Crying
10.7.14 - There's been such a fuss made about this version of Roy Orbison's Crying I sang with Jess Cornelius on RocKwiz back in 2009 that I've had to add it to the list. It was great fun though and I went on to do another live RocKwiz show in SA with Jess which was perhaps regrettably unrecorded.

Soul Man
28.8.11 - You may have read that the 'launch' for the Breathing Space As Well EP rather descended into farce when the EP in question failed to show up. However, the second objective, to record some footage for Soul Man, was achieved satisfactorily, largely through the agency of Wrokdown's Anita Monk and camerapersons Brenden Mason and his wife Hilary. To them much thanks. I'm going to tool around with some extra footage and see what comes out, but in the meantime this will give you the idea. Hooray!

Xavier Rudd Is Not My Son
7.8.09 - Thanks to Wrokdown's producer, Anita Monk, there's a 'bed' of the band performing the song in relaxed mode at the Wrokdown taping last month, over which the antics of Mr Morris Nylon, Strathie Bill, Capt. McTubby and Chopped Liver have been lain. The song's title means that the clip is rubbing shoulders with yer actual Xavier Rudd clips on YouTube - I wonder if that'll eventually provoke a response from the man himself? We've never been introduced, although we met up with his parents and siblings a few years ago at the Torquay Golf Club.

Rocket Girl - the sequel
3.4.08 - For whatever reason, this never got shown at the Capers' launch. Which is a shame, 'cause I think it's funny. Well done Mazz! For better quality, go to Mazz's YouTube site.
Incidentally, you should enjoy the visually uncredited snappy acoustic guitar solo by Tim Gaze.

Judith Durham - and Spectrum - perform Summertime
13.10.09 - It's one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, and I'm really quite chuffed the Wrokdown cameras captured this beautiful performance by Judith of the Gershwins' classic with Spectrum doing the back-up. Many thanks to Wrokdown's Anita Monk for providing the Wrokdown footage and to Judith's management for giving permission for us to upload it to YouTube for the world to enjoy.
Incidentally, I've had a lot of very lovely feedback about the RocKwiz duet with Jess Cornelius. Why not check it out for yourself?

Spectrum - I'll Be Gone in stereo at last!
13.1.09 - I could say the original and the best, but actually this is even better than the original! Some of you children wouldn't even know what 'mono' (monaural) is, but the original I'll Be Gone release in 1971 pre-dated stereo, in Australia.at least. So a few years ago I had the notion of re-striping the stereo edit of I'll Be Gone onto the original and much-loved black & white film clip, directed by Chris Lofven all those years ago. The National Film & Sound Archives painstakingly interpolated extra frames to bring it back to true pitch and after nearly two years of struggle and perseverance I'm sure you'll be happy and possibly a little surprised with the result.

Spectrum - I'll Be Gone again - but wth a twist!*
3.7.09 - This was given to me by my mate Trevor Leedon, who bought it from the Camberwell Market. Play it through and see if you notice something odd..
Did you pick it? The reprise was supposed to be the second verse, (and I actually mime the second verse), but what is actually played is the first verse. I have the vaguest memory that the backing might've been from a tape supplied to Move by EMI, but I don't really know. Curious though..
Incidentally, a fashion note: Bill's wearing a wrist watch (!) and it appears I'm wearing socks with my sandals
*Sherbet plays I'll Be Gone!

Spectrum - Launching Place Part 2
11.12.08 - I mentioned this a while back but have just got round to adding it to the assortment of clips on this page. Simon Kain from ABC Archives mentioned he'd like to use this clip to introduce their website page of Music Collections and has given us permission to use it and a couple of others here. This is a classic performance from a 1970 edition od GTK featuring a very young Mark Kennedy and the unique Hammond organ stylings of Lee Neale.

Spectrum 1972 - Everybody's Walking Sideways
27.6.09 - Another contribution from the ABC's Simon Kain, although the more I look at, the more I suspect it's not a GTK recording. I'll have to check the original correspondence and see if there's a hint as to what show it might be. Everybody's Walking Sideways is from the Sideways Saga suite on the Milesago album and it was a curious song to choose. I'll get back on this..
I'm now thinking it was Dick Williams' Hit Scene on ABC TV. More to come..

