Australian Rock 71-72 Vol.1 Collectors Album - Havoc label vinyl release

This is a vinyl rip from an album released on the Havoc label in the early 1970's. It features several Havoc label artists of the time such as Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Carson and The Wild Cherries featuring Lobby Loyde.

These are the original album liner notes:

Australian Rock has fought long and hard for recognition.  The medium that has been directly responsible for Rock culture is radio. Most Australian radio is modeled on American and than anything else has shaped the audience and the criticism of Australian Rock.

To compete in the play list war, an Australian musical group has to deliver an American or English sounding rock number. This retarding condition is now beginning to change. Australian Rock has a high energy potential - the same high energy potential that was found in early Little Richard, Presley, Berry and Domino rock. The same high energy potential as early English rock by the Animals, Stones, Kinks and some Beatle Rockers. Other high energy potential groups were Cream, Hendrix, Yardbirds and The Who.

American and English Rock differ in their high energy potential distribution and Australian Rock differs from both of these by its high energy rhythm sections with high density colour trips. Australian Rock is at last becoming noticed by the Australian media and the Australian audience. Given time, Australian Rock will be heard and appreciated everywhere . So - "Watch out World".
Lobby Loyde - September 72.

Australian Rock

Track Listing:
01 - Dawn Song (Aztecs)
02 - Traveling South (Carson)
03 - Pattern Of My Life (Michael Turner In Session)
04 - Time To Live (Aztecs)
05 - Moonshine (Carson)
06 - Slowest Guitar On Earth (Lobby Loyde)
07 - Most People I Know (Aztecs)
08 - Liberate Rock (Lobby Loyde and the Coloured Balls)
09 - Cold Feet (Chook)
10 - Don't Worry (Carson)
11 - I Am The Sea (Wild Cherries)
12 - Just Around Midnight (Michael Turner In Session)
[Bonus Missing Tracks]
13 - Daily Planet (Wild Cherries)
14 - Regulation Puff (Aztecs)

https://youtu.be/5BFNk7QUZ9w

Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs....the "heavy" version...Lock Up Your Mothers

Billy Thorpe himself openly acknowledged that the 'heavy' version of the Aztecs owed much to 'guitar hero' Lobby Loyde. Lloyde already had a cult following due to his stints in two of the most original Australian bands of the 1960's, The Purple Hearts and The Wild Cherries. While his stint in the new Aztecs was short (from December 1968 to January 1971), his musical influence proved crucial in steering Thorpe in a completely new direction, and he strongly encouraged Thorpe to keep playing guitar.

The new Aztecs' blues-based heavy-rock repertoire was dramatically different in style from the original group, and they quickly became famous (or notorious) for the ear-splitting volume at which they played. Thorpe had also drastically changed his appearance—he grew a beard, often wore his now shoulder-length hair braided in a pigtail, and he had long since traded the tailored suits for jeans and T-shirts. Needless to say this did not endear him to people who came to the shows expecting the 'old' Billy Thorpe of the "Poison Ivy" era, and this led to sometimes violent confrontations with disgruntled fans and promoters.

Their breakthrough recording was an ambitious album, The Hoax Is Over, recorded in September 1970 with new drummer Kevin Murphy. The album was an unequivocal signal of the Aztecs' new direction, containing only four tracks, three of which were Thorpe originals. The LP is dominated by two extended tracks: a version of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Gangster of Love", which clocked in at 24:35 and ran the entire length of Side 1 (an unprecedented move in Australian pop music) and Thorpe's own "Mississippi" which ran 19'35". According to Thorpe, the band (which at this time comprising himself, Murphy, pianist Warren Morgan, guitar legend Lobby Loyde and bassist Paul Wheeler), were all high on LSD and jammed continuously while engineer Ernie Rose just let the tapes roll. The result heralded the fully-fledged arrival of the new Aztecs and live shows at Melbourne venues consolidated the band's reputation and drew enthusiastic responses.

Lock Up Your Mothers

Sunnyboys..This Is Real...Singles/Live/Rare

Sunnyboys were a power pop/post-punk band that formed in Sydney in 1980. Fronted by singer-songwriter, guitarist Jeremy Oxley, the band "breathed some freshness and vitality into the divergent Sydney scene". Their first two albums, Sunnyboys and Individuals both appeared in the Top 30 of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart.

They signed to Mushroom Records in February 1981, becoming the first Sydney-based band on the label. Their first release was a single, "Happy Man" (Mushroom, K8335), which reached number 26 on the national singles chart. The same month they made an independent EP entitled Happy Birthday, containing the tracks "What You Need", "Why Do I Cry?", "I Want To Be Alone" and "Let You Go". This was given away at gigs.

