W.O.C.K On Vinyl: The Seekers - We Saw It All With Trans Tours - Promo 45 (1976)

 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.

In 1975, Bruce Woodley reunited with The Seekers (who had undergone a short hiatus when Judith Durham left the band), composed of fellow original members Athol Guy and Keith Potger, and 23-year-old Dutch-born Louisa Wisseling (a semi-professional folk singer formerly with Melbourne band The Settlers). In a February 1975, a newspaper article appeared about the group’s reunion, Louisa revealed that Bruce had approached her at a 1974 Settlers concert at Ferntree Gully’s Swagman Restaurant with an offer to join the group, and she originally turned him down.

The new group recorded two albums and a number of singles, some of which, like “The Nimble Song” and “I Saw It All With Trans Tours” (both written by Woodley) reflected the boys’ other careers in advertising. Woodley’s composition “The Sparrow Song” became the group’s biggest 1970s hit and remains to this day the highest-charting Seekers single written by a member of the group.

Other tracks he contributed to this line-up included “Giving and Takin'” (the title track of their second album), “Can We Learn to Get Along” (which began life as a solo recording for the TV documentary series Shell’s Australia, and was released by Bruce on flexi-disc), “Reunion”, “Country Ros”, “Standing on Shaky Ground” (featuring Bruce on vocals which he felt were too low for him, but were impossible for Louisa to sing for the same reason), and “The Rose and the Briar”.

The Seekers also released a promo single for the Trans Tours corporation in 1976 to assist with the promotion of their cruise destinations to New Zealand and Fiji. The EMI double sided single was entitled "We Saw It All With Trans Tours" with the A-Side's lyrics customised for the New Zealand market and the B-Side's for Fiji. Both songs written by Bruce Woodley and both feature the Seekers trademark harmony sound. Although not documented, I would guess that the Seekers may have worked aboard on some of these early cruises to help promote their own reunion. If any blog followers who may have used Trans Tours back in the 70's could confirm this, I would love to hear from you.

In 1977, Bruce Woodley left the group and was replaced by Buddy England. He continued to focus on song-writing and advertising, producing many TV jingles including one for Courage beer. His first, back in 1971 was a solo (advertising) single called “The ANZ Bank Travelling Man” (previously posted HERE ), and was given out free to employees of that institution as part of the promotion. [extract from apumone.com]

This month's WOCK post features a 45 that I found buried in amongst a pile of records at my local flee market, that I suspect was sourced from a deceased estate. The 45 was in pristine condition, although it was housed in a white jacket and was missing the distinct orange cover (shown above). I only paid $1 for this prize find.  There are currently 2 copies for sale on eBay selling for $60-$67 respectively. Due to the specific purpose of the single and its limited pressing, it certainly ticks the Obsure box for this month's WOCK on Vinyl posting.   Ripped to FLAC and includes label scans.

Seekers Trans Tours Promo Single Link (39Mb)
New Link 18/11/2024

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Various Aussie Artists - Aussie Coca-Cola Commercials 60's - 70's

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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.

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Advertising slogans are a part of everyday life for consumers around the world, and Coca-Cola has produced some great ones throughout their 130+ year history.

Coke's very first ad was published in the Atlanta Journal newspaper on May 29, 1886, a few short weeks after the drink was first served in Jacobs’ Pharmacy. The ad featured one of their longest-running slogans: “Delicious and Refreshing.” Those two words appeared on almost every ad or piece of merchandise (trays, clocks, etc.) until 1920.

 In the mid-1890s, The Coca-Cola Company hired Massengale Advertising of Atlanta. They produced very elegant advertising for the company featuring slogans like “Coca-Cola is a Delicious Beverage, Delightfully in Harmony With the Spirit of All Outings,” “The Great National Temperance Drink,” or “Coca-Cola Revives and Sustains.”

While these wordy slogans were in line with the advertising of the day, the company’s president, Asa Candler, and head of advertising, Samuel Candler Dobbs, spotted the trend toward national magazine advertising with the standardisation of four-colour printing, which rendered more visually dynamic ads than their black-and-white predecessors.

To produce this enhanced advertising, Candler and Dobbs hired the D’Arcy agency from St. Louis. D’Arcy was significant in helping to create a brand identity for Coca-Cola. W.C. D’Arcy was associated with Coca-Colafor the next four decades (he even served on the Board of Directors for a time) until his retirement in 1945.

Together with his creative director, Archie Lee, he crafted some of the greatest slogans in advertising history. While “Delicious and Refreshing” was part of the plan D’Arcy’s first big change was to add an arrow to all the advertising and packaging while adding the slogan, “Whenever You See an Arrow, Think of Coca-Cola.”

