Thursday, July 31, 2014

W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Glenn Shorrock - We're Comin' To Get You (1983)

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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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This single, which peaked at No. 6 in October 1983, was recorded by Glenn Shorrock (vocalist from the Little River Band) with folk group 'The Bushwackers' and was about the Australian challenge for the America's Cup. It was the theme for the film of the same name.

Hopefully this track will take all of you Sailing enthusiasts back in time to that history making day on 26 September 1983 on the waters off Newport Rhode Island to watch again those Aussie Legends in John Bertrand and his Australia II crew take on the American Legends of Dennis Conner and his Liberty crew as they sailed to Americas Cup Immortality in the Race 7, The  Race of the Century of the 1983 Americas Cup.

In 1983 Australia II with its secret ‘winged keel’ won the America’s Cup putting an end to America’s 132-year hold of the title—still the longest winning record in modern sports history. Australia II was the smallest yacht ever to challenge for the America’s Cup.
The winged keel, an innovative design by Ben Lexcen, was heavier than usual and fitted with fins. It helped the yacht to be swift and easily maneuverable. The yacht’s owner, Alan Bond, was careful to hide the keel whenever the boat was out of the water, creating much curiosity and speculation about its design. One night guards removed divers who tried to swim underneath the boat to look at the keel. Australia brought charges of illegal espionage against the New York Yacht Club over the incident. The Club countered by asking that Australia II be disqualified because of the keel, but were overruled. Australia II went on to win the Cup, beating the American yacht Liberty 4-3 in the series.

This is arguably Australia’s greatest sporting achievement and I’m not a yachtsman. If my memory serves me correctly we were 3-1 down in the best of a 7 race series and won the last 3 races with the Americans trying to fudge the rule book in some way because they thought we were cheating, but I can’t remember exactly what it was. I do recall they were so pissed that they were not allowed to look under the yacht until the series ended. This is a wonderful song with great memories, so thanks to Glenn for recording this somewhat 'Obscure' and hard to find 45.

Thanks to the 'Advertiser Newspapers Ltd' for the use of their front page account of the America's Cup win by Australia II

Track Listing
01 - We're Coming To Get You
02 - We're Coming To Get You (Instrumental)

Glenn Shorrock Link  (MP3/320kps) New Link 24/10/2018

Monday, July 28, 2014

Jo Jo Zep - Cha (1982) + Bonus Single


(Australian 1975–1984, 2001-present)
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Joe Camilleri, saxophonist, producer, songwriter, vocalist, bandleader and conceptualise has a distinct aversion to fame and the restrictions of a high public profile. He prefers to make music when and how he likes it, for whomever might be listening at the time. Sometimes that approach sells large numbers of records and sometimes it slips right by the public unnoticed, either way, the mature outpourings of Joe's 'musical sponge' approach are never less than engaging and often inspiring.
Every time Camilleri enters a recording studio he pays witting or unwitting tribute to his heroes. The most obvious, and enduring, are Van Morrison and Mink De Ville but the other tinges are unmistakable — Chuck Berry, Clifton Chenier, Ray Charles, Bobby Womack, Jacob Miller, Otis Redding, Don Covay and John Lee Hooker. "You have to deal with your influences", muses Joe, "but if you learn your craft listening to the best people in the world, you can't go too far wrong. At the moment I'm trying very hard, vocally, to just sound like myself  but in the end I'm a music fan and that can be quite a passionate thing."
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Camilleri was born in Malta during 1948, the third of ten children. In 1964 he was singing with a band called The Brollies, then joined up with ex-Captain Matchbox member Dave Flett in the King Bees. After they split, Camilleri retired from rock'n'roll for a few years, resurfacing as leader of the Adderley Smith Blues Band in 1970. Two years later he was with Lipp & The Double Decker Brothers and, even later, toured WA mining towns with Flett and Skyhooks founder Peter Starkie — as Roger Rocket & The Millionaires. Back in Melbourne, Camilleri played with The Sharks and then The Pelaco Brothers, who recorded a memorable EP. This led to a brief association with Mushroom Records for the Christmas 1975 single "Run Run Rudolph" (as Jo Jo Zep), produced by Ross Wilson. Camilleri was then asked to open for Skyhooks at a Myer Music Bowl concert in Melbourne and recruited Gary Young, John Powers, Wayne Burt and Jeff Burstin. Thus was born Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, who debuted on vinyl with "Beatin' Around The Bush", which was featured in the film Oz.
Joe Camilleri & Jane Clifton (Coundown 1982)
This was followed by the 1977 albums 'Don't Waste It' and 'Whip It Out' produced by Ross Wilson, the live EP 'Loud And Clear' and a 10" mini-album 'So Young'. Around this time Joe nurtured a promising Melbourne band called The Sports, which had also grown out of the legendary Palaco Brothers, and produced their debut album, 'Reckless'. He also encouraged a developing songwriter called Paul Kelly, by cutting a number of his songs.
The hard-blowing, hot-swinging Falcons were a distillation of a decade of diligently noncommercial urban blues bands. They stood their uncompromised ground until Australian rock caught up with them and then proceeded to blow everyone else offstage with contagious boogie of a relevant and intelligent nature. Highly regarded in diverse musical circles, they toured with Graham Parker & The Rumour and were invited to play at the 1980 Montreaux Jazz Festival, in the wake of the acclaimed 'Screaming Targets' album and two strong chart hits, "Hit and Run" and "Shape I'm In".
The band continued on its winning way with the 'Hats Off Step Lively' album and 'Dexterity' mini-LP but by 1982, Joe had dispensed with The Falcons and was in the upper reaches of the charts with "Taxi Mary", as plain Jo Jo Zep. The 'Cha' album moved Joe away from straight R&B into elements of jazz, latin big band, reggae, zydeco, ska and salsa. He hit the road with an ambitious 11-piece brass-heavy band, including vocalist Jane Clifton and in 1983 undertook the Work Imperative tour with Cherine (sister of I'm Talking's Zan) and fellow Van Morrison freak Joe Creighton. [extract from "External Combustion" by Glenn A Baker, 1990. p146-147]
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Album Review
(Coundown Magazine Vol 7 Jan 1983)
In the November issue of the Countdown Magazine we checked out the half of the Falcons that transformed themselves into the Rock Doctors. Now we come to half of the band who stayed by Joe Camilleri's side as he set about forging a new direction. And new is the operative word.
Joe's third album with producer Pete Solley finds him breaking away from his R&B base and exploring reggae, jazz, techno-pop, Joe Jackson-type big ballads. Caribbean rhythms and more. The result is a heady potpourri, a frothy brew of style and substance. The strong vocal contributions of Jane Clifton give this work a dimension that was not possible during the days of the Falcons.
At the same time,we have lost the Falcon's incomparable handling of surging rhythm and blues and white soul. Still, in the interests of progression, the tradeoff has been worthwhile.

