Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Various Aussie Artists - 12 x 12 (1972)

(Australian 1972)

Another interesting Infinity records compilation, mainly famous for featuring some great singles that were never on an album at the time. It is still the only LP where you can find Blackfeather's delicate, acoustic "Find Somebody To Love", or the marvelous "Song For A Blindman" by cult Sydney outfit 'Stafford Bridge'.

The Glyn Mason (ex-Chain) led version of 'Copperwine' is also here. Other tracks are duplicates of "The Stars Of Sunbury" LP (eg Warren Morgan, Country Radio, Billy Thorpe), but this is still a fine colection of rare/rare-ish classy Oz artists of the early 1970's. It retailed for $3.99 back in 1972.

It's a pity about the cheap, slapdash generic cover which has no relevance to the music whatsoever. But, as the saying goes: 'Never judge a book by its cover'.  This is a great compilation of early 1970's Aussie Rock, I hope you enjoy it.


Blackfeather

Blackfeather were an Australian rock group which formed in April 1970. The band has had numerous line-ups, mostly fronted by founding lead singer, Neale Johns. An early heavy rock version recorded their debut album, At the Mountains of Madness (April 1971), which peaked at number seven on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums chart. It provided the single, "Seasons of Change" (May 1971), which was co-written by Johns with lead guitarist, John Robinson. In July 1972 a piano-based line-up led by Johns issued an Australian number-one single, "Boppin' the Blues"/"Find Somebody To Love", which is a cover version of the Carl Perkins' 1956 single.

Blackfeather formed in April 1970 in Sydney by Leith Corbett on bass guitar, Mike McCormack on drums, and John Robinson on lead guitar (all from the Dave Miller Set), plus lead vocalist, Neale Johns. Robinson recalled meeting Johns, "a small guy with a huge voice, Neale was very taciturn. He was into the blues and had excellent range." Their name was derived from two found suggested in a book, "Whitefeather" and "Heavyfeather". Corbett and McCormack left soon after, replaced by Robert Fortesque on bass guitar and Alexander Kash on drums. Corbett subsequently reunited with singer Dave Miller to record a duo album, Reflections of a Pioneer. Johns and Robinson wrote or co-wrote the band's original material.

Glyn Mason

Copperwine


Following the departures of first Wendy Saddington, then Jeff St John, the remaining members of Copperwine recruited former Chain/Rebels singer/guitarist Glyn Mason to join as new front man All seemed to be business as usual when the band issued this fine debut single in 1972, a pioneering effort in the then emerging country rock field. Glyn did have mighty big shoes to fill & judged on talent alone, he certainly had the song writing ability & the voice but sales were not as might have been expected so the band disbanded soon after. 

Glyn went onto become one of our most respected journeyman musos, returning to Chain briefly for a 2nd live album before forming his own band Home who issued to fine country/blues LPs.

From there he joined Mike Rudd in Ariel, the combination of their songs working a treat, with Glyn writing one of their most popular songs "It's Only Love". Later on Glyn lent his name to the popular Stockley See Mason Band alongside two other great Aussie journeymen Sam See & Chris Stockley, and to this day Glyn can still be seen around Melbourne with Sam, now calling themselves The Pardners.

Meantime bassist Harry Brus, has gone on to forge a sterling career of his own, being the bassist of choice for both Kevin Borich & Renee Geyer, both of whom he has worked with for many years, as well as a who's who of Australian music.

Phil Manning (Pilgrimage)


Philip John "Phil" Manning (born 1948) is an Australian blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. Manning has been a member of various groups including Chain and has had a solo career. As a member of Chain, Manning co-wrote their January 1971 single "Black and Blue" which became number one on the Melbourne charts and also Judgement, which reached number two in Sydney. The related album, Toward the Blues followed in September and peaked in the top 10 albums chart.

Manning left Chain in July 1971 to work with Warren Morgan (ex-Chain, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) on keyboards in a band called 'Pilgrimage'. They issued a single, "Just For You / Walk In The Light" in November 1971 and supported United Kingdom progressive rock group, Pink Floyd, in September and pop artist, Elton John, in October. The B-Side "Walk In The Light" was written by Manning and you can see him performing it below.



Sherbet


Sherbet were Australia's most popular pop group of the 70s with 20 consecutive hit records and 17 album, accounting for 10 platinum and 14 gold disc awards. In 1969 the Sydney entertainment scene was almost totally geared towards satisfying the money-rich comfort-starved American Vietnam troops who came for official Rest And Recreation.

Sydney's nightclubs gave them what they wanted - R&B, soul, funk, good-time rock - and these influences spilled over into the pop group Sherbet, formed without singer Daryl Braithwaite, but completed by his falsetto-capable vocals.

In January 1972, Sherbet's 'classic line-up' was in place when Tony Mitchell replaced Worrall on bass guitar: the band now consisted of lead vocalist Braithwaite, keyboardist Porter, drummer Sandow, bassist Mitchell and guitarist Shakespeare.

They were the archetypical 70's girl fodder pop band - groomed hair, colourful satin stage outfits. "You're All Woman" b/w "Back Home" charting at #13 was a single taken from their debut 1972 album 'Time Change... A Natural Progression' which also charted reaching #66 on the Kent Music Report.

