Peter Nelson And The Castaways - 1967 - Skye Boat Song @320

 A Little Lovin' Somethin'/At A Time Like This/Goin Out Of My Mind/Skye Boat Song



 Peter Nelson and the Castaways originated from Christchurch. Peter's real name was Peter Trebilcock. They appeared on the local TV show "Teen Scene" there before basing themselves in Wellington. With this original line-up they recorded two singles "Baby Can I Take You Home"/"I'll Never Be Blue" and "Down The Road Apiece"/"I'll Go Crazy" in 1965. They were good examples of R&B from that time. Unlike other New Zealand bands of the era the Castaways chose to mine a rich vein of obscure tracks of R&B and mixed them with their own originals.

It was the next single that they were best known for. It was "Down In The Mine"/"So Don't Go". "Down In The Mine" was written by Peter Hindmarsh, who was the bass player for the Wellington band, the Premiers, in the early sixties. Around this time Doug Rowe, from Palmerston North's Saints, replaced Don Clarkson on bass in 1965. 

 One more single was released, "Goin' Out Of My Mind"/"Skye Boat Song", before the group left for Australia in 1966. Following the groups arrival in Australia, Peter Nelson left them to find fame as a solo artist, heading to the lucrative scene in Hong Kong. Peter was replaced by a new vocalist called Frankie Stevens, brother of Jon Stevens and they changed their name to the Castaways.

There were still two singles to be released as Peter Nelson and the Castaways. They were "Knock On Wood"/"Old Man Mose" and "At A Time Like This"/"A Little Lovin' Somethin' ", both released in 1967. As the Castaways they released the singles "Any Little Bit"/"Early Morning" in 1967 and "One More Fool"/"Baby What I Mean" and "Angelica"/"Love Is A Hurtin' Thing"  for EMI in Australia before returning to New Zealand in 1968. During their time in Australia, Len Ormsby was replaced by Reno Tehei, Doug Petrie by ex-Twilights drummer Laurie Pryor, and Peter Gillette by Lance Dixon.

Peter Nelson had previously been in another Christchurch group called the Diamonds, along with a number of others from the Castaways. The Diamonds consisted of Ray Messervy on bass, Don Clarkson on guitar, Doug Petrie on drums, David Henderson on guitar, Kay Bassett on vocals as well as Peter on vocals. They released one single in 1963 called "Ventures In Paradise"/"Lucille".

Don Clarkson had also been with Don Clarkson and the Wildcats, another Christchurch group consisting of Bevan Littler on piano, Elton Burgess on bass, Russ Thompson on drums, Don on guitar and vocals and Brian Ringrose, of Invaders and Dave Miller and the Byrds fame, on lead guitar. They also released one single in 1963 called "Pretty Baby"/"Somewhere".

Peter Gillette went on to play with the Chapta, the Footsteps and Moviez.

After the Castaways dissolved, Len Ormsby and Doug Petrie joined up with Peter Gillette on keyboards, Ben Kaika, now from Compulsion, and a girl singer called Toni, in a new group called the Traque

Redgum - 1984 - Four Play FLAC

 I Was Only Nineteen/I've Been To Bali Too/The Long Run/The Drover's Dog


Redgum was an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals and Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were soon joined by Chris Timms on violin. All four had been students at Flinders University and together developed an intensely passionate and outspoken outlook. They are best known for their protest song exploring the impact of war in 1983's "I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk in the Light Green)", which peaked at #1 on the National singles charts. The song is in the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) list of Top 30 of All Time Best Australian Songs created in 2001.

Redgum also covered Australian consumer influences on surrounding nations in 1984's "I've Been To Bali Too", both hit singles were written by Schumann. "The Diamantina Drover", written by Timms' replacement, violinist/vocalist Hugh McDonald and "Poor Ned", written by Trevor Lucas of Fairport Convention, are examples of their bush songs. Lucas produced their best performed album, the June 1983 live LP Caught in the Act, which peaked at #3 on the National albums chart. Schumann left the band and pursued a solo career from 1986, Atkinson left in 1987 and Redgum finally disbanded in 1990

 

 

Dig Richards - 1961 - You Gotta Love Me FLAC UPGRADE

 You Gotta Love Me/Quarrels (Are A Sad Thing)/Alice (In Wonderland)/My Little Lover



This EP consists of three singles 1960's "My Little Lover"/"Quarrels (Are a Sad Sad Thing)" which reached #23 on the Kent Music Report. "You Gotta Love Me" #93 Kent Music Report and "Alice (In Wonderland)" #54 Kent Music Report and #33 on Sydney Radio Station 2UE also both from 1960.

Dig Richards - 1962 - Out Of The Groove FLAC UPGRADE

 Ricketty Ticketty Tin/Sixteen Tons/John Henry/Frankie & Johnny



Digby George "Dig" Richards (12 September 1940 – 17 February 1983) was an Australian rock and roll singer from Dunedoo, a rural New South Wales town. He was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s as lead singer with the R'Jays. Richards was the first Australian rock and roll artist to record a 12" LP album in Australia, with Dig Richards, released in November 1959. By 1964 he was a television presenter, and a musical theatre actor. From 1971 he performed as a solo country music artist. According to the Kent Music Report he had four Top 30 national hit singles, "(My) Little Lover" / "Quarrels (Are a Sad Sad Thing)" (September 1960), "A Little Piece of Peace" (June 1971), "People Call Me Country" / "The Dancer" (February 1972), and "Do the Spunky Monkey" (June 1974). On 17 February 1983 Digby Richards died of pancreatic cancer, aged 42. He was survived by his wife, Sue, and two children.
 

