REPOST: Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons - Live, Loud & Clear (1978)

(Australian 1975-84)
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Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons is the group which started one of Australia's most talented musicians, Joe Camilleri, making music of his own. It didn't happen straight away, but it did happen.
By the time Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons was formed in 1975 Maltese-born Joe had already spent some ten years in the Melbourne music scene, and become one of its mainstays, well-known and admired amongst his peers. From mid-sixties R&B group the King Bees he moved to blues purists the Adderly Smith Blues Band, who sacked him for sounding too much like Mick Jagger and for being too much of a showman, neither of which he could help. Joe was just doing what came naturally, but Adderly Smith took themselves very seriously, priding themselves on educating audiences on where the songs the Rolling Stones were recording originally came from. Joe spent the early seventies in more innovative, even eccentric bands like Lipp and the Double Dekker Brothers, the Sharks and the Pelaco Brothers (the latter with Stephen Cummings of the Sports).
In late 1975, Ross Wilson was still waiting out his Daddy Cool/Mighty Kong recording contract, keeping himself busy by producing Skyhooks. He also decided to produce a version of Chuck Berry's 'Run Rudolph Run', the kind of retro rocker Daddy Cool used to record, as a one-of Christmas single for Mushroom Records.

Since contractually he couldn't perform the vocals himself, Ross asked musician around town Joe Camilleri to sing and play on the record, and front it. In Maltese "Joe" is "Zep". The name put on the single was Jo Jo Zep and his Little Helpers. To promote the single it seemed a good idea to put together a scratch band comprising some of the other people who had worked on the record, more Ross Wilson cohorts. On stage they called themselves Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons. The single wasn't a hit, but the band stayed together. When Ross Wilson formed his own Oz label, he signed the band and produced their records. The first Falcons single 'Beating Around The Bush' was one of the tracks on the Ross Wilson soundtrack for a movie, also called 'Oz'. The band had become an outlet for another of Ross Wilson's songwriting proteges, Wayne Burt, who wrote great songs in that r&b/soul idiom that was the Falcons' stock and trade in the beginning (extract from Howlspace)

After recording the albums 'Don't Waste It' (which contained their hit single "Security") and 'Whip It Out', the mini-albums 'Live, Loud and Clear' (which managed to reach #53 nationally in August 1978, with lead track "The Honeydripper" receiving most of the airplay) and 'So Young' (the title of which was covered by Elvis Costello) for Oz Records, the band and its shifting cast of players - found themselves at Mushroom Records. By this stage Wayne Burt had left - to be replaced by Tony Faehse (who had played in Alvin Stardust's band) - and the composing duties were thrown over to Camilleri and his colleagues. Soon afterwards, the ebullient Wilbur Wilde, who had been an integral member of Ol' 55, also joined the band, although he had already played on previous albums as a sessions player.

But by this stage the sound of the band was changing and by 1982's sophisticated 'Cha' album and its hit single 'Taxi Mary' it was just called Jo Jo Zep, minus the Falcons and plus Jane Clifton, Joe Creighton and others. Even a tour of America (which by all accounts was a disaster) failed to stop the eventual demise of the group. Ironically, Camilleri soon got back to his roots and went on to form the even more successful Black Sorrows. A brief national tour to support the 1984 compilation saw the Camilleri/Wilde/Burstin / Faehse/Power/Young line-up appear for the last time until that famed reunion in 2001 and the brand new album! (Extract from Joe Camilleri's Website)

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were added to the list of acts to be inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame. [Quote: The announcement of the new inductees follows last month's initial list featuring the Hoodoo Gurus, Marcia Hines and Frank Ifield
"I'm chuffed. I think the Falcons did play a part in the Australian music explosion," Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons frontman Joe Camilleri told news.com.au.
"I'm happy it's been acknowledged. The Falcons were a band out of time. What we played wasn't what was being played. It was an R&B/reggae sound in the time of flares and funk and pop music. Somehow we slotted in." The Hall Of Fame inductions will take place in the Plaza Ballroom at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre on 18 July.]

The 'Live, Loud and Clear' 12" EP was recorded at Martini's in Carlton on 22nd/23rd Dec, 1977.
Standout tracks for me are "Ain't Got No Money" and "Girl Across The Street (just turned 18)". I have fond memories of seeing Jo Jo Zep play these tracks, along with many of their other hits such as "Security" and "So Young", on many ocassions at La Trobe Uni, Bundoora back in 1977. They were a big favourite with the Uni crowds at the time and always produced an exciting stage show. I also got to see them play at other venues such as Bombay Rock and Martini's but alas, cannot claim to be in the crowd on the nights which this recording was made.
This Rip was taken from Vinyl in FLAC format and includes full album artwork and label scans.

NEW IMPROVED RIP
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Track Listing
01 - Honey Dripper
02 - Young Girl
03 - Ain't Got No Money
04 - Girl Across The Street
05 - Riding In The Moonlight
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Band Members
Jo Camilleri (Vocals, Sax)
Jeff Burstin (Guitar)
Tony Faehse (Guitar)
John Power (Bass, Vocals)
Gary Young (Drums)
Wilber Wilde (Sax)
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Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons Link (117Mb) New Link 13/10/2023

Jo Jo Zep And Falcons - Dexterity 'Mini LP' (1981)

(Australian 1975–1983, 2001-present)

In 1979, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons signed with Mushroom Records after Oz Records had folded. By now, the songwriting was being looked after by Burstin, Camilleri, and Faehse working together as a trio, and Camilleri was the group's lone front man. As well, the group had included another musical direction: reggae.

Meanwhile, Mushroom was eager to connect with the 'new wave' in England and brought over Peter Solley, an English producer and latter-day Procol Harum member, to produce another Mushroom artist, The Sports. One night Solley saw Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons perform, and on the strength of their new song, "Shape I'm In", asked to produce the group. The first single, "Hit and Run", from the album, Screaming Targets, was pop reggae and reached No. 12 on the charts in August 1979. Camilleri said he "never thought 'Hit and Run' would do anything but maybe the lick was infectious enough – though as a song it was a bit stupid – but it got us a deal all over the world. It was a wacky thing and all of a sudden we were away in a different arena".