Also that year the band were voted 'Most Popular Australian Group' by readers of Go-Set in their annual pop poll and were also the winners of The Battle Of The Sounds.

Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs


Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-1960s. The group enjoyed success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early 1970s to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period.

Billy Thorpe openly acknowledged that his new 1970's 'heavy' version of the Aztecs owed much to 'guitar hero' Lobby Lloyde. Lloyde had a cult following due to his stints in two of the most original Australian bands of the Sixties, The Purple Hearts and Wild Cherries. This track "Good Morning Little School Girl" is from 1970 and certainly features the beginnings of that heavier sound that was to 'boom' throughout the 70's.

It's a blues-rock interpretation of the classic blues standard originally written by John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson in 1937.

The song features a bluesy harmonica, resonant bass lines, and a hard rock edge, drawing inspiration from other interpretations by artists like Ten Years After and the Yardbirds.

These changes also extended into Thorpe’s physical appearance as he grew his hair that was sported into a braided tail. He also fashioned a more casual wardrobe than what he used to wear previously.

Stafford Bridge

"Song For A Blind Man" was an obscure Australian progressive rock/pop from 1972 by Stafford Bridge. The band's only released material were two singles on the infinity label. A Sydney band Stafford Bridge made the grand-finals representing NSW Country in Hoadley's National Battle Of The Sounds.

Band members were Peter Gordon - Sax and Flute, David Kay - Guitar and Flute, Gary Riley - Drums, Terry Riley - Organ, Guitar, Ross Sanders - bass and Jim Willebrandt - Vocals. Jim Willebrandt fronted a number of bands including Daisy Roots, Clapham Juntion, Toby Jug and Hot Cottage.

The only footage of Stafford Bridge that I know of can be seen HERE. (Right at the end of this clip - last 20secs ! )

Stafford Bridge

Country Radio


Greg Quill formed the original line-up of Country Radio (also seen as Greg Quill's Country Radio or Greg Quill and Country Radio) in June 1970. Other members were Agostino, Blanchflower, Walsh and Dave Hannagan on percussion and backing vocals. The group started as an acoustic act but from 1970 to 1971 its musical style evolved into electric country rock, a style then gaining popularity through the influence of albums like The Band's Music from Big Pink (1968), The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968), and Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline (1969). 1971 saw the release of "Listen to the Children" b/w "Last Time Around" on Infinity .

With the "classic" line-up of Quill, Tolhurst, Bird, Bois, Bolton and Blanchflower, Country Radio recorded their second and most successful single, "Gyspy Queen", with producer John French, in Melbourne in April 1972. It was co-written by Quill and Tolhurst, and featured a string arrangement by session musician, Peter Jones (who later worked on Quill's solo album, The Outlaw's Reply). Released in August, the single spent 13 weeks in the Go-Set National Top 40 and peaked at No. 12.

Greg Quill & Country Radio

Warren Morgan (Pilgrimage)


Warren Morgan was a bit of a journeyman spending a lot of his early years moving between 2 bands Chain and the Aztecs he started out in his first band the Beat 'n' Tracks along with future Chain member Phil Manning. Beat 'n' Tracks eventually morphed into Chain who recorded "Chain Live"(1970) from there Warren would be asked by Billy Thorpe to join the Aztecs he wold feature on the ground breaking "The Hoax Is Over" (1970) album.

After a falling out with Billy, Warren moved on to form Pilgrimage which he formed with Phil Manning and they released "Just For You / Walk In The Light" in Nov, 1971. After not making much money, they decided to split Phil going on to Band of Talabene and Warren reforming Chain and recording "Chain Live Again" (1971). The A-Side "Just For You" was written by Morgan.

After the Aztecs played Sunbury, Warren was again asked to join them and accepted. In 1973 he and Billy would record "Thump'n Pig and Puff'n Billy" a guest on the album would be Chain alumnus Phil Manning. He would later go on to be a member of Gerry and The Joy Band and also a member of the All Stars who backed Stevie Wright and then later John Paul Young.

Jeff St John & Copperwine

Jeff St John unveiled his new band, Copperwine (aka Jeff St John's Copperwine), in early 1969 with low-key dates in Perth, before returning to Sydney. Copperwine soon commanded a rabid following in that city's fast-developing 'head' scene.

Around the time of the new band's formation, guitarist Ross East was also invited to join the revised Masters Apprentices line-up by Jim Keays, but he turned it down, opting to stay with Jeff. Aided by East and Peter Figures, plus Alan Ingram on bass and keyboardist Barry Kelly (from Marty Rhone's Soul Agents), St John wowed punters at the Ourimbah "Pilgrimage For Pop", Australia's first major outdoor rock festival, hedl at Ourimbah, NSW at the end of January 1970.

The band's dynamic repertoire mixed quality prog-flavoured group originals with powerful renditions of Sly & the Family Stone's funk classic "Sing A Simple Song" (a stage fave for many Australian acts of the time including Southern Comfort and The Affair), a storming version of The Temptations' psych-soul masterpiece "Cloud Nine" and Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home."

