Johnny O'Keefe - 1961 - Shout WAVE

Shout Parts 1&2/That's My Desire/What'd I Say/Movin' On




Johnny O'Keefe is recognised as the pioneer of Australian Rock 'n' Roll music.

He was born in Sydney on 19th January 1935 and in a career that spanned 20 years he released over 50 singles, 50 EP's and 100 albums.

J O'K as he was known became the undisputed King of Australian rock and roll. There was little or no rock music scene in Australia in the mid 1950's and certainly no Australian rock recordings. When Bill Haley toured the country in 1957, a local band, the Dee Jays with lead vocalist Johnny O'Keefe was chosen as the supporting act. Johnny O'Keefe had been performing in talent shows, mainly doing impersonations of Johnny Ray singing songs such as 'Crying' and 'Little White Cloud that Cried'.

 His performance in supporting Bill Haley led to a recording contract with Festival Records. At his first recording session on a Saturday afternoon in July 1957, Johnny recorded Bill Haley's 'Billy Goat' and 'I'm Still Alive'. The recording had to be on a Saturday afternoon because Johnny was working in his father's furniture shop in the morning and during the week and, of course, you couldn't work on a Sunday in the fifties.


Reluctant radio stations gave very little airplay to Johnny's first record but by the time of his next recording, 'Wild One' was released early in 1958, there was sufficient demand from Johnny O'Keefe Fan Clubs throughout the country to make it a hit. Many of these Fan Clubs had arisen out of performances which Johnny gave at Police and Citizens Boys Clubs.

Radio at the time was experimenting with pop or rock 'n' roll music as they introduced the Top 40 and dee jays such as Bob Rodgers and John Laws were beginning to become very popular by playing not just American artists but Aussie artists like Johnny as well. Johnny of course befriended both announcers and they began to play his records and give him more air time.

 

A series of hit records and performances on Lee Gordon's 'Big Shows' supporting overseas artists such as Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, The Crickets with lead singer Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Paul Anka, led to Johnny O'Keefe being given his own national TV show, Six O'Clock Rock in 1959.
She's My Baby - The Very Best of Johnny O'Keefe

The TV show was an enormous success and ran until Johnny left to tour America. In the U.S. he visited 35 states but made little impact, although 'She's My Baby' reputedly sold more than 100,000 copies in the States. When he returned to Australia overwork led to Johnny being instructed by his doctors to take a rest, but he was soon back on television and recording another string of hit records. To cover his US failure he bought a bright red imported 1959 Plymouth Belvedere and began touring relentlessly up and down the east coast of Australia to pay off the car and replenish his finances. He would spend the whole week making appearances at clubs and pubs, returning to Sydney every Saturday to present Six O'Clock Rock.

He insisted on driving himself and on 27th June 1960 he fell asleep at the wheel of the Plymouth and ploughed into a gravel truck. He was seriously injured as his face smashed into the steering wheel and he was thrown out of the car suffering multiple lacerations, concussion and fractures to his head and face which required many operations. The accident led to Johnny becoming dependant on drugs and although his career continued at full pace he began to suffer depression and became reliant on medication.

 In 1961 Johnny O'Keefe attempted another tour of the United States, but it too was unsuccessful. By this time he was reaching the limits of his physical and mental endurance, and after the US tour, while in London, he collapsed at the Park Lane Hotel and woke up three days later in hospital where he had been admitted, suffering from a 'nervous collapse'. In 1961 Johnny moved to Channel 7 to compere the new 'The Johnny O'Keefe Show'. The show was a major success, but only added to his already hectic workload and increased the pressure on him. In August 1962 he suffered another breakdown and spent two months in the psychiatric ward in Sydney.


O'Keefe's last major hit of the Sixties came in April 1964 with 'She Wears My Ring' and later that same year he had another spell in a psychiatric hospital, which he came to jokingly refer to as his 'holiday camp'.

By the middle of 1965 his popularity continued to decline and sales of his records fell. His TV show, which by now had been changed to 'Sing, Sing, Sing' was eventually cancelled in October 1965.

From 1968 onwards Johnny devoted most of his time to performing on the burgeoning Australian club and cabaret circuit but in early 1974 he scored his last big hit with a version of the old song 'Mockingbird', recorded as a duet with vocalist Margaret McLaren.

 In August 1974 he put together a package tour called 'The Good Old Days of Rock'n'Roll' which featured many of his old friends. 

During his stellar career, J O'K had five number one records and ten other top ten hits. The recording for which he is best remembered, 'Shout!' was recorded and released as a single twice (in 1959 and in 1964) but interestingly never achieved better than number 11 on the To 40 charts.

Johnny O'Keefe died on 6th October 1978 from a heart attack induced by an accidental overdose of prescribed drugs. He was buried at Northern Suburbs Cemetery in Sydney.

He will always be remembered as the real pioneer of Rock 'n' Roll music in Australia

New Link Added 16.08.2020

Axiom - 1971 - Axiom

Father Confessor/A Little Ray Of Sunshine/My Baby's Gone/Time & Time Again




Axiom's formation was a by-product of the annual Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds in which the top Australian bands of the day performed in front of judges for the prize of a paid return trip to London. In 1967 The Twilights were the first winners, the next year The Groop. Both found it difficult to settle back to the grind of the Australian pop scene after tasting the London big time. Neither band had made anything but the smallest dent in London (The Twilights being given a song by the Hollies, while The Groop's "When I Was Six Years Old" was recorded by Manfred Mann's Paul Jones), but it was enough to leave the lingering thought amongst band members, "What if..?"
 

 The Groop broke up in late 1969, by which time The Twilights had already split and singer Glenn Shorrock had moved into management. A plan was hatched to form a new group out of the two groups' frontline remnants; there was some controversy surrounding the break-up of The Groop, with Go-Set magazine hinting that Cadd and Mudie had split the band to join Axiom without telling the other members about the new group. Twilights' songwriter and guitarist Terry Britten was supposed to join Shorrock and The Groop's piano player and chief songwriter Brian Cadd in the new band, but when Britten chose to go to England instead, his place was taken by The Groop's Don Mudie, who in the latter stages of The Groop had formed a strong songwriting partnership with Cadd. The group was completed by Cam-Pact guitarist Chris Stockley, and Valentines drummer Doug Lavery. Immediately dubbed a supergroup, the band asked fans to suggest a name and settled on Axiom.