Spectrum plays the GTK theme
24.6.09 - I was compelled to make an attempt to tidy up and to some extent catalogue the CDs and DVDs cluttering up my living space. I found this particular DVD that the ABC's Simon Kain had sent me and which I'd intitially turned down because of synch. issues.
It's not that substantial, and frankly, it's not that good - the anarchic Fugs-type approach I had in my head doesn't really come off. Still, it's a slice of history..

Spectrum - Who is Bugging You?

Spectrum - Make Your Stash
14.3.09 - Daz tipped me off about this other Rettrodood discovery - the second lineup of Spectrum on GTK with Ray Arnott on drums, and quite a (subtly) different version to the orginal on the Part One album.

Spectrum - But That's Alright
6.5.15 - Perhaps 1971 or there again maybe 1972 and who knows what show? But here we are miming the single version of But That's Alright - drummer Ray Arnott looks particularly serious. Thanks to nzoz and YouTube for this, but there might be the odd ad popping up to spoil your viewing pleasure.

Harvey James and Ariel on GTK
2.2.11 - First, many thanks to Adrian Costello and Michael Hunter for pointing out that this rage/GTK clip was on YouTube. I taped it on IQ at the time, but I haven't worked out if it's possible to download stuff from IQ. The funny thing is I'd completely forgotten that we'd recorded this - in fact, I'd forgotten that this line-up of Ariel did any TV at all, although now that I think of it, I think we played Keep On Dancing (live) on Countdown when we got back from the UK.
For detail snoops, this version of Rock & Roll Scars must've been recorded before we left for the UK as the arrangement is slightly different from the Abbey Road version. The start is different and the verse tags were reduced to just the one at the very end of the album version.
Harvey's facial tics are at an early stage of development - they later transformed into a sustained grimace - but his solo is typically exciting even without his usual delay overload, and his rhythm playing through the rest of the song perfectly complements my rigid pattern while remaining tonally transparent. It's a good feel and we look relaxed in sturdy monochrome. Vale Harvey.

Ariel - Hard Way to Go
30.7.14 - Harry Brus stuck this GTK clip up on FB a little while back as a dedication to the late, great Bill Putt and sadly it remains one of the very few live records you can see today of this fabulous line-up of Ariel. We all look a a bit grumpy 'cause it was raining and we were due in the studio the very next day to record A Strange Fantastic Dream with the late Peter Dawkins at the helm. Grumpy or not, Tim is playing sublimely.

Ariel - Jamaican Farewell
16.4.15 - I discovered this on my iPhone and I guess owe Farkle Berry a big thanks - I haven't seren this ever I don't think. Probably catching the band at its ebullient eye-rolling best very early in its career. There's a comment by someone to the effect the song got shredded by NME - but they changed their tune later. It's a shame the band couldn't be held together - we could've been heavy-weight champeens of the world!

Disco Dilemma
9.3.09 - I got told about this clip being on YouTube last week and I got pretty excited. I don't have a copy of the single or the video and I've been thinking we should incorporate the song in our set list - Disco Dilemma was our third biggest seller after IBG and Jamaican Farewell.
I put in an unintentionally camp performance, not helped by the white make-up, as the rest of the band tries to look enthusiastic. Taragirl101 suggests that Paul Drane directed the clip and Angie Keith, a friend of ours, did the classy dance sequence, which mightn't be very disco, but then neither is the song.
Thanks to RettroDood for finding this and putting it up

Funky Road interview
11.12.08 - I'd forgotten entirely about this interview and the programme (Funky Road) for which it was recorded for that matter. My sibilant 's' (that would have to be rectified if I wanted to pursue a career as a teacher I was told) is prominent, as is Glyn's discomfort at being asked about our writing together (we never did that really). I wonder what happened to Stephen MacLean?

