EDITION #8 _ JANUARY 2006 I{APPY NfW YEAR Wet"o-" to zOO6. I hope you a had a geat Cblistmas, and Santa brought you all you wanted Udortunat€lv 2005 end€d in a bad r ay, with the passing oftwo instrumental greats: LINK WRAY "The Runble Man", Link Wray passed away on 5 November at th€ age of 76. Otre of the pioneers of rock instrum€ntals, Link's music was always original, atrd always LOLTD. The UK bas€d Ace Records hav€ a nice tribute on their website, !{aats!9roals.la,qk Ace have at least eight CD's available of]-inL's material. wray was bom lrederick Lincoln Wray on May 2, 1929 in Dunq North Carolina. Psn ShawDee India.r! he was playing guitar at a. early ag€, and learned from such diverse names as Tex Ritter, Sheiff Tex Davis and Wild Bill Elliott After a stift in the US Anny (servhg in Korea) he form€d a barld with his brothers Doug and vernon plaving colntry music "Rumble" came along in 1958, and was folowed by "Rawhide", "Jack The Ripper", "Ace Of Spades', "Batman Theme", 'The Sweeper", "Run Chicken Run", "The Shadow Knows", "The Black widow" and other sidster titles These were re.orded for the for the Epic and Swan labels A{ler the relatively short-lived instrunental boom', Wray s^,itched to vocals nainly for Poiydor. But his instlument3ls have influenced mary oftoday's musicians (including Pete Tonnsend, Paul Mccartney, David Bowig Bob Dyian, Bruce Springstee4 Neil Youg The Stooges, The MC5) and tuave be€fl featured in the soundtraclc ofsuch films as "Pulp liction", "Desperado" and "lndependence Day" He cottinued perfoming right up to his death, appearing at tle Green Bay festival in wisconsin in e2tly 2005 (and stil1 LOttD!) A D\iD ""The Rumble Man" was jssued by Cherry Red Fiims in 2003, and features Link in his 1996 UK tour. It is still available. TONY ME[II4.N The original Shadows' drunmet Tony Meehafl, died after a fall at his London home on 28 November. He was bom Daniel Jos€ph Arthony M€ehan in Hampstead, north London on March 2, 1943. He took up rhe drums at the ag€ of l0 afld made his fiIst appeam.ce a1 a danc€ hall in Wimbledon. Soo4 he had played timpani with the London Youth Orchestra and worked on th€ cabaret scene at such venues as Churchili's aod The Stork Club. When skifie broke ort, he perfom€d with the Wonied Men and Tbe Vipers, and baoked Vince Taylor and Tony Sheridan. At the end o11958' Hank Marvin alld Bruce welch.€ffuited Tony in The Dri{ters for a tou. with CliffRichard. We know the Drifiers soon beoame Th€ Shadowr and they had huge success in alnost a[ parts ofthe worl4 except ihe US. Meehan's flrst recorded appearance llas on Clilfs "Livin'Lovin DoX", ard he played or all olThe Slad's early lits frotn "Feeth line" and inciuding "Apache", 'TBI', 'Man OfMystery' and some of Clifs hits. Tony also appeared in the film "The Young Ones". ln October 1961, he left the group to pursue a career as a composer and r€cord prcducer. H€ negotiated an independent produotion de"l with Decca, and played rlrums on a number of sessions with the lit€s ofBilly Fury, Joln Lelton and Frank Ifl€ld. In the meantine, let lturris had also lefr The Shadows, and they joined fo.ces to record a nunber ofitrst umentals (mai.Iy written by Jerry Lordan) such as "Diamonds", "scarlett O'H"ra" and "Applejack". Following a tragic car accidert which nearlv killed Jet Harris' Meehan fomed the Tony Meelan Combo, \thich irclud€d Jobn Paul Jones and John Mclsugbtin The conbo was largelv jazz- orient€4 ald was not succ€ssful. Meehan then concentrated on produclion work for Tim Hadi& lohn Howatd (no' not the PM but a British singer,), RogerDaltrey and P.P.Arnold Melboumes two major newspapers, 'The Age" and "The Herald Sun" both .an obiluaries, albeit over a month apan. "Th€ Age" caled th€irs "Oui Of Tle Shadows Into O*n Spotliglt" on Decenber t, and the 'Herald Sun" on 5 Janua.y was headed "Provided Beal For Pop Success". Many regard Tony M€ehan as THE Shadows drunmer, even thougl he was only with the goup for under three years! His inaovJive drumming was described by Si CIitr as "the backbone ofthe band and tus aegr€ssjve vet sparse stvle was similar to Ringo Sta#s five years later with The Beatles". Ofcourse, we alt know and love the Shadows' and J€t and Tony's music, and will sadly miss ToDv Meehan - R I P HANIi BRUCI. BRIAN & JACI(? Wf ilst on u Shudows theme, ihe "lntemational Express" of22 November lan ihe following story reproduced "Biogmpher- reveels J&ck's Shadowy