After signing with EMI's Parlophone label, Axiom buried themselves in the recording studio. In December 1969 the group released their first single, "Arkansas Grass", heavily influenced by The Band's "Music From Big Pink". Though the single's title superficially appealed to international markets, and its Civil War theme reflected Cadd's current obsession with the music of The Band, it was in fact a coded anti-Vietnam war song – and in that respect addressing a very Australian concern, since Australian men were at the time being drafted to fight in that war. "Arkansas Grass" reached No. 7 in December 1969.

Midway through the recording of the LP, which was released under the title Fool's Gold, drummer Don Lebler (The Avengers) replaced Doug Lavery. Axiom left Australia for the UK in April 1970 after signing a publishing deal from Leeds Music, with the local music press reporting that they had received record deal offers from both Apple Records and the Decca label. As a parting gift they left their second single, "A Little Ray of Sunshine", inspired by the birth of the child of a couple that the group knew – not by the birth of Cadd or Mudie's child, as has often been incorrectly reported. The single reached No. 5 in April 1970. "A Little Ray of Sunshine" has become one of the Australian songs most often still played on radio and was even celebrated with its own stamp in Australia Post's 1998 Australian Rock stamp series.

In their absence the band's debut album Fool's Gold was released, one of the first true "albums" in Australian music. Apart from the "Arkansas Grass" single it was also one of the first attempts in Australian pop to write songs about the Australian landscape, and using Australian place names. It is also notable as one of the first Australian albums on a major label to be self-produced by the recording artist/s and also featured one of the first uses of the didgeridoo in Australian popular music. The songs were all of high quality as were the production values. Fool's Gold reached No. 18 in June and still stands as one of the best albums of the period, however it never reached its full commercial potential because Axiom were not around to promote it. A third single failed to chart. In Australia Axiom were signed to Ron Tudor's independent production company. They left Australia with Tudor's approval to try to secure a worldwide recording contract: he would not stand in their way.

In England Axiom signed a three-year recording contract with Warners, cemented by a single "My Baby's Gone" produced by Shel Talmy of early Who, Kinks and Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" fame. The band completed a second album, If Only, recorded at the iconic Olympic Studios in London. Although some former members were later critical of what they felt was Talmy's overproduction of the record, in a 2000 interview with Richie Unterberger, Talmy still spoke highly of both group and LP:

    "Warner Brothers hired me to record them. Super-duper band. It was a super album. Two weeks before the album was to be released on Warner, they decided to break up. And they did, and Warners said, "Bye!! If you think we're promoting this album, you're out of your fucking minds!" I was real pleased with that album. It was fun to do, they were talented, the songs were great."

By the time the album was released the band had already broken up and as Talmy indicated, it effectively vanished without trace.

       

Lucky Starr - 1962 -Lucky's Been Everywhere

I've Been Everywhere (Great Britain)/ I've Been Everywhere (USA)/ I've Been Everywhere (New Zealand)/I've Been Everywhere (Australia)




 Born Leslie Morrison (in 1941), Lucky Starr presented an image as an `all-Australian' teenage idol. He dressed in sharp suits and played a trademark star-shaped guitar embossed with his initials on the scratch plate beneath the strings. One of Starr's major claims to fame was that he became the first Australian performer to headline his own show in Las Vegas, with three seasons at the Flamingo Hotel. Although he was one of Australia's early rock'n'roll stalwarts, by the late 1960s Starr had moved into the country music field.

Morrison began singing in 1957 using the stage name of Les Starr. He formed The Hepparays and the band issued one of the first Australian rock'n'roll instrumental singles when `Xmas Rock Medley'/`I Remember Xmas at Home' appeared in late 1959. After winning seven talent quests in quick succession, Les Starr became Lucky Starr. He signed to Festival and issued four singles during 1960, `Somebody Touched Me'/`When You Come Back to Me' (January), `The Big Hurt' (March), `Wrong'/`Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home' (#40 in Sydney during May) and `Yeah That's How (Rock'n'Roll was Born)' (#31 in September).

 With two minor hit singles under his belt, Starr supported US visitors The Mouseketeers on their 1960 Australian tour. The publicity that surrounded his romance with 17-year-old Mouseketeer Cheryl Holdridge certainly helped to boost Starr's career. For a brief period in 1960, Starr compered Six O'Clock Rock while Johnny O'Keefe was in America.





Starr issued his fifth single in March 1961, `Someone Else's Roses' (Sydney #37 in May). Starr scored his first and only major hit single with the novelty tongue twister `I've Been Everywhere', written by unsigned singer Geoff Mack. Three weeks after release, the single reached #1 in Sydney and #2 nationally (April 1962). It stayed in the charts for 15 weeks and went on to sell 45000 copies. The B-side was Starr's own `Cuddle Closer'. Starr issued two more singles during 1962, `June in Junee' and `Hot Rod', plus a couple in 1963, `Mule Skinner Blues' and `Come on in'.

While playing a club in Pitt Street, Sydney during early 1963, Starr met visiting jazz singer Billy Eckstine, who persuaded him to try his luck in the USA. Starr played the Nevada circuit, opening in mid-1963 at the Mapes Hotel Casino Room, Las Vegas. Although Starr signed a recording deal with local label Dot Records (one single: `Poor Little Jimmy Brown'), the proposed American movie roles and major record deals never happened. Dot Records also issued an American version of `I've Been Everywhere' as a single by Hank Snow. It reached #1 on the American country chart.



Starr returned to Australia in late 1963, and appeared in the Christmas `surfing musical' Once Upon a Surfie with a cast that included Dig Richards, Jackie Weaver, Bryan Davies, Jay Justin, Rob EG, Jan Green and The Delltones. He issued an album in 1964, The Silver Spade Digs Lucky, before turning his attention to international club dates around the world including the USA, New Zealand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and Italy. By the late 1960s, he had moved into the country music field and took his travelling show around the Australian bush. During the late 1980s, the Lucky Starr Band included his son Craig Morrison, who went on to minor success with his own band, De Mont. 

