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Saturday 28 December 2013

Kevin Johnson - Journeys


Oleanders / You Never Know Your Luck (In A Big City) / Ev'ry Day / Paraguayan Sunset / Rollin' (All I've Ever Needed) / I Came To Somerset / The Next Plane To New Mexico / Love Knows Where To Find You / All Our Favourite Songs / The Comeback Trail


Johnson was born in Rockhampton, in northern Queensland. He began playing and singing at night and writing songs in his spare time while working at the Queensland Department of Main Roads. These songs eventually came to the notice of Col Joye, one of Australia's original rock stars, who signed Kevin to his publishing company. For the next couple of years, he wrote songs for singers on the Col Joye label (ATA). After a period of time in Brisbane, he relocated to Sydney and released several unsuccessful singles in the late 60's before securing his first hit with "Bonnie Please Don't Go" in 1971. Following this success he was signed by Tree International, a giant publishing company based in Nashville, Tennessee which enabled him to leave his day job and concentrate on writing. He returned to Brisbane and stayed there for a year writing songs. It was during this time that some of his most introspective songs, like "Shaney Boy" about his eldest son, Shane, "Iridescent Shadows", "Kedron Brook", and "Over The Hills and Far Away, were written.
 
After a year in Brisbane, he moved back to Sydney and continued to write songs for his forthcoming LP. One of these songs was "Rock and Roll I Gave You The Best Years of My Life". Kevin left Tree International and signed with a new Australian production company called Good Thyme, and immediately produced his first single for them, "Rock and Roll I Gave You The Best Years of My Life". This landmark song was picked up immediately for release in the USA and has since become a hit in almost every country in the world. Kevin's version was charted in the US, UK and many European countries. There have been to date scores of recorded versions by various artist around the world, with total sales in the many tens of millions.


Over the years Kevin has written and recorded a number of albums of original material, has headlined concerts, TV, in Europe Australia, and other countries, appeared in the Royal Command Performances before Prince Charles and Lady Diana and the Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and has had his work recognized with numerous awards. His songs have been recorded/played by many famous artists, such as Tom Jones, Roger Whittaker, Mac Davis, Terry Jacks, Val Doonican, Harry Chapin and Cliff Richard to name but a few.

Released in 1978, Journeys is Johnson's fourth album.





Wednesday 11 December 2013

Richard Clapton - Prussian Blue


Hardly Know Myself / South Germany / Poor Man's Saviour / Strange Days In Chippendale / Prussian Blue / I Wanna Be A Survivor / Last Train To Marseilles / All The Prodigal Children / Burning Ships / The Lonesome Voyager

Richard Clapton is a singer-songwriter from Sydney who's long and successful career began back in the early 1970's.

Some of his more popular songs include Girls On The Avenue (1975), Suit Yourself (1976), Capricorn Dancer (1977), Deep Water (1977), Goodbye Tiger (1977), (Down In The) Lucky Country (1977), Get Back To The Shelter (1980) and I Am An Island (1982).

Over the  last 40 years Clapton has released more than 20 albums including Girls On The Avenue (1975), Main Street Jive (1976), Goodbye Tiger (1977), Hearts On The Nightline (1979) and The Great Escape (1982). His most recent album, Harlequin Nights, was released in 2012.

He was also the main contributor to the 1976 movie soundtrack Highway One, produced the INXS album Underneath The Colours in 1981 and played with The Party Boys in 1983.

Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane has described Clapton as "one of the most important Australian songwriters of the 1970s". He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1999.

This Richard Clapton's first album, issued in 1973 following his return to Australia from Europe, which is where he wrote these songs.

Friday 6 December 2013

Crown Of Thorns (featuring Chris Wilson) - Babylon




Story Of Love / Little Fishes / Tumble And Twirl / Don't Take Your Love To Town / Babylon / Crown Of Thorns / Woodblock / Keys To My Heart / Only One / Blondin




Christopher John Wilson (born 1956) is an Australian blues musician who plays harmonica, saxophone, guitar and vocals. He has performed as part of the Sole Twisters, Harem Scarem and Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, and fronted his band Crown of Thorns. Wilson's solo albums are Landlocked (June 1992), The Long Weekend (March 1998), Spiderman (2000) and King for a Day (July 2002).

In March 1996 Wilson collaborated with Johnny Diesel in a blues project, Wilson Diesel, which issued an album, Short Cool Ones, composed mostly of "soul and R&B standards". It peaked at No. 18 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Outside his music career Wilson has taught English in various secondary schools in Melbourne for about 20 years. (Wikipedia)

This is Crown Of Thorns' second album Babylon, released in 1990
.