Sirocco (album)
Encyclopedia
Sirocco is the second album from Australian rock band Australian Crawl
. It was released in July 1981 and on 3 August, it topped the Australian charts where it remained for six weeks, the band's first of two albums to hit #1. It was released a year after their successful debut The Boys Light Up
which had reached #4.
The album was recorded in March-April 1981 in Sydney, New South Wales and produced by Peter Dawkins
(Air Supply
, Billy Thorpe
, Dragon
, John Farnham
).
Sirocco spent eight months in the Top 20 and was their most successful album. 1981 Australian End of Year Album Charts has Sirocco at #2 behind Double Fantasy
by John Lennon
and ahead of AC/DC's
Back in Black
making it the best charting album by an Australian act.
The album was named after Australian born actor Errol Flynn's
yacht and included the second single from the album, a lyrical biography, called "Errol
". Sirocco was the Crawl's first US and European release.
Drummer Bill McDonough's younger brother Guy McDonough
(co-lead vocals, rhythm guitar) had joined as their sixth member. Guy McDonough had already co-written tracks for their first album and now wrote or co-wrote five of Sirocco's eleven tracks including all three singles; he also provided lead vocals: "Errol" (co-lead with James Reyne
) and "Oh No Not You Again
". "Errol" was voted their third most popular song by listeners of Triple M
in 2007. The other single from the album was "Things Don't Seem" which reached #11 and was their fifth most popular song in the 2007 poll.
Sean Higgins was a bandmate with the McDonough brothers in an earlier band, The Flatheads, and had co-written "Downhearted
" for Boys Light Up; Higgins co-wrote "Things Don't Seem" for Sirocco. At about this time guitarist Brad Robinson was married to actress Kerry Armstrong
, later an Australian Film Institute
Award
winner, and they co-wrote "Easy On Your Own", which was also the B-side to "Errol".
Songwriting credits from Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA).
Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne , Brad Robinson , Paul Williams , Simon Binks and David Reyne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough...
. It was released in July 1981 and on 3 August, it topped the Australian charts where it remained for six weeks, the band's first of two albums to hit #1. It was released a year after their successful debut The Boys Light Up
The Boys Light Up
The Boys Light Up is the debut album from Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl which was released in 1980 and contains the title track, "The Boys Light Up", "Indisposed", "Downhearted" and their previously released debut single "Beautiful People"...
which had reached #4.
The album was recorded in March-April 1981 in Sydney, New South Wales and produced by Peter Dawkins
Peter Dawkins (musician)
Peter Dawkins is a New Zealand-born record producer and musician, best known for his hit 1970s productions for Australian-based pop artists, including Dragon, Australian Crawl and Air Supply. He has won multiple production awards, including the Countdown Producer of the Year...
(Air Supply
Air Supply
Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...
, Billy Thorpe
Billy Thorpe
William Richard "Billy" Thorpe, AM was a renowned English-born Australian pop / rock singer-songwriter and musician...
, Dragon
Dragon (band)
Dragon is a popular New Zealand rock band, they were formed in Auckland, New Zealand in January 1972 and relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975. They were previously led by singer Marc Hunter and are currently led by his brother bass player Todd Hunter...
, John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
).
"I was approached by Australian Crawl, who were about to do their second album, Sirocco. They’d been tortured to death by David BriggsDavid Briggs (Australian musician)David Briggs is an Australian musician and record producer, educated at Wesley College, Melbourne best known for his time as a guitarist in the rock band, Little River Band between 1976 and 1981.In 1976 he joined Little River Band. He wrote their hit single "Lonesome Loser", as well as "Happy...
, or at least by his studio style, and needed a change. We got along incredibly well, it was all so comfortable. They played me twenty new songs, I gave them a list of the eleven I liked and we just said let’s go."
Sirocco spent eight months in the Top 20 and was their most successful album. 1981 Australian End of Year Album Charts has Sirocco at #2 behind Double Fantasy
Double Fantasy
Double Fantasy is an album released by John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, in 1980. Though initially poorly received, the album is notable for its association with Lennon's murder three weeks after its release, whereupon it become a worldwide commercial success, and went on to win the 1981 Album...
by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and ahead of AC/DC's
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
making it the best charting album by an Australian act.
The album was named after Australian born actor Errol Flynn's
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
yacht and included the second single from the album, a lyrical biography, called "Errol
Errol (song)
"Errol" is the second single by iconic Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl taken from their 1981 album Sirocco. The song was written by James Reyne and Guy McDonough, and is a lyrical biography about Australian-born actor Errol Flynn....
