Cool Change (song)
Encyclopedia
"Cool Change" is a song by Australian rock
group Little River Band
, which was the second single from their sixth album, First Under the Wire
. Released in August 1979, "Cool Change", did not reach the Australian Kent Music Report
Singles Chart top 50. It was released in the United States (US) in 1980 on the Capitol Records
label and reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
In May 2001 "Cool Change", written by lead singer, Glenn Shorrock
, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time.
group, Mississippi
, had toured the United Kingdom (UK) in 1974 but failed to make an impact on the music scene. While in the UK they met ex-The Masters Apprentices
bass guitarist and now manager
, Glenn Wheatley
who was due to return to Australia. Also in UK was Glenn Shorrock
(ex-The Twilights
) who had attempted a solo career there. Mississippi returned to Australia in 1975 with Shorrock joining on lead vocals and songwriting, they were managed by Wheatley and soon changed their name to Little River Band. Other original members were guitarist-vocalists Graeham Goble
and Beeb Birtles
, lead guitarist Ric Formosa
, bass guitarist Roger McLachlan and drummer Derek Pellicci. They first toured US in 1976, and had top ten hits there with "Reminiscing
" (No. 3), and "Lady" (No. 10) in 1978 from Sleeper Catcher
.
First Under the Wire was their sixth album and was released in August 1979 by EMI
in Australia and Capitol Records
in US. It was the band's first and last top ten album on the US Billboard 200
. The album also featured another top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit with "Lonesome Loser" as the first single released ahead of the album in June.
released a cover to radio on 16 June 2009 it entered the Top 30 on the Media Base and R&R airplay charts on 18 August 2009. it made number 5 on the FMQB AC40 Chart.
Additional musicians
Production details
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Little River Band
Little River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
, which was the second single from their sixth album, First Under the Wire
First Under the Wire
First Under the Wire is the fifth album from the Little River Band, released in 1979 by Capitol Records. It was the band's first and last top ten album in the U.S....
. Released in August 1979, "Cool Change", did not reach the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart top 50. It was released in the United States (US) in 1980 on the Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
label and reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
In May 2001 "Cool Change", written by lead singer, Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer....
, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time.
Background
Australian soft rockSoft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
group, Mississippi
Mississippi (band)
Mississippi was an Australian band , which featured some big names in Australian rock music, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Kerryn Tolhurst...
, had toured the United Kingdom (UK) in 1974 but failed to make an impact on the music scene. While in the UK they met ex-The Masters Apprentices
The Masters Apprentices
The Masters Apprentices were an Australian rock band fronted by mainstay Jim Keays on lead vocals, which formed in 1965 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970, before disbanding in 1972...
bass guitarist and now manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
, Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Dawson Wheatley is an Australian artist manager and entertainment industry executive.Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s and in the late 1960s became nationally famous as a member of leading pop-rock band The Masters Apprentices...
who was due to return to Australia. Also in UK was Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer....
(ex-The Twilights
The Twilights (band)
The Twilights were an Australian rock music group of the mid to late 1960s. Alongside their own career successes, The Twilights are also notable for the inclusion of vocalist Glenn Shorrock, who later fronted Axiom, Esperanto and Little River Band, and guitarist Terry Britten who went on to become...
) who had attempted a solo career there. Mississippi returned to Australia in 1975 with Shorrock joining on lead vocals and songwriting, they were managed by Wheatley and soon changed their name to Little River Band. Other original members were guitarist-vocalists Graeham Goble
Graeham Goble
Graeham George Goble is a musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of rock performers Little River Band ....
and Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles , is a Dutch / Australian musician, one of the founding members of the Little River Band....
, lead guitarist Ric Formosa
Ric Formosa
-External links:...
, bass guitarist Roger McLachlan and drummer Derek Pellicci. They first toured US in 1976, and had top ten hits there with "Reminiscing
Reminiscing
"Reminiscing" is a 1978 song written by Graeham Goble, and performed by Australian rock music group Little River Band. It remains their greatest success in the United States, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year. The song is about a couple reminiscing about the past, with...
" (No. 3), and "Lady" (No. 10) in 1978 from Sleeper Catcher
Sleeper Catcher
Sleeper Catcher is the fourth album by the Little River Band, released during 1978. It reached #16 in the United States on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1979. From this album, the band earned its first two "top ten" U.S...
.
First Under the Wire was their sixth album and was released in August 1979 by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in Australia and Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in US. It was the band's first and last top ten album on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album also featured another top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit with "Lonesome Loser" as the first single released ahead of the album in June.
Cover versions
Greg LondonGreg London
Greg London is an American singer, entertainer and impressionist. After a solo hit show in London's West End, he enjoyed a lengthy residency in Reno, Nevada before announcing his move to the Las Vegas Strip in mid 2010.-Early life:...
released a cover to radio on 16 June 2009 it entered the Top 30 on the Media Base and R&R airplay charts on 18 August 2009. it made number 5 on the FMQB AC40 Chart.
Track listing
- "Cool Change" (Glenn ShorrockGlenn ShorrockGlenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer....
) – 3:56 - "Middle Man" (Beeb BirtlesBeeb BirtlesBeeb Birtles , is a Dutch / Australian musician, one of the founding members of the Little River Band....
, Graeham GobleGraeham GobleGraeham George Goble is a musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of rock performers Little River Band ....
) – 4:24
Personnel
Little River Band members- Beeb BirtlesBeeb BirtlesBeeb Birtles , is a Dutch / Australian musician, one of the founding members of the Little River Band....
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s (track 1), lead vocalLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
s (track 2) - Mike Clarke – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Derek PellicciDerek PellicciDerek Allan Pellicci is an Australian pop music drummer. He is best known as a founding member of Little River Band...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Glenn ShorrockGlenn ShorrockGlenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer....
– lead vocals (track 1), backing vocal (track 2) - Graeham GobleGraeham GobleGraeham George Goble is a musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of rock performers Little River Band ....
– guitar, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Bill Harrower – saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Peter Jones – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(track 1), keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(track 2)
Production details
- Producer – John Boylan, Little River Band