Various Australian Artists - The GTK Tapes Vol 1 & 2 (1994)

(Various Australian Artists 1969-75)
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"GTK is a pleasant little island in an ocean of A B.C" declared former This Day Tonight production assistant Ric Birch when he became, in August 1969 the youngest producer of a national television program in Australia. It was more than pleasant - it was truly revolutionary. In a country where 'pop music1 was dismissed by the mass media as a sort of teen disease useful only for scandal headlines, this perfectly positioned ten minute stab - at 6 30pm, just before Bellbird, four nights a week -abruptly introduced middle Australia to an emerging rock counter-culture, without a screaming girl in sight.
GTK did not dispense the hits of the day, nor. with any great frequency, the hit acts. Certainly the nightly viewers -always devoted and dismayed in equal parts - were served up the readily familiar likes of Zoot, Axiom, Doug Parkinson In Focus, Autumn, Jeff St John, Sherbet, Country Radio, the La De Das, Blackfeather, Billy Thorpe, Chain, Hush, Max Merritt & The Meteors, Russell Morris, Daddy Cool, Spectrum, and Flake, but they were also exposed to new, challenging contemporary acts such as Company Caine, Captain Matchbox, Pirana, Tamam Shud, Bakery, Sun, Third Union Band, Syrius, Glenn Cardier, Kahvas Jute. Band of Talabene No Sweat, Gungan Dim; Mother Earth, Human Instinct, Langford Lever, Duck, Jeannie Lewis, Friends, Wendy Saddington (RIP 21-06-2013), Wild Cherries, Band of Light, Gary Young's Hot Dog, Moonstone, Mighty Kong, Home, Buffalo, King Harvest, Headband and Carson
And the music was just part of it. In between the exploratory sounds were interviews, reports and, sometimes, just meandering snatches which brought long haired freaky people into the nations lounge rooms - dancers, poets, film makers, photographers, fashion designers, painters, actors and suffers.
It has to be said that there was a deathly seriousness about much of it. A rock-is-art stance which set itself in opposition to the bubblegum, teen idol face of the 'pop scene1 The counter-culture was too young and too self-conscious to trust itself with levity, so a certain ponderous tone was inevitable
If you make allowance for that, the GTK years - to late 1970 under Birch and from January 1971 to November 1975 under producer Bernie Cannon, with odd episodes produced by Bruce Wilson, Albie Thorns and Bernard Eddy -constitute the most precious and astonishing repository of rare (often pncelessly so) Australian rock recordings by the most important OZ Rock acts of an era when a once totally derivative music scene took a bold leap into the unknown.
"I lived the whole thing" recalls Cannon "It wasn't a job it was a way of life and I think that the people who watched it every night understood that it had the strongest impact upon country kids because it was really their only contact with what was going on. Under Cannon, GTK continued to offer the unexpected and the imaginative and the store of rare performances grew. There wasn't a rule that you couldn't come on and plug your new hit but my policy I suppose like Ric's, was if you couldn't cut it live you couldn't appear. We tended to get more serious bands and they often played things from their sets that they didn't have to hassle with at eight o'clock on Monday morning when most musicians can't talk let alone play. I think that most of the bands we used really appreciated the freedom to let loose a bit and do things they certainly couldn't do on happening '71. I suppose they were also aware that television at that time didn't have the technical capacity to reproduce them to record standard and maybe some of them didn't want to risk playing their swish new single live for us!"