The band toured the United States, the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, including performances in The Bottom Line club in New York, and at the Montreux Jazz & Blues Festival. In July 1980, the band had been the opening act at the Oakland Coliseum, in San Francisco, supporting Journey, Black Sabbath and Cheap Trick. Camilleri told a hostile audience, which was throwing objects (including eggs) at the group, "Is it any wonder your parents lost the Vietnam War – you can't even shoot straight!" After the international experience, the band started to lose some of its impetus.

Back home, the singles continued with "Shape I'm In", "Puppet on a String", "I Will Return". In August 1980, the band issued the album Hats Off Step Lively in Australia. In July 1981, Dexterity was released. The band continued touring internationally, but tensions within the group were increasing and in June 1981, Camilleri pulled Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons off the road.

We could have done it if we'd kept punching, but the band actually disintegrated, basically, looking back, because we were too tired. We should have just taken a year off. But what happened was we were right at the end of the period when, in order to flog a record in the States, you were virtually out promoting the one you had out the year before. So it was a totally asynchronous situation. We were having to dig into what we viewed as archives when we went out of the country. So we were having to promote Screaming Targets when we already had Hats Off Step Lively out here. It was at a time of the most intense development of original material in the band's life so the result was extremely disruptive. – Camilleri

In September 1981, a revised version of Hats Off Step Lively was issued in North America, titled simply Step Lively. The album featured a selection of tracks from the Hats Off Step Lively and Dexterity albums, augmented by two newly recorded cover tunes ("Gimme Little Sign" and "But It's Alright") produced by H.W. Casey and Rick Finch of K.C. and the Sunshine Band. However, the group had fractured by this point (Young, Power and Wilde all dropped out) and was not available to promote the North American LP release. Step Lively ultimately flopped commercially despite some good reviews.

In June 1981 Joe Camilleri disbanded the Falcons. Young and Power joined Rock Doctors, and Wilde formed his own band, Big Kombi. Camilleri, Burstin and Faehse then gathered a new rhythm section featuring bassist Simon Gyllies (Mondo Rock), and drummer Freddie Strauks (Skyhooks) and started exploring Latin American rhythms, particularly salsa. However, The 'Falcons' moniker was dropped around the time Faehse dropped out, and beginning in 1982, the act was known simply as Jo Jo Zep. The new Jo Jo Zep line-up soon expanded....

"I had a big hit with 'Taxi Mary' but that was without this band, and 'Walk On By', but it was too late really. I couldn't see myself playing in an 11 piece salsa band. It was only a minute in my life. I enjoyed the band and enjoyed the tour but I realised I didn't have my friends behind me anymore. I had to start again. Then I reunited with half the band at the start of what became The Black Sorrows". – Camilleri

Joe Camilleri

Joe Camilleri was a front man who knew no equal. He could blow your head clean off at a distance of 40 years. First time I recall Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons was at the La Trobe Uni Hall, when Joe was all over the stage; head in the drum kit, doing the splits, blowing solos like his life depended on it. Joe was a driven guy. He quit school early, worked dumb jobs that he wasn’t going back to. So when he was playing music there was no fall back position. Everything mattered. That meant the band could do a 20 minute version of King of Fools with Camilleri improvising this hysterical rom com in the middle section or a sublime 20 minute sax improvising “The Cthulhu” or if things could go badly then he might throw his guitar on the floor and storm out the back door with the band vamping on not knowing whether he was coming back. 

Often as not they played without a set list. Joe bought the jazz gimmick that a good show was determined by being in the moment. Nothing was ever really good enough for him either. He mastered one instrument and took up another. He was restless; he had an artistic twitch. I think he felt he had more to prove than most of his peers. I think he soaked up so much from his idols that he felt he had to find a different voice and he immersed himself in jazz and ska, in pop and R&B. Camilleri has been so deep into so many things that he is totally original. 

Above is the promotional video made to promote Dexterity, featuring excerpts of some of the Mini LP's tracks.  Only Joe Camilleri appears in the clips. Dexterity was the sixth studio album by Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. It was released in July 1981 and peaked at number 92 on the Australian Kent Music Report.

If you liked the clip then check out this Dexterity 10″ Mini LP for some of the most inventive R&B pop of the time or indeed his past 20 years. You won't regret it.

Ripped to FLAC from my priceless / pristine 10" vinyl, this post also includes full album artwork and label scans.

Tracklist

01 Sweet  (3:45)

02 Tighten Up  (3:23)

03 Flexible  (1:55)

04 Fallen Heroes  (3:45)

05 Nosey Parker  (3:17)

06 Johnny Kain  (2:54)

07 Fool Enough  (3:35)

08 Rub Up Push Up  (3:00)

09 Please Please Please  (1:12)

Band members:

Joe Camilleri - Vocals, Guitar, Sax

Jeff Burstin - Guitar, Vocals

John Power - Bass, Vocals

Gary Young - Drums, Vocals

Tony Faehse - Guitar, Vocals

Dexterity Link (154 Mb) New Link 19/11/2024

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Jo Jo Zep And The Falcons - Limited Edition Double Single (1980)

 Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song or album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

Joe Camilleri was born in Malta during 1948, the third of ten children. In 1964, he was singing with a band called The Brollies, then joined up with ex-Captain Matchbox member Dave Flett in the King Bees. After they split, Camilleri retired from rock'n'roll for a few years, resurfacing as leader of the Adderley Smith Blues Band in 1970. Two years later he was with Lipp & The Double Decker Brothers and, even later, toured WA mining towns with Flett and Skyhooks founder Peter Starkie — as Roger Rocket & The Millionaires.