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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from CD (thanks to Motcher76 at Midoztouch) and full album artwork for both LP and CD. I am also including as a bonus track the non-album B-Side to the single Taxi Mary called "This Is Our Time". Cha was a very different style of album to Joe's earlier releases with the Falcons, and I must admit, took me some to appreciate. Although I preferred his earlier 'dance music' with the Falcons, I now understand that change was important to Joe and his final evolution into the Black Sorrows was imminent.  Hope ya enjoy this album and when I get time, I might start posting some of his earlier material as Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons.
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Track Listing:
01 - Walk On By
02 - Taxi Mary
03 - Sherrie
04 - Slave For Love
05 - You're Gonna Get It Boy
06 - Lonely Man
07 - Man Is Just A Boy
08 - Spirit Of The Land
09 - Can't Decide
10 - This is Our Time (Bonus B-Side Single)

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Jo Jo Zep were:
Vocals, Saxophone, Clarinet, Organ, Design – Joe Camilleri
Bass – Simon Gyllies
Drum – Linn LM-1
Guitar, Mandolin – Jeff Burstin
Percussion – Des McKenna
Keyboards – Peter Solley
Additional vocals - Jane Clifton

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Jo Jo Zep Link (98Mb)
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Friday, July 25, 2014

Paul McCartney - Unauthorised Live Vol.1 (1993) __Ex. Bootleg

(U.K 1957-Current)
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Beatles legend and Wing's main man Paul McCartney will remain indelibly etched into the annals of time. The humanitarian, bassist and vocalist has traversed six decades, performing in some of the world's biggest and best venues, at historic moments (Band Aid), McCartney is a one-of-a-kind performer, fully deserving his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 72-year-old Liverpudlian is entirely at ease on stage – he's essentially lived there for the best portion of his life – his catalogue is studded with megaton hits. Bond theme “Live And Let Die” (replete with flamethrowers when performed at festivals), Stevie Wonder duet “Ebony and Ivory”, “Coming Up” and “Jet” are non-Beatles bangers, but he frequently performs legendary cuts like “Let It Be”, “Back In The USSR” and “Hey Jude” at the end of his sets.

How thoroughly immense is it watching a genuine Beatle lead a rousing chorus of “Naa naa naa nanananaaaaa?" Though arguably not as elastic as he once was – don't expect too many backflips – he's still a consummate entertainer. His voice has aged, but he still smashes every note, and his fretwork's not diminished a smidgen. It's rare you get to see a legend in the flesh, but grab any chance to witness McCartney, and you'll not regret it.

Based on the track listing of this bootleg, I am fairly certain that this recording came from "The Paul McCartney World Tour" which started 26 September 1989 and finished on 29 July 1990. In total, McCartney played 104 shows. In fact, I'm almost certain this bootleg recording comes from the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, in Hamburg, West-Germany on Oct 3 1989. The vinyl bootleg for this concert was called "Friends Of The Earth" and I have featured the cover below.

While the tour coincided with the release of his 'Flowers in the Dirt' album, it was thematically more about him finally embracing his Beatles past, including for the first time, in any of his tours, a substantial number of Beatles songs in the set list. 
The Paul McCartney World Tour was his first major tour outing in ten years, since Wings UK Tour 1979, and his first appearances in North America in thirteen years, since the 1976 Wings Over America Tour. It was also his first tour under his solo name.

