Dave Mason (Australian musician)

Last updated

Dave Mason
Birth nameDavid Lawrence Mason
Bornca. 1954 (age 6869)
Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia
GenresRock, indie pop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Keyboard, vocals
Years active1976–present
LabelsLiberation

David Lawrence Mason (born c. 1954) is an Australian singer-songwriter and record producer originally from Dubbo. He is the founding mainstay of pop, rock group, The Reels. For the group, Mason wrote and sang their hit singles, "Love Will Find a Way" (October 1979), "Prefab Heart" (1980), "After the News" (July 1980), and "Shout and Deliver" (March 1981). He also wrote "Quasimodo's Dream", which was a non-charting single from May 1981. However, in May 2001, it was listed by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) at No. 10 of their Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

Contents

Biography

Mason was born in ca. 1954 and raised in the rural New South Wales town of Dubbo. [1] [2] [3] His father, John Marsden Mason, was a Methodist Minister and, from 1965 to 1981, was the Liberal Party member for the electoral district of Dubbo in the New South Wales state parliament. [4] His mother, Lorna "Meg" (née Boxsell), married John in March 1953 and they raised a daughter and four sons. [4]

In 1976, Mason, on lead vocals, formed Native Sons with John Bliss (ex-Thundaband) on drums, and Craig Hooper on lead guitar and synthesiser. [2] [5] They played cover versions of popular music and, when Colin Newham (ex-Condfederate) joined on keyboards, saxophone and guitar, they changed their name to The Brucelanders. [2] [6] In 1978 they moved to Sydney and Paul Abrahams joined on bass guitar. [2] [7] [8]

By 1979 they were renamed "The Reels", with the line-up consisting of Mason, Abrahams, Bliss, Hooper and Newham. [2] [7] The group released their debut single, "Love Will Find a Way", in October, which placed in the top 40 of the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. [9] Mason wrote the song [10] and it was followed by the release of their self-titled album in the next month—the album was co-produced by the band members and Mark Opitz (The Angels, AC/DC). [11] Mason wrote or co-wrote 13 of the album's 14 tracks, while Paul Mason was a member of The Reels' road crew. [12]

Mason also wrote and sang the subsequent charting Reels songs "Prefab Heart" (1980) and "After the News" (July 1980). [9] [13] [14] With Newham, he co-produced the group's debut EP, Five Great Gift Ideas from The Reels (November 1980). [2] [8] He also wrote "Quasimodo's Dream", which was a non-charting single from May 1981. [1] [2] [9] However, in May 2001 the song was listed at No. 10 by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) in their Top 30 Australian songs of all time. [15] By 1992 The Reels had disbanded. [2] [8]

In December 1988, Mason appeared in the Australian feature film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead , which co-starred Nick Cave. [2] [16] In May the following year Lot's Wife reviewer G Kavarnoj described Mason's role as "notable for his portrayal of Lilly, a man whose dalliance with transvestism merely emphasises the sexual despair of the caged men". [17] Cinelogue's Matthew Mesaros described the character as "a long-haired man with a feminine frame who copes with prison life by assuming the role of a cross-dressing prostitute". [18]

In April 2003, Mason guested in a duet entitled "Blue Black Sky" for David Bridie's second solo album, Hotel Radio. [8] [19] In Bernard Zuel's review for the Sydney Morning Herald , he notes that the album has "stuff to revel in the gorgeous 'The Tender Trap' and the richness of his duet with Dave Mason, 'Blue Black Sky'". [19]

In April 2007, Mason released Reelsville, a solo album of acoustic versions of tracks from The Reels' back catalogue. [3] Guy Blackman of The Age described the album as "a quiet triumph, avoiding the obvious cliches of the genre in favour of imaginative arrangements and unexpected instrumentation". [20] He followed the album with an appearance on the Countdown Spectacular 2 Tour, from August to September 2007. [3]

