The Twilights (band)
Encyclopedia
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 an internationally successful songwriter and producer and pen major hits for artists such as Tina Turner
.
and The Masters Apprentices
, The Twilights are widely considered to be one of the most significant Australia
n rock groups of the 1960s. Highly popular bands with teenage audiences, they were renowned for their musical excellence and live prowess, as well as their on-stage humour, and they were held in high respect by fellow musicians. The group is also notable as one of the few major Australian rock bands of the period to retain the same personnel for virtually all of its career. Like most of their contemporaries, they began as a cover band
, playing accomplished renditions of hits by popular overseas bands of the era such as The Beatles
, The Who
and The Small Faces
, and their early hits in Australia were all cover versions. The Twilights were noted for being on top of current musical trends, and their early repertoire was regularly updated with the latest British and American rock hits, which were regularly sent to them on record and tape by family and friends in the UK. Later in their career guitarist Terry Britten
began to write original material but the group did not last long enough for this to have a significant impact on their career.
in South Australia
, a town whose population in the 1960s was largely made up of families who had recently migrated from the UK, and all the original members were born in the Britain. Like many other nascent pop bands, The Twilights were strongly affected by The Beatles’ film A Hard Day's Night
and other emerging British beat groups, notably The Hollies
, The Who
and The Small Faces
, and they kept abreast of the latest trends with packages of records and tape recordings of Top 40 radio shows that they regularly received from relatives in Britain. Drawn together by their common origins and musical interests, singer Glenn Shorrock
(hailing originally from Kent, UK), and his friends Mike Sykes and Clem "Paddy" McCartney (born in Belfast) formed an a-cappella trio, eventually gaining regular bookings around the small Adelaide folk/coffee-house circuit.
Occasionally, and especially for more prestige engagements, this original vocal 3-piece teamed up with local instrumental outfits, including The Vector Men and The Hurricanes. Typical of the era, the Hurricanes had started out as a Shadows
-style instrumental act, but the impact of The Beatles and other "British Invasion
" bands saw many guitar bands around Australia recruiting lead singers and changing over to vocal-based material. The Twilights and The Hurricanes developed a solid bond, leading to the formation of the six-piece, fully electric-and-vocal group, The Twilights.
Still based in Adelaide, and originally self-managed and produced, the band released its debut single, "I'll Be Where You Are" on EMI
’s Columbia
imprint in June 1965. A ballad written by Shorrock and Britten, the single gained some airplay in Melbourne but failed to chart outside Adelaide. Subsequent singles made further inroads – the second release, "Wanted To Sell", cracked the Melbourne charts and the third, the brisk, Beatles-styled Brideoake/Britten original "If She Finds Out" gave the band its first chart success in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
The Twilights quickly gained a strong reputation for their dynamic live shows in Adelaide. Early in 1965, drummer Frank Barnard left the group after the band hired Gary Spry as their manager. Barnard was replaced by Laurie Pryor, a well-known local drumming prodigy, who had previously played with another popular Adelaide band, Johnny Broome & The Handels. The new Twilights line-up with Pryor remained intact for the rest of the life of the band.
After taking over the group's management, Melbourne promoter Gary Spry realised that it was essential to establish the group in Australia's pop capital, Melbourne. The Twilights moved there in late 1965 where they took up a three month residency at Spry's discothèque, Pinocchio's. Their reputation quickly spread around Melbourne, -- the club was sold out every night and they were soon being booked by all the major disco and dance promoters in the city.
song "Baby Let Me Take You Home", which marked the beginning of their successful collaboration with EMI house producer David Mackay
; it gained a minor chart placing in Melbourne but made no impact in other cities.
The Twilights fared much better with their next two releases. Their fourth single was a cover of Larry Williams
’ "Bad Boy" (June 1966), a track made famous by The Beatles; a video recording of the group performing this song on the pop program The Go!! Show
has survived and can be seen on YouTube.
Their biggest national chart success came with their dynamic cover of the Velvelettes' "Needle In A Haystack" (August 1966). Although the group was reportedly not enamored of the song, manager Gary Spry insisted that they record it and it made the Top 10 in all Australian states. This was a notable achievement at the time—prior to late 1966 there was no recognised national pop chart and most Australia capital-city radio stations (especially in Sydney and Melbourne) were still highly parochial in their choice of material, rarely playing songs by acts from other states.
The popularity of "Needle in a Haystack" also took the single to the top of the new National Top 40 published for the first time in early October 1966 in Go-Set
magazine. The single entered the inaugural 5 October chart at #14 and within two weeks it had shot to #1, becoming the first Australian recording to reach #1 on the Go-Set chart, out-charting overseas competitors including The Beatles "Yellow Submarine
", Donovan's "Sunshine Superman
" and The Lovin' Spoonful
's "Summer in the City
". It topped the Go-Set chart for two weeks in mid-October 1966, remaining in the chart for the rest of the year and into mid-January 1967.
Their follow-up single, "You Got Soul" entered the Go-Set chart on 18 Jan. 1967 but was not as successful, peaking at #26 nationally. However, these successes, together with the release of their self-titled first album and numerous appearances on TV pop shows, cemented the band's status as one of Australia's most popular new groups.
Their debut album, also produced by David Mackay
, demonstrated the group's diversity as a recording unit and showcased their major influences. It featured several original tunes, songs specially written for them by Barry Gibb
and Hans Poulsen
, and covers of concert favourites including The Yardbirds
’ "I’m Not Talkin’", The Who’s "La La La Lies", The Moody Blues
’ "Let Me Go", The Hollies
’ "Yes I Will" and The Rolling Stones
’ "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction".
In July 1966 at Festival Hall, Melbourne
, The Twilights competed in the first national final of the prestigious new pop band competition, the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds
, emerging as winners from a field of more than 500 groups. They were awarded bonus points for sound, originality, presentation and audience reaction. The competition rule which set maximum group membership at five meant that Paddy McCartney (half of the band’s twin lead vocal line-up) had to sit out for the band's winning performance, but he returned to the stage for the winner's encore.
The competition first prize was a trip to the UK on the Sitmar cruise line and on 26 September 1966, the group embarked for London on the passenger liner 'Fairstar'.