Another single, issued on Spin in November 1970, fared extremely well. The smoothly confident, organ-led cover of Rotary Connection's "Teach Me How To Fly" (featuring a berserk guitar solo from East, and some very tasty bass-drums interplay) propelled the band to #12 in Melbourne and a very encouraging #3 Sydney chart placement. St John's dazzling vocal performance on this record is probably the main reason why. The band toured relentlessly during 1971 and appeared with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra plus they supported The Hollies on their Australian tour in 1971. 

They also released another single, the delicate "Hummingbird"/"Keep On Growing". By late 1971 friction had emerged between Jeff St. John and Copperwine. He left them early in 1972 to form his own band and pursue a solo career.

Glenn Cardier


Sydney singer/songwriter Glenn Cardier was a popular solo performer on the early 1970s scene. In much the same vein as James Taylor, Doug Ashdown and Ross Ryan, Cardier played a brand of gentle and reflective acoustic folk and soft rock that gained him a strong cult following.

Cardier actually started out playing lead guitar in Brisbane acid-rock band The Revolution before taking to the road as a folkie. He signed to Festival's progressive Infinity label, with which he issued two albums and four singles: `Every Wounded Bird'/`The Juggler' (July 1972), `Ulysses'/`Minstrel' (February 1973), `Oh Dear Saint Peter'/`I Am the Day' (July 1973) and `I See a Comedy'/`Lovers Alias Fools' (June 1974).

Never content to be seen as just a sensitive folkie, Cardier toured with rock bands like La De Das, Country Radio, Sherbet and Daddy Cool.

He also made an appearance at the 1972 Sunbury Festival, and supported overseas visitors Frank Zappa and Manfred Mann's Earth Band. In 1974, Cardier became one of the first musicians in Australia (along with Rob MacKenzie from MacKenzie Theory and Greg Quill from Country Radio) to receive a travel grant from the Australia Council for the Arts (under the auspices of Gough Whitlam's Labor government). He travelled to England where he toured for several years, recording the Glenn Cardier album and a single `Till the Fire Dies'/`Christopher Columbus' (June 1976) for Interfusion along the way.

On his return to Australia in late 1978, Cardier recorded `Establishment Blues' under the psuedonym of Sydney Hill. The song appeared as the B-side to the Mojo Singers' #1 hit `C'mon Aussie C'mon'. Cardier's 1979 band, the Bel-Aires, comprised Brad Alick (lead guitar), Eddie Parise (bass, who later joined Baby Animals) and Vince Crae (drums). Cardier issued the single `Expectations'/`I Saved Annette from Drowning' in February 1980. He has also recorded the Christmas track `Reindeers on the Rooftops' under the alias Riff Raff.

* It should be noted that the B-side "I Am The Day" included on this compilation was lifted from Glenn's first LP "Days Of Wilderness" which was released in 1972.

Wendy Saddington


Wendy Saddington was one of Australia's premier soul/blues singers of the late 1960s/early 1970s (in the Etta James/Aretha Franklin mould). Because she was under-recorded, however, Saddington can only claim one single and one album to her credit.

Saddington first came to prominence in soul/psychedelic bands like The Revolution and the James Taylor Move, and the original version of blues band Chain. In May 1969, she joined pop paper Go-Set as a staff writer and later joined Copperwine as co-vocalist with Jeff St John. Her stay of ten months (March 1970–February 1971) motivated many changes in Copperwine's musical direction, with much of the soul-copying being replaced by a more purist blues-oriented sound.

That change was heard on the album Wendy Saddington and the Copperwine Live which had been recorded at the Wallacia Festival during January 1971. Saddington scored her only hit single when the Warren Morgan-penned and Billy Thorpe/ Morgan-produced `Looking Through a Window'/ `We Need a Song' reached #22 in September 1971. In 1972, Festival reissued the live album, retitled it Looking Through a Window and simply added the track `Looking Through a Window'. The single was reissued in 1977 but was not successful.

In March 1973, Saddington appeared as the Nurse in the local stage production of The Who's rock opera Tommy. Other cast members included Billy Thorpe, Daryl Braithwaite, Colleen Hewett, Broderick Smith, Doug Parkinson, Jim Keays, Ross Wilson and Keith Moon. Saddington worked with a variety of bands during the mid-1970s, including Shango and Blues Assembly.

She worked with the Jeffrey Crozier Band in New York during the late 1970s. In 1983, she formed the Wendy Saddington Band which initially comprised jazz pianist Bobby Gebert, Harvey James (guitar; ex-Ariel, Sherbet, Swanee), Billy Rylands (bass) and Chris Sweeney (drums). The 1987 line-up comprised Rose Bygrave (keyboards; ex-Goanna), Mick Liber (guitar; ex-Python Lee Jackson), Angelica Booth (bass) and Des McKenna (drums).

Chain 1972
Chain


Chain recorded 'Toward The Blues' at Melbourne's TCS Studios with engineer/producer John Sayers. The album announced, upon its release in late '71, the matured essence of Chain in its acknowledged classic configuration of Phil, Matt and the two Goose-Barrys. The album made the number 6 position on the national album charts and remained a strong Top 40 seller for four months (it still sells in respectable quantities to this day!).

It was supported by significant and valuable airplay, mainly on "alternative" radio programs like future Double-J presenter Chris Winter's seminal national ABC radio show, Room To Move. It was the sort of record that seemed to already be on the turntable whenever you stepped into a Saturday night party in those days. In short, it was one of those albums, along with Spectrum's Milesago or Tamam Shud's first, or maybe Co. Caine's debut opus, that any self-respecting aficionado of quality Oz Rock would consider essential for a well-rounded record collection!