In 1973, Joe Camilleri moved from Western Australia to Melbourne to play with The Sharks and then formed The Pelaco Brothers in 1974, who recorded a memorable EP (see previous post). This led to a brief association with Mushroom Records for the Christmas 1975 single "Run Run Rudolph" (as Jo Jo Zep), produced by Ross Wilson. Camilleri was then asked to open for Skyhooks at a Myer Music Bowl concert in Melbourne and recruited Gary Young, John Powers, Wayne Burt and Jeff Burstin. Thus was born Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, who debuted on vinyl with "Beatin' Around The Bush", which was featured in the film Oz.

This was followed by the 1977 albums 'Don't Waste It' and 'Whip It Out' produced by Ross Wilson, the live EP 'Loud And Clear' and a 10" mini-album 'So Young'.

The hard-blowing, hot-swinging Falcons were a distillation of a decade of diligently noncommercial urban blues bands. They stood their uncompromised ground until Australian rock caught up with them and then proceeded to blow everyone else offstage with contagious boogie of a relevant and intelligent nature. Highly regarded in diverse musical circles, they toured with Graham Parker & The Rumour and were invited to play at the 1980 Montreaux Jazz & Blues Festival, in the wake of the acclaimed 'Screaming Targets' album and two strong chart hits, "Hit and Run" and "Shape I'm In".

The band continued on its winning streak with the 1980 'Hats Off Step Lively' album and the hit single "I Will Return" which was the band's first attempt at using strings in a recording. In Joe's words 'We had a great arrangement for it and I had the whole song down and recorded apart from the very first bit which I just could not sing in tune for ages!'

This month's WOCK on Vinyl post features a limited edition Double Single package which contained two 45's from Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. The first 45 features two versions of "I Will Return", the A side is a track from Hats Off Step Lively album which was recorded at AAV studios in March, 1980, whilst the B side was recorded live at the bottomline nightclub, New York in July, 1980. The second 45 showcases the tracks "Don't Wanna Come Down" and "I Need Your Loving" which were both recorded live at the 1980 Montreux Jazz & Blues Festival held in Switzerland. This unique double single, four track package was strictly a limited edition release (selling for $1.99, the same price as a normal 45 at that time). To ensure that the two 45's were not sold separately by dodgy record outlets, Mushroom records printed "Bonus Single Not For Sale" on the 2nd 45's label.

 Because this double single had a limited number of pressings and rarely appears on eBay, it certainly ticks the Obscure check box for  being a WOCK on vinyl candidate.  This post consists of FLACs,  cover artwork and label scans taken from my prized vinyl. Although my copy is in almost mint condition, it was still necessary to increase the volume of the D-Side "I Need Your Loving", due to it's excessive length - 8:40.  This release is certainly worth grabbing, as you won't hear any of these live recordings elsewhere. 

Track Listing

Side A -  I Will Return (Studio)  3:20

Side B -  I Will Return (Live at the Bottomline nightclub, New York)  3:29

Side C -  Don't Wanna Come Down (Live At The Montreaux Jazz & Blues Festival)  3:26

Side D -  I Need Your Loving (Live At The Montreaux Jazz & Blues Festival)  8:40

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons Link (121Mb)

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Various Aussie Artists - Mushroom Evolution Concert (1982)

On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future. Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788.

With respect to Australia's Music Industry, we can be very proud of the contributions that our Aussie Musos have made in entertaining people from every nation with music and song, with many of our artists achieving world wide acclaim. Huge Concerts on the Australia Day long-weekend are something of a rock & roll tradition. 

In 1972, the Sunbury festival — our very own Woodstock — set the trend when 35,000 people camped out for three days on a site in country Victoria to watch the cream of Australian rock Daddy Cool, Max Merritt and the Meteors, Spectrum, Chain and, of course, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. The event was such a success that it became a regular on the rock & roll calendar for the following three years. The last Sunbury (1975) — which featured Deep Purple, Skyhooks, Sherbet, Madder Lake and the Dingoes — was marred by inclement weather. Its financial failure lolled the festival.

It wasn't until 1982 and the Mushroom Evolution concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne that Australia Day rock was revived. Over the two days of the event, over 100,000 people turned out to help Mushroom celebrate its tenth anniversary and watch the likes of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, Paul Kelly, Renee Geyer and Russell Morris. The original lineups of Chain and Madder Lake also reformed for the event. 

The following year, Narara '83 tried to revive the spirit of Sunbury with a three-day concert at Somersby, NSW, featuring Cold Chisel, Australian Crawl, INXS, the Angels and the Church. Despite its success, die festival took on a strong international focus the following year, headlining with Talking Heads, Eurythmics, Simple Minds and the Pretenders. In 1986, Australian Crawl kept the tradition alive: For their final show ever, they headlined an all-day gig at Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl. The following year, the Australian Made tour stole the limelight but it wasn't until 1992 when the Big Day Out was launched in Sydney (headlined by Nirvana and the Violent Femnes) that a regular event agajn branded its name on the weekend [Dino Scatena-Rolling Stone Magazine Sept 1994]

Myer Music Bowl - Evolution Concert 1982

To mark this Australia Day, I have decided to post the Mushroom Evolution Concert. I purchased this Triple LP when it was first released in 1982, mainly because it had one of my favourite Aussie bands featured (Madder Lake) however the album was also chocked full of some of Australia's finest artists.

Album Review

Almost one year after the two day concert at Melbourne Myer Music Bowl which drew more than 100,000 fans of Australian rock, this audio documentary of the Mushroom Evolution Concert was finally made available. Even allowing for the lavish and intelligent packaging, the lengthy delay was surprising. Still, this stunning triple album set was worth waiting for.

Mushroom and the late Michael Gudinski had already been the backbone of Australian rock for a decade and this tasty sampling of the label's history is remarkably diverse and exciting. From the techno-pop of MEO245, to the gritty blues of the original Chain, to the zany rock 'n' roll celebration of OL'55, to the familiar melodic strains of Madder lake, this is Australian rock at its best.