Another I'll Be Gone..
10.11.08 - I almost forgot - Peter Laffy got in touch to remind me that we'd been filmed at the New Capers' lauinch of Breathing Space back in buggered if I can remember earlier this year. This is a particularly pedestrian version of the B version of IBG, notable for the inclusion of Nic Lyon on bass and Tim gaze on guitar, but also a dud reed on my E harp, which only ever gets a workout on this song. Laff said he was sending me some DVDs of the whole show, but in the meantime you can go and check out some more footage on the webite when I remember whatever the address is..
BTW, there's a James Reyne version live on RocKwiz too!

Mike on Wrokdown
14.2.08 - Wendy Stapleton does her best with Rambling Mike Rudd, but he just rambles on and on till the collective snoring almost drowns out the interview. Anita Monk's worthy agenda with Wrokdown is to track the latter-day careers of active musicians and artists from the sixties and seventies and apprise the great unwashed of the same. This particular episode has been shown twice on Channel 31 and may even have helped our crowds (Wendy played the previous Sunday) at the Mordialloc Sporting Club. Or not..

It Comes As No Surprise - Mike and Dick's entrant in the Pigdon Five-minute Film Festival
It didn't win the Oscar, but I believe that it won a lot of friends in the audience on the night. Unfortunately, owing to a prior commitment at the Wild Thyme Café I couldn't be there, but Dick said his daughter Elizabeth wasn't actually embarrassed by it, so he's deliriously happy. Incidentally, we owe a debt of thanks to Bill Dettmer, who added to the reality and drama of the crucial opening scene by loaning us his ambulance - and himself.

Laser Lover
27.8.09 - Lairie Tunnicliffe loves this period of the band's career.(see the Correspondence page) To quote: '..its a disgrace that this 80's electro-pop group is trading on your name. This group obviously set the drum machine to 120 beats per minute and recorded one long song with all the typical synth/keyboard sounds/lines, and carved it up into 12 tracks.'
I'd forgottten that we released Laser Lover as a single. Almost disco/reggae in feel and a cute sci/fi conceit, but like Laurie now, nobody in the '80s bought The Heaters' as a pop band either..

The Heaters live at the Mushroom Evolution concert
18.5.09 - Thank goodness! A live clip to balance the extraordinary silliness of the promotional videos. Thanks to the indefatigable RettroDood for digging up another Rock Arena clip.
More to say when I get my breath back..

The Heaters - I'm An Animal
18.5.09 - RettroDood strikes again! Incredibly, this is an even hammier experience than the other clips he's unearthed. Our old friend Howard Gable, who produced this single and The Heaters' The Unrealist album, had persuaded us that we should get into putting eye-makeup on (kajal) for our live performances - so we used it on the clip as well! I seem to remember the live part was filmed at the Bombay club. I'll think of something else interesting to say about it eventually.. The Countdwn version is much better - see nearlyoutofideas on YouTube.

Australian Girl
21.4.09 - I just rang Daz to get a phone number and he was foaming at the mouth about The Heaters' Australian Girl clip up on YouTube. Well, I've got the Countdown 'live' version at home, but I'm obliged not to share it with you, which is a shame, because I have to say it's a fraction less embarrassing than this version. It gets one wondering what happened to all those girls - if any of you are out there from the day we recorded the clip down in Oakleigh in 1980, get in touch. Incidentally, that's Ariel's Tony Slavich on keys, Paul Grant on guitar, (respect), and the ever-affable Manny Paterakis on drums

Aussie Girl - Countdown style
30.8.09 - 3D Radio's Michael Hunter dug this one up for me, and it provides a camparatively restrained counterbalance to the official clip - and probably got seen by ten times the audience. Still didn't do much good for the sales though.. One of the songs I'm considering revising for a Liberation Blue-type treatment.

WHY's Woman of Steel
12.5.09 - It was Daz (again) who alerted me to this track on the illustrious RettroDood's YouTube site. I'm not sure that Tony Fossey actually played any live gigs with WHY - maybe the short-lived Hey Hey It's Saturday Night. WHY enjoyed an equally asteroid-like career, plummeting through the thin Australian atmosphere before plinking harmlessly onto a Melbourne pavement.
This was the only one John Kapek managed to salvage from the Present Tense album. It was recorded on analogue, converted to digital and then released on 12" vinyl - go figure..

