin Hugg
Best Songwriter – Harry Vanda & George Young
Contribution to Australian Pop Industry – Brian Cadd
Most Popular Australian Album – My Name Means Horse (Ross Ryan)
Most Popular Australian Group – Sherbet
Most Popular Australian Musician – Brian Cadd
Most Popular Australian Single – "Hitch a Ride" (Jamie Redfern)
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This post consists of  FLACs taken from my 'near mint' vinyl and includes full album artwork and label scans.  TV Week photos were sourced from Debbie Byrne's website with thanks.
The music on this album is a little dated but there are still some classic tracks like Stevie Wright's "Evie", Brian Cadd's "Every Mother's Son" and Ross Ryan's "Orchestra Ladies".  There are also some rarities like Debbie Byrne's cover version of "I Am Woman" and Benjamin Hugg's one hit single "Thank God You're Here With Me".  Irrespective of your musical tastes, this album contains something for everyone and showcases some of the Popular music that was being produced by Australian Artists at the time (with the exception of the opening tracks on each side of the album by guest artists David Cassidy and Gary Glitter).
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Track Listing

01 - Rock Me Baby (David Cassidy)
02 - I Am Woman (Debbie Byrne)
03 - Jenny (Jamie Redfern)
04 - Sit Yourself Down (Colleen Hewett)
05 - Don't You Know It's Magic (Johnny Farnham)
06 - Games People Play (Allison Durbin)
07 - Every Mother's Son (Brian Cadd)
08 - You've Got The Gun (Sherbet)
09 - Evie Part 1 (Stevie Wright)
10 - Neither One Of Us (Linda George)
11 - Always Yours (Gary Glitter)
12 - You've Got A Friend (Debbie Byrne)
13 - Hello Funny Face (Jamie Redfern)
14 - Superstar (Colleen Hewett)
15 - Comic Conversation (Johnny Farnham)
16 - Higher and Higher (Normie Rowe)
17 - Cassandra (Sherbet)
18 - Thank God You're Here With Me (Benjamin Hugg)
19 - Orchestra Ladies (Ross Ryan)
20 - Keep On Rocking (Brian Cadd)
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King Of Pop 74' FLACs Link (380Mb) New Link 25/10/2015
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Status Quo - The Rest Of (1976)

(U.K 1962 - Present)
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The band originated as 'The Scorpions' formed by Alan Lancaster and Francis Rossi in 1962, then 'The Spectres' and with personnel changes (including the recruitment of Rick Parfitt), became Status Quo in 1967. The high-energy, heavy beat, head-banging band has enjoyed huge popularity in Europe, the UK and of course Australia with such singles as "Down, Down", "Rockin' All Over The World" and "In The Army Now", but never really made it in the U.S charts.
Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan have never gone through the usual hassles of changing personnel or threatening splits, simply because what unites them is a love of no-nonsense, no-holds-barred rock 'n' roll.

They've rolled round the world producing that gut-ripping, foot-stomping excitement. Times were great in 1967 when they had hits with "Pictures Of Matchstick Men", "Ice In The Sun" and "Down The Dustpipe". Times were bad afterwards for a while, when they re-thought their musical policy. Now times are consistently good for one of the biggest-selling, biggest-drawing bands in the business. Their fans are not just legion, they're fanatically loyal.

L to R: John Coghlan, Alan Lancaster, Rick Parfitt, Francis Rossi

The secret is in the energy the boys put into their work. It's as Rick Partitt says "I couldn't just sit down and listen to our band. I'd have to be up on my feet and bopping". And drummer John Coghlan, power-department of Quo s adrenalin rock, says "We first get the atmosphere. Then we'll sweat bucketful's to keep it going." And now let's turn to this album, it's early Quo material, and it's from the late 60s when the band was with Pye and there's one very good reason for putting it all together on an LP at this time of Quo-mania. The fans have demanded it. There is now a fantastic demand for every last note played by Quo, from collectors whose allegiance goes right to the start and from new young addicts only recently tuned on to the startling rock fireworks of the band.
Just one other explanatory quote from band-man Alan Lancaster: "I don't think there's a rock band quite like us in the sense that we put everything into it. Sometimes it's obvious we're getting off on the audience as much as they get off on us. They identify. So do we"