With generally excellent performances by those acts, along with Sunnyboys, Sports, Kevin Borich Express, Renee Geyer,, Rock Doctors, Milly Miller, Paul Kelly (without his Dots), stalwart Russell Morris, Mike Rudd and the Heaters, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Models, Dave & Derros and the Swingers this album is a vibrant, blockbusting delight. And with a pricetag of just $17.99, this live release was a bargain.  

As a special bonus, to close side six, the cream of the musicians from the various acts came together in a giant jam (overlorded by the irrepressible Wilbut Wilde) to bash away two classics - Stand By Me and Johnny B. Goode. For the icing on the cake, Mushroom 'old boys' Angry Anderson (ex Buster Brown) and Broderick Smith (ex Dingoes) handled lead vocals  [Review by Glenn A. Baker]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from the CD release (thanks to Sunshine) and consists of full album artwork for both vinyl and CD.     

To read a comprehensive coverage of the concert as reported by Donald Robertson in 1982 Feb edition of 'Roadrunner', take a look at the Roadrunner website  (thanks to Crossocean8).

Happy Australia Day and enjoy this great Aussie Rock

Tracklist

1-1 Billy Miller And The Great Blokes  - She Took My Heart

1-2 Dave And The Derros  – Nice Legs, Shame About The Face

1-3 Meo 245  – Other Places

1-4 Mike Rudd And The Heaters  – Love Comes, Love Goes

1-5 Mike Rudd And The Heaters  – Ill Be Gone

1-6 Swingers  – Counting The Beat

1-7 Kevin Borich Express  – Don't Let Go

1-8 Kevin Borich Express  – Can't Help It

1-9 Sunnyboys  – Trouble In Brain

1-10 Sunnyboys  – Birthday

1-11 Paul Kelly – Hand Me Down

1-12 Paul Kelly – Billy Baxter

1-13 Jo Jo Zep And The Falcons  – Love And Devotion

1-14 Jo Jo Zep And The Falcons  – You Don't Know

1-15 Models – Happy Birthday I.B.M.

1-16 Models – Local & or General

1-17 Rock Doctors  – Yes Indeed

1-18 Russell Morris And The Rubes  – In The Heat Of The Night

1-19 Russell Morris And The Rubes  – Roar Of The Wild Torpedoes

2-1 Madder Lake  – Goodbye Lollipop

2-2 Madder Lake  – Song For Ernest

2-3 Madder Lake  – 12lb. Toothbrush

2-4 The Sports  – How Come

2-5 The Sports  – Stop The Baby Talking

2-6 Chain – Black And Blue (Medley)

- Dust My Blues

- Blow In 'D'

- My Arse Is Black With Bourke Street

2-7 Chain –  I Remember When I Was Young

2-8 The Fives (OL'55)  – C'mon Let's Do It

2-9 The Fives (OL'55)  – On The Prowl

2-10 The Fives (OL'55)  – Goodnight Sweetheart

2-11 Renee Geyer And Friends  - Sitting In Limbo

2-12 Renee Geyer And Friends  – Say I Love You

2-13 Renee Geyer And Friend  – Heading In The Right Direction

2-14 The Jam – Stand Me By (Featuring – Broderick Smith)

2-15 The Jam – Johnny B. Goode (Featuring – Angry Anderson, Matt Taylor)

Mushroom Evolution Concert (1.07G)

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons - The Sound Of (1983)

(Australian 1975–1983, 2001-present)
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One of the more popular Australian bands of their day, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons was primarily a vehicle for frontman Joe Camilleri, who assembled the group in Melbourne in 1975. The band's lineup fluctuated regularly over the years; in addition to Camilleri, the nucleus consisted of guitarists Jeff Burstin and Tony Faehse, bassist John Power, saxophonist Wilbur Wilde and drummer Gary Young. At the outset, the Falcons were a gritty, sax-powered R&B unit -- a sound dominant on their 1976 debut LP 'Don't Waste It' -- but they remained wildly unpredictable in the years to follow, moving from genre to genre with ease. 'Whip It Out' appeared in 1977, with 1979's 'Let's Drip Awhile' continuing the trend of unsavory album titles; that same year, the Falcons moved to the Mushroom label, soon issuing the LP 'Screaming Targets'. However, after 1980's 'Hats Off Step Lively' fared poorly, the band kept a low profile for several years before announcing their retirement in 1983.
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Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, and primarily Joe Camilleri, will be remembered for their musical influences and styles. From 1975 to 1983 Joe investigated, invented and interpreted more avenues of music than most of his contemporaries and as you read below the entire history of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons evolves.

Joe Camilleri talks about each track

1. RHYTHM AND BLUES -1975-1977

"SECURITY":  O.Redding. 2.55. From "Don't Waste It".
Otis sounds like Bob Marley here. We did the film clip at Pentridge Gaol in the condemned area. In return we had to play a concert for all the lifers one afternoon and my usual stage patter started as it would normally; 'Good evening ladies and gentlemen'!

"DANCING SHOES": W.Burt. 5.03. From "Don't Waste It".
This is a traditional R&B song in the same vein as John Lee Hooker. I played saxophone, with Wayne Burt on vocals, who had written this song about five years before recording it.

"HONEYDRIPPER": Joe Liggins. 4.18. Live version available on "Loud & Clear" and "Let's Drip Awhile".
Falcons at their best playing Soul/R&B. This song has been with me all the way and we originally learnt it before recording the first album. It's a great vehicle for the sax and a live concert classic.

2. JOE'S FIRST SONGWRITING 1978-1980.

"SO YOUNG": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse 3.36 From "So Young" E.P.-1978.
I wrote this in Hawthorn. Melbourne and it was our first chart single. It's Reggae meets son of Blues, with many different time changes. It took the band a week to learn because it was so intricate and not like anything else we'd tried.

