The Reels
Encyclopedia
The Reels is an Australian rock
/indie pop
group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales
in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream
", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs
of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) in 2001. The Reels had top 10 Australian Kent Music Report
Singles Chart success with covers of Herb Alpert
's "This Guy's in Love With You
" (No. 7, 1982) and Creedence Clearwater Revival
's "Bad Moon Rising
" (No. 11, 1986). Rock music historian
, Ian McFarlane described them as "one of the most original and invigorating pop bands to emerge from the Australian new wave movement of the late 1970s".
, Craig Hooper on lead guitar
and synthesiser
, and Dave Mason on vocals, formed in the country town of Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976. Mason is the son of NSW parliamentarian
, John Mason
, who was the state's Liberal Party
leader during 1978–1981.
Native Sons played in the Dubbo area for two years, mainly covers of current and classic hits. After moving to Sydney
in 1978, the band added Paul Abrahams
on bass guitar
and changed their name to The Brucelanders. They developed an original repertoire of fast-paced, quirky pop and ska, and their energetic performances gained them a following on the east coast live music scene. They were given support in Sydney by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC)'s rock radio station Double J
—which moved to the FM band and became Triple J
in 1980.
By 1979, The Brucelanders had secured a recording contract with the Australian branch of Mercury Records
, changed their name to The Reels with the line-up of Abrahams, Bliss, Hooper, Mason, and Colin Newham on keyboards, saxophone
and guitar. They released their debut single, "Love Will Find a Way" in October, which peaked into the top 40 of the Australian Kent Music Report
Singles Chart. Their self-titled debut album, The Reels, produced by Mark Opitz
(The Angels
, Cold Chisel
) had appeared in November. With the follow-up single, "Prefab Heart" also appearing in November, combined with the band's distinctive image, they gained increasing attention with their music video
s featured on the influential national ABC TV pop show Countdown from early 1980.
In February, The Reels were joined by another keyboardist, Karen Ansel
(ex-Romantics), and released their third single, "After the News" in July. It marked a transition in their music—their songs took on a more serious lyrical tone—they dispensed with guitars, by using synthesisers as their main instruments, and were one of the first groups to use wireless headsets instead of traditional microphones.
During late July, the group undertook the innovative Reels By Rail Tour—using rail transport to destinations in the eastern states. At the end of the year, returning to their origins as a covers band, they released a five-track Christmas EP, Five Great Gift Ideas from The Reels, produced by Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop
, which included Jim Reeves
' "According to My Heart", and Freda Payne
's "Band of Gold
". "According to My Heart" featured a folksy
music video filmed at the farm of Australian country music
star Smokey Dawson.
, which saw the band displaying an impressive maturity in song writing, backed with strong performances, inventive arrangements and top-class production. The album's title track, "Quasimodo's Dream
", was released as a single and, although widely considered to be one of the best Australian singles of that period, it peaked at No. 27 in June. The band undertook the Kitchen Man Tour, which saw the stage dressed as a fully equipped Australian kitchen.
The Reels' lack of top 10 mainstream commercial success was at odds with their strong live following, but it was due in part to the restrictive programming on commercial radio at that time, which gave little exposure to local "new wave" acts. The group's deteriorating relationship with Mercury was also a factor, as evidenced by the album's track listing—it included the earlier hit "According to My Heart", but a disclaimer printed on the sleeve noted that it had been included at the insistence of the record company (i.e. against the band's wishes).
Internal tensions were also a factor in the group's career vicissitudes—Bliss left just after the recording of the album, and Newham had quit by the time it was released. The new five-piece lineup (with Fidock) cut a new single, "No. 3", which was not successful; soon after this, both Abrahams and Ansel left. Now reduced to a trio (Mason, Hooper and Fidock) they continued performing by augmenting their live sound with taped backing tracks, and used the new Fairlight synthesiser
for studio recordings.
label, The Reels scored an unexpected hit with a wry, languid cover of the Burt Bacharach
-Hal David
song, originally recorded by Herb Alpert
, "This Guy's In Love With You
", which reached No. 7. They followed this with a one-off album for K-tel
, which was known for its licensed pop hit compilations and budget 'golden oldie'. Although the tracks on Beautiful walked a fine line between sincere tribute and gentle parody, it proved to be the biggest success of their career, selling in excess of 40,000 copies and reaching No. 32 on the album chart. The album was later released through RCA
.
