V/A ‘Scene’ LP Aussie Tasmania comp. fuzz psych 1971

	A$		69
	$		46

V/A ‘Scene’ LP ~ Aussie Tasmania comp. fuzz psych 1971

ALBINO SPADE, MEDIUM COOL, WHITE SPIRIT etc.

Various Artists – Scene LP (orig. Australia MONO Van Diemen VDR-025—1971)

Release date: October 1971.  Running time: 52:30 (approx).

On offer here is the ULTRA RARE compilation album of Tasmanian groups and artists featured in the ABC television series ‘SCENE’, which was a weekly music show that premiered in October 1971.  I believe the series was only screened in Tasmania (and not through the mainland networks).  A former member of MOLLY BROWN indicated that the album received a very small pressing run (200 copies only).  MOLLY BROWN actually appeared on one of the early episodes of ‘SCENE’, although they never made it onto vinyl!

Essentially the album was issued as a promotional device to draw attention to the performers that appeared on the show.  Most of the groups were from Hobart (the southern capital), with the exception being BACCHUS who came from the northern town of Launceston.  NEIL GARDNER was from a rural town in the north-west.  I am certain that the majority of tracks are exclusive to this album, although NEIL GARDNER’s compositions may have also appeared on his SOLO record releases.

Refer below for my own reviews of each performer’s track selections:

TRANSIT:

‘The Letter’ was originally recorded by the BOX TOPS, although it is JOE COCKER’s heavier version (from 1970) that the group attempts to recreate here.  Includes some flashy guitar breaks.

‘Wake Up Sunshine’ is a faithful cover of the CHICAGO track that originally appeared on ‘Chicago II’.

WHITE SPIRIT:

‘Going Away’ is an original composition and only one of three on the entire album.  Distinctive for its up-front female vocals.

‘Something’s Coming On’ is an incredible rendition of the flipside to JOE COCKER’s ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ single.  The second half explodes into a barrage of heavy fuzz guitar and organ!

BACCHUS:

‘(By The Time I Get To) Phoenix’ (a JIMMY WEBB composition made famous by Glen Campbell) features some groovy guitar solo passages.

NEIL GARDNER:

‘The Kill’ and ‘Mary Ann’ are original acoustic folk compositions; with the first having edge folk/downer psych vibes—great stuff!

MEDIUM COOL:

‘Mother’s Daughter’ (SANTANA) and ‘Wrist Job’ (HUMBLE PIE) are excellent cover versions with menacing guitar & organ interplay, and powerful female vocals.

ALBINO SPADE:

‘All Right Now’ (originally a huge hit for FREE) includes a tasty guitar break.

‘South Carolina Purples’ is the second CHICAGO cover to appear on this album—a very obscure track.

MANDY:

‘Born To Be Wild’ is a raw take on the STEPPENWOLF classic, and concludes with a hard-hitting guitar break.

‘Stealer’ is the second FREE cover to appear on this album.  Musically, we’re talking garage blues-rock with a sludgy guitar sound.

Related discography:

