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2. Muszak - Writing Letters to Nowhere. (Reflection HRS 3002) A Melbourne group, Ringwood to be precise, that has come to the attention of collectors thanks to this super rare single only track. They also contributed some music for a stageshow, "Cult". An lp of the show was released, also on the Reflection label, but the Muszak tracks are reputedly very bland soft rock similar to the flipside of this killer. 3. Glass Web - Two Faced Woman (Nationwide NSP-010). One of the better releases from Adelaide’s Nationwide label. A curious blend of garage and psych. 4. Inside Looking Out - H.M.S. Buffalo (Festival FK-3468). From Adelaide again, the second of their two 45s for the Festival group of labels. The flip of this one "Morning Sun" appears on the Forest of Goldtops comp along with their other 45 "Long Live Sivananda". 5. Vyt and the World - Dapper Dan (CBS BA-221456). Who was Vyt? He made a string of 45s for CBS including a great version of the Remains "Why Do I Cry?" but this is the best of the sike-pop trax: "Tiny Timothy" appears on the vinyl comp Ugly Things 4. Guitarist Chris Eggleton became a composer of soundtrack music, his credits include the early Nicole Kidman classic, BMX Bandits. 6. Mike Furber - I’m on Fire (Columbia DO-8970). Usually refered to as a tragic figure due to his mysterious death in 1973. Furber is familiar to 60’s punk collectors for his tremendous lp with the Bowery Boys. This track and it’s flipside "Watch Me Burn" (on Goldtops comp) are the last great recordings he made, both tracks composed by Vanda and Young. Musically Furber fizzled out in the early 70s with a tepid pop single for Columbia. 7. The Chocolate - I’m an animal (Festival FK-2933). Those ugly Creatures moved to Melbourne from Sydney and at the suggestion of pop guru Ian Meldrum changed their name to the groovy Chocolate and recorded this version of the Sly Stone/Animals track as their final futile shot at stardom. 8. The Twilights - Take Action (Columbia lp SCXO 7870). Refer track 1. 9. Peter Wright - House of Bamboo (Festival FK-1973). Wright released a number of earlier pop singles with his bands The Epics and The Clan. As a solo artiste his career continued to go nowhere, although he did manage to come up with this one great track. Dig the fuzz. 10. Glass Web - In a year of so (Nationwide NSP-010). Refer track 3. 11. Jeff St.John and the Id - Eastern Dream (Spin EK-1446). A very popular live act, the Id were mostly ex-jazz players except guitarist Peter Anson who added the punk element (Not surprising since he was the founder of the Missing Links.) Their lp is mostly soul influenced, this great psych track appearing only on a single and their first ep. 12. Vegetable Garden - Hypnotic Suggestion (Clarion MCK-3285). From Perth, probably a studio group. Sorry don’t know much else about them except to say the flip is on the Goldtops compilation. 13. The Jet Set - Now I Love You (CBS BA-221323). The Jet Set were a supper club type band playing the hits of the day. Their medium-rare lp "Jet Set Go Go" is loaded with cover versions and has only one good track , the punkish original "What Did the Man Say". This single only track must be super rare as it doesn’t appear in any discographies - yet! Fuzz, feedback and a super catchy tune, gas! The flip is, like most of their stuff, forgettable. 14. The Limit - Happy Life (RCA 101850). Notes courtesy of Mike Morris. The band was formed in Adelaide in 1967 with myself on lead guitar and vocals, Mike Ronayne on bass and vocals, John Tamlin on rhythm guitar, organ and vocals and Rod Dunn on drums and occasional vocals. We performed regularly around the clubs and disco's in Adelaide and did country trips as well. My self and Mike Ronayne collaborated on a few original songs which became popular at our gigs. In 1969 we decided it was time to release a record after doing several demo's for "live" TV performances. Shortly after the record which comprised of The Tremelo’s "I'll see you there" on the "A" side and an original track "Happy life" on the "B" side was released, we won the South Australian heat of the national battle of the bands and went to Melbourne to compete in the finals, which was won by Doug Parkinson in Focus. Our record had good success in Adelaide but did not receive any national air play. Soon after this Mike Ronayne left the band and was replaced by Brian Cheesman. We started on production of a second release and recorded the "B" side, but the band eventually broke up in late 1970 before the "A" side was recorded. After the Limit we all joined different bands with varying success, Rod's band, Buffalo Drive did fairly well for a while, I joined a good old rock and roll band, Licorice and the Allsorts who later changed name to Speakeasy, and had some good fun for a couple of years. I still have my gear and jam every now and then when I have time. John Tamlin died about 20 years ago from a heart attack. 