In 1983 the band travelled to the United States and United Kingdom, released another five track EP, Pitt Street Farmers (the title is an old Sydney satirical expression referring to wealthy rural landowners who never leave the city). This was followed by a new version of "Quasimodo's Dream" in December 1983, which demonstrated the band's faith in the song, although it failed to chart on its second release. At this point Mason was forced to give up performing after contracting hepatitis
, which effectively ended the group. Hooper joined The Church
as keyboard player, and later joined The Mullanes
, the original incarnation of what became Crowded House
.
By late 1985 Mason had recovered and The Reels was revived (with the line-up of Mason, Hooper, Bliss and Newham) and completed their commitments to RCA with a single, a cover version of Etta James
's "It Must Be Love".
's "Bad Moon Rising
". It proved to be another surprise hit, reaching #11 (October 1986); the arrangement featuring prominent use of the Vocoder
voice synthesiser, which the band also used extensively on stage to augment Mason's vocals. Bliss left the band again at the end of 1986.
Their next single (Jan. 1987) was a cover of the old Edison Lighthouse
hit "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
" . During the year they embarked on the popular "Reels By Request" tour, where the audience was allowed to call out for the songs they wanted to hear. This was followed by an 'all Australian songs' version of the same concept, and this in turn led to the Reels' next studio album, Neighbors - the name of which, for reasons best known to the band, excluded the 'u' which would normally be contained in the Australian English spelling. This LP contained their idiosyncratic versions of thirteen Australian rock classics, including the singles "Are You Old Enough" (originally a hit for Dragon
) and "Forever Now
" (by Cold Chisel
). Steve Prestwich, who wrote "Forever Now", played on The Reels' version.
, in which he co-starred with Nick Cave
. In September 1991 the Reels issued their first original single in five years, "I Don't Love You Anymore", followed by what proved to be their last single, a remix by Filthy Lucre of "Bad Moon Rising" . The group officially disbanded to coincide with the release of the compilation CD Requiem. In 1999, Rock music historian
, Ian McFarlane described them as "one of the most original and invigorating pop bands to emerge from the Australian new wave movement of the late 1970s" in his Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop
.
Dave Mason, John Bliss and Colin ‘Polly’ Newham have resurrected themselves in their former guise ‘The Reels’ and played shows in May 2008.
At a subsequent show (the Gaelic Club, Surry Hills; 27 September 2008), Dave Mason announced that Polly Newham was retiring from the band. It wasn't obvious whether this was a serious or joke announcement, though. Since Colin Newham retired, original bassist Abrahams has rejoined the band after twenty three years.
, The Mullanes
(the original incarnation of Crowded House
), and also recorded with The Rockmelons
and Ross Wilson.
Karen Ansel
went on to become a noted film and TV computer graphics
specialist in the US (IMDb).
Paul Abrahams
also played bass in a band with Colin Newham called 'The Company of Strangers' was also a member of Peter Blakeley
's band 'The Resurrection'. Played bass for Wendy Matthews
. Played drums for Ya Ya Choral, Rat Tat Tat (Peter Blakeley
and Jeff Stapleton) and The Bonerattlers who were regular buskers at Paddington Markets.
Nick Cave
in 1994 and Dirty Three
in 1998 as guest programmers selected Quasimodo's Dream for TV show Rage.
John Bliss co-authored the book The A to Zen of Lawn Bowls with John Salter in 1997.
David Mason appeared in the Countdown Spectacular
2 concert series in Australia
between late-August and early-September 2007 as a solo performer. He sang the song "Quasimodo's Dream" only.
In 2007, Dave Mason released a new album - "Reelsville" - on Liberation Blue. Dave performed one gig to launch the album at 'the Basement' in Sydney on 16 May 2007. A further gig is booked for 'the Factory Enmore Theatre' in Sydney on 24 May 2008. This show became a local cause celebre when police with sniffer dogs arrested two 60 year old punters for smoking illegals.
Dave Mason appeared on Episode 114 of 'RocKwiz' on Australian SBS TV, broadcast on Saturday 26 March 2011. Dave performed The Reels' 'Quasimodo's Dream' and ended the show in a duet with Sally Seltmann doing the Conway Twitty song 'As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone.'