Johnny O'Keefe - 1964 - My Heart Belongs to Only You

My Heart Belongs to Only You/Ecstasy/I Love You So Much It Hurts/Let True Love Begin






John Michael O’Keefe was born on January 19, 1935. His parents Ray and Thelma both sang and Thelma was also an accomplished pianist.  Ray was the leader of “Ray O’Keefe and The Club Royals” and in addition to operating his own furniture business was also Mayor of Waverley Council in the early 60’s

John was one of three children.  His sister Anne Rose lives in the NSW Southern Highlands these days and has a wonderful collection of J O’K memorabilia.  Their brother, Hon. Barry O’Keefe QC AM is a former head of ICAC and a former Mayor of Mosman Council.  Barry’s son Andrew (nephew of Anne and J O’K) has a flourishing television career which J O’K forecast when Andrew was 12 years of age.

Following a couple of years performing at local dances and live radio shows for free, John’s first paid engagement as a singer was for Bathurst (NSW) radio station 2BS for which he was paid 17 pounds.  2BS and its sister FM station B-Rock still broadcast successfully in 2008 and recently added the new Jet/Iggy Pop recording of “Wild One” to their FM playlist.

After hearing Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” in the film Blackboard Jungle in 1955. J O’K and sax player Dave Owen formed Australia’s first rock ‘n’ roll band in 1956, named Johnny O’Keefe and The Dee Jays.  Although there were a couple of early line up changes the mainstays of The Dee Jays were Dave Owen, Keith Williams, John Greenan, Lou Casch and of course drummer Johnny “Catfish” Purser.  I became mates with “Catfish “during my years at Festival in the early 1970’s.  Aside from still playing with The Dee Jays he was also our stationery representative and sold me a lot of pens and pencils.  It should be noted of course that Dave Owen, John Greenan, J O’K and Disc Jockey Tony Withers wrote “Wild One” and the rest is history. 

 By 1957 Johnny O’Keefe and The Dee Jays had signed with Festival Records, released their first single “Billygoat (you hit the wrong note)” and were installed as the featured support act for Lee Gordon’s “Big Show” concerts which were headlined by American greats including Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers.  The Dee Jays were often the backing band for these artists.

wild one Following the release and success of “Wild One” in 1958, J O’K toured New Zealand and in 1959 John and The Dee Jays were engaged as the resident band on the ABC’s “Six O’Clock Rock” TV show.  After six weeks John became host of the show and took all aspects of it under his wing.

During 1959/60 J O’K toured and recorded in the USA and signed with Liberty Records.  “She’s My Baby” sold over 100,000 copies in America and “It’s Too Late” attained No. 1 in New Orleans.

 Following hit after hit in Australia JO’K finished with “Six O’Clock Rock” and in 1961 moved to Channel 7 as compere of “The Johnny O’Keefe Show” which was a major success.  In 1963 the 7 Network renamed John’s show “Sing, Sing, Sing” and the success continued.

Due mainly to a change in musical trends John’s chart success slowed to some extent in the latter half of the 60’s but following a national tour with Jack Benny, “She Wears My Ring” reached No. 2 on the charts.  In 1967 he compered a new TV show titled “Where The Action Is” on the 10 Network and charted with “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Tomorrow”, “Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw” and a re-release of “She’s My Baby”.

In the 1971 he released “(You’ve Got Me) Dangling On A String” and “Keep On Smiling” but unfortunately airplay was not forthcoming and the record did not chart.  John’s decision to record them was vindicated when in 1988 Glenn A. Baker included both titles in a Box Set he compiled for Festival and said in the liner notes that he had included “all the hits and recordings of merit”.  Of course during the 70’s John had two more smash hits with “So Tough” and “Mockingbird” so a couple of tracks that did not chart hardly fazed him.

    Johnny with Jack Benny and Lorrae Desmond
 
On St Valentine’s Day 1975 John married Maureen Maricic, John’s daughter, Vicky has enjoyed considerable success as a singer and composer and still performs regularly. John’s sons, John and Peter are very successful men - John as a lawyer in Canberra and Peter a classical pianist in Japan. 

New Link Added 16.08.2020

The Dots - 1979 - The Dots UPGRADE TO FLAC

Recognition/I See Red/Lowdown/Faster Than Light




Paul Maurice Kelly (born 13 January 1955) is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor Ratbaggy and Stardust Five. Kelly's music style has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output straddles folk, rock, and country. His lyrics capture the vastness of the culture and landscape of Australia by chronicling life about him for over 30 years


While travelling around Australia, Paul Kelly made his first public performance in 1974 in Hobart.His first published song, "It's the Falling Apart that Makes You", was written after listening to Van Morrison's Astral Weeks at the age of 19, although in an interview with Drum Media he recalled writing his first unpublished song: "It was an open-tuning and had four lines about catching trains. I have got a recording of it somewhere. It was called 'Catching a Train'. I wrote a lot of songs about trains early on, trains and fires, and then I moved on to water". In 1976, Kelly appeared on Debutantes, a compilation album featuring various Melbourne-based artists, and joined pub-rockers The High Rise Bombers from 1977 to 1978. The High Rise Bombers included Kelly (vocals, guitar, songwriter), Martin Armiger (guitar, vocals, songwriter), Lee Cass (bass guitar), Chris Dyson (guitar), Sally Ford (saxophone, songwriter), John Lloyd (drums), and Keith Shadwick (saxophone). Chris Langman (guitar, vocals) replaced Dyson in early 1978. In August, after Armiger left for The Sports and Ford for The Kevins, Kelly formed Paul Kelly and the Dots with Langman and Lloyd.[28] The High Rise Bombers recorded two tracks, "She's Got It" and "Domestic Criminal", which appeared on The Melbourne Club, a 1981 compilation by various artists on Missing Link Records.
   

Paul Kelly & the Dots' first charting single, "Billy Baxter", released in November 1980. Ahead of their debut 1981 album, Talk. It has a "delightful, ska-tinged" style.

Kelly had already established himself as a respected songwriter—other Melbourne musicians would go to see him on their nights off. Richard Guilliatt, writing for The Monthly, later described Kelly from a 1979 performance at Richmond's Kingston Hotel, the singer was "a skinny guy with a head of black curls framing a pale face and a bent nose... singing with his eyes closed, one arm outstretched and the other resting on the body of the Fender Telecaster". Kelly was introduced to Hilary Brown at one of the Dots' gigs and they later married – the relationship is described in "When I First Met Your Ma" (1992). Brown's father supplied Kelly with a gravy recipe – used on "How to Make Gravy" (1996). Their son, Declan, was born in 1980.

