Spy vs Spy, also known as v. Spy v. Spy, The Drug Grannies and The Spies, are an Australian ska/pub rock band from Sydney formed in 1981. They became known for tackling political issues through their music, including racism, homelessness and contemporary drug culture. They were named after a comic strip, “Spy vs. Spy” in the US Mad magazine.
From wikipedia

History

Aside from Midnight Oil, vSpy vSpy are arguably one of Australia’s most politically- oriented rock bands. While Midnight Oil’s politics were those of conscience, Spy V Spy were outspoken representatives of the Street. Primarily they started out as the voice of the homeless squatters of early eighties Sydney, but their songs spoke for everyone who felt under the thumb of The System. They told stories polite Australia didn’t necessarily want told. The original group came from separate corners of the world.

Guitarist Mike Weiley arrived in Sydney from an industrial city in England and almost immediately found a soul-mate at Nelson Bay High School in would-be bassist Craig Bloxom. American Craig had studied in Alaska for a time, and arrived in Sydney in his mid-teens via LA. The group’s token Australian, drummer Cliff Grigg, arrived in Sydney from the Northern Territory, and settled in an inner suburban squat in Glebe that didn’t even have a roof when he first moved in. From the day they met at high school Mike and Craig had talked about music and in around 1980 started talking about forming a band together. Cliff heard about it though mutual friends and Spy V Spy was born. To save on rent and keep from having to find day jobs Mike and Craig moved into Cliff’s squat. They took the name from a regular strip in Mad magazine. Living in a squat had other advantages. They were able to rehearse almost every day. One day they received a call from the Sussex Hotel asking them to fill in for a band who couldn’t make it, and Spy V Spy performed their first gig.

In the beginning their music style was dominated by the ska sound popular in inner Sydney pubs at the time. A year into their life the band recorded its first single. Michael Hutchence of INXS offered to produce, but they turned him down. The single ‘Do What You Say’ was followed by an EP, ‘Four Fresh Lemons’, both recorded for friends on an independent label, Green. The EP’s original pressing was a limited release of 1000 copies. They sold out in 5 days. But the band expected something else to happen, and broke up shortly afterwards.

It took just a few months to realize that Spy V Spy was more fun than the bands they were now playing with, and Spy V Spy reconvened in July 1983 with second guitarist Marcus Phelan. The ska had been dropped for a more straight-ahead rock attack. In 1983 Weiley became sick and confined to a hospital bed for a considerable time. Their equipment was stolen. Phelan left. Things changed with the help of Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett, who’d become a fan and would attend every performance he could.

Now called vSpy vSpy to avoid legal action from Mad magazine, the group acquired Midnight Oil’s manager Gary Morris and released the mini-album ‘Meat Us Inside’ and its single ‘One Of A Kind’.

Their first album ‘Harry’s Reasons’ contained the singles ‘Injustice’ (about the Aboriginal struggle) ‘Something’ (directed at the media) and the title track, dealing with a friend’s misuse of heroin. Harry was a euphemism for the drug. For their next album vSpy vSpy moved from Midnight Oil’s Powderworks label to WEA. This album, ‘A.O. Mod. TV Vers.’ (standing for Adult Oriented Modified TV Version), contained their “hit” record ‘Don’t Tear It Down’, a plea to the developers bulldozing historic Sydney, and a ode to the scourge of the day, ‘Credit Cards’. ‘A.O. Mod. TV Vers.’ earned vSpy vSpy a platinum record. Without warning, the record company demanded a new album, and within six weeks the band wrote and recorded ‘Xenophobia (Why?)’. The title was inspired by the mood around Australia’s Bicentennial year, but the messages in the songs were universal enough to see the album released in 14 other countries. 1989′s ‘Trash The Planet’ was recorded in England at Richard Branson’s Manor House studios.

Branson kept Irish Wolfhounds as pets at the Manor, one of which savagely attacked Craig. Cliff Grigg was desperately unhappy with his drums sound on that album. His departure from the band at the end of 1991 led to a year’s absence from live performances. Mike and Craig took the opportunity to move to Queensland and went through a period of search and trial of new drummers until their support of a best of collection in June 1992 saw the group’s return, with Mark Cuffe on drums. In 1983 the vSpy vSpy signed a new contract with Sony, and released ‘Fossil’, written in the studio, before breaking up (again) in 1994.