Sunnyboys' eponymous debut album was recorded at Alberts Studio in Sydney between May and July 1981 with producer/mentor Lobby Loyde. The album (with an initial print run of 2,000 on yellow vinyl) reached number 13 on the national album charts in October 1981, establishing them as a headline attraction. A second single was taken from the album, a re-recorded version of "Alone With You", which also reached number 26 on the national singles chart.

Sunnyboys originally broke up in June 1984. Jeremy Oxley formed various incarnations of the band throughout the 1980's and into 1991, as the only original member. The original line-up (without Burgman) reunited for a one-off show in 1998 for the Mushroom 25 Concert. In 2012 the original line-up reunited for a surprise show in Sydney as part of the Dig It Up concert series, billed as "Kids In Dust". The original line-up of Sunnyboys later played sporadic shows in 2013 and also undertook national headline tours in March 2014 and March 2015.

SUNNYBOYS Announce February 2017 Shows

                                          

                                                                           

Buster Brown...Something to Say...1974...Working Class Heavy Rock

The roots of Rose Tattoo, AC/DC and everything else that's good about working class Australian rock, Buster Brown released only one album, Something to Say, in 1974. Featuring the likes of Angry Anderson and Phil Rudd, the band were very popular on the pub circuit and with the 'sharpie' crowd.

Their sound was hard rock mixed with blues rock influences. They formed in Melbourne in 1973 with Gary 'Angry' Anderson on lead vocals (ex-Peace Power and Purity), John Moon on guitar, Paul Grant on guitar, Phil Rudd on drums, Ian Ryan on bass guitar (ex-Ash, Chook) and Chris Wilson on keyboards.They enjoyed local notoriety and played at the 1974 Sunbury Festival in January. Later that year, Mushroom Records released a Various Artists live album, Highlights of Sunbury '74 Part 1, which included the group's tracks "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Buster Brown". Early in the year, Geordie Leach replaced Ryan on bass guitar. Along with Coloured Balls, Billy Thorpe, Madder Lake and Chain, they were supported by suburban-based sharpie gangs.

Their first album, Something to Say was produced by Lobby Loyde and released in 1974. Rudd left to join an early version of AC/DC while Anderson continued with new line-ups and eventually disbanded the group in November 1975. Anderson joined Rose Tattoo which later included former Buster Brown band mates, Geordie Leach on bass guitar and Dallas 'Digger' Royall on drums.

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Coloured Balls..Ball Power...1973 debut album. Greasy, no-frills boogie from Sharpie-Rock legends

Lobby Loyde formed the psychedelic/hard/blues-rock group Coloured Balls in March 1972 with Andrew Fordham on guitar and vocals, Janis Miglans on bass guitar and Trevor Young on drums.Their first single, "Liberate Rock", had been recorded by Loyde with Aztecs' members, Gil Mathews (on drums), Morgan and Wheeler as studio musicians – it was issued in August.

In January 1973, Coloured Balls teamed with guest vocalists Thorpe and Leo de Castro at the Sunbury Pop Festival, their performance was released in November as the "Help Me" / "Rock Me Baby" track on the live album, Summer Jam.The album included Coloured Balls' 16-minute version of "G.O.D.". Fordham had been replaced on guitar by Ian Millar early in the year. Coloured Balls released three singles including "Mess of the Blues" which reached the Top 40 in October.They supported Marc Bolan & T. Rex on their Australian tour. 

Coloured Balls released their debut studio album, Ball Power, in December, 1973 on EMI, which peaked at No. 13 on the Go-Set National Top 20 albums chart in February 1974. In January'74, Coloured Balls played at the Sunbury Pop Festival alongside hard rockers, Buster Brown, which included Angry Anderson on vocals and Phil Rudd on drums.

An article on rare albums in the December 2014 issue of Record Collector magazine had this to say about the album: "Coloured Balls personified the uber-macho "sharpie rock" style beloved of skinheads, men at work and other assorted ne'er do wells who frequented urban Australia's fearsome 70's pub scene. They were a mean bunch, and this record remains a rough-as-arseholes testament to antipodean rock'n'roll. The original EMI pressing is as scarce as a teetotaller in Alice Springs!" 

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Great Aussie Rock...12 Mindblowing Tracks from 12 Legendary Australian Artists of the 70s

This 12 track collection of Mushroom Records artists of the 70s is a virtual who's who of Australian music. The line up speaks for itself...Skyhooks, Ayers Rock, Madder Lake, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs, The Dingoes, Matt Taylor, Lobby Lloyd and The Coloured Balls, Greg Sneddon, Buster Brown, Sid Rumpo, Phil Manning and Chain.