 The Dots included various line-ups from 1978 to 1982. The band released their debut single "Recognition" in 1979, which did not reach the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart top 50. Paul Kelly and the Dots signed to Mushroom Records and issued "Billy Baxter" in November 1980, which peaked at No. 38. Rock music historian, Ian McFarlane described it as a "delightful, ska-tinged" track. Kelly's first television performance was "Billy Baxter" on the national pop show Countdown. Their debut album, Talk, followed in March 1981, which reached No. 44 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. Late in 1981 Paul Kelly and the Dots recorded their second album, Manila, in the Philippines' capital. It was issued in August 1982, but had no chart success. Release was delayed by line-up changes and because Kelly was assaulted in Melbourne – he had his jaw broken.

In an October 1982 interview with The Australian Women's Weekly, Kelly indicated he was more pleased with Manila than Talk as "It has more unity ... with this one we didn't have people dropping into the studio to play." Years later Kelly disavowed both Dots albums: "I wish I could grab the other two and put 'em in a big hole". The 1982 film, Starstruck, was directed by Gillian Armstrong and starred Jo Kennedy. Paul Kelly and the Dots supplied "Rocking Institution" for its soundtrack and Kelly added to the score. Kennedy released "Body and Soul", a cover of Split Enz' "She Got Body, She Got Soul" as a shared single with "Rocking Institution". Acting in a minor role in Starstruck was Kaarin Fairfax, who later became Kelly's second wife. Kelly was without a recording contract after the Dots folded in 1982.

The Aztecs and The Kinsmen - 1965 - 4 Big Instrumentals

The Aztecs - Smoke And Stack/The Aztecs - Board Boogie/The Kinsmen - The Sphinx Wont Tell/The Kinsmen - The Last Leaf


EP released in 1965 one side has 2 tracks by the Aztecs the other side has 2 by the Kinsmen contrary to the title of the EP  " The Sphinx Won't Tell" is a vocal track.

 The Aztecs originally a four-piece instrumental group who had put out one surfing instrumental, "Smoke & Stack", they formed in Sydney in 1963. With the advent of the Merseybeat sound, they added a lead singer, Billy Thorpe. His powerful voice and showmanship (which made him one of the most popular and respected rock performers in Australian music), completed the original line-up, which consisted of drummer Col Baigent, bassist John "Bluey" Watson and guitarists Valentine Jones and Vince Maloney (who later played with The Bee Gees). Valentine Jones left the band shortly after Billy Thorpe had joined and was later replaced by Tony Barber.

Not to much info on the Kinsmen a Melbourne band who released 2 singles "The Sphinx Wont Tell/ The Last Leaf"  charted at #15 in Melbourne in 1964 and "You Are My Destiny" in 1965. They toured the UK and Europe in 1966. Some of the members were John Lisle Vocals, Bob Gill Guitar, Ron Mizz Guitar, Peter Cohen Bass and Alex Zuere Bass.

 

New Link Added 03.01.2022

King Fox - 1971 - Unforgotten Dreams

Unforgotten Dreams/Will You Love Me Tomorrow/Timepiece/Alone So Alone


King Fox was an Australian pop band formed ca. 1967 by a group of schoolfriends from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. After early changes, the band settled into the lineup of Paul Radcliffe -  guitar, vocals, flute David King - guitar, vocals Billy Field - bass,vocals  Peter Muller - organ, vocals  Andy Evans - drums



King Fox came to prominence in Sydney in mid-1969 after entering a talent competition run by Sydney radio station 2UW and independent producer Martin Erdman; the group's average age was 16 at the time. King Fox's entry was an original song called "Unforgotten Dreams", an atmospheric psych-pop original written by Radcliffe and King, featuring flute by Radcliffe. It was produced by Martin Erdman and recorded at his studio in just one hour.

The song generated a strong public reaction when played on air, and King Fox ended up being one of four groups out of more than 150 whose work was selected for release as a single on Erdman's Du Monde Records. "Unforgotten Dreams" became a Top 5 hit in Sydney, charting for over four months, a feat that was also remarkable because of the song's length—4 min 56 sec, almost double the average length of a pop single at that time.

In January 1970, during the summer vacation, King Fox recorded an album at Erdman's World of Sound Studios in Ramsgate, the first recordings to be made on Erdman's newly purchased 4-track recording gear.

Most accounts of King Fox mention the affluence of the members' home suburbs. It has often been claimed that the band broke up in 1970 when the boys' instruments, payrolled by their parents, were confiscated because they were neglecting their studies. This however is not true—in a recent interview on the ABC-TV current affairs show Stateline, Radcliffe and King revealed that the parents of the group members demanded an end to the band after Sydney tabloid the Sunday Mirror published an intrusive article about the band which named the private schools that several of the boys attended and mocked their supposedly affluent family backgrounds.

The group briefly reformed in 1972 and released one unsuccessful single on the Festival Records label, but broke up permanently soon after.

The tracks the band had recorded for their proposed LP were never mixed or released at the time, because the group broke up just days after the last track was recorded. Erdman long thought that the tapes had been lost after he moved his studio, but they were rediscovered a few years ago and in May 2007 Radcliffe and Erdman mixed the tracks and the 'lost' recordings, which were then compiled with the other existing King Fox tracks on the CD 70207: The (Un)Forgotten Album, which was released on the revived Du Monde imprint in May 2008.

Bassist Billy Field went on to establish the renowned Paradise Studios in Sydney in 1979, and he then launched a solo career as a piano playing singer-songwriter. He had two nationwide hits in 1981 with "Bad Habits" and "You Weren't In Love With Me" (a national #1), and his album Bad Habits was a best-seller.

New Link Added 03.01.2022

Tony Worsley - 1966 - Missing You FLAC

Missing You/All Over You/With You By My Side/The Kind



   
English-born singer Tony Worsley migrated to Australia with his parents at the age of 13. He started his singing career on the Brisbane dance circuit during 1963 when he was 18. A year later (around May 1964), he teamed up with popular Melbourne rock'n'roll band The Blue Jays who had been together since 1959.