In 1995 – back to calling itself Spy V Spy, the band traveled to Brazil to follow-up on a strong fan base established there through the surfing community. Mike stayed behind, while back in Australia, Craig Bloxom and Mark Cuffe teamed up with Icehouse drummer Paul Wheeler to form a new group, the Shock Poets, allowing Cuffe to leave the drums for the microphone. More Brazil tours followed, and the two groups existed concurrently. In 1997 Mark left to dedicate himself to Shock Poets while Craig left that group to dedicate himself to vSpy vSpy. Paul Wheeler was named as vSpy vSpy’s new drummer. The enthusiasm of Brazilian Spyfans means that vSpy vSpy can stay alive, while maintaining a low profile on the Australian music scene.
From the vSpy vSpy website

Members

• Mike Weiley – Guitar
• Craig Bloxom – Bass, Vocals
• Cliff Grigg – Drums
• Marcus Phelan – Guitar
• Mark Cuffe – Drums
• Paul Wheeler – Drums
• Neil Beaver – Bass
• Mick Laws – Drums

Videos

Don’t Tear It Down

Sally-Anne

Recordings

• Harry’s Reasons – March 1986
• A.O. Mod. TV. Vers. – December 1986
• Xenophobia (Why?) – March 1988
• Trash the Planet – November 1989
• Fossil – May 1993
• The Honey Island Project – April 1998
• Demolition – 2004

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History

Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated capital city in the world. Because of, or in spite of this, it has produced some of Australia’s most influential bands. Like the Scientists before them, the Stems bought garage rock bursting out of the underground in a paisley revolution that very nearly made its way into the national and international consciousness.

The band formed in late 1983 when Dom Mariani, formerly in the band the Go-Stars, was introduced with Richard Lane. Richard had seen Dom in the final few gigs of the Go-Stars and asked Dom for some guitar lessons. The lessons turned into jams, the jams into songs, and the decision was made to start the band. A friend, Gary Chambers was recruited to join the band on drums and bass player John Scuttleworth poached from another local band, the Pink Armadillos and some demo’s recorded. The bands debut gig was supporting the Saints and the Triffids at the Old Civic theatre in Perth. Their sound was influenced by 60’s garage acts ranging from the Electric Prunes, The Standells, The Chocolate Watch Band to the Easybeats. A local Saturday night residency at the Wizbah venue saw throwback covers and a growing list of original songs and a cult following for the band. The bass player decided to leave so a final gig for the band was arranged which drew a large crowd. The success of this gig and freshly written songs in the can saw the band recruit a new bass player, school friend Julian Matthews. Rehearsal and more shows followed. The band recorded their most requested songs and gained a contract with Sydney based label, Citadel Records – the first Perth band to do so.

The debut single “She’s a Monster/Make you Mine” was released in January 1985. The single reached the top of the independent charts and also sold 500 copies in England. The single was to be the 2nd highest selling independent single for Australia in 1985, second only to the Hoodoo Gurus – Like Wow Wipeout. A buzz developed about the band which saw them drive across the country (some 4,100 kilometers) to undertake an east coast promotional tour, beginning with a show in Sydney supporting the Painters and Dockers. Whilst in Sydney the band recorded another single – Tears me in Two and what would become the “Love Will Grow” EP at Trafalgar Studios with Rob Younger, formerly of Radio Birdman producing. The EP reached #1 in the national charts and the band played triumphant shows on their return to Perth.

The band, with a new drummer on board, spent most of 1986 touring to promote their EP, including national tours supporting the Flaming Groovies and the Hoodoo Gurus, and also seeking a label deal. Mushroom Records signed the band and the band booked into Platinum Studios with producer Alan Thorne at the end of 1986. The recording process didn’t go smoothly and stretched from the planned one month to three, with a new producer bought in to complete the record. The album’s release in 1987 saw the band embark on another national tour, and also appearing on national television – including playing the final episode of Countdown and the lead single “At First Sight” making the Young Einstein soundtrack. The band seemed to have the world at their feet, an album which went on to become the third top selling Australian album of 1987 and a European tour beckoning. However tensions within the band, a perceived shift in direction away from their initial garage roots, the ego clashes that came with success and record advances, and an unwillingness by some members to tour saw them break up, playing their last show 31 August 1987.