The year was 1989 and Paul McCartney hadn't been on the road since the 1975/1976 'Wings Over the World' tour.
Paul McCartney began planning a new album and a world tour – something he had not done since the Wings days over a decade earlier. Step one would be to get together a band that he could work well with and take on tour. He recruited Hamish Stuart, formerly with the Average White Band and guitarist Robbie McIntosh, who he knew from The Pretenders. Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens from the early eighties band Woodhead Monroe was hired on to assist Paul’s wife Linda with keyboards and session drummer Chris Whitten completed the line up.
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Naturally, Paul wanted a really solid album to tour and given the somewhat disappointing chart performance of his previous album, Press To Play, felt it was important to top that one with his next release. To this end, Paul spent the better part of 18 months prior, in and out of the studio perfecting what was to become 'Flowers In The Dirt'. Along with his new band, Paul invited a couple other musician friends to make guest appearances. Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour plays on the track “We Got Married.” Elvis Costello, with whom he had been collaborating, co-wrote four of the songs on the album with Paul, including the lead single “My Brave Face.” He also plays keyboards on the record and duets the lead vocal with Paul on their collaboration “You Want Her Too.”


'Flowers In The Dirt' was finally released on June 5, 1989 in the UK and the following day in the US. It was not long before it was the #1 album on the Record Retailer charts in Britain. On the Billboard charts in America it peaked at number 21, a marked improvement over Press To Play which had peaked at #30 in 1986. Aside from the lead-off hit single “My Brave Face,” there were several other single releases from the album to include “This One,” “Figure Of Eight,” “Où Est Le Soleil?,” and “Put It There.” [extract from thebeatlesrarity.com]
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This post consists of an MP3 (320kps) rip taken from my Australian JOKER Bootleg CD, released in 1993. Like all of these JOKER releases, the music is good quality but the covers are crap. Therefore, I have also included the alternative artwork for the vinyl equivalent called "Friends Of The Earth".  For another bootleg recording from the McCartney World Tour, see a this previous post on my blog.
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Track Listing
01 - Figure Of Eight
02 - Jet
03 - Got To Get You Into My Life
04 - Band On The Run
05 - We Got Married
06 - Let 'Em In
07 - The Long And Winding Road
08 - The Fool On The Hill
09 - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
10 - Good Day Sunshine
11 - Can't Buy Me Love
12 - Put It There
13 - Things We Said Today
14 - Eleanor Rigby
15 - This One
16 - This Brave Face

17 - Back In The USSR
18 - I Saw Her Standing There


Band Members:
Paul McCartney (Bass, Guitar, Piano)
Linda McCartney (Keyboards)
Hamish Stuart (Guitar, Bass)
Robbie McIntosh (Guitar)
Paul WIX Wickens (Keyboards)
Chris Whitten (Drums)


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Paul McCartney Link (171Mb) New Link 09/04/2020
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Sunday, July 20, 2014

Various Artists - Sunbury (1972)

(Various Australian Artists 1972)
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Though not the first major music festival in Australia, the Sunbury Music Festival was the first to turn a profit and to run consecutively for several years. For 4 years from 1972, the festival was held on the Australia Day long weekend at a private farm on the outskirts of Sunbury near Melbourne, attracting around 35,000 punters of pop. Likened at the time to Woodstock, today Sunbury can be seen as a forerunner to big festivals like Big Day Out, Falls and Splendor in the Grass. Line-ups included home-grown acts such as Skyhooks, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Sherbet, Daddy Cool and Captain Matchbox; with international guests like Queen and Deep Purple headlining in later festivals. However, it was Deep Purple who tolled the death knell for the Sunbury festival in 1975. Operating at a loss, organisers paid out the UK rock stars at the expense of the local acts who went home penniless.


Sunbury 72
 David Hill (a youthful ABC journalist) reported the pioneer festival culture at Sunbury '72 as a mix of hippies, yobbos, organic food stalls and makeshift tents and swags. The first Sunbury concert was held over the Long Weekend period from 29th to 31st January, 1972.
Tickets cost $6 for the 3 days and there was an estimated 35-40,000 in attendance. Gerry Humphreys (of the The Loves Ones) was the MC and the festival sported the largest number of bands of all the Sunbury concerts.  Bands playing at the festival were:

The Bushwackers and Bullockys Bush Band
Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band

Glenn Cardier
Carson
Chain
Company Caine
Friends
Healing Force
The La De Das
Mackenzie Theory
Phil Manning
Max Merritt and the Meteors
Pilgrimage
Pirana
Wendy Saddington
SCRA
Spectrum
Tamam Shud
Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs
Total Fire Band
The Wild Cherries
Greg Quill & Country Radio
Highway
Indelible Murtceps
The La De Das
Mulga Bill's Bicycle Band