The original Blue Jays line-up comprised Frankie Brent (vocals, rhythm guitar), Chris Lawson (lead guitar), Doug Stirling (piano) and Bob Johnson (drums). The band's first single, `Maori's Farewell'/`Everybody Loves Saturday Night', came out on the Crest label in October 1961. The Blue Jays issued the album Arthur Murray's Twist Party on Crest in 1962. By that stage, the line-up comprised Brent, Johnson, Laurie Allen (vocals, guitar, piano; ex-Malcolm Arthur and the Knights), Johnny Cosgrove (vocals, lead guitar), Alan Easterbrook (vocals, sax) and Ray Houston (bass). Laurie Allen and the Blue Jays issued the single `Wolfman'/`Kept a Broken Heart in Broken Hill' in January 1962. In 1963, the line-up became Allen, Johnson, Easterbrook, Mal Clarke (rhythm guitar), Dennis Tucker (bass) and Doug Flower (lead guitar). Allen left in 1963 and eventually joined up with Bobby Bright as Bobby and Laurie. By early 1964, the line-up was Johnson, Clarke, Ray Eames (lead guitar), Paul Shannon (sax) and Royce Nicholls (bass).

After promoter Ivan Dayman matched Worsley with the already established Blue Jays, the union proceeded to score a series of hit singles. The band's first release on Dayman's Sunshine label, however, was the instrumental `Jaywalker'/`Pathfinder' (sans Worsley and credited to The Fabulous Blue Jays, October 1964). A month later, Tony Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays issued the single `I Sure Know a Lot About Love'/`Me You Gotta Teach' on Sunshine. The single peaked at #25 in Brisbane, which provided the band with a stepping stone on to the local scene. The Fabulous Blue Jays issued their second single without Worsley, `Motivate'/`We're Friends', in January 1965. That same month, Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays supported UK visitors The Kinks, Manfred Mann, The Honeycombs and Tony Sheveton on The Big Show package tour. Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays' second single, `Just a Little Bit'/`If I', reached #23 in Sydney during March. The Fabulous Blue Jays' third single, `Zoom Gonk'/`Hey! Jack', also came out in March.

Sunshine issued the band's self-titled debut album, with one side dedicated to Worsley's songs and the flip to The Fabulous Blue Jays (sans Worsley). Of the album's 16 tracks, ten had already been issued as A and B-sides of singles. Eames left the band around that time to be replaced by Jimmy Cerezo (ex-Pleazers). The Fabulous Blue Jays backed Worsley on his third single, Chuck Berry's `Talkin' About You'/`I Dream of You' (June 1965), although their name was dropped from the label credit. The Fabulous Blue Jays issued their final single, `Beat Out Dat Rhythm'/`I'll Make You Cry', at the same time. Dayman began pushing Worsley as a solo artist, so his next three singles on Sunshine appeared credited to Tony Worsley.

They were `Velvet Waters'/`Rock-a-Billy' (September 1965), `Missing You'/`Lonely City' (January 1966) and `Something's Got a Hold on Me'/`Something' (March). Although the bulk of Worsley's material was rocky and uptempo, the ballad `Velvet Waters' provided him with the biggest hit of his career. It reached #5 in Sydney and #14 in Melbourne during October. A second ballad, `Missing You', failed to replicate that success (#28 in Sydney). Sunshine issued Worsley's second album, Velvet Waters and Other Great Songs, in late 1965. `Something's Got a Hold on Me' returned Worsley to more upbeat material, but it too failed to chart. Not long after the single's release, Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays parted company. The last Worsley record to feature The Fabulous Blue Jays on a couple of tracks was the album My Time of Day (November 1966).

Worsley formed a new, short-lived version of The Fabulous Blue Jays with Phil Manning (lead guitar), Brian Patterson (rhythm guitar), Brian Saunders (bass) and Jimmy Thompson (drums). By 1967, Manning had joined The Laurie Allen Revue, before going on to work with celebrated blues band Chain. Worsley's last three singles for Sunshine, `Raining in My Heart'/`Knocking on Wood' (May 1966), `No Worries'/`Humpty Dumpty' (January 1967) and `Reaching Out'/`Do You Mind?' (October 1967), sank without a trace, and Worsley disappeared from view. He joined a Brisbane band, Hands Down, in 1969, but virtually retired from the music industry soon after. In the early 1990s, Worsley issued three singles on the local Enrec label, `Heartache for You', `High on Love' and `Hey Hey Little Girl'.

During their time with Sunshine, Worsley and the Blue Jays issued eight EPs: `Pathfinder' and `Jaywalk' (The Fabulous Blue Jays), `I Sure Know a Lot About Love' (Tony Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays), `Motivate' (The Fabulous Blue Jays), `If I' (Tony Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays), `Velvet Waters' (Tony Worsley), `Missing You' (Tony Worsley), `Something's Got a Hold on Me' (Tony Worsley) and `Raining in My Heart' (Tony Worsley). Of The Fabulous Blue Jays members, Bob Johnson and Paul Shannon formed Grandma's Tonic with erstwhile Blue Jays member Ray Houston (bass) plus Dennis Whitehead (guitar). Grandma's Tonic backed solo singer Peter Doyle for a time, and also issued two singles on the Astor label, The Troggs' `Hi Hi Hazel'/`Johnny the Hammer' (October 1966) and the punkish `Lost Girl'/`I Know' (April 1967).

Royce Nicholls formed a folk-blues duo with English-born, Brisbane-bred singer Toni McCann. The Fabulous Blue Jays had already backed the teenage McCann on her astonishing debut single for Sunshine `No'/`My Baby' (July 1965). McCann issued a second single, `Saturday Date'/`If You Don't Come Back', which came out on the Everybody's label in December 1965. Both singles are among the wildest garage/R&B releases of the era (indeed, in the words of the late Dean Mittelhauser, `Australia had never heard a girl singer quite like Toni McCann before!'). There is some conjecture as to whether it was The Fabulous Blue Jays, or Steve & the Board that backed McCann on `Saturday Date'. Either way, it was McCann's riotous vocal delivery (in that boisterous Wanda Jackson vein), and the rough-hewn sound quality on offer, that precluded any notion of chart success for the singles.

McCann recorded a third solo single, `Buy Some Love'/`Look on', which was due out on CBS in December 1966, but never seems to have appeared. Toni and Royce issued two singles on CBS, `On The Road'/`Happiness is Just a State of Mind' (May 1967) and `The Streets are Not Deserted Now' /`Even I Can Hear the Grass Grow' (February 1968), before disappearing from view. Mal Clarke went on to work with Ray Brown and Moonstone, the Ray Burton Band, Chariot and Bullamakanka.

