it's RABBIT season

A mate of mine from up Newcastle way was saying on Facebook the other day that the neighbours love loud music, whether they wanted to or not...so in that spirit of giving, I bring you Newys very own ORIGINAL rock stars (sorry Screaming Jets)...RABBIT

Originally "The Cherries"  The band was formed in 1973 by Mark Tinson (guitar, vocals), Phil Screen (drums) and Jim Porteus (bass). Vocalist Greg Douglas joined in 1974...Rabbit adopted a thumping brand of commercial glam-boogie (somewhere between US groups like Kiss and Brownsville Station) and the members decked themselves out in bare-chested silk blouses, spandex leggings and stack- heeled boots.,Greg Douglas was replaced in October of 1975 by Dave Evans, formerly of AC/DC.

Two early singles were followed up by a self-titled album "Rabbit" (SBP 234748) in 1975 for CBS, here for you to download. Backing vocals were by Pamela Barnett and the album was produced by John Egginton at Trafalgar Studios in Sydney. David Hinds joined as rhythm guitarist in 1976.

The band was already the number one rock band in Newcastle and the surrounding area's of Newy and the Central Coast, before Dave signed on, actually Evans had seen them performing at Chequers nightclub in Sydney and was impressed with their confronting stage presence.

As with all things Rabbit, It wasn't long until they had signed with CBS records and recorded their first album "Rabbit" which had some success. The band moved to Sydney and soon rivalled Hush in the glam stakes. Rabbit signed to CBS and issued the album "Rabbit", which produced two singles, `Lady La Di Da'/`Marvel Man' (October 1975) and `Running Bear'/`Let's Go Rock'n'Rollin' Tonight' (December). With the release of the album, Dave Hinds (ex-Father Mouse, Hot Ice, Marshall Brothers Band and Highway) expanded the band's line-up by joining as lead guitarist.

Rabbit appeared on the ABC-TV's pop show Countdown, and set off on a national tour with the Ted Mulry Gang....

Have a go at this for a description. the nitwit, drongo, dickhead of a critic who wrote it obviously has yearnings to write fkn shakespeare or something,

"If I was a parent and read this, I wouldnt let my kids anywhere near theis mob, numbnuts described them as frenetic, violently hedonistic and Dave himself was described as savagely heterosexual"

....WHAT, DID YOU HAVE THEASAURUS FOR BREKKY, STUPID, DID YOU?...geez.. anyway

The "Too Much Rock And Roll" album was then distributed in Japan and a big slab of Wester Europe, sales in Holland and Demanrk and Belgium were pretty damn impressive, however Rabbit did not tour these countries as two members called it quits after a grueling three-month Australian tour..... In early 1977, founder members Mark Tinson and Phil Screen left the band. Only Screen was replaced (by Barry Lytten) and the band continued as a four-piece. Rabbit issued one more single, a cover of "Paul Revere and the Raiders" `Let Me'/`Kiss Me Goodnight' (July 1977), but by the end of the year was on shaky The guyskicked on after adding a new drummer and released the single "Let Me" but it wasn't the same feeling without the two original members and the band folded in 1978.

Anyway, thats the tale of Rabbit...a rockin band that shoulda been huge

TOO MUCH ROCK'N'ROLL ALBUM REVIEW ( I found on a Newcastle bands page)

Why is it that collectores of records will pay massive amounts for Australian progressive rock (i.e. laid-back early 70's music with flutes made by fat stoned dudes with beards), Australian 60's beat or Australian 70's punk, but consider themselves too serious to check out some of the amazing rock and roll made by 70's glam rock-stars in Australia? Take Feather, Finch, Hush and of course the band we are reviewing here - the great Rabbit. What is their fucking problem? The problem is that these train spotting, ant farming collectors are full of shit cause this record, their second, is a killer heavy-rock masterpiece!!

If you enjoyed classic-era Sweet (before they grew moustaches and started suing keyboards) and early Kiss (before they started doing ballads and fake live albums) then you will flip-out over this record. A previous issue of Vicious Kitten reviewed the first Rabbit album and there are a few slight differences in the two albums. "Too Much Rock'n'Roll" was recorded at one of the most famous studios in Sydney - Alberts (AC/DC, Rosey Tatts, etc.) and the sound is not quite as raw as the first LP. The band were joined by an additional guitarist in David Hinds - who after Rabbit went on to join Finch with ex-AC/DC bass player Mark Evans, but that's another album review.