patt" gest remembered as the dFamic bassist ofcream, Jack Bruc€ could e{sily have ended up working with tlree orher world-lamous bands. A new biography ciaims that a{Ier splittrng Fom Eric Clapton and Gnger Baker in 1968, Bruce was asked to join sup€rgroups kd Zeppeli4 Crosby Stills And Nash - and middl€-market s.runmers The Shadows. Bruce turned down a[ tkee, but the ofFer from Hank Marvin and Co still provides fond memories. "Thejob ofer that was most surprisin& and which deliglts and amuses Jack to this day, came ton Marvin," writes author Steven Myat{: in The Biography OfJack B.uce. "That sort ofmusic wasnt Jack's thing He wouldnt have been happy in the snart udform, let alone playirg someone elsels bass parts on three-minute singles." MOMENT OF TRI TH I'11 set the scene Christmas Eve - a walk to Sydney Road, then a tram ro Victoria Market, follovr€d by a walk to "Houd Dogs Bop Shop" for 'brerk-up' day and a f€w ales ll,jth Denys and the boys'. Then I ventur€d down to the wodd famous Rainbow Hotel in St Davids St.eet, Fitzroy to see Momed Of Tl'l]th in their "Clristmas Eve Sulf Spectacular" reunior show 'for one show only' Graeme Thomas and War€n Rougn (ftitart, Domedc Prattico @rumt and Rick Belgan (Bass and Vocals) entertarned \r'rth almost four hours ofinstrumentals, with a couple ofvocals thrown in f]r variety. Set One comprised Riptidg ?enetration, Mr Moto, Bayou Rock Califomia Sul (Voc), Lisa Maree, Apache, Goldfilge., Drop Il Let's Go To Hawaii (Voc), Endless Summe. Theme, Tailwind and Momenl OfT.uih. Set Two had Dr No (Jam€s Bod Thene), Round And Round, Bombora, Windy And Warm, Ne€dles And Pins, Have Lov€, Will Travel (Voc) Honky Tonk, Kulra{"th4 Little Honda (Voc), SurfRider, Hawaii Five-0, Secret Agent Man and Squad Car. Set Ttue€ begm with War Of The Worlds, then Theme trrom 'A Sumner Place', Boss Barracuda (Voc), Ace Of Spades, The H€arse, Wipe Out, She's About A Mover (Voc), Pirnochio, Bi.d Bath, Louie Louiq Pipeline, Blaak Widow and Msirlou. A geat aftemoon was had by all. An interesting set list, with Australian instro's, Shadows and Ventures numbers, and some classic sudtracks. Great stuft. And tbe goup are still working on their album of'classic' Australian instrumentals - due in 2006 STEWART IItrA.LE MtrMORIAL LUNCH The Maroondal Sports Club in East Ringwood hosted a gather;ng of Stewart's lriends ard lam y on Sunday 1l D€c€mber. Orgadsed by Dan Mclachlar! the aft€mootr was a huge success, and a fitting tnbute to Stewart. We w€re treat€d to a wide variety of music by a gather;ng of .nuso's who f€atured in Ste*y's vaiou.s bands over rhe years. Add to that, a nice luncl, cold beer, a ftiendly atmosphere and you e.d up with an almost ped€ct dayl Weil done, Dan. DUANE EDDY Duan€ has onc€ again ofered a Clrisimas tune, called "Mery Cnristmas", for downloadjng lrom the Eb & Flo website It's an interesting track, not quite as good as 2004's "Eariy Christnas" - but the price is right! | Duane has been busy in the studios, wiih appearances on Jimmy Sturr's album "Slake, Raltle & Poika" with 'Detour", the track "Wildcat" is on Muriel Anderson's latest CD, a track ca ed "That's How lt Was When We Started To Rock & Roll" (which should be part ofa brand new Duane albun featuring differ€nt guest artists) with Brian Setze., a neR version of'!Th€s€ Boots Are Made For Walkjng" with L€e ltazlewoo4 and a track called "Prelude" by Chris Rice fton his CD "Amusing", which is aotually a new formar CD on one sidq and D\aD on the oiher. REVIEWS Not many Austmlian releases this time, but some int€resting CD's nevertheless: VARIOUS - "OUIff, A PARTY!" AcE (Ilk) CDcflD l06s (sterco/*Mono) QUTIE A t R',fy - BrLr, &RCHTN / RIK-A,TrK - TH! t,lVELY ONIS / BULLDOG , TIID \aDiTLTRES / SUGAR SIACK - DA\,'n WRONSK & PI'IE CURRY / EI, RTNCO (') , W€S DAKJS & I{IS RFBEI-S / PANIC BUITON , THE BELNRS / C}1I!J| WHOOPIN,KOII' - I'IITJ NORIONS / VAQUERO c) Tl.tD TORNADODS / ttND ME A GOtDtrN STREET - TltE SIIAI Xlwli / jQRQTJAV (') - THL] ,Ft',t RAS / l,AS VFCAS SCENE - 3 BALLS OI RE / CLINK CLINK CL^.SSIC - JOI1N BLAIR & MARTY TTPPEIiS / BLI]I rtRE TH! I.IBRANIS / MOONSHOT (Glrl.tstioT) - TIIE SPOTN]CKS/DUMIrO-ItE TORQUAyS / NIAXTY SUNtuSE TtS SIRING-A-LONGS /IImBALL,?AUL TOLINSON / AI-()NE - TEE SPARTANS / REAI,LY BlG 'IME . TT]E GLASGIW flKI SHAKERS / I@T P,\TTER - THE CII,{LLENCERS / KISSIN - THE (NIOHI S / B1]LLD1)G TIE DtrTONATORS / TORQUAY C), TlE SCORPIONS I ALMOS I PARADISI].