$ports - 1977 - F@ir G@me FLAC

 Right Thru Her Heart/Twist Senorita/In Trouble With The Girls/A Red Cadillac and A Black Moustache

 

 Fair Game is the debut extended play (EP) by Australian rock band The Sports, released independently in 1977 and limited to 500 copies. It was produced by Joe Camilleri.

A copy of the EP made it to the UK rock publication New Musical Express who wasted no time in pronouncing it their "Record of the Week", which led to the group being signed to Mushroom Records in Australia.

$ports - 1979 - 0K 0K FLAC

 Wedding Ring/Live, Work & Play/Little Girl/Radio Show

 O.K, U.K! is an extended play (EP) by the Australian rock band The Sports. The EP was recorded in the United Kingdom in 1979, during the band's Graham Parker tour. Parker, who personally requested them as his support, and to do some recording at Stiff Records.

The EP was released in August 1979. According to the Kent Music Report, sales counted towards the single title, "Wedding Ring" however, according to The Australian Music Database, the EP itself was named as charting. Either way, this 4-track recording peaked at number 40 on the Kent Music Report.

Sherbet - 1971 - Can You Feel It Baby FLAC RE-POST

 Can You Feel It Baby/Everything/The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)/Crimson Ships

 

 Sherbet were formed in Sydney in 1969 by guitarist Clive Shakespeare with members of his former band, Downtown Roll Band. Initially they started out as a soul band doing Motown covers and other soul and rock-based material. The band's first single was 1970's "Crimson Ships", a cover of a song by Badfinger; it featured original Sherbet vocalist Dennis Laughlin.
The band played a formative residency at Jonathon's Disco in Sydney during 1970, playing eight hours a night, four days a week for eight months, and it was during this period that they were spotted by their future manager, Roger Davies. Daryl Braithwaite joined during this period, initially as a second lead vocalist. Laughlin left the band a few months later and Braithwaite then became Sherbet's sole lead singer.
In 1971, Sherbet won Australia's prestigious national rock band contest the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, and they are notable as one of only three groups to win the competition (along with The Twilights 1966 and The Groove 1968) who went on to achieve major commercial success. Sherbet signed to the Infinity Records label (a subsidiary of Festival Records) and in 1971 scored their first major hit with a cover of Blue Mink's "Can You Feel It Baby?"
[extract from wikipedia]


As commented in the linear notes on the back of their 1975 Greatest Hits album, this was Daryl's first time in the studio and featured Daryl's former falsetto and Garth sharing the lead vocals. Bruce Worrall played bass (soon to be replaced by Tony Mitchell) and it was a toss-up as to which side would be the A, as the Jackson Five cover song "The Love You Save" was the B side.
Most of their early recordings were produced by Festival's house producer Richard Batchens, who also produced several hit albums and singles for Infinity's other major success, Richard Clapton. The band increased its profile with prestigious support slots on major tours by visiting international acts including Gary Glitter and The Jackson 5.

In May, 1971 Festival decided to capitalise on the success of Sherbet by releasing an EP which featured both sides of their first two singles. For me, the EP creates confusion as there are two different lead vocalists on this record (Dennis Laughlin & Daryl Braithwaite). However, as an early recording of Sherbet (pre Howzat ! days) it is an essential item for any collector.  Thanks to AussieRock

Easybeats - 1980 - Son Of Easy Fever FLAC

 Find My Way Back Home/Coke Jingle/Mandy/I'm Just Trying/ Look Out I'm On The Way Down

 

 Find My Way Back Home (1965) A Nashville Teens song recorded for a 1965 TV spot (Johnny O'Keefe Show) to promote 'For My Woman' this never made it to air being replaced by 'I who have nothing' vocal by Stevie. Coke Jingle (1966) To the tune of 'Come And See Her' Issued on a Coke promo EP vocal by Stevie & Dick. 'Mandy' From the unreleased sessions with Ted Albert at Abbey Road shortly after arrival from Australia vocal by Stevie. 'I'm Just Trying' A fine soul-rock track from the Central Sound Studio demo tapes vocal George. 'Look Out I'm On My Way Down' Another Central Sound demo vocal by Harry.

 

The Flies - 1965 - The Flies FLAC RE-POST

 Can't You Feel/Doin' The Mod/Tell Her That/Ain't That Just Like Me



 The Flies were the first Aussie band to consciously ape The Beatles. The band supported The Rolling Stones on their first Australian tour and released a number of singles; Tell Her That (July 1964), Doin’ The Mod (July 1965) and Can’t You Feel (September 1965).

Doin' The Mod charted in June-July 1965 #23 Melbourne and was followed onto the Melbourne charts in September-October by Can't You Feel, an original song by Ronnie Burns and John Thomas of The Flies (#26 Melbourne).