. They were soon sporting out the latest Mod hairstyles and Carnaby Street
clothes and grew moustaches, emulating the new trend set by The Beatles. Although they had high hopes of success, they were dismayed by the quality of the British groups they encountered. Shorrock observed upon the band’s return to Australia:
One major achievement was the opportunity to play a week’s residency at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern club to an enthusiastic response. Thanks to their contract with EMI, the band also had the chance to record at the Abbey Road Studios
, teaming with renowned producer-engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith, who had been the engineer on almost all The Beatles 1962–1966 recordings and who went on to produce Pink Floyd
’s debut album (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
) and The Pretty Things
classic psychedelic concept album S.F. Sorrow
. It has been reported that Paul McCartney
poked his head around the door, thumbs aloft, and offered encouragement to the band whilst recording. The Beatles themselves were at that time recording their classic single "Penny Lane
" and The Twilights were invited to sit in and observe their sessions.
A clutch of songs from the Abbey Road sessions were soon released back in Australia and in February 1967, their superb version of The Hollies
' "What’s Wrong With The Way I Live?" rapidly rose into the national Top 10. Composed specially for the Twilights by Graham Nash
, Tony Hicks
and Alan Clarke
, the song exhibited a sophisticated sound that the band had only hinted at before. With its banjo motif and tight block harmonies, the recording earned plaudits from the composers themselves ("Much better than we did it!", Nash is said to have remarked) — and garnered support from other expatriate Aussie musicians like The Bee Gees, as well as earning encouraging airplay on pirate radio stations like Radio Caroline
, where a number of expatriate Australian DJs were working. The B-side, "9.50", a driving Terry Britten psychedelic rocker, proved equally popular in Australia and was revived by Divinyls
as a single B-side in the early 1980s.
For short time it appeared that the single might make make it into the British charts, but just as it was gaining airplay momentum it was derailed by the release of the Hollies' own version of their album, which EMI issued despite an earlier agreement not to do so. Extremely disappointed, The Twilights decided amongst themselves to return on the next boat home without telling Gary Spry, their manager, who was back in Australia. He reportedly rang to tell them that they had been booked to appear on "Top Of The Pops
", Britain's leading television pop show, only to find they had already been at sea for a week.
The third song recorded during the Abbey Road sessions provided the next Australian A-side. "Young Girl" was a melancholy and evocative Laurie Pryor tune featuring Terry Britten’s innovative use of the variable volume pedal.
The changes in looks, attitude and musical accomplishment evident in the band upon its return to Australia were exemplified by the increasing dominance of lead guitarist and songwriter Terry Britten
. Of all the Twilights, the Manchester-born Britten most fully absorbed the kaleidoscopic influences on offer in the musical melting pot of London. His rapid creative growth during this time saw him assume the role of chief songwriter and leader. Like his hero George Harrison, Britten embraced elements of Eastern philosophy and religion, and he introduced exotic instruments and musical forms into The Twilights’ music, such as his use of the sitar
as a lead instrument on the B-side of the "Young Girl" single, a social observation called "Time And Motion Study Man".
The last single from the group in 1967, "Cathy Come Home" b/w "The Way They Play", also featured the sitar prominently on both sides, and unusually for the time it was issued in a two-colour picture sleeve. The A-side was inspired by the BBC-TV play of the same name and top promote it they filmed one of the earliest Austraian music video
clips. The single was another airplay and chart success, but it was the last major hit that the band enjoyed. "Cathy Come Home" also began a trend in which Britten wrote songs inspired by movies or TV shows, which continued through his later writing. He wrote a song for Ronnie Burns, around another Aussie-produced film, Age Of Consent, which was submitted but rejected for the soundtrack of the Michael Powell
film of the same name, and he released his own solo single in 1969, again inspired by a current movie, Tim Burstall
's 2000 Weeks.
In concert the group continued to impress. Thanks to a precious acetate of the album which they brouht back from London, , The Twilights were playing the whole of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album live, in order, from start to finish, weeks before its official release in Australia. Staff at EMI are reported to have demanded that the Twilights desist, fearing their flawless performance might actually harm sales of the album when it was finally issued in June.
to develop a weekly television sit-com series showing the group at work and play, based on the recent success of The Monkees
and The Beatles A Hard Days’ Night.
Go-Set magazine documented the making of the pilot for the series, called Once Upon A Twilight, with photos of the group on location around Melbourne with their co-stars, comedienne Mary Hardy (playing the role of the band’s secretary), and a youthful Ronnie Burns. Unfortunately, program sponsor the Ford Motor Company
withdrew its support later in the year and the project was cancelled, although it did inspire what was to become The Twilights’ greatest recording achievement.
The music the group had intended for the soundtrack to the shelved series took on a life of its own. After long gestation period, interspersed with the band’s most concentrated regime of live touring yet, they produced what many critics now regard as one of the best Australian pop albums of the era, Once Upon A Twilight.
It set new standards in Australia for pop album production and packaging — it was one of the very first Australian pop LPs to be released in both mono and stereo, and was issued in a lavish gatefold cover that included die-cut pop-up figures of the band memebers. The track listing included compositions by several band members — Peter Brideoake’s plaintive, cello and horn-embellished "Tomorrow Is Today" and Laurie Pryor’s raucous comedy turn "The Cocky Song", and several new Terry Britten songs. As main songwriter he provided lush settings for Shorrock, including the title track, "Found To Be Thrown Away" and "Paternosta Row" (which featured heavily processed lead vocals), plus delicate arrangements for Paddy McCartney’s featured number, "Bessemae". Britten sang lead vocals and almost solo instrumentation on "Mr Nice" and "Devendra", the latter featuring an arrangement of Indian string and percussion reminiscent of George Harrison’s "Within You, Without You". Throughout the LP, the group explored the most up-to-date arrangements and techniques available -- exotic instruments, brass sections, string quartets, wah-wah guitar, feedback, Keith Moon-styled drum patterns, reverse tape effects, stereo panning and electronically treated vocals.
Once Upon A Twilight was initially pressed in mono only, as the stereo mix commissioned in America was delayed. An anecdote recorded by rock historian Glenn A. Baker
says that Linda Ronstadt
and her band The Stone Poneys (including Anglophile songwriter Andrew Gold
and future Eagle Glenn Frey
) were recording in an adjacent studio, and heard some of the mixing sessions. Impressed with the quality of the songs and performances, Ronstadt and her manager apparently lobbied to secure American release for The Twilights on Capitol records.
