Guess What Mr Rockbrat Found On eBay ? Angels – Promotional Press Photo

What: Angels – Promotional Press Photo
Winning Bid: $  AUS
Starting Bids: $15 AUS
Sale Date: 5 May 2013

This is a great find – and a photo taken very early in the Angels career. Is this around 76 ? Already, Doc’s front-man stance oozes tons of attitude – whilst Rick – (who looks like he coulda been sending Captain Sensible a fashion idea) has his well-known head-tilt/guitar pose on display. Cool shot of the recently departed Chris Bailey too. Nice item. The early band logo looks a little too close to the Aerosmith’s – dontcha reckon ? In case you are interested – The Sphere Organization still operate from outta Sydney – and although they’ve gone with the current musical climate and look after mostly tribute bands – they also have Kev Borich, the Rads, Swanee and the Mentals on their books.

What’s The Rockbrat Listening To Today ? SPY VS SPY – Sallie Anne (1987)

I’m on record as saying that I was never the biggest Spy’s fan. The Spy’s became known for tackling political issues through their music, including racism, homelessness and contemporary drug culture. Politics and rock n roll was something that Cowboy Col could have done with out – and that also included a lot of the output from their big Powderworks brother Midnight Oil. Yet like many punters from the mid to late 80s, I was subjected to the Spys as they were given a fair ride from the media for a long while. Who else recalls having to sit down and watch ‘em on TV belting out Harrys Reasons, Injustice or Tear It Down ? Tear It Down was lifted from their most successful album , A.O. Mod. TV. Vers, which peaked at #12 on the Australian album charts. They were a band I walked out on a few occasions, as often they were headliner, and I’d gone to see the opening act. I recall seeing Girl Monstar at the Dee Why Hotel in Sydney in 1990 on one such occasion (Mr Rockbrat will tell me if the year is wrong) who were supporting the Spy’s. The Spy’s always seemed to do well with the rock loving, wax head beer drinkers on the northern beaches. Anyway, they were still battling through the suburban pubs in the late 80s and early 90s, yet as time has shown, they were never bigger than they were around 86/87. By 1990 the band had seen better days. Whereas a few short years previously the band were courting journalists backstage, they were now suffering the nuisance nonsense of bewildered pests like big Jack sniffing round their dressing room, telling the band how great they were. If he hadn’t figured it out already, bass player Craig Bloxom must surely have known that the band had seen better days. Yet I digress. They did have one single that I’ve come to have an appreciation for over the years, and that is their 1987 single ‘ Sallie-Ann”, released in March, 1987 as a tribute to whistle blower Sally Ann-Huckstepp, who was murdered 12 months earlier in 1986 in Centennial Park in Sydney. Here is a video of the Spy’s performing Sally Ann live on Countdown in 1987.

Rockbrat Remembers: Jeff Hanneman (1964 -2013)

Slayer formed in Huntington Park, California in 1981 and originally played cover versions of Maiden and Priest songs at clubs and parties in Southern California. Early shows relied on a Satanic image, which featured pentagrams, make-up, spikes, and inverted crosses. They played their first gig Halloween 1982 at a talent show in Southgate, California. The band was invited to open for Bitch at the Woodstock Club in Anaheim, California, performing eight songs — six being covers. While playing Iron Maiden’s “Phantom of the Opera” the band was spotted by Brian Slagel, a former music journalist who had, at the time, recently founded the label Metal Blade Records. Impressed with Slayer’s performance, Slagel met with the band backstage and asked them to record an original song, “Aggressive Perfector” for his upcoming Metal Massacre III compilation. The band agreed and the song created underground “buzz”, which led to Slagel offering the band a recording contract with Metal Blade and onto the road of metal success. Back in 1984 – metal had class divisions, and if you were a kid into Slayer – you were into the heaviest shit there was. I was a fan of thrash and speed metal, and dug bands like Anthrax, Metallica and the like – and also bought albums by Onslaught, Overkill and other bands of that genre I now forget – but venturing into Slayer territory was something I didn’t do. In 86 however, after reading countless great reviews of the ‘Reign In Blood’ album , (they even got coverage in mags like Circus) and seeing it score 10 out of 10 ratings – I was curious, and it meant that one day I bought the LP home. The ratings were just – it was skull crushing metal of the highest order, and just plain brutal. My god fearing buddy was aghast that I was now listening to Slayer, whilst he was still firmly entrenched in ass shaking Asylum era KISS, Ratt and Bon Jovi. Whilst I am (and never was) a fan of double time metal, and the lyrics about death and Satan may have been aimed at teens to shock their parents, musically, there was plenty of innovation and time changes on this album to separate Slayer from the pack. In the wake of Jeff Hanneman’s unfortunate passing (his death after a long illness was apparently the result of a spider bite) I listened to ‘Reign In Blood’ in its entirety again today. It’s pretty genre specific and doesn’t veer too far from the formulae, and the odes to Satan were probably one reason why Metallica became a household name in suburbs across the world whilst Slayer didn’t. (That, and Metallica also had way more melodically accessible tunes – other than the foot to the floor metal that Slayer plied). Interestingly, Columbia Records, refused to release Reign in Blood due to its graphic cover art and themes – so the album was distributed by Geffen Records, however, due to the controversy, Reign in Blood did not appear on Geffen Records’ release schedule. Although the album received virtually no radio airplay, it became the band’s first to enter the Billboard 200, debuting at number 94 and was the band’s first album certified gold in the United States. As I said though – back in 84/85 – Slayer were the baddest of the bad – and in memory of Jeff Hanneman, here’s the video of my favourite slayer tune – ‘Seasons Of The Abyss’.