Led by the single "Judgement", an aggressive, multi-faceted bluesy showcase for each band member, and notable for Phil's singular wah-wah guitar filigrees, 'Towards The Blues' proved an early pinnacle that Chain struggled to surpass later in their career, if, indeed, they themselves ever wanted or needed to.

Chain's credo, like that of most of their contemporaries, generally eschewed such crass or quaint notions of career longevity or quick riches. Instead, Aussie punters were presented with one of the finest and most well-rounded LPs of the era. Other gems include an inspired version of Robert Johnson's "32/20", followed by the supreme swing and swagger of their version of Junior Wells' "Snatch It Back And Hold It", delightfully re-appropriated here in true Aussie ratbag fashion as "Grab A Snatch And Hold It!"

Many other highlights abound, such as "Albert Goose's Gonna Turn The Blues Looses", a vehicle for Harvey to unleash a fierce drum solo. Side Two ends with Taylor's wailing blues harmonica featuring on the signature tune, the full version of "Black & Blue", which became Chain's most iconic and requested song at live gigs.
* Note - the featured tack "32 / 20" was never released as a single, and was lifted off their 'Towards The Blues' LP.

This post consists of FLACS ripped from Vinyl (thanks to Sunshine) and includes full album artwork and label scans. Although a majority of the tracks present on this compilation were released as B-Side singles, they could just have easily been A-Sides. 
This is one of my favourite Go-To Aussie Compilation Albums and my copy has been played more times than I can remember.  

Track List:
1. Blackfeather - Find Somebody to Love
2. Copperwine - Golden Angels
3. Phil Manning - Walk In The Light
4. Sherbet - Back Home
5. Billy Thorpe - Good Mornin' Little School Girl
6. Stafford Bridge - Song For A Blind Man
7. Country Radio - Last Time Around
8. Warren Morgan - Just For You
9. Jeff St. John & Copperwine - Keep On Growing
10. Glenn Cardier - I Am The Day
11. Wendy Saddington & Copperwine - Backlash Blues (Live)
12. Chain - 32/20


12 x 12 Link (273Mb)

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Thomas Dolby - The Golden Age Of Wireless (1982) plus 'She Blinded Me With Science' - Extended Version (12" Single) 1982

(U.K 1979 - Present)

The Golden Age of Wireless is the debut album from Thomas Dolby released in May 1982 on Venice in Peril / EMI Records. It was produced by Thomas Dolby and Tim Friese-Greene. The album reached number 68 and spent 10 weeks on the U.K. chart.

One unique feature of this album is the number of reissues available on both vinyl and CD, all with varying track orders and/or track lengths and in some cases different versions of songs (ie Radio Silence) or new songs (ie. "The Wreck Of The Fairchild" instead of "She Blinded me With Science"). For more details see: PostPunkMonk and TheCDProject

This is a fantastic album - way ahead of its time. Musician magazine literally called the album "the best damned synth-pop record ever, period,"

Even rock-oriented Rolling Stone magazine called the album "one of the most impressive debuts" of the year (see 1982 review below). Even so, the album didn't even make that magazine's list of the top 100 albums of the decade. This album was released many times in the early '80s with varying tracks, sequencing, and album artwork. I don't feel like recapping that for you, but if you're interested, there's always wikipedia. What sets Dolby apart from other early synthpop pioneers is his musicianship. He's a better keyboard player than most and seems to have quickly developed a working knowledge of harmony and theory. And Dolby's pop songwriting skills aren't to be overlooked, either.

Thomas Dolby
With this intellectual approach to modern pop, his boffin persona came to an artistic zenith with ‘She Blinded Me With Science’, a catchy slice of electro-funk noted for its cameo from everyone’s favourite mad professor Dr Magnus Pyke. Bizarrely, the record failed to go Top 40 in Britain but became an American Top 5 hit.

1984 signalled Thomas Dolby’s shift away from electronics with his biggest UK hit ‘Hyperactive!’ and its parent album ‘The Flat Earth’ which showcased a more jazzy, laid back approach as represented by the title track and his cover of Dan Hicks’ ‘I Scare Myself’.

1985 saw Dolby gain the respect of his elders and he was invited to play alongside Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder at The Grammy Awards and David Bowie at Live Aid. 
In an interview with ElectricCityClub Dolby recalls the event:

It was a great experience. To be able to play with somebody like Stevie Wonder or David Bowie who had been my heroes during my teenage years at my most malleable, to get the acknowledgement of your heroes is a very flattering and gratifying thing. In both cases, it came together very quickly.

With Bowie, the first time I’d ever spoken to him in my life was 9 days before Live Aid and he was in a bit of a fix because his regular touring band were off doing other things and he was busy filming ‘Labyrinth’. This thing came up and I think it took him a while to get his round the scope of the event. It was obviously something that he wanted to do but I don’t think he really grasped the full significance of it until the days went on and the event got closer.

We only had about four rehearsals. In the first couple, he was saying “we’ll be promoting my new single ‘Loving The Alien'” but as it got closer, he realised it wasn’t about promotion, it was about doing something iconic and anthemic. And that’s why we ended up with the songs we did. Because we had so little rehearsal, we’d never actually played the songs through in the order that we did them.

