DOWNLOAD NO.222 - THE ROOTY HILL R.S.L. BAND

A contributor called Barry (Bazza) has sent a little relic from 1973 called "Tower Of Strength" which was a minor Sydney radio hit by The Rooty Hill R.S.L. Band. The single appeared on the Warm & Genuine label which was co-owned by G. Wayne Thomas. It is not a long song, clocking at just under 2 mins.

Bazza sent it to me to clean and resurrect, and it sounds pretty good considering its age. Bazz and I don't know the member composition of the band in 1973 and have no idea about who was the lead singer. He has a very powerful voice at any rate!

The single was produced by Peter Martin (nowadays Dr. Peter Martin) who worked on various hit singles where big bands were recorded eg. Roly Poly by SCRA - which has a similar sound to this single.

It is almost white soul. Thanks Bazz. Enjoy!

http://rapidshare.com/files/248783623/The_Rooty_Hill_RSL_Band__Enterprise__-_Tower_Of_Strength.mp3

Can anyone help with this request from Barry?

Hi Tom,

.......further to the Rooty Hill recording you cleaned up, I live only 15 min from the club and I spoke to the entertainment manager regarding any information they might have regarding the band members and singer on the recording for your blog and she was shocked as she never knew that there was a recording and asked me if I could drop in and show her the actual record which I did and also gave her a copy of your cleaned up version on CD for the club to keep and mentioned that you had worked on it to be an acceptable playing version. She passed on her thanks and she asked me if I was able to find anything out about the actual recording could I pass it on to her but as of today I am unable to find anything about singer or the band members ......

Regards Barry

DOWNLOAD NO.221 - MAX MERRITT

Max Merritt b: 1941 New Zealand was a renowned musician and singer. As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors his best known hits were “Slippin’ Away”, which reached #2 on the 1976 Australian singles charts, and "Hey, Western Union Man" which reached #13 some years before.

In 1975 the album “A Little Easier” was issued which contained “Slippin’ Away” at the end of one side and “Coming Back” at the end of the other. They were the pigeon pair that made the album memorable for me.

In a category best described as “the one that got away” was the soft and romantic “Coming Back” which was a song similar to the big hit single “Slippin’ Away”. “Coming Back” sadly, was only ever issued as a B-side recording in Oz. The A-side was “Let It Slide” (single mix) which was a faster version of the lead song on their next album “Out Of The Blue”.

But as things would have it, the radio stations in the Hunter Valley gave “Coming Back” much deserved airplay and the song charted albeit only for a few weeks during 1976. It was 5 mins long and took up the whole side of the 7” single and “Let It Slide” and “Whisper In My Ear” were both together on one side of the single.

Here for download is “Coming Back”:

http://rapidshare.com/files/247304294/max_merritt_-_coming_back__tom_mix_album_mix_.mp3

DOWNLOAD.NO.220 - MATT TAYLOR

Matt Taylor was lead singer of Melbourne group Chain and had one of the gravelliest Oz blues voices ever recorded. His biggest hits and main successes were "Black And Blue" and "Judgement", recorded when lead singer with Chain, and "I Remember When I Was Young", as a solo artist.

His biggest solo hit "I Remember When I Was Young" was an homage to an era I remember fondly. It got to be top 10 in most states in 1973. The flip side also charted in some areas. The flip was "Krishna Loves You Too" which didn't depart that much musically from the A-side and charted here in Newcastle NSW. The album version has been on CD for many years but the single cut of "Krishna Loves You Too" has not been included on anything to date. Sadly his follow-up single "Fair Dinkum Aussie Blues" sank without much of a trace. It just charted in Perth for five weeks and got to #42. His third solo single was non-charting.

Chain singles:

Show Me Home/Mister Time	1969
Black And Blue/Blow in 'D'	1971
Judgement/Lightning Ground	1971
Sunny Day/I Was Born	1972
I Thought You Weren't My Friend/Hey Baby	1973
I'm Gonna Miss You Babe/Elephant	1973
I'm Gonna Miss You Babe/Mr. President	1980
I Don't Want To Be Like Everyone Else/Messenger	1985
(Doin' the) Highway 31 Shuffle/Missile	1986
Harmonica/Spring Hill	1988

Matt Taylor Solo Singles:

I Remember When I Was Young / Krishna Loves You Too - 1973
Fair Dinkum Aussie Blues / Alone - 1974
Hound Dog Dust Bug / Somebody Stole My Hair - 1975

Here are the words to Matt Taylor’s song "Krishna Loves You Too":

“Things are getting bad when you can’t practise your religion,

Walk through the streets, giving all the love you can to Krishna.

