The Fourmyula
Encyclopedia
The Fourmyula were a New Zealand
rock group formed in 1967. Ten of their fourteen singles reached the New Zealand Top 20.
The group consisted of Martin Hope (guitar and vocals), Wayne Mason
(guitar, keyboards, vocals), Ali Richardson (bass and vocals) and Chris Parry (drums). They were joined in 1968 by Carl Evenson as lead vocalist.
Their first release, "Come With Me" made it to number 2 in August 1968. They released fourteen singles (ten of which reached the New Zealand Top 20) and five albums and won the New Zealand Entertainers of the Year award in 1970.
The Fourmyula's best known song, "Nature", written by Wayne Mason and produced by Peter Dawkins
, reached number one in the New Zealand charts in December 1969. It won the APRA
Silver Scroll Award for the year. The Mutton Birds
released a rockier version of Nature is 1995, and in 2001 it was voted New Zealand's greatest pop song ever - becoming the title track of the best-selling Nature's Best
compilation.
In 2010 the band reformed to promote the compilation The Complete Fourmyula, a 4-CD set which includes a previously unreleased album "Turn Your Back on the Wind", originally recorded for Decca
. They played two concerts, one in Auckland
on 18 February 2010 and another in Upper Hutt
, on 20 March 2010.
The Fourmyula was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame
at the 2010 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rock group formed in 1967. Ten of their fourteen singles reached the New Zealand Top 20.
The group consisted of Martin Hope (guitar and vocals), Wayne Mason
Wayne Mason
Wayne Mason is a New Zealand musician born in New Plymouth in 1949. He was a founding member of 1960s pop group The Fourmyula and later formed Rockinghorse and The Warratahs before embarking on a solo career in 1994....
(guitar, keyboards, vocals), Ali Richardson (bass and vocals) and Chris Parry (drums). They were joined in 1968 by Carl Evenson as lead vocalist.
Their first release, "Come With Me" made it to number 2 in August 1968. They released fourteen singles (ten of which reached the New Zealand Top 20) and five albums and won the New Zealand Entertainers of the Year award in 1970.
The Fourmyula's best known song, "Nature", written by Wayne Mason 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...
, reached number one in the New Zealand charts in December 1969. It won the APRA
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...
Silver Scroll Award for the year. The Mutton Birds
The Mutton Birds
The Mutton Birds was a band from New Zealand formed in 1991 by Don McGlashan, Ross Burge, and David Long.-History:All three members came into the band with experience: McGlashan came from Blam Blam Blam and The Front Lawn, guitarist Long had played in the Six Volts and Burge had played in the...
released a rockier version of Nature is 1995, and in 2001 it was voted New Zealand's greatest pop song ever - becoming the title track of the best-selling Nature's Best
Nature's Best
Nature's Best is a two-disc compilation album of thirty New Zealand popular music songs, selected by a panel as the top thirty New Zealand songs of all time.-Selection:...
compilation.
In 2010 the band reformed to promote the compilation The Complete Fourmyula, a 4-CD set which includes a previously unreleased album "Turn Your Back on the Wind", originally recorded for Decca
Decca Records
Decca 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....
. They played two concerts, one in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
on 18 February 2010 and another in Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...
, on 20 March 2010.
The Fourmyula was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame
New Zealand Music Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame is a hall of fame dedicated to noteworthy musicians from New Zealand. The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand and Australasian Performing Right Association announced their intentions to create the hall of fame in August 2007...
at the 2010 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
Discography
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Charted | Certification | Catalog Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albums | ||||||
| 1968 1968 in music -Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design.... |
The Fourmyula | HMV HMV His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone... |
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| 1969 1969 in music -Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event... |
Green B Holiday | - | - | |||
| 1970 1970 in music - Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs.... |
Creation | - | - | |||
| The Fourmyula Live | - | - | ||||
| 1974 1974 in music -January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17... |
A Portrait of The Fourmyula | Axis | - | - | ||
| 1992 1992 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s.... |
The Most of The Fourmyula | 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... |
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| 1999 1999 in music -Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia.... |
Very Best of The Fourmyula | 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... |
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| 2010 2010 in music 2010 in music may refer to:*2010 in American music*2010 in Australian music*2010 in British music*2010 in Canadian music*2010 in European music *2010 in Irish music*2010 in Japanese music*2010 in New Zealand music... |
The Complete Fourmyula | 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... |
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Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Chart | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | "Come With Me" | #2 (NZ) | - | |
| 1968 | "Alice Is There" | #4 (NZ) | - | |
| 1968 | "I Know Why" | #7 (NZ) | - | |
| 1969 | "Start By Giving To Me" | #21 (NZ) | - | |
| 1969 | "Home" | #10 (NZ) | - | |
| 1969 | "Lady Scorpio" | #7 (NZ) | - | |
| 1969 | "I'll Song You A Song" | #3 (NZ) | - | |
| 1969 | "Nature" | #1 (NZ) | - | |
| 1970 | "Make Me Happy" | #19 (NZ) | - | |
| 1970 | "Otaki" | #15 (NZ) | - | |
| 1971 | "Lullaby" | #21 (NZ) | - | |
See also
- Nature's BestNature's BestNature's Best is a two-disc compilation album of thirty New Zealand popular music songs, selected by a panel as the top thirty New Zealand songs of all time.-Selection:...