Kiss and The Sweet still appear to be big musical influences on the music. Firstly the front cover...the five band members all dressed to kill in stack heel hell and then the music - the opening intro a chant version of "Too Much Rock'n'Roll" with five pairs of boots stomping!! Then it's straight into "Higher Than A Kite" which starts like "Ballroom Blitz" on speed but comes into its own once the vocals kick in. "...I can hear my baby calling but I can't even see that far..." - cool lyrics or what?! There are a few slightly poppier sounding tracks like "Go Down Screaming" which has a T-Rex-meets-AC/DC vibe to it and "Keep On" (not the Brady Bunch song) yet there's also some hammer-riff classics like "Bad Girls" and of course the title track (which is not unlike the the Kiss song "Deuce" which isn't a bad thing).

As great an album as this is, the best way to experience Rabbit (second only to boarding the time-machine bound for a seedy Newcastle nightclub in 1975) is on a bootleg video which features a 1974 thirty minute TV special where the band plays live tracks from the first LP and also a one off re-union gig from the early 90's. Yes they are all a bit fatter and older but it still rocked as wild as ever - or as Al Bundy once told me "If you've got it, you've got it."

So there you go, that's Rabbit for you and a salways as my gift to you a Rabbit comp link is posted for your pleasure.

IT'S RABBIT SEASON

CHISEL ROCKS !!!

 I have seen Chisel a few times back between 78-86, HELL... me and few mates went to multiple nights of the Last Stand gigs at the Sydney Ent Cent, staying in a hotel across the road from the place in Sydney's Chinatown....NOW...that was a week of drunken debauchery, ANYWAY..to the band

Chisel was originally named Orange, the band was formed in Adelaide in 1973 as a heavy metal cover band , keyboard player Don Walker, guitarist Ian Moss and drummer Steve Prestwich. Seventeen-year-old singer Jimmy Barnes, joined in December 1973, taking leave from the band in 1975 for a brief stint as Bon Scott's replacement in Fraternity.
 The group changed its name several times before settling on Cold Chisel in 1974 after writing a song with that title. Barnes' relationship with other band members was volatile, he often came to blows with Liverpool-born Prestwich and he left the band several times. During these periods Mossy would handle vocals until Barnes returned.

Don Walker soon became Cold Chisel's primary songwriter. Walker spent 1974 in Armidale, completing his studies and in 1975, the original bass player left the band and was replaced by Phil Small.

Barnesy's older brother John Swan was a member of Cold Chisel around this time too, providing backing vocals and percussion but after several punch on's with band mates and punters, he was fired.

Cold Chisel relocated to Melbourne but found little success and then moved to Sydney in November. Six months later, in May 1977, Barnes announced he was quitting Cold Chisel again  in order to join brother John in Feather, a hard-rocking blues band that had evolved from an well known aussie group called Blackfeather ( you know Boppin the blues..that Blackfeather).

A farewell performance took place in Sydney that went so well the singer changed his mind and the following month Cold Chisel was picked up by the Warner Music Group.

In the early months of 1978, Cold Chisel recorded its self-titled debut album with producer Peter Walker. All tracks were written by Don Walker except "Juliet", for which Barnes wrote the melody and Walker the lyrics. Cold Chisel was released in April and featured appearances from harmonica player Dave Blight, who would become a regular on-stage guest, and saxophonists Joe Camilleri and Wilbur Wilde from Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons.

The following month, arguably Chisels greatest song, "Khe Sanh" was released as a single but was deemed too offensive for airplay on commercial radio because of the lyric "Their legs were often open/But their minds were always closed", although it was played regularly on Sydney rock station, Double J, which was not subject to such restrictions because it was part of the ABC.

Despite that setback, it still reached #48 on the Australian singles chart and number four on the Adelaide charts thanks mainly to the band's rising popularity as a touring act and some local radio support in Adelaide where the single was aired in spite of the ban. "Khe Sanh" has since become Cold Chisel's signature tune and arguably its most popular among fans. The song was later remixed, with re-recorded vocals, for inclusion on the international version of 1980's East.