Tony Romeril, leader of often-used GTK band Autumn concurs "Bernie always wanted to be one step ahead to be original and give the bands and the song some space. But, no it wasn't always easy when you were in your van going off to the Gore Hill studios at 7AM after finishing your last set at Whisky Au Go Go at 3 AM'"
The first two volumes of The GTK Tapes contain a wonderfully diverse array of repertoire - experimental blows, convenient covers, works in embryo, fave raves and songs that would have been recorded if the band had managed to stay together. The common factor is that none of the tracks (save Doug Parkinson In Focus' Do Not Go Gentle, which turned up on the Stone film soundtrack performed quite differently by Doug) are songs officially recorded by those acts. They all would have been welcome recordings at the time had they eventuated but almost a quarter of a century down the line they are still valid and fascinating representations of Oz Rock in between the screams and international recognition
[Linear notes by Glen. A Baker]
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Review From Rolling Stone magazine - December, 1994
by Bruce Elder 
ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING questions about rock releases is: "Does history have any inherent interest or merit, or should all music be evaluated on the quality of songs and musical performances
There is, for example, no doubt that these two releases are important historical documents, GTK (which stood for "Getting to Know") pre-dated Countdown and was a brief, nationwide, 10-minute spot at 630pm, four nights a week. It was positioned just before the ABC soapie Bellbird and lasted from 1969 to 1975. Because it tended to feature alternative acts, and because it often recorded performances, the GTK Tapes have become a fascinating social document of the outer reaches of pop and rock in those years.
The question in 1994 is — does anybody really care? Glenn A. Baker can write sleeve notes declaring that the GTK Tapes "constitute the most precious and astonishing repository of rate (often pricelessly so) Australian rock recordings ever uncovered , but this begs the questions: Priceless to whom? and precious to whom? Mr Baker may feel that the Zoot performing Lennon and McCartney's I'm Only Sleeping is beyond his financial resources, but it is hard to imagine many others in Australia who would bid such an item into some imaginary financial stratosphere
It is true that, if you are interested in rock musk in Australia between 1969 and 1975, these two CDs are valuable documents. That, however, presupposes that in 1994, you think lots of basic blues and R&B, cover versions of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones (there are six on the two CDs) and believe extended guitar and drum solos are relevant and interesting.
This was not a great period for music It was too self-consciously arty, the clothes were immeasurably silly (bell bottoms et al), the uniform was long hair and beards, and, disturbingly, few of the musicians from the era have any kind of career left in 1994.
It is hard to find genuinely exciting and extraordinary performances on these two CDs. Most of the covers sound like very mediocre versions of the originals. The La De Das version of Chuck Berry's "Around and Around" is pedestrian and a shadow of the Rolling Stones' incomparable version, which they are clearly trying to imitate. Blackfeather's version of "Gimme Shelter" is more impressive. Autumn's version of Neil Young's "The Loner" is surprisingly good.
Some of the originals are obviously derivative of overseas styles. The Tamam Shud track, "America", sounds so much like early Jethro Tull it is almost uncanny. It's just missing the flute. Similarly, the end of Wind Cherries' "God (Guitar Overdose)" sounds like something Pink Floyd rejected around the Saucerful of Secrets period.
Of the others, who but a philistine locked in a terminal timewarp would really want to hear Doug Parkinson crucifying Dylan Thomas' beautiful "Do Not Go Gentle", with a raucous rock/R&B version of the poem, which culminates in a truly awful drum solo. And does anyone really need six versions of the GTK theme?
For many people, rock musk is the soundtrack to their adolescence. This music was the soundtrack for an awful lot of rather hip, plugged-in baby-boomers. To those outside the demographic, these recordings will only have them scratching their heads in disbelief and saying, "That's what those old hippies meant when they said you had to be there.
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When I came across this review in Rolling Stone, I was outraged. Mr. Elder may write for Rolling Stone, but his review clearly shows an immature lack of appreciation of earlier periods of music and fashion. I would guess that he was probably a young journalist who couldn't see past his nose let alone two decades.
I would suggest that you have a listen to these historical recordings and I like Glenn A Baker think that they are priceless gems which truly document the roots of our wonderful Aussie Rock.
The post itself was sourced from the Midoztouch website (with thanks to the original uploader) and are MP3 rips (320kps) taken from CD.  Full album artwork and booklets are included.along with scans of the offending magazine article. If you enjoy these recordings and want more, then you can grab the next two volumes (Vol.3&Vol.4) on my blog also.

