When 1960s Oz super group The Loved Ones quit doing the rock circuit, Lovett, Doyle and McGee became the well-touted Walker Brothers clone trio, The Virgil Brothers, who scored a moderate international hit with "Temptation’s ‘Bout To Get Me" before they disbanded. Doyle later re-emerged and had success in the second version of the New Seekers.Other Loved Ones members seemed to have faded into obscurity, but lead singer Gerry Humphreys, soon unleashed his new group, Gerry & The Joy Band, with a series of rollicking singles, like "Ongo Bongo Man" and Buddy Holly’s "Rave On" (for which he was backed by an all-star studio super group including members of Daddy Cool). Check this line-up of other names who passed through the ranks of The Joy Band during its short 2 year tenure: Tony Cahill, Billy Green, Lobby Loyde, Ian Mawson, Graeme Morgan, Warren Morgan, Jerry Noone, Brian Peacock and Ian Woodcock.
The two rare Joy Band singles are gathered on the Raven CD edition of Magic Box which details the Loved One's musical output....this was only on the first pressings of the CD as the Joy Band songs have been dropped from the later editions.
In 1985 music producer Robbie Porter must have been strapped for cash because he put out an extended version of "Ongo Bongo Man" on a vinyl 12" on his own Wizard label. The long version came with other Gerry & The Joy Band singles and there were a couple of slightly different versions of this record made...
Gerry was born in England and came to Oz when only a youngster. Sadly, he passed away in 2005 leaving a great back catalogue of Oz hits. For some strange reason people often thought he was a relative of Barry Humphries (of Dame Edna fame)... What, couldn't they check the spelling of the surnames!
For download is the long original extended version of "Ongo Bongo Man" which I have then extended even further so now it goes nearly 5 mins.
http://rapidshare.com/files/292841720/gerry_and_the_joy_band_-_ongo_bongo_man__extended_tom_mix_2009_.mp3
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThe Clip to Rave On has been posted on Youtube and shows the band recording it at Armstrongs and features Ross Wilson on Rythmn Guitar.
Rave On/Ongo Bongo Man was first reissued by wizard in 1980, and featured a different mix of Rave On to the 19972 original, which is on the Magic Box CD - which unfortunately the LOved One Tracks were mastered with only the right channel audible - you can notice it on sad Dark Eyes which misses the slow harpsichord type piano bit at beginning.
The clip can be found here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd6Dw-gH6AU