 Vocalist Ronnie Burns left The Flies in August 1965 to go solo and spent the rest of the decade vying with Normie Rowe and Merv Benton as the most popular solo singer on the Australian pop scene.

He was replaced in the band by Peter Nicol, who had previously been with a group called The Wild Colonials.

Lead guitarist John Thomas also departed, following some musical dissension, leaving The Flies a trio of Peter Nicol (vocals and guitar), Themi (short for Themiststocles) Adams (bass) and Hank Wallis (drums).

The band called it a day in 1966 with Nicol returning to The Wild Colonials.

Normie Rowe - 1967 - Ooh La La WAVE RE-POST

Ooh La La/Ain't Nobody Home/ It's Not Easy/Mary Mary



  As Normie Rowe was the most popular solo performer in Australia he decide to try his luck overseas, so in August 1966 he left for the UK. In preparation, he revamped the line-up his backing band "the Playboys". Several members opted to stay in Australia for family reasons, so Rowe replaced them with bassist Brian Peacock and guitarist Rod Stone, both from the ex-New Zealand band The Librettos, which had recently split.

Arriving in London ahead of his band, Rowe engaged one Ritchie Yorke as his London agent and began to record with producers Trevor Kennedy and John Carter, using the cream of London's session musicians, including Big Jim Sullivan, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, famed drummer Clem Cattini, and vocal group The Breakaways. The sessions produced several strong new recordings including "Ooh La La", "It's Not Easy", "Mary Mary", "Turn On The Love Light" and "Can't Do Without Your Love". Despite his absence in London, Rowe's run of chart success in Australia continued—his next single, "Ooh La La" / "Ain't Nobody Home" (Nov. 1966) was another double-sided hit in Melbourne and a Top 5 hit in most capitals, reaching #2 in Sydney, and #4 in Brisbane and Adelaide.

Up to this time there was no national pop chart in Australia, with most pop radio stations and newspapers in state capitals and major cities publishing their own competing charts. However, on 5 October 1966 Go-Set magazine, which had been launched in February, began publishing its first weekly national Top 40, compiled by Ed Nimmervoll. "Ooh La La" / "Mary, Mary" debuted at #6 on the new Go-Set chart on 7 December 1966, and reached #1 in the 21 December chart, hence becoming Rowe's first official national #1 hit. It stayed at #1 for two weeks before being briefly supplanted by The Easybeats' "Friday On My Mind" on 4 January, but returned to the top for the next two weeks.

While "Ooh La La" was at #1 in Australia, Rowe's next single, the ballad "It's Not Easy" was also climbing the chart. It debuted at #17 in the Go-Set chart in the last week of December 1966,[ and reached the Top 10 in the second week of January. Through the end of January and into February, Rowe achieved a 'first' for an Australian popular recording artist by having two of the top three singles simultaneously for three consecutive weeks. Rowe worked in England for ten months and toured with acts including Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity, The Spencer Davis Group, Kiki Dee, Gene Pitney and The Troggs. High hopes were held for a British breakthrough, and in the early months of 1967 the pages of Go-Set featured predictions of his imminent UK stardom, though it never materialised.

The new Playboys lineup arrived in London in December; Normie flew home for Christmas, which coincided with the release of "It's Not Easy" / "Mary Mary", and he returned to England in January. In March 1967 the group embarked on a tour of the UK supporting The Troggs, Gene Pitney and Sounds Incorporated. The same month, Phil Blackmore left the group for family reasons and returned to Australia; he was replaced by English organist Trevor Griffin. Rod Stone left in mid-1967 (returning to Australia, after which he joined band The Groove) and he was replaced by former Adam Faith sideman Mick Rogers. At the end of 1966, Normie Rowe was voted Australia's best male singer in the inaugural Go-Set Pop Poll.

 Meanwhile, The Playboys secured a one-off single deal with Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records label, releasing the single "Sad" / "Black Sheep RIP" in August. Written by Brian Peacock, "Sad" is now considered a 'freakbeat' classic and has been widely anthologised, appearing on the British collection Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Vol III, Raven Records' Kicks and Rhino's Nuggets II. In June, Normie Rowe & The Playboys travelled to North America, supporting Roy Orbison on a US tour, and alongside with The Seekers he represented Australia in performance at Expo '67 in Montreal. He returned to Australia in July, where he appeared as a special guest at the national finals of the 1967 Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds.

Rowe had more national chart success in late 1967 with the Graham Gouldman song "Going Home" (b/w "I Don't Care") -- assumed to be about the Vietnam War, but really about a migrant's return to Australia from Britain—which debuted at #22 in the Go-Set chart in late April and stayed in the national Top Ten until the end of May, peaking at #7 in the second week of May. "Sunshine Secret" / "But I Know", and another single, "Turn Down Day" charted in Melbourne. But in September 1967 any questions about his career future were dramatically stalled when he received his call-up notice for national service.