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream
Quasimodo's Dream (song)
"Quasimodo's Dream" is a song by Australian pop, New Wave band The Reels and was released as the title single off their second album, Quasimodo's Dream in May 1981. The album peaked at No. 27 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart but the single did not reach the Top 50 of the...
", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) in 2001. The Reels had top 10 Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart success with covers of Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
's "This Guy's in Love With You
This Guy's in Love with You
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.The recording's origin occurs, as...
" (No. 7, 1982) and Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
's "Bad Moon Rising
Bad Moon Rising (song)
"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 1969, four months before the album. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the UK Singles...
" (No. 11, 1986). Rock music historian
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
, Ian McFarlane described them as "one of the most original and invigorating pop bands to emerge from the Australian new wave movement of the late 1970s".
Early years
Native Sons, consisting of John Bliss on drumsDrum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, Craig Hooper on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and synthesiser
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, and Dave Mason on vocals, formed in the country town of Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976. Mason is the son of NSW parliamentarian
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
, John Mason
John Mason (Australian politician)
John Marsden Mason is a former Australian politician, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 16 years.-Early life:Mason was born in Rose Bay in Sydney in 1928, the son of Kay Mason and Stella Marsden...
, who was the state's Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
leader during 1978–1981.
Native Sons played in the Dubbo area for two years, mainly covers of current and classic hits. After moving to 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...
in 1978, the band added Paul Abrahams
Paul Abrahams (musician)
Paul Abrahams is an Australian musician and bass player for The Reels-Biography:Abrahams joined The Reels in 1978 and recorded 2 Albums and 1 EP between 1979-1981...
on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and changed their name to The Brucelanders. They developed an original repertoire of fast-paced, quirky pop and ska, and their energetic performances gained them a following on the east coast live music scene. They were given support in Sydney by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC)'s rock radio station Double J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
—which moved to the FM band and became Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
in 1980.
By 1979, The Brucelanders had secured a recording contract with the Australian branch of Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, changed their name to The Reels with the line-up of Abrahams, Bliss, Hooper, Mason, and Colin Newham on keyboards, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and guitar. They released their debut single, "Love Will Find a Way" in October, which peaked into the top 40 of the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart. Their self-titled debut album, The Reels, produced by Mark Opitz
Mark Opitz
Mark Opitz, started his career with ABC TV in Sydney in the 1970’s and has since gone on to work with many of the great Australian musicians that have graced both the Australian and international music charts for the past 25 years....
(The Angels
The Angels (band)
The Angels are an American girl group, best known for their 1963 million selling #1 hit single, "My Boyfriend's Back".-History:The group originated in New Jersey as The Starlets which consisted of sisters, Barbara "Bibbs" and Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut, Bernadette Carroll, and Linda Malzone. They had...
, Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
) had appeared in November. With the follow-up single, "Prefab Heart" also appearing in November, combined with the band's distinctive image, they gained increasing attention with their 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...
s featured on the influential national ABC TV pop show Countdown from early 1980.
In February, The Reels were joined by another keyboardist, Karen Ansel
Karen Ansel
Karen Ansel is a film and TV computer graphics specialist in the United States.Previously a musician, she was an influential member of the Australian band The Reels...
(ex-Romantics), and released their third single, "After the News" in July. It marked a transition in their music—their songs took on a more serious lyrical tone—they dispensed with guitars, by using synthesisers as their main instruments, and were one of the first groups to use wireless headsets instead of traditional microphones.
During late July, the group undertook the innovative Reels By Rail Tour—using rail transport to destinations in the eastern states. At the end of the year, returning to their origins as a covers band, they released a five-track Christmas EP, Five Great Gift Ideas from The Reels, produced by Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop
Russell Dunlop
Russell Dunlop was a prominent Australian musician, singer, composer and record producer-engineer, best known for his partnership with Bruce Brown and their co-production of notable 1980s albums and singles by Australian performers including Mental As Anything, The Reels and...
, which included Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
' "According to My Heart", and Freda Payne
Freda Payne
Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in...
's "Band of Gold
Band Of Gold (Freda Payne song)
"Band of Gold" is a popular song written by Holland–Dozier–Holland under the pseudonym Edythe Wayne, and Ron Dunbar, and first recorded by Freda Payne...