Rick Springfield - 1981 - Jessie's Girl FLAC

Jessie's Girl/ Carry Me Away/I've Done Everything For You/ Everybody's Girl



Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe; 23 August 1949) is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter, actor and author. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia in mid-1972, when he moved to the United States. He had a No. 1 hit with "Jessie's Girl" in 1981 in both Australia and the US, for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. He followed with four more top 10 US hits, "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody". Springfield's two US top 10 albums are Working Class Dog (1981) and Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982).

As an actor, he starred in the television series High Tide, from 1994 to 1997, and has appeared in supporting roles in Ricki and the Flash and True Detective (both in 2015). He portrayed Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital, from 1981 to 1983 and during 2005 to 2008 and 2012, returning in 2013 for the show's 50th anniversary with son and actor Liam Springthorpe. In 2010, Springfield published his autobiography, Late, Late at Night: A Memoir. He's been set to play Lucifer in the twelfth season of American TV show Supernatural on the CW Network.


Richard Lewis Springthorpe (later known as Rick Springfield) was born on 23 August 1949 in Guildford, a western suburb of Sydney. He is the son of Eileen Louise (Evennett) and Norman James Springthorpe, an Australian Army career officer. His maternal grandparents were English. When he was young, he lived at the army camp with his family in Broadmeadows, Victoria, Australia. At the age of fourteen, he witnessed the Beatles perform at Festival Hall, Melbourne.
Music career

Springfield was 13 when he learned guitar. He joined various bands in England, where his father was stationed from 1958 to 1963, and several more after returning to Australia. In 1968, he was approached by bass guitarist Pete Watson to join his group Rockhouse. Later that year, Watson changed the band's name to MPD Ltd and, in October when Springfield was 19 years old, they toured South Vietnam to entertain Australian troops. Another member of MPD Ltd was Danny Finley (drummer). Upon returning to Australia, they formed Wickedy Wak. They were joined by Phil Blackmore on keyboards and Dick Howard. Go-Set journalist Ian "Molly" Meldrum produced Wickedy Wak's single, "Billie's Bikie Boys", with Beeb Birtles of pop rock group Zoot as a backing vocalist.

In September 1969, Springfield replaced Roger Hicks as lead guitarist and vocalist in Zoot, with Birtles on bass guitar and vocals, Darryl Cotton on lead vocals and guitar, and Rick Brewer on drums. Upon joining Zoot, Springfield adopted the "Think Pink – Think Zoot" theme that had the band members dressed head to toe in pink satin. The publicity gimmick brought attention to the group and attracted numerous teenage girl fans; however it caused problems in establishing their credibility as serious rock musicians. Zoot's fifth single, "Hey Pinky", was written by Springfield. The group attempted to shake off their teeny-bopper image. They followed with a hard rock cover version of The Beatles' hit "Eleanor Rigby", which peaked at No. 4 on Go-Set's Top 40 in March 1971. Despite another hit single with "Freak" in April, which was written by Springfield, the band broke up in May.

Springfield signed with Sparmac Records and issued his début solo single, "Speak to the Sky", in October, which peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set singles chart. Sparmac label owner, Robie Porter, was also producer and manager for Springfield. After recording his début album, Beginnings, in London, Springfield moved to the United States in mid-1972. Springfield provided all the songwriting, lead vocals, guitar, keyboard and banjo for the album. "Speak to the Sky" was issued in the US by Capitol Records and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September. His début album, Beginnings, was the first of seven top 40 albums on the related Billboard 200. However, follow-up success was hampered by rumours that Capitol Records paid people to purchase Springfield's albums, which led to some radio stations boycotting his music.

 In 1973, Springfield signed to Columbia Records and recorded his second album, Comic Book Heroes, which was also produced by Porter. In Australia, released on Porter's new label, Wizard Records, the album and its two singles failed to chart. Springfield was promoted as a teeny pop idol similar to David Cassidy and Donny Osmond.

Springfield spoke of the teenybopper image in Circus Magazine in 1973. He said he was not sure how it happened. "Someone saw my photo and that was it." He went on to say that someone asked to take a photo of him in a white suit and thought that it was "a bit dull", so he took some crayons and "scrawled an R with a lightning bolt going through it ... which became my emblem."

From September 1972 to September 1973, Springfield starred as "himself" in the ABC-TV Saturday morning cartoon series Mission: Magic!, for which he usually wrote and performed an original song in each episode. In 1974, he issued an Australia-only album, Mission: Magic!, which was "full of infectious bubblegum pop songs". His single, "Take a Hand", reached the US top 50 in 1976. The single was taken from the album Wait for Night, which was issued by his new label, Chelsea Records. Soon after its release, the record company folded. During the late 1970s, he concentrated more on his acting career, guest-starring in several primetime TV dramas.

Springfield won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Working Class Dog reached No.7 on the Billboard 200. Another top 10 single from the album was the Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You". He had further success with the follow-up albums Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982) and Living in Oz (1983).

Springfield was frustrated with people in interviews mistaking him for Bruce Springsteen, expressed in the track "Bruce" on the album Beautiful Feelings (1984). In 1984, Springfield starred in his own movie, Hard to Hold, and recorded the majority of the material on the accompanying soundtrack. The soundtrack included a top-ten hit, "Love Somebody", as well as several moderately successful follow-up singles. However, the movie itself was not successful, and the soundtrack's success (though higher than that of the movie) paled in comparison to previous Springfield albums. Nonetheless, Springfield released his next album Tao in 1985, scoring several modest hits from this release, including "State of the Heart" and "Celebrate Youth". That same year, Springfield was one of several performers who participated in the Live Aid charity concert. Around this time, he took a brief hiatus from recording.

Springfield continued to write and record and, in 1981, released his next album, Working Class Dog. The album spawned the single "Jessie's Girl", a worldwide hit which peaked at No. 1 for two weeks in the US on the Hot 100 and the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart.

Various - 1975 - Original T.V. Themes FLAC

Theme From Rush/Seven Little Australians/Theme From Cash & Co/Theme From Ben Hall


 In 1976, Image Records released four popular Australian T.V show themes on an E.P. called "Original T.V. Themes".
The songs include two tracks by Brian May And The ABC. Showband, "Theme from Rush" and the "Theme from Seven Little Australians" and two tracks by The Bushwackers, the "Theme from Cash & Co" and the "Theme from Ben Hall". All four shows were set in the Australian Colonial days and centered on themes such as The Goldrush and Bushrangers.