Normie Rowe - 1966 - Tell Him I'm Not Home WAVE RE-POST

Tell Him I'm Not Home /Ya Ya/Too Bad You Don't Want Me/I Keep Forgetting



 Norman John Rowe AM (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer and songwriter of pop music and an actor of theatre and soap opera for which he remains best known as Douglas Fletcher in 1980s serial Sons and Daughters. As a singer he was credited for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence. Many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Nat Kipner and later by Pat Aulton, house producers for the Sunshine Records label. Backed by his band, The Playboys, Rowe released a string of Australian pop hits on the label that kept him at the top of the Australian charts and made him the most popular solo performer of the mid-1960s. Rowe's double-sided hit the A-side, a reworking of the Doris Day hit "Que Sera Sera" /with b-side "Shakin' All Over" was one of the most successful Australian singles of the 1960s.

Between 1965 and 1967 Rowe was Australia's most popular male star but his career was cut short when he was drafted for compulsory military service (called National Service in Australia) in late 1967. His subsequent tour of duty in Vietnam effectively ended his pop career. Unable to recapture the musical success he enjoyed at his peak in the 1960s, he carved out instead a career in theatre and television.

Australian singer Normie Rowe's cover of "Tell Him I'm Not Home" was released as a B-side single in November 1965. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Singles chart and was a top 5 hit in most Australian mainland capitals, reaching No. 4 in Sydney, No. 2 in Melbourne, No. 2 in Adelaide and No. 1 in Melbourne. The song was ranked the 13th biggest hit of 1965 on the Kent Music Report list of the Top 25 singles for 1965 in Australia.

Autumn - 1971 - A Patch Of Autumn

Live Levis/Goblins Gamble/Falling/Lady Anne



Like their contemporaries The Executives, The Affair, New Dream and Zoot, Sydney band Autumn has been unfairly labelled as a lightweight pop band, mainly on the basis of their early recordings. They've also been tagged as 'one-hit wonders', although in fact they had four hits. Fronted by grievously underrated lead vocalist Tony Romeril, Autumn was a superb band with a strong following in their home city of Sydney, and they could tackle pop, country-rock and heavy/progressive rock with equal ease.

Like their close contemporaries The Flying Circus, Autumn formed at a time when rapid and significant changes were taking place in the music scene and the formerly homogeneous "pop" field was diversifying into several distinct genres. The trends that were drawing 'pop' musicians towards progressive music, "heavy rock" and country rock was counterbalanced by the popularity and commercial success of so-called "bubblegum" pop. This created to a situation where, as Glenn A. Baker has observed, "being identified as a pop band "drew automatic derision and critical dismissal".

Autumn's chart success with straight-ahead pop material has obscured the fact that this was a highly competent group, with tastes and abilities which went well beyond the confines of the three-minute formula pop single. Their true talents were not really showcased on record until their last few recordings for the Warner label and, as Glennn Baker notes "... nobody, save those who caught them live, came to realise what a sturdy, musically adept and diverse unit they were."

During the second half of 1971 Autumn released an EP, A Patch Of Autumn, followed by their hugely underrated second album Comes Autumn. Although it is dismissed by Vernon Joyson as "unremarkable", it in fact contains some outstanding material. As Aussie music archivist "MidozTouch" has noted, "Autumn's second album is so strikingly different in style and sound from their first LP that one could be forgiven for thinking they were recorded by two different groups". This included re-recordings of some of their Chart material, including Allan Magsuball's riff-tastic psych-prog nugget "Get It Down" (one of several fine tracks he contributed), a re-recorded version of "Lady Anne", and the country-styled hits "Falling" and "Miracles". 

Graham Bell & His All Stars - 1963 - Hernando's Hideaway FLAC

Hernando's Hideaway/Down By The Riverside/Rag Trade Rag/South



Graeme Emerson Bell, Australian jazz musician (born Sept. 7, 1914, Richmond, near Melbourne, Australia—died June 13, 2012, Sydney, Australia), pioneered a resurgence of traditional jazz as dance music in Australia and parts of Europe as the leader of Australia’s foremost jazz band. Bell, who studied classical piano, got his start in jazz in the 1930s, playing piano in his brother’s band in Melbourne clubs. During World War II he founded the Graeme Bell Jazz Gang, which achieved national popularity through radio broadcasts and record sales. The group, rebranded the Australian Jazz Band after the war, toured Europe (1947–48), where listening to jazz was considered a sedentary activity.


 Graeme Bell in front of a sign advertising The Graeme Bell All Stars tour in Czechoslovakia, 1947

The band’s jaunty front lines dazzled across Dixieland standards, show tunes, and folk songs and set off a revival of dancing to jazz. Back in Australia in 1949, Bell cofounded Swaggie Records. He also resumed touring Australia (and later Europe and Asia) with his original band and then with the Graeme Bell All Stars, which he formed in 1962. During his 70-year career, Bell recorded more than 1,500 tracks. He was made MBE (1978) and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO; 1990) for his services to music and was inducted (1997) into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. The annual Australian jazz awards (established in 2003) were known as the Bell Awards in his honour.

