classic and rare Australian popular music from the 1950's, 1960's. 1970's and beyond..including rock and roll, pop, beat, rock, surf and progressive, plus contemporary artists, new releases, reviews and other fun stuff

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Showing posts with label 80s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 80s. Show all posts

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.

































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.’













    
                                      Power Play - 1979                                         




















Friday, December 27, 2024

Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons - A Collection

 


One of the more popular Australian bands of their day, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons was primarily a vehicle for frontman Joe Camilleri, who assembled the group in Melbourne in 1976. The band's lineup fluctuated regularly over the years; in addition to Camilleri, the nucleus consisted of guitarists Jeff Burstin and Tony Faehse, bassist John Power, saxophonist Wilbur Wilde and drummer Gary Young

At the outset, the Falcons were a gritty, sax-powered R&B unit -- a sound dominant on their 1976 debut LP Don't Waste It -- but they remained wildly unpredictable in the years to follow, moving from genre to genre with ease. Whip It Out appeared in 1977; in 1979 the Falcons moved to the Mushroom label, soon issuing the LP Screaming Targets. However, after 1980's Hats Off Step Lively fared poorly, the band kept a low profile for several years before announcing their retirement in 1983. 

They reunited in 2003 for the album "Ricochet".