". "According to My Heart" featured a folksy
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
music video filmed at the farm of Australian country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
star Smokey Dawson.
Quasimodo's Dream
In May 1981 they released the album considered by many to be their best work, Quasimodo's DreamQuasimodo's Dream
Quasimodo's Dream is the second album by Australian group The Reels, released in May 1981 by Polygram Records. It is considered to be the band's best work and contains the iconic title track, which was voted as number 10 on APRA's list of Top 30 Australian songs. Other singles from the album...
, which saw the band displaying an impressive maturity in song writing, backed with strong performances, inventive arrangements and top-class production. The album's title track, "Quasimodo's Dream
Quasimodo's Dream (song)
"Quasimodo's Dream" is a song by Australian pop, New Wave band The Reels and was released as the title single off their second album, Quasimodo's Dream in May 1981. The album peaked at No. 27 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart but the single did not reach the Top 50 of the...
", was released as a single and, although widely considered to be one of the best Australian singles of that period, it peaked at No. 27 in June. The band undertook the Kitchen Man Tour, which saw the stage dressed as a fully equipped Australian kitchen.
The Reels' lack of top 10 mainstream commercial success was at odds with their strong live following, but it was due in part to the restrictive programming on commercial radio at that time, which gave little exposure to local "new wave" acts. The group's deteriorating relationship with Mercury was also a factor, as evidenced by the album's track listing—it included the earlier hit "According to My Heart", but a disclaimer printed on the sleeve noted that it had been included at the insistence of the record company (i.e. against the band's wishes).
Internal tensions were also a factor in the group's career vicissitudes—Bliss left just after the recording of the album, and Newham had quit by the time it was released. The new five-piece lineup (with Fidock) cut a new single, "No. 3", which was not successful; soon after this, both Abrahams and Ansel left. Now reduced to a trio (Mason, Hooper and Fidock) they continued performing by augmenting their live sound with taped backing tracks, and used the new Fairlight synthesiser
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
for studio recordings.
Beautiful
In late 1982, having signed a new contract with the RCA RecordsRCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
label, The Reels scored an unexpected hit with a wry, languid cover of the Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
-Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
song, originally recorded by Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
, "This Guy's In Love With You
This Guy's in Love with You
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.The recording's origin occurs, as...
", which reached No. 7. They followed this with a one-off album for K-tel
K-tel
K-tel International is an "As-Seen-On-TV" company, which is most noted for its compilation music albums, such as "The Super Hits" series, "The Dynamic Hits" series and "The Number One Hits" series...
, which was known for its licensed pop hit compilations and budget 'golden oldie'. Although the tracks on Beautiful walked a fine line between sincere tribute and gentle parody, it proved to be the biggest success of their career, selling in excess of 40,000 copies and reaching No. 32 on the album chart. The album was later released through RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
In 1983 the band travelled to the United States and United Kingdom, released another five track EP, Pitt Street Farmers (the title is an old Sydney satirical expression referring to wealthy rural landowners who never leave the city). This was followed by a new version of "Quasimodo's Dream" in December 1983, which demonstrated the band's faith in the song, although it failed to chart on its second release. At this point Mason was forced to give up performing after contracting hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
, which effectively ended the group. Hooper joined The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
as keyboard player, and later joined The Mullanes
The Mullanes
The Mullanes were a New Zealand/Australian rock group which was formed by Neil Finn after the demise of Split Enz in 1984. Mullane is Neil Finn's middle name and was his mother's maiden name...
, the original incarnation of what became Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
.
By late 1985 Mason had recovered and The Reels was revived (with the line-up of Mason, Hooper, Bliss and Newham) and completed their commitments to RCA with a single, a cover version of Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
's "It Must Be Love".
Neighbors
They then signed with Regular Records and released a radically slowed-down, synthesiser-driven version of Creedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
's "Bad Moon Rising
Bad Moon Rising (song)
"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 1969, four months before the album. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the UK Singles...
". It proved to be another surprise hit, reaching #11 (October 1986); the arrangement featuring prominent use of the Vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
voice synthesiser, which the band also used extensively on stage to augment Mason's vocals. Bliss left the band again at the end of 1986.
