If it wasn't released on Vinyl or as a bootleg / soundboard recording - then you won't find it here.
If you believe that any postings breach copyright laws then please leave a comment and I will remove the posting.
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.
Some 55 years ago, The Hollies recorded 'He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother' in Studio Two at Abbey Roads Studios, London.
… On arriving The Hollies were greeted by a session pianist - Reg Dwight, hired for just £12, who had just released his debut album under the name of Elton John. Drummer, Bobby Elliott, recounts setting up his kit next to Elton with Allan Clarke sitting on a stool nearby and the band nailing the track in the first or second take.
"He Ain’t Heavy…" became one of The Hollies’ most iconic and heartfelt tracks. The song was originally written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell and first recorded by Kelly Gordon. Released in September of 1969, the song climbed to No. 3 in the UK charts and reached No. 7 in the US, resonating deeply with listeners on both sides of the Atlantic.
This was the second single The Hollies released after Graham Nash left the group to form Crosby, Stills, and Nash; the first was "Sorry Suzanne." Nash was replaced by Terry Sylvester.
The title came from the motto for Boys Town, a community formed in 1917 by a Catholic priest named Father Edward Flanagan. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, it was a place where troubled or homeless boys could come for help. In 1941, Father Flanagan was looking at a magazine called The Messenger when he came across a drawing of a boy carrying a younger boy on his back, with the caption, "He ain't heavy Mr., he's my brother." Father Flanagan thought the image and phrase captured the spirit of Boys Town, so he got permission and commissioned a statue of the drawing with the inscription, "He ain't heavy Father, he's my brother." The statue and phrase became the logo for Boys Town.
Boys Town Statue
In the Guardian newspaper of February 24, 2006, Hollies guitarist Tony Hicks said: "In the 1960s when we were short of songs, I used to root around publishers in Denmark Street. One afternoon, I'd been there for ages and wanted to get going, but this bloke said: 'Well there's one more song. It's probably not for you.' He played me the demo by the writers [Bobby Scott and Bob Russell]. It sounded like a 45rpm record played at 33rpm, the singer was slurring, like he was drunk. But it had something about it. There were frowns when I took it to the band but we speeded it up and added an orchestra. The only things left recognizable were the lyrics. There'd been this old film called Boys Town about a children's home in America, and the statue outside showed a child being carried aloft and the motto He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother. Bob Russell had been dying of cancer while writing. We never got, or asked for, royalties.
Joe Cocker was offered this song before The Hollies after it had been played first to his producer Denny Cordell. The General Professional Manager for Cyril Shane Music Ltd & Pedro Music Ltd in England at the time explains: "Tony Hicks was in our office looking for songs for the Hollies (our office was not on Denmark Street, it was in Baker Street). Denny called from New York to say 'Joe didn't see the song.' As Tony said in The Guardian, he liked the song and asked for an exclusive the following day. The version he heard was Kelly Gordon, who apart from being a successful producer, also wrote a little song entitled 'That's Life.' His version was slow and soulful which is why I had thought of Joe Cocker to record it. Bobby Russell wrote this song while dying of cancer in Los Angeles.
L-R Terry Sylvester, Tony Hicks, Allan Clarke and drummer Bobby Elliott - London, October 1969
We picked up the British rights to 'He Ain't Heavy' from an American publisher Larry Shayne. The song was on a Kelly Gordon album called 'Defunked'. The version was slow and soulful and had Joe Cocker written all over it. Joe turned it down, to his producer's surprise. We had a hit with The Hollies previously called 'I'm Alive,' so we had a relationship with them. Also, we had a great working relationship with the Air London production team, of which their producer Ron Richards was a partner. We never considered playing the song for The Hollies when Tony Hicks was in the office. We were playing songs like 'Sorry Suzanne.' It was only at the end of the meeting I suggested playing Tony this wonderful song, not because it was for them, but just to share the song. We were surprised when he said 'That's the one.'" [extracts from songfacts.com & Wikipedia]
This month's WOCK post comes from a recent find I made at my local flee market - an almost perfect copy of the Hollies 1970 E.P. The nice thing about this EP is that it features two of my favourite Hollies hit singles: "Sorry Suzanne" and of course "He Ain't Heavy....He's My Brother".