 Rush
In 1974 the Australian Broadcasting Commission took the initiative and produced the high quality, critically acclaimed series Rush. Two series were made of Rush, and they were effectively two different programmes. Rush was set on the Victorian goldfields in 1852 in the fictitious settlement of Crockers Gully.
The first series was set in Victoria during the gold rush of the 1850's, and was produced in Melbourne and filmed in black and white. A second series went to air two years later, and the period and location was changed to the 1860's in New South Wales. This time it was produced in Sydney, filmed in colour and featured an almost entirely new cast line-up - the only character carried over from the original was that of Sergeant McKellar, played by John Waters.
I have wonderful memories of watching this TV show (both series) and for this reason alone I purchased the EP featured here. I was a big fan of John Waters (and his character who sported a distinctive scar on his left cheek) and followed his acting career thereafter (ie. Breaker Morant, Jesus Christ Superstar). Of course the soundtrack theme was also very catchy and well suited to the colonial setting.

Robert McKellar was the Crockers Gully Police Sergeant, who had a rather colourful past. McKellar was in the Army in England, until he shot a Sergeant with whose wife he was having an affair, and was subsequently transported to Australia as a convict. He was released on a ticket-of-leave after four years and joined the Victoria Police. McKellar is subordinate to Gold Commissioner Fitzalan, and disagrees with Fitzalan's administration of the law. McKellar identifies with the miners and their problems, and was often at loggerheads with Fitzalan - but first and foremost he was a policeman and would do his duty.

 

Seven Little Australians
Australian mini-series produced by the ABC, Australian Film Development Corporation, Ethel Turner Productions. It aired in 1973 (10 episodes) and featured Leonard Teal as Captain John Woolcot and Ruth Cracknel as Martha
Based on Ethel Turner's classic children's novel, this award-winning mini-series is about a family of seven children set in 1880s Australia. The father of this lively brood is the dashing Captain John Woolcot, and he would like to run his household with army discipline, but is no match for his seven mischievous and fun-loving children. The war of wills between the Captain and his troop of independent-minded sons and daughters is tempered by the gentle guidance of Esther, his wife, and the children's kindly step-mother.




Cash & Co
The gold rush days of the 1850’s were a significant part of Australia’s history, yet the subject was not treated in a television series until 1974. The ABC’s Rush was the first series of any note to deal with the period, and was closely followed by Homestead Film’s production of Cash & Co.
Unlike Rush, Cash & Co was conceived purely as an escapist adventure series. Although the stories are based on fact, they make no attempt to recreate any authentic events. However, much research was done to ensure the settings, costumes and props faithfully recreated the period.
The show’s theme tune and much of the incidental music was written and performed by the 'Bushwhackers And Bullockies Bush Band', later simply known as the 'Bushwackers Band'. The theme tune and some of the incidental music has also appeared on their albums.

Cash & Co reflected the view that not all outlaws were necessarily bad, but were sometimes reasonable men who were persecuted and driven outside the law by the law itself - as administered by ruthless officials, epitomised in this case by the corrupt police officer Lieutenant Keogh. The outlaws, Sam Cash (played by Serge Lazareff) and Joe Brady (played by Gus Mercurio with his gravelly, cigar choked voice), are on the run after being framed for murder by Keogh. In fact, Keogh and his troopers murdered Brady’s partner for not having a mining licence, and Brady would have been next if not for Cash’s timely intervention. The role of Jessica Johnson is played by Penne Hackforth-Jones. Jessica is strong-willed and as competent as any man, and features equally in the action scenes.

 
 Ben Hall
Ben Hall (May 9, 1837 – May 5, 1865) was an Australian bushranger. A bushranger is a thief who roamed the countryside and country towns of Australia, usually escaping on horseback, like a highwayman. Most bushrangers were simply criminals and thieves. Ben Hall is one of the few bushrangers, like Ned Kelly, who were thought of as outlaw heroes.
Ben Hall lived at a time when gold had been discovered in New South Wales and Victoria. Thousands of people went out to the places where gold had been discovered to seek their fortunes (hoping to get rich). Like many bushrangers, Ben Hall and his gang robbed coaches that were carrying gold from the goldfields. Ben Hall was able to avoid being arrested by the police for many years because he had many friends and relatives to help him..
Ben Hall was a 1975 historical mini-series produced by the ABC in Sydney as a co-production with the BBC. The Ben Hall set was located at Belrose in Sydney's north and the set formed the township of Wheogo in the mini-series. Strangely enough, there is scant information available for this mini-series and is not even featured on the ABC website. It would seem that this series has been treated as a poor cousin to the the acclaimed Rush mini-series.

Thanks to Sunshine and AussieRock

Lost Souls - 1967 - The Lost Souls (1987)

What'Cha Gonna Do/Everything Is Black/In This World/It's Gonna Be Alright


Formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1965, the Lost Souls consisted of Rob Woff (lead vocals), Terry Paul (guitar), Bill Putt (guitar), Les Wilkins (bass), and Alan Gregory (drums). They got together right out of high school, enamored of the bluesier side of the British beat boom, especially the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Pretty Things, and won a local battle-of-the-bands competition, which got them a shot at a single on the Sunshine label. The resulting record, "This Life of Mine," was heavily influenced by the Animals, both in Woff's vocal performance and its pounding beat, while the fuzz-laden guitar called to mind the Pretty Things at their raunchiest, and the whole record rivalled the Who for ballsiness. It became a local hit but it was as far as the group got, in terms of leaving any lasting mark. They broke up three years later, unknown outside of their region of Australia.  The band recorded more material at the Theatresound in 1967 which wasn’t released at the time but later came available on the Kavern label in 1987.

     Left to right Terry Paul (Rhythm Guitar) Alan Gregory (Drums) Bilge Pump (Lead Guitar)
                         Les Wilkins (Bass Guitar) Robert Wolf  (Vocalist) seated.