Their next single (Jan. 1987) was a cover of the old Edison Lighthouse
Edison Lighthouse
Edison Lighthouse was a UK pop group, initially a studio-only assemblage that served as a vehicle for session vocalist Tony Burrows and songwriter/record producers Tony Macaulay and Barry Mason, are best known for their 1970 UK chart-topper and million-selling record, "Love Grows ".-Career:The...
hit "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
"Love Grows " is a popular song by "one-hit wonder" Edison Lighthouse. The single hit the number one spot on the UK singles chart on the week ending on 31 January 1970, where it remained for a total of five weeks.- Song profile :...
" . During the year they embarked on the popular "Reels By Request" tour, where the audience was allowed to call out for the songs they wanted to hear. This was followed by an 'all Australian songs' version of the same concept, and this in turn led to the Reels' next studio album, Neighbors - the name of which, for reasons best known to the band, excluded the 'u' which would normally be contained in the Australian English spelling. This LP contained their idiosyncratic versions of thirteen Australian rock classics, including the singles "Are You Old Enough" (originally a hit for Dragon
Dragon (band)
Dragon is a popular New Zealand rock band, they were formed in Auckland, New Zealand in January 1972 and relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975. They were previously led by singer Marc Hunter and are currently led by his brother bass player Todd Hunter...
) and "Forever Now
Forever Now (Cold Chisel song)
"Forever Now" was a 1982 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel. The second single from the album Circus Animals, it was the first Cold Chisel single to be penned by Steve Prestwich. The song reached number 2 in the New Zealand charts, and number 4 in Australia, the band highest chart...
" (by Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
). Steve Prestwich, who wrote "Forever Now", played on The Reels' version.
The end...
In 1989 Mason appeared in the acclaimed Australian feature film Ghosts... of the Civil DeadGhosts... of the Civil Dead
Ghosts... of the Civil Dead is a 1988 Australian film directed by John Hillcoat. The script was written by Hillcoat, producer Evan English and the unflappable Gene Conkie, as well as musicians Nick Cave and Hugo Race. It is partly based on the true story of Jack Henry Abbott...
, in which he co-starred with Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
. In September 1991 the Reels issued their first original single in five years, "I Don't Love You Anymore", followed by what proved to be their last single, a remix by Filthy Lucre of "Bad Moon Rising" . The group officially disbanded to coincide with the release of the compilation CD Requiem. In 1999, Rock music historian
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
, Ian McFarlane described them as "one of the most original and invigorating pop bands to emerge from the Australian new wave movement of the late 1970s" in his Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop
Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop
The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop or Rock and Pop by Australian music journalist Ian McFarlane is a guide to Australian popular music from the 1950s to the late 1990s...
.
The comeback
In May 2007, Dave Mason released his first album in more than 15 years, Reelsville, an acoustic celebration of The Reels hits re-recorded by the original artist. In August 2007 Reel To Reel was also released, a compilation of The Reels classic tracks with new liner notes as written by Mason.Dave Mason, John Bliss and Colin ‘Polly’ Newham have resurrected themselves in their former guise ‘The Reels’ and played shows in May 2008.
At a subsequent show (the Gaelic Club, Surry Hills; 27 September 2008), Dave Mason announced that Polly Newham was retiring from the band. It wasn't obvious whether this was a serious or joke announcement, though. Since Colin Newham retired, original bassist Abrahams has rejoined the band after twenty three years.
After The Reels
Hooper was also a member of The ChurchThe Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
, The Mullanes
The Mullanes
The Mullanes were a New Zealand/Australian rock group which was formed by Neil Finn after the demise of Split Enz in 1984. Mullane is Neil Finn's middle name and was his mother's maiden name...
(the original incarnation of Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
), and also recorded with The Rockmelons
Rockmelons
Rockmelons, often referred to as the Rockies, are an Australian Pop/Dance/R&B group formed in 1983 in Sydney. They are based around Bryon Jones, his brother Jonathon Jones and Raymond Medhurst. They had two Top Five hit singles in the early 1990s with "Ain't No Sunshine" and "That Word ", both sung...
and Ross Wilson.
Karen Ansel
Karen Ansel
Karen Ansel is a film and TV computer graphics specialist in the United States.Previously a musician, she was an influential member of the Australian band The Reels...
went on to become a noted film and TV computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
specialist in the US (IMDb).