Their longest-running tagline, “The Pause That Refreshes” (1929),
was used in one form or another for almost three decades.

 In 1907 they added the slogans “Good to the Last Drop,” (yes, we beat Maxwell House with this one) to the advertising. The team hit their stride by the 1920s when they created the “Thirst Knows No Season” (1922) and our longest-running tagline, “The Pause That Refreshes” (1929). That campaign was used in one form or another for almost three decades.

Advertising began to change after World War II, when music and sung jingles played an increasingly important role in campaigns. Slogans became shorter to fit into a catchy melody.

By 1955, Coca-Cola began to look for another agency who specialised in the modern radio and television advertising. In 1956, McCann Erickson was named the lead worldwide advertising agency for Coca-Cola.  The changes in advertising were dramatic, and when the McGuire Sisters sang “Be Really Refreshed,” the company was aligned with the times. 

In 1963, Bill Backer, creative director for McCann, penned the jingle “Things Go Better with Coke,” and had the Limeliters record a demo in a run-down apartment on 57th Street in New York City.  Backer had to splice together several tapes, and you could still hear several flaws in the recording. The company loved it and used that demo for the next six years! Backer also developed the slogan, “It’s the Real Thing,” for which he and his team wrote “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” in 1971.

By 1993, with the constant evolution of advertising, The Coca-ColaCompany once again switched agencies. We hired CAA (Creative Artists Agency) to develop ads for Coca-Cola. CAA would hire the best and brightest producers and directors in the field to produce ads based on the slogan, “Always Coca-Cola” (1993). Luminaries like Ken Stewart (the mastermind behind the iconic Coca-Cola Polar Bears) and Rob Reiner created the ads, and the jingle became an instant classic.

Ken Stewart was the mastermind behind the iconic Coca-Cola Polar Bears.

Animated ads have always been a staple of Coca-Cola advertising, and the “Coke Side of Life” (2006) and “Open Happiness” (2009) campaigns featured some of the best the company has ever produced, including “Grand Theft Auto,” “It’s Mine” and “Happiness Factory.”

Slogans, by their very nature, are supposed to be “mindstickers” or “earworms.” The purpose of advertising is to make people associate a slogan with a brand. Coca-Cola is fortunate to have had some of the greatest creative talent in advertising work on our marketing. While the fictional Don Draper from Mad Men could always come up with a slogan, in the real world, industry giants like W. C. D’Arcy, Archie Lee and Bill Backer produced some of the greatest slogans, jingles and ads of all time.  [Article by Ted Ryan (director of Heritage Communications for Coca-Cola) and sourced from Coca-Cola's Website with thanks].

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Because 'Things Go Better With Coke' - including music, I've decided to share with you some fairly Obscure Aussie Coke Jingles from the 60's & 70's for this month's W.O.C.K on Vinyl Post.  Oh, and by the way, as a bonus I've made it Sugar Free as well !   Thanks to WoodyNet for the RIP and Sunshine for a late addition with some bonus tracks by The New Seekers.  All files are in FLAC 

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Track Listing

01-Bee Gees 1

02-Bee Gees 2

03-The Valentines

04-Billy Thorpe

05-Sherbet

06-Brian Cadd

07-Doug Parkinson

08-Dragon

09-Ronnie Burns

10-Easybeats 1

11-Easybeats 2

12-Johnny Farnham

13-The Executives

14-The Groove

15-The Seekers 1

16-The Seekers 2

17-The Twilights

18-Normie Rowe

19-Alison Durbin

20-New Seekers 1

21-New Seekers 2

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Aussie Coca Cola Commercials (107Mb) New Link 18/11/2024

The Seekers - Live On (1989)