Rockbrat Remembers: The Blackie Lawless sew-on back patch

the Hellion himself – Mr Lawless

Back in the day – no denim-clad headbanger’s jacket was complete without a cloth back patch. Essentially, patched up metal-heads were a gang – all unified against the popular and accepted forms of music of the day. I recall – when Blackie Lawless did his in-store at Sydney’s Utopia in late ’85 – seeing a lot of guys sporting identical Lawless back patches. Looked pretty darn cool from memory. Some other fan showed up with saw blades on his arms – that story another time. For me, it had to be Kiss – no contest. The rest of my jacket was smaller Kiss patches/buttons, so – it was a simple decision to have Gene and Paul proudly displayed on my shoulders. But those large WASP back-patches – which displayed a sinister looking – blood dripping Blackie – were something to reckon with. A distant time – when loud rock n roll mattered – and heavy metal was the law…..and if you have never heard the early WASP albums, do so. Their self-titled record from 1984 was cut loud – and when played loud – still smokes all opponents….(‘Sleeping In The Fire’ anyone ? Man, that is fiery rock n roll at its very best). Having Lawless in town – my town – was indeed the stuff of teenage heavy metal worship. He was on my walls – on my stereo – in my head big time. I idolized that cat….it ain’t often you get to meet your rock hero when still a teenager – but I did. Here’s to you Blackie Lawless – and to one of the most striking rock n roll back patches ever produced.

Rockbrat Remembers: Drive-Ins in Sydney & Canberra – From Skyline to Starlight

The Starlight in Canberra

Nostalgia is a funny thing. It can manifest itself in many ways. I often wonder what today’s generation will be nostalgic about in years to come. Their I- Pad or some other piece of technoligcal crap that they are viewed into. They live in a time when the best rock n roll has past, the classic TV shows and movies are also gone, the best actors are gone, and in my opinion, the halcyon days of sport (including both cricket and rugby league) have seen better days. Amongst other things, I fondly remember the days of pinball, milk bars and corner stores, and when rugby league was Sydney’s game alone – played in suburban grounds. Who are the rugby league ‘greats’ of today that today’s kids will lament? The overhyped mute that is SBW ? Ben Baba ? Fuifui Moi Moi ? Please. How can these compare with the Fulton’s, Randall’s, McCarthy’s, Langlangs, and Hamiltons (Hi Bear) of my era as a kid. They can’t – simple as that.

I worked with a guy in the late 80s whom I used to talk rock with. He loved The Who and Brit Invasion stuff. He used to point out to me, “It’s MY generation – not yours”. Though he did respect my willingness to soak up all he knew about rock n roll. He was nostalgic for it – he had lived through it – and it was his youth. I get that (though he also used to have a liking for Dr. Dimento as well).

Which brings me (in a roundabout kind of way) to today’s post – Nostalgia and Drive-In cinemas. Whilst I am not overly nostalgic about drive-ins, I was talking to someone the other day who shared many fond memories of going to the Starlight Drive-In in the late 70’s, and it kind of got me thinking about Drive Ins.