Vol 1. Track Listing
01 - GTK Theme (Sherbet)
02 - I'm Only Sleeping (The Zoot)
03 - Do Not Go Gentle (Doug Parkinson In Focus)
04 - Sweet Little Angel (Carson)
05 - 1967 (Company Caine)
06 - GTK Theme / America (Tamam Shud)
07 - GOD / Guitar Overdose (Wild Cherries)
08 - GTK Theme / Country Lady (Freshwater)
09 - Gimme Shelter (Blackfeather)
10 - Around And Around (La De Das)
11 - My Boogie (Healing Force)
12 - Over The Ocean (Ticket)
13 - Gassin'/ GTK Theme (Pirana)

GTK Tapes Vol 1 Link (143Mb)

Vol 2. Track Listing
01 - GTK Theme (Sherbet)
02 - The Loner (Autumn)
03 - Midnight Train (Flake)
04 - Celest Atlantis (Flying Circus)
05 - Same Old Country Song (Axiom)
06 - Honky Tonk Women (The Cleves)
07 - GTK-Theme-Strawberry Fields (Syrius)
08 - Tomorrow Never Knows (Blackfeather)
09 - Bye Bye Blackbird (MsAskills Marauders)
10 - Flip Flop and Fly (Company Caine)
11 - Caroline-GTK Theme (Doug parkinson and Focus)

GTK Tapes Vol 2 Link (150Mb)

Various Artists - 20 Great Australian Hits Vol 1. (1977)

(Various Australian Artists Early 70's)
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Fable Records
Ron Tudor's Fable Records was the most successful Australian independent recording company of the early 1970s. It was also one of the most productive 'indie' labels of the period, issuing over 300 singles and dozens of EPs and LPs. Fable released a wide variety of music from rock groups to mainstream vocalists; its catalogue also included Christian gospel music by singing group The Proclaimers, comedy recordings by Frankie Davidson, and novelty items like Drummond's 'chipmunk' version of "Daddy Cool" and the quaint piano version of The Mixtures "In The Summertime." Fable was officially launched in April 1970 with a batch of five singles (all by Australian artists) and the success it enjoyed over its first nine months was nothing short of spectacular, seven of its first twelve singles made the national Top 40, and of the forty-one singles Fable released between April and December 1970, seventeen became hits, including two national #1s by The Mixtures' "In The Summertime" and "The Pushbike Song" and four other Top 10 hits by Hans Poulsen, Liv Maessen, Jigsaw and John Williamson. Fable won many industry awards during its fifteen year life. [extract from Milesago]
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Here is a short account of some of the more popular names that appear on this first Fable Records compilation, released by EMI in 1977.
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The Mixtures
Laurie Arthur (guitar, vocals, 1965-67), Greg Cook (drums, vocals, 1970-71), John Creech (drums, vocals, 1965-70), Rod De Clerk (bass, vocals 1965-67), Buddy England (vocals 1969-70), Mick Flinn (bass, 1967-72), Dennis Garcia (organ, 1967), Mick Holden (drums, 1971), Gary Howard (drums, 1970-71), Alan "Edgell" James (bass, 1966), Idris Jones (vocals, 1967-69 and 1970-71), Don Lebler (drums, 1971-76), Chris Spooner (bass, 1972-76), Fred Weiland (guitar, 1967), Peter Williams (vocals, guitar, 1971-76)
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Australian musicians Terry Dean and Rod De Clerk met in Tasmania in 1965. They then met Laurie Arthur, a member of The Strangers, and the three decided to form a band together after a jam session. They quickly signed to EMI that same year and released three singles. They went through several line-up changes over the following few years, then signed to CBS Records in 1969. A few further singles followed before transferring to Fable Records in 1970.
As a result of the 1970 radio ban, during which many Australian radio stations refused to play Australian and British music released by major labels, the Mixtures recorded a cover of Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" and received much more airplay than had initially been expected for a group on a small record label.