"HIT AND RUN": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 4.36. From "Screaming Targets" - 1979.
This is the start of producer Peter Solley in our lives. He'd seen us play with The Sports when he was here working with them. At the time I think he just wanted a holiday but he came over anyway! I'd sent a tape to him without "Hit and Run" on it but when he heard it in the studio he was sold on the Falcons and has been ever since.This is my most exciting record, every day was big; recording, releasing and playing it and the band were at their best.

"SHAPE I'M IN": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 3.30. From Screaming Targets" - 1979.
Peter Solley came to Australia to produce the Falcons on the strength of this song. It wasn't a giant hit but became a live monster with the crowds chanting the chorus. It used to happen all over the country, from Perth to Brisbane: it astounded us that the live version had taken on its own entity. Wilbur and I playing sax against each other. Tony's guitar solo is great.

3. POP-1980-1981.

"ALL I WANNA DO": Lilley/Cook. 3.02. From "Hats Off Step Lively" - 1980.
With the release of this and the "Hats Off" album, it was my most commercial time and it went well. The film clip was fun doing, with John Power's Roosevelt Dance and the monkey that sat on my head and tore hair out! Solley brought the song from England and already had the arrangement in his head and it fitted in with the songs I had written for the album. It had a sense of humour about it. We arrived home from overseas and every major radio station had picked it up which was magnificent.
Coincidentally, I met one of the co-writers in England, Cook, and he was the spitting image of Wayne Burt!

"PUPPET ON A STRING":  Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 3.31. From "Hats Off Step Lively" - 1980.
We were doing so well at this stage and I was happy when I wrote it. It has a pop beat and a good concept and it sees my own vocal style emerging, no longer sounding like anyone else.

"I WILL RETURN":  Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse.   3.19. From "Hats Off Step Lively" - 1980.
Here's the first attempt at using strings in the recording. We had a great arrangement for it and I had the whole song down and recorded apart from the very first bit which I just could not sing in tune for ages!

"SWEET": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 3.43. From "Dexterity" mini-album -1981.
This was recorded specifically to go on the second American album "Step Lively". I had realised by this time that we didn't have to record every year and "Sweet" was a radical departure from previous material using modern drum sounds, heavy metal guitar and falsetto vocals. It was also a radio disaster - they stayed away in droves It was this song that was the basis of, and made possible, the "Cha" album; a totally fresh approach.

4. LATIN BIG BAND 1982-1983 - Using all previous influences.

"TAXI MARY": Camilleri/Burstki Faehse. 3.43. From "Cha"-1982.
Written about the same time as "Sweet", it was the first time for me with a big band and it was so hard to produce the song live. Jane Clifton's falsetto vocals added colour and it became a good sing-along track. It stood on its own, apart from the "Cha" album and like "Hit and Run" I didn't play it to Solley until we were in the studio.

"WALK ON BY": Bacharach/David. 3.49. From "Cha" - 1982.
Peter Solley and I recorded this classic arrangement on our own and it is his best keyboard work ever. Once again it was a radical departure but a good follow on to "Taxi".

"SHERRIE"   Camilleri Kelly (3.46) Cha - 1982.
Paul Kelly and I have written half a dozen songs together Since the 'Screaming Targets' days and although we are from different styles musically writing with him is always a pleasure.
I had the melody and the basic chorus for Sherrie and Paul added the lyrics and expanded my writing concepts for songs.

"LOSING GAME": Camilleri/Gyllies. 4.29.
On single only. This nearly went on "Cha" but we decided on a single instead and it's the first single for us in America. I produced it with Eddie Raynor which could be a promising team for the future.

Michelle Higgins talks about Jo Jo Zep

While thriving on watching bands every day of the week, the greatest possible thing is to be hit by lightning. Going to a concert or to an hotel gig and without warning, seeing and hearing a band on stage that stops you in your tracks is one of the most pleasurable feelings and one exclusive to the music fan. When we talk of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons 1975-1983 we are really talking about Joe Camilleri, for even though in the beginning he was not the band instigator, he named the band and became the band leader.

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons' most important contribution to music is the multiplicity of brilliantly treated styles they pursued, from R&B through Soul, Rock, Reggae, Ska and Salsa. The Falcons have given audiences in Australia and overseas some of the best live concerts known to man. Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are worth getting hot and sweaty for. That saxophone belting into "Security", you can hear a pin drop during "Walk on By ", guitarists Jeff Burstin and Tony Faeshe singing higher than soprano vocals on "Sweet"!
There are very few places in Australia Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons haven't worked in the last eight years and they have always had a legion of fans who never tired of the tour campaigns. "F.F.F.F.Falcon Fanatic", "Your Town Our Target", "Falcons Lift-Off"- positive stuff.

Positive yes. The ongoing strive to let the world know about Joe Camilleri and Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons (not yet complete) has been a continual business by a large team of managers, record company people, media, agents, promoters, friends, crews, producers and engineers. And it's not often you've got all these people on the one side at once and all dedicated fans. Joe Camilleri is a man of great musical enterprise, initiative and knowledge that he doesn't hesitate to pass on to other musicians; and he also has the pizazz of a true star. For years the Falcons never had a song list on stage, Joe would just get to the end of a song, say "Hit and Run" and depending on the crowd feeling he would automatically throw the band into "Honey Dripper" or"Taxi Mary"!