Before VHS and video rentals really took off in the early 80s, when people took the movie into their home – you had to go out to the movie – either to the cinema, or to the Drive-In. Growing up in Sydney in the 70’s, I have some memory of going to both the Skyline Drive-In at Frenchs Forest, and also the Warriewood Drive-In at Macpherson Street, Warriewood, where as kids we’d be told to lie under the blanket in the back of the car and keep quiet – to save my Father the cost of admission for us kids. I attended the site of Warriewood Drve-In in the mid 90’s for work – (a business was operating a nursery or plant growing operation on the site, and utilised the projector room as their office). From memory – the big screen as still there, and the car parks and speaker frames were also still intact. Nowadays ? Who knows, like everywhere else, apartments probably sit on these sites and there’s millions in property and land value – not an old parking lot site right.

The heyday of the Sydney drive-in was the ’60s to the early ’80s. Drive-In theatres experienced a surge in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, particularly among young families and teenagers of driving age. The main drive-in theatre markets were in America, Canada and Australia, peaking from the 1950s till the 1970s. Australia’s first drive-in theatre opened in 1954 in Melbourne. When the Frenchs Forest site opened in 1956, it is believed that some locals turned up on horseback. Social changes certainly killed off the Drive-In – the arrival of colour television, home video and multiplexes, the popularity of smaller cars with bucket seats, stick shifts and head-rests, the introduction of random breath testing and more recently, the popularity of DVDs, downloading and home cinema. It all killed it off. Also contributing to the downturn was the demand for the land, especially for building shopping centres (Chullora), markets (Parklea) and medium-density housing (Dundas, Frenchs Forest and Matraville).

Warriewood Drive In – Still standing in 1995

The Starlight Drive-In Theatre Sign at Watson in the ACT is thought to be the only original drive-in theatre sign in Australia which still stands in its original location. The Starlight Drive-in Theatre was opened in Canberra in 1957 by George Kimlin, as the ACTs first Drive-in theatre. It was also one of the first drive-ins in Australia. The screen was claimed to be one of the largest in Australia at the time. In-car speakers for every car ensured that those parked at the back could hear just as well as those at the front. The Starlight Drive-in operated from 1956 till 1993. During these 37 years, the Drive-In saw over six million visitors. At one time, Australia had over 330
drive-ins.

In 1982 Starlight Drive-In owner, George Kimlin of Canberra Enterprises Pty Ltd, stated that ‘while the video-film industry and cable television might threaten the theatre industry, patrons could still see two toplisting feature films for $4.75’ (The Canberra Times, 17 October 1982). With this in mind, Canberra Enterprises sought a $200,000 expansion program, including a second screen at the Starlight site. In 1987 the Starlight Drive-In was sold by Canberra Enterprises to IM and M Investments and was closed six years later in 1993. Residential apartments were built on the site, ready for occupation by 2003. The 1987 sale came about due to the lack of economic viability of the Drive-In after the advent of video and a variety of other entertainment media.

Canberra’s other Drive-In Theatre, the Sundown at Narrabundah, opened in 1969 and closed two years prior to the Starlight, in 1991 due to a lack of business. It’s now a caravan park. Despite the large-scale construction work undertaken on the Starlight site during the building of the apartments, the original sign was left in its original location. It was the first neon sign in Canberra, used to mark the entry to the Drive-In from the Federal Highway. In 2010 four drive-ins remained open in New South Wales, three in Victoria, six in Queensland, five in Western Australia, two in south Australia, and none in either Tasmania or the Northern Territory (Kilderry, 2010).

Many Sydney siders also remember the The Skyline in Bass Hill. This was the first drive-in theatre in New South Wales. It opened in November 1956, with a 724 car capacity and until it’s closure in September 2007 was Australia’s oldest continually operating drive-in theatre.

So whats the point of this piece ? Not sure – maybe Im just feeling nostalgic for a time when technology wasn’t so in your face – people used the public phone box, pinball was the game of choice, people bought records and listened to AM radio, Fonzie was cool, Life Savers still made Thirst flavour – and Graham Olling was the only rugby league player who had tatts!

Some of the context of this article is taken from here. By the way – there was a great doco that came out in 2006 about Drive-Ins called Drive In Movie Memories – check that out here

Rockbrat Remembers: Pete Wells – Who Left Us Seven Years Ago Today

Pete live in 1998 – (pic: Denis Gray)