Dave Miller & The Byrds - 1966 - Dave Miler & The Byrds @320

Help Me/Ain't Got You/Tough Enough/That'll Be The Day/Let The Four Winds Blow



The Christchurch to Auckland pop highway was already well travelled when Dave Miller and The Byrds arrived in 1965. Ray Columbus and The Invaders, Max Merritt and The Meteors and Dinah Lee had already used the northern city as a stepping stone to successful careers in Australia, a path Dave Miller would also take.

Miller had joined Christchurch group, The Playboys in Auckland in 1963 after the departure of singers Diane Jacobs (aka Dinah Lee) and Phil Garland, following a six-week residency deputising for Max Merritt and The Meteors at The Platterack. 

 That left Dave's drummer-brother Graeme along with guitarist Brian Ringrose (ex-Invaders), Mark Graham (rhythm guitar) and John O’Neill (bass). Kevin O’Neill then replaced Mark Graham. Jacobs and Garland had been vocalists with The Saints rock'n'roll band in Christchurch during the early 1960s before forming The Playboys, who had a successful career around Christchurch performing at the likes of Spencer Street, The Dolphin Lounge. The Caledonian Hall and later at The Laredo.

After a popular residency at Christchurch’s Laredo Room in 1963 and 1964, The Playboys headed north for good, lured by Māori entertainer Howard Morrison for his popular touring show. There were already two successful international groups called The Playboys so they became The Byrds – seemingly unaware of the American outfit –then Dave Miller and The Byrds.

Their first release was a snappy cover of Jimmy Reed’s R&B finger-snapper ‘Bright Lights Big City’, a big local hit for Zodiac Records and the first of three singles and an EP for the label. The EP featured blues standard ‘Help Me’, filmed with Dave Miller only in a rare clip. John O’Neill and Brian Ringrose left soon after, replaced by Al Dunster and Chris Collier.

Success in the clubs and as a backing band pushed them on until 1966 when Miller and guitarist Dunster decided to make the hop to Sydney. Miller would make an initial impact in Sydney as a compere and soloist, before forming The Dave Miller Set and landing a huge hit with the psychedelic mini-epic ‘Mr Guy Fawkes’ in 1969.

The Stockings - 1981 - Limbo FLAC

 Limbo/Boy Girls/Mercy Man/This Girl That Girl/On My Knees



Hailing from Australia's left coast, this Perth combo indulged in driving, albeit straitlaced power pop/wave without resorting to any obvious gimmicks, not unlike contemporary country-mates the Serious Young Insects.
This Perth New wave band started life in Early '79 as "Rip Torn & The Stockings". Rip Torn being singer Bernie Lynch who left in 1980 to form "Living Single" who then became Eurogliders.

In Grace Knight's book 'Pink Suit for a Blue Day", she talks about meeting Bernie Lynch at a BBQ, where they hit off immediately. "He was absolutely charming, obviously well educated, well brought up and with a nose that stopped passers by....he was in a band called Rip Torn and the Stockings. In Perth back then it was very difficult to get gigs unless you performed covers of popular tunes, the audiences preferred to hear music they knew, and so The Stockings would perform songs by Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Graeme Parker, along with some of Bernie's songs.

 In 1981, The Stockings (now dropping Rip Torn from their name) released their debut album, Red Tango.  The group eventually disbanded in 1982 with band members finding musical interests elsewhere.  

Radio Birdman - 1976 - Surfin At 2JJJ FLAC

Surf City/Don't Look Back/Time Won't Let Me/Transmaniacom MC



One of the pillars of Australian punk, RADIO BIRDMAN was formed at French’s Wine Bar, one of Sydney’s legendary lost venues, mid 1974 by Rob Younger, Ron Keeley and Deniz Tek after the collapse of two other bands the Rats and TV Jones.

Throughout 1975 the band was rejected or banned from just about every venue in Sydney, which led to the departure of original members Pip Hoyle and Carl Rorke, and the formation of what many fans argue is the definitive version of the band with the enlistment of Warwick Gilbert and Chris Masuak.

Finding themselves at a dead end, a fateful meeting with Lou Reed at one of his infamous Sydney airport press conferences resulted in the band conning the owner of the Oxford Tavern into putting on a gig in his honor, and with the show’s success the establishment of their own venue the Fun House which laid the groundwork for Sydney’s burgeoning punk scene.

The controversy and sub-culture surrounding the band gained the attention of then radical left-wing radio station Double JJ who extended an invitation for the band to perform live on air. Recorded six months before the recording of their debut EP “Burn My Eye” this set finds them showcasing that original material alongside early versions of songs that would appear on later releases and covers of the Stooges, MC5, Blue Oyster Cult, the Doors and the Rivieras.

One of the few known documents of their early era “DOUBLE JJ MARCH 1976” is an essential listen for any fan of Australian punk.

Joe Dolce - 1984 - Pizza Pizza WAVE

Pizza Pizza/That's Amore/ If You Want To Be Happy/Shaddap You Face



Joseph Dolce (born October 13, 1947)  is an American-Australian singer/songwriter, poet and essayist who achieved international recognition with his multi-million-selling song, "Shaddap You Face", released under the name of his one-man show, Joe Dolce Music Theatre, worldwide, in 1980–1981. The single reached number one in 15 countries, it has sold more than 450,000 copies in Australia, and for many years was the most successful Australian-produced single, selling an estimated six million copies worldwide. It reached No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart for eight weeks from November 1980.
 