Paul Abrahams
Paul Abrahams (musician)
Paul Abrahams is an Australian musician and bass player for The Reels-Biography:Abrahams joined The Reels in 1978 and recorded 2 Albums and 1 EP between 1979-1981...
also played bass in a band with Colin Newham called 'The Company of Strangers' was also a member of Peter Blakeley
Peter Blakeley
Peter Blakeley is an Australian White Soul/Adult Contemporary singer and songwriter.Blakeley was a lead singer for The Rockmelons in the mid-1980s. He launched a solo career in 1987 and had a massive hit single in Australia in 1990 with "Crying in the Chapel", which was not a remake of the 1950s...
's band 'The Resurrection'. Played bass for Wendy Matthews
Wendy Matthews
Wendy Joan Matthews is an Australian adult alternative pop singer originally from Canada who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist...
. Played drums for Ya Ya Choral, Rat Tat Tat (Peter Blakeley
Peter Blakeley
Peter Blakeley is an Australian White Soul/Adult Contemporary singer and songwriter.Blakeley was a lead singer for The Rockmelons in the mid-1980s. He launched a solo career in 1987 and had a massive hit single in Australia in 1990 with "Crying in the Chapel", which was not a remake of the 1950s...
and Jeff Stapleton) and The Bonerattlers who were regular buskers at Paddington Markets.
Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
in 1994 and Dirty Three
Dirty Three
Dirty Three are an instrumental trio consisting of Warren Ellis , Mick Turner and Jim White , originating from Melbourne, Australia. Since the Dirty Three formed in 1992, they have spent a lot of time overseas...
in 1998 as guest programmers selected Quasimodo's Dream for TV show Rage.
John Bliss co-authored the book The A to Zen of Lawn Bowls with John Salter in 1997.
David Mason appeared in the Countdown Spectacular
Countdown Spectacular
The Countdown Spectacular is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series Countdown.-Countdown Spectacular:...
2 concert series in 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...
between late-August and early-September 2007 as a solo performer. He sang the song "Quasimodo's Dream" only.
In 2007, Dave Mason released a new album - "Reelsville" - on Liberation Blue. Dave performed one gig to launch the album at 'the Basement' in Sydney on 16 May 2007. A further gig is booked for 'the Factory Enmore Theatre' in Sydney on 24 May 2008. This show became a local cause celebre when police with sniffer dogs arrested two 60 year old punters for smoking illegals.
Dave Mason appeared on Episode 114 of 'RocKwiz' on Australian SBS TV, broadcast on Saturday 26 March 2011. Dave performed The Reels' 'Quasimodo's Dream' and ended the show in a duet with Sally Seltmann doing the Conway Twitty song 'As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone.'
Members
- David Mason – lead vocals, keyboards
- Craig HooperCraig HooperCraig Hooper is an Australian musician who was a core member of Indie rock band The Reels and was in bands The Mullanes , The Church and The Crystal Set...
– guitars, keyboards, vocals - Colin 'Polly' Newham — keyboards
- John Bliss – drums
- Paul AbrahamsPaul Abrahams (musician)Paul Abrahams is an Australian musician and bass player for The Reels-Biography:Abrahams joined The Reels in 1978 and recorded 2 Albums and 1 EP between 1979-1981...
– bass - Karen AnselKaren AnselKaren Ansel is a film and TV computer graphics specialist in the United States.Previously a musician, she was an influential member of the Australian band The Reels...
– keyboards, vocals - Stefan Fidock – drums, vocals
Albums
- The ReelsThe Reels (album)The Reels is the self-titled debut album by Australian band The Reels, released in 1979. It was produced by Mark Opitz who also produced albums for Cold Chisel and AC/DC. 2 editions of the album were released, the Australian one having two more tracks and a re-arranged tracklisting...
(1979) #81 AUS - Quasimodo's DreamQuasimodo's DreamQuasimodo's Dream is the second album by Australian group The Reels, released in May 1981 by Polygram Records. It is considered to be the band's best work and contains the iconic title track, which was voted as number 10 on APRA's list of Top 30 Australian songs. Other singles from the album...
(May 1981) #27 AUS - BeautifulBeautiful (The Reels album)Beautifulis the third studio album by The Reels and was released in 1982 on the K-tel label. The album was subsequently released on CD through RCA .-Track listing:# "This Guy's In Love With You" 4:34...