Blackfeather
Barry McCaskill & The Levi Smith Clefs

Because the site of Sunbury Music Festival was closer to Diggers Rest than Sunbury itself, many patrons travelling by train to the festival would get off at Diggers Rest station. However, the "Diggers Rest Pop Festival" just didn’t have the same zing to it. While the inaugural concert of 1972 is usually remember as being an all-Australian event, many of the performers actually hailed from New Zealand. But as we do, we’ll turn a blind eye to that and claim them as our own, especially Thorpie.
Sunbury '72 also exemplifies the male domination of the popular music scene at that time, although photographs indicate that the audience seems to have been fairly evenly split in gender terms, almost all the performers were male. Wendy Saddington was the only female headliner on the bill, and only one other band, Mackenzie Theory, featured a female member (violist Cleis Pearce).
The festival was organised in late 1971, when a company called Odessa Promotions was formed in Melbourne. Its principals were, according to Adrian Rawlins, "industry people" from the Melbourne television scene, including several TV floor managers and directors; it is likely that several had worked on Melbourne pop TV like Uptight. The principal of the company was John Fowler.
By this stage, five other major festivals had already been mounted, and the oft-repeated claim that Sunbury was Australia's first rock festival is quite untrue. Unfortunately, none of these earlier festivals was financially successful. Undeterred, Odessa Promotions organised and promoted a major rock festival with an all-Australasian line-up, although it's important to note that we don't know for sure whether this was a deliberate decision (or one merely dictated by financing) or whether or not Odessa considered bringing in overseas acts (or not).
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The evidence suggests that Sunbury's success was a mixture of good luck and good timing, rather than careful planning and good organisation. Like Woodstock, Sunbury almost didn't take place, when they began looking for a site, the organisers discovered that few landowners were willing to allow their property to be used for a three-day rock festival that would attract tens of thousands. Fortunately, the festival was saved by a local landowner who offered Odessa the use of part of his property at Glencoe, just outside the township of Sunbury, about 35 km north-west of the city. The farmer, Mr George Duncan, was reportedly motivated to make the offer because he "believed in young people".


Opinions vary greatly about Sunbury's significance. Most commentators claim that it was a turning point in Australian rock, a symbolic coming-of-age for youth culture, and the birthplace of the pub-rock scene. These theses have been prosecuted by rock historian Ian McFarlane and the writers of  'Long Way To The Top', among others. As a result, the assertion that Sunbury was a defining moment in Australian music history has been accepted virtually without question, and without reference to any other evidence, and much of the information about it remains unconfirmed and anecdotal. As far as we know, no-one as yet has undertaken the tasks of recording a comprehensive oral history that includes performers, organisers and patrons.
However, the website used in the above account of Sunbury 72, probably boasts the most extensive accounts and photos of the four Sunbury concerts, and is worthwhile visiting.
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Sunbury 72 (extract from The Real Thing)
According to Billy Thorpe, 'Australia was always about two years behind the States. They had Woodstock in 1969 and we had Sunbury in 1972.' Billy continues: 'I went to Sunbury for five days with my wife and we got a tent backstage and lived there while they built the site. It was a real community. And the vibe was just extraordinary.'
The first day of the Sunbury pop festival, 28 January 1972, marked the beginning of the modern era for Australian rock & roll. Held over three days on a 300-acre site just outside Melbourne, Sunbury was the biggest single rock event to be staged in Australia. The bill was largely home-grown and, as Thorpe points out, all the architects of the Successes  of the '70s  were  at that  festival— Michael  Browning, Michael  Chugg, Michael Gudinski, Sam Righi and Roger Davies. The acts were even more crucial. Max Merritt and The Meteors flew back to Australia from the UK for the gig, which also featured every major Australian artist with the exception of Daddy Cool. As with Woodstock (the film of which had recently been shown across Australia and which had done more to propagate the myth of the rock festival  than the event itself), Sunbury was  a celebration of youth culture.

Max Merritt And The Meteors

The Acacia River was the inevitable site for skinny-dippers, coverage of which was the most interesting phenomenon for the mass media. Two young men were arrested for public indecency after having sex with a sixteen-year-old girl, two babies were born, and the kids behaved well.
Nudity notwithstanding, the show really belonged to Thorpie. The Aztecs were then at their absolute prime and they blew the heads off most of the music fans with a two-hour set of relentless boogie. By the time they rocked into 'Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy' it was clear that Thorpie was king and that the country had a new national anthem.


By early 1975 Billy Thorpe and The Aztes had become the loudest and heaviest band in the country. Their appearance at Sunbury '72 cemented their popularity with the yob crowd and resulted in the Live at Sunbury album. Also in 1972 the band released the single 'Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy' which became Billy Thorpe's first Top 10 hit in seven years. The album More Arse Than Class followed in 1974 which found favour with the 'Suck More Piss' crowd. [extract from 'The Real Thing (1957-Now)', Toby Creswell & Martin Fabinyi, Random House 1999, p58-59]
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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) and FLACs ripped from my treasured double vinyl set, which I acquired some years ago at a garage sale (and let it be known that the early bird does catch the worm).  I couldn't believe my luck when I found this gem tucked away in amongst some throw away titles and happily paid the $2 price tag.  When I discovered its immaculate condition, I knew it was the find of the century.
So here it is folks, in all its glory. No pops or crackles to be heard and full album artwork for both LP and CD are included (thanks to Micko for the CD Artwork).  I have also chosen to include the full rendition of Mamma (by Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs) released on their own Live At Subury album, which is 2 minutes longer than this release.  In addition, the bonus Sunbury 72 recording " I Wanna Make Love To You" by SCRA is also included to help fill out this resulting 2 CD set.
I would also like to acknowledge the use of photos sourced from the National Australian Library and others taken by Soc Hedditch.