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The single went to #1 in Australia for six weeks. They followed up with "The Pushbike Song", which went to #1 in Australia for two weeks, hit #2 in the UK Singles Chart, and went to #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.
The Pushbike Song (1971)
This single is often mistakenly attributed to Mungo Jerry, as "The Pushbike Song", is reputed to be very Mungo Jerry-esque in style, but was in fact their own composition. Oddly enough, The Mixtures also have a song called "Henry Ford" on the same album as "The Pushbike Song". "The Pushbike Song" made the Top 10 in the U.K. and Australia in 1971.
Their next single "Henry Ford", only peaked at #43 but the followup single "Captain Zero" went to #5 in 1971, and was their last big hit. The group released material together for several more years before breaking up in 1976.

Bluestone
Terry Dean (vocals, guitar), Mike Burke (guitar, banjo), Edward Fry (bass), John Creech (drums, vocals), Gavan Anderson (lead guitar, vocals), Nigel Thompson (bass, vocals)
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Brian Cadd signed Bluestone to Bootleg Records which in time released eight singles and a self titled L.P. Terry Dean from Melbourne formed Bluestone after he had enjoyed a very successful solo career in the 60’s and 70's, recording a number of hit records, performing regularly in Melbourne and interstate and appearing nationally on TV shows including The ‘Go’ Show, and ‘Happening 70’.
‘Bluestone’ was heavily influenced by west coast American country rock including artists such as ‘The Byrds’, ‘The Flying Burrito Brothers’, ‘The Eagles’, Jackson Brown, Emmylou Harris and numerous other influential songwriters as well as performing and recording much of its own material.
Dean’s backing band around that time was the original Mixtures line up. Gavan Anderson (guitar and vocals) and Nigel Thompson (bass and vocals) joined the band in 1975 and this line up remained together until ‘Bluestone’ disbanded in 1984..

.The bands’ first album, self titled ‘Bluestone’, was released to excellent reviews in 1974 and helped to cement the band as a major force in Australian country music. The single from the album, ‘Wind and Rain’, was a hit across Australia in 1973.
By the 1980’s the band made the move into straight country releasing a 2nd L.P. for Avenue Records in 1982. 1st single was the chugging soft rocker "Single Again" (similar in style to Darryl Cotton's Same Old Girl), on which former Fraternity/Flying Circus member guests with some typically fine guitar work. It was perhaps the best chance at a hit in late 1981 but did not have the hoped for success. A 2nd single "Remember", was another excellent, commercial release that showed some almost new wave influences surprisingly. And yet it also failed as did this fine album which followed in April 1982. The album itself also showed more diversity than one might have expected after Bluestone's debut.
Since the mid 1980’s, the members of ‘Bluestone’ have gone on to pursue successful careers in the music industry. Terry Dean formed the successful duo ‘Dean & Carruthers’ with Garry Carruthers and they celebrated 25 years ‘on the road’ in July, 2010. Terry recently established ‘Terry Dean’s Guitars’ selling some of the world’s finest acoustic instruments. John Creech has continued his career as ‘drummer to the stars’ touring with ‘Kylie’ in the early 1990’s and with ‘Cotton, Keays & Morris’, Brian Cadd, Mike Brady and many others. Gavan Anderson has worked with numerous artists and bands including ‘Spot the Aussie’, Brian Cadd, Max Merritt and, most recently, Andy Cowan and has released a number of his own solo EP’s. Nigel Thompson continues to work with various bands including well known 60’s band ‘The Substitutes’ and various other bands and has continued his involvement in events management and promotion.
