TIGER TALK - THE BLUE ECHOES

Often confused as an Oz group The Blue Echoes had a 1963-64 minor instrumental hit with "Tiger Talk" which was the flip side of an American 45 rpm release. "Tiger Talk" is even put on some Oz compilations, but nope it is from America. The 7” single was issued as "Blue Bell Bounce" b/w "Tiger Talk" in 1963. "Tiger Talk” was the chosen song played by most DJs in Australia.

“Tiger Talk” is included on the CD anthology “Scum Of The Earth”, Sound Story Records.

Personnel: Tom Zagryn - vocals, guitar; Eric Gulliksen - vocals, 12-string guitar, bass; Tom Collins – drums. “Tiger Talk” Writers: Zagryn-Gulliksen. Publishers: John Music / Palmina Music. Recorded: Autumn 1963 Hartford, Connecticut. Release information: Originally released on Bristol B-101 (local). Released USA on Lawn L-225, on November 22, 1963 (the day President Kennedy was assassinated) Reissued on Itzy 11 (1966).

NB. “Blue Bell Bounce” is included in the CD anthologies: “Oldies I Forgot To Buy”, Forevermore Records, and “Rockin' Guitars and Lightnin' Fingers”, Remember Records.

http://rapidshare.com/files/203513579/The_Blue_Echoes_-_Tiger_Talk.mp3

EASY TO BE HARD - SHARON REDD

Sharon Redd (circled at right in performance and cast photos from Hair) was born October 19, 1945 Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She died May 1, 1992 (aged 46) of AIDS related pneumonia. Sharon went to Australia with the cast of Hair (along with Marcia Hines) and had a local hit before departing back to America. In 1969, she recorded one side of a single, "Easy To Be Hard", a song from the Australian Hair Soundtrack. This single reached #32 in Australia in 1969. She made an appearance on "Barry Crocker's Sound Of Music" program on May 12, 1969. She also recorded one side of a single for the Amoco Label titled, "Where The Mind Can Breathe". This single was used for radio & TV commercials, to promote Amoco petrol. It was credited to Sharon Redd & Groove Myers. This commercial received a lot of play in Australia in the early 70s. Her performance eventually led to her own TV special.

Upon her return to the United States, she performed in plays, among them, a role in T-Jean & His Brothers. Sharon was the winner of the first “Schaefer Beer Talent Hunt" & became known as the "Schaefer Beer Girl" & her face became well known in the states for her many commercial appearances. She worked 1973-78 as one of Bette Midler’s backing singers called “The Harlettes” replacing Melissa Manchester. When disco took off she had massive hits in the USA dance scene. Her 12” of “Beat The Street” is considered a classic.

(1945-10-19)

Singles

• "Half As Much" (1968).
• "Do You Want Me?" (1968).
• "I've Got A Feeling" (1968).
• "Since I Lost You" (1968).
• “Easy To Be Hard” (from Hair) (#41 October 1969 Australia).
• “Where The Mind Can Breathe” (45 rpm commercial 1971-2 Australia).
• "Now (Sweet Lover Man)"/"Can't Dance (Dance, Dance, Dance)" (1977).
• "Maiden Voyage" (as a member of The Harlettes) (1977).
• “Love Insurance” (as lead singer of Front Page) (1979).
• "Can You Handle It" (1982) - (UK #31).
• "Never Give You Up" (1982) (#1 – USA Dance Charts).
• "You Got My Love".
• "Beat The Street" (#1 – USA Dance Charts).
• "In The Name Of Love" (#1 – USA Dance Charts).
• "You're a Winner".
• "Love How You Feel" (1984) (UK #39).
• "Liar On The Wire".
• "Undercover Girl" (1984).
• "Second to None" (1988).
• In 1990, Sharon along with Fonda Rae & Leroy Burgess, recorded "Believe In Your Heart" as members of Larry Joseph & Science.
• "All The Way To Love" (1991).
• "Can You Handle It" (re-recording, 1992) (UK #17).
• Pennye Ford (sister of Sharon) released "Under Pressure" as a duet with Sharon, after Sharon had passed.

"Where The Mind Can Breathe" is posted on the Tom Mix blog click green link to download this song: http://tommixmusic.blogspot.com/search?q=redd

Here for download is the 1969 hit "Easy To Be Hard":

http://rapidshare.com/files/224613565/Sharon_Redd_-_Easy_To_Be_Hard.mp3

STARMAN (AUSTRALIAN 7" VERSION) - DAVID BOWIE

David Bowie from England (real name David Jones) had a major top 10 hit with "Starman" in 1972. Not since then has the genuine Australian edited 7" version of the song been issued on any compilation or album...every version of this song since, has been a remixed version of the longer album cut.

The Oz 7" single mix was done in mono even though the RCA 7" label proudly boasted "stereo". The big audible difference is in the levels used for the radio signal parts near the start of each chorus and the level of Bowie's voice. On the album mix both are drowned in reverb and guitars. In some parts of America an edited version was issued in 1972 and it was called the "single edit" but in the USA they had a stereo mix.

If you have sought this OZ single version for your CD collection, you may have like me, thought it was lost forever! I have only ever sighted the USA mix on poor quality bootleg CDs.

Well, here at last, is the 3:59 min OZ single mix of "Starman":

http://rapidshare.com/files/224323271/david_bowie_-_starman__mono_vinyl_single_edit_.mp3

TUBULAR BELLS (MOVIE THEME SINGLE MIX) / FROGGY WENT A COURTING - MIKE OLDFIELD

Mike Oldfield's first single in 1974 was "Tubular Bells" which in Oz was an edited 4 minute compilation of movements from his album of the same name but it has never been released locally on a commercial CD. One of the interesting things on the Oz label says that this version of "Tubular Bells" was used as the "official" theme from the Exorcist movie.