 Dolce was born in 1947, the eldest of three children, to Italian-American parents, in Painesville, Ohio, graduating from Thomas W. Harvey High School in 1965. During his senior year, he played the lead role of Mascarille in Molière's "Les Précieuses Ridicules" for a production staged by the French Club of Lake Erie College, which was his first time on stage, acting and singing an impromptu song he created from the script. The play was well received and his performance was noted by director Jake Rufli, who later invited him to be part of his production of Jean Anouilh's "Eurydice". His co-star in "Les Précieuses Ridicules" was a sophomore, on a creative writing scholarship, at Lake Erie College, Carol Dunlop, who introduced him to folk music, poetry and the writings of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. Dunlop later married the Argentine novelist Julio Cortázar. Dolce attended Ohio University, majoring in Architecture, from 1965–67, before deciding to become a professional musician.
 

While attending college at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, he formed various bands including Headstone Circus, with Jonathan Edwards who subsequently went on as a solo artist to have a charting hit song in the US ("Sunshine"). Edwards subsequently recorded five Dolce songs including, "Athens County", "Rollin' Along", "King of Hearts", "The Ballad of Upsy Daisy" and "My Home Ain't in the Hall of Fame", the latter song becoming an alt country classic, also recorded by Robert Earl Keen, Rosalie Sorrels, JD Crowe & the New South, and many others.

Dolce relocated to Melbourne, Australia in 1978 and his first single there was "Boat People"—a protest song on the poor treatment of Vietnamese refugees—which was translated into Vietnamese and donated to the fledgling Vietnamese community starting to form in Melbourne. His one-man show, Joe Dolce Music Theatre, performed in cabarets and pubs with various line-ups, including his longtime partner, Lin Van Hek.

In July 1980, he recorded the self-penned "Shaddap You Face", for the Full Moon Records label, at Mike Brady's new studios in West Melbourne. When in Ohio, Dolce would sometimes visit his Italian grandparents and extended family—they used the phrases "What's the matter, you?" and "Eh, shaddap", which Dolce adapted and used in the song. He wrote the song about Italians living in Australia and first performed it at Marijuana House, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in 1979. Dolce paid A$500 for the recording and spent $1000 on the music video clip, which was created by Melbourne filmmaker, Chris Lofven.

It became a multi-million-selling hit, peaking at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart for eight weeks from November 1980, in the UK from February 1981 for three weeks, and also No. 1 in Germany, France, Fiji, Puerto Rico, Quebec, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland. Dolce received the Advance Australia Award in 1981. The song has had hundreds of cover versions over the decades including releases by artists as diverse as Lou Monte, Sheila (France), Andrew Sachs (Manuel, of Fawlty Towers), actor Samuel L. Jackson and hip-hop legends, KRS-One. In 2018, the first Russian language version was released by two of Moscow's most popular singers, Kristina Orbakaite and Philipp Kirkorov. The song has been translated into fifteen languages, including an aboriginal dialect.

Follow up single, "If You Wanna Be Happy" charted in Australia (No. 7) and New Zealand (top 40). Dolce's subsequent singles included "Pizza Pizza", "Christmas in Australia" and "You Toucha My Car I Breaka You Face" and he released two albums during this period, Shaddap You Face and The Christmas Album. With Lin Van Hek, he formed various performance groups including Skin the Wig, La Somnambule (1984) and the ongoing Difficult Women (1993). Van Hek and Dolce co-wrote "Intimacy", for the 1984 film, The Terminator's soundtrack, now part of the US Library of Congress collection. He was a featured lead actor in the Australian film Blowing Hot and Cold (1988). He has continued to perform solo and with Van Hek as part of their music-literary cabaret Difficult Women. In the past decade, he has also received extensive recognition as a poet and essayist. 

Glen Tomasetti - 1967 - The Future Is In Your Hands FLAC

The Future Is In Your Hands/The Ringlewood Cockie/Sang The Boy/Ned Kelly Rode The Northern Hills



Glenys Ann Tomasetti (1929–2003), known as Glen Tomasetti, was an Australian singer-songwriter, author and political activist. During the 1960s she appeared weekly on commercial television, performing satirical political songs. She became a household name in 1967 after refusing to pay a portion of her taxes in protest against Australia's involvement in the war in Vietnam. Although best known for her folk music and political activism, she was also an esteemed novelist and poet.

Tomasetti began performing as a singer-songwriter and guitarist in the late 1950s. In the early 1960s she organised folk music concerts at the Emerald Hill Theatre in South Melbourne, a centre of the 1960s Melbourne folk scene. Later in the 1960s she appeared weekly on Channel Seven TV, performing a topical political song after the general news broadcast.

 Australia entered the war in Vietnam in 1962 in support of the USA, and in 1965 began sending conscripted servicemen to Vietnam. Tomasetti became involved in the Save Our Sons organisation, a group of women opposed to military conscription, and in December 1965 she helped to organise the "Songs of Peace and Love" protest concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, described as "the first major response of the folk scene" to Australia's military involvement in Vietnam.