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Jigsaw
Dennis Tucker (Bass & Vocal), John Caldeerwood (Guitar & Vocal), Eddie Chappel (Drums & Vocal), Ron Gilbee (Rhythm Guitar & Vocal)
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Jigsaw were at one time Johnny Chesters backing band but eventually managed to forge a career of there own. Alas Jigsaw have never had their own studio LP release, only an EP and a multitude of singles, 13 in total. They did however share two albums with Johnny Chester, each having one side each, with Jigsaw also backing Johnny Chester on his tracks. The first collaborative album was selftitled (pictured below) and included such hits as "Yellow River", "Albert The Albatross", as well as Chester's singles - "Glory Glory" & "Shame And Scandal (In The Family)". The 2nd, entitled 'Going Places' featured "How Do You D"o and their last big hit "Mademoiselle Ninette".
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Johnny Chester
With a recording career that began in 1961 and continues even stronger today, Johnny Chester is one of Australia's most enduring recording artists.
His singing career started in 1959 when at the age of seventeen he began running a dance in the St Cecilia's Church Hall in Melbourne's suburban West Preston. With his mum selling tickets, his dad on the door and great support from the teenagers in the area the local dance soon grew too large for the venue and so was moved in late 1960 to the much larger Preston town hall.
Here with the enormous support of legendary radio disc jockey Stan 'The Man' Rofe the dance became the most successful of its time and Johnny soon came to the attention of W&G Records. This was all during the time in Melbourne when rock'n'roll was king.
During the 60s, whilst establishing himself as a recording artist and songwriter, he hosted two national television series for the ABC. He toured with a host of overseas stars including the Beatles, Roy Orbison, Dion and the Everly Brothers and worked as associate producer of the national 'Kommotion' Televison show and a disc jockey on Melbourne's number one radio station 3UZ as well as doing an entertainment tour of duty for the Australian and American forces in Vietnam.
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During the 70s we saw a major musical transition take place as Johnny Chester moved via a varied but well charted course in to Country Music.
Johnny Chester made records for Fable from 1970 until 1976. He recorded with both studio musicians and Jigsaw who became his permanent backing band while Johnny produced their records. In 1971 they released their first album for Fable titled Johnny Chester and Jigsaw, from which the single "Shame and Scandal in the Family" was released. It went to Number One in several states.
Winning along the way three consecutive Golden Guitars at the Australasian Country Music Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and many other accolades as well both here and overseas. He continued to tour with his own show and with international acts like Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Roger Miller, Charlie Pride and Freddy Fender. He also hosted two more national television series for the ABC. From 1989 to 1991 he hosted several weekly radio programs including his 'Soundabout Club' and his 'World of Country Music' for Radio Australia, our international broadcaster. [taken from Johnny Chester's Website]
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Axiom
Brian Cadd (keyboards, vocals),Doug Lavery (drums) 1969,Don Lebler (drums) 1969-71,Don Mudie (bass),Glenn Shorrock (vocals),Chris Stockley (guitar)
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Formed in Melbourne in 1969, Axiom were arguably Australia's first true supergroup. Yet, in spite of a wealth of talent and promise, some notable chart successes and two superb Albums of original material, they failed to achieve lasting popularity, due in part to waning public support in Australia as they vainly tried to crack the fickle English market, and the band fizzled out after less than two years. Nevertheless, Axiom deserve to be recognised as an important musical bridge between Sixties pop and Seventies rock in Australia, as one of the first serious attempts to make Australian rock with international appeal, and as one of the finest bands of their time.
Axiom were touted as Australia's first supergroup, because it contained 5 seasoned musicians, rather than one or two gifted musicians in a band of 4 or 5 members. They had chart success with their first single, "Arkansas Grass", reaching number 1 only in Brisbane, but top 5 elsewhere, but to many its 2nd single, "A Little Ray of Sunshine" is probably more fondly remembered. (It's interesting to compare how the band's singles charted in different states. In three states, only three of their releases charted ("My Baby's Gone" was the third single to reach the charts, whereas in Adelaide, all five were represented. In two states "Arkansas Grass" was more popular than "Ray of Sunshine" whereas in Adelaide, "My Baby's Gone" was the highest charting of any of their releases there!)
