Avion - Selftitled LP (1983) with Bonus Single (1984)

 (Australian 1981 - 1987)

Sydney band Avion (not to be confused with the L.A. act current in the 00’s or the ‘Par’ variety) came into being during 1981. Randall Waller (vocals/guitar) had already released two solo albums (‘Oasis’ in 1978 and ‘Midnight Fire’ in 1980) before forming the band Lionheart which soon evolved into Avion. Completing the original line-up were Martin Toole (guitar), Evan Murray (keyboards), along with Waller’s brothers Kendall (bass) and John (drums). Avion’s musical style was unabashedly influenced by American Adult Oriented Rock, similar to Journey and Boston.

A recording contract with RCA led to the release of their eponymous debut album in 1983 (OZ48). RCA obviously thought the group’s sound better suited the North American market because the album was release there before it was at home in Australia. The album debuted at #67 on the Kent Music Report Top 100 Albums chart (KMR #483, Sep 26) and soon rose to a peak of #48 which it held for two weeks before falling to the bottom of the chart late Oct. It dropped out of the charts November 7 but sold reasonably well to sit just outside the chart for 2 weeks before disappearing mid-late November.

Early Avion (as Lionheart) 1982

Avion did however chart in the UK at No 2 on the Heavy Metal charts for a couple weeks in 1983. A friend Pete Whittred tried to talk them into going over, but their manager Dave Smallbone did not want to take the chance, and convinced them to remain in Oz and trying to make it here. The album didn’t receive much promotion by RCA and although the first single from it ‘I Need You’ was a minor hit (OZ61 – reaching as high as 40 in NSW), Avion didn’t break through in a major way. And so, despite being mixed by the famous Bob Clearmountain and being a high quality example of classic 80's Australian Rock, the album was not a success.

Two more singles - ‘Diamond Eyes’ and ‘Never Let Me Go’ were lifted from the album but neither made the charts. A stand alone single ‘Still The Night’ was released in August 1984 but again didn’t sell well. Lack of airplay didn't help and RCA decided not to renew their contract after the first album.

They eventually signed with EMI, and Paul Gannell came in to replace Toole on guitar for the band’s second album, 1986’s ‘White Noise’. The album included the earlier single releases ‘We’ve Got Secrets’ and ‘Celebration’ but the celebrations were non existent as none made the charts. The band had remained a solid touring outfit throughout this period though, and it was on a late 1987 tour that keyboardist Evan Murray was killed in a car accident. The loss of Murray and the failure to break through commercially finally led Waller to call an end to Avion’s tenure. In 1987, the band self-released a "Live" tape, with the best songs of their career, some never recorded previously which they dedicated to Evan.

Avion 1984

After Evan’s death, John stopped drumming and went into the family business of floor coverings. Kendall played bass with an American gospel band for a short time and Randall worked writing and recording jingles, touring with bands and producing other people’s albums. Randall Waller played in the Sharon O'Neill band for a year, then in 1988 he joined Dragon for their 'Bondi Road' album. He then became a member of Bonnie Tyler's band in 1989 and eventually joined Billy Thorpe's band in 1996.

Avion Live 1983

Randall then had a stint with Jon English in 1998 before jetting back to the US to join Shania Twain in upstate New York. While playing in her band (guitar and vocals for Shania Twain 1998–2004) he also had stints with: Keith Urban (guitar and vocals 1999–2001); SHeDAISY, Rodney Crowell (2003-2005)… in July 2011 he joined Rose Tattoo (guitar July 2011- until 2017) [Extracts from Paul Gannell’s MySpace page and album notes by Ozmuse ]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from Vinyl (thanks to Deutros) and includes full artwork for both CD and vinyl releases, along with label scans.  It is worth noting that the Australian cover artwork displayed above, is different to that used with overseas releases (shown right).  I have taken the liberty of including their 1984 single "Still The Night" / "Southern Cross" as bonus tracks for your pleasure, freshly ripped from my 45 (another nice little find at my local flee market) which is in mint condition.

If there is sufficient interest in this post, I might be persuaded to post their 2nd LP "Whitenoise' and their 'Live Release Cassette' at a later stage.

#Note: Track 10 "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" is not a cover of Ian Hunter's Single

Track List
01 I Need You 3:51

02 Diamond Eyes 4:17
03 Lady Of The Night 2:58
04 We Can Try 3:24
05 Warrior 4:34
06 Never Let Me Go 4:27
07 Where Do We Go From Here 3:40
08 Always Waiting 3:32
09 Who's Crying Now 3:06
10 Once Bitten, Twice Shy 3:19
11 Still The Night (Bonus A-Side Single) 3:54
12 Southern Cross (Bonus B-Side Single) 4:12

Line-up

Randall Waller – Vocals & Guitar.
Martyn Toole – Guitar
Kendall Waller – Bass
Evan Murray – Keyboards
John Waller – Drums

Avion Link (300Mb)