Col Joye - 1961 - At Hitsville

Yes Sir That's My Baby/Bad Man/The Bells Are Ringing For Me And My Gal/Pony Tail




 Colin Frederick Jacobsen AM (born 13 April 1936 in Sydney), better known by his stage name Col Joye, is an Australian pioneer rock musician, popular entertainer and entrepreneur, (he has also recorded various other cross-over styles such as country music). Joye was the first Australian rock and roll singer to have a number one record Australia-wide and experienced a string of chart successes in the early Australian rock and roll scene.

Recording as a solo artist and with his backing band, The Joy Boys, which included his brothers Kevin and Keith, Joye enjoyed a string of hits on the local and national singles charts of Australia beginning in 1959. Joye's first single, "Stagger Lee" was a cover of the Lloyd Price US original. However, his third single "Bye Bye Baby" reached No.3 on the Australian Kent Music Report charts in 1959, followed by "Rockin Rollin Clementine" also peaking at No.3. His fifth single, "Oh Yeah Uh Huh", became his most successful, peaking at No.1. He also had other charting singles, including "Yes Sir That's My Baby" peaking at No.5 nationally. Joye was an original member of Brian Hendersons Bandstand television program, and appeared regularly on this show for fourteen years. Joye also toured Australia with fellow Bandstand acts, including Judy Stone, Sandy Scott, and Little Pattie. Joye's popularity leveled off with the changes to the music scene around the time of the rise of the British invasion, and especially The Beatles, and it was not until 1973 that he had another hit record, with "Heaven Is My Woman's Love" reaching No.1 on the Go-Set charts in 1973.

 During the period between personal musical successes in the 1960s, Col and Kevin Jacobsen built an influential entertainment management, publishing, and recording business, including ATA Studios in Glebe, NSW. This business worked with developing and promoting artists including the Bee Gees, and their brother Andy Gibb. Their promotions company, Jacobsen Entertainment, continued into the 2000s, with Col and Kevin remaining as principal members.
Awards and recognition

Joye won several music awards, including two ARIA Music Awards, and he earned numerous gold and platinum records. On 8 June 1981, he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for his entertainment and philanthropic work. Joye also continued to perform publicly, including providing entertainment at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs post-1985 NSW Rugby League grand final victory celebration. Joye was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988, the first year of such inductions.In 1998, Australia Post issued a special edition set of twelve stamps celebrating the early years of Australian Rock 'n' Roll, featuring Australian hit songs from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. One of the stamps commemorated Joye, based on the song "Oh Yeah Uh Huh". Australia Post wrote that "Each of them said something about us, and told the rest of the world this is what popular culture sounds like, and it has an Australian accent".

In 2010, "Bye Bye Baby", by Col Joye and the Joy Boys with backing vocals from the Sapphires, was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia register. The curator's notes stated that:

There is not a lot to this pop song, written by American Frank McNulty, other than a catchy title hook. The lyrics are about the singer saying goodbye to his girlfriend and how lonely he will be without her until the next time they meet.The original recording was made using a nylon string guitar, bass (wonderfully out of tune in the beginning) and minimalist drums with Col Joye almost whispering the vocals (as he had a cold at the time). This is the released version, with added celeste and ‘ooh-ahh’ backing vocals from the Sapphires, presumably to give it a little more musical interest.
 

In 1990, while pruning a neighbour's tree with a chainsaw as a favour, Joye slipped and fell six metres onto brick paving below, striking his head and falling into a coma, as well as sustaining serious lower back and shoulder injuries. Initially given a poor prognosis, he eventually recovered to start performing and touring again in 1998, and in 2008 celebrated his 50th Anniversary in show business.

The Phantoms - 1963 - Instrumental Hits By The Phantoms

 Southern Cross/Dance On/Apache/Ridin' The Wind/Spring Is Nearly Here/The Two Forty-Two




The Phantoms began their career in early 1960. The band consisted of Dave Lincoln (Lead Guitar) Gene Taylor (Rhythm Guitar) Pete Wason (Bass Guitar) and Alan "Ollie" Fenton (Drums). Under the management off Bruce Stewart (who saw the playing at The Malvern Town Hall approached them after the show and asked if he could manage them) the band began to increase their popularity around the Melbourne scene.

They backed all the major solo artists on the various weekly shows at The Malvern Town Hall, Preston Town Hall, Springvale Town Hall, The Mechanics Town Hall Frankston, Cogurg Town Hall and other one off events like the Royal Melbourne Show, Moomba and the 3DB Lunchtime Concert at the Melbourne Town Hall. These Concerts Gave The Phantoms the chance to really excell and improve their skills and back the superstars of the day like Johnny O'Keefe, Johnny Chester and many others.  

 In November 1962 the Phantoms released their single on W & G titled "Stampede"/"Midnight" #27 in Melbourne. April 1963 their second single was a terrific version of "The Rumble" backed with "The Two Forty-Two" around Victoria these two singles sold well this kept the band in demand not only in demand in Victoria but N.S.W and Queensland as well.

W & G as a follow up released the six track EP Instrumental Hits By The Phantons which these days has become a collectors item changing hans for hundreds of dollars the release was not promoted and soon disappered from the the record stores. In April 1964 their next single for W & G wa released "Hava Nagila" with the popular tune "Round and Round" sales for this release were good.

The Beatles Touring Party The Phantoms back row with Johnny Chester and Johnny Devlin.

 The band was then selected as one of the support acts fot the Beatles tour of Australia Iin May they also supported Johnny Chester and Johnny Devlin. The Phantoms started each show with two songs "Hava Nagila" and "Round and Round". Members of the group for the tour were Dave Lincoln,Bob Garde, Pete Watson, Alan Fenton and Alan Tresider.

June 1964 saw the release of their album "The Two Sides Of The Phantoms" after being cast as Shadows clones the approched the album with the intent of throwing of that mantle. They decide that they would record vocals for the first time Pete Watson and Dave Lincoln took up the task.

 

Some months after the release of the album W & G issued anothe single in August  "I Want You"/"Move It" W & G then issued their final single "The Cruel Sea" with "My Babe" on the flipside. The "The Cruel Sea" was also issued in the USA on the Ford label reaching #137 on their charts.

Around this time Dave Lincoln was hit by a car and badly injured so the band advertised for a replacement and chose Mike Brady of the Hearsmen Pete and Mike hit it off and after a coupe of months they decided to pusue a more contemporary beat style of musuc this was the virtual end of the Phantoms. Pete and Mike recruited Danny Finley of The Saxons and M.P.D. Limited was born.