Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and that was still influencing contemporary Australian music in the 2000s decade. The term came from the venues where most of these bands originally played — inner-city and suburban pubs. These often noisy, hot, small and crowded venues were not always ideal as music venues and favoured loud, simple songs based on drums and electric guitar riffs.
Stephen Carlton Wright, better known as Stevie Wright, was an English-born Australian musician and songwriter who has been called Australia's first international pop star. During 1964–69, he was lead singer of Sydney-based rock and roll band the Easybeats, widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s.
Peter William "Pete" Wells was the founder and slide guitarist in Australian hard rock band, Rose Tattoo, from 1976 to 1983. He was previously bass guitarist with the pioneering heavy metal outfit Buffalo from 1971 to 1976. Wells also had a solo career and issued albums, Everything You Like Tries to Kill You (1991), The Meaning of Life (1992), No Hard Feelings (1993), Orphans (1994), Go Ahead, Call the Cops (1996), It's All Fun and Games 'till Somebody Gets Hurt (1999), Hateball (2000) and Solo (2002). In 2002 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and, on 27 March 2006, Wells died of the disease, aged 59. Rose Tattoo were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame on 16 August of that same year.
Andrew Douglas Strachan is an Australian rock musician. In 1994, after growing up in Adelaide, he relocated to Melbourne, and in 2000 he became the drummer of Sydney-based alternative rock group, Pollyanna. In 2002, he joined fellow alternative rockers, The Living End; they have issued four Top 5 albums on the ARIA Charts, Modern Artillery, State of Emergency, White Noise and The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating.
Buffalo was an Australian rock band formed in August 1971 by founding mainstay Dave Tice on lead vocals (ex-Head). Fellow founders, also from Head, were Paul Balbi on drums, John Baxter on guitar, and Peter Wells on bass guitar; together with Alan Milano on lead vocals (ex-Mandala). Milano left after their debut album, Dead Forever..., and Balbi was replaced on drums by Jimmy Economou. Their next two albums, Volcanic Rock and Only Want You for Your Body, were also issued by Vertigo Records. After 1975 line-up changes resulted in a more commercial sound and the group disbanded in March 1977. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane noted that there was "nothing subtle about Buffalo's primal, heavyweight sound, but it was delivered with a great deal of conviction ... combining the dense, occult riffing ... with the progressive blues chops ... the band certainly captured the arrogant disposition of the times in a bold and thunderous fashion". Alongside Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and Blackfeather, Buffalo pioneered Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and psychedelic rock movements. Peter Wells died on 27 March 2006, aged 58.
The Last Words were an Australian punk rock group formed in 1977 by mainstays Malcolm Baxter on lead vocals, and his song writing partner, Andy Groome on guitar. Their debut single, "Animal World", was released on their own label, Remand Records. A self-titled album appeared in December 1980 but the group disbanded in the following year.
Lobby Loyde, also known as John Barrie Lyde or Barry Lyde, was an Australian rock music guitarist, songwriter and producer.
Semantics was a 1983 EP by Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl. The album marked a change in the line-up of the band as Bill McDonough (drums) was replaced first by Graham Bidstrup to record the EP. The more permanent replacement, after the EP, was John Watson.
Conway Victor Savage was an Australian rock musician. He was a member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, providing piano, organ and backing vocals from 1990. From 1993, Savage had a solo career and released albums, Nothing Broken (2000), Wrong Man's Hands (2004) and Rare Songs & Performances 1989–2004. He also collaborated with other artists for their albums, such as Soon Will Be Tomorrow and Quickie for Ducky.
"Holy Water" was the third single taken from Australian folk rockers The Triffids' Calenture album, and was released in August 1988. It was produced by Craig Leon and was written by lead guitarist and lead singer David McComb. This was one of only two tracks that resulted from Leon's production of the band's fourth album. The production costs of Leon's efforts were more than the total costs of the band's break-through album, Born Sandy Devotional. The record sleeve however credits the production to Gil Norton who produced the remainder of the album with the band. The single was released as 7", 12" and CD single versions by Island Records but failed to chart in either Australia or the United Kingdom.
No Show Without Punch is a mini-album released in the United Kingdom by Australian rock band Weddings Parties Anything. It was released in 1989 on Billy Bragg's Utility label on both vinyl and CD. The mini-album comprises material from the band's 1987 debut album, Scorn of the Women, and the 1988 EP, Goat Dancing on the Tables. This was the band's only release on this label.
Dead Forever... is the debut album by Australian rock band Buffalo, recorded and originally released in 1972. The album was remastered and reissued in March 2006 by Australian record label Aztec Music on CD with additional tracks, including an A-side and B-side released by the pre-Buffalo outfit Head.
Volcanic Rock is the second studio album by Australian rock band Buffalo, recorded and originally released in 1973 on the Vertigo label. The album was remastered and reissued in September 2005 by Australian record label Aztec Music on CD with additional tracks.
Only Want You for Your Body is the third album by Australian rock band Buffalo, recorded and originally released in 1974 on the Vertigo label. The album was remastered and reissued in November 2005 by Australian record label Aztec Music on CD with additional tracks.
Mother's Choice is the fourth album for Australian rock band Buffalo, recorded during 1975 and 1976 and originally released in 1976 by Vertigo Records. After the dismissal of founding guitarist John Baxter at the end of 1974, the band underwent both a major line up change, and a shift towards more commercially oriented hard rock in a bid to attain greater radio airplay and mainstream acceptance. However, Mother's Choice received a backlash both critically and commercially.
Average Rock 'n' Roller is the fifth and final studio album for Australian rock band Buffalo, recorded in 1976 and originally released in 1977 on the Vertigo label. The album was remastered and reissued in December 2006 by Australian record label Aztec Music on CD with additional tracks – which are solo recordings by vocalist Dave Tice, originally released as a single during 1976.
Rock Legends: Buffalo is a compilation album by Australian hard rock band Buffalo, issued in 1980 via PolyGram/Vertigo Records. Buffalo had been active from 1971 to 1977 and provided five studio albums, Dead Forever... (1972), Volcanic Rock (1973), Only Want You for Your Body (1974), Mother's Choice (1976) and Average Rock 'n' Roller (1977).
Gregory John Macainsh is an Australian former musician and songwriter. He provided bass guitar and backing vocals for pop rockers, Skyhooks from 1973 to 1980 and subsequently for various reformations. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, "Macainsh's biting, provocative songs were the perfect expression of adolescent obsessions and frustrations. With those songs, the band made an enormous impact on Australian social life." Macainsh became an intellectual property lawyer.
Universal Radio is the debut album by New Zealand group Dragon released in June 1974 on Vertigo Records and produced by Rick Shadwell. Universal Radio, along with their second album Scented Gardens for the Blind are in the progressive rock genre—all subsequent albums are hard rock/pop rock.
Buster Brown was an Australian rock and roll band, which featured vocalist Angry Anderson and drummer Phil Rudd, that was formed in Melbourne in 1973. Their sound was hard rock mixed with blues rock influences. Their first album, Something to Say was produced by Lobby Loyde and released in 1974. Rudd left to join an early version of AC/DC while Anderson continued with new line-ups and eventually disbanded the group in November 1975. Anderson joined Rose Tattoo which later included former Buster Brown bandmates, Geordie Leach on bass guitar and Dallas "Digger" Royall on drums.
