REPOST: Shane Howard - Back To The Track (1988)

(Australian 1975 - Present)

Shane Howard is a multiple ARIA award-winning musician. He is recognised as one of Australia's best songwriters and is widely known in Australia and overseas. In 1982, Shane's anthem "Solid Rock" from the album "Spirit of Place", (recorded with his legendary band "Goanna"), reverberated across the airwaves and it still does today. It was one of the first songs of its idiom to broach the subject of Aboriginal rights in Australia and impacted powerfully on a whole new generation of writers and musicians that followed. The album was released in 35 territories worldwide.

Shane was awarded a Fellowship by the Music Fund of the Australia Council (2002) in acknowledgement of his contribution to Australian musical life. A prolific songwriter, Shane and his songs champion the cause of the underdog and provide meaningful insights into the human spirit. The songs interpret the Australian landscape in a way that has helped to build a bridge between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Shane's songs also pay homage to the culture of his Irish ancestors . Shane has been a great contributor to various social justice causes, and in environmental issues such as the campaign to preserve the Franklin River. He combines a deep understanding of poetic and musical folk traditions and captures something essential of the spirit of Australia in words and music [extract from Emmanuel College Alumni]

Tracks Of My Years

Story by Vincent Maskell
(Published in Juke. 10 December 1988)

Postscript: In an interview in The Age on October 9, Shane Howard said: “The collapse of Goanna was accompanied by the collapse of my marriage and just about everything else. The world fell apart and I was left with a crippling debt and probably PTSD. Corporate shenanigans played a big part in Goanna’s demise…”

Far North Queensland. Down a rough, steep gravel road and up the driveway marked by a small and yellow painting of the big red rock, Uluru. Shane Howard stands up after inspecting his little vegie patch, looks out to the range and says slowly, "It's a long way from the urban principle, hey?"

As the conversation unfolds, 'the urban principle'reveals itself to include corrupt politicians, foul air, high-rise commission flats, continuous noise, heart-breaking burglaries and parts of the music industry that are, to put it mildly, less than attractive, in short, the metropolitan jungle.

Shane Howard's vegetable garden is borne from tough, hard clay. If he lived just over the range, where the rainforest is, the vegies would go beserk. As it is, he's come up with a pretty healthy crop that includes broccolli, cabage, celery, carrots, capsicums and his current favourite, Roma tomatoes.

In a way, Howard's career in music has been a bit like his gardening. He's had to work hard and long in a tough climate, with the odds - and the musical trends - stacked against him.

Goanna 1983 - Shane Howard Centre

When his band, Goanna, finally broke through - in the magic and manic summer of 1982/83 - everything just grew. And grew, and grew.

And became so big that Goanna eventually collapsed in a terrible mess, leaving Howard just short of a nervous breakdown.

Success was one of the main factors that strangled the Goanna band. Success, like the wrist-thick vines in the rainforest that curl and curl and choke the strongest trees. It's a jungle out there, over the range.

"Gotta get back/To the track/You came on/Where the road/Reaches into the sun/Heading back down the track/Back down the track/You came on"

Shane has just released his first solo recording. It's as independant a project as you'll get. The acoustic songwriter penned eight of the nine tunes on the 'Back To The Track' cassette. He produced the songs, designed the cover and did the packaging, right down to the cutting, folding and stapling together the pocket-sized lyric booklets. Lately he's been door-knocking the Cairns record shops. The initial pressing was 500 copies and that's a long way from 'the urban principle' that saw Goanna's first album, 'Spirit Of Place' clock up sales around the 200,000 mark.

Howard swaps Ray Charles for Robbie Robertson in the tape player and then feeds kindling into the fire-place of the his small, ramshackle home. "I approached several record companies," he explains, "But they were hung up on either the Goanna history or the fact that I don't have a manager. I wanted to get the songs out quickly and figured I may as well do it myself. It's been a learning process, hey?" he says, concluding with that characteristic ending to his sentences.

'Back To The Track' was recorded in piece-meal fashion, with Howard making trips to Melbourne to play gigs to get money to buy recording time [at the Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne]. The cassette doesn't have the lint-free crispness of Oceania, Goanna's largely-forgotten second album, but it does have an earthy friendliness to it. "Mainly, I wanted to create a nice atmosphere: the sort of thing that you can have a listen to, but also the sort of albnum you can just have on in the background. And I think it's got that warm feel to it."

Cassette Release

Players on the album include drummer Dave Stewart, vocalists Marcia Howard anmd Rose Bygrave (herself currently working on a solo effort). Much of the mood of the songs comes from the harmonica-blowing of Steve Gilbert, a North-Queensland musician who plays with the Barron River Drifters. Guitarist Simon Curphy also chips in with some nice touches.

The songs range from the brooding tone of "Mother Earth" (reminiscent of Van Morrison's low-pulse pastoral pieces) to the jaunty rhythms of the title track. Perhaps the album's best song is "Come On Make Me", a sensitive, understated glimpse of a woman about to leave her man.

Aboriginal issues come up on "One Eye Johnny", the tale of a happy-go-lucky character, and on "Long Way Away From My Country", written by Broome songwriter, Jimmy Chi.

Bart Willoughby, of No Fixed Address, shares songwriting credits with Howard on the album opener, the pretty "Just A Feeling".