". Sirocco was the Crawl's first US and European release.
Drummer Bill McDonough's younger brother Guy McDonough
Guy McDonough
Guy Gillis McDonough was an Australian rock musician best known for rhythm guitar and singer-songwriter with the iconic band Australian Crawl. He provided rhythm guitar and lead vocals on two of their well-known songs, "Oh No Not You Again" and "Errol"...
(co-lead vocals, rhythm guitar) had joined as their sixth member. Guy McDonough had already co-written tracks for their first album and now wrote or co-wrote five of Sirocco's eleven tracks including all three singles; he also provided lead vocals: "Errol" (co-lead with James Reyne
James Reyne
James Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
) and "Oh No Not You Again
Oh No Not You Again
"Oh No, Not You Again" is the third single by Australian rock band Australian Crawl from their 1981 studio album Sirocco. The song was written and sung by Guy McDonough, the band's rhythm guitarist, and was about "two young lovers who lived on the coast"....
". "Errol" was voted their third most popular song by listeners of Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
in 2007. The other single from the album was "Things Don't Seem" which reached #11 and was their fifth most popular song in the 2007 poll.
Sean Higgins was a bandmate with the McDonough brothers in an earlier band, The Flatheads, and had co-written "Downhearted
Downhearted
"Downhearted" is the third single released by iconic Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl from their debut album The Boys Light Up. The song was written by Sean Higgins, Guy McDonough and Bill McDonough...
" for Boys Light Up; Higgins co-wrote "Things Don't Seem" for Sirocco. At about this time guitarist Brad Robinson was married to actress Kerry Armstrong
Kerry Armstrong
Kerry Michelle Armstrong is an Australian actress on film, television, and stage. She is one of only two actresses to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year...
, later an Australian Film Institute
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
Award
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
winner, and they co-wrote "Easy On Your Own", which was also the B-side to "Errol".
Track listing
- "Things Don't Seem" (Guy McDonough, Sean Higgins) - 3:57
- "Unpublished Critics" (James Reyne, Paul Williams) - 5:14
- "Love (Beats Me Up)" (Reyne) - 4:35
- "Oh No Not You AgainOh No Not You Again"Oh No, Not You Again" is the third single by Australian rock band Australian Crawl from their 1981 studio album Sirocco. The song was written and sung by Guy McDonough, the band's rhythm guitarist, and was about "two young lovers who lived on the coast"....
" (G McDonough) - 5:08 - "Lakeside" (Reyne) - 4:49
- "Trusting You" (William "Bill" McDonough, G McDonough) - 3:09
- "ErrolErrol (song)"Errol" is the second single by iconic Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl taken from their 1981 album Sirocco. The song was written by James Reyne and Guy McDonough, and is a lyrical biography about Australian-born actor Errol Flynn....
" (Reyne, G McDonough) - 3:30 - "Can I Be Sure" (Simon Binks) - 3:37
- "Easy On Your Own" (Binks, Brad Robinson, Kerry Armstrong) - 3:48
- "Love Boys" (W McDonough) - 3:41
- "Resort Girls" (G McDonough) - 4:36
Songwriting credits from 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).
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 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... Albums Chart |
1 |
Personnel
Credited to:- James ReyneJames ReyneJames Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
— lead vocals, 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... - Simon BinksSimon BinksSimon John Binks is an Australian rock musician who was a guitarist and singer-songwriter for Australian Crawl from founding in 1978 to disbanding in 1986.-Early career:...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, slide guitar, acoustic guitar - Guy McDonoughGuy McDonoughGuy Gillis McDonough was an Australian rock musician best known for rhythm guitar and singer-songwriter with the iconic band Australian Crawl. He provided rhythm guitar and lead vocals on two of their well-known songs, "Oh No Not You Again" and "Errol"...
— co-lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Bill McDonough — 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... - Paul Williams — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Brad RobinsonBrad Robinson (Australian musician)Bradford Leigh "Brad" Robinson ) was a rock musician best known as lead and rhythm guitarist with the 1980s band Australian Crawl. Robinson had a later career as a manager for musicians and sports personalities.-Early years:...
— rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Engineer — Dave Marett
- Photography — Jamie Morgan
- Producer — Peter DawkinsPeter Dawkins (musician)Peter Dawkins is a New Zealand-born record producer and musician, best known for his hit 1970s productions for Australian-based pop artists, including Dragon, Australian Crawl and Air Supply. He has won multiple production awards, including the Countdown Producer of the Year...