Concurrent with the release of the album came the group’s eleventh single. "Always", recorded during the same sessions. Unfortunately, both the LP and the single fared poorly on the charts, signalling the beginning of a downturn in the group's fortunes.
Nevertheless, 1968 was the band’s peak year as a performing unit. They remained one of the biggest drawcards on Melbourne's thriving dance and disco circuit. Popular venues such as Sebastian’s, Bertie’s, Pinnochios, Catcher, The Thumpin’ Tum and Opus played host to some of the most polished stage shows by an Australian band yet witnessed. The group were the envy of local musicians due to the fact that they were one of the first bands in Australia to be equipped with the new British-made Marshall
amplifiers (made famous by Jimi Hendrix
), and the combination of their powerful stage sound, impeccable presentation and tight musicianship .
The Twilights show at the time also had a prominent comedy/slapstick element. Glenn Shorrock frequently adopted a comedic alter-ego, "Superdroop", dressing in a shabby super-hero jumpsuit (which can be seen in the "Cathy COme Home" film clip) and he was also notorious for terrorising audiences but leaping out from backstage dressed in a gorilla suit, sometimes swinging precariously on a trapeze over the crowd. Alongside their own material and selections of popular Motown and soul classics, the group also regularly performed powerful cover versions of recent hits as Cream’s "Sunshine Of Your Love
", Traffic’s "Dear Mr Fantasy", Hendrix’s "Purple Haze
", The Small Faces' "Tin Soldier
" and The Move’s "Night Of Fear
". Their live renditions of such songs were often said to equal or surpass the original recordings and many of their fellow musisians are on record as rating The Twilights as their favourite local live band of the period.
The Twilights' next single, "Tell Me Goodbye" / "Comin’ On Down" (Aug. 1968) was recorded at Armstrong’s Studios in Melbourne, and proved to be their last collaboration with longtime producer David MacKay, but it was largely ignored by radio and the public and failed to chart.
By late 1968 however internal frictions were growing—the group was disillusioned by the dwindling interest of their label and the consequent lack of chart success, and they were growing tired of the constant, gruelling routine of live performance; at that time it was common for popular local acts to play multiple nightly appearances (often as many as five or more every night) at dances and discotheques. Their situation was further complicated by the loss of manager Spry, who had quit as manager in mid 1968 due to the band's insistence that he relinquish his other activities to concentrate on The Twilights—by this point Spry was concurrently running his discotheque, managing two other acts (The Groove
and the female vocal group Marcie and the Cookies), and operating his A.M.B.O. booking agency.
November saw the release of their swansong, this time produced by expatriate New Zealander Howard Gable
, who had recently taken over as EMI's house producer from the departing Mackay, who had taken up a position at EMI's London head office. "Sand In The Sandwiches" attempted to purvey a jaunty, frivolous "let’s all head off for the beach" theme but failed to achieve its intention; even rock historian and self-confessed Twilights fan Glenn A. Baker
later described it as "abysmal". By contrast, The B-side, "Lotus", showcased all the band's strengths, but again it gained little airplay and sales were negligible.
The final break came when preparations for a second trip to the UK were thwarted because Laurie Pryor refused to participate, leading to his resignation from the group. Disappointed and dejected with their recent lack of progress and perceived loss of popularity, the group decided then to disband, announcing a series of final live appearances in Sydney and Melbourne.
, Johnny Farnham, The Dave Miller Set, The Las De Das, Heart'n'Soul, Respect, Clapham Junction and The Executives, with comperes Ward Austin and Dal Myles. Five thousand fans attended, with thousands more reportedly turned away. Their last Melboourne concert was at Bertie's Discotheque.
Interest in the band was considerably revived by a compilation of live recordings, Twilight Time, which was followed by the definitive 1989 Raven Records
CD anthology The Way They Played, compiled and annotated by Glenn A. Baker
. In 2006 Aztec Music released a remastered CD anthology of their rare 1968 masterpiece Once Upon A Twilight, comprising both the mono and stereo mixes of the original LP.
concert tour in 2002. The only member not present was Pryor, who could not participate due to illness. The surviving Twilights reunited for the all-star "Rock of Ages" concert promoted by Aztec Music at the Palais Theatre
in St Kilda, Melbourne in 2011.
EPs
"I’ll Be Where You Are" / "If She Finds Out" // "Baby, Let Me Take You Home" / "Bad Boy"
"Needle In A Haystack" / "What’s Wrong With The Way I Live" // "9.50" / "Young Girl"
"You Got Soul" / "The Way They Play" // '"Cathy, Come Home" / "Always"
Albums
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....
, who later fronted Axiom, Esperanto and 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...
, and guitarist Terry Britten
Terry Britten
Terry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
who went on to become an internationally successful songwriter and producer and pen major hits for artists such as Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
.
Introduction
Alongside The EasybeatsThe Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
and 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...
, The Twilights are widely considered to be one of the most significant Australia
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 rock groups of the 1960s. Highly popular bands with teenage audiences, they were renowned for their musical excellence and live prowess, as well as their on-stage humour, and they were held in high respect by fellow musicians. The group is also notable as one of the few major Australian rock bands of the period to retain the same personnel for virtually all of its career. Like most of their contemporaries, they began as a cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
, playing accomplished renditions of hits by popular overseas bands of the era such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and The Small Faces
The Small Faces
The Small Faces were an English rock and roll band from East London, heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues. The group was founded in 1965 by members Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston, although by 1966 Winston was replaced by Ian McLagan as the band's...
, and their early hits in Australia were all cover versions. The Twilights were noted for being on top of current musical trends, and their early repertoire was regularly updated with the latest British and American rock hits, which were regularly sent to them on record and tape by family and friends in the UK. Later in their career guitarist Terry Britten
Terry Britten
Terry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
began to write original material but the group did not last long enough for this to have a significant impact on their career.