Update: I've just added a tribute track by Max Merritt entitled "Sunbury" which was released on his 2020 album 'I Can Dream', a song he wrote about the 1972 Sunbury Concert.  RIP Max - we miss you mate.
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Track Listing
01 - Morning Good Morning (The La De Das)
02 - Roundabout (The La De Das)

03 - Gonna See My Baby Tonight (The La De Das)
04 - Soul Sacrifice (Pirana)
05 - Some Good Advice (Spectrum)

06 - I'll Be Gone (Spectrum)
07 - We Are Indelible (The Indelible Murtceps)
08 - Be My Honey (The Indelible Murtceps)
09 - But That's Alright (The Indelible Murtceps)
10 - Try A Little Tenderness (Max Merritt And The Meteors)
11 - Fanny Mae (Max Merritt And The Meteors)
12 - You Touch Me (Max Merritt And The Meteors)
13 - Roly Poly (SCRA)
14 - Mamma (Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs)

Bonus Tracks
14 - Mamma (Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs - Full Version) *
15 - I Wanna Make Love To You (SCRA - Bonus Track) +

* Taken from The Aztecs Live At Sunbury
+ Sourced from YouTube

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Sunbury 72 Link (MP3) New Links 21/10/2015
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Sunbury 72 Part 1 (FLAC) New Link 12/11/2016
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Sunbury 72 Part 2 (FLAC)

Max Merritt - Sunbury (FLAC)  New Link 05/05/2021


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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Various Artists - Wizards Of The Water (1981) Movie Soundtrack

(Various Australian Artists 1979-1981)
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'Wizards of the Water' is a film for surfers of the 80's, featuring the Best Surf and the Best Surfers in the world. And it just so happens that the Best in the world are Australians and the Best Beaches are the Beaches they surf. The film follows the Wizards of Australian Surf. World Champion Mark Richards from Newcastle, runner up to Mark, Cheyne Horan from Bondi, Surfabout and Bells Champion Simon Anderson to name but a few. Wizards of the Water sees these surfers in locations and conditions that have to be seen to be believed: The Easter of '81 Bells Beach competition in Victoria where competitors surfed the biggest surf in 20 years, The Big Wave spots of Hawaii - Waimea Bay and Pipeline and then on to Indonesia. Here the Producer of the Film Alan Rich, with his crew of surfers half the honour of being the first surf film makers ever to be invited by the Indonesian Government to explore the Island of Lombok in hope of discovering potential Surf Beaches. What they found was far beyond expectation.
Wizards of the Water take you with them on this unique adventure of discovery. For his film, Rich wanted music equivalent to the energy of the Australian surfers. He knew there was only one choice. His Soundtrack for Wizards of the Water had to be Australian. The music from the film represents the best Australia has to offer....Australian Surf, Australian Surfers an, Australian Music. The Best in the World. Wizards of the Water....an Australian Film. [Cover Linear Notes]

   
'Wizards Of The Water' was released on 14 December, 1981 at the Sydney Opera House Music Room . The movie was directed by Alan Rich and the cover art was done by Phil Meatchem.  It's a great example of that period in Australian surfing with the surfing of Mark Richards and Cheyne Horan featured heavily throughout.  

Mark Richards
Richards was thought of as unstoppable during his world title years. In 1979 he skipped four of the scheduled 13 events (two in South Africa, two in Florida), and was ranked fourth going into the World Cup in Hawaii, the final event of the year. In what would turn out to be the decade’s most thrilling title finish, the three front-runners faltered one after the other, and the 22-year-old Richards won both the World Cup and the championship. He won four of 10 events in 1980 to easily defend the title. The 1981 and 1982 seasons were closer, but without the drama of 1979. Australian Cheyne Horan was Richards’s main rival, finishing runner-up to the championship in 1979, 1981, and 1982.

A key to Richards’s world tour success was his re-fashioning of the twin-fin surfboard. He’d been shaping his own boards since age 15 (in 1977 he had a two-month-long shaping seminar with Hawaiian board-making guru Dick Brewer, whom Richards credits as having inspired his designs for twin-fin boards that could be ridden in larger surf), but was struggling to keep up with smaller, lighter pros when the waves dropped below three feet—which happened often on the world tour. Richards took note in 1976 when Hawaiian surfer Reno Abellira came to Australia with a wide, blunt-nosed 5’3? board with two fins; the following year Richards produced a longer and more streamlined version of the twin-fin, saying later that the boards were “fast and maneuverable,” and that he “felt like he could do anything on them.” Twin-fin fever swept through the surf world in the late ’70s and early ’80s, then was stopped cold by the 1981 introduction of the tri-fin surfboard (see picture above)

Richards retired from full-time competition surfing at the end of the 1982 season. He’d won Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach four times (1978–80, 1982), twice won the Stubbies Pro (1979 and 1981), twice won the Gunston 500 (1980 and 1982), been a four-time Duke Kahanamoku finalist (winning in 1979), and a four- time Pipeline Masters finalist (winning in 1980). In 1985 he entered and won the Billabong Pro, held at Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach, and in 1986 he defended his Billabong title—a competitive surfing career epilogue that has no equal. [extract from encyclopediaofsurfing.com]

