W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Ayers Rock - Rock 'n' Roll Fight / Sorrowful Eyes (1973) & Lies / Feel The Heat (1981)

 

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.

Ayers Rock was the leading Australian 'jazz-rock' group of the 70s, fusing rock with influences from soul, R&B, jazz and Latin music. The band was built on world-class standards of playing and complex arrangements, and inspired by overseas groups such as Traffic, Santana and Weather Report. The original members were all seasoned players, widely regarded as among the best musos in the country, and their musical connections were woven through a series of major bands of the 60s and early 70s.

Ayers Rock were one of the first groups signed to Michael Gudinski's newly established Mushroom label, and their debut single, "Rock'n'Roll Fight" / "Sorrowful Eyes", was issued at the end of 1973. Neither tracks were included on their debut album 'Big Red Rock', which was taped live before an invited audience at Armstrong's Studios in Melbourne over two nights in September 1974. 

The live-in-the-studio approach worked extremely well for Ayers Rock, and the album clearly demonstrated why their awesome live 'chops' had made them such a popular concert attraction. But it also was something of a necessity for the cash-strapped label -- they took the same approach with another early signing, Mackenzie Theory. The Ayers Rock LP reportedly cost Mushroom a mere $5,000 to record.

Ayers Rock's second LP 'Beyond' was not quite as successful sales-wise, but no less impressive musically.

After parting with Mushroom in 1976, the band broke up for about three years, but it was reformed by Brown, Doyle, Stuart and Cowan in 1979 and they established their own label, Red Rock. A new single, "On The Avenue" was released at the end of 1979, followed by "Lies" in early 1980, both issued through Polydor. Only the single "On The Avenue" was included on their third and final LP 'Hotspell', distributed by RCA, making their final single "Lies" / "Feel The Heat" somewhat of a collector's item.

And so, it seems that both Ayers Rock's beginning and their final demise have something in common -  two singles that did not appear on any of their albums, making them super rare.  And so, in my opinion, they tick the Obscure box for this months WOCK on Vinyl post.

For your pleasure, these two singles have been posted in glorious FLAC format and include full artwork and label scans.

Mushroom Single (1973)

01  Rock 'N' Roll Fight (Going On)  [3:20]

02  Sorrowful Eyes   [4:58]

Polydor Single  (1981)

01  Lies  [2:56]

02  Feel The Heat [2:56]

Ayer's Rock Rare Singles (92Mb)