Because this EP is now 55 years old, and I have never seen a copy before, I consider it to be Obscure and extremely rare. But the C box can also be ticked this month, not because it's Crazy but because Joe Cocker missed out adding the song to his long list of hits and Kelly Gordon wrote the song while dying from Cancer in 1969 (so sad). This post consists of FLACs and full artwork with label scans.
Moontan is generally considered by fans and critics alike to be Golden Earring's greatest album. Credit for this popularity is largely owed to the hit single "Radar Love;" a track that has become as much of a radio staple as it has a fan favorite song. The original Dutch album on Polydor differs from the American version (released a year later) on MCA (other than the controversial cover), because it doesn't feature "Big Tree, Blue Sea". In it's place are two rather embarrassing songs, "Suzy Lunacy" and "Just Like Vince Taylor".
"Radar Love", good as it is, is only the beginning. Melodic, progressive heavy rock, absolutely cooking, literally from the very first chord to the very last. My Australian pressing, purchased in 1975, with the original sleeve featuring their hit single, has the following track listing: "Radar Love", "Candy's Going Bad", "The Vanilla Queen", "Big Tree, Blue Sea", "Are You Receiving Me". This is the album I am presenting here, and I accept no substitutes!
Golden Earring 1973
Moontan is the utterly fantastic Dutch Progressive Rock band Golden Earring's best album, by far. A lot of what makes the album so awesome are the really excellent and complex compositions of Lead Guitarist. Vocalists are George Kooymans and Flautist Barry Hay, along with the insanely great Basslines of Rinus Gerritsen. The album is full of long multi-part Prog excellence like "Candy's Going Bad", "Big Tree Blue Sea" and "The Vanilla Queen" And brain bashing stompers like the incredible "Radar Love". Moontan is a true Heavy Progressive Rock classic.
With their roots going back as far as the early 60s, many still overlook Golden Earring when considering the most enduring European rock acts. Initially a four piece beat combo, by the early 70s they were an accomplished psych-prog act, complete with a drummer who would mark the climax of every gig by launching himself over his kit. Since 1965, Golden Earring have released 25 studio albums, but by far and away their most successful was 1973's Moontan, an album of shamelessly groovy rock music, and home to one of the greatest road anthems of all time.Released three years after Golden Earring had finally settled into the stable line up that heave remained the core of the band to this day, Moontan delivers pretty much what most people want from an early 70s guitar rock album, namely big riffs, musical pyrotechnics, extended song structures, killer choruses, and no small amount of virtuosity, without sounding like they were just demonstrating how many notes they could play in a set amount of time. Moontan never loses sight of the fact that rock music should be fun and entertaining, and as a result each of the six tracks on it is absolutely vital to the balance and general vibe of one of the frequently forgotten gems of the era.
On the first side of Moontan's vinyl, the album opens with the long version of "Radar Love" (6:21). "Radar Love" isn't just a great rock song, it's possibly one the 'greatest' rock songs. With a killer bass line combining with an irresistible driving drum beat to create a relentless rhythm, an immense chorus and a classic theme of love over long distance with the songwriter listening to the radio as he journeys back to the arms of his lover, it's oddly timeless and utterly charming. It's a song that seems to pay homage to the entire history of rock and roll up to that date, yet still sounds utterly its own beast. Hell, even the mini drum solo sounds great. Oh, and the tinny brass used through the chorus evokes listening to shitty 70s AM car stereos like nothing else. If Golden Earring had never recorded another note of music, "Radar Love" would still have left them made men.Side 1 of Moontan continues with 'Candy's Going Bad' rocks hard. The riff rolls over everything like a steamroller, bluesy in its simplicity. The chorus is awesome, very catchy and full sounding. Beautiful bass and keyboards really bolster the sound. "Vanilla Queen" then closes the side, a final demonstration of their ability to lay down a rock epic where the changes in pace are kept as smooth and un-clunky as possible. Where most bands often get lost in extended song structures by falling back on formless jams, the Golden Earring approach is beautifully structured and never loses sight of the song. It's what makes Moontan, an album of five songs, sound like it's been carefully considered, rather than a group of songs dragged out to lengthier durations because they just didn't have enough material.