The hard work and energy is there in abundance in this album. Things change fast in the pop music world but what clearly hasn't changed over the years is the sheer energy,' hard graft, application and dedication of four guys who called themselves Status Quo but in fact helped change the whole face of rock/pop with a sharp injection of heavy metal. Try the track "Something's Going On In My Head". Or "Nanana". No, better still - try all of them. For something's always going on.
(Linear Notes by Peter Jones)
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They scored unprecedented success at the 1972 and 1973 Reading Festivals (see previous post), and in 1973 notched up the first chart album Piledriver on their new label - Vertigo. In the same year they enjoyed three more hit singles "Paper Plane", "Mean Girl", and "Caroline", all performed in same listlessly laid-back fashion earning them the tag 'Poor man's Canned Heat'.
However, the group had the last laugh as sales of subsequent albums grew with each release, starting with 'Hello!' in 1973, their 1975 set 'On The Level' taking them to No.1 spot at the same time their single "Down, Down' topped the singles charts. Andy Bown played keyboards on and off from 1974-79.
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Since 1974 every new LP on Vertigo made the U.K Top 5.
The long tours and hard work seemed to have no effect on rock's longest established line-up. So it was surprising that 1982 began with the announcement of Coghlan's retirement. Pete Kirchner (ex-Original Mirrors) stepped in on drums and Quo promptly released two further chart albums, before announcing a final European tour in 1984. Band Aid concert appearances in 85' was billed as the end, but they reappeared in mid 86' with Andy Bown on keyboards and ex-Climax Blues Band Jeff Rich and John Brown on drums and bass, recording the popular album 'In The Army Now' [extract from 'The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock', by Nick Logan and Bob Woffinden, Salamander Books, 1987, p219].
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This album is a Pye compilation (tracks taken from 'Dog Of Two Head' and 'Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon'), which was made up of songs not already included on Pye's earlier compilations released under the Golden Hour Series (which I plan to post at a later date). The album was later re-pressed on the Astor label but is now deleted. This posts consists of a fresh MP3 rip (320kps) taken from my precious vinyl copy and has had some bass enhancement applied to it. Full album artwork and band photos are also included. Overall, this album is a great precursor to their finest LP's - namely Piledriver, Hello, Quo and On The Level.

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Track Listing
01 - Something's Going On In My Head (Lancaster) 4:44
02 - (April) Spring Summer And Wednesdays (Rossi-Young) 4:10
03 - Lazy Poker Blues (Green-Adams) 3:34
04 - Is It Really Me? (Lancaster) 2:42
05 - Gotta Go Home (Lancaster) 6:50
06 - Need Your Love (Rossi-Young) 4:45
07 - Nothing At All (Lancaster-Lynes-Young) 3:50
08 - Someone's Learning (Lancaster) 7:08
09 - Nanana (Rossi-Young) 2:24
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Band Members:
Francis Rossi (Guitar, Vocals)
Alan Lancaster (Bass)
Rick Parfitt (Guitar, Vocals)
John Coghlan (Drums)
Roy Lynes (Keyboards) 
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Status Quo Link (94Mb)  Link Fixed  09/10/2025

Jeff St. John - Survivor 1965-75 (1977)

(Australian 1965-1976)
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JEFFREY ST JOHN: VOCALS.

1961-1963 Vocalist, T.C.N.. Channel Nine, Sydney.
Was a regular feature vocalist on teenage variety programmes.
Opportunity Knocks, hosted by Desmond Tester.

1965-1971 Lead Vocalist Member of the bands The Id, Yama, and Copperwine . with The Id and Copperwine achieving national success, both live and with Top Ten hit singles. (Big Time Operator - The Id), (Teach Me How To Fly - Copperwine).

1972-1982 Self Employed. Ran a successful career in entertainment performing the roles of performer, writer (music and dialogue), producer and business manager. First artist outside America to be released on the Asylum label. National Top Ten hit single (Fool In Love).