Overseas there are 2 known versions of the single of "Tubular Bells", the American 7" and the European 7". The European one is fairly rare but the American one has been on CD for many years. The European one has mainly guitar work and goes almost 5 mins. The American one is just an excerpt of the intoduction to the album.

Our Oz version was a double A-side with "Froggy Went A Courting" on the flip. All instruments were by Mike but his sister Sally sang with him on the "Froggy" track.

If you would like an mp3 copy of the Oz version of "Tubular Bells" please email and make a request: tommytop58@yahoo.com.au

Here for download is the standard issue of "Froggy Went A Courting":

http://rapidshare.com/files/224183016/mike_oldfield_-_froggy_went_a_couting__vinyl_tom_mix_.mp3

A ROSE AND A THORN - ANDY ROSE

American Andy Rose had a big hit in 1960 in Sydney but he never had a major hit in his homeland. His big hit "A Rose And A Thorn" has never made it to CD in Australia. His CD of greatest hits "Just Another Classroom Teen Idol" has been for sale in Canada and in some states of America but not locally.

Here for download is "A Rose And A Thorn":

http://rapidshare.com/files/224161157/Andy_Rose_-_A_Rose_And_A_Thorn.mp3

AUTOBAHN (SINGLE VERSION) - KRAFTWERK

German synth band Kraftwerk had a really big hit in Oz in 1975 with "Autobahn" (the German word for high-speed freeway). The single was edited from the album of the same name. The album mix was 22 minutes long and the single was 3:30 mins. The single has not been on a CD in Oz but overseas the song was on a Greatest Hits CD in about 2006. Here for download is the rare single version of "Autobahn" from the foreign CD.

Click download link and don't forget the zip file has the usual password (found by looking on other song posts on this blog).

http://rapidshare.com/files/255529763/Tom_Mix.zip

SHINY SHINY (DANCE VERSION) - HAYSI FANTAYZEE

Haysi Fantayzee were U.K. kids who made it big in Oz. Their fist hit "Shiny Shiny" was a smash in the early 1980s and Molly Meldrum always got them to mime to the slightly longer dance version on Countdown....this mix has not made it to CD as of 2009!

There have been 2 "Best Of" CDs claiming to have this track, but no, sadly this is not the case....it is some modern take which bares no resemblance to the real thing.

If you have the DVD set of "Countdown The Wonder Years, Vol.2" you will be able to see the Haysies mime as described - Track 12 side 2.

Here for download is the real dance version of "Shiny Shiny" which was extended and remixed by the powerhouse duo Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley....these guys did some of the best mixes in the 1980s. They worked with Madness, The Stranglers, Marilyn, Teardrop Explodes, Elvis Costello, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Hothouse Flowers....the list goes on...

http://rapidshare.com/files/223107957/Haysi_Fantayzee_-_Shiny_Shiny__Ext_Mix_.mp3

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - DAY COSTELLO

The hit song "The long And Winding Road" has an interesting history in Australia....to explain more I have cut and edited some information from an interview with former pop singer Elvis Costello:

...Declan MacManus took to the stage in 1977, an angry young man sporting Buddy Holly glasses and a strange name: Elvis Costello. But he wasn't the first MacManus to use Costello as his stage name - that was his dad, Ross, a jazz trumpeter and pop vocalist since the early Fifties...Elvis with pride said, "Dad had a minor hit on “The Long and Winding Road”, under the name Day Costello. That was the first time the Costello name - it's my great-grandmother's name - emerged from our family”. "My dad, Ross McManus, released a cover version of “The Long and Winding Road” in 1970 under the name of Day Costello". "You know those “Top Hits” budget albums which were prevalent in the 1960s done by no-name artists, well, Ross sang on budget records for an Australian, Allan Crawford, and he wanted him to cover “The Long and Winding Road”. Allan had Danny Street sing it for another budget record for Crossbow but Allan didn’t like Dan’s vocals, and when Allan realised that the Beatles weren’t going to put it out as a single, he said that Ross should put it out in its own right. He got hold of the Danny Street backing track, but it had been recorded at a very slow pace, even slower than the McCartney version, and when Ross’s version was reviewed that was one of the things held against it. It wasn’t a big hit…except in Australia and Italy"…

The release of “The Long and Winding Road” in Australia was on Fable Records and because of the big 1970 radio ban it got saturation airplay. Using a name that nobody recognised was a smart move as many people at the time thought Day Costello was the name of an Aussie pop group...the Italian release of this song can be found for download around the world if you search on Google for "La Lunga Strada Che". The Italian version has been on C.D.

Here for download is the Australian No.1 “The Long and Winding Road” which has not been on C.D.

http://rapidshare.com/files/223075924/day_costello_-_long_and_winding_road__tom_mix_.mp3

SATURDAY SUNSHINE - BURT BACHARACH

SATURDAY SUNSHINE WAS A CUTE HIT SONG WITH A LITTLE KID SHARING THE VOCALS WITH BACHARACH'S BACKING SINGERS.

IT CHARTED IN SYDNEY IN 1963 AND HAS NEVER BEEN FOR SALE IN OZ IN DIGITAL FORM.

THERE IS A C.D. ALBUM IN AMERICA WHERE THEY HAVE AN ALTERNATE VERSION OF THIS SONG BUT WITHOUT THE UNCREDITED KID SINGING LEAD VOCALS IT IS DEVOID OF CHARM.

ENJOY!

This song has been deleted by the Blogger Team