"They were standing on the shore one day/Saw the while sails in the sun/Wasn't long before they felt the sting/White man, white law, white gun"

"Solid Rock" was virtually a hard-rock land rights anthem from a band with an acoustic background. The song had a didjeridoo intro, whalloping beat and a cutting, angry lyric that proceded by several years, Midnight Oil's bicentennial theme song, "Beds Are Burning".

Shane Howard thought this song "might go to about number 37 on the Melbourne charts". It went number 1 nationwide, as did the 'Spirit Of Place' album.

Goanna was hurled into success and, with it, turmoil. The band had always been a crowded house, with a few core members as the foundations. When the success came, even the foundations started to shake.

"Before everything started to happen", recalls Howard, stretching his memory back six years, "the biggest decision we had to make was whether a certain chord fitted into a certain song. And even that was hard enough, hey. But suddenly we're getting calls from the American record company and they're asking questions like, 'What kind of legal and monetary infrastructure have you got for a Statewide promotion? It was just too much."

(Not the least of the band's problems at the time was their manager. He had a machine-gun mouth that could rattle off a million words to the minute. At times his behaviour was somewhat at odds to that of a band that supported various social and environmental issues. On one occasion he threatened to break the arms and legs of this writer. Another time he abused a small Sunday night audience for not bringing the roof down with thunderous applause).

'Oceania' did not come out until early '85, by which time the band, seemingly, had been forgotten by the masses. Howard claims, though, that it sold 40,000 copies. It was an attractive collection of songs, mirroring Howard's travels overseas. He believes it is a far superior album to 'Spirit Of Place'.

However, music industry politics and personal conflicts continued to mount up. Howard headed towards a breakdown and Goanna headed towards oblivion.

For all intents and purposes Goanna appeared to have 'publicly vanished', as Howard puts it. "But we were still touring, mainly through regioonal and country areas." The last gig under the Goanna banner was at Tamworth, in January '87 and it's possible that Goanna will play again. Sometime, somewhere, away from the city.

Since Goanna's Tamworth show, Shane Howard has been trusting his songs to just his voice and his acoustic guitar. ("I lost all my electric equipment in a burglary and took it as an omen that I should stay an acoustic performer"). He found his first effort doing gigs in Kings Cross, which was "pretty grueling" but had a better time of it playing at a restaurant at Airey's Inlet, on The Great Ocean Road, Victoria. ("I'd just go through about every song I'd ever written. It was good practice and not a bad way to try out new, or unfinished material.") He's also busked in Darwin, where a guy nicked his money, only to return later and share a flagon of wine. he also fronted Shane Howard And The Big Heart Band for a little while.

"Down on your good luck/Pack up the old truck/Head for the great Wowhere/And Hope/And pray help'll come in time"

This post consists of FLACs ripped from Vinyl and includes full album artwork for Vinyl, CD and Cassette, along with a copy of the JUKE article transcribed above.   [It was my intention to provide my own FLACs for this post, however my cassette copy did not survive the test of time, and background fluttering noises were present in the captured music. Thanks to Sunshine for saving the day with his excellent FLACs, to replace my previous MP3's].

It should be noted that my cassette cover scans include full lyrics for all tracks on the album (not supplied on Vinyl and CD releases)

This solo release by Howard (his first) is one of his finest in my opinion, along with the follow up album River, and the opening track "Just A Feeling" my personal favourite. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do.

- New Improved Rip - 

Track Listing:

01 Just A Feeling  5:21

02 Big City Blue  3:16

03 Mother Earth  3:22

04 One Eye Johnny 4:10

05 Long Way Away From My 

       Country *  3:34

06 Back To The Track  3:02

07 Brothers & Sisters  5:16

08 Make No Mistake  3:48

09 Come On Make Me  4:45

All songs written by Shane Howard except * written by – Jimmy Chi

Vocals/Acoustic Guitar: Shane Howard, 

Bass:Pasquale Monea, Bass: Spiro Phillipas, 

Bass Guitar: Jo Imbrol, Bodhrán: Simon O'Dwyer, 

Didgeridoo [Didj]: Shane Howard, 

Drums: Dave Stewart, 

Electric Guitar: Phil Butson, 

Electric Guitar: Simon Curphy, 

Piano/Strings: Marcia Howard, 

Harmonica [Mouth Harp): Steve Gilbert, 

Harmony Vocals: Marcia Howard, Rose Bygrave, Simon Curphy, 

Keyboards [Additional]: Rose Bygrave

Shane Howard Link (231Mb)

New Link 04/10/2026

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Cam-Pact - Living In The Sixties [EP] (1968) / Zoom, Zoom, Zoom [EP] (1970)

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.

(Australian 1967 - 1970)

Cam-Pact were formed in Melbourne in April 1967 with a lineup of Mark Barnes on bass guitar; Keith Glass on vocals and guitar and John Pugh on guitar, vocals and autoharp, (both ex-18th Century Quartet), Chris Stockley on guitar and Robert Lloyd (aka Bob Tregilgus) on drums. Originally named 'The Camp Act' but, as that was "too outrageous", they soon changed to Cam-Pact.

Initially they performed soul music in the Stax Records and Tamla-Motown mould, and later explored teen-pop, heavy rock and finally into blues/psychedelia.