From 1982 until now Jeff has done a lot of things including collaboration with Universities on various programs for the disabled, lecture tours on the same, and designing plus building a beautiful Harley Davidson trike plus of course fronting Jeffrey St John & The Embers. For more details about his latest band see the jeffreystjohnandtheembers website.
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He was recently made patron for the MOSAIC Family & Community Services Organisation. This recently formed organisation provides support for disabled people in many areas, including rehabilitation programs for disabled people unfairly penalised by the legal system.
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Will The Real Jeff St. John Please Stand Up
(RAM Magazine #20 December 5, 1975.  p12)
by Felicity Surtees
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Jeff St John ... the name swims around your head, "wasn't he ... didn't he ...?" Yep. He was and he did. Teach Me How To Fly is the song title you're searching for — the national Number One hit that Jeff put out with Copperwine in '71. It still stands as an example of just what first rate Oz bands are capable of putting out. After the demise of Copperwine, little was heard of Jeff St John, at least as far as the media was concerned. "It was intentional," he says nowadays. "1 wanted it to be very low profile because I wanted to get into my writing and it's very hard to pull in and out of work if you re functioning on a very high profile level.'
Jeff's split from Copperwine came about when he started writing his own songs. He dug them, the rest of the band didn't. He continued working sporadically and then, in early '74, accompanied by his wife Pamela and pianist John A. Bird, he flew to England. The initial intention had been to "go and have a look". While he was there, he formed a band with John A. Bird on piano, Ace Follington, drums, Billy Twyman, bass and Vince Melouney (ex Bee Gees) guitar. Doing about 80% of original material, they played a few pubs and met enthusiastic audience reception. The tale's been told before, but it bears telling again: "We doubled the crowd and halved the bar take." They were sacked after a week.
So in August '74, he returned to Australia, happy to be back. "I kissed the tarmac. I like the place." he says emphatically. Home, sweet home and to work. The twelve months since returning have seen Jeff gigging in every State and reaching a much wider audience than is traditionally associated with rock and roll.

"I'm in the position at the moment," he explains, "that with only slight modification, I perform my show for music freaks, heads, hoppers, pub crowds and fifty year olds — and it works pretty effectively on all those levels."

Jeff & Glyn Mason at the Mulwala Festival 1972.
(Image source: National Library of Australia)

The effort to reach a broader audience, as well as indicating good business sense, reflects Jeff's intense dislike of being categorized. "That s a bore," he says distastefully. "That's the thing I've been fighting against for the past five years. It's so easy to get slotted in this country —" he slips into a business drawl — "arr, that .boy s a soul singer — or a country singer or a folk singer. And that s a pain in the arse, it's so inhibiting. What happens if you want to diversify?"
Diverse — it's a word that figures prominently when Jeff St John talks about his music. He's been putting in time at Festivals studio recently. Seven tracks of a new album are down and of those seven, five are originals. "The working title of the album is Will The Real Jeff St John Stand Up?" He laughs and looks very pleased with himself. "It's an album that is delightfully incongruous. The musical scope we've covered in it is a little frightening ...."
Release dates are still a little vague. It depends on when Jeff gets some time off the road to put down the remaining tracks, and also on the reception to his current single "Blood Brothers". Before the word "single" has dried on my lips, Jeff leaps in with his description — "Black," he says, "and funky. It's an American song that died a death in the States because of the racial implications in the story. My producer discovered it ... said have a listen. I did, and we did and we have. The other side is a lilting little thing that suffers under the auspicious title of "Reach Out And Touch Me". It was written by Jeff and John A. Bird during their London sojourn.
"Again you have this thing of two entirely different colours. See, I tend to think of music as colours. You can paint with music — the dark colours of the heavy aggressive kind of thing, the paste! colours of country music and the vibrant reds of rock and roll.... Most music appeals to me if it is performed well..."
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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from vinyl (thanks to ChickaMunro at Midoztouch) and full album artwork for both vinyl and CD (thanks to Micko at Midoztouch)
I owned this album many moons ago but alas, it was another LP that I stupidly traded for another with a mate. I've posted this album as it is a brilliant anthology of Jeff's work and also wanted to share with you the above interview with Jeff taken from RAM magazine. I've also chosen to include that funky single that Jeff released in 1975 called "Blood Brothers" (referred to in the RAM article) but did not appear on this best of collection. The band chronology displayed below was sourced from the Milesago Website with thanks.
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Track Listing
01. Lindy Lou
02. Big Time Operator
03. You Got Me Hummin
04. Devil Got My Woman
05. Nothin Comes Easy
06. Cloud 9
07. Reach Out
08. Sing A Simple Song
09. Teach Me How To Fly
10. Freedom Blues
11. Hummingbird
12. Yesterdays Music
13. I Wanna Be A Survivor
14. Mr James
15. Reach Out And Touch Me
16. Blood Brothers (Bonus A-Side Single)
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Jeff St.John Link (140Mb)  New Link 13/10/2023

Ariel - Live In Concert (1977-78)

