Band of Light
Encyclopedia
Band of Light was an Australia
n heavy blues style based rock band formed in October 1972 and disbanded in late 1974. Phil Key was the founding member, bringing with him Peter Roberts, both of whom were originally with The La De Das
. Ian Rilen
(bass) replaced Roberts after three gigs, with Norm Roue (slide guitarist) and Tony Buettel (drummer) joining to complete the lineup. The band allowed Phil to develop his own songs written with his wife Pam, under the pseudonym of Wheel, using a quasi-religious philosophy which explored themes of racial equality, social justice, spiritual harmony and cosmic enlightenment. The music was energetic and funky with a heavy blues and boogie
style interlaced with intense slide guitar
work. In early 1973 they signed a recording contract with WEA
, releasing two LP
's, one EP
and four singles. They worked consistently touring from Sydney
to Melbourne
doing pub
gigs and concerts whilst playing alongside such bands as Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
, Carson, Coloured Balls (Lobby Loyde
's band), Chain, Madder Lake
and Buffalo
. They highlighted themselves during the 1973 Sunbury Music Festival, and were included on the resulting live concert triple LP set "The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973" with the track "Messin' with the Kid". Phil Key disbanded the group in late 1974 and died in May 1984 of a congenuial heart condition. Ian Rilen died from bladder cancer at the age of 59 on 30 October 2006.
Their albums have long been sought after as rarity vinyl's with 'Total Union' fetching up to A$
300, 'The Archer' USD
100 and the EP
'Band of Light' USD $250. 'Total Union' is now re-released as a remastered CD, with the 'Archer' to follow later in 2007.
Tracks:
1. My First Home - 2. Free Them from Hunger - 3. Spaces of Time - 4. If - 5. Earthbound Blues - 6. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
7. The Destiny Song - 8. Over “B” - 9. Moonstruck - 10. Messin’ with the Kid (live) - 11. The Cat
Tracks:
1. The Archer - 2. Bread & Wine - 3. Indigo Heaven - 4. Invitation - 5. My Black Swan - 6. Our Reason for Being - 7. Seeker - 8. Silis the Sun
EP's
Tracks:
1. The Destiny Song - 2. If - 3. Moonstruck - 4. Free Them from Hunger (shorter edited version of original from LP)
Singles
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 heavy blues style based rock band formed in October 1972 and disbanded in late 1974. Phil Key was the founding member, bringing with him Peter Roberts, both of whom were originally with The La De Das
The La De Das
The La De Das were a leading New Zealand rock band of the 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in New Zealand in 1963 , they enjoyed considerable success in both New Zealand and Australia until their split in 1975....
. Ian Rilen
Ian Rilen
Ian William Rilen was an Australian musician, he was bass guitarist and songwriter with Rock N' Roll band Rose Tattoo and led punk rock group X also providing lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals...
(bass) replaced Roberts after three gigs, with Norm Roue (slide guitarist) and Tony Buettel (drummer) joining to complete the lineup. The band allowed Phil to develop his own songs written with his wife Pam, under the pseudonym of Wheel, using a quasi-religious philosophy which explored themes of racial equality, social justice, spiritual harmony and cosmic enlightenment. The music was energetic and funky with a heavy blues and boogie
Boogie
Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...
style interlaced with intense slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
work. In early 1973 they signed a recording contract with WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, releasing two LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
's, one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and four singles. They worked consistently touring from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
doing pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
gigs and concerts whilst playing alongside such bands as Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-sixties. The group enjoyed huge success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early seventies to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period...
, Carson, Coloured Balls (Lobby Loyde
Lobby Loyde
Lobby Loyde , also known as John Barrie Lyde or Barry Lyde, was an Australian rock music guitarist, songwriter and producer....
's band), Chain, Madder Lake
Madder Lake (band)
Madder Lake is an Australian progressive rock band formed in Melbourne in 1971. They were one of the first band's signed to the Michael Gudinski co-owned Mushroom Records which released their debut single, "Goodbye Lollipop" in February 1973, followed by the album Stillpoint in August. This...
and Buffalo
Buffalo (band)
Buffalo was an early heavy metal band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1971. The band left a legacy with Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and alternative rock movements. The band had evolved from the Brisbane blues-rock outfit Head, which was originally formed in 1968 by Dave Tice and Peter Wells...
. They highlighted themselves during the 1973 Sunbury Music Festival, and were included on the resulting live concert triple LP set "The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973" with the track "Messin' with the Kid". Phil Key disbanded the group in late 1974 and died in May 1984 of a congenuial heart condition. Ian Rilen died from bladder cancer at the age of 59 on 30 October 2006.
Their albums have long been sought after as rarity vinyl's with 'Total Union' fetching up to A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
300, 'The Archer' USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100 and the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
'Band of Light' USD $250. 'Total Union' is now re-released as a remastered CD, with the 'Archer' to follow later in 2007.
Band members
- Tony Buettel 1972-1974
- Dannie Davidson 1974
- Eddie Hansen 1974
- Phil Key 1972-1974
- Ian RilenIan RilenIan William Rilen was an Australian musician, he was bass guitarist and songwriter with Rock N' Roll band Rose Tattoo and led punk rock group X also providing lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals...
1972-1974 - Peter Roberts 1972
- Norm Roue 1972-1974
- Ray Vanderby 1974
- Bill Williams 1974
Discography
Albums- Total Union - August 1973 WEA WS 20011 - Peaking at #13 Australian National Top 20 Album Charts - Remastered CD May 2006 Aztec Music AVSCD012
Tracks:
1. My First Home - 2. Free Them from Hunger - 3. Spaces of Time - 4. If - 5. Earthbound Blues - 6. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
- with the bonus additions for the remastered CD of
7. The Destiny Song - 8. Over “B” - 9. Moonstruck - 10. Messin’ with the Kid (live) - 11. The Cat
- The Archer - 1974 Warner (WEA) 600011
Tracks:
1. The Archer - 2. Bread & Wine - 3. Indigo Heaven - 4. Invitation - 5. My Black Swan - 6. Our Reason for Being - 7. Seeker - 8. Silis the Sun
EP's
- Band of Light - 1974 Warner Bros EPW 261
Tracks:
1. The Destiny Song - 2. If - 3. Moonstruck - 4. Free Them from Hunger (shorter edited version of original from LP)
Singles
- The Destiny Song b/w Over "B" - Peaking at #18 Australian National Top 40 Singles Charts - April 1973 Warner Bros WBA 4035
- Free Them from Hunger (shorter edited version of original from LP) b/w The Cat - 1973 Warner Bros WBA 4043
- Moonstruck b/w If - November 1973 Warner Bros WBA 4055
- The Archer, A Sagittarian Rhapsody b/w Silis the Sun - November 74 Warner Bros WB100006