The band's next release was a live EP titled You're Thirteen, You're Beautiful, and You're Mine, in November. This had been recorded at a show at Sydney's Regent Theatre in 1977 that had featured Midnight Oil as one of the support acts. One of the EP's tracks, "Merry Go Round" was later recorded on the follow-up, Breakfast at Sweethearts. Once again, the majority of the songs were penned by Walker, with Barnes collaborating with Walker on the first single "Goodbye (Astrid, Goodbye)" and Moss contributing to "Dresden". "Goodbye (Astrid, Goodbye)" became a live favourite for the band, and even went on to be performed by U2 during Australian tours in the 1980s.

By now the band stood at the verge of major national success, even without significant radio airplay or support from Countdown, Australia's most important youth music program at the time. The band had become notorious for its wild behaviour, particularly from Barnes who was rumoured to have had sex with over 1000 women and who was known to consume more than a bottle of vodka every night during performances.

In late-1979, Cold Chisel chose Mark Opitz to produce the next single, "Choirgirl", a Don Walker composition dealing with a young woman's experience with abortion. In spite of the controversial subject matter, the track became a hit and paved the way for Cold Chisel's next album. Recorded over two months in early-1980, East reached #2 on the Australian album charts and was the second-highest selling album by an Australian artist for the year.

The songs ranged from straight ahead rock tracks such as "Standing on the Outside" and "My Turn to Cry" to rockabilly-flavoured work-outs ("Rising Sun", written about Barnes' relationship with his girlfriend Jane Mahoney) and pop-laced love songs ("My Baby") to a poignant piano ballad about prison life, "Four Walls".

Following the release of East, Cold Chisel embarked on the Youth in Asia Tour, which took its name from a lyric in "Star Hotel". This tour saw the group play more than 60 shows in 90 days and would form the basis of 1981's double live album Swingshift.

In April 1981 the band was nominated for all seven of the major awards at the joint Countdown/TV Week music awards held at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, and won them all. As a protest against the concept of a TV magazine being involved in a music awards ceremony, the band refused to accept its awards and finished the night by performing "My Turn to Cry". After only one verse and chorus, the band smashed up the set and left the stage

Overseas, however, Cold Chisel was unable to make an impact. With a slightly different track-listing, East had been issued in the United States and the band undertook its first (and only) US tour. But while it was popular as a live act, the American arm of their label did little to support the album. . The band was even booed off stage after a lacklustre performance in Dayton, Ohio in May 1981 opening for Ted Nugent, who at the time was touring with his guitar army aka the 'D.C. Hawks'. European audiences were more accepting of the band and the group developed a small but significant fan base in Germany.

In August 1981, the band began work on the album Circus Animals, again with Mark Opitz producing. The album opened with "You Got Nothing I Want", an aggressive Barnes-penned hard rock track that attacked the American industry for its handling of the band.  Like its predecessor, Circus Animals contained songs of contrasting styles, with harder-edged tracks like "Bow River" and "Hound Dog" in place beside more expansive ballads such as "Forever Now" and "When the War Is Over", both written by Prestwich.

The latter track has proved to be the most popular Cold Chisel song for other artists to record -- Uriah Heep included a version on the 1989 album Raging Silence and John Farnham has recorded it twice, once while he and Prestwich were members of Little River Band in the mid-80s and again for his 1990 solo album Age of Reason. The song was also a No. 1 hit for former Australian Idol contestant Cosima De Vito in 2004 and was also performed by Bobby Flynn during that show's 2006 season. "Forever Now" was also covered (as a country waltz) by Australian band The Reels.

Thanks primarily to continued radio airplay and Barnes' solo success, Cold Chisel's legacy remained solidly intact and by the early 90s the group had surpassed 3 million album sales, most of which had been sold since 1983. The 1991 compilation album Chisel was re-issued and re-packaged several times, once with the long-deleted 1978 EP as a bonus disc and a second time in 2001 as a double album. The Last Stand soundtrack album was also finally released in 1992 and in 1994 a complete album of previously unreleased demo and rare live recordings also surfaced.