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This post consists of  FLAC files ripped  from my vinyl copy of this classic surf movie.  Not a pop or crackle to be heard here surfers - just pure, unadulterated 'Classic Aussie Music'.
Full album artwork is also included along with a selection of band photos from the era along with various promotional posters used for the movie.
So get ya wax out and unbolt ya board from ya roof rack surfers, cause' surfs up at Rock on Vinyl .......but careful you don't get caught in the rip!  LOL
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Track Listing
01 - Khe Sanh (Cold Chisel)
02 - We Can Get Together (Icehouse)
03 - DC10 (Mental As Anything)
04 - Just Keep Walking (INXS)
05 - Devil's Gate (The Angels)
06 - The Nips Are Getting Bigger (Mental As Anything)
07 - Standing On The Outside (Cold Chisel)
08 - Paradise Lost (Icehouse)
09 - In Vain (INXS)
10 - Into The Heat (The Angels)



Wizards of the Waters Link (254Mb) New Link 17/10/2015

Stop Press: Improved Rips Posted

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Canned Heat - Live At Topanga Corral (1970)

(U.S 1965 - Present)
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Live at Topanga Corral is a 1970 live album by Canned Heat. The album is taken from a 1969 concert at the Kaleidoscope in Hollywood, California and not at the Topanga Corral as the title suggests. Canned Heat was under contract to Liberty Records at the time and Liberty did not want to do a live album, so manager Skip Taylor told Liberty that the album had been recorded in 1966 & 1967 at the Topanga Corral and released the record with Wand Records to avoid legal complications. The record has been bootlegged and reissued countless times, and is also known as Live at the Kaleidoscope. The band never actually received any money for this LP.
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Canned Heat rose to fame because their knowledge and love of blues music was both wide and deep. Emerging in 1966, Canned Heat was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite. Hite took the name “Canned Heat” from a 1928 recording by Tommy Johnson. They were joined by Henry “The Sunflower” Vestine, another ardent record collector who was a former member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. Rounding out the band in 1967 were Larry “The Mole” Taylor on bass, an experienced session musician who had played with Jerry Lee Lewis and The Monkees and Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra on drums who had played in two of the biggest Latin American bands, Los Sinners and Los Hooligans.
The band attained three worldwide hits, “On The Road Again” in 1968, “Let’s Work Together” in 1970 and “Going Up The Country” in 1969 became rock anthems throughout the world with the later being adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film Woodstock and the “Woodstock Generation.”
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They secured their niche in the pages of rock ‘n roll history with their performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who) and the headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969. The band can boast of collaborations with John Mayall and Little Richard and later with blues icon, John Lee Hooker, the musician that they initially got much of their musical inspiration from in the first place. This union produced the spirited and revered album, “Hooker ‘n Heat.” The band is also credited with bringing a number of other forgotten bluesmen to the forefront of modern blues including Sunnyland Slim, who they found driving a taxi in Chicago, Skip James, who they found in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi and took to the Newport Festival, Memphis Slim and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown with whom they recorded in France and Albert Collins. On September 3rd, 1970, the band was shattered by the suicide of Alan Wilson. His death sparked reconstruction within the group and member changes have continued throughout the past three decades. On April 5th, 1981, at the Palamino in Los Angeles, gargantuan vocalist, Bob Hite, collapsed and died of a heart attack and on October 20th, 1997, Henry Vestine died in Paris, France following the final gig of a European tour. In 2008, singer/harmonica frontman Robert Lucas passed away from a drug overdose.
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(L-R) Alan Wilson, Bob Hite, Adolfo de la Parra
Despite these untimely deaths and assorted musical trends, Canned Heat has survived. They have performed at world-renowned venues such as Paris’ Olympia, both Fillmore Auditoriums, The Kaleidoscope, Carnegie Hall (with John Lee Hooker), Madison Square Garden and even Royal Albert Hall and have played more biker festivals and charity events than any other band in the world. They and/or their music have been featured on television (In Concert, David Frost, Merv Griffin, Midnight Special, Playboy After Dark, etc.), and in films (“Woodstock,” “Flashback,” and “Forrest Gump”) etc. 
Their legend has recently been heard and felt in various television commercials (“On The Road Again” for Miller Beer, “Goin’ Up The Country” for Pepsi, Chevrolet and McDonalds, “Let’s Work Together” for Lloyd’s Bank, England’s Electric Company and for Target Stores along with other songs for 7-Up, Levi’s and Heineken Beer).

Now, more than forty-five years later and with thirty-eight albums to their credit, Canned Heat is still going strong. They have been anchored throughout the past forty years by the steady hand of drummer/band leader Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra. Joining “Fito” is original bassist Larry “The Mole” Taylor and New Orleans legend, Dale Spalding on harmonica, guitar and lead vocals. Chicago great Harvey Mandel is the regular guitarist but has been temporarily replaced by John “JP” Paulus while “The Snake” deals with serious health issues. [extract from cannedheatmusic.com]
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Review - Live at Topanga Corral (aka Live at Kaleidoscope)
(The following review is contributed courtesy of music scholar Kyle Fosburgh. Please visit his website for more great reviews)
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Fortunately for those like myself, who have never been able to see the original Canned Heat group with the “Blind Owl,” there is an assortment of good quality live recordings that we can always listen to at our leisure. 
This release was Canned Heat’s first attempt at a live record and it proved to be a musical success. They hold nothing back at this show. The album starts off with a bang as the group performs one of their live classics, “Bullfrog Blues.” This song is guitarist Henry Vestine’s time to shine. He flies on the guitar, grinding out the notes out and improvising at will in between verses and the vocal phrases. His guitar is loud and in your face, yet manages to stay out of the business of the rest of the band. Alan Wilson also performs an amazing, and rather fast guitar solo compared to the majority of his work. The ferocious Delta guitar finger picking displayed in this solo is perhaps similar to what had been last heard only by those who stood on the street corners of Greenwood, MS as Robert Johnson played his heart out way back when. “Bullfrog Blues” really exemplifies how the two drastically different styles of Alan Wilson and Henry Vestine could play off of each other so naturally. “Bullfrog Blues” is one of the many examples where Henry takes control of the lead guitar work while Alan backs him playing a classic Delta style rhythm guitar. It is a combination that was essential to the Canned Heat sound.