Personnel
- Frank Barnard — drums (1964–65)
- Peter Brideoake — rhythm guitar, vocals
- Terry BrittenTerry BrittenTerry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
— lead guitar, vocals - John Bywaters — bass
- Clem "Paddy" McCartney — lead vocals
- Laurie Pryor — drums (1965–69)
- 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
1965
The Twilights formed in the satellite town of Elizabeth, 20 km north of AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, a town whose population in the 1960s was largely made up of families who had recently migrated from the UK, and all the original members were born in the Britain. Like many other nascent pop bands, The Twilights were strongly affected by The Beatles’ film A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...
and other emerging British beat groups, notably The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and The Small Faces
The Small Faces
The Small Faces were an English rock and roll band from East London, heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues. The group was founded in 1965 by members Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston, although by 1966 Winston was replaced by Ian McLagan as the band's...
, and they kept abreast of the latest trends with packages of records and tape recordings of Top 40 radio shows that they regularly received from relatives in Britain. Drawn together by their common origins and musical interests, 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....
(hailing originally from Kent, UK), and his friends Mike Sykes and Clem "Paddy" McCartney (born in Belfast) formed an a-cappella trio, eventually gaining regular bookings around the small Adelaide folk/coffee-house circuit.
Occasionally, and especially for more prestige engagements, this original vocal 3-piece teamed up with local instrumental outfits, including The Vector Men and The Hurricanes. Typical of the era, the Hurricanes had started out as a Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
-style instrumental act, but the impact of The Beatles and other "British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
" bands saw many guitar bands around Australia recruiting lead singers and changing over to vocal-based material. The Twilights and The Hurricanes developed a solid bond, leading to the formation of the six-piece, fully electric-and-vocal group, The Twilights.
Still based in Adelaide, and originally self-managed and produced, the band released its debut single, "I'll Be Where You Are" on 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...
’s Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
imprint in June 1965. A ballad written by Shorrock and Britten, the single gained some airplay in Melbourne but failed to chart outside Adelaide. Subsequent singles made further inroads – the second release, "Wanted To Sell", cracked the Melbourne charts and the third, the brisk, Beatles-styled Brideoake/Britten original "If She Finds Out" gave the band its first chart success in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
The Twilights quickly gained a strong reputation for their dynamic live shows in Adelaide. Early in 1965, drummer Frank Barnard left the group after the band hired Gary Spry as their manager. Barnard was replaced by Laurie Pryor, a well-known local drumming prodigy, who had previously played with another popular Adelaide band, Johnny Broome & The Handels. The new Twilights line-up with Pryor remained intact for the rest of the life of the band.
After taking over the group's management, Melbourne promoter Gary Spry realised that it was essential to establish the group in Australia's pop capital, Melbourne. The Twilights moved there in late 1965 where they took up a three month residency at Spry's discothèque, Pinocchio's. Their reputation quickly spread around Melbourne, -- the club was sold out every night and they were soon being booked by all the major disco and dance promoters in the city.
1966
The band's first recording after relocating to Melbourne was a version of the Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song "Baby Let Me Take You Home", which marked the beginning of their successful collaboration with EMI house producer David Mackay
David Mackay (producer)
David Mackay is an Australian record producer/arranger and musical director. He was born in Sydney, Australia and began his music career at the age of 15 in a production of Bye Bye Birdie for J.C. Williamson Theatre Company...
; it gained a minor chart placing in Melbourne but made no impact in other cities.
The Twilights fared much better with their next two releases. Their fourth single was a cover of Larry Williams
Larry Williams
Larry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana...
’ "Bad Boy" (June 1966), a track made famous by The Beatles; a video recording of the group performing this song on the pop program The Go!! Show
The Go!! Show
The Go!! Show was a top rating Australian popular music television series which aired on ATV-0 Melbourne from 1964 to 1967, and was produced by DYT Productions at the Channel 0 studios in Nunawading, Victoria....
has survived and can be seen on YouTube.
Their biggest national chart success came with their dynamic cover of the Velvelettes' "Needle In A Haystack" (August 1966). Although the group was reportedly not enamored of the song, manager Gary Spry insisted that they record it and it made the Top 10 in all Australian states. This was a notable achievement at the time—prior to late 1966 there was no recognised national pop chart and most Australia capital-city radio stations (especially in Sydney and Melbourne) were still highly parochial in their choice of material, rarely playing songs by acts from other states.
The popularity of "Needle in a Haystack" also took the single to the top of the new National Top 40 published for the first time in early October 1966 in Go-Set
Go-Set
Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...
magazine. The single entered the inaugural 5 October chart at #14 and within two weeks it had shot to #1, becoming the first Australian recording to reach #1 on the Go-Set chart, out-charting overseas competitors including The Beatles "Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine (song)
"Yellow Submarine" is a 1966 song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney , with lead vocals by Ringo Starr. It was included on the Revolver album and issued as a single, coupled with "Eleanor Rigby". The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks...
", Donovan's "Sunshine Superman
Sunshine Superman
"Sunshine Superman" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. The "Sunshine Superman" single was released in the United States through Epic Records in July 1966, but due to a contractual dispute the United Kingdom release was delayed until December 1966, where it...
" and The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
's "Summer in the City
Summer in the City
"Summer in the City" is the title of a song recorded by The Lovin' Spoonful, written by Mark Sebastian and Steve Boone. It came from their album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1966...
". It topped the Go-Set chart for two weeks in mid-October 1966, remaining in the chart for the rest of the year and into mid-January 1967.
Their follow-up single, "You Got Soul" entered the Go-Set chart on 18 Jan. 1967 but was not as successful, peaking at #26 nationally. However, these successes, together with the release of their self-titled first album and numerous appearances on TV pop shows, cemented the band's status as one of Australia's most popular new groups.
Their debut album, also produced by David Mackay
David Mackay (producer)
David Mackay is an Australian record producer/arranger and musical director. He was born in Sydney, Australia and began his music career at the age of 15 in a production of Bye Bye Birdie for J.C. Williamson Theatre Company...
, demonstrated the group's diversity as a recording unit and showcased their major influences. It featured several original tunes, songs specially written for them by Barry Gibb
Barry Gibb
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
and Hans Poulsen
Hans Poulsen
Hans Sven Poulsen is an Australian singer-songwriter popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
, and covers of concert favourites including The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
’ "I’m Not Talkin’", The Who’s "La La La Lies", The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
’ "Let Me Go", The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
’ "Yes I Will" and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
’ "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction".