Live Aid Stage
I was quite terrified that we were going to mess it up, especially on things like ‘TVC15’ where I had to do the actual harmonising. And ‘Heroes’ which on a certain level, I know inside out but songs that go along with just one or two variations here and there are sometimes harder than songs that have complicated chord sequences… at least once you’ve learnt it, you know where you are! But once I got up there on stage at Wembley, my fingers did the walking really. I looked out at the crowd and thought “God, I’m on stage with DAVID BOWIE at Live Aid!

At the end of the performance, speaking over the music, Bowie thanked the band for getting together so quickly to do this show for him and would be forever in their debt.”

The fact that Bowie was willing to take a chance with a young band with very little rehearsal was a ballsy move on his part, I was just very proud that it was us."

Rolling Stone Album Review

(by Don Shewey)

Thomas Dolby's 'The Golden Age Of Wireless' is one of the most impressive debuts so far this year. Dolby, who played on Foreigner IV and wrote "New Toy" for Lene Lovich, takes after the Bowie side of Gary Numan. Even his most enigmatic songs ("Leipzig", "Radio Silence") have Bowie's substance and narrative completion. Yet he manipulates studio hardware with Numan's eerie familiarity. Several tracks have a submerged, barely audible layer of almost random sound that serves as a constant (and disturbing) subtext, occasionally erupting into the song - like the descending quintet of notes that interrupts the melody of "Weightless" whenever "the empty feeling" is mentionaed. This sonic underworld is all part of Dolby's mechanical wizardry; one can imagine him as a boy genius alone in the basement with his tapes and wires and synths and rhythm macvhines, making this dense,dazzling record and sticking in weird, subliminal noises to amuse himself.

The results are hardly hermetic. The jaunty pulse of "Europa and the Pirate Twins", in which a lad tries to contact a childhood friend who's now a celebrity, hooks you into the album immediately. "Windpower","Radio Silence" and "Flying North" are as irresistibly melodic as Paul McCartney's work. And unlike many synthesizer bands from England, Dolby eschews morbid, droogy drones.

"Cloudburst at Shingle Street", the possibly apocalyptic number that closes the album, faces annihilation with a vision that is positively ecstatic.

Dolby's PPG Wave Computer

On ‘The Golden Age Of Wireless’, Dolby had a PPG Wave Computer named ‘Henry’. It was his main tool in producing the sounds unique to this album, instead of other computer instruments like the Fairlight CMI, Synclavier and the Crumar GPS.
In an interview with ElectricCityClub Dolby explains:

"The Fairlight had barely shown up in the UK at that point so there was no easy way to sequence things at all. The PPG was the first sequencer I’d seen… it had a drum module that sounded pretty good and gave me the option of tuning the samples. There’s a clap sound that shows up on ‘The Golden Age Of Wireless’ which is actually its snare drum slowed down a lot. Shortly after that, I bought the module for a Simmons drum kit and I was able to trigger those sounds from the PPG sequencer.

Henry (PPG Wave Computer)
On top of that, the PPG also had a wavetable synthesizer in it which had some pretty extraordinary sounds. Some of the wavetables were so disparate that you’d hit a key and the note had a sort of rhythm inherent to it… like the bassline in ‘Windpower’ which has this slapback effect. I think I actually wrote that song because I’d dialled up that sound. That’s what I made the song with."
Sadly, ‘Henry’ fell down a lift shaft on an American tour and was replaced by ‘Henry The Second’, a Fairlight…

In reality, about half the songs on ‘The Golden Age Of Wireless’ were band based, with a three piece band of bass, drums and guitar plus my keyboards. They weren’t played with sequences, they were played as a band and I added electronic thrills on top.

Thomas Dolby On Stage at the Marquee, London

There were others like ‘Windpower’, ‘Flying North’ and the electronic version of ‘Radio Silence’ which were more obviously sequenced and more into that synthpop kind of mould.

I think because I was capable of doing more instantly accessible, quirky pop stuff, the tendency of the record company was to say “Oh there’s your single Thomas, right there… that’s going to be instantly catchy on the radio!”. But it’s quite hard to get them to put as much weight behind the more personal and intimate stuff because they knew I could do it. And I think the moment I had some commercial success with songs like ‘Hyperactive!’ and ‘She Blinded Me With Science’, there was no persuading them".


This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl copies (LP & 12" Single) and includes full album artwork and label scans. One unique feature of my Australian pressing is the label on the top-left LP front cover which states: Including "She Blinded Me With Science".  After extensive searching in DISCOGS I have been unable to find any Front Cover artwork with this label on any of the 95 versions available (at the time of this posting). 

Now, with respect to the many versions of this album that have been released (with varying track listings, track sequences and track lengths), I am providing a brief listing of these below. My album matches the first Australian 1982 EMI release (See Below *)

As a bonus, I am also including the 3 tracks "Leipzig","The Wreck Of The Fairchild" and "Urges" which have appeared on overseas releases but are missing from this Australian release.

Finally, I have chosen to include a FLAC rip of my 12" single   "She Blinded Me With Science (extended version)" and the B-Side "One Of Our Submarines (extended version)", as a special bonus. 