Another song from this album where Alan furthermore displays his incomparable Delta style, is on the groups version of “Dust My Broom.” For this song, Alan uses his slide and creates a certain aura which I like to call harsh smoothness. His guitar is loud and grinding, but at the same time, very melodic and not in your face. Canned Heat performed this song much slower in this performance than they had on the studio track and the version which they performed at the famous Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. This rendition has a deeper more bluesy sound, while their earlier versions produced more of a boogie sound. The Live at Topanga Corral version is a truly virtuosic performance and is perhaps one of the all time greatest live tracks from Canned Heat.
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The last track on this release is a true gem called “When Things Go Wrong.” The studio cut of this song can be heard under the title “Sandy’s Blues” on the Living the Blues album from 1969. With a throwback horn arrangement, the studio track really takes you back, but if you know early blues, the live track just might take you back even further. Alan’s slide is piercing in this live performance, and the instruments create an amazing reverb throughout the Kaleidoscope club.
An interesting fact about this recorded show is that the classic boogie that Canned Heat used to end many of their shows, was in fact performed and recorded this night, but it wasn’t used on this album. It was actually used on the Living the Blues album from 1969 under the title “Refried Boogie.” The song is rather long, clocking in at around 40 minutes and taking up both sides of the original vinyl.
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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from a CD release (my vinyl has seen better days) and includes full album artwork. The quality of the recording is not the greatest (recorded in 1969) but the music certainly makes up for this short coming.
So enjoy this classic Canned Heat recording and remember,  don't forget to Boogie, Boogie, Boogie....
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Track Listing
01     Bullfrog Blues                      7:21
02     Sweet Sixteen                        10:57
03     I'd Rather Be The Devil       5:10
04     Dust My Broom                     5:46
05     Wish You Would                   8:03
06     When Things Go Wrong    9:08

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Vocals – Bob Hite
Bass – Larry Taylor
Drums – Adolfo (Fito) de la Parra
Guitar – Henry Vestine
Harmonica, Vocals, Slide Guitar – Alan Wilson
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Canned Heat Link (96Mb) New Link 17/12/2023
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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Various Artists - Nightmovin' Live (1977)

(Various Australian 1977)
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One of the more famous rock concerts from the 70's, Nightmovin' Live was the first of two Nightmoves Concerts held in Melbourne , both held at the historical Palais Theatre in St.Kilda.  I was lucky enough to go to both concerts and have fond memories of seeing some amazing performances by some of the best Aussie acts in town at that time. Who could forget The Ferrets set, which consisted not only of a 10 piece band but also a 12 piece string and horn section and the National Boys Choir.  Kevin Borich was certainly a highlight, as was Mother Goose and The Stars, all with songs shooting up the charts and making headlines in the media.
RAM magazine did a cover feature on this concert and it has been transcribed for you below. But first, a little about the origin of this Nightmoves Concert.
If Countdown was AM radio with vision, Nightmoves could make a similar claim in FM terms. (Not surprisingly, Nightmoves compere Lee Simon was program director of Melbourne's EON-FM.) Billed as 'The Alternate Rock Show', Nightmoves emphasized the album market and it, too, broke new ground since starting in May 1977.


The Seven Network owned Australian rights to footage from overseas shows such as Midnight Express, material seized upon with relish by young would-be producer Andrew McVitty, who had big ideas about a late night rock show. More than four years on air proved just how correct those ideas were.
When footage ran low, Nightmoves started running and filming its own concerts and it did not limit itself to the rock scene. Jazz and classical music are shown on the program if the vision is 'interesting' enough; and other areas such as movies are covered. One of the show's best innovations has been the use of simulcasts in conjunction with FM radio stations, and a considerable amount of Nightmoves-produced material is seen on cable television in the United States and on the BBC in England. After their 1981 tour of Australia, American performers Hall and Oates used live footage from Nightmoves to help get "Kiss on My List" to the top of the US charts.


Nightmoves' biggest drawback was its time slot. Often it would not get to air until after midnight on Fridays, but the program's longevity was a strong statement about the following it has attracted.
Melbourne DJ Lee Simon had dreamy bedroom eyes and was just the right host for the late night rock show, Nightmoves, featuring videos, interviews and live performances on the Seven Network. Friday nights were very cool if you weren't going out. Viewers prepared to get by on a few hours' sleep on Friday nights could be up in time to catch the three-hour Sounds, with Donnie Sutherland, early Saturday Morning.
[extract from Australian Music Directory Edited by Peter Beilby and Michael Roberts. 1st Edition, 1982, p188]


Eventually, Channel7 and Simon had the idea to finance a series of Nightmoves Concerts in Melbourne, to showcase some of the homegrown talent that was appearing in local pubs and rock venues at the time. Consequently, the first of these concerts was held on September 22, 1977 at the Palais Theatre in St.Kilda and recorded for release.. 