In July 1966 at Festival Hall, Melbourne
Festival Hall, Melbourne
Festival Hall is a concert and sporting venue, located at 300 Dudley Street, West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of Melbourne's larger concert venues and has hosted a variety of local and international acts over many years....
, The Twilights competed in the first national final of the prestigious new pop band competition, the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds
Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds
Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds was an annual national rock/pop band competition held in Australia from 1966 to 1972.-History:Australia's Battle of the Sounds was originally established by Australian tabloid magazine Everybody’s in 1965 as a talent quest for new unsigned bands in Sydney, Melbourne...
, emerging as winners from a field of more than 500 groups. They were awarded bonus points for sound, originality, presentation and audience reaction. The competition rule which set maximum group membership at five meant that Paddy McCartney (half of the band’s twin lead vocal line-up) had to sit out for the band's winning performance, but he returned to the stage for the winner's encore.
The competition first prize was a trip to the UK on the Sitmar cruise line and on 26 September 1966, the group embarked for London on the passenger liner 'Fairstar'.
1967
As soon as they disembarked from at Southampton, the group made a bee-line for all the essential landmarks of Swinging LondonSwinging London
Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the...
. They were soon sporting out the latest Mod hairstyles and Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is home to numerous fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
clothes and grew moustaches, emulating the new trend set by The Beatles. Although they had high hopes of success, they were dismayed by the quality of the British groups they encountered. Shorrock observed upon the band’s return to Australia:
- "Our biggest shock was the high standard of so many groups who are not even known. It was hard for us to get jobs with good money".
One major achievement was the opportunity to play a week’s residency at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern club to an enthusiastic response. Thanks to their contract with EMI, the band also had the chance to record at the Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, teaming with renowned producer-engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith, who had been the engineer on almost all The Beatles 1962–1966 recordings and who went on to produce Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
’s debut album (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut album by the English rock group Pink Floyd, and the only one made under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership. The album contains whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairy tales, along with psychedelic instrumental songs...
) and The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
classic psychedelic concept album S.F. Sorrow
S.F. Sorrow
S.F. Sorrow is the title of the fourth LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things, released in 1968.One of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character,...
. It has been reported that Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
poked his head around the door, thumbs aloft, and offered encouragement to the band whilst recording. The Beatles themselves were at that time recording their classic single "Penny Lane
Penny Lane
"Penny Lane" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney. It was credited to Lennon–McCartney.Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, "Penny Lane" was released in February 1967 as one side of a double A-sided single, along with "Strawberry Fields Forever". Both songs were later included...
" and The Twilights were invited to sit in and observe their sessions.
A clutch of songs from the Abbey Road sessions were soon released back in Australia and in February 1967, their superb version of The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
' "What’s Wrong With The Way I Live?" rapidly rose into the national Top 10. Composed specially for the Twilights by Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
, Tony Hicks
Tony Hicks
Tony Hicks is a guitarist and singer who has been a member of the British pop group The Hollies since 1963.-Career:...
and Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke was a television and film director, producer and writer, born in Wallasey, Merseyside, England.Most of Clarke's output was for television rather than cinema, including work for the famous play strands The Wednesday Play and Play for Today...
, the song exhibited a sophisticated sound that the band had only hinted at before. With its banjo motif and tight block harmonies, the recording earned plaudits from the composers themselves ("Much better than we did it!", Nash is said to have remarked) — and garnered support from other expatriate Aussie musicians like The Bee Gees, as well as earning encouraging airplay on pirate radio stations like Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
, where a number of expatriate Australian DJs were working. The B-side, "9.50", a driving Terry Britten psychedelic rocker, proved equally popular in Australia and was revived by Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
as a single B-side in the early 1980s.
For short time it appeared that the single might make make it into the British charts, but just as it was gaining airplay momentum it was derailed by the release of the Hollies' own version of their album, which EMI issued despite an earlier agreement not to do so. Extremely disappointed, The Twilights decided amongst themselves to return on the next boat home without telling Gary Spry, their manager, who was back in Australia. He reportedly rang to tell them that they had been booked to appear on "Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
", Britain's leading television pop show, only to find they had already been at sea for a week.
The third song recorded during the Abbey Road sessions provided the next Australian A-side. "Young Girl" was a melancholy and evocative Laurie Pryor tune featuring Terry Britten’s innovative use of the variable volume pedal.
The changes in looks, attitude and musical accomplishment evident in the band upon its return to Australia were exemplified by the increasing dominance of lead guitarist and songwriter Terry Britten
Terry Britten
Terry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
. Of all the Twilights, the Manchester-born Britten most fully absorbed the kaleidoscopic influences on offer in the musical melting pot of London. His rapid creative growth during this time saw him assume the role of chief songwriter and leader. Like his hero George Harrison, Britten embraced elements of Eastern philosophy and religion, and he introduced exotic instruments and musical forms into The Twilights’ music, such as his use of the sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
as a lead instrument on the B-side of the "Young Girl" single, a social observation called "Time And Motion Study Man".
The last single from the group in 1967, "Cathy Come Home" b/w "The Way They Play", also featured the sitar prominently on both sides, and unusually for the time it was issued in a two-colour picture sleeve. The A-side was inspired by the BBC-TV play of the same name and top promote it they filmed one of the earliest Austraian music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
clips. The single was another airplay and chart success, but it was the last major hit that the band enjoyed. "Cathy Come Home" also began a trend in which Britten wrote songs inspired by movies or TV shows, which continued through his later writing. He wrote a song for Ronnie Burns, around another Aussie-produced film, Age Of Consent, which was submitted but rejected for the soundtrack of the Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
film of the same name, and he released his own solo single in 1969, again inspired by a current movie, Tim Burstall
Tim Burstall
Tim Burstall was an Australian film director, writer and producer, best known for the motion picture Alvin Purple....
's 2000 Weeks.
In concert the group continued to impress. Thanks to a precious acetate of the album which they brouht back from London, , The Twilights were playing the whole of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album live, in order, from start to finish, weeks before its official release in Australia. Staff at EMI are reported to have demanded that the Twilights desist, fearing their flawless performance might actually harm sales of the album when it was finally issued in June.