(Australian 1973-1977)
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Ariel was an Australian progressive rock band based around the duo Mike Rudd and Bill Putt, who formed the band in 1973 after the breakup of their previous group Spectrum (which also performed under the alter-ego Indelible Murtceps). The original Ariel line-up was Rudd (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Putt (bass), Tim Gaze (guitar), Nigel Macara (drums) and John Mills (keyboards). Gaze and Macara were recruited from seminal Australian progressive rock band Tamam Shud.
The band released three studio albums and two live albums between 1973 and 1977, during which there were several line-up changes, with Rudd and Putt the only permanent members. Other members of Ariel included guitarists Harvey James and Glyn Mason and keyboard player Tony Slavich.  For a full biography on Ariel, see my earlier Ariel post. 
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Ariel on GTK - 1973

From the very beginning, Ariel's records met with much critical acclaim. Their first single "Jamaican Farewell" was voted best single of 1973 by the Federation of Commercial Broadcasters; their first album "A Strange Fantastic Dream", released in December 1973 received rave reviews, while the "Goodnight Fiona" album was described by one critic as the "most intelligent album" to come out of this country.
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Ariel have certainly made their mark overseas as well. They went to London twice, firstly in October 1974 where they played the London pub circuit, receiving unexpected standing ovations at the prestigious Marquee Club. They recorded their "Rock and Roll Scars" album at the famous Abbey Road Studios with Paul Cartney's engineer, Geoff Emerick. Their second trip was a highly successful one to promote the album. On its return to OZ in 1975, Ariel became one of the most popular and hard working bands on the pub circuit but, incredibly, never had the record success it deserved. They released a total of seven singles and four albums before deciding to disband.

Ariel Live At Dallas Brooks Hall

.Their final concert was something of a milestone and it's captured here on this two record set. Originally released as two separate albums, the first called 'Ariel Aloha' and the second 'Ariel Live - More from Before', I owned both titles but stupidly sold the later (which turned out to be the rarity of the two).
The Melbourne Herald said in its review of the concert... "The applause was thunderous from the very beginning.. .the end of the concert brought tears to many eyes as Ariel finished with "I'll Be Gone", one of the classic songs in the history of Australian Rock". The "Ariel Live" album is a fitting testament to a unique Phenomenon in Australian Rock History.
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MIKE RUDD OF ARIEL - AND THE SLOG GOES ON
(Just look at his Rock 'n' Roll scars)
Aricle by Anthony O'Grady
RAM Magazine (Jan 16th 1976 No.23 page 9)
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"Well" says Mike, "You could say it's going to plan". "As far as it's going, and as much at there's a plan", he adds.
That's Mike Rudd we're talking to. You know Mike, he heads the group Ariel which is currently re-establishing him as a live performer around the Oz circuit.
In the past he often seemed to be on the verge of getting something big happening and then in variably seemed to slip away, dumping him back on square one again.
Like line-up changes At the moment he's heading the....oh, the 4th line-up of Ariel. And before Ariel there were oh God knows how many variations of his groups, Spectrum and Murtceps.
"But we've got a stable line-up now. says Rudd "It's the first time I really feel the band is going to stay together and work things out. In the past we'd always start to get things happening and then the band would change around So it'd be back to rehearsals and by the time we came out again the scene would have gone cold...".
But it's not only changing line-ups that have mucked it up for Rudd and whatever Co. was involved with at the time.

There were two trips to England. One in 74' ("Which established some sort of base", said Rudd at the time), and one in 75' ("Which established that England was completely fucked as a country and as a musical scene. We'd have been mad to have gone to a country where only a few bands were doing well and even the best of the rest were on the breadline. If we'd stayed we could have made it up to the best of the rest").
Well gee Mike, isn't there something UP happening with the band?
Well, we're about the only group playing the pub circuit in Melbourne who brings along a light show with 'em. Creates a bit of atmosphere y'know, it helps the mood of the music.
"And we're really playing well right now. Glyn Mason joining the band has really added something of a new direction....really strengthened us.
"We're both writers and both singers, but Glyn takes a different direction to m'self".
"We've written one song together and we're in the process of writing another. Glyn's written another which we do on stage at the moment.
In the past when I've tried to write with other people it hasn't worked out very well, but it's happening with Glyn - even though our directions are so different.
But really the whole of 75' was mostly spent stabilising. Obviously we're going to go overseas again, and going to have to have something worthwhile to offer Now that we've stabilised, we can start to move.
We've started to move already really, the gigs are really working well these days
So when cometh the next overseas attempt?'
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"Well, we have to get over there on our own steam again, and try to get something happening once we're over there. So it's a process of getting the band and the resources together....it'll take at least another six months. We won't be going to England again. It'll be America. I guess. "Though last time we were in England it was amazing the number of bands who were looking towards Japan. Queen was the first English band to really try to establish a base there and they've done it quite successfully. America's getting very hard for the new English groups. Slade's management were telling us that Slade were just going to keep slogging around the States until they made it. It would probably mean they'd have lo change their whole musical approach. But if they had to, they'd do it. America is pretty choosy about what groups and what sort of music it accepts.
"Actually it's amazing none of the Australian rock bands except Hush have taken a serious look at Japan. It's a lot closer than America and a lot healthier than England".
Hmmm... well it just could be Mike Ludd of El-id yet....?