In 1967 Tomasetti was prosecuted after refusing to pay one sixth of her taxes on the grounds that one sixth of the federal budget was funding Australia's military presence in Vietnam. In court she argued that Australia's participation in the Vietnam War violated its international legal obligations as a member of the United Nations. Public figures such as Joan Baez had made similar protests in the USA, but Tomasetti's prosecution was "believed to be the first case of its kind in Australia", according to a contemporary news report. Tomasetti was eventually ordered to pay the unpaid taxes.

Many of Tomasetti's songs dealt with feminism and the situation of Australian women. Perhaps the best known is "Don't be too polite, girls", a call for equal pay and a feminist call to arms. Sung to the tune of a classic 19th century Australian shearing ballad ("All among the wool, boys"), it was inspired by the first ruling on equal pay in Australia, a 1969 Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration ruling that granted equal pay to only 18% of Australian women. The song was still being sung by the Melbourne Trade Union Choir at the time of Tomasetti's death in 2003. Thanks to Sunny.

Buffalo - 1974 - Buffalo WAVE RE-POST

Suzie Sunshine/Dead Forever/Barbershop Rock/Sunrise (Come My Way)


Buffalo were an Australian rock band formed in August 1971 by founding mainstay Dave Tice on lead vocals (ex-Head). Fellow founders, also from Head, were Paul Balbi on drums, John Baxter on guitar, and Peter Wells on bass guitar; together with Alan Milano on lead vocals (ex-Mandala). Milano left after their debut album, Dead Forever... (June 1972), and Balbi was replaced on drums by Jimmy Economou. Their next two albums, Volcanic Rock (July 1973) and Only Want You For Your Body (June 1974), were also issued by Vertigo Records. After 1975 line-up changes resulted in a more commercial sound and the group disbanded in March 1977. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, noted that there was "nothing subtle about Buffalo's primal, heavyweight sound, but it was delivered with a great deal of conviction ... combining the dense, occult riffing ... with the progressive blues chops ... the band certainly captured the arrogant disposition of the times in a bold and thunderous fashion". Alongside Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and Blackfeather, Buffalo pioneered Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and alternative rock movements. Peter Wells died on 27 March 2006, aged 58.

Joy Boys - 1965 - Surf Party FLAC

Sandy The Surfin' Sandfly/Swamped/Midnite Surfer/Summertime



Originally a jazz band , became 'Col Joye and the Joy Boys' when Kevin's bother, Col joined in 1957. They had ten Top 10 hits in the Sydney charts alone from 1959 to 1962, including four #1s. Cole became a star on television pop show Bandstand. They recorded under Col Joye’s Joy Boys in 1960 and 1961 and as The Joy Boys from 1961. Sandy, The Surfin' Sandfly an instrumental written by Tony Barber (of Aztecs fame).Disbanded 1966.

Delltones - 1962 - Tonight FLAC

Tonight/Tell Me That You Care/ White Cliffs Of Dover/Every Little Thing That I Do



Noel Widerberg who was the writer of the song "Tonight"and the lead singer of the Delltones at the time, although not depicted in the photo shot on the cover of this ep, was killed in an auto wreck soon after this recording in the Sydney beachside suburbs of either Ramsgate or Brighton-Le-Sands. The group with different members exist's till this day.

The Delltones have been entertaining Australian audiences for over five decades with their most successful recording years in the 1960s. Ian ‘Peewee’ Wilson is the only current member from the original line-up. In the mid-1980s he transformed the group from a vocal quartet, to a five-piece vocal band. This along with other stylistic changes led to the band’s resurgence and the chart topping, rock ‘n roll revival album, Bop Til Ya Drop. The band remains as one of the most consistent live entertainers in Australia, with arguably the longest performing and recording history for a vocal harmony band with an original member.

The Hawking Brothers - 1973 - The Hawking Brothers FLAC

Catfish John/Too Many Tears/Molly Breen/Eumerella Shore



 The Hawking Brothers, were an Australian country music band, formed in 1955 and disbanded in 1985. They comprised brothers Russell (1931–1976) and Alan (1933–1988). Excellent singers and instrumentalists, they first recorded in 1955 and were equally proficient with both traditional Australian folk music and country music. In the latter genre they very deservedly had a big hit in Australia with the American song Catfish John (on their self-titled album). They toured North America in 1975 and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry. After originally recording with Regal Zonophone Records, they went on to record a number of albums with RCA Records. When it comes to winning awards, The Hawking Brothers have been very successful, winning 6 Golden Guitars. In 1989, The Hawking Brothers were inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown.

Normie Rowe - 1965 - It Ain't Necessarily Rowe FLAC RE-POST

It Ain't Necessarily So/Gonna Leave This Town/ Lindy Lou/Shakin' All Over



 Norman John Rowe AM (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer and songwriter of pop music and an actor of theatre and soap opera for which he remains best known as Douglas Fletcher in 1980s serial Sons and Daughters. As a singer he was credited for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence. Many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Nat Kipner and later by Pat Aulton, house producers for the Sunshine Records label. Backed by his band, The Playboys, Rowe released a string of Australian pop hits on the label that kept him at the top of the Australian charts and made him the most popular solo performer of the mid-1960s. Rowe's double-sided hit the A-side, a reworking of the Doris Day hit "Que Sera Sera" /with b-side "Shakin' All Over" was one of the most successful Australian singles of the 1960s.