SONS OF BACCHUS

7”  Universal b/w I Don’t Know Why   Van Diemen  Sep. 1970

BACCHUS

7”  Hey Mista b/w E.J. Hamilton        Van Diemen  Oct. 1971

NEIL GARDNER

LP  Anthem For Wednesday                                    1971

LP  Said The Blackbird                      Spectangle     1972

EP  The Colony Sings                         Van Diemen    1972

SIDE 1

1.               TRANSIT             The Letter (3:27)                      Writ: Wayne Carson Thompson (Joe Cocker)

2.              WHITE SPIRIT    Going Away (3:21)                     Writ: White Spirit

3.              BACCHUS             Phoenix (6:10)                           Writ: Jimmy Webb (Glen Campbell)

4.              NEIL GARDNER    The Kill (3:35)                           Writ: Neil Gardner

5.              MEDIUM COOL     Mother’s Daughter (3:55)           Writ: Gregg Rolie (Santana)

6.              ALBINO SPADE     All Right Now (4:57)                 Writ: Andy Fraser/Paul Rodgers (Free)

SIDE 2

7.              MEDIUM COOL     Wrist Job (3:50)                       Writ: Steve Marriott (Humble Pie)

8.              MANDY                 Born To Be Wild (5:19)              Writ: Steppenwolf

9.              ALBINO SPADE     South Carolina Purples (2:58)    Writ: Robert Lamm (Chicago)

10.           TRANSIT              Wake Up Sunshine (2:11)           Writ: Chicago

11.            WHITE SPIRIT     Something’s Coming On (5:24)    Writ: Joe Cocker/Chris Stainton

12.           NEIL GARDNER     Mary Ann (4:38)                        Writ: Neil Gardner

13.           MANDY                 Stealer (2:41)                            Writ: Free

PERSONNEL (based on my best guess!)

TRANSIT

Chris Norris    guitar; vocals

Col Lewis        bass?

Scott Elliot     drums

<others unknown>    second vocals : brass (track 1 only)

WHITE SPIRIT

Brian Dee       lead guitar; vocals

<others unknown>   female vocals, bass, heavy organ, drums

BACCHUS

Paul Musson    lead vocals; guitar

Lyn Thomas     guitar; vocals

John Heron     bass

Neville Sice    drums

MEDIUM COOL

Christine Lincoln      lead vocals

‘Wrinkle’ Hickman    guitar

Bob McPhee             bass

Brian Connor            organ?

Roger Pickering       drums

Ian Beecroft           flute (track 7 only)

NB: Mark Pickering was also a lead vocalist for the band, but does not appear on these recordings.  Sadly, he passed away recently.

ALBINO SPADE

Phil Bradshaw     lead vocals

Peter Edwards    guitar

Simon Gethan      bass

Robbie Miller      drums

MANDY

Paul Warren              lead vocals

Mario Stankiewicz     guitar

Stan Culic                  bass

Barry Shields            drums

Recorded by Spectangle Productions, Hobart—Tasmania (all tracks except 3).

Recorded at 7EX Studios, Launceston—Tasmania (track 3 only).

Produced by Roscoe Crawford (track 3 only).

GRADING (also refer photos)

Cover:

front EX laminated: very light ring-wear (hard to see), light corner crease (bottom-left).

back VG+ matt finish: light ring-wear (mainly top & bottom) & creasing.

Record:

EX+ to M- visual: beautiful copy—hardly been played; audible: really clean sound overall; labels: very clean—hard to fault.

GRADING DESCRIPTION

COVER

M: Absolutely NEW—perhaps still in shrink-wrap.

M-: Slightly less than MINT.

EX: Very light wear and/or creasing—defects will be noted.

VG++: Slightly less than EXCELLENT.

VG+: Slightly better than VERY GOOD.

VG: Some ring-wear and other signs of aging are apparent—defects will be noted.

VG-: Slightly less than VERY GOOD.

G: More obvious ring-wear, seam-splits, stains etc—defects will be noted.

M=MINT, EX=EXCELLENT, VG=VERY GOOD, G=GOOD

NB: Brackets indicate the cover is between one grade and another—eg. VG+(+).

RECORD

M: Absolutely NEW—perhaps still in shrink-wrap.

M-: Slightly less than MINT.

EX: Very light scuffs.  Record played infrequently, with little or no reduction in sound quality.

VG++: Slightly less than EXCELLENT.

VG+: Slightly better than VERY GOOD.

VG: Lightly scuffed/marked record, with acceptable sound quality—defects will be noted.

VG-: Slightly less than VERY GOOD.

G: More obvious scratches, with some deterioration in sound quality—defects will be noted.

M=MINT, EX=EXCELLENT, VG=VERY GOOD, G=GOOD

NB: Brackets indicate the record is between one grade and another—eg. VG+(+).

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