After the split, Dom continued to record, writing songs for The Someloves, a duo with Daryl Mather, previously of the Lime Spiders, the DM3 – a three piece power pop/garage band and most recently with the Majestic Kelp. Richard Lane went on to record with Gary Chambers in The Chevelles and later with The Rosebuds.

Renewed interest in the band saw a compilation of the early recordings – Mushroom Soup released and the band reform to play a national tour in March 2003. The band also toured Europe with many big festival appearances and a further Australian tour. A Stems and Dom Mariani compilation was released for the overseas market in 2005. The band embarked on a major Australian tour alongside Radio Birdman and Hoodoo Gurus in 2007 and finally saw the follow up to At First Sight, Violets Are Blue in the form of their second album, Heads Up, released through Shock Records on October 6th.

Members

• Dom Mariani, vocals, guitar
• Richard Lane, vocals, guitar
• Gary Chambers, drums (first line-up)
• John Scuttleworth, bass (first line-up)
• Julian Matthews, bass (second line-up)
• Dave Shaw, drums (third line-up)

Discography

• She’s a Monster/Make You Mine 7” – Citadel 011 – 1985
• Tears Me In Two/Can’t Resist 7” – Citadel 01 – 1985
• Love Will Grow – Rosebuds Volume 1 12” EP – Citadel 905 – 1986
• At First Sight/Grooviest Girl In Town 7” – White Label Records K219 – 1987
• At First Sight – Violets are Blue 12”LP – White Label Records L38735 – 1987
• For Always/Mr Misery 7” – White Label Records K294 – 1987
• Sad Girl/My Beach 7” – White Label Records K408 – 1987
• The Great Rosebud Hoax 12” EP – Citadel CITLP512 – 1987
• Dead-Weed Live + Demos (bootleg) Cassette – 1989
• Let Your Head Rest/Don’t Let Me/Tears Me In Two 7” – Zero Hour 001 – 1990 (came with Stems the Illustrated Biography Book
• Buds CD AUS Citadel CITCD512 1993
• Killer Weed CD – Running Circle RUN0011 1996
• Weed Out – The Stems Live at the Old Melbourne 18 April 1986 CD –House of Wax Records, HOWR8 – 1997
• Mushroom Soup (The Citadel Years) CD AUS Citadel citcd555 2003
• At First Sight + Bonus 2CD – Mushroom Records 336272 2003
• Terminal Cool – A retrospective CD – Get Hip Records GH-1130 2005
• Heads Up – CD – Mushroom/Shock ST-707

Other Resources

www.thestems.com.au

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About John Swan

John Swan, more commonly known as Swanee, was born John Archibold Dixon Swan in 1952 in Glasgow, Scotland. He came to Australia with his family in 1961 and is the only one of his siblings to keep his natural fathers surname. He is the older brother of Jimmy Barnes and the uncle of David Campbell.

Brief History

Swanee started his musical career as a drummer in the band Happiness before moving on to other bands such as Fraternity, Feather and Cold Chisel. He branched out on his own, under the name Swanee, in 1979, releasing the album “Into The Night”. His first commercial hit was in 1981 with his version of “If I Were A Carpenter” off the album “This Time Is Different” which featured two other hits, “Temporary Heartache” and “Lady What’s Your Name”

In 1987 he replaced angry Anderson as lead singer in Paul Christie’s “Party Boys” where he had another hit with “He’s Gonna Step on You Again” and then “Hold Your Head Up”. He left the band around 1989 to again pursue a solo career that still persists today.

Videos

“If I Were A Carpenter”

“Temporary Heartache”

“Lady What’s Your Name?”

Recordings

as Swanee (albums):

• Into the Night – 1980
• This Time is Different – 1982
• Ready for Action – 1983
• Days Gone By – 1984
• Bushido – 1985
• Heart and Soul – 1997

as John Swan

• It Could Have Been You (single) – 1985
• You’ll Do Something (single) – 1985
• Angel (single) – 1986
• Have a Little Faith – 2007

with The Party Boys

• He’s Gonna Step On You Again  (single) – 1987
• The Party Boys – 1987
• Hold Your Head Up  (single) – 1987
• Gloria (single) - 1988)

Other Resources

• John Swan’s website
• Australian Rock database

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About

Melbourne based band from 1969-1973 and 1989-1991. Also known as the Indelible Murtceps

Innovative, uncommercial band at first but they deserve a special place in the history of Australian rock. Playing original material, their sets contained long instrumental breaks with unusual lyrics, complete with light shows.”
From the Who’s Who of Australian Rock

History

The central figure in the band was Mike Rudd, a New Zealand-born singer, songwriter and guitarist from Christchurch. Mike arrived in Australia in 1966 as rhythm guitarist for the NZ group Chants R&B. That band only lasted a short time after they arrived in Australia, but Rudd remained in Melbourne, teaming up with singer/songwriter Ross Wilson and guitarist Ross Hannaford.