Track Listings:

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 1st UK LP [1982]
[Venice In Peril Release]
Flying North 3:50
Commercial Breakup 4:15
Weightless 3:45
Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:18
Windpower 4:20
The Wreck Of The Fairchild 3:30
Airwaves 5:12
Radio Silence 3:43
Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45
* “The Wreck Of The Fairchild” only appeared on this 1st UK pressing of the album. 

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 1st US LP [1982]
[Harvest Release]
Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:18
Flying North 3:50
Weightless 3:45
Leipzig 3:52
Windpower 4:20
Commercial Breakup 4:15
Urges 3:39
Airwaves [7″] 3:35
Radio Silence [version] 4:32
Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 1st AUST LP [1982] *
[Parlophone / EMI Release]
She Blinded Me With Science 3:43
Radio Silence 3:48
Airwaves 5:16
Flying North 3:53
Weightless 3:47
Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:20
Windpower 4:20
Commercial Breakup 4:18
One Of Our Submarines 5:14
Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45

* My Aust 1982 release is available HERE (302Mb)

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 2nd US LP [1983]
[Capitol Release]
She Blinded Me With Science [ext.] 5:09
Radio Silence [version] 4:32
Airwaves [7″] 3:35
Flying North 3:50
Weightless 3:45
Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:18
Windpower 3:38
Commercial Breakup 4:15
One Of Our Submarines 5:11
Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45

Band Members:
Thomas Dolby - Synthesizer [Wave Computer] & Drum Programs
Justin Hildreth - Drums, Percussion
Matthew Seligman - Moog Bass
Mark Heyward-Chaplin - Bass
Kevin Armstrong - Guitar
David Birch - Guitar
Miriam Stockley, Kevin Armstrong, Lesley Fairbairn, Bruce Woolley, 
Akkiko Yono, Les Chappell, Lene Lovich, Judy Evans, James Allen & 
Mutt Lange - Backing Vocals
Simon House - Violin
Simon Lloyd - Flute, Brass


She Blinded Me With Science 
[12" Single] 1982
Track Listing
01 She Blinded Me With Science [Ext Version] (5:13)
02 One Of Our Submarines [Ext Version]  (7:21)





Friday, July 4, 2025

REPOST: Greg Quill - The Outlaw's Reply (1975) plus Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1970 - 1978, 1999 - 2012)
.
Gregory Raymond "Greg" Quill (18 April 1947 – 5 May 2013) was an Australian-born musician, singer-songwriter and journalist.

Quill stands as one of the foremost figures in the local folk-country scene, and his invigorating love of involvement with his music is one reason why he commands the respect of Australia's top musicians and music writers. He ran The Shack (a popular Sydney folk haven) for four years, and at the age of 19 took on the Warrngah Shire Council to the Supreme court when they attempted to close down the club. He was president of  the folk club at the University of Sydney where he graduated from with a BA in English Literature and Languages (shades of Kris Kristofferson). As a guitar teacher he has taught the music and written it (once a top-rate journalist for Go-Set and Daily Planet) (Extract from Go-Set Magazine, May 25, 1974 p6 - thanks to Woodynet)

He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and was an entertainment columnist at the Toronto Star newspaper from the mid-1980s until his death in May 2013. In Australia he came to popular fame as a singer-songwriter for the country rock band, Country Radio (1970–73). Their biggest hit, "Gyspy Queen", was released in August 1972 and was co-written by Quill with band mate, Kerryn Tolhurst, which peaked at No. 12 on the Go-Set National Top 40. After getting an arts grant, Quill travelled to Toronto in 1974 and by mid-1980s had become a journalist at the Toronto Star. By 1983 he was married to Ellen Davidson, a public relations executive.

In 1974, Quill recorded a solo studio album, The Outlaw's Reply, with the financial backing of Sydney-based executive producer and Trafalgar Studios owner Charles Fisher. It was produced by John L Sayers and featured Country Radio alumni: Blanchflower, Bolton, Du Bois, Hinton and Tolhurst, plus former collaborator Jones on keyboards. Also appearing on the album were Barry Leef on backing vocals, Chris Neal on synthesisers and Peter Walker on guitar. Two singles from the album were issued during 1975: "She Do It to Me" (April) and "Blackmail" / "The Outlaw's Reply" (September).

The album included the Quill song "Almost Freedom", which had previously been covered by former Company Caine singer Gulliver Smith on his 1973 solo LP The Band's Alright But The Singer Is .... During 1974 Festival also released a compilation album, 'Gypsy Queen', credited to Greg Quill & Country Radio, contained selection of album tracks, and A- and B-sides of singles. It included Quill's cover of the country classic "Singin' the Blues", which featured Renee Geyer on backing vocals and Stacpool on guitar. In May 1975 Quill promoted the release of The Outlaw's Reply by a performance at the Sydney Opera House, backed by the musicians who had contributed to the album. The Dingoes and Richard Clapton were also part of the first all-Australian country-rock show to take place on the Opera House's main stage. It was Quill's final performance in Australia for almost four years. [extract from wikipedia]

Greg Quill died on 5 May 2013 at his home in Hamilton. His family announced that he had "passed away suddenly but peacefully from complications due to pneumonia and a recently diagnosed case of sleep apnea". Aged 66, he was still an entertainment journalist for the Toronto Star at the time of his death.