1968
This began promisingly for The Twilights with the chart success of "Cathy Come Home", and this was consolidated by an invitation from the Seven NetworkSeven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
to develop a weekly television sit-com series showing the group at work and play, based on the recent success of The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
and The Beatles A Hard Days’ Night.
Go-Set magazine documented the making of the pilot for the series, called Once Upon A Twilight, with photos of the group on location around Melbourne with their co-stars, comedienne Mary Hardy (playing the role of the band’s secretary), and a youthful Ronnie Burns. Unfortunately, program sponsor the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
withdrew its support later in the year and the project was cancelled, although it did inspire what was to become The Twilights’ greatest recording achievement.
The music the group had intended for the soundtrack to the shelved series took on a life of its own. After long gestation period, interspersed with the band’s most concentrated regime of live touring yet, they produced what many critics now regard as one of the best Australian pop albums of the era, Once Upon A Twilight.
It set new standards in Australia for pop album production and packaging — it was one of the very first Australian pop LPs to be released in both mono and stereo, and was issued in a lavish gatefold cover that included die-cut pop-up figures of the band memebers. The track listing included compositions by several band members — Peter Brideoake’s plaintive, cello and horn-embellished "Tomorrow Is Today" and Laurie Pryor’s raucous comedy turn "The Cocky Song", and several new Terry Britten songs. As main songwriter he provided lush settings for Shorrock, including the title track, "Found To Be Thrown Away" and "Paternosta Row" (which featured heavily processed lead vocals), plus delicate arrangements for Paddy McCartney’s featured number, "Bessemae". Britten sang lead vocals and almost solo instrumentation on "Mr Nice" and "Devendra", the latter featuring an arrangement of Indian string and percussion reminiscent of George Harrison’s "Within You, Without You". Throughout the LP, the group explored the most up-to-date arrangements and techniques available -- exotic instruments, brass sections, string quartets, wah-wah guitar, feedback, Keith Moon-styled drum patterns, reverse tape effects, stereo panning and electronically treated vocals.
Once Upon A Twilight was initially pressed in mono only, as the stereo mix commissioned in America was delayed. An anecdote recorded by rock historian Glenn A. Baker
Glenn A. Baker
Glenn A. Baker is an Australian journalist, commentator, and broadcaster well known in Australia for his vast knowledge of Rock music. He has written books and magazine articles on rock music and travel, interviewed celebrities, managed bands such as Ol' 55 and promoted tours of international stars...
says that Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
and her band The Stone Poneys (including Anglophile songwriter Andrew Gold
Andrew Gold
Andrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
and future Eagle Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
) were recording in an adjacent studio, and heard some of the mixing sessions. Impressed with the quality of the songs and performances, Ronstadt and her manager apparently lobbied to secure American release for The Twilights on Capitol records.
Concurrent with the release of the album came the group’s eleventh single. "Always", recorded during the same sessions. Unfortunately, both the LP and the single fared poorly on the charts, signalling the beginning of a downturn in the group's fortunes.
Nevertheless, 1968 was the band’s peak year as a performing unit. They remained one of the biggest drawcards on Melbourne's thriving dance and disco circuit. Popular venues such as Sebastian’s, Bertie’s, Pinnochios, Catcher, The Thumpin’ Tum and Opus played host to some of the most polished stage shows by an Australian band yet witnessed. The group were the envy of local musicians due to the fact that they were one of the first bands in Australia to be equipped with the new British-made Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
amplifiers (made famous by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
), and the combination of their powerful stage sound, impeccable presentation and tight musicianship .
The Twilights show at the time also had a prominent comedy/slapstick element. Glenn Shorrock frequently adopted a comedic alter-ego, "Superdroop", dressing in a shabby super-hero jumpsuit (which can be seen in the "Cathy COme Home" film clip) and he was also notorious for terrorising audiences but leaping out from backstage dressed in a gorilla suit, sometimes swinging precariously on a trapeze over the crowd. Alongside their own material and selections of popular Motown and soul classics, the group also regularly performed powerful cover versions of recent hits as Cream’s "Sunshine Of Your Love
Sunshine of Your Love
"Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British supergroup Cream. The song was originally released on the album Disraeli Gears in November 1967, and was later released as a single in January 1968. It is Cream's only gold-selling single in the United States. It features a distinctive...
", Traffic’s "Dear Mr Fantasy", Hendrix’s "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
", The Small Faces' "Tin Soldier
Tin soldier
Tin soldiers are miniature figures of toy soldiers that are extremely popular in the world of collecting. They can be bought finished or in a raw state to be hand-painted. They are generally made of pewter, tin, lead, other metals or plastic...
" and The Move’s "Night Of Fear
Night of Fear
"Night of Fear" is the title of The Move's debut single. The main riff was derived from Tchaikovsky's, 1812 Overture.At one point, it was considered that its b-side "Disturbance" would be The Move's first a-side, but this didn't happen because "Night of Fear" was decided to be more commercial. It...
". Their live renditions of such songs were often said to equal or surpass the original recordings and many of their fellow musisians are on record as rating The Twilights as their favourite local live band of the period.
The Twilights' next single, "Tell Me Goodbye" / "Comin’ On Down" (Aug. 1968) was recorded at Armstrong’s Studios in Melbourne, and proved to be their last collaboration with longtime producer David MacKay, but it was largely ignored by radio and the public and failed to chart.
By late 1968 however internal frictions were growing—the group was disillusioned by the dwindling interest of their label and the consequent lack of chart success, and they were growing tired of the constant, gruelling routine of live performance; at that time it was common for popular local acts to play multiple nightly appearances (often as many as five or more every night) at dances and discotheques. Their situation was further complicated by the loss of manager Spry, who had quit as manager in mid 1968 due to the band's insistence that he relinquish his other activities to concentrate on The Twilights—by this point Spry was concurrently running his discotheque, managing two other acts (The Groove
The Groove (band)
Formed in mid 1967, The Groove are considered to be Australia's first "supergroup" in that all members had considerable experience behind them in a number of successful bands...
and the female vocal group Marcie and the Cookies), and operating his A.M.B.O. booking agency.
November saw the release of their swansong, this time produced by expatriate New Zealander Howard Gable
Howard Gable
Howard Gable is a New Zealand-born record producer who is best known for his work as an A&R manager and house producer for EMI's Columbia pop label in Australia in the late 1960s and early 1970...