The featured track here "Little Ray of Sunshine" shot to #5 in April 1970 and has since become a standard. Their first two Axiom singles are rightly considered classics, and the latter, a perennial favourite, has become one of Glenn Shorrock's trademark songs, and was even celebrated with its own stamp in Australia Post's 1998 'Australian Rock' stamp series. It was followed by Axiom's brilliant debut LP Fools Gold, which was both widely praised and a significant commercial success, reaching #18 on the album chart in June.
Fool's Gold unquestionably ranks as one of the best and most original Aussie albums of the period. It was also a significant step forward in creative control, being one of the very first Australian rock albums released on a major label that was produced by the artists themselves. Axiom was able to take advantage of the great improvement in sound provided by the new 8-track facilities at Armstrong's Studios, which showcased a selection of superb songs, brilliantly performed.
All members of Axiom went on to further their careers in the industry, but perhaps the better known of the group were Brian Cadd and Glenn Shorrock, both of whom have had enormous solo careers. Don Mudie who co-wrote most of the material on the band's two albums, did not pursue the limelight to the same extent. [extracts from Milesago and Howlspace]
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This post consists of a 320kps rip (mp3) of my 'near mint' vinyl copy of this compilation and includes full album artwork. I hope you enjoy this great Fable Records compilation (the first of two) and stay tuned for the second which I plan to post soon.
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Track Listing
01 - The Pushbike Song (THE MIXTURES)
02 - The World's Greatest Mum (JOHNNY CHESTER)
03 - Old Man Emu (JOHN WILLIAMSON)
04 - Santa Never Made It Into Darwin (BILL AND BOYD)
05 - Catfish John (HAWKING BROTHERS)
06 - Snowbird (LIV MAESSEN)
07 - Butterfly (MATT FLINDERS)
08 - Yellow River (JIGSAW)
09 - Glory Glory (JOHNNY CHESTER)
10 - Daddy Cool (DRUMMOND)
11 - Knock Knock Who's There (LIV MAESSEN)
12 - Shame And Scandal (JOHNNY CHESTER)
13 - Picking Up Pebbles (MATT FLINDERS)
14 - Wind And Rain (BLUESTONE)
15 - In The Summertime (THE MIXTURES)
16 - Carroll County Accident (BOBBY AND LAURIE)
17 - A Little Ray Of Sunshine (AXIOM)
18 - How Do You Do (JIGSAW)
19 - Cinderella Rockefella (ANNE AND JOHNNY HAWKER)
20 - Captain Zero (THE MIXTURES)
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20 Great Australian Hits Vol 1 Link (125Mb) New Link 13/09/2014
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Shorrock, Birtles and Goble - Beginnings (1975) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1969-Present)
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This album features Glenn Shorrock (Axiom), Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble (Mississippi) who were the three front-line members of Little River Band, one of Australia's most successful national and international contemporary bands. On these tracks we find some of the excellent material on which Shorrock, Birtles and Goble were featured in the period before the formation of the Little River Band. A period that was obviously the stepping-stone to the great sound sound that was so characteristic of the Little River Band.
Note: Graeham's first name is incorrectly spelt on the cover and back credits, which must have annoyed him somewhat.
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The following biographies were sourced from Birtles Shorrock & Goble website with thanks.
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Glenn Shorrock
With a career spanning more than 35 years, Glenn Shorrock is one of the elder statesmen of Australian contemporary show business. Born in Kent, England, Glenn migrated with his family at the age of 10 to Adelaide in the mid-1950s. A self-confessed child of rock 'n' roll, he began singing in 1962 with a vocal group called the Twilights. By 1965, the Twilights became a six piece "beat group" based in Melbourne scoring hits with "Needle in a Haystack", "What's Wrong with the Way I Live?", "Cathy Come Home" and "Young Girl", before disbanding in 1969.
Axiom with Brian Cadd followed shortly thereafter, with hits including "Arkansas Grass" and "Little Ray of Sunshine".