"Well" says Rudd, "The whole point about England is we'd have to do what everyone told us we'd have to do....go over there and work our way through all the other bodies for a couple of years till it became our turn to have a chance for something to happen. But we're not prepared to do that, we stuck our noses in and whipped them out again real quick. We've been through that sort of slog in Australia. We'll try and find someplace where we can start building on all the slog we've put in here. We'll still have to slog, but the work we've done in Australia should turn some value....".

Ariel's Logo

So anyway, later that week I go down to the Bondi Lifesaver in Sydney where Ariel are laying down some slog. They are laying it down particularly well. The three guitar lineup of Rudd. Harvey James and Glyn Mason is alive and firing. The synchronisation is 21 jewelled and the power is near top peak. There are cross rhythms and there are dual and triple lead breaks that mesh into overdrive fusions. There's the pumpin' steamin' rhythm section of bassist Bill Putt and drummer Nigel Macaras. There's Mike Rudd's vocals - the closest thing yet-to a laconic scream. And there's Glyn Mason's vocals, a straight-ahead, spot-on rock voice.
What I mean is, this is a helluva fine band.
But those few days earlier Rudd had finished talking about the group's new single "I'll Take You High" and the re-launch of the last album Rock & Roll Scars (which did not do very well at all despite being a virtual best of collection of Spectrum-Murtceps-Ariel material)

There's a danger that people just get sick of seeing you around. Like when you tell them the new line-up is ready to play, or you've got a new single or an  album out, they say: "Oh Jesus, not you again. Haven't you learnt your lesson yet...."   Which only means, after all, that the slog never stops.
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my double vinyl set, which is in pristine condition. Also included is full album artwork and a selection of concert photos, mostly taken from the Aloha album which I still have (alas, I sold my copy of More From Before sometime ago at a record fair).
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Track Listing
CD1
01 - Disco Dilemma

02 - The Party's Just Begun
03 - Where Do You Go
04 - Amazon
05 - Illicit Love
06 - Hollywood
07 - It's Only Love
08 - All I Need Is A Change
09 - It's Gonna Get Worse
10 - You Keep Me Moving
11 - King's Cross Crusader
12 - I'll Be Gone
CD2
13 - Jamaican Farewell

14 - Island Fantasia Suite 
(Includes Coral Queen, Dark Side Of Yeppoon, 
Part Reprise: It's Time We Said Our Goodbyes)
15 - We Are Indelible
16 - Rock 'N' Roll Scars
17 - I'll Take You High, Red Hot Mama, Some Good Advice
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Band Members:
Mike Rudd (Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals)
Bill Putt (Bass)
Glyn Mason (Guitar, Vocals)
Tony Slavich (Keyboards, Vocals)
Ian McLennan (Drums, Vocals)
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Ariel Live Link (641Mb) New Link 13/10/2023

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Elton John - Rocket Man Vol.3 Unuathorised Live (1993) Bootleg

(U.K 1964 - Present)
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(Sir) Elton John is one of pop music's great survivors. Born 25 March, 1947, as Reginald Kenneth Dwight, he started to play the piano at the early age of four. At the age of 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His first band was called Bluesology. He later auditioned (unsuccessfully) as lead singer for the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Gentle Giant. Dwight teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and changed his name to Elton John (merging the names of saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry). The duo wrote songs for Lulu and Roger Cook. In the early 1970s, he recorded the concept album 'Tumbleweed Connection'.

In terms of sales and lasting popularity, Elton John was the biggest pop superstar of the early '70s. Initially marketed as a singer/songwriter, John soon revealed he could craft Beatlesque pop and pound out rockers with equal aplomb. He could dip into soul, disco, and country, as well as classic pop balladry and even progressive rock. His versatility, combined with his effortless melodic skills, dynamic charisma, and flamboyant stage shows, made him the most popular recording artist of the '70s. Unlike many pop stars, John was able to sustain his popularity, charting a Top 40 single every single year from 1970 to 1996. During that time, he had temporary slumps in creativity and sales, as he fell out of favor with critics, had fights with his lyricist, Bernie Taupin, and battled various addictions and public scandals. But through it all, John remained a remarkably popular artist, and many of his songs -- including "Your Song," "Rocket Man," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" -- became contemporary pop standards.