Living In The Sixties Liner Notes

CAM-PACT were in some ways a typical band of its period, in others not. Notable were the many musicians who moved through the group and still form an active part of the Australian music scene.

The line-ups featured on this EP were mid-period Campact. The hardest working, most recorded and successful. The group started however, as a Tamla / Atlantic "soul" group, "progressed" through teenybopper and "heavy" stages into blues and Psychedelic with a final name change to Company Caine.

Some of the players who passed through on the way: Bob Lloyd (drums, later Unknown Blues/ Extradition), John Pugh (guitar, later James Taylor Move/Bakery/Renee Geyer - now Nightflyers), Chris Lofren (bass, now film director "Oz"), Ray Arnott (drums, Spectrum/Dingoes - now One Night Stand), Russell Smith (guitar, Company Caine/Billy T) plus fleeting appearances by Gulliver Smith and Matt Taylor!

Early Lineup of Cam-Pact

Of the group featured on these tracks, all are still active: Trevor Courtney on through Vibrants/ Skylight/Mondo Rock and Stylus. Greg Cook in the Mixtures/Skylight/Mondo Rock. Chris Stockley in Axiom and Dingoes. Mark Barnes as a well known rock promoter. Keith Glass in Hair/Sundown forming defunct record labels and new group Living Legends Main memories of the group are of desperation for more publicity and exposure, working 3 gigs a night and being perpetually broke - the normal rock 'n roll trip! We were a tight little outfit and we played a continuous round of venues mainly up and down the east coast of Australia - I'm glad I was there! [Keith Glass Feb '78]

A balcony in Carlton, Melbourne (circa 1967)
L to R – Mark Barnes, Chris Stockley, Keith Glass, John Pugh & Robert Lloyd

In the liner notes of a Cam-Pact CD release by Missing Link records in 2002, Keith Glass recalled the origins of the group's tongue-in-cheek name and image:

There it was on the wall of the men's public toilet at Her Majesty's hotel in Toorak Road, South Yarra. "Be modern, be camp" someone had scrawled and in a flash we had our group name. John Pugh, Bob Tregilgus, Mark Barnes, Chris Stockley and myself had been rehearsing, for a solid month or so, and contemplating a name for our "soul group with teen appeal". In a moment of idiocy and after a few drinks at the trendiest pub in the trendiest stretch of Melbourne we had it, for better or for worse. "The Camp Act" (as it was initially) was fairly fitting in the sense we were all extremely heterosexual but also fairly fey. Of course some were more fey than others.

Barnes in particular cultivated the sweet little boy act but underneath was a cuttingly cruel tease of both sexes with an acid tongue and a razor sharp mind. A few months later he and Stockley would perform a lingering mouth to mouth kiss in our first film clip to accompany our latest song "Something Easy" just outside Her Majesty's. It only just made the cut as they came out of the clinch but the intention was clear. We wanted to get somewhere by shock tactics mild for today but wild for the time.

It is also worth noting that the Rolls Royce and the Frilly Shirts (depicted on the EP's front cover) were part of a media stunt to get some attention for the group. Apparently it got them on the cover of Go Set. The story they made up involved Stockley inheriting a lot of money which the band spent on frilly shirts and the Rolls. The Rolls was actually rented and drove them to the concert at the Velodrome. On the way back from the gig it broke down, I think on Punt Hill. [Thanks to Shey Stubbley for this insight]

Barnes left in late 1968, and Keith Glass switched to bass, but in mid-'69 both he and Stockley left - Glass successfully auditioned for the cast of the first Australian stage production of Hair, and (on Keith's recommendation) Stockley was recruited to join Axiom and evetually moved on to play with the Dingoes in the early 70's. They were replaced by Chris Lofven and Russell Smith.

When Trevor Courtney left in late '69 (thus creating a totally new lineup) he was replaced by Ray Arnott (ex-Chelsea Set, The Browns). Chris Lovfen (bass) later made a name as a film-maker, with the legendary promotional clips for Daddy Cool's "Eagle Rock" and Spectrum's "I'll Be Gone", and he later wrote and directed the cult rock'n'roll road film OZ (with music by Ross Wilson and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons).

Keith Glass recalls when the single "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom" was recorded:

"Cam-Pact with Trevor and Greg played on, they came up to Sydney again to record the blatant bubble-gum "Zoom Zoom Zoom" with new boys Bill Blisset on keyboards and our old mate (and still my close friend) Chris Lofven on bass. I went down to the studio and may have played tambourine on the session. It was commercial but failed to revive the bands fortunes. Soon Trevor went to The Vibrants, Greg to The Mixtures and the rest of the latter Cam-Pact weirdly enough mutated into Company Caine." 

Blissett left around the start of 1970; bluesman Matt Taylor (Chain) even became a member for a few weeks, filling in as lead singer when they toured Sydney in early 1970. In March, the final three-piece version of Cam-Pact (Arnott, Edwards and Smith) combined with vocalist Gulliver Smith (ex-Little Gulliver & The Children, Dr Kandy's Third Eye) and sax player Jeremy Noone (Leo & Friends, Sons of the Vegetal Mother) to become the first lineup of the legendary Company Caine.