Axiom disbanded soon after moving to London in 1970. Glenn chose to remain in London as a session singer and songwriter working with other ex-pats and Europeans in a twelve-piece rock orchestra named Esperanto.
At the conclusion of 1974, Glenn returned to Melbourne to help form Little River Band as lead singer. Little River Band cracked the United States market in 1976, and began a string of eight Top Ten Hits in the U.S.A. and around the world. The band has sold in excess of 25 million albums, often being credited for opening the door for many Australian acts on the international circuit. In 1995, Glenn fronted Little River Band during their 20th year anniversary. His songwriting credits include the international hits "Help is on its Way", "Emma", "Home on Monday" (co-writer Beeb Birtles), and "Cool Change". Glenn's latest CD was released in 2000: "Spin Me 'Round", was co-produced with Brian Cadd.
Glenn's credentials extend to all fields of show business, notably in theatre and cabaret. He starred in Evita and The Rocky Horror Show, in addition to his own productions: One for the Money, Go Cat Go and Two Up. A career highlight was producing and performing alongside Sir George Martin in the highly acclaimed production All You Need Is Beatles (1998). He performed the role of Johnny Casino in the smash hit Grease: The Arena Spectacular!, which played to full houses across Australia and in Auckland, and co-starred in British Rock Symphony with Eric Burdon and Thelma Houston, performing the hits of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones and The Who. In 2001 he joined the cast in the inaugural production of Australian Night At The Proms at the Sydney SuperDome.
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Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles was born Gerard Bertelkamp on November 28, 1948, in The Netherlands. Searching for a better life for his family, his father moved the family to Adelaide, South Australia, when Beeb was a young boy. Speaking no English, the first few years in Australia were difficult, to say the least, for the young lad who loved to sing harmonies with his mother.
As a teenager, Beeb and his schoolmates formed a band known as Times Unlimited, which eventually turned professional and took the Australian teen music scene by storm as 'The Zoot'. They scored several hits, including a rocking version of "Eleanor Rigby", which earned them a gold record.
Following the breakup of Zoot in 1971, Beeb teamed up with former Zoot lead singer Darryl Cotton, and formed the musical duo, Frieze. The two released a moderately successful album in 1972, but parted within a year to pursue other interests.
Shortly thereafter, Beeb received an invitation from Graeham Goble to join Mississippi, where he wrote and sang lead on "Will I". The nucleus of Mississippi went on to form Little River Band, where Beeb's songwriting and vocal talents were taken to new heights, with tracks such as "Happy Anniversary", "Every Day of My Life", and the often requested "I'll Always Call Your Name".
Beeb left LRB in 1983 to pursue his love of songwriting and collaboration with a variety of artists, and to spend quality time with his young family. He founded his own music publishing company, Songskill, in 1985, which boasts a catalog of more than 200 songs. In 1992, Beeb moved his family to America, and he resides near Nashville, Tennessee, today. In 2000, he released his first solo project, "Driven By Dreams", on the Sonic Sorbet record label, which he co-owns with renowned session musician and producer, Bill Cuomo. (For more info on Birtles see his website)
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Graeham Goble
Graeham Goble, one of Australia's most successful international songwriters, has been seriously writing songs since he was 16. At the age of 11 he learned to play piano and drums and began turning out simple ditties, sometimes one a day. As leader of Adelaide groups The Silence, Travis Wellington Hedge and Alison Gros, Graeham refined his craft and by the time he had set off to England with the soft-rock outfit Mississippi (who gave him his first taste of Australian chart success in 1972 with the top five "Kings Of The World"), he was an accomplished songsmith and musician. By 1976 he was in the American Top 30 with his "It's A Long Way There", the first International hit for Little River Band. Two years later he was on the Billboard Chart at Number Three with the delicate, haunting and memorable, "Reminiscing".