In 1981, he signed with Geffen Records and his second album, 'Jump Up!', became a gold album on the strength of "Blue Eyes" and "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)," his tribute to John Lennon.
This post is a bootleg recording made while Elton was bringing his 'Jump Tour' to Europe and Australia/New Zealand.

But it was 1983's Too Low for Zero that began his last great streak of hit singles, with the MTV hit "I'm Still Standing" and the Top Ten single "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." Throughout the rest of the '80s, John's albums would consistently go gold, and they always generated at least one Top 40 single; frequently, they featured Top Ten singles like "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" and "Nikita".

Elton John announced he was a bisexual in 1976, and in 1984, he married Renate Blauel. The marriage lasted four years before he finally came to terms with the fact that he was actually homosexual. He is well known as a campaigner for AIDS research and he keeps his finger on the pulse of modern music, enjoying artists such as Eminem, Radiohead, Coldplay and Robbie Williams. He was knighted in 1997.


1982 Jump Tour Details

On March 10, 1982, Athletic Park in Wellington was the site of Davey Johnstone's return to the Elton John band, reuniting the classic band on stage for the first time in eight years.

Elton, Davey, Dee and Nigel then took their Jump Up! tour across Australia and Europe (and blasting through New York on April 17 with a powerful performance of Empty Garden and Ball And Chain on television's Saturday Night Live) before launching their North America tour on June 12 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. The July 7 show in Kansas City, MO, was broadcast live on nationwide radio, and this leg of the tour ended after three nights at Madison Square Garden on August 7, 1982. Two nights before, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon had come out on stage to embrace Elton after he played his tribute to the late John Lennon, "Empty Garden", for the first time in New York since the musician's death.

After an opening set by Geffen label-mates Quarterflash, Elton and the band typically played a 23-song set, with such seldom-played tunes as "Where Have All The Good Times Gone", "Ball And Chain and Teacher I Need You", before encoring with a "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On/I Saw Her Standing There/Twist and Shout" medley.

Devey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray

Following a three-month break, during which the band recorded the album Too Low For Zero in Montserrat, the tour resumed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on November 2, 1982.

The next 43 shows took place throughout the United Kingdom, and the year ended on December 24, with a run of 15 nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The December 15 show proved unique in that it was played without a drummer; Nigel Olsson was unable to perform that evening. The show on Christmas Eve featured an appearance by Kiki Dee on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and the encores, which included a version of "Jingle Bells".

Number of shows: 132
First show: Mar 10, 1982 - Wellington, NZ
Last show: Oct 15, 1983 - Sun City, SA
Countries Visited: New Zealand, Australia, US, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, South Africa
[source: www.eltonjohn.com]
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This post conists of an MP3 rip (320kps) taken from CD and includes full album artwork. Recorded Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 24 December, 1982, this 1993 release by BANANA will aPEEL to any Elton John enthusiast....LOL  Actually, the track listing is an extensive collection of all his major hits, with some fresh licks and takes on some of his classics. In fact, some of the tracks sound like the band were on steroids on the night, with some fast paced tracks such as "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and "Pinball Wizard". Elton is backed by his old teammates Davey, Dee, and Nigel with a guest appearance from his duet partner Kiki Dee accompanying him on the last 5 tracks.
Note: This bootleg was also released by AMCOS under the title of 'Elton John Live - Not Authorised' (see depicted below) and thanks to Dave Bodoh at eltonography.com for clarifying the location of this recording.
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Track Listing
01 - The Bitch Is Back

02 - Pinball Wizard
03 - Blue Eyes
04 - Bennie And The Jets
05 - Rocket Man
06 - All Quiet On The Western Front
07 - Your Song
08 - Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
09 - Daniel
10 - Crocodile Rock
11 - Don't Go Breaking My Heart [with Kiki Dee]
12 - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
13 - Jingle Bells
14 - I Saw Her Standing There
15 - Twist And Shout
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Band members
Elton John (Piano, Vocals)
Davey Johnstone (Guitar)
Dee Murray (Bass)
Nigel Olsson (Drums)
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Elton John Unauthorised Link (134Mb)  New Link 10/04/2020
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