Between 1965 and 1967 Rowe was Australia's most popular male star but his career was cut short when he was drafted for compulsory military service (called National Service in Australia) in late 1967. His subsequent tour of duty in Vietnam effectively ended his pop career and having never been able to recapture the success in music he enjoyed at his peak in the 1960s, instead carving out a career in theatre and television.

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Fatty Finn (RE-POST)

Hooray For Fatty Finn/Phar Lap/Mean Woman Blues/Old Slouch Hat/Fatty's Fair


Fatty Finn, is a popular long-run Australian comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Syd Nicholls. The strip was initially called Fat and His Friends and was first published in the Sunday News on 16 September 1923. Fat appeared as a Billy Bunterish almost bald, nasty schoolboy, complete with straw boater. Fat was usually the butt of his friend's jokes, with those early strips exhibiting much of the cruelty practiced by children and reflecting a school system which believed in corporal punishment. On August 1924 the title of the strip was changed to Fatty Finn, heralding a change in the strip's direction and the role of the main character, who evolved from an English boy lookalike into a knockabout schoolboy innocently living out his days in a never-never urban world. Over the next few years, Fatty gradually lost weight, gained a boy scout style uniform, a dog ('Pal'), a goat ('Hector') and permanent supporting characters including Headlights Hogan, Lolly Legs, Bruiser and Mr. Claffey the policeman. Fatty adopted a more heroic role and the comic moved closer to the standard 'kid' strip with a distinct Australian flavor.

In 1980 the strip was adapted into a feature film, Fatty Finn, directed by Maurice Murphy. The film grossed $1,064,000 at the box office in Australia and was nominated for seven Australian Film Institute Awards in 1981, including Best Original Music Score, which it won. The movie starred Bert Newton, Lorraine Bayly, Gerard Kennedy, Noni Hazlehurst and Ben Oxenbould who later played the character "Ben" in the sitcom, Hey Dad..!

Rory O’Donoghue & Grahame Bond penned the songs for the Soundtrack and the EP was released in 1980 on Polydor Records - apparently without the consent of O’Donoghue and Bond. O’Donoghue’s parents, Terence and Sybil O’Donoghue, who were with D’Oyly Carte Opera in London, both sing on the soundtrack. (Thanks to Ozzie Music Man for the EP and the Bio)

Various - Hits from Pippin FLAC

Colleen Hewett - Pippin ( Finale )/Stuart & McKay - No Time At All/Marcie Jones - Corner Of The Sky/Dove - Magic to Do



 Pippin is a 1972 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance.

The protagonist Pippin and his father Charlemagne are characters derived from two real-life individuals of the early Middle Ages, though the plot is fictional and presents no historical accuracy regarding either. The show was partially financed by Motown Records. As of April 2019, the original run of Pippin is the 36th longest-running Broadway show.

The original Australian production (a replica of the Broadway production) opened in February 1974 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. It starred John Farnham as Pippin, with Ronne Arnold as the Leading Player, Colleen Hewett as Catherine, Nancye Hayes as Fastrada, David Ravenswood as Charles and Jenny Howard as Berthe.[18] The production transferred to Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney in August 1974.[19] A cast album was released.

Colleen Hewett (born 16 April 1950) is an Australian theatre and TV actress, and a popular singer. Her top 40 singles on the Kent Music Report include "Super Star", "Day by Day" (both 1971), "Carry That Weight" (1972), "Dreaming My Dreams with You" (1980), and "Gigolo" (1981). Her version of "Day by Day" peaked at No. 1 on the Go-Set National Top 40 Singles Chart and was certified as a gold record. At the TV Week King of Pop Awards she was voted Queen of Pop in both 1972 and 1973. During 1985, she played Sheila Brady in the international hit TV series, Prisoner.

In 1973, Ian Stuart & Ken McKay charted in Brisbane & Perth with "Hey Billy", a song based on a photo seen in “Time” by Ken. Reviews compared Stuart & McKay to the U.S band "America”.. They released two albums “Playing Up” and “Never Is Forever” plus five singles. Both men are no longer with us.

Marcie’s career started out as a teenager with The Thunderbirds in the early ‘60s. She then went on to perform with Normie Rowe and The Playboys and had many appearances on the popular TV segment ‘The Go-Show’. In the late ‘60s It was Normie who suggested she team up with the Cook sisters from Brisbane, who were already performing as ‘The Cookies’. With the attention of The Twilights Manager Garry Spry, Marcie and The Cookies were signed to E.M.I and went on to record in the studio. Though, it was the demand for session work on tracks such as ‘Something’s Got a Hold on Me’ and Russell Morris’ ‘The Real Thing’ that they are most recognized for today.


 Dove was a Melbourne quartet that formed in 1970 and released several singles and three albums 1973-76. Their lead vocalist was Sharyn Cambridge. In 1981 she released an EP with The Colin Who Band.