New World (band)
Encyclopedia
New World was an Australia
n pop
group
that existed from the mid 1960s to the late 1970s. They are best known for their Top 10 hit single
, "Tom-Tom Turnaround", which was released in 1971. Most of their biggest successes were written by Nicky Chinn
and Mike Chapman.
in 1965, by John "Fuzzy" Lee (born 9 March 1944, Ashtead
, Surrey
, England
) and the Australian Mel Noonan (born 10 November 1943, Sydney
). In 1968 John Kane (born 18 April 1946, Glasgow
, Scotland
) joined the group, and by the end of the decade they were one of Australia's most popular acts. They were originally billed as The New World Trio.
At the beginning of the 1970s, songwriter
s Nicky Chinn
and Mike Chapman booked the group on television
. They also took the band to Europe
, where record label
owner Mickie Most
signed them immediately to his imprint RAK
. Their first single
for RAK, "Rose Garden", hit #15 on the UK Singles Chart
in 1971. At the same time, country
singer, Lynn Anderson
, released a cover version
of this song which was an international #1 hit
.
The group's biggest hit was a version of "Tom-Tom Turnaround", also recorded by Sweet
. This was followed by "Kara, Kara", which was a hit in the UK
and Germany
; although a German language
version of the tune was a bigger hit for Peter Orloff. They had a fourth hit in the UK with "Sister Jane", but their next release, "Living Next Door to Alice
", was a flop. This song would later become a worldwide hit for Smokie
in 1976.
In the early 1970s, New World were musical guests on the BBC
shows, The Two Ronnies
in 1971 and The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1973.
The group appeared on the UK talent show Opportunity Knocks, but were tried at the Old Bailey
for receiving one bogus vote (obtained after performing at a girls' college when one girl put in a vote for a friend who had gone to bed). They were subsequently acquitted.
New World's last releases were issued in 1976.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that existed from the mid 1960s to the late 1970s. They are best known for their Top 10 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Tom-Tom Turnaround", which was released in 1971. Most of their biggest successes were written by Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn born Nicholas Barry Chinn, 16 May 1945, London, UK) is a British songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the UK and US in the 1970s and early 1980s, including several number-one records...
and Mike Chapman.
Career
The band was founded in BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 1965, by John "Fuzzy" Lee (born 9 March 1944, Ashtead
Ashtead
Ashtead is a village situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey, England, and is just outside of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common.- History :...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) and the Australian Mel Noonan (born 10 November 1943, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
). In 1968 John Kane (born 18 April 1946, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) joined the group, and by the end of the decade they were one of Australia's most popular acts. They were originally billed as The New World Trio.
At the beginning of the 1970s, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn born Nicholas Barry Chinn, 16 May 1945, London, UK) is a British songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the UK and US in the 1970s and early 1980s, including several number-one records...
and Mike Chapman booked the group on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. They also took the band to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
owner Mickie Most
Mickie Most
Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records label....
signed them immediately to his imprint RAK
RAK Records
Rak Records was a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home of artists like Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI, which bought the...
. Their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for RAK, "Rose Garden", hit #15 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1971. At the same time, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer, Lynn Anderson
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
, released a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of this song which was an international #1 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
.
The group's biggest hit was a version of "Tom-Tom Turnaround", also recorded by Sweet
Sweet (band)
Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...
. This was followed by "Kara, Kara", which was a hit in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; although a German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version of the tune was a bigger hit for Peter Orloff. They had a fourth hit in the UK with "Sister Jane", but their next release, "Living Next Door to Alice
Living Next Door to Alice
"Living Next Door to Alice" is a song co-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Originally released by the Australian vocal harmony trio New World in 1972, the song charted at # 35 on the Australian chart...
", was a flop. This song would later become a worldwide hit for Smokie
Smokie (band)
Smokie is an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire who found success in Europe in the 1970s.-Early years:Originally called The Yen, then The Sphynx and later Essence, the band was formed in 1964 at St. Bede's Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford as The Yen. The Yen's first gig was at Birkenshaw...
in 1976.
In the early 1970s, New World were musical guests on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
shows, The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
in 1971 and The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1973.
The group appeared on the UK talent show Opportunity Knocks, but were tried at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
for receiving one bogus vote (obtained after performing at a girls' college when one girl put in a vote for a friend who had gone to bed). They were subsequently acquitted.
New World's last releases were issued in 1976.
Singles
- "Feed the Birds" (1969) (ParlophoneParlophoneParlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
A-8952) (Australia only) - "Try To Remember" (1969) (Parlophone A-8589) (Australia only) - AUS #11
- "I'll Catch The Sun" (DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
F13031) - "Something's Wrong" (Decca F13086)
- "Rose Garden" (1971) (RAKRAKRAK or rak can refer to:*Marrakech-Menara Airport, IATA airport code*PM-63 RAK, a Polish 9 mm submachine gun*Ras Al Khaimah, the northern-most emirate in the United Arab Emirates*Rak, a creature in the Wizard of Oz books...
111) - UK #15 - "Tom-Tom Turnaround" (1971) (RAK 117) - UK #6, GER #10, AUS #12
- "Kara, Kara" (1971) (RAK 123) - UK #17, GER #31, AUS #39
- "Sister Jane" (1972) (RAK 130) - UK #9, AUS #15
- "Living Next Door To AliceLiving Next Door to Alice"Living Next Door to Alice" is a song co-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Originally released by the Australian vocal harmony trio New World in 1972, the song charted at # 35 on the Australian chart...
" (1973) (RAK 142) - AUS #23 - "Rooftop Singing" (1973) (RAK 148) - UK #50
- "Old Shep" (1974) (RAK 165)
- "Do It Again" (1974) (EMIEMI RecordsEMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
2158) - "Sweet Dreams" (1974) (EMI 2194)
- "I'm A Clown" (EMI 2234)
- "Sitting in the Sun" (EMI 2312)
- "But Not Afraid To Dream" (EMI 2464)
- "Homemade Sunshine" (EMI 2547)
Albums
- New World (RAK SRAK 502)
- Believe in Music (RAK SRAK 506)
- Yesterday's Gone (EMI EMC 3702)
- Tom Tom Turnaround (CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
- 2001) - Best of New World (RepertoireRepertoire RecordsRepertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 60s and 70s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen....
- CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
- 2002)