The Kinks - Kinks (1964)

As I mentioned previously, The Missing Links took many of their artistic cues from The Rolling Stones. Oddly enough, they never actually recorded a Stones cover. I suppose they could never muster up a unique take on original Stones material (which there was not much of at the time), but they did skillfully tackle a few of Bo Diddley's songs, Bob Dylan's "On the Road Again", and Sam the Sham's "Wooly Bully" among others. In particular, they covered Shel Talmy's "Bald Headed Woman" for their only album, a song that was written for and first performed by The Kinks.

The Kinks begins and ends with brothers Ray (guitar, lead vocals, harmonica) and Dave Davies (guitar, vocals). They formed the band in the suburb of Muswell Hill around 1961 as the Ray Davies Quartet. The Quartet naturally needed two other members to be filled by schoolmate Peter Quaife (bass, vocals) and an inconstant fourth (who was at one time Rod Stewart). The group lasted not much more than a year or two as the Quartet lost its band leader to Hornsey College of Art. Luckily though likely to the chagrin of his parents, college didn't suit the elder Davies boy and he got the band back together, but this time under a new name that was as unreliable as the band's fourth member. Nevertheless, the quartet found success on the pub circuit. They recruited an army of (three) managers by 1963 and a doting producer in the young Shel Talmy (who was not much older than Ray). Talmy was able to get the group a deal with Pye records by which time they had settled on a fourth member, Mick Avory (drums), and a kinky name.

The Kinks's first two singles, a cover of "Long Tall Sally" and the Ray Davies original "You Still Want Me" both failed to chart, and Pye Records gave a hit single ultimatum or else they'd be dropped. On cue, the third single was the chart-topping "You Really Got Me". This success was more than enough for the band to begin recording their debut album Kinks. A fourth single that rose to #2 "All Day and All of the Night" and the Kinksize Session EP were released to round out 1964.

The album is mainly made up of covers done in the Beat style made internationally popular by The Beatles. Beat music, or the Mersey Sound, is a simple style of rock and roll that features two guitars, bass, and drums. Just as iconic as the lineup is the Sound's strong backbeat and doo wop-inspired vocal harmonies. Most of the album, however, is not much more than a few solid cover songs. Most important is "You Really Got Me", a song that broke vein with whatever The Kinks had done previously. The song needed only two power chords, distortion, and simple lyrics to deliver one of the most iconic moments of pure rock and roll. The song has a distinct garage rock feel to it and musicologists see it as the "blueprint for hard rock and heavy metal". Continuing off that success, the fourth single "All Day and All of the Night" is written on the same pattern: same power chords (plus one), same lyrical construction, same distortion, and nearly the exact same solo (no kidding). With these two singles, The Kinks broke into the American market on their way to becoming one of the definitive bands of the British Invasion.

Here is the discography surrounding The Kinks's debut album:

Long Tall Sally (1964 single)
You Still Want Me (1964 single)
You Really Got Me (1964 single)
Kinks
All Day and All of the Night (1964 single)
Kinksize Session (1964 EP)





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The Missing Links - The Missing Links (1965)

John Harrigan operated several clubs in Sydney and offered gigging opportunities for several of the Beat scene's leading bands including Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Ray Brown & the Whispers, and The Easybeats in locales like Surf City or The Pacific. These locations also witnessed the rise of one of Australia's most legendary bands. The Missing Links played music unlike anything produced by the beat scene when they began in 1964, and they were the first band to sport counter-culturally long hair. In fact, Peter Anson's "near-shoulder-length mane was reputed to have been the longest of any male in Sydney at the time". If The Easybeats are oft regarded as the Australian Beatles, it's no stretch to claim The Missing Links as the Australian Rolling Stones.

Peter Anson (guitar, vocals) and Danny Cox (drums) offered the foundation of the group. The two recruited Ronnie Peel (bass) and Dave Boyne (lead guitar) through an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald. They were able to pick up Bob Brady (percussion, vocals) as he was a friend of Boyne's to round out the quintet. Heavily influenced by early Stones recordings, the band's live set produced hardcore R&B in contrast to the Beat scene that surrounded them. Their local popularity led several labels to offer contracts including one from Parlophone that they eventually accepted.

March 1965 saw the release of The Missing Links's debut single "We 2 Should Live" and, although the band was dissatisfied with the production quality, it did considerably well in the public forum. Unfortunately, the founding lineup was not built to last. David Boyne left to go into the family business and was soon followed by the exit of Danny Cox. Peter Anson left to form his own band while Ronnie Peel left to join another. Bob Brady was the last of the original lineup to leave. The Missing Links did not disintegrate, however, as the founding band members were replaced as they departed. The Missing Links (take 2) soon featured a whole new lineup: John Jones (guitar, vocals), Andy James (vocals, percussion), Doug Ford (lead guitar), Chris Gray (keyboards, harmonica), Ian Thomas (bass), and Baden Hutchins (drums). There were other substitutes, such as Dave Longmore (who introduced the band to the use of feedback), but they did not last longer than a few weeks. In July of 1965, The Missing Links began recording a studio album under "cramped" and "primitive" conditions, after-hours and without a producer. They used the studio's elevator well as an echo chamber. Many of the songs they recorded were cut with limited rehearsal or even made up on the spot.