Seven years back today – Pete Wells passed away. No one – and I mean no one – played better slide guitar than Pete. I am not just saying this, as Pete is no longer with us either – as I have long believed that his guitar sound – was a vital ingredient to the sound of Rose Tattoo. Try as they might – I am yet to hear Guns n Roses doing a take of ‘Nice Boys’ which sounds half as good as the Tatts…..because no one can play it like Wells did ! His sounds is so instrumental to that cut, like so many other Rose Tattoo numbers. The legacy of Peter Wells lives on and everyday, when some kid listens to Assault and Battery or that first album from 1978 – they are hearing smoking slide guitar from one of the very best. One of my best Pete memories was sometime in 1991 – at the Espy in St Kilda. I think it was a mid-week gig and the hard-hitting Warwick Fraser was in Pete’s band. They blew the roof of that beachside pub and were very loud. During a break in the set – I heard someone say ‘Thorpie’s backstage’ – which indeed – he was. Remember that Thorpe had been absent from Australia for some years. So there was Billy Thorpe – standing with a beer with Michael Gudinski – watching the Pete Wells band in red hot form. A great night of Pete Wells rock n roll – though there were several over the years. One other occurred in the late summer of 1993 – at a night club in the country town of Wagga Wagga – called Copacabana.  The Tatts were back – due to support GnR and were doing what coulda been their first show back. I stood in front of Pete – and felt the enormous power of Rose Tattoo being blasted out. This was not lightweight 1986 ‘Calling/Falling’ Tatts – this was the real fucking deal. Cocks, Wells, Leech, Anderson and DeMarco – the boys were back in town and were not here to mess about either. I will always remember that night – Wells, dressed in black – standing with a ciggie in his mouth – in front of his amp – sweating profusely as he played – leaning over that mike stand the way he did -  doing what he did best – better than most others in fact. Your music lives on – and you live forever in the hearts of many. (Mr Rockbrat)

Pete’s slide playing certainly provided some distinction to the Tatts sounds – and even though in 78 they were all calling Alberts home – the sound of the Big  3 (Angels, AC/DC and the Tatts was certainly distinct from each other – and the Tatts sound largely due to the slide playing. With Cocksy at stage left providing the rapid fire riffs, and Rilen/Geordie laying down the heavy rhythm -  Wellsy has plenty of space to create what are now considered, classic slide guitar parts. Looking back – guys like Wellsy were so iconic, so authentic. Revered by those who knew a thing or two about rock n roll – his style, look and sound was shamelessly aped by hordes of Sunset Strip wannabes in the late 80s who cashed in with a look and sound that Wellsy has forged a good decade or so earlier. As time marches on – I often reflect on those great times I saw Wellsy over the years – good memories locked away.  I remember one night in 92 (I think) at Barry McCann’s Lansdowne Hotel at Broadway – heading upstairs (the only band I ever saw upstairs at the Lansdowne) to see a one off performance by ROMEO DOG – a band featuring Andy Anderson on vocals/guitar, Wellsy on vocals/slide, Andy Cichon on bass and Mick O Shea on drums – for under $10! I bought a German copy of their CD and had all the guys sign it for me. That’s a good memory – though I have many of Pete. Never forgotten. (Cowboy Col)

Rockbrat Wonders: Who Is The Most Ridiculous Looking Band In Heavy Metal? HERMAN RAREBELL

We love The Scrorps here at Rockbrat HQ – who doesnt ? In the late seventies to the mid 80s they were one of the Top 10 metal bands on the planet. They created a distinct sound that was so identifiable, twin guitar attack, and Klaus Meine’s shriek – no one sounded like the Scorps. BUT – they werent short on the heavy metal goofs that so many metal bands could have done without. The Heavy Metal heroics, with Rudolf aiming his Flying V at the crowd like it’s a machine gun ( I think Tufnel did this in Spinal Tap too).  No metal band did stage antics and gimmicks quite like these guys (ie: human pyramid), but their fashion also set em apart. With his yellow and black spandex, Matthias Jabs could easily have stood next to Michael Sweet on stage, and Francis Buchholz also donned the sriped spandex of the day. The Scorps were a moustache band – as favoured by many German metal bands back then. Thing is, as the years have gone on – you couldnt think of Rudolf without the old crumb catcher! As for Klaus, well, he had way too much integrity to follow Kev Dubrow and place the dead animal on his bonce – and credit to him for it – though his leather cap always sat better on Halford’s head than his. Whilst all this is going on – Herman zee German is sitting at the back of the stage behind his kit obvously thinking, “if these guys can dress without the lights on in the dressing room – then so can I.” As evidenced by today’s classic photo from the mid 80s – one for the ladies. Nothing says ‘metal’ quite like a pair of tucked in shorts. It’s aint fair though to tar Herm with the ‘just a drummer’ brush, as he contributed in the song writing department of the Scorps, and was the only member of the Scorpions to have released a solo project while still a full member of the band.He also co created Monaco Records with Prince Albert of Monaco!