15. The Plaster Scene - Love (Nationwide W4K8-0445). One of the rarest of all Aussie 60’s pressings. Being a custom release on Nationwide, it didn’t receive a regular catalogue number (each side of the disc has it’s matrix number on the label) . Only about 20 copies were made with each member of the band and the manager receiving 4 or 5 copies for family and friends. From Adelaide, home of Nationwide, the other side is a bubblegum style number called "Shh-Do ‘n-doo". 16. Travis Wellington Hedge - Hey Bulldog (RCA 101867). Another Adelaide group with a nice murky version of this Beatles track. Graham Goble was later in Allison Gros (see track 24) and various other bands too painful to mention just yet….. 17. The Twilights - Blue Roundabout (Columbia lp SCXO 7870). Refer track 1. 18. John Vincent and the In-Sect - Madge’s Charity Badges (RCA 101860). Vincent was an Adelaide radio dj who made a string of novelty tracks through the late 60s/early 70s. This one is the first and "best" with great backing from The In-Sect and an authentic recording of an Aussie dunnie. Watch out for the redbacks. Continuing the theme, the flipside is an ode to a vegetable vine once grown over the roof of nearly every outside toilet in the land - "Choko Brandy". 19. Doug Ashdown - Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (Philips BF-430). Ashdown began his career in the mid-60s as a straight folkie and released a couple of lps in that style on CBS. By the early 70s he was a firmly in the singer-songwriter genre, and released lps with great regularity. He probably thinks this single, from 1969 and his only release for Philips, is a great blot on his copybook, but for me it’s his best by far - a bizarre blend of Velvet Underground, Canned Heat, fuzz and mayhem. 20. Zoot - Three Jolly Little Dwarfs (Columbia DO-8438). The B-side of their rare first single and never reissued until now. A great version of the Tomorrow track. At the time of this recording (1968) Zoot featured Steve Stone (guitar), Daryl Cotton (vox), Beeb Birtles (bass) and Teddy Higgins (drums). Rick Springfield didn’t join until the following year. From Adelaide, yawn…. 21. (Australian) Playboys - Black Sheep R.I.P. (demo acetate). Normie Rowe’s backing group, The Playboys, found themselves in the UK and recorded the 2-headed freakbeat monster "Sad"/ "Black Sheep RIP" which was released in the UK as the Australian Playboys on the Immediate label. In Australia it was the last of their six singles, all on Sunshine - one of the many labels owned by Festival - both sides are on Forest of Goldtops, but here we have the demo. 22. Dave Miller Set - Why? Why? Why? (Spin EK-2064). Dave Miller and the Byrds came to Oz from New Zealand and promptly became the Dave Miller Set recording a string of 45s for Festival, all released on the Spin label. This is the first of them, a cover of the Paul Revere and the Raiders track that beats the original 23. Oak Apple Day - Oceans of Fire (Philips BF-449). A Sydney group that boasted a very theatrical stage show. Their first single Moon Shot (on RCA, some with pic sleeve) is on Goldtops, this is their rarer 2nd and final release. Rory O’Donoghue later realised his acting ambitions in theatre and film, most notably Aunty Jack, one of the greatest TV shows ever, and if ya don’t agree I’ll rip yer bloody arms off. 24. Allison Gros - Naturally (Gamba GA-1). Our final visit to Adelaide is to the group Allison Gros, not to be confused with any actual female singers called Allison, this band were all dinkum blokes, including singer Graham Goble. This was their first 45, a highly melodic number reminding me of the Nazz for some reason. On the local independent Gamba label, later releases were on Fable - they also recorded some novelty numbers with "chipmunk" vocals under the name Drummond. In 1972 they evolved into Mississippi (adding Birtles ex-Zoot) who in turn became The Little River Band (with Shorrock ex-Twilights). 25. The Atlantics - Light Shades of Dark Part 2 (Ramrod RS-1017). The final fling for the Atlantics and also for this comp. The bass player has recently said he recognises the track but doesn’t remember recording it…I wonder why. Bonus track: a very well known (in Australia at least) popular entertainer and host of a long running children’s talent show on TV. Here we hear of his experiences in the world of LSD…unfortunately he came back. As originally broadcast on Perth commercial radio station 6PR, 1967. |
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