, who had recently taken over as EMI's house producer from the departing Mackay, who had taken up a position at EMI's London head office. "Sand In The Sandwiches" attempted to purvey a jaunty, frivolous "let’s all head off for the beach" theme but failed to achieve its intention; even rock historian and self-confessed Twilights fan Glenn A. Baker
Glenn A. Baker
Glenn A. Baker is an Australian journalist, commentator, and broadcaster well known in Australia for his vast knowledge of Rock music. He has written books and magazine articles on rock music and travel, interviewed celebrities, managed bands such as Ol' 55 and promoted tours of international stars...
later described it as "abysmal". By contrast, The B-side, "Lotus", showcased all the band's strengths, but again it gained little airplay and sales were negligible.
The final break came when preparations for a second trip to the UK were thwarted because Laurie Pryor refused to participate, leading to his resignation from the group. Disappointed and dejected with their recent lack of progress and perceived loss of popularity, the group decided then to disband, announcing a series of final live appearances in Sydney and Melbourne.
1969
After the shock announcement of the breakup in the 22 January Go-Set issue, The Twilights gave their last NSW concert performance at The Trocadero in Sydney. They were a last-minute inclusion in the Ray-o-Vac Batteries Spectacular, which featured an all-star lineup including The GrooveThe Groove (band)
Formed in mid 1967, The Groove are considered to be Australia's first "supergroup" in that all members had considerable experience behind them in a number of successful bands...
, Johnny Farnham, The Dave Miller Set, The Las De Das, Heart'n'Soul, Respect, Clapham Junction and The Executives, with comperes Ward Austin and Dal Myles. Five thousand fans attended, with thousands more reportedly turned away. Their last Melboourne concert was at Bertie's Discotheque.
After The Twilights
Although The Twilights was one of Australia's most popular groups in its day, its record label EMI has done little to curate its recorded legacy. Their two studio albums were briefly re-released ca 1969 on EMI's budget labels Music For Pleasure, but since that time none of their original recordings have been reissued by the label.Interest in the band was considerably revived by a compilation of live recordings, Twilight Time, which was followed by the definitive 1989 Raven Records
Raven Records
Raven Records is an Australian record label that specializes in retrospectives and reissues or recordings by American, British and Australian artists.Raven Records was established in 1979 by Glenn A. Baker, Kevin Mueller and Peter Shillito....
CD anthology The Way They Played, compiled and annotated by Glenn A. Baker
Glenn A. Baker
Glenn A. Baker is an Australian journalist, commentator, and broadcaster well known in Australia for his vast knowledge of Rock music. He has written books and magazine articles on rock music and travel, interviewed celebrities, managed bands such as Ol' 55 and promoted tours of international stars...
. In 2006 Aztec Music released a remastered CD anthology of their rare 1968 masterpiece Once Upon A Twilight, comprising both the mono and stereo mixes of the original LP.
- 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....
briefly worked as a manager and agent for Brisbane teen-pop group The AvengersThe Avengers (band)The Avengers are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in San Francisco, California. Penelope Houston, who has also been a folk musician, is their singer.-Original history:...
and the A.M.B.O. agency. In late 1969, following the split of their previous band The Groop, Brian CaddBrian CaddBrian George Cadd is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboardist and producer who has performed as a member of The Groop, Axiom, Flying Burrito Brothers and solo...
and Don Mudie invited Shorrock to become the lead singer of a new 'supergroup', AxiomAxiom (Australian band)Axiom were a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1969 and included musicians Glenn Shorrock and Brian Cadd.-Biography:Axiom's formation was a by-product of the annual Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds in which the top Australian bands of the day performed in front of judges for the prize of a...
; they recorded two albums and scored several hit singles before splitting in 1971. He spent two years in the UK, releasing several solo singles on the MAMMamMam or MAM may refer to:* Mam language, a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala* Mam people, an indigenous Maya people in Guatemala* Mam , a reverential term for certain aged Maya deities.* Mam, Azerbaijan, a village...
label, doing backup vocals in the Cliff RichardCliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
touring band, before joining the UK-based multinational group Esperanto, with whom he recorded two albums. On his return to Australia at the start of 1975 he teamed with ex-MississippiMississippi (band)Mississippi was an Australian band , which featured some big names in Australian rock music, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Kerryn Tolhurst...
members Beeb BirtlesBeeb BirtlesBeeb Birtles , is a Dutch / Australian musician, one of the founding members of the Little River Band....
and 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 ....
to form Little River BandLittle River BandLittle 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...
. They became the first Australia rock act to achieve major chart and sales success in the United States scored phenomenal success in the US later in the seventies, with Glenn as its lead singer. After leaving LRB in early 1982, Glenn retreated from performing for a time, compering the ABC-TV music series Rock Arena, before releasing a solo album Villain Of The Peace, then teaming again with Cadd under the name Blazing Salads. A double-album anthology The First Twenty Years, which included tracks from most phases of Glenn’s recording career was issued out in 1985. In 2000, he participated in a large-scale presentation of Beatles songs at the Sydney Opera House in 1998 with a rock band and full orchestra under the baton of Sir George Martin.
- Terry BrittenTerry BrittenTerry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
became a freelance songwriter and producer, working for Austral;ian acts including ZootZootZoot may refer to:*Zoot , an Australian pop group active 1965-1971*Zoot, a character in the television series The Tribe*Zoot, a character in the fictional Muppet band Dr...
, The Avengers and Ronnie Burns. He released a solo single, "2,000 Weeks", before moving to England to develop a new 4-piece band with fellow Australians Kevin Peek, Alan TarneyAlan TarneyAlan Tarney is an English songwriter, record producer and bass guitarist. He was born in Workington, Cumberland, England, but spent his teenage years in Adelaide, Australia where he met his songwriting and musical partner Trevor Spencer.- Career :Tarney was part of the huge influx of British...
and Trevor SpencerTrevor SpencerTrevor Spencer is an Australian songwriter, record producer and drummer. He was born in Adelaide, Australia Trevor studied drums and percussion from the age of 10...