The Ferrets (with compere Lee Simon middle top)

NIGHTMOVIN' CONCERT PALAIS THEATRE MELBOURNE  (22-9-77)
After seeing The Ferrets in their first concert situation, one; can only presume that lan Meldrum's and Michael Gudinski's involvement with the band will make them or break them.
All the good things have come too soon for the members of a band that have been around for a long time in years, but have a mental attitude which is quite pathetic.
A hit single first time around, thousands of dollars spent on them in the studios, lavish production and the works could have The Ferrets collapsing under pressure.
They spent hours rehearsing for the concert and yet when they came on stage they were as nervous as hell and fell apart at the seams.
About 80 extra people were on stage at various times to help them with the big production numbers—40 little cherubs from the National Boys' Choir, a 12 piece string and horn section, Ariel's Tony Slavich on keyboards plus another key tickler, a sax player and banjo man. They opened the show with "You Belong With Me", a romantic little song that highlights the girls, Pam and Jane Miller, on harmonies.

Kevin Borich Express
After a couple more songs came the big production numbers, first "Dreams Of A Love" which had the choir, the strings and the horns plus this wailing police siren. And that's when the big mess started.
Curtains were dropped incorrectly over half the choirs' heads, a little choir boy was supposed to sing a solo bit and through no fault of his own missed the cue and stood there quite embarrassed. The sound became a big botch as everything got tangled up.
Then in "Janie May" we had all their friends, members of The Wombats, girlfriends, drag queens and Geoff Duff with inflatable plastic doll dancing across the stage, squirting beer and singing. A song that had sounded so nice and sweet in the studios had been ruined. They have talented songwriters and a brilliant up front man cum lead singer cum their best guitarist in Bill Miller. They shouldn't detract from it.

Dragon
Dragon headlined the show but it seemed that everyone was quite weary after going through five bands before. The sound was dreadful, the lighting bad, the theatre curtains again went bonkers and it was only thanks to Marc Hunter, their lead singer, that the show was redeemed.
Everybody said that Dragon and Mother Goose were the best acts of the day, and that's not surprising.
Mother Goose I had seen too many times to see again cos I know their stage routine well enough.
But back to Dragon—they were great.
Opening their set with their forthcoming single "April Sun In Cuba", they then stepped into "Blacktown Boogie", "Get That Jive", "Sunshine" and "This Time".
For the first time during the concert, more than 10 people were dancing in the aisles-more like three quarters of the 1000 odd people left their seats and the rest stomped feet and clapped hands urged on by Marc, who with a bit more tact in the tongue will slay his audiences even more in the future.
Lead guitarist Robert Taylor sang his "Bob's Budgie Boogie", a great little rocking number.
The band finished off with the amazing "Dance", which can run for anything between five and 15 minutes.
In this song we saw keyboards player Paul Hewson practice his ballet and do a country and western jig and a waltz with Hunter. One thinks they'd better stick to the keyboards and the singing.

Mother Goose

Dragon encored with a little punk rock number whose title was indistinguishable, but unlike many of the new wave bands, they are all excellent musos and the song came over reeking with class.
Dragon showed The Ferrets that you don't need all the lavishness to produce a great show. All you need is talent, good songs, a quick tongue and a rapport with the crowd.
Other bands on the show were Billy T, Stars, Mother Goose and Kevin Borich Express.
A double album will be released featuring the best bits on Mushroom Records, and the live footage can be seen on Nightmoves over the next couple of months.
(Reviewed by Diane Schubert. RAM. October 21, 1977. Page 31)

The Stars
This post consists of  FLAC rips from my 'near perfect' vinyl copy which I've proudly owned since its release in 1977.
Yep, another gem that I've looked after and only played a few times, recording it to tape for listening purposes.  Also included is full album artwork, along with customised artwork for CD (thanks to Mick at Midoztouch).  Label scans and a scan of the RAM article are also here for your perusal. I am also including a photo of the inside of the Palais Theatre, depicting where I was sitting - the best seat in the house in my opinion (see below).
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Track Listing
01 - Chattanooga Choo Choo (Mother Goose)
02 - Great Balls Of Fire (Mother Goose)
03 - Your Song (Mother Goose)
04 - Winning Hand (The Stars)
05 - Red Neck Boogie (The Stars)
06 - I'll Be Creepin' (The Stars)
07 - My Old Dog (The Ferrets)
08 - Just Like The Stars (The Ferrets)
09 - Lies (The Ferrets)
10 - Blacktown Boogie (Dragon)
11 - White Light White Heat (Dragon)
12 - Who The Cap Fit (Billy T)
(Click To Enlarge)
13 - I Am What You Are (Billy T)
14 - Snowball King (Kevin Borich Express)
15 - She's A Lover (Kevin Borich Express)
16 - Going Downtown (Kevin Borich Express)

Compered by Lee Simon
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Nightmoves FLACs LP1 (231Mb) New Links 21/10/2015

Nightmoves FLACs LP2 (269Mb)
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