August saw the release of the new Links's debut single "You're Driving Me Insane" is now considered one of Australia's greatest recordings. This was followed by two other singles "Wild About You", a proto-punk romp, and "H'tuom Tuhs", a cover of Bo Diddley's "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut" except played in reverse (one of the earliest usages of reverse tape). The band released their debut album The Missing Links in December despite being disappointed with the production of the album. The album saw a limited release and has since garnered the status of one of Australia's garage rock classics. Unfortunately, The Missing Links suffered from a hard case of the internal conflicts and announced a split in April of 1966.

The Missing Links did not last long, but while they were active, they caused quite a stir that awakened the complacent Australian music scene to what real rock and roll sounded and looked like. The group was the first down under to embody the counter-culture of rock in their appearance and their manic performances (that included instrument destruction), and they were the first down under to make good use of feedback and reverse tape in their arrangements. Although the band began as a strict Rhythm and Blues group, The Missing Links quickly found their own sound that had traces of folk, early rock, and especially garage rock. Their sound also had tinges of other genres that the group predated such as punk and psychedelia. It's no stretch of the imagination to visualize the influence The Missing Links held on Australian rock.

Here is the complete discography for The Missing Links:

We 2 Should Live (1965 single)
You're Driving Me Insane (1965 single)
Wild About You (1965 single)
H'tuom Tuhs (1965 single)
The Missing Links
The Links Unchained (1966 EP)
Driving You Insane (1999 compilation album)





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The Easybeats - Easy (1965)

It seemed that Models's break-up in November of '79 might have been permanent if it were not for the insistence of producers George Young and Harry Vanda that the band reform to record some demos. Young and Vanda started in the music industry fifteen years earlier as two of the founding members of The Easybeats, one of Australia's most successful rock groups on both the national and international scenes.

All of the members of The Easybeats migrated to Australia with their families in the early sixties. They met each other and formed the band in Villawood Migrant Hostel in 1964. Lead singer Stevie Wright immigrated from England as did drummer Gordon Henry "Snowy" Fleet. George Young on rhythm guitar immigrated from Scotland. Wright and Young would also act as the band's lead songwriting team during these early years. Lead guitarist Harry Vanda and bassist Dick Diamonde both immigrated from the Netherlands. Both were quiet members of the band as they spent those early years mastering English. Heavily influenced by British Invasion bands (in particular The Beatles), the group quickly became one of Sydney's most adored groups and earned themselves a production contract with Albert Productions and a recording contract with Parlophone.

They released their first single "For My Woman" in 1965 to middling success, and it took a move to Melbourne and a Beatles-like marketing campaign by the record label to get the band a substantial fanbase. Oh, and what a fanbase. 'Easyfever' in Australia rivaled even 'Beatlemania' and Rolling Stones fandom across the Pacific. Fans mobbed the band's gigs, rushed the stage, and swarmed the young stars whenever they were out in the open. They had very little personal moments to themselves and even that was micromanaged by handlers. Their second single acted as the band's coming out party as "She's So Fine", a song of pure rock and roll energy, rose to number one on the ARIA charts. Despite their mass popularity, the third single 'Wedding Ring' did not replicate previous successes as it only peaked at #13 on the charts. The end of 1965 saw the release of The Easybeats's first album Easy that performed well on the charts, but once again, not as well as the band would have liked. It was about this time the group decided that they had outgrown Australia and were looking for a more lucrative market for their sound.

Here is the discography surrounding The Easybeats's debut album:

For My Woman (1965 single)
She's So Fine (1965 single)
Mean Old Lovin' (1965 recordings)
Wedding Ring (1965 single)
Easy



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Models - Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf (1980)

The Melbourne punk/new wave scene saw two bands emerge to the forefront. The Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party had an ever-evolving sound and worked to tear down the traditional parameters of rock music. Models, on the other hand, was a synth-heavy group that veered more towards the popular sound. Early on in their careers, the two groups shared producers, personnel, and even split a 7".

There are two bands that helped in the formation of Models in 1978. Sean Kelly (lead vocals, guitar) and Peter Sutcliffe (bass) came from Teenage Radio Stars while Ash Wednesday (keyboards), Janis Friedenfelds (drums), and Sutcliffe came from a group called JAB. Both bands released only a couple of songs each before breaking. This particular lineup did not last long as Sutcliffe was replaced with Mark Ferrie and Wednesday was replaced with Andrew Duffield. Still, getting the band off the ground was no picnic as it took a breakup and some label encouragement to get a single out, "Owe You Nothing" in 1980.

The group funded the production of their first full length album Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf in order to ensure creative control. They eventually signed with Mushroom Records and released it at the end of 1980. Despite not releasing any respective singles, the album reached no. 43 on the Australian charts. During this time, Models became a greater success in the pub circuit and improved their clout by supporting visiting bands like Ramones, XTC, and The B-52s.

Here is the discography surrounding Models's debut album:

Early Morning Brain (1979 gig freebie)
Owe You Nothing (1980 single)
Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf
Two People Per Sq. Km. (1980 radio promotional EP)
Live in Shepparton (1980 live bootleg)

(The Shepparton bootleg is important to note because it is a remarkable soundboard recording of the band's early live set that includes a handful of songs that never saw the light of an official release.)





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