Elohim, God, or Allah, the name doesn’t matter,

Love is a commodity you can’t put a price on,

People who love life give to one another,

‘Cos God’s in me, God’s in you.

Yes, City Councillors, Krishna loves you too!

When you go to church on Sunday to hear a sermon

They pass round the plate, are you telling me it’s begging?

Is God a one-day affair, the next day you don’t care?

Krishna people make the city streets a temple

What’s wrong with living your religion every second

If God’s in me, God’s in you?

Parking attendants, Krishna loves you too.

I remember Christians thrown to the lions,

Because their faith was seen as defiance.

But now I see Centurions in Blue, ain’t nothing new.

Religion’s not exempt when it comes to revolution

Each step along the way is plagued by persecution,

Still, God’s in me, God’s in you.

Mr Policeman, Krishna loves you too.

Salvation Army playing on the corner,

Turned-on our folks in another era, but now I see

God remains the same, forms of God have changed.

Now you’ve heard my story, just forget your fear,

And chant ‘Krishna’ every day

And your world will ’come clear

‘Cos God’s in me, God’s in you.

Yes, every human being, Krishna loves you too.....”

Here for download is the never before released 7" single edit (from CD) of "Krishna Loves You Too":

http://rapidshare.com/files/245117180/matt_taylor_-_krishna_loves_you__cd_single_version_.mp3

DOWNLOAD NO.219 - RICK POINTON (BENNY AND THE JETS)

Rick Pointon is a Newcastle singing legend. He was formerly lead singer of Benny And The Jets who used to perform at the Star Hotel in Newcastle in the 1970s. Some of the singles by Benny And The Jets are elsewhere on this blog. Please use search facility to locate them.

Rick Pointon and musical partner Alan Windon had a crack at making a local rendition of the Lucky Starr classic "I've Been Everywhere". The song was released on Angelwood Records and charted in November 1981. It has been sitting on the shelf for yonks and has never been on CD. In the version by Rick, he names all the places in the local Hunter Valley area where it was recorded. The town of Newcastle is at the mouth of the Hunter River and the surrounding Hunter Valley is roughly the size of Sussex in England. My suburb is mentioned as are many others.

Rick Pointon and I met years ago at a mutual friend's house. Year after year a group of us music nuts would rock up at Christmastime and play a trivia music game that our friend Steve Scanes developed. It was serious business and I played fairly well most years but I was so competitive that my wife once avoided going with me as she was embarrassed by my poor sportsmanship (lol).

Lucky Starr made 4 international versions of "I've Been Everywhere". They are for download at Ozzie The Music Man's Site (click link): http://ozziemusicman.blogspot.com/

Here for download is the Rick Pointon and Alan Windon version of "I've Been Everywhere":

http://rapidshare.com/files/244260992/rick_pointon_-_I_ve_Been_Everwhere__The_Hunter_Valley_Version_.mp3

DOWNLOAD NO.218 - SHERBET

In 1972 Sherbet released their first version of "You've Got The Gun" which was given a remake in 1976. It did minor business in the UK on the second outing as it was the follow-up to "Howzat" and was a double A-side with "Rock Me Gently" on the flip.

A couple of my friends, Al and Jim, asked me to fix up the old (3 min 10 sec) 1972 vinyl single of "You've Got The Gun" because it has not been on CD as of yet. On most CD anthologies it is either the 1976 version or the long 5 minute album version from 1972.

Just about everything Sherbet has recorded has been transferred to CD but some single versions of their songs are not yet available...WHY????

Maybe the reason the (3 min 10 sec) 1972 single of "You've Got The Gun" has not been on CD is that it was issued in mono to hide the more than 4 clunky edits...and the old single doesn't really sound that great compared to all their other songs of the era...

Here for download is a Tom Mix exclusive. Yes, at last, a CD quality edit of the 1972 single but in stereo form...if you like this edited version then buy the CD album mix as the 2nd verse and instrumental break are removed in the 1972 edit.