(October 1982) #32 AUS - NeighborsNeighbors (album)Neighbors is The Reels fourth studio album and was released in 1988 on Regular Records through Festival Records. It consists of cover versions of classic Australian songs by well-known artists and was produced by Dave Mason, Craig Hooper and Bruce Brown. It was recorded at Festival Studios and...
(November 1988) #81 AUS - Reelsville (2007)
Compilations
- Unreel (October 1983)
- Requiem, (Best of...) (1992)
- Reel To Reel (2007)
EPs
- Five Great Gift Ideas From The ReelsFive Great Gift Ideas From The ReelsFive Great Gift Ideas From The Reels is an extended play released by Australian band The Reels in November 1980. It was released during the recording sessions for the band's album Quasimodo's Dream. The EP consisted of 5 tracks: 4 covers and 1 original. It charted at #12 in Australia...
(November 1980) #12 AUS - Pitt Street Farmers (September 1983)
Singles
- "Love Will Find a Way" / "Spot the Ridge" (1979) #39 AUS
- "Prefab Heart" / "Misused Abused" (1980) #52 AUS
- "According to My Heart" / "Love Will Find a Way" (1980)
- "After the NewsAfter the News"After the News" was a song by The Reels that was released as a single from their second album Quasimodo's Dream in July 1980. The song fared disappointingly on the charts, peaking at number 65 in Australia. The single was accompanied by a colourful video that features a puppet newsreader. The...
" / "Media Themes" (1980) #65 AUS - "Shout and DeliverShout and DeliverShout and Deliver is a song by The Reels, which was released as a single from their second album Quasimodo's Dream in March 1981. The single peaked at number 43 on the Australian charts.-References:*...
" / "Depression" (1981) #43 AUS - "Quasimodo's DreamQuasimodo's Dream (song)"Quasimodo's Dream" is a song by Australian pop, New Wave band The Reels and was released as the title single off their second album, Quasimodo's Dream in May 1981. The album peaked at No. 27 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart but the single did not reach the Top 50 of the...
" / "(Love Is) Here Today" (1981) - "No.3" / "1, 2, 3" / "Haunted" (1981)
- "This Guy's in Love with YouThis Guy's in Love with You"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.The recording's origin occurs, as...
" / "Cry" (1982) #7 AUS - "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" / "Silence Is Golden" (1983)
- "Happiness" / "Comedy" (1983)
- "It Must Be Love" / "My Family" (1985)
- "Bad Moon RisingBad Moon Rising (song)"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 1969, four months before the album. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the UK Singles...
" / "World's End " (1986) #11 AUS - "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"Love Grows " is a popular song by "one-hit wonder" Edison Lighthouse. The single hit the number one spot on the UK singles chart on the week ending on 31 January 1970, where it remained for a total of five weeks.- Song profile :...
" / "Media Themes II" (1987) #70 AUS - "Forever NowForever Now (Cold Chisel song)"Forever Now" was a 1982 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel. The second single from the album Circus Animals, it was the first Cold Chisel single to be penned by Steve Prestwich. The song reached number 2 in the New Zealand charts, and number 4 in Australia, the band highest chart...
" (1988) #94 AUS - "Are You Old Enough?" / "What's My Scene?What's My Scene?"What's My Scene" is an Australian Top 3 single performed by iconic rock group Hoodoo Gurus and was written by their singer-songwriter Dave Faulkner. It was included on Gurus' third album Blow Your Cool! released by Elektra Records. The B-side, "Heart of Darkness" was also written by Faulkner...
" (1989) - "I Don't Love You Anymore" (1991)
Trivia
- The song Quasimodo's Dream is regarded as an Australian rock classic and has been covered by Kate CeberanoKate CeberanoKate Ceberano is an Australian singer. She achieved success in the soul, jazz and pop genres as well as in her brief forays into musicals with Jesus Christ Superstar and film...
, Rob Snarski, Mick HarveyMick HarveyMichael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
and Jimmy LittleJimmy LittleJimmy Little AO , is an Australian Aboriginal musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career has spanned six decades. For many years he was the only Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene...
. In 2001 it was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by APRAAustralasian Performing Right AssociationThe Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
. - Dave Mason's father, John, was leader of the NSW Liberal Party in the late 1970s, at the same time The Reels' career began.
- John Bliss has become an expert on lawn bowls.