Also worth noting, in 1978 Keith founded Missing Link, the Melbourne shop and record label which were crucial in the emergence of the New Wave scene in Australia; he managed goth-rock pioneers The Birthday Party and released early recording by The Birthday Party and The Go-Betweens. Missing Link also distributed important new wave recordings from the UK and the US, including Money by The Flying Lizards, and the early recordings by The Dead Kennedys.  [Extracts from Milesago].

This post consists of FLACs ripped from Vinyl (thanks to Sunshine for 'Living In The Sixties' and Deutros for 'Zoom, Zoom, Zoom') along with artwork and label scans.  Both of these EP's are extremley rare and highly collectable and therefore tick the Obscure box, but dare I say the C box for the CampAct.  

In my opinion, Cam-Pact was primarily responsible for producing some of our most successful and talented Aussie Rock artists of the 70's (as listed above) and these EP's are an important part of our musical heritage. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

Living In The Sixties EP

01 I'm Your Puppet

02 (You Don't Have To) Break It To Me Slowly

03 Drawing Room

04 Wasted (On A Fantasy)

A-Side

Keith Glass (lead vocals)

Chris Stockley (guitar/vocals)

Greg Cook (guitar/piano/vocals)

Mark Barnes (bass)

Trevor Courtney (drums/vocals)

B-Side

Keith Glass (vocals/bass)

Chris Stockley (guitar/lead vocal "Break")

Greg Cook (guitar/vocals)

Trevor Courtney (vocals/drums)

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom EP

A-Side

01 - Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

02 - Cry My Heart Out

B-Side

03 - Potion Of Love

04 - Getting Myself Together

Band Members: 1969

Greg Cook (guitar/vocals)

Bill Blissett (organ, vocals)

Trevor Courtney (drums)

Chris Lofven (bass)

Russell Smith (guitar, vocals)

Cam-Pact EP's Link (96Mb)

Ray Brown / Moonstone - Mad House (1970) + Bonus Single

(Australian 1964 - 1996)

Ray Brown's success in the mid 60's fronting the Whispers is well known. They were one of the top Australian bands around between 1965-66 and played frequently with Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Tony Worsley & The Blue Jays, Easybeats, Normie Rowe & The Playboys & Max Merritt & The Meteors.

Ray Brown and the Whispers regularly stomped the stage at Surf City taking over from The Aztecs when they began to tour nationally. 

These mods spooled out a string of hits that were so airwave-friendly they could have been designed by a radio-preogrammer.  "20 Miles", "Pride", "In the Midnight Hour" and "Fool Fool Fool" swamped the Top 10 in 1965 and their star shined so brightly that they were the first Australian band to have an album released in both mono and stereo!

Ray Brown & The Whispers (1964 -1967)

However, their career went sour the following year when the band realised their management was screwing them.  By the end of 1966 the pressures of a terrible recording contract signed by Ray while still under 21 became too much and he left the band.

After a short lived solo project during 1967 Ray packed his bags and headed to the US to pursue a solo career. Over the next two years he worked in the states and recorded a solo album 'Just Ray Brown' for Capitol, produced by legendary American composer-arranger-producer David Axelrod. Despite the 'name' producer and a large budget  [Capitol spent $30,000 on it and put in a 30-piece orchestra], it flopped, largely due to poor choices of material forced on Ray by the record company.

With a broadened musical palette and a hands on course in the then current US counter culture, Ray Brown headed back to Sydney during 1969 and landed at Mal Clarke's (Tony Worsley & Blue Jays) place at Bondi Beach crashing on his lounge. By now, Ray was a bearded, long-haired, fringe jacketed hippy, who had discovered both song writing and pot during his brief sojourn. A far cry from the clean cut, suited and booted teen heart throb he was before he left the Whispers. He wanted to form a band, put some songs together, record them, make some quick cash and head back to the States ASAP. So both Brown & Clarke decided to join forces as Ray Brown and Moonstone.

Ray Brown & Moonstone

During 1969 Ray Brown and Moonstone (see left) played 3 East Coast tours taking in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane showcasing songs to be recorded later in the year. Memories are sketchy at best from the short recording sessions for this album as it seems mind altering substances entered the building shortly after the band set up for their first session with only Ray & Engineer Richard Batchens escaping the festivities on the other side of the recording booth. The majority of the album was recorded over a few days with guests including John Sangster, Jimmy Doyle, Jimmy Thompson (who plays drums on much of the album), Pee Wee Clark & Ed Gaston.

Their sole album release 'Mad House' was an anomaly of the time in Australia. A potpourri of West Coast late 60's U.S sounds. Sitar, tampoura, dholak, tables, banjo, violin, pedal steel guitar, flute, cello, piano are some of the instruments you'll hear on this unique album!

The album was released in 1970 with little fanfare from the record company and after one single release in March 1970 "Oh, Sarah / King Velvet", Ray decided to pull the plug on the group. It wasn't long after, that Ray headed back to the States into the Californian sunshine for one more shot at fame. [extracts from Ross Summerell's Facebook & The Real Thing '1957-Now' by Tony Creswell & Martin Fabinyi]

Ray spent most of 1971 back in the USA, returning to Australia in November to unveil his new progressively-oriented outfit, 'One Ton Gypsy' which featured three lead vocalists -- Ray, Alison MacCallum and Graham Lowndes -- plus a lineup of industry heavyweights backing them up. OTG went through numerous lineup changes, and known members included Chrissie Amphlett (Divinyls), Ronnie Peel, guitarists Tim Piper and Ray Oliver (Healing Force, Friends) drummer Laurie Pryor (Twilights, Aztecs), Ray Rivamonte, guitarist Lindsay Wells (Healing Force) and pianist Paul Wylde (Blackfeather).