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The Wild Cherries..That's Life

The Wild Cherries started out in late 1964 playing R'n'B and became "the most relentlessly experimental psychedelic band on the Melbourne discotheque / dance scene" according to commentator, Glenn A. Baker. In 1964, Melbourne University's Architecture students, John Bastow on vocals, Rob Lovett on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Les Gilbert on bass guitar, formed The Wild Cherries. The Wild Cherries were named by word association: Chuck Berry – Buck Cherry – Black Cherries – Wild Cherries. Local blues man Malcolm McGee on lead guitar and vocals, and Geoff Hales on drums soon joined. Their debut performance was at Melbourne's first discothèque, the Fat Black Pussycat, located in South Yarra (Melbourne).Drummer Kevin Murphy, who had been playing in a modern jazz trio, replaced Hales almost immediately.

The band had several personnel changes, the 1967 line-up featured Keith Barber on drums, Peter Eddey on bass guitar, founder Les Gilbert on keyboards, Lobby Loyde (ex-The Purple Hearts) on guitars, and Dan Robinson on vocals. The band released four singles for Festival Records, including "Krome Plated Yabby" in June 1967 and "That's Life" in November, which peaked into the Go-Set National Top 40. Loyde went on to join Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, then formed Lobby Loyde & the Coloured Balls and also had a solo career.

Loyde resurrected the name in 1971 as a three-piece hard rock outfit with Johnny Dick on drums and Teddy Toi on bass guitar (both ex-Max Merritt & the Meteors, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Fanny Adams). The new line-up of The Wild Cherries issued one single on the Havoc label, "I am the Sea (Stop Killing Me)" in November 1971. Raven Records included "I am the Sea (Stop Killing Me)" on the compilation Golden Miles: Australian Progressive Rock 1969–1974 released in 1994. The band appeared at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1972, but disbanded a month later.

The Wild Cherries: That's Life was released in 2007 by Half A Cow Records.

                                       

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The Purple Hearts & The Coloured Balls...Benzedrine Beat! 1964-1970

The Purple Hearts were formed in Brisbane in 1964. The band consisted of lead vocalist Mick Hadley, lead guitarist Barry Lyde (known as Lobby Loyde), rhythm guitarist Fred Pickard, bassist Bob Dames, and drummers Adrian 'Red' Redmond (1964–66) and Tony Cahill (1966-67). Like so many Australian beat groups of the '60s, The Purple Hearts had their roots far closer to the source of the British Invasion than the sunburnt suburbia from which they finally emerged.

Although they were part of the Sunshine Records stable,The Purple Hearts were uncompromising in their attitude toward recording. Consequently, their handful of singles are enduring artifacts of their unique style, which blended blues, R'n'B and prototype psychedelic rock, a style made even tougher by the regional influence mentioned earlier. Even their name, taken from the well-known slang term for a variety of amphetamine pop pills much favoured by mod subculture, was a brash and outrageous gesture.

It is notable that Brisbane, traditionally the most conservative of Australia's state capitals, has fostered some of the country's most anarchistic rock bands from The Purple Hearts to The Saints. The Purple Hearts were tough, arrogant and pioneering and Lobby Loyde is widely acknowledged as Australia’s first true rock guitar hero – busy blowing up speaker boxes before high volume and feed-back became rock staples.

This compilation combines 14 tracks by the PH's and 7 by offshoot band The Coloured Balls.

1 The Purple Hearts– Talkin' 'Bout You

2 The Purple Hearts– Louie Louie

3 The Purple Hearts– Long Legged Baby (Demo Version)

4 The Purple Hearts– Gloria

5 The Purple Hearts– Here 'Tis

6 The Purple Hearts– Long Legged Baby

7 The Purple Hearts– Of Hopes And Dreams And Tombstones

8 The Purple Hearts– I'm Gonna Try

9 The Purple Hearts– Early In The Morning

10 The Purple Hearts– Just A Little Bit

11 The Purple Hearts– You Can't Sit Down

12 The Purple Hearts– Tiger In Your Tank

13 The Purple Hearts– Chicago

14 The Purple Hearts– Bring It On Home

15 Coloured Balls– A Song For Jeffrey

16 Coloured Balls– Killing Floor

17 Coloured Balls– Living In The USA

18 Coloured Balls– Bring It On Home

19 Coloured Balls– Long Grey Mare

20 Coloured Balls– Living In The Past

21 Coloured Balls– Living In The USA (Live)

The Purple Hearts