Cold Chisel reunited in 1998 to record the album The Last Wave of Summer and supported it with a sold-out national concert tour. The album debuted at number one on the Australian album chart. In 2003, the band re-grouped once more for the "Ringside" tour and in 2005 again reunited to perform at a benefit for the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne....They got back together in 2009 for a show at the V8 Supercars, they started working on a new album in 2011

Sadly...Barnesy old sparring partner Steve Prestwich was diagnosed with a brain tumour and never awoke from the subsequent surgery...Bon and Ted Mulry and Pete Well's  must of needed a shit hot drummer...ya think ?.....

RADIATION ALERT

1978 – WHAT A YEAR IT WAS!.....among other things that happened during the year was...

Former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies died aged 84,
Artist Brett Whiteley was awarded the Archibald Prize,
“Grease” was released and went on to become the most popular movie musical of all time, Malcolm Fraser was Prime Minister,
Australia’s first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. 

AND THE RADIATORS WERE BORN!!!!!

I saw them at The Sundowners at Punchbowl in 79-80, and even I was gob smacked when they introduced the new single...GIMME HEAD....I though to myself, that will never get on 2SM...none the less...it sold a MINT...as it should......

Nichol and Parker grew up in Bega where they attended the local high school. They formed a local group, Undecided, and in 1969 they relocated to Sydney.

Prior to 1978 Brian Nichol was bass guitar/lead vocals and Fess Parker was lead guitar in “Big Swifty”.  At the same time Geoff Turner was bass guitarist with RCA signed “Twister”.  After the two bands performed together a couple of times “Twister” disbanded and “Big Swifty” decided on a change of musical direction.  Times were changing and major advances had been made in the music industry so the two bands and their music styles merged and drummer Chris Tagg was added to the mix .

 The Radiators signed with WEA Records and issued their debut single, "Comin' Home" in September 1979. It peaked at No. 33 on the Australian  Music Chart. A second single, "Gimme Head", appeared in February 1980  In March 1980 the group released their first album, Feel the Heat, which was produced by Charles Fisher, who had produced Radio Birdman and OL 55 in the past

Brendan Callinan brought keyboards to The Radiators in 1979 and the individual members of the band began their prolific song writing careers.  By the time Chris Tagg left the Band in 1984, three albums had been released and The Radiators had got gold records for “Scream of the Real” and “Up For Grabs”.  A little further down the track their Albums “Feel the Heat” and “You Have the Right to Remain Silent” scored double Platinum.  

 When 1990 rolled around Mick Buckley moved on, had overseas success and keyboardist Brendan departed.  Drummer extraordinaire Mark Lucas signed up and it was decided thereafter to forego keyboards.

 That was the lineup of the mighty Radiators in 1990 and so it remains to this day!
The Radiators appeared on the Ted Mulry Benefit and then in 2007, the boys rocked the joint at the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series...suffice to say, I dont think we've got rid of 'em just yet.....

Travelling thousands upon thousands of kilometres up, down and across the length and breadth of this vast country, The Radiators have carved out a nice little spot for themselves in Aussie Rock history.  They have headlined and shared the stage with some great Aussie acts such as AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Dragon and INXS....and on the odd occasion..BLEW THEM AWAY

Studio albums

    Feel the Heat (1980) Platinum
    Up for Grabs (1981) Gold
    Scream of the Real (1983) Gold
    Life’s a Gamble (1984)
    Nasty Habits in Nice Children (1987)
    Radiators (October 1993)
    Stone (September 1995)
    In the Roar (1997)
    Smoke and Mirrors (2000)

Live albums

    Gimme... Live (1988)

Members -
    Brian Nichol – lead vocals, guitar (1978–present)
    Stephen "Fess" Parker – lead guitar (1978–present)
    Geoff Turner – bass guitar (1978–present)
    Mark Lucas – drums (1987–present)

    Chris Tagg – drums (1978–1984)
    Brendan Callinan – keyboards, vocals (1978–1988)
    Mick Buckley – drums (1984–1987)
    Brad Heaney – drums (1987)
 
SO...there you go..the mighty RADS...