Flip the album, and we are now presented with two more killer tracks, each clocking in at 8 and 9 mins respectively. The first, "Big Tree Blue Sea" makes the Australian release different to its European counterparts (replacing 'Suzy Lunacy' and 'Just Like Vince Taylor'), and it was only very recently that I learnt this fact. "Big Tree Blue Sea" sounds like a cross between Jethro Tull and Yes. The album closer "Are You Receiving Me" which prances through campy choruses, playful horns, trippy guitars and stellar drum/bass interplay over 9+ minutes.All things aside the hideously dated and off colour artwork considered, Moontan is a legitimately great album, and it certainly retains its charm today, particularly for those of us that are partial to classic rock. While Golden Earring are not a band who are name dropped with any regularity, many of their albums, and particularly Moontan, deserve to be reassessed as rock classics.
Note: America didn't allow the Roxy Music influenced European cover artwork, because it was considered too risque for their people.
Rolling Stone reviewed the album in June, 1974 (see right) and journalist Ken Barnes found most of the tracks on the album to be somewhat 'crippling pretentious'.
He also comments "Most of Side two's effectiveness is diluted by long, tedious stretches of instrumental meandering".
How wrong was he, and obviously he couldn't see past the commercial single 'Radar Love'. I just love it when they get it wrong.
I'm posting freshly ripped FLACs taken from my prized vinyl and includes the usual album artwork and label scans. I am also including a rip of my 'treasured' Radar Love' 45 (an edited version that was released to accommodate the 5min length limit imposed by most radio stations at the time) and its non-album B-Side called "The Song Is Over". Note that the Polydor label incorrectly states that the track was taken from the Moontan LP. To sweeten the deal, I am also including the single "Instant Poetry / From Heaven, From Hell" which was released in 1974.
RIP George Kooymans [ 25.07.2025 ]
As a tribute to the passing of George Kooymans, I am reposting this iconic album with a link to the Remastered Deluxe 2CD Edition (for a short time only)
For more information on the sad passing of this amazing and talented guitarist, I refer you to the following news release
Original LP Release
Track Listing
01 - Radar Love 02 - Candy's Going Bad 03 - The Vanilla Queen 04 - Big Tree Blue Sea
05 - Are You Receiving Me Bonus Tracks 06 - Radar Love (Single Edit) 07 - The Song Is Over (B-Side Single) 08 - Instant Poetry (A-Side Single) 09 - From Heaven, From Hell (B-Side Single)
Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH) were a British band formed in Liverpool, England, in 1980. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson (vocals), with Paul Rutherford (vocals), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guitar), and Brian Nash (guitar).
Four years later, FGTH unleashed a recording on an unsuspecting world that was so epic, so massive, so seismic; that a publicity tsunami finally washed ashore down here in Australia and the existence of Frankie was made known. Despite Frankie's heavy British flamboyance, the act was still irresistible and, for a time, resistance was futile. Yes, Frankie was all the rage with the arrival of the aptly titled mammoth seller of pure, unadulterated, shameless, unapologetic pop pleasure, 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome'.
The group's 1983 debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and subsequently topped the UK Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks, going on to enjoy prolonged chart success throughout that year and ultimately becoming the seventh best-selling UK single of all time. It also won the 1985 Brit Award for Best British Single. Their debut album, 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome', reached number one in the UK in 1984 with advanced sales of over one million.
After the follow-up success of "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love", the group became only the second act in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles; the first being fellow Liverpudlians Gerry and the Pacemakers. This record remained unbeaten until the Spice Girls achieved a six-single streak in 1996–97. In 1985 the band won the Brit Award for Best British Newcomer, and also received Grammy Award and MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best New Artist.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood with Gene Kelly - 1984
Songwriters Johnson, Gill and O'Toole received the 1984 Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Two Tribes". In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 14th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.
Today, I still listen to this indulgent gem of a recording that seemed to tap into the zeitgeist of the mid-80s. To dub Frankie a one-hit wonder on the basis of Relax is entirely unfair as they were clearly a one-album wonder. If there was ever an act that dominated the global music scene in 1984 it had to be Frankie. Nowhere had sadomasochism mixed with pleasure pop and fashion more seamlessly than through the quintet of Frankie's Holly Johnson [vocals], Paul Rutherford [vocals, keyboards, dancing], Peter Gill [drums], Mark O'Toole [bass] and Brian Nash [guitar].
FGTH Promo Shot
Of course, in many respects, the true mastermind behind the outfit was then producer extraordinaire Trevor Horn. Horn churned out sterling production after production effortlessly for years particularly during the 1980s. Frankie was his greatest studio experiment and the act seemed to capture the look and sound of a decade of excess through excessively good fun in well-executed and cleverly crafted pop.