One Ton Gypsy regrettably made no studio recordings, and lasted only until 1973, eventually folding due to the cost of keeping such a large outfit on the road. The only extant tracks by this remarkable all-star band are the two songs they performed at the closing of the Garrison venue in Melbourne in mid-1973, which were recorded by Mushroom and later released as the LPs Garrison: The Final Blow. Whether any other songs from One Ton Gypsy were recorded at this event, and if such recordings have survived, is unknown.

Ray recorded a superb solo single "Steel Guitar" / "Covered Wagon" for the newly-launched Mushroom label in November 1973. He continued to perform solo, and also revived the Whispers (with new lineups, including Wilbur Wilde) for concert appearances into the 80s.

A former footballer, Ray was always known for his fit and non-indulging lifetyle, so it came as a great shock to friends and fans when he died suddenly on August 16, 1996 from a heart attack, suffered while he was out walking in Annandale with his sister Rose Butler. Ironically, after years of relative obscurity, his funeral was well covered by the news media and it was a fitting tribute that a veritable Who's Who of Australian music attended to farewell this pioneer performer. He was just 51. [Extract from Milesago]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from Vinyl, along with hi-res album artwork and labels [thanks to Sunhine at Ausrock for rip & artwork]. 

As a Bonus, I am including his solo single release "Steel Guitar" / "Covered Wagon" from 1973 - an absolute ripper in my opinion [thanks to Ozzie Musicman for the single rip].

Track List:

A1 Story Of Ali  (3:49)

A2 Mr. Blue  (3:26)

A3 King Velvet  (4:23)

A4 Start Of A New Day  (3:13)

A5 Oh, Sarah  (3:23)

A6 Flight Of The Gulls  (4:52)

B1 Run Sylvie Run  (8:31)

B2 Call Me A Drifter  (2:24)

B3 Passing The Time  (2:02)

B4 Carry Me Back To L.A.  (4:34)

B5 Danville Queen  (3:09)

B6 Busted  (3:57)

Bonus Single:

01 Steel Guitar  (3:40)

02 Covered Wagon  (2:55)

Ray Brown & Moonstone (1970-71) were:

Ray Brown (vocals)

John Carr (guitar, bass)

Allan Carroll (drums)

Mal Clarke (guitar, bass, sitar)

Pat Clifford (bass)

Jimmy Doyle (guitar)

Jimmy Thompson & John Sangster (drums, percussion)

Russ Hinton (guitar)

Nick Lyon (violin)

Eligio "Ali" Sincic (sitar)

Ray Brown and Moonstone Link (360Mb)

New Link 28/09/2026

Various Artists - Dutch Woodstock 2CD (1970; 2013)

(Compilation 60's  / 70's Artists)

A mere ten months after the legendary festival on Max Yasgur‘s farm, the festival aesthetic was in full flower (despite the December ’69 nightmare of Altamont), and across Europe, all manner of festivals were put together. One such festival was The Dutch Woodstock held in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1970

Even by its obvious comparisons, The Dutch Woodstock is not the correct name for this famous outdoor concert. More properly it was billed as The Kralingen Music Festival, with posters working the better title as the Holland Pop Festival. It seems in both past and present, both promoter and label are working a marketing angle. The Dutch Woodstock comes as a single DVD and a two CD set, the latter having more music than the former. 

It's a record of the three day festival in both an audio and visual format, and certainly a piece of genuine early rock history. The roster for the concert is rather impressive: The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, T-Rex, Canned Heat, Country Joe, Pink Floyd and many more. Here's how you get your first comparison to 1969's The Woodstock Music & Art Fair (the proper title).

Speaking primarily to the DVD release, the sound quality is nearly substandard and the video is simply 8mm footage transferred to digital format as best as possible. What's more important is the images that are captured, notably of the bands and the concert goers. To the former, the band's appearances and performances straddle between lucid and lively to nearly rote and mechanical which was probably more or less affected by the abundance of chemicals and herbs available. And available they were, as you can see from images of the audience freely smoking marijuana and hashish. 

There's also an abundance Sixties sexual libertarianism going on as both men and women were walking around and swimming, in the nearby lake, naked. Again, with these references, comparisons to Woodstock are inevitable. Speaking to some individual performances, nothing captures the era, the Sixties counter-cultural revolution, better than Jefferson Airplane doing White Rabbit. While it's one of the best sounding recordings here, it's also one of the most rigid: playing the record over the loud speakers could have trumped it. 

Perhaps the most interesting performances from the festival come from the young Pink Floyd. It's the band sans Syd Barrett performing during their A Saucerful of Secrets and Ummagumma period, and prior to the universal success of Dark Side of the Moon. The recordings here are Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun and A Saucerful of Secrets, both of which are largely instrumental and come of as massive prog rock jam sessions. It's hard not to miss the significance of 1970's Holland Pop Festival as a picture of pop culture history, especially for Europeans. Considering the cultural and musical statement that the American Woodstock made, making their own at the Dutch Woodstock seemed rightfully compelling.