As a founding member of Little River Band, Graeham participated in an extraordinary surge of success which resulted in more than 20 million record sales, 13 American Top 40 hits. At the heart of Little River Band's lush, layered, evocative and engaging sound was the vocal textures he conceived and the powerful, enduring songs he wrote. He penned eight U.S. Top 40 hits and earned two rare "Million-Air" awards from BMI for one million American broadcasts each of "Reminiscing" and "Lady". In the ensuing years, "Reminiscing" has become such a standard on American airwaves that it has been recognized by a "Four Million-Air" award, an absolute first for an Australian-based writer. "Lady" has passed Two Million Airplays, and "The Other Guy" and "Take It Easy On Me" have been added to his Million-Air tally, giving Graeham the distinction of being the only Australian writer to be awarded four "Million-Air" awards from BMI.
Graeham Goble left the ranks of Little River Band in 1989 to pursue musical projects close to his heart.
Considerable inspiration is evident in the songs that Graeham is now writing; songs which will once again present him as a leading song craftsman. The new songs are very much an endeavour under his own control. All the new recordings feature the talents of Melbourne's finest Jazz, Rock and World Session Musicians. He built a recording studio and learn't the technical side of sequencing and recording so that he could make the sort of recordings he wanted to make.
"I always feel that my career is just beginning" he said, "There's so much that I want to do now and this is another beginning for me".
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One of my favourite tracks on this compilation is "Ford's Bridge". It comes from Axiom's 'Fool's Gold' album which was released in 1969, was penned by Don Mudie and Brian Cadd and sung by Glenn Shorrock. Unlike "Arkansas Grass", this was very much an Aussie ballad about Australian people and places - Ford's Bridge (the actual bridge is spelt Foord's Bridge) being located on the Murray River and joining the towns of Wahgunyah and Corowa. The song tells the sad story of a simple young man who is devastated when a girl he secret admires falls in love with and marries a returned soldier. Unable to cope, he murders them both. The orchestration of the song close to the standard of what George Martin was doing for The Beatles and took Australian pop music of that time to a new level of excellence.
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This post consists of an mp3 rip (320kps) taken from my vinyl copy and includes LP artwork along with select band photos (mostly sourced from Graeham Goble's website with thanks)
These tracks have been previously released on Axiom's 'Fools Gold' album (1970) and Mississippi's selftitled album (1972).
I have also included some bonus tracks taken from singles released by the trio while they were playing with LRB, but released as Solo artists. ""Dream Lover" / " Spin Me Round" was Shorrock's first solo venture (1979) and did quite well in the charts (thanks to Deutros from Friday On My Mind for this single rip)
Birtles and Goble released their first solo single "Lonely Lives" / "Megan" in 1977 and the A-Side later appeared on their 'Last Romanace' album in 1980. The B-Side is therefore a rarity as it has never appeared on an LP.
Note: This album was later released in the states by Capitol records with a different cover (see above).
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.Track Listing
01 - Ford's Bridge (Axiom 1970)
02 - Kings Of The World (Mississippi 1972)
03 - Will I (Mississippi 1974)
04 - Can't Let Go Of The Feeling (Axiom 1970)
05 - Feel Alone (Mississippi 1972)
06 - Fool's Gold (Axiom 1970)
07 - Arkansas Grass (Axiom 1970)
08 - Where In The World (Mississippi 1974)
09 - A Little Ray Of Sunshine (Axiom 1970)
10 - All Through The Day (Mississippi 1972)
11 - Early Morning (Mississippi 1973)
12 - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Axiom 1970)
Bonus Tracks
13 - Dream Lover (Glenn Shorrock A-Single 1979)
14 - Spin Me Round (Glenn Shorrock B-Single 1979)
15 - Lonely Lives (Birtles and Goble A-Single 1977)
16 - Megan (Birtles and Goble B-Single 1977)
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Glenn Shorrock (Vocals)
Beeb Birtles (Vocals & Guitars)
Graeham Goble (Vocals & Guitars)
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Beginnings Link (129Mb) New Link 18/10/2024
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