(Australian 1962-68, 1975-90, 1992-Present)
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The Seekers were a group of Australian folk-influenced popular musicians that was formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were a highly popular band during the 1960s.
They had nine hits in Britain and Australia in the 1960s: "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "The Carnival Is Over" (which The Seekers have sung at various closing ceremonies in Australia, including Expo '88 and the Paralympics and still stands as the 30th Best Selling Song in the United Kingdom), "Someday One Day", "Walk With Me", "Morningtown Ride", "Georgy Girl" (the title song of the film of the same name), "When Will the Good Apples Fall" and "Emerald City".
[extract from wikipedia]
Their best-known configuration was:
* Judith Durham: lead vocals, piano, tambourine
* Athol Guy: double bass, vocals
* Keith Potger: twelve string guitar, banjo, vocals
* Bruce Woodley: guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals
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Later members:
Buddy England (vocals, guitar) 1973-77, replaced Bruce Woodley
Lisa Wisseling (vocals) 1973-81
Julie Anthony (vocals) 1989-90
Karen Knowles (vocals) 1990
Peter Robinson (bass, vocals) 1978-81, replaced Athol Guy
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Riding with the success of other folk acts Peter Paul & Mary, they enjoyed colossal success in the UK, Europe and the USA. The Seekers were far and away Australia's biggest musical export of the decade and for the better part of two years their success as a singles band rivaled that of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The Seekers are also a particularly interesting case study for music historians. They are sometimes marginalised in accounts of Australian "rock" history because, as Ian McFarlane points out, they were "too pop to be considered strictly folk and too folk to be rock". Their popularity crossed all boundaries and their success far outstripped that of any other Australian group in either field. Today they remain one of the most enduringly popular and successful Australian groups of the 20th century. [extract from Milesago]
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The Story Behind 'Live On'
As Australia's Bi Centennial World Expo in Brisbane drew to a close in 1988, the producers of the farewell concert settled on the song that would help create an unforgettable grand finale to the nation's greatest Festival. The Seeker's all time classic "The Carnival Is Over" certainly filled the bill. It evoked the mood and feelings required for Expo's last contact with both visitors and staff.
The televised event would also embrace Australia in Expo's last magical moments. The producers reflected on how best to present this soul-stirring finish. Obviously with the The Seekers themselves, but each was now happily pursuing their independent, individual lifestyle
Julie Anthony was already committed to perform during the closing ceremony. The producers could count on her incomparable voice and presence to bring the song and its meaningful lyrics to the heights they deserved for the dramatic farewell. Julie didn't know that the producers had again contacted the original members of the Seekers, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger were asked to name the voice that would finally convince them to come together in performance of song.
Their answer was short and sweet. Julie Anthony.
Julie loved the idea - The Seeker's music had always held a special meaning for her.
• The producers rejoiced.
• The song was performed.
• The audience roared their approval.
• The Expo closed with a magnificent swansong.
And the world briefly welcomed back the refreshed and still unique sound of Australia's first truly international musical group

After that momentous night, events moved swiftly. And there were some crucial questions on everyone's minds.
• Was there a project worthy of a more permanent bond of The Seekers legendary music, Julie's brilliant voice and the original Seekers themselves?
• Was there new and original "Seekers" music available to record so those magnificent melodies and harmonies could re-created for today's audience?
Would this musical marriage also suit Julie's future career directions?
• Was there an audience still looking for music of fun, hope and optimism, mirroring life's real moments, without gimmicks, but full of quality and meaning?
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With Julie's sparkling presence the Seeker's and their music would, indeed... LIVE ON
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Into this unique 'Australian-Made" project, prepared and produced for ultimate presentation as a stage musical, came the unconditional moral and financial support of Australia's Pioneer Electronics, old friends of the Seekers and great admirers of Julie.
Pioneer instantly committed to underwrite tie costs of producing this album. Polygram moved quickly to sign The Seekers to new international recording agreements. The "Australian-Made" group are supporting the project with all their resources, both within Australia and internationally, in conjunction with the Australian Tourist Commission.
The Australian Broadcasting Coporation are planning a series on Television for the group
The total project will be a unique international joint venture, combining the marketing skills of all the participants in order to export the project to all parts of the globe.
The Seekers' musical carnival may have indeed once seemed over. Now, with Julie, Athol, Keith and Bruce, The Seekers and their unique music achieve new heights of appreciation world wide.
We are proud to present you with this collection of brillant and original material. The combination of freshly recorded Seekers classics with new material ensures that a legendary Australian musical story will certainly - LIVE ON!
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OK - so this isn't really a 'rock' posting but hey - as a young boy I have fond memories of listening to The Seekers on the radio and grew up on classics such as "Georgy Girl", "World Of Our Own" and "Morningtown Ride". So, here's my rip of 'Live On' taken from an 'out of print' CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork.
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Track Listing

01 - Prelude (Live On)
02 - The Streets Of Serenade
03 - I'll Never Find Another You
04 - Georgy Girl
05 - Building Bridges
06 - Love Is Me Love Is You
07 - Come The Day
08 - The Carnival Is Over
09 - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
10 - Some Day One Day
11 - Taking My Chances With You
12 - Morningtown Ride
13 - Time And Again

14 - Keep A Dream In Your Pocket
15 - Here I Am
16 - World Of Our Own
17 - How Can A Love So Wrong Be So Right
18 - Sparrow Song
19 - House Of Cards
20 - Red Rubber Ball
21 - When Will The Good Apples Fall
22 - Live On
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The Seekers Link (128Mb) New Link 06/05/2020
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