So the Holland Pop Festival went down in history as a groundbreaking event. Not only was it the first multi-day pop festival in the Netherlands featuring world-famous bands, but it also marked the fact that youth culture was taken seriously in the Netherlands from that moment on. It did away with the stifling atmosphere of post-war Netherlands and ushers in the era of individual freedom. The policy of tolerance regarding soft drugs also originated at the festival. For this reason, the Holland Pop Festival has acquired a legendary status over the years.

Festival Account by Jeremy Dunn

The Holland 70 Pop Festival (aka Dutch Woodstock) was a three-day musical celebration held in Auguust 1970 at Kralingse Bos (Kralingse Forest) in Rotterdam. Despite the rain, an estimated 100,000 heads showed up to witness an astounding event and an incredible lineup. But where to begin?

For my money a mesmerising Floyd performance which clearly shows they were way out on their own and much appreciated by the crowd.

The Quintessence showed just what a powerful singer Phil 'Shiva Shankar' Jones was. This was a singer who was greatly admired by Jim Morrison.

Al Stewart was such an unexpected jewel at the festival, his performance had such an ethereal and yet dignified feel, he was definately his own man there - no concessions, no sing-alongs.

Marc Bolan, performing at the end of his Tyrannosaurus Rex phase, with such grace and style too, nice guitar licks. A year later would see him on 'Top Of The Pops' and wowing all the teenage hearts.

It's A Beautiful Day, played during a storm and kicked up a storm themselves, and what can you say about Jefferson Airplane (with a very pregnant Grace Slick), Santana, Family, Country Joe, Canned Heat - all were in great form, too.

Festival Entrance

 Soft Machine, with Robert Wyatt head down flailing into his kit with that fabulous hat, Mike Ratledge and Elton Dean playing like there was no tomorrow, and the late great Hugh Hopper making sense of it all with his solid bass line. How did he ever do that?

The Byrds put in an astounding performance, despite appearing like roadies who had just wandered onto the stage.

The Byrds On Stage

Dutch WOODSTOCK? Don't kid yourselves, this is HOLAND, the festival had it's own unique character, the people, the atmoshere, the lineup, so comparison is pointless.

This post conists of MP3 (320) ripped from CD and comes with full album artwork and featured festival photos. Although no vinyl releases are available, bootleg recordings have been released and I have decided to add this one to the blog for its musical and historical significance.

TRACKLIST

CD1

01. Cuby And The Blizzards - Dust My Blues - 4:45

02. Canned Heat - Human Condition - 3:08

03. Canned Heat - So Sad - 5:31

04. Livin' Blues - Big Road Blues - 2:41

05. Al Stewart - Zero She Flies - 2:19

06. Quintessence - Giants - 2:38

07. East of Eden - The Sun of East - 15:49

08. East of Eden - Irish Theme - 3:19

09. Country Joe - Freedom - 3:54

10. Dr John - Mardis Gras Day - 4:31

11. Family - Drowned in Wine - 4:28

CD2

01. Santana - Gumbo - 3:57

02. Santana - Savor - 4:28

03. Santana - Jingo - 4:28

04. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit - 2:18

05. Jefferson Airplance - The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil - 3:02

06. It's a Beautiful Day - Wasted Union Blues - 7:23

07. It's a Beautiful Day - Bulgaria - 4:01

08. T.Rex - By The Light of the Magical Moon - 3:18

09. The Byrds - Old Blue - 3:35

10. The Flock - Big Bird - 4:49

11. Soft Machine - Esther's Nose Job - 6:03

12. Pink Floyd - Set The Controls For The Heart of the Sun - 3:42

13. Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets - 6:21

Notes: 

Renaissance is listed on the poster, but did not play.

A second small stage, located in a tent, hosted additional acts such as Ekseption, Focus, and the Oscar Benton Blues Band. Pink Floyd performed at the festival on June 28, 1970.

Dutch Woodstock Link (267Mb)

Tommy Bolin - Teaser (1975) & Private Eyes (1976)

(U.S 1968 - 1976)

Tommy Bolin died in a Miami hotel of 4th December 1976 due to multiple drug intoxications. He is buried in Sioux City, Iowa, where he was born just 25 years earlier. The death of one so young is always a tragedy, but that it happened to a talent as unique as Tommy was somehow worse.

Most people know Tommy as the guy who replaced Ritchie Blackmore on the final incarnation (before the 1984 reformation) of Deep Purple.

Although some Purple fans felt uncomfortable with Bolin's style, many more seem to have hunted backwards from his one studio LP with Purple - 1975's 'Come Taste The Band' - for an all too small collection of works that make him one the world's finest exponents of the electric guitar, not to mention a first-rate singer and songwriter.

Tommy Bolin LP's with Zephyr, Billy Cobham and the James Gang

After being expelled from school for refusing to cut his hair, he moved to Denver, Colorado, and built a reputation with Zephyr (1968-72), the jazz-rock sexet Energy (who did not record), and his first foray into the limelight with the James Gang (1973-74). During this time, he guested on many records, notably jazz-rock drummer Billy Cobham's 'Spectrum' (1973). In just two days, Bolin laid down the kind of guitar leads that have rarely been equalled.

