Birtles & Goble
Encyclopedia
Birtles & Goble was an Australia
n pop music duo composed of Beeb Birtles
(born 28 November 1948 in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
) and Graeham Goble
(born 15 May 1947 in Adelaide
, Australia
). Although they were both fulltime members of Little River Band
, they released an album and three singles as a duo.
and then in Little River Band
(LRB). LRB had an abundance of songwriters, with Birtles, Goble, Glenn Shorrock
and David Briggs
all contributing hit songs. Birtles and Goble were prolific songwriters so, despite contributing to four LRB albums by 1978 (Little River Band
, After Hours
, Diamantina Cocktail
and Sleeper Catcher
), they had a wealth of material left over.
Birtles noted that "we had so many good songs left over which the guys thought were unsuitable for Little River Band, that we decided to approach Glenn Wheatley
with the idea of recording a duo album using our unwanted songs".
The Last Romance was recorded with numerous musicians including current and future members of Little River Band. Birtles and Goble each wrote three of the songs, three songs were co-compositions and one track ("He Gives Us All His Love
") was written by Randy Newman
. The first single "I'm Coming Home" was a top ten hit in Australia and also sold over 100 000 copies in The Philippines. Birtles & Goble performed the song live on television programs such as The Don Lane Show and The Paul Hogan Show
. The song earned Birtles and Goble a nomination for Best Recorded Songwriters at the 1979 Australian Pop Music Awards.
Goble believes that the duo suffered from a lack of promotion: "If The Last Romance album had been successful, I expect that Beeb and I would have left Little River Band and recorded as a duo, e.g. 'Hall & Oates
'. Our record company (Capitol
) were concerned about this possibility and so our album received little support. It was a great experience to record The Last Romance and it remains one of my favorite recordings."
Birtles and Goble did not record again as a duo. Songs from The Last Romance were recorded subsequently by other artists: Mark Holden
had an Australian top ten hit with the song "Last Romance", and The Imperials
recorded "Into My Life".
The third single from The Last Romance, Birtles' paean to his country of birth ("The Netherlands"), subsequently appeared in demo
form as a bonus track
on the 1997 re-release of the Little River Band album No Reins
, showing just how close the song came to being released initially by LRB.
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 pop music duo composed of Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles , is a Dutch / Australian musician, one of the founding members of the Little River Band....
(born 28 November 1948 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) and Graeham Goble
Graeham Goble
Graeham George Goble is a musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of rock performers Little River Band ....
(born 15 May 1947 in Adelaide
Adelaide
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...
, 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...
). Although they were both fulltime members of 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...
, they released an album and three singles as a duo.
Background
Birtles and Goble had worked together since 1972, first in the band MississippiMississippi (band)
Mississippi was an Australian band , which featured some big names in Australian rock music, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Kerryn Tolhurst...
and then in 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...
(LRB). LRB had an abundance of songwriters, with Birtles, Goble, 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....
and David Briggs
David Briggs (Australian musician)
David Briggs is an Australian musician and record producer, educated at Wesley College, Melbourne best known for his time as a guitarist in the rock band, Little River Band between 1976 and 1981.In 1976 he joined Little River Band. He wrote their hit single "Lonesome Loser", as well as "Happy...
all contributing hit songs. Birtles and Goble were prolific songwriters so, despite contributing to four LRB albums by 1978 (Little River Band
Little River Band (album)
Little River Band is the eponymous debut album by Australian rock group Little River Band which was released by EMI in November 1975. It peaked at No. 12 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. The band's debut single, "Curiosity " was released in September ahead of the album and...
, After Hours
After Hours (Little River Band album)
After Hours is the second album from the Australian rock band Little River Band, released in 1976 by Capitol Records. The first single from the album, "Everyday of My Life" was a top ten hit in Australia....
, Diamantina Cocktail
Diamantina Cocktail
Diamantina Cocktail is the third album by the Little River Band. The U.S. version of the album was actually a partial compilation of the Australian versions of After Hours and Diamantina Cocktail. In the 1980s, Capitol Records released the remaining tracks on a U.S...
and Sleeper Catcher
Sleeper Catcher
Sleeper Catcher is the fourth album by the Little River Band, released during 1978. It reached #16 in the United States on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1979. From this album, the band earned its first two "top ten" U.S...
), they had a wealth of material left over.
Birtles noted that "we had so many good songs left over which the guys thought were unsuitable for Little River Band, that we decided to approach Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Dawson Wheatley is an Australian artist manager and entertainment industry executive.Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s and in the late 1960s became nationally famous as a member of leading pop-rock band The Masters Apprentices...
with the idea of recording a duo album using our unwanted songs".
The Last Romance was recorded with numerous musicians including current and future members of Little River Band. Birtles and Goble each wrote three of the songs, three songs were co-compositions and one track ("He Gives Us All His Love
He Gives Us All His Love
"He Gives Us All His Love" is a song written and performed by Randy Newman. It first appeared in the 1971 film Cold Turkey, for which it served as a sort of theme song and played during the opening credits....
") was written by Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
. The first single "I'm Coming Home" was a top ten hit in Australia and also sold over 100 000 copies in The Philippines. Birtles & Goble performed the song live on television programs such as The Don Lane Show and The Paul Hogan Show
The Paul Hogan Show
The Paul Hogan Show was a popular Australian comedy show which aired on Australian television from 1973 until 1984. It made a star of Paul Hogan who later appeared in Crocodile Dundee. Hogan's friend also appeared in the show, playing Hogan's dim flatmate Strop...
. The song earned Birtles and Goble a nomination for Best Recorded Songwriters at the 1979 Australian Pop Music Awards.
Goble believes that the duo suffered from a lack of promotion: "If The Last Romance album had been successful, I expect that Beeb and I would have left Little River Band and recorded as a duo, e.g. 'Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
'. Our record company (Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
) were concerned about this possibility and so our album received little support. It was a great experience to record The Last Romance and it remains one of my favorite recordings."
Birtles and Goble did not record again as a duo. Songs from The Last Romance were recorded subsequently by other artists: Mark Holden
Mark Holden
Mark Holden is an Australian singer, television personality and barrister. He was one of a panel of three judges on the television series Australian Idol.-Acting career:...
had an Australian top ten hit with the song "Last Romance", and The Imperials
The Imperials
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been around for over 45 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many changes for the band in membership and musical styles...
recorded "Into My Life".
The third single from The Last Romance, Birtles' paean to his country of birth ("The Netherlands"), subsequently appeared in demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
form as a bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
on the 1997 re-release of the Little River Band album No Reins
No Reins
No Reins is a 1986 album by the Little River Band. It was the last studio album to feature John Farnham on lead vocals.- Track listing :#"Face in the Crowd" - 4:38#"It's Just a Matter of Time" - 4:47...
, showing just how close the song came to being released initially by LRB.
Discography
Album- The Last Romance – May 1980
Singles
- "I'm Coming Home" / "You'll Never Change Your Mind" – 1979
- "Lonely Lives" / "Megan" – 1979
- "How I Feel Tonight" / "The Netherlands" – 1980