A delight live and a recording success: gold albums, top ten singles and albums, awards and an ever-increasing audience. This album is designed as the complete guide to Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons: tracking stories, band changes, discographies. To get to the nucleus of the band however, its tremendous personalities and characters, the music really is the final word.Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were my favourite band. Joe Camilleri - a great musician and a gentleman. [Cover notes by Michelle Higgins]
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I have fond memories of seeing Jo Jo Zep play many of the tracks on this compilation, along with other hits such as "Girl Across The Street" and "Don't Wanna Come Down", on many occasions at La Trobe Uni, Bundoora back in 1977. They were a big favourite with the Uni crowds at the time and always produced an exciting stage show. Joe and Wilbur were certainly the show stoppers. I also had the privilege of seeing them play at other venues such as Bombay Rock and Martini's.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl copy that was recently given to me by a mate (thanks Ian). This completed my collection of Jo Jo Zep albums which I have being collecting since their conception, so I thought I'd share it here with you. Full album artwork for LP and CD are included along with label scans.
I have also included the two tracks listed previously as bonus tracks, the live version of "Girl Across The Street" taken from their 12" EP Live! Loud & Clear (see cover below) and "Don't Wanna Come Down" taken from 'Screaming Targets'. So get ya dancin' shoes on folks and get ready for some classic R & B, Soul, Rock, Reggae, Ska and Salsa, cause Joe and the boys are back in town.
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Track Listing

01 - The Honeydripper     4:01
02 - Dancing Shoes     5:03
03 - Security         2:53
04 - I Will Return     3:20
05 - All I Wanna Do     3:04
06 - Sweet         3:44
07 - So Young         3:35
08 - Losing Game     5:16
09 - Shape I'm In     3:31
10 - Hit & Run         3:44
11 - Puppet On A String 3:32
12 - Walk On By     3:49
13 - Taxi Mary         3:59
14 - Sherrie         3:39
15 - Girl Across The Street (Bonus Live) 5:26
16 - Don't Wanna Come Down (Bonus)     3:23
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Jo Jo Zep were:
----------- 1975 --------
Joe Camilleri (Vocals, Sax)
Jeff Burstin (Guitars, Vocals)
Wayne Burt (Guitars, Songwriting)
John Power (Bass, Vocals)
Gary Young (Drums)
----------1977 -----------
Wilbur Wilde (Sax, Vocals)
Tony Faehse (Guitar, Vocals)
---------- 1982 ----------
Simon Gyllies (Bass, Vocals)
Fred Strauks (Drums)
---------- 1982/83 -------
Jane Clifton (Vocals)

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Jo Jo Zep FLACs Link (387Mb)
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Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons - Mainstreet Cabaret (1980) Bootleg

(Australian 1975–1984, 2001-present)
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The hardest working man in Oz rock was Joe Camilleri, front man for Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons. Camilleri started with blues band King Bees while a teenager, moved to The Pelaco Bros and was a key figure in the Melbourne music scene in the '70's. He had tastes that ranged from Charles Parker through soul and reggae. His enthusiasm on stage was as boundless as his influences. Originally signed to Ross Wilson's label OZ in 1975, and then to Mushroom, The Falcons delivered inspired live performances and great records.
[Glenn A. Baker Archive]

Traveling back from touring in England, Jo Jo Zep called in at New Zealand on the 4th August, to play a one off concert at the Mainstreet Cabaret, while on their way back to Australia, finally arriving home on the 6th August. They then undertook a 7 week tour of Australia and then headed off to the States for another tour to promote their 'Hats Off Lively' album [ details from Countdown Interview with Jo Jo Zep, 3rd August London]. This post is a bootleg recording of this concert.
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Biography
The Pelaco Brothers were the seminal Melbourne band. On their demise in 1975, they spawned Melbourne's response to the punk revolution — the frantic Joe Camilleri and the romantic Stephen Cummings (from the Sports). They helped make Melbourne the capital of Australian rock in the late '70s.
As a live act, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were unbeatable. Joe Camilleri, is the son of Maltese immigrants. Camilleri could barely read when he quit school as a teenage bass guitarist to play the blues in The King Bees. Camilleri quickly moved to the horn section with his saxophone which put him in great demand with a number of Carlton rock bands in the early 1970s. When The Pelaco Brothers split he formed an R&B group called 'Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons'. The songwriting was from guitarist Wayne Burt while Daddy Cool alumnus Gary Young sat behind the kit.

Camilleri was like a man possessed by ambition. He was always somewhat modest, possibly to the point of insecurity, about his own abilities so he drove himself right to the limit of any opportunity. His knowledge of music was exhaustive from Charlie Parker's be-bop through the entire Rolling Stones catalogue, soul, jazz or anything with a melody. He expected the same standards of his bandmates.
On stage Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were unbeatable, largely through the efforts of the group's singer. He jumped. He pounded. He stuck his head in the bass drum. He sweated and slaved for an audience. They never worked with a set list and could just as easily venture off into a fifteen-minute monologue about the nature of love during King of Fools or quite like a twenty-minute jazz improvisation. On a good night The Falcons could stretch the set to three hours of frantic R&B, but on a bad night Camilleri could just as easily throw a tantrum and march off the stage and into the Bondi night.
Having mastered the sax he moved on to guitar, keyboards and production. From playing R&B he went to disco, jazz, zydeco, pop.

In that sense Camilleri was a quintessential Victorian. Melbourne's music culture has always been more sophisticated than elsewhere in Australia. There is a place for almost any taste and an enjoyment of music's heritage that exists in Melbourne like nowhere else.
Mostly this phenomenon is due to the efforts of David Pepperell and Keith Glass who opened and operated import stores to cater to a wide variety of tastes. Throughout the '70s, Melbourne was an eclectic town where musicians dabbled in film and theatre and supported each other's bands. Anything was available from Ross Hannaford's mystic reggae band Billy-T, art-rock from The Bleeding Hearts to the feminist agit-pop of Stiletto, whose lyrics were penned by novelist Helen Garner. In the spirit of co-operation, Joe Camilleri and Martin Armiger helped out an old Adelaide friend, Paul Kelly, with his first album, Talk.
Original Pelaco Brothers Peter Lillie and Johnny Topper kept up the kitsch side of the Pelacos' style with a series of outfits that celebrated the kitsch side of modern Australia, generally to the tune of a country guitar. The style was dubbed 'ockerbilly' and some fine records (particularly from The Autodrifters) were made.
The other pillar of the Melbourne establishment was Keith Glass' partner in the Missing Link record store, Ross Wilson.