Deep Purple (feat. Tommy Bolin)

Among the fans of the record was one David Coverdale, who, two years on in his capacity as singer for Deep Purple, suggested Tommy's name as a likely Blackmore replacement. In April 197, as Blackmore bowed out, Tommy signed a recording deal which led to his first solo record, 'Teaser', then bravely took the job with 1974's biggest selling act in the US. It was a busy month by any standards. 'Teaser' was released almost simultaneously with Purple's 'Come Taste The Band', and together they enabled the name and music of Tommy Bolin to reach the wide audience it so richly deserved.

Come Taste The Band

Come the spring of 1976, Purple had split, he was finally free to play his own solo tour and took to the road premiering material he would record in July for his second LP 'Private Eyes'

On drums was Bobby Berge (ex-Zephyr and Energy) and Stevie Wonder/Frank Zappa sidekick Norma Jean Bell played saxophone. One-time Vanilla Fudge member Mark Stein played keyboards, while Reggie McBride played Bass and provided backup vocals.

Reggie McBribe, Tommy Bolin, Norma Jean Bell

Together they turned in something of a classic, spanning the full range of Tommy's enormous songwriting styles from lilting ballads like "Sweet Burgundy", through the bold-as-brass funk of "Shake The Devil" to the heavy fuzzed riffing of the epic "Post Toastee" (reputed to be an edit of a take, twice the length of the final album cut).

Ironically, the longer cut was an attack on the very lifestyle that was to kill him - and, without wishing to dwell on Tommy's excessive use of recreational chemicals, his indulgences did have some effect on his recording sessions, cutting them back and preventing 'Private Eyes' from being a double album. Nevertheless, it remains a stunning if unintentional 'farewell' tribute. One can only speculate about what might have been. Tommy Bolin is sadly missed.... [by Neil Jefferies, Kerrang Magazine 1991]

Bolin continued working at a breakneck pace, guesting on the self-titled debut by Canadian Led Zeppelin clones Moxy. Sadly, Bolin was found dead from a heroin overdose on December 4, 1976, in Miami, FL (the day after opening a show for Jeff Beck), at the age of 25.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from Vinyl (Teaser) and CD (Private Eyes) and includes full album artwork for each, along with label scans and associated photos displayed above.

Like many others, my first introduction to Tommy Bolin was through his brief involvement with Deep Purple, and once I got over 'that exit' by Blackmore, I began to appreciate Bolin's talent for what it was. I purchased both of his solo albums (and was flawed by his musicianship) and then undertook to find his past recordings with the bands as listed above. To this day, I think Bolin was a freak of nature and one can only imagine what he may have produced if he had not fallen victim to drug abuse.

It's hard to say what tracks I like the most on these two albums, as they are all GREAT, so I'm gonna pass and let you decide. If you haven't heard these albums yet then you are in for a real treat folks.

Teaser

Side 1
01 The Grind (3:26)
02 Homeward Strut (3:55)
03 Dreamer (5:08)
04 Savannah Woman (2:45)
05 Teaser (4:27)
Side 2
06 People, People (4:55)
07 Marching Powder (4:14)
08 Wild Dogs (4:40)
09 Lotus (3:57)
Bonus Tracks (MP3 / 320)
10 Dreamer (Early L.A. Demo 1974)
11 Teaser (Acoustic Home Demo 1973)

12 Wild Dogs (Early L.A. Demo 1974)

Band Members:
Tommy Bolin - Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals
Stanley Sheldon, Paul Stallworth, Bob Berge - Bass
Jeff Porcaro, Pairie Prince, Michael Walden - Drums
Phil Collins, Sammy Figueroa, Rafael Cruz - Percussion
David Foster, Jan Hammer, Ron Fransen - Keyboards
Dave Sanborn - Saxophone
The Sniffetes - Backing Vocals

Teaser Link (307Mb)

Private Eyes

Track Listing
01. Bustin' Out For Rosey
02. Sweet Burgundy
03. Post Toastee
04. Shake The Devil
05. Gypsy Soul
06. Someday Will Bring Our Love Home
07. Hello Again
08. You Told Me That You Loved Me
Bonus Tracks
09. Post Toastee (Acoustic Demo)
10. Gypsy Soul (Acoustic Demo)

11. Sweet Burgundy (Acoustic Demo Naked)

Band Members:
Tommy Bolin - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Reggie McBride - Bass, Vocals
Mark Stein - Keyboards, Vocals
Bobby Berge - Drums, Percussion
Bobbye Hall - Percussion
Norma Jean Bell - Saxophone, Vocals

Private Eyes Link (290Mb)

Deep Purple - Live In London (1982) FLAC

(U.K 1968 - 1976, 1984 - Present)

As Deep Purple Mk 2 ended their Japanese tour in June of 1973 and news of Gillan and Glover's departure reached fans around the world, it looked to many of us like the end. Yet even as papers printed details the remaining trio of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and lan Paice were already looking for new members. Ex-Trapeze bassist Glenn Hughes was recruited almost at once and the line-up was completed in August with David Coverdale, whose vocals had stood out amidst a deluge of demo tapes the others had waded through that summer.