Trevor Horn 1984
Horn's credentials are worth mentioning too. He was a supreme master of sound and mixing. Horn's trademark is perhaps best known through his personal stamp on The Buggles' Adventures In Modern Recording [1981] especially Video Killed The Radio Star [best remembered as the first MTV music video], and Yes' 90125 album [1983] [a recording of pure resurrection by commercial standards for the progressive rock band]
Analyzing it today, I'm still blown away by the epic thirteen minute odyssey that is the title track, a personal favorite for my money. The opening seconds is like a stroll through the jungle is a bit like a walk through the local zoo before engaging in a persistent, tight and magnificent groove. As you might imagine, "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" never plays it safe. There's nothing typical about its weave through funky rhythms complemented by ad-libbed verse in the hands of Rutherford's fabulous foil. It is a powerful pop tribute to the long and winding epics of the progressive rock era, yet positively bold and ambitious in its own pop construction. It's positively major. It remains a stunner.
"Relax", arguably one of the biggest pop songs of the 1980s, even if it only barely scratched the top ten in America. Relax is an over-the-top salute to sex. It bursts, it spews and it absolutely explodes with a kind orgasmic energy. One instantly recalls Rutherford and Johnson parading through the laser beam light show in the music video. That, of course, replaced the Brian DePalma [Body Double] production that replaced the banned S&M parlor number complete with leather bondage and drag queens, a clip befitting the track. Still, time and distance has been kind to these songs. I defy anyone to scoff at these selections as anything less than some of the most brilliantly crafted pop numbers ever made. This is bad ass pop music, a culmination of talent and studio experimentation that makes Britney Spears sound positively robotic.
"Two Tribes" tapped into the zeitgeist of a globe dominated by American/ Soviet Cold War politics. Ronald Reagan pressed the Soviet Union to the economic brink inevitably bringing about its eventual dissolution in 1991. That standoff is dramatically captured through a video brawl between Reagan and then Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko. Chernenko would die in 1985. It represented the ongoing political struggle between two nations and two ideologies with Holly Johnson as the circus ringmaster. It also symbolized the stranglehold those political winds had on nations across the globe. The geopolitical front changed dramatically thereafter.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood on Stage 1984
The remainder of the album is topped with the gorgeous ballad "The Power Of Love", which was accompanied by the controversial nativity-themed religious video. The track further emphasized the band's complete immersion into taboo subjects of politics and religion, heaven and hell, sex and love. The act artfully engineers such risks into a complete canvas of originals and reinventions. Remakes of "Ferry", "War", "Born To Run" and "San Jose" are delightful treats exhibiting Frankie's absolute balls to audaciously cover everything from Gerry Marsden to Bruce Springsteen to the Burt Bacharach-penned Dionne Warwick number. Frankie had the audacity to break all the rules. [extracts from MUSINGS OF A SCI-FI FANATIC and VALVULADO]
FGHT Profiles
This post consists of FLACs ripped from CD / Vinyl and includes full album artwork for both media types. I bought Pleasuredome on vinyl when it was first released in Australia along with the 12" single releases of Relax & Power Of Love. Over the years, I have been able to track down the remaining 12"single releases of Two Tribes & War. For your pleasure, I am also making these 12" Singles available here as separate links (incase you already have Pleasuredome). Please note that the front cover (see left) for the double LP release of Pleasuredome is different to the CD release.
Track Listing: F - Pray Frankie Pray 01 The World Is My Oyster / Snatch Of Fury (Stay) 1:57 02 Welcome To The Pleasure Dome 13:40 G - Say Frankie Say 03 Relax (Come Fighting) 3:56 04 War (...And Hide) 6:14 05 Two Tribes (For The Victims Of Ravishment) 3:28 T - Stay Frankie Stay 06 The Last Voice 0:35 07 Ferry 1:49 08 Born To Run 3:59 09 San Jose (The Way) 3:10 10 Wish (The Lads Were Here) 2:48
11 The Ballad Of 32 4:49 H - Play Frankie Play 12 Krisco Kisses 2:58 13 Black Night White Light 4:08 14 The Only Star In Heaven 4:16 15 The Power Of Love 5:32 16 Bang... 1:07
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)
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