After the success of Daddy Cool and Skyhooks, Wilson was the king of Melbourne. His group Mighty Kong failed and he took a back seat from performance. EMI offered him his own record label, in partnership with Glenn Wheatley with the imaginative name of Oz Records. He signed the Falcons and produced their first album.

Their debut album 'Don't Waste It' is distinguished by the witty songwriting from Burt and the thoroughly polished performance from the band. Camilleri, however, hated the producer's studio perfectionism. He felt the record was stilted—and so did the public. The Falcons' real magic only ever came out on stage. Camilleri himself was a soulful dynamo, to match Johnny O'Keefe even, whose drive to succeed powered the group. A lack of chart success only drove him harder. Falcons' shows could be volatile, but the band meetings afterward could be far more so.
Camilleri's instincts paid off though as the group became one of the highest drawing acts of the decade on the basis of minimal airplay. [extract from The Real Thing, 1957-Now, by Toby Creswell & Martin Fabinyi, 1999. p114-116]

Despite the role call of bands Camilleri has led over the past few decades, and the rotating line-ups of each, he insists he not that restless musically.

“Not really. I think sometimes it’s pretty hard to play under the same badge, sometimes you wanna do something a little bit different. I cast a pretty wide net. I guess my interest in jazz music and free jazz, and pop music and all these things – maybe I’m a bit left of centre to a lot of people these days but I always thought it was part and parcel of what you do. Sometimes you’re playing with people who… for instance in Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, I didn’t realise how good they were until recently. I always liked playing in that band, but they didn’t wanna go anywhere, they just wanted to play R&B music, and the only reason they had a few hits was ‘cos I wrote a few songs that were a bit different, with the reggae stuff and so on.

“But they didn’t really want to go there, I just dragged them there, and you can only drag people for so long before you say ‘look, I’m happy for the hits and all that, but I have to cut myself loose ‘cos it’s not really what I signed up for, you know.’
[Extract from Interview with Shane Pinnegar from the 100% Rock Magazine, 2013]
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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) taken from a taped radio broadcast of this one off concert at the Mainstreet Cabaret in New Zealand, on the 4th August 1980. Album artwork is provided, thanks to the artistic talents of WoodNet at Midoztouch2 (cheers Woody).  This is a great concert capturing the band firing on all barrels and features a full anthology of all their early hits and excellent sound quality. This is one bootleg not to be missed.

Track Listing

01 - Hit & Run
02 - Only The Lonely Hearted
03 - Puppet On A String
04 - Security
05 - Close To The Bone
06 - So Young
07 - Not A Woman, Not A Child
08 - Billy Baxter
09 - Rudy
10 - Shape I’m In
11 - All I Wanna Do
12 - Hand Me Down
13 - Don’t Keep It Up
14 - Don’t Go
15 - Don’t Wanna Come Down
16 - Open Hearted
17 - The Honeydripper

Jo Jo Zep were:
Joe Camilleri: Vocals, Sax, Guitar
Jeff Burstin: Guitar, Vocals
Tony Faehse: Guitar, Vocals
John Power: Bass, Vocals
Wilbur Wilde: Sax, Vocals
Gary Young: Drums, Vocals

Jo Jo Zep Link (159Mb)  New Link 23/12/2023

Jo Jo Zep - Cha (1982) + Bonus Single

(Australian 1975–1984, 2001-present)
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Joe Camilleri, saxophonist, producer, songwriter, vocalist, bandleader and conceptualise has a distinct aversion to fame and the restrictions of a high public profile. He prefers to make music when and how he likes it, for whomever might be listening at the time. Sometimes that approach sells large numbers of records and sometimes it slips right by the public unnoticed, either way, the mature outpourings of Joe's 'musical sponge' approach are never less than engaging and often inspiring.
Every time Camilleri enters a recording studio he pays witting or unwitting tribute to his heroes. The most obvious, and enduring, are Van Morrison and Mink De Ville but the other tinges are unmistakable — Chuck Berry, Clifton Chenier, Ray Charles, Bobby Womack, Jacob Miller, Otis Redding, Don Covay and John Lee Hooker. "You have to deal with your influences", muses Joe, "but if you learn your craft listening to the best people in the world, you can't go too far wrong. At the moment I'm trying very hard, vocally, to just sound like myself  but in the end I'm a music fan and that can be quite a passionate thing."
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Camilleri was born in Malta during 1948, the third of ten children. In 1964 he was singing with a band called The Brollies, then joined up with ex-Captain Matchbox member Dave Flett in the King Bees. After they split, Camilleri retired from rock'n'roll for a few years, resurfacing as leader of the Adderley Smith Blues Band in 1970. Two years later he was with Lipp & The Double Decker Brothers and, even later, toured WA mining towns with Flett and Skyhooks founder Peter Starkie — as Roger Rocket & The Millionaires. Back in Melbourne, Camilleri played with The Sharks and then The Pelaco Brothers, who recorded a memorable EP. This led to a brief association with Mushroom Records for the Christmas 1975 single "Run Run Rudolph" (as Jo Jo Zep), produced by Ross Wilson. Camilleri was then asked to open for Skyhooks at a Myer Music Bowl concert in Melbourne and recruited Gary Young, John Powers, Wayne Burt and Jeff Burstin. Thus was born Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, who debuted on vinyl with "Beatin' Around The Bush", which was featured in the film Oz.