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This post consists of FLACs  ripped from Vinyl and full album artwork for both vinyl and CD.  If you were a fan of Country Radio and the Dingoes, then you will really enjoy this unique gem.  My interest in this album extends even further with the appearance of Ex-Bakery guitarist Peter Walker who adds some great backing guitar work.  Bonus tracks ripped from vinyl singles.
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NEW IMPROVED RIP + Additional Bonus Tracks

Track Listing
01 - She Do It To Me
02 - Terry's Tune
03 - Almost Freedom
04 - So Now, Lady
05 - Where Elephant's Go To Die
06 - Seven Years Of Silence
07 - Crazy People
08 - The Outlaw's Reply
09 - Blackmail
10 - Been So Long (Bonus Track) *
11 - I Wonder Why (Bonus Track) *
12 - Been So Long (Bonus remix)
13 - I Wonder Why (Bonus remix)
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* Greg Quill and Southern Cross
Producer: John Sayers.
Executive producer: Charles Fisher
Recorded at Trafalgar Studios Sydney, Australia, November 1974 - February 1975

.The Band:
Greg Quill, vox, acoustic guitars; 
Kerryn Tolhurst, lap steel, mandolin, dobro, acoustic and electric guitars; 
Tony Bolton, drums; 
John Bois, bass; 
Chris Blanchflower, harmonica; Peter Jones, keyboards; 
Peter Walker, electric guitar, clavier; 
Russell Hinton, acoustic and electric guitar; 
Terry Walker, pedal steel, 
Barry Leef, harmonies and harmony arrangements. 
String arrangements: Peter Jones.
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Greg Quill Link (321Mb) New Link 04/07/2025
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Monday, June 30, 2025

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman - Kinky Boots (1964, 1983) 12inch Single

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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.

The Avengers was a British espionage television series that aired from 7 January 1961 to 21 April 1969. It initially focused on David Keel (Ian Hendry), aided by John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Ian Hendry left after the first series; Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson). Dresses and suits for the series were made by Pierre Cardin.

The series screened as one-hour episodes for its entire run. The first episode, "Hot Snow", aired on 7 January 1961. The final episode, "Bizarre", aired on 21 April 1969 in the United States, and on 17 May 1969 in the United Kingdom.

The Avengers was produced by ABC Weekend TV, a contractor within the ITV network. After a merger with Rediffusion London in July 1968, ABC Weekend became Thames Television, which continued production of the series, subcontracted to ABC Television Films. By 1969, The Avengers was shown in more than 90 countries. ITV produced a sequel series, The New Avengers (1976–1977), with Patrick Macnee returning as John Steed, and two new partners. In 2004 and 2007, The Avengers was ranked No. 17 and No. 20 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.

The Avengers was marked by different eras as co-stars came and went. The only constant was John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee.

Patrick MacNee as The Avenger's John Steed

Series 2-3 (1962-64)

The first episode broadcast in the second series (1962) introduced Steed's female partner who would change the show into the format for which it is most remembered. Honor Blackman played Mrs. Cathy Gale, a self-assured, quick-witted anthropologist who was skilled in judo and had a passion for leather clothes.

Steed & Gale
Catherine Gale was unlike any female character seen before on British TV, and she became a household name, mainly for her all leather outfit which she regularly wore during the show.

During the first series, there were hints that Steed worked for a branch of British Intelligence, and this was expanded in the second series. Steed initially received orders from different superiors, including someone referred to as "Charles", and "One-Ten" (Douglas Muir). By the third series, the delivery of Steed's orders was not depicted on screen or explained. The secret organisation to which Steed belongs is shown in "The Nutshell", and it is Cathy Gale's first visit to their headquarters.

During the Gale era, Steed was transformed from a rugged trenchcoat-wearing agent into the stereotypical English gentleman, complete with Savile Row suit, bowler hat and umbrella, with clothes later designed by Pierre Cardin. The bowler and umbrella were soon revealed to be full of tricks, including a sword hidden within the umbrella handle and a steel plate concealed in the hat.

Steed in his Pierre Cardin Suit
With his impeccable manners, old-world sophistication and vintage car, Steed came to represent the traditional Englishman of an earlier era.

By contrast, Steed's partners were youthful, forward-looking and always attired in the latest mod fashions. Catherine Gale's innovative leather outfits suited her many athletic fight scenes. Honor Blackman became a star in Britain with her black leather outfits and boots (nicknamed "kinky boots") and her judo-based fighting style. Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman even released a novelty song called "Kinky Boots". Some of the clothes seen in The Avengers were designed at the studio of John Sutcliffe, who published the AtomAge fetish magazine.

Series scriptwriter Dennis Spooner said that the series would frequently feature Steed visiting busy public places such as the main airport in London without anyone else present in the scene: "'Can't you afford extras?' they'd ask. Well, it wasn't like that. It's just that Steed had to be alone to be accepted. Put him in a crowd and he sticks out like a sore thumb! Let's face it, with normal people he's weird. The trick to making him acceptable is never to show him in a normal world, just fighting villains who are odder than he is!"

