The Aussie Music Blog: 70s

Showing posts with label 70s. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Buffalo - A Collection

Buffalo was an Australian rock band formed in August 1971 by founding mainstay Dave Tice on lead vocals (ex-Head). Fellow founders, also from Head, were Paul Balbi on drums, John Baxter on guitar, and Peter Wells on bass guitar; together with Alan Milano on lead vocals (ex-Mandala). Milano left after their debut album, Dead Forever... (June 1972), and Balbi was replaced on drums by Jimmy Economou. Their next two albums, Volcanic Rock (July 1973) and Only Want You for Your Body (June 1974), were also issued by Vertigo Records. After 1975 line-up changes resulted in a more commercial sound and the group disbanded in March 1977.

Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane noted that there was "nothing subtle about Buffalo's primal, heavyweight sound, but it was delivered with a great deal of conviction ... combining the dense, heavy riffing ... with the progressive blues chops ... the band certainly captured the arrogant disposition of the times in a bold and thunderous fashion".

Alongside Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and Blackfeather, Buffalo pioneered Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and psychedelic rock movements.

After Buffalo disbanded, several members went on to other projects. Peter Wells formed Rose Tattoo, playing both slide and bass guitar, he also had a solo career. Peter Wells died on 27 March 2006, aged 58. Dave Tice went to the UK to join The Count Bishops (alongside Paul Balbi) but returned to Australia to work as a solo artist and as a member of The Headhunters. As of July 2005, he was playing with ex-AC/DC bass guitarist Mark Evans as Tice & Evans.

Dead Forever - 1972

Volcanic Rock - 1973

Only Want You For Your Body - 1974

Mother's Choice - 1976

Average Rock'n'Roller - 1977

Buffalo Revisited - Volcanic Rock Live - 2022

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Ross Ryan - a collection

Ross Edwin Ryan (born 13 December 1950) is an American-born Australian singer-songwriter and producer. His signature tune, "I Am Pegasus", was released in September 1973, which peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Singles. Its parent album, My Name Means Horse, was released in February 1974, which reached No. 3 on the Australian Album charts.....more

My Name Means Horse (1973)

After the Applause (1974)

Smiling For the Camera (1977)

The Greats of Ross (1990)

One Person Queue (2003)

Monday, March 31, 2025

The Angels - A Collection (1977 - 1998)

The Angels are an Australian rock band that formed in 1974 in Adelaide as the Keystone Angels with Bernard "Doc" Neeson on lead vocals and bass guitar, John Brewster on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, his brother Rick Brewster on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Peter "Charlie" King on drums. In 1976, King was replaced by Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup on drums, Chris Bailey took over bass duties so Neeson could focus solely on vocals, and they changed their name to just 'the Angels'.

Their studio albums that peaked in the Australian top 10 are No Exit (1979), Dark Room (1980), Night Attack (1981), Two Minute Warning (1984), Howling (1986) and Beyond Salvation (1990). Their top 20 singles are "No Secrets" (1980), "Into the Heat" (1981), "We Gotta Get out of This Place" (1987), "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (live, 1988), "Let the Night Roll On" and "Dogs Are Talking" (both 1990).

They were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in October 1998 with the line-up of Bailey, John and Rick Brewster, Eccles and Neeson. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane declared that "The Angels had a profound effect on the Australian live music scene of the late 1970's/early 1980's. [They] helped redefine the Australian pub rock tradition... [their] brand of no-frills, hard-driving boogie rock attracted pub goers in unprecedented numbers. In turn, The Angels' shows raised the standard expected of live music. After 20 years on the road, the band showed little sign of easing up on the hard rock fever." Chris Bailey died of throat cancer on 4 April 2013, aged 62. Doc Neeson died of a brain tumour on 4 June 2014, aged 67.

The current line-up are touring Australia with their 50th anniversary tour in 2025.

Out of the Blue EP (1979)

Dark Room (1980)

Live - Denver, Colorado (1980)

Greatest Hits (1980)

Live At The El Mocambo (1980)

Live - Melbourne (1980)

Night Attack (1981)

Two Minute Warning (1984)

Howling (1986)

LiveLine (1988)

Beyond Salvation (1989)

Red Back Fever (1991)

Their Finest Hour..and Then Some (1992)

Evidence (1994)

Skin and Bone (1998)

Friday, March 7, 2025

Oz Rock (The Rock Collection) - various artists - 70's/80's

This collection from Time-Life was originally released in the early 90's and is now out of print and collectible. It features an excellent cross section of popular Australian and New Zealand artists from the 70's and 80's with many songs that were top 10 and some that went to all the way to number one!

1-1 John Farnham– Age Of Reason

1-2 Models – Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight

1-3 1927– If I Could

1-4 Air Supply– Love And Other Bruises

1-5 Little River Band– Love Is A Bridge

1-6 Choirboys– Run To Paradise

1-7 Mental As Anything– Live It Up

1-8 Skyhooks– Horror Movie

1-9 Mi-Sex– People

1-10 Divinyls– Boys In Town

1-11 Dragon – Celebration

1-12 Dave Dobbyn– Slice Of Heaven

2-1 Split Enz– I Got You

2-2 Cold Chisel– Forever Now

2-3 The Dynamic Hepnotics– Soul Kind Of Feeling

2-4 Tim Finn– Fraction Too Much Friction

2-5 Jenny Morris– Break In The Weather

2-6 Goanna– Solid Rock

2-7 Moving Pictures – What About Me

2-8 The Chantoozies– Witch Queen (of New Orleans)

2-9 Noiseworks– Touch

2-10 Paul Kelly – To Her Door

2-11 Men At Work– Overkill

2-12 Mondo Rock– Come Said The Boy

Oz Rock (The Rock Collection)

Monday, January 13, 2025

Dragon - A Collection

Dragon is a New Zealand rock band which was formed in Auckland in January 1972, and, from 1975, based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The band was originally fronted by singer Graeme Collins, but rose to fame with singer Marc Hunter and is currently led by his brother, bass player and co-founder Todd Hunter. The group performed, and released material, under the name Hunter in Europe and the United States during 1987.

The name "Dragon" came from a consultation of I Ching cards by founder vocalist Graeme Collins.

Keyboard player Paul Hewson wrote or co-wrote most of the group's 1970's hits: "April Sun in Cuba" peaked at No. 9 in New Zealand and No. 2 in Australia; "Are You Old Enough?" reached No. 6 in New Zealand and No. 1 in Australia in 1978; and "Still in Love With You" reached No. 35 and No. 27 in each country respectively that same year. Later hits, from when the band re-grouped in the 1980's, were written by other band members, often working with outside associates: The Hunter brothers, with Todd's partner, Johanna Pigott, wrote "Rain", a No. 2 hit in 1983, while other, more minor hits were written by the Hunters and/or Alan Mansfield, frequently in collaboration with any combination of Pigott, Mansfield's partner Sharon O'Neill, Marc Hunter's partner Wendy Hunter, or producers Todd Rundgren and David Hirschfelder.

Dragon were a premiere live act in their heyday, and released a stack of classic singles. As Australian rock historian Ian McFarlane writes, ‘Dragon were one of the most popular and notorious acts on the Australian scene … the band earned a reputation for fierce live shows, arrogant behaviour and a decadent lifestyle.’