(ex- James Taylor Move). This band, Quartet, released a single, "Now" on 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....
before disbanding in late 1969 and recorded an album, Joseph which was never released. Britten then partnered with Brian Peacock (ex-Procession) in the group Homer, before concentrating on songwriting, sometimes in collaboration Tarney, Spencer and B. A. RobertsonB. A. RobertsonB. A. Robertson is a Scottish musician, actor, composer and songwriter.-Career:...
. He wrote several major hits for Cliff RichardCliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, Tina TurnerTina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
and Australian singer Christie AllenChristie AllenChristie Allen was an English-born pop singer who had a successful career as a recording artist in her adopted homeland Australia.-Biography:...
, as well as co-writing "Just Good Friends" with Graham Lyle of (Gallagher & Lyle) for Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's BadBad (album)Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
album. He went on to win a Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Tina TurnerTina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
's "We Don't Need Another HeroWe Don't Need Another Hero"We Don't Need Another Hero " is the hit theme song to the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome with Mel Gibson and Tina Turner. The single was recorded by Turner, who played Aunty Entity in the movie...
", the theme to the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Britten continues to compose from his base in EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
but has returned to Australia on occasion for the various Twilights reunions.
- Laurie Pryor became the drummer with ChainChain (band)Chain are an Australian blues band formed in Melbourne as The Chain in late 1968 with a lineup including guitarist, vocalist Phil Manning; they are sometimes known as Matt Taylor's Chain after lead singer-songwriter and harmonica player, Matt Taylor...
soon after leaving the Twilights, undertook various studio sessions and helped form the much-lauded early 70s progressive rock band Healing ForceHealing ForceHealing Force is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen recorded in 1976 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4 stars.-Track listing:# "Pain Inside" - 15:51# "Tracey's Blues" - 8:32...
with the late Charlie TumahaiCharlie TumahaiCharles Turu Tumahai was a New Zealand singer, bass player and songwriter who was a member of several noted rock groups in New Zealand, Australia and the UK...
. Pryor died in May 2010 after a long illness.
- Peter Brideoake returned to Adelaide in 1969 and began studies in composition with Richard MealeRichard MealeRichard Graham Meale, AM, MBE was an Australian composer of instrumental works and operas.-Biography:Meale was born in Sydney and studied piano with Winifred Burston at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, as well as clarinet, harp, music history and theory, before studying at the University of...
at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of AdelaideUniversity of AdelaideThe University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. Following his graduation with a Bachelor of Music (Hons.) he began teaching harmony and modern composition techniques at the Elder Conservatorium, and he has been a lecturer there since 1975. As well as teaching in composition studies, he has introduced a course in Chinese music as the result of an interest in the music, theatre and language of China. A special interest in an ancient Chinese zither (Ch'in) has meant that after several periods of study in China, he has become a proficient performer on this instrument. In 1978 he was awarded the John Bishop Memorial Commission; other commissioned works have been composed for the Sydney String Quartet, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Seymour Group, the Victorian String Quartet and, more recently, by percussionist Ryszard Pusz.
Reunions
Five of the original six members of the band reunited for a special Beatles tribute concert in Adelaide in 2000, and they reformed again for the hugely successful Long Way To The TopLong Way To The Top
Long Way To The Top was an Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary on the history of Australian rock and roll from 1956 to the modern era.-Production:...
concert tour in 2002. The only member not present was Pryor, who could not participate due to illness. The surviving Twilights reunited for the all-star "Rock of Ages" concert promoted by Aztec Music at the Palais Theatre
Palais Theatre
The Palais Theatre is a former cinema, now functioning exclusively as a concert venue, located in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. With a capacity of 2,896 people, it is the largest seated theatre in Australia....
in St Kilda, Melbourne in 2011.
Discography
Singles- "I'll Be Where You Are" / "I Don't Know Where The Wind Will Blow Me" (Columbia DO 4582) June 1965
- "Come On Home" / "Wanted To Sell" (Columbia DO 4610) Oct. 1965
- "If She Finds Out" / "John Hardy" (Columbia DO 4658) Feb. 1966
- "Baby Let Me Take You Home" / "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" (Columbia DO 4685) May 1966
- "Bad Boy" / "It's Dark" (Columbia DO 4698) Jun. 1966
- "Needle In A Haystack" / "I Won't Be The Same Without Her" (Columbia DO 4717) Aug. 1966
- "You Got Soul" / "Yes I Will" (Columbia DO 4742) Dec. 1966
- "What's Wrong With The Way I Live" / "9.50" (Columbia DO 4764) Feb. 1967
- "Young Girl" / "Time & Motion Study Man" (Columbia DO 4787) May 1967
- "Bowling Brings Out The Swinger In You" / "Bowling Brings Out The Swinger In You" (instrumental version) – EMI Custom PRS 1736 (promotional single) 1967
- "Cathy Come Home" / "The Way They Play" (Columbia DO 5030) Nov. 1967
- "Always" / "What A Silly Thing To Do" (Columbia DO 8361) May 1968
- "Tell Me Goodbye" / "Comin' On Down" (Columbia DO 8448) Aug. 1968
- "Sand In The Sandwiches" / "Lotus" (Columbia DO 8602) Nov. 1968
- "2,000 Weeks" /" Bargain Day" (Columbia DO 8711) 1969 (Terry Britten solo)
EPs
- Bad Boy (Columbia SEGO-70129) 1966
"I’ll Be Where You Are" / "If She Finds Out" // "Baby, Let Me Take You Home" / "Bad Boy"
- Needle In A Haystack (Columbia SEGO-70139) 1967
"Needle In A Haystack" / "What’s Wrong With The Way I Live" // "9.50" / "Young Girl"
- Always (Columbia SEGO-70161) 1968
"You Got Soul" / "The Way They Play" // '"Cathy, Come Home" / "Always"
Albums
- The Twilights (Columbia 33OSX-7779) (reissued as Music For Pleasure MFP-8129)
- Once Upon a Twilight (Columbia OSX-7870 mono, SECO 7870 stereo) 1968
- Best of The Twilights (HMV OELP-9777)
- Twilight Time – Raven RVLP-08
- The Twilights: The Way They Played (Raven CD RVCD-03) 1989
External links
- http://www.macbitz.net.au/allstars/index.html
- http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/music/twilights.htm
- http://www.abc.net.au/longway/artist_index/glennshorrock.htm
- http://www.milesago.com/Artists/twilights.htm
- http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/t/twilights.html