For download is the 1972 single mix of "You've Got The Gun":

http://rapidshare.com/files/244046111/sherbet_-_you_ve_got_the_gun__1972_stereo_single_edit_.mp3

DOWNLOAD NO.217 - SAGA

Canberra has had its fair share of groups. Saga was one of the longest serving groups that went along changing and evolving but never really having a big break out hit. They started with founding member Jeff Gallimore (drummer) who had been in the group Abbe Gail ca.1971.

Saga kicked off in 1972 and they were still churning out music a decade later. I'm not really sure if they ever stopped evolving. At one stage they were a 6 piece and then back to a 4 piece and then members came and went....

By 1976 Saga were involved in a charity recording subsidised by the Fairfax Media Group who owned the Canberra Times newspaper amongst others. Their remake of the Dr. Hook track "The Cover Of The Rolling Stone" was given a new Oz comedy slant. Saga's track was called "The Cover Of The Canberra Times". It was not really a novelty track but a cute cabaret number in the same style as Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band.

Click cover pictures for more details.

This is a very good transfer of this song and still sounds great after all these years.

http://rapidshare.com/files/244020580/saga_-_the_cover_of_the_canberra_times__vinyl_tom_mix_.mp3

DOWNLOAD NO.216 - KEVIN JOHNSON

Mark W. from QLD sent me this little promo used to celebrate the Centenary of Aussie Rules Football. It is called "Aussie Rules I Thank You". Thanks Mark!

Kevin Johnson changed the lyrics of his well known 1973 hit "Rock And Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life" to record this rare TV promo. Kevin was commissioned to perform on the TV campaign.

He has other songs on this blog...please use the search facility to locate them.

If you click the picture above you will note the original 1973 single had backing by the "Cool Bananas" whose main member was Rory O'Donoghue. Rory played "Thin Arthur" in the now famous "Aunty Jack Show". The Cool Bananas had a successful single called "Been And Gone" which came out on the Albert Label and has been issued infrequently on CD.

The CD single version of "Aussie Rules I Thank You" ran 3:30 minutes but the TV commercial (this download version) was cut to 2 mins and is in glorious mono...

Another rare item, enjoy!

http://rapidshare.com/files/241660064/Kevin_Johnson_-_Aussie_Rules_I_Thank_You__Promo_.mp3

DOWNLOAD NO.215 - TARNEY SPENCER BAND

Alan Tarney is an English songwriter, record producer and bass guitarist. He was born in Cumberland, England, but spent his teenage years in Adelaide, Oz. In Adelaide, Alan and long-time partner Trevor Spencer, were in the band James Taylor Move. Tarney and Spencer had played in a couple of earlier Adelaide bands, The Hurricanes and Johnny Broome And The Handels, whose various members formed the nuclei of both The Twilights and the James Taylor Move.

In 1969 Alan moved back to England and after forming his first band he became a session guitarist for many top acts such as Olivia Newton-John. Around this time he joined The Shadows and was a member from 1973 to 1977. Alan hit his stride working in the UK. He worked with Cliff Richard. Two of the songs he did with Cliff were "Dreamin'" and "We Don't Talk Anymore". Alan also hit pay dirt writing a number of tracks with Leo Sayer. “More Than I Can Say” was a massive hit for Leo. Alan can also be heard on the guitar solo in Bonnie Tyler's "Lost In France"… Tarney has either worked with or produced albums by A-ha (their biggest hit was “Take On Me”), Barbara Dickson, Hank Marvin, Sally Oldfield, John Cooper Clarke, David Dundas and Rogue, just to name a few... Generally speaking, Alan was a very in-demand session muso and writer.

In 1976 Alan was one half of Tarney-Spencer Band. Alan's partner was Trevor Spencer, a drummer who had been in the same Adelaide bands with Alan. As a duo, they're probably best known for their hits “Takin' Me Back”, “It’s Really You” and “No Time To Lose”. They released their self-titled debut album on Bradleys Records in 1976 and then signed to A & M Records, for whom they recorded their final two albums.

Singles:

I'm your man rock'n'roll
If you knew
I can hear love (edit version)
Takin' me back
Easier for you
It's really you
No time to lose (edit version) – charted twice in America.
Cathy's clown

For download is a rare treat, a CD copy of the single edit of “No Time To Lose”:

http://rapidshare.com/files/239580513/Tarney-Spencer_Band_-_No_Time_To_Lose__Single_Tom_Mix_Edit_.mp3