Joe Camilleri & Jane Clifton (Coundown 1982)

This was followed by the 1977 albums 'Don't Waste It' and 'Whip It Out' produced by Ross Wilson, the live EP 'Loud And Clear' and a 10" mini-album 'So Young'. Around this time Joe nurtured a promising Melbourne band called The Sports, which had also grown out of the legendary Palaco Brothers, and produced their debut album, 'Reckless'. He also encouraged a developing songwriter called Paul Kelly, by cutting a number of his songs.
The hard-blowing, hot-swinging Falcons were a distillation of a decade of diligently noncommercial urban blues bands. They stood their uncompromised ground until Australian rock caught up with them and then proceeded to blow everyone else offstage with contagious boogie of a relevant and intelligent nature. Highly regarded in diverse musical circles, they toured with Graham Parker & The Rumour and were invited to play at the 1980 Montreaux Jazz Festival, in the wake of the acclaimed 'Screaming Targets' album and two strong chart hits, "Hit and Run" and "Shape I'm In".
The band continued on its winning way with the 'Hats Off Step Lively' album and 'Dexterity' mini-LP but by 1982, Joe had dispensed with The Falcons and was in the upper reaches of the charts with "Taxi Mary", as plain Jo Jo Zep. The 'Cha' album moved Joe away from straight R&B into elements of jazz, latin big band, reggae, zydeco, ska and salsa. He hit the road with an ambitious 11-piece brass-heavy band, including vocalist Jane Clifton and in 1983 undertook the Work Imperative tour with Cherine (sister of I'm Talking's Zan) and fellow Van Morrison freak Joe Creighton. [extract from "External Combustion" by Glenn A Baker, 1990. p146-147]
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Album Review
(Coundown Magazine Vol 7 Jan 1983)
In the November issue of the Countdown Magazine we checked out the half of the Falcons that transformed themselves into the Rock Doctors. Now we come to half of the band who stayed by Joe Camilleri's side as he set about forging a new direction. And new is the operative word.
Joe's third album with producer Pete Solley finds him breaking away from his R&B base and exploring reggae, jazz, techno-pop, Joe Jackson-type big ballads. Caribbean rhythms and more. The result is a heady potpourri, a frothy brew of style and substance. The strong vocal contributions of Jane Clifton give this work a dimension that was not possible during the days of the Falcons.
At the same time,we have lost the Falcon's incomparable handling of surging rhythm and blues and white soul. Still, in the interests of progression, the tradeoff has been worthwhile.
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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from CD (thanks to Motcher76 at Midoztouch) and full album artwork for both LP and CD. I am also including as a bonus track the non-album B-Side to the single Taxi Mary called "This Is Our Time". Cha was a very different style of album to Joe's earlier releases with the Falcons, and I must admit, took me some to appreciate. Although I preferred his earlier 'dance music' with the Falcons, I now understand that change was important to Joe and his final evolution into the Black Sorrows was imminent.  Hope ya enjoy this album and when I get time, I might start posting some of his earlier material as Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons.
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Track Listing:
01 - Walk On By
02 - Taxi Mary
03 - Sherrie
04 - Slave For Love
05 - You're Gonna Get It Boy
06 - Lonely Man
07 - Man Is Just A Boy
08 - Spirit Of The Land
09 - Can't Decide
10 - This is Our Time (Bonus B-Side Single)
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Jo Jo Zep were:
Vocals, Saxophone, Clarinet, Organ, Design – Joe Camilleri
Bass – Simon Gyllies
Drum – Linn LM-1
Guitar, Mandolin – Jeff Burstin
Percussion – Des McKenna
Keyboards – Peter Solley
Additional vocals - Jane Clifton
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Jo Jo Zep Link (98Mb)
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Various Artists - Long Live The Evolution (The Best of DoubleJay)

(Australian Bands 1976/77)
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Now here's another true rarity, especially for those outside of Sydney. This is an album of specially recorded live performances by a wide range of popular Australian acts of the mid 70's. It was only ever given away as a prize to listeners to the then new and groundbreaking station DOUBLEJAY (2JJ). Some of these tracks (ie Jeff St John's) which is just brilliant, were never recorded and are unavailable in any other version elsewhere. It also holds the only recording by Adelaide band Tomlin and live recording of Pantha.

2JJ started broadcasting in Jan 1975 on an old ABC standby transmitter
They dived headlong into the stagnant pool of Australian radio and tried with varying degrees of success to stir the waters for a while; to continue the metaphor, to avoid drowning.
2JJ's programming philosophy was to play a broad area of rock/pop/blues/jazz/folk music that you could call “contemporary”, and at the same time remembering the roots of this music, and presenting news, comedy and features for the “young people” the ABC asked them to cater for.
They had several programmers, who listened to music and put records into neat little piles for their disc-jockeys to play on the radio.
Often the disc-jockeys got very artistic, referring to themselves as announcers or broadcasters, and spent hours blending the great sounds at that time, the hits of tomorrow with fascinating information, scintillating wit and sometimes remembering to read out the time.
Other times they came in late, suffering from the after effects of doing various naughty things, and played whatever was lying on the studio floor.

The “Creative Radio”, as they called it, was necessary because 2JJ played music for its own sake, rather than joining in with the old-fashioned Top 40 concept.
Some of them (well all of them, actually) had pretty strange and varied tastes, but what they did have in common was a desire to hear music as it was being played in Australia, day at that time.
So with their 16 track mobile studio, plus a few nice indoor studios at the ABC, 2JJ recorded the bands, singers, players and songwriters that they thought had talent or something to say or potential or any of the things that their publicists would one day claim to have known about all along.

2JJ had a lot of faith in Australian music, not just as a commercial product (good luck, get rich on it if you can), but as a continuing and developing part of all our lives. Long live the evolution !

The rip included here was taken from Vinyl in FLAC format and contains original album artwork. (Thanks to Sunshine for the FLACs)
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Track Listings

01 Skyhooks - Party To End All Parties
02 Dragon - Blacktown Boogie
03 Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons - If It's Love You Want You Can Count On Me
04 Pantha - Rushcutter Bay Heartbeat Reggae
05 Jeff St. John - I Can Hardly Wait For Summer
06 Renee Geyer - It's Been A Long Time
07 AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
08 Ariel - Keep On Dancing
09 Tomlin - 65 Directory
10 Radio Birdman - Burned My Eye
11 Feather - Free And Easy
12 Finch - Short Changed Again

Long Live The Evolution FLACS (306Mb) New link 12/11/2024