WHY on the Daryl Somers Show!
15.6.09 - It must be more than a year ago that I got a data disk from ex-Heaters/WHY keyboardist Tony Fossey, but it wasn't till last week that I got around to checking it out. We used to snigger at Tony for religiously keeping a record of everything, but now I'm grateful - there are some real treasures. The Daryl Somers show didn't last long, but this clip probably demonstrates better than anything else on record what WHY was attempting to do. There's a bit of tape wow at the start and guitar hoemorrhaging in John Moon's solo, but that just adds to the live-ness.

WHY on Hey, Hey It's Saturday
17.6.09 - Even rarer than WHY playing on the Daryl Somers Show, (below), is this clip of WHY on Hey, Hey It's Saturday playing Percy Grainger, a track from the unreleased (in Australia) album, Present Tense. (It's a long, painful story, that will probably never be told). In an all-too typical case of failure of imagination, this song is uncomfortably shackled in its '80s power-pop shoulder pads, whereas it should have been given the vaudeville straw hat treatment. By the time we get to the rather childish punchline, you just don't care. Daryl and the ostrich have fun with it..

Going Home
4.2.15 - Thanks to Peter Carolan for preserving this rave from the trio's gig at The Lomond Hotel (Sat. 24.1.15). The stream-of-consciousness rave is something I used to do on a regular basis but a lot less often these days - I guess I have to be in the mood, but I also suspect the possibilty of people recording me is an inhibiting factor. I don't want to offend anybody in the room, of course, but having to consider a YouTube audience as well is a big ask, so I hope that you're not offended.

Chants R&B on TV3
9.12.07 - Miranda Worthington read my bit in the Chants R&B diaries where I said I'd not seen the TV3 interview with Trev and me and didn't know whether it actually had seen the light of day. Mazz saw it first by accident when it was initially re-broadcast on Foxtel, and then discovered it on YouTube. So, here it is, complete with their mistakenly identifiying me as Mike Judd. (They love a musical dynasty in NZ). Thanks Mazz!

Chants R&B Wild Things Spectacular
25.6.09 - I had an e-mail from Al Parks in Christchurch the other day, still waxing lyrical about the show we did there in 2007 and wondering if we might repeat the effort at some stage. It provoked me into having a look at the DVD that John Baker (Velvet Tiger) produced of the show we were part of at the Monte Christo Room in Auckland, along side such luminaries as Ray Columbus, The Breakaways (who appeared with us in Christchurch), Pete Nelson & The Castaways and others. It's raw and loud - but there's something exciting about it..

Rosewood
2.5.09 - This is a very touching musical and visual tribute by Bill to his partner Rosemary and her property Rosewood in the fire-ravaged hills and valleys of Strathewen, an hour or so north east of Melbourne. The first half shows Rosewood as it was before the fires - then, bookended with Rose's prescient painting of the hill that overlooks the property, the mood becomes more sombre as Bill's photos show the same scenes a week or so after the fires (20.2.09). You get an inkling of how brave Bill was in saving Rosemary's house, and how lucky he was to have simply survived when so many in the vicinity perished.

Pedro the goat
4.2.09 - There's really nothing sinister about Bill's relationship with Pedro the goat, despite Bill being trapped for days at a time at Rosewood, his partner Rosemary's property at Strathewen miles away from anywhere. (Scroll down to see Bill's The Valley of Ewen video below). This is a charming little song written by Bill and realised on video with Bill's usual efficiency - not to mention with the essential complicity of Real Guitar's all-round nice guy, Brenden Mason

The Valley of Ewen
18.6.08 - Brenden Mason popped up on my doorstep this morning, thrust a disc into my hand and fled back to Real Guitars. So, here it is at last for your viewing pleasure, featuring quite a bit of me as it turns out, as well as the fiddle-playing Lance O'Reilly. If you want to see this clip, and any of the others on this page for that matter, in its pristine condition, go to our site on YouTube

Bill's Zippo Blues
Everytbody loves Bill, and everybody seems to love this clip! This is Bill's unique contribution to the world of advertising - the Zippo people actually like this a lot. Our mate Brenden Mason deserves a gong for producing the clip, and putting the finishing touches on the recording - not to mention putting up with Bill.