So almost exactly a year after the upheaval, Deep Purple - hot on the heels of their new studio album - were back in Britain for their long awaited homecoming tour. Kicking off up in Scotland, pausing only for a flying visit to Holland, they wound their way across the rest of the country during May, concluding the visit with an isolated replacement show at Southend in late June. This previously unreleased live set comes from that tour, taped before a capacity crowd at the Kilburn State Gaumont in London on May 22nd 1974 for an In Concert programme by the BBC; who found it easier to record a concert from the tour rather than get the band into the studio as in previous years.

Deep Purple's set kicked off with a sizeable chunk of the new album and from the title track BURN which opened the show, they were clearly not going to rest on laurels laid down by earlier lineups. It was followed by the then current single "Might Just Take Your Life", the influence of new blood clearly showing in the band's shift towards a heavy blues based sound; a shift in which however they didn't neglect the hard rock for which they were known and loved. Jon's gentle keyboard introduction
to "Lay Down Stay Down" precedes some excellent work from the whole band, the energy and enthusiasm which all but disappeared just a year before had returned in earnest. 

"Mistreated" climaxes the opening quartet of numbers, more than fulfilling the promise shown by the studio version. Ritchie rips into a magnificent opening barrage before settling into the riff as Coverdale's deep heartfelt vocals weigh in. Together they dominate the performance of what was for many people the highpoint of the show.

On to the second side and with Jon's introduction over, Ritchie leads the crowd into a brief song (and dance) before switching pick-ups, boosting the volume, and hitting the riff which conquered America - "Smoke On The Water", to their credit one of only two oldies they retained. 

The band then took the show to a close with two lengthy numbers of which "You Fool No One" is included here in full. One of their most adventurous numbers, it made good use of the dual vocal capabilities of Coverdale and Hughes adds some excellent bass work to back up Paice's phenomenal drumming. Ritchie belts out the tune like a demon, lets fly with a mammoth tremolo arm blitz and then contrasts it nicely with a gentle blues solo; underneath it all Jon's Hammond adds the final touches to a classic track.

Since it was first broadcast, this recording has remained an (officially) unheard but much demanded item amongst MK 3 Deep Purple fans. Rather hastily mixed at the time for an experimental broadcast in quadra phonic on June 6th, 1974 the tapes have here been completely remixed, whilst special cutting had enabled us to include almost an hour of unedited music in its original running order - only the rather over-long set closer "Space Truckin" being omitted. The material captures well the line-up's energetic performance at the height of their popularity and provides a worthy souvenir of their only British tour. Less than a year later Ritchie himself was bowing out, and the group's live form never fully recovered. [Liner notes by Simon Robinson]

An account from the Deep Purple Appreciation Society

In May of 1974, Deep Purple were on tour in England and Wales (having played Scotland the previous month), for the first (and last) time with the new Mk3 line-up, singer David Coverdale and bassist Glenn Hughes having replaced Gillan and Glover.

The shows were tremendous, with Blackmore, having gained more control over the musical direction, in particularly awesome form - effortlessly ranging from quiet blues to hard riffing. Although following Mk 2 wasn't an easy task, the band pulled it off and while some people missed the older material, few could deny the new set - already honed by a big American tour - was extremely powerful.

The band played the larger theatres and town halls right across the country, with a set list firmly based around the new Burn album issued just three months before. Only "Smoke on the Water" and a lengthy much revamped "Space Truckin'" remained from Mk 2 days, with "Highway Star" as part of the encore. London did well, with three shows at different venues; Hammersmith Odeon, Lewisham Odeon and the Gaumont in Kilburn. This last show was recorded officially and broadcast by the BBC (and later issued on vinyl as "Live In London"). The opening number "Burn" at Hammersmith was also filmed (see below). The tour, which was supported by Ronnie Dio's band Elf, ended in Coventry on the 28th.[extract from deep-purple.net]

Deep Purple - Burn ( Hammersmith Odeon 1974 )

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my recently purchased vinyl from a record store in Athens, while holidaying in Europe last year. Full album artwork and label scans are also included, along with all post photos. The condition of the vinyl and album cover are almost mint and this is definately one of my prized additions in my record collection. Like many Deep Purple fans, it took me some time to adjust to the new lineup when Gillian and Glover left the band, however Coverdale's voice and the funky sound of the MK3 outfit soon grew on me and their LP Burn has remained high on my playlist over the years.

Recorded live on 22nd May 1974 at Kilburn State Gaumont in London, the album features over 57 minutes of  Heavy Rockin' Music.  Due to the lengthy running times of both vinyl sides, the recording is lacking in the low register, so I have taken the liberty of enhancing the bass line during the riping process.

It should be noted that the Side 2 record label incorrectly lists a third track "The Mule", although there is a brief interlude (maybe 1 min) within "You Fool No One" where the main riff from The Mule is played, but quickly returns back to chorus for You Fool No One.

The track listing on the back cover of the album only lists two tracks on the second side.

Track List:

01 Burn   

02 Might Just Take Your Life

03 Lay Down Stay Down

04 Mistreated

05 Smoke On The Water

06 You Fool No One

Deep Purple MK3:

Lead Vocals – David Coverdale

Bass Guitar, Vocals – Glenn Hughes

Drums – Ian Paice

Electric Guitar – Ritchie Blackmore

Keyboards – Jon Lord 

Live In London Link  (342Mb)