Series 4-5 (1965-67)

Dianna Rig as 'Emma Peel'
With Honor Blackman's exit in 1964 to pursue other acting roles: the Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964) and Julia Daggett in Shalako (1968), a new female partner for John Steed needed to be found. After more than 60 actresses had been auditioned, Diana Rigg's screen test with Patrick Macnee showed that the two immediately worked well together. Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) debuted in October 1965 and her character name in the show was derived from a comment by writers, during development, that they wanted a character with "man appeal". 

In contrast to the Gale episodes, there is a lighter, comic touch in Steed's and Mrs. Emma Peel's interactions with each other and their reactions to other characters and situations. Earlier series had a harder tone, with the Gale era including some quite serious espionage dramas. This almost completely disappeared as Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel visibly enjoy topping each other's witticisms. The layer of conflict with Catherine Gale—who on occasion openly resented being used by Steed, often without her permission—is absent from Steed's interaction with Emma Peel.

Also, the sexual tension between Steed and Catherine Gale is quite different from the tension between Steed and Emma Peel. In both cases, the exact relationship between the partners is left ambiguous, although they seemed to have carte blanche to visit each other's homes whenever they please, and it is not uncommon for scenes to suggest that Steed had spent the night at Catherine Gale's or Emma Peel's home, or vice versa. Although nothing "improper" is displayed, the close chemistry between Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel constantly suggests intimacy between the two.


According to Patrick Macnee in his book The Avengers and Me, Diana Rigg disliked wearing leather and insisted on a new line of fabric athletic wear for the fifth series. Alun Hughes, who had designed clothing for Diana Rigg's personal wardrobe, was suggested by the actress to design Emma Peel's "softer" new wardrobe. Pierre Cardin was brought in to design a new wardrobe for Macnee. In the US, TV Guide ran a four-page photo spread on Diana Rigg's new "Emmapeeler" outfits (10–16 June 1967). Eight tight-fitting jumpsuits were created, in a variety of bright colours and made of the stretch fabric crimplene.

The Avengers began filming in colour for the fifth series in 1966. It was three years before Britain's ITV network began full colour broadcasting.

The Cybernauts
Science fiction and fantasy elements (a style later known as Spy-Fi) also began to emerge in storylines. The duo encounters killer robots ("The Cybernauts"), telepaths ("Too Many Christmas Trees") and giant alien carnivorous plants ("The Man-Eater of Surrey Green"). Stories were increasingly characterised by a futuristic, science-fiction bent, with mad scientists and their creations wreaking havoc. The duo dealt with being shrunk to doll size ("Mission... Highly Improbable"), pet cats being electrically altered to become ferocious and lethal "miniature tigers" ("The Hidden Tiger"), killer automata ("Return of The Cybernauts"), mind-transferring machines ("Who's Who???") and invisible foes ("The See-Through Man").

Diana Rigg was initially unhappy with the way she was treated by the show's producers. During her first series, she learned that she was being paid less than the cameraman. She demanded a raise to put her more on a par with her co-star, or she would leave the show. The producers gave in, thanks to the show's great popularity in the US. At the end of the fifth series in 1967, Diana Rigg left to pursue other projects. This included following Honor Blackman to play a leading role in a James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, as James Bond's wife Tracy Bond.


Series 6 (1968-69)

When Diana Rigg left the series in October 1967, the British network executives decided that the current series formula, despite resulting in popular success, could not be pursued further. Thus, they decided that a "return to realism" was appropriate for the sixth series (1968–69).

Linda Thorson as 'Tara King' 
20-year-old newcomer Linda Thorson, was chosen as the new female co-star and given the name Tara King for her character. Linda Thorson played the role with more innocence in mind and at heart, and unlike the previous partnerships with Cathy Gale and Emma Peel, the writers allowed subtle hints of romance to blossom between Steed and Tara King. Tara King also differed from Steed's previous partners in that she was a fully fledged (albeit initially inexperienced) agent working for Steed's organisation.

Tara debuts in dynamic style: when Steed is called to Headquarters, he is attacked and knocked down by trainee agent Tara King, who mistakes him for her training partner.

The revised series continued to be broadcast in the US. The episodes with Linda Thorson as Tara King proved to be highly rated in Europe and the UK. However, in the US, the ABC network chose to air it opposite the number-one show in the country at the time, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Steed and Tara King could not compete, and the show was cancelled in the US. Without this vital commercial backing, production could not continue in Britain either, and the series ended in May 1969. 
[Extracts from wikipedia]

This month's WOCK post consists of FLACs ripped from a 12" Single release (thanks to Sunshine) which features picture labels and a glossy green cover (artwork included).  
The Avengers was one of my favourite T.V shows during the late 60's and early 70's (re-runs), especially series 4-5 featuring Emma Peel. As an impressionable and hormonal teenager during this time, the show contained all of the attributes and sex appeal that a young boy desired, and Emma Peel certainly fitted the bill.
The single 'Kinky Boots' definately ticks the K box for this month's WOCK on Vinyl and although the pressing used is from 1983, the original recording was made in 1964 making it rather Obscure as well.


And because this 12" release also features the Theme Music from The Avengers show, it makes it even more desirable, in my opinion. I hope this month's WOCK post brings back fond memories for you as much as it did for me.

Track Listing
01 Kinky Boots
02 Let's Keep It Friendly
03 The Avengers Theme