Wilson and Hannaford’s first band The Pink Finks (which had also just broken up) worked in a similar vein to Chants, and had already had some local chart success in Melbourne. Mike was invited to be the bass player in a later lineup of their next band, The Party Machine (1967-69).

Rudd, Wilson and Hannaford then formed the more experimentally-oriented Sons of The Vegetal Mother (1969-71), which was an occasional event-based project rather than a full-time band. When that band split, Rudd formed his own band, Spectrum. This marked the beginning of his partnership with bassist Bill Putt, formerly of Melbourne bands Gallery and The Lost Souls; they formed a lasting friendship and musical partnership, and have worked together ever since. Organist Lee Neale came from pop band Nineteen 87, and drummer Mark Kennedy had already worked with Putt in Gallery. Kennedy’s considerable skill helped carry the band through a difficult first year, during which time the band honed their skills and found their sound.

Initially, Spectrum drew on the work of contemporary bands like Traffic, Soft Machine and Pink Floyd and they played covers of music by these groups in the early days, but they soon developed their own style. Alongside Putt’s solid bass playing and Neale’s inventive keyboard work, a key feature of Spectrum’s sound was Rudd’s guitar playing — he was one of the few rock guitar players at that time who eschewed the near-universal use of the guitar pick, preferring to play electric guitar with a finger-picking style. Combined with contemporary improvements in amplification and recording, his playing technique and his use of a vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar allowed Rudd to develop a highly characteristic sound.
From Wikipedia

I’ll be gone – 1971

Members

• Mike Rudd – Guitar & Vocals
• Bill Putt – Bass & Guitar
• Lee Neale – Organ 1969-72
• Mark Kennedy -Drums – 1969-70
• Ray Arnott – Drums 1970-73
• John Mills – Keys 1972-73
• Tony Fossey – Keys 1989-90
• David Hicks – Drums 1989-90
• Martin Sullivan – Bass 1989-90
• Trevor Courtney – Drums 1990
• Cresswell Crisp – Keys 1990
• Manny Paterakis – Drums 1990

Recordings

• Spectrum Part 1 – 1971
• Milesago – 1972
• Terminal Buzz – 1973
• Testimonial – 1973
• Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet – 1984
• Ghost Post Terminal reflection – 1992

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About

Adelaide band The Stars first came to prominence with Quick on the Draw produced by Beeb Birtles in 1976. Beeb along with rest of Little River Band were impressed with the Adelaide band and brought tapes back to Melbourne where they scored a contract with Mushroom records. The band sported a “cowboy” look wearing boots, checked shirts and cowboy hats. The band consisted of Mick Pealing (vocals), Mal Eastick (guitar), Glyn Dowling (drums) and Graham Thompson (bass).

After the success of their first single they added Andy Durant as a second guitarist. In 1977 they toured with Joe Cocker and in 1978, The Beach Boys and Linda Ronstadt.

Although not a teen band in the mould of Sherbet or Hush, The Stars appeared regularly on Countdown and scored a top 30 hit with the Andy Durant song “Mighty rock”.

Andy Durant died on 6 May 1980 aged 25. Later that year Stars guitarist Mal Eastick organised the Andrew Durant memorial concert in Melbourne. The concert featured Stars, Jimmy Barnes, Rene Geyer, Richard Clapton and many more. The profits from the concert and sale of the double album went to The Andrew Durant Cancer Research Centre.

from Countdown.com.au

Members

• Glyn Dowding – Drums
• Andrew Durant – Guitar
• Malcolm Eastick -Guitar
• Mick Elliot – Guitar
• J.J. Hackett – Drums
• Michael Hegerty – Bass
• Ian McDonald – Bass
• Roger McLachlan – Bass
• Mick Pealing – Vocals
• Graham Thompson- Bass

Recordings

• Paradise – 1978
• Land Of Fortune – 1979
• 1157 – 1980

Other Resources

• Nostalgia Central
• Countdown

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