In 2008, The Reels reformed, with Mason joined by Bliss and Newham, and they performed in Melbourne and Sydney. [21] The following year, Abrahams rejoined and Newham departed, and it was this line-up that performed in Brisbane during the same year. [22] [23] On 26 March 2011, Mason appeared on "Episode 108" of celebrity music quiz RocKwiz , on SBS TV, performed "Quasimodo's Dream", and a duet with fellow guest Sally Seltmann—a cover of the Conway Twitty 1974 single "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone"—ended the episode. [24] Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, Greg Hassall stated that Mason had "a few problems with pitch", although his solo effort "could be burped and still sound good". [25]

In September 2012, Mason gigged with Reel Big Dog, a band that included Bliss, Peter O'Doherty and his brother Reg Mombassa (both ex-Mental As Anything, Dog Trumpet), and Brendan Gallagher of Karma County. [26] [27] In June 2013, Mason performed at the Sydney Opera House in the Art of Music concert, which also included appearances by Tim Finn, Katie Noonan, O'Doherty and Mombassa, Suze DeMarchi, Dave Leslie, Josh Pyke, Ian Moss, Iva Davies, and Dragon. [28] Art of Music was organised by Jenny Morris for her charity, Nordoff-Robbins' Music Therapy Australia. [28]

In April 2015, Mason performed guest vocals on "Not Even Jesus", the final track on Paul Mac's album Holiday From Me. [29]

Personal life

In late 1983, Mason was forced to give up performing after contracting hepatitis, which was one of the reasons The Reels went into hiatus. [2] Upon his recovery in August 1985, the group reconvened and continued until disbanding in 1992. [2] From about 1995 to 1997, Mason spent three years confined to his bedroom and was subsequently diagnosed with major depression. [3] As part of his ongoing treatment, he was encouraged by his psychiatrist to return to performing and recording music. [23]

Awards and nominations

Countdown Australian Music Awards

Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974–1987, it presented music awards from 1979–1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week . The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. [30] [31]

YearNominee / workAwardResult
1986"Bad Moon Rising"Best Performance in a VideoNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Chisel</span> Australian rock band

Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes on lead vocals and, in 1975, Phil Small became their bass guitarist. The group disbanded in late 1983 but subsequently reformed several times. Musicologist Ian McFarlane wrote that they became "one of Australia's best-loved groups" as well as "one of the best live bands", fusing "a combination of rockabilly, hard rock and rough-house soul'n'blues that was defiantly Australian in outlook."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Morris (musician)</span> New Zealand singer

Jennifer Patricia Morris is a New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter. Her first success came with New Zealand band The Crocodiles, who had a top 20 hit single with "Tears". Re-locating to Sydney in February 1981, she was a backing vocalist for various groups and formed a trio, QED, in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Paul Young</span> Australian singer

John Inglis Young, OAM, known professionally as John Paul Young, is a Scottish-born Australian pop singer who had his 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air". His career was boosted by regular appearances as a performer and guest host on national broadcaster, ABC's 1974–1987 TV series, Countdown. Besides "Love Is in the Air", Young had top ten chart success in Germany and the Netherlands with "Standing in the Rain" and four other top ten hits in South Africa, including No. 1 hits with "I Hate the Music" in 1976 and "Yesterday's Hero" in 1975.

<i>Post</i> (Paul Kelly album) 1985 studio album by Paul Kelly

Post is the first solo album by Australian singer-songwriter rock musician, Paul Kelly. Kelly had moved to Sydney by January 1985, after leaving his Melbourne-based Paul Kelly Band and the breakup of his marriage to Hilary Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Conway</span> Australian musician

Deborah Ann Conway is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actress. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their top 5 hit "Man Overboard".

The Reels was an Australian rock band which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976. It disbanded in 1991, and reformed in 2007. Its 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 singles chart successes with covers of Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising". Rock music historian Ian McFarlane described the group as "one of the most original and invigorating pop bands to emerge from the Australian new wave movement of the late 1970s."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mental As Anything</span> Australian new wave/pop-rock band

Mental As Anything are an Australian new wave and pop rock band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne de Lisle on drums; and Andrew "Greedy" Smith on vocals, keyboards and harmonica. Their original hit songs were generated by Mombassa, O'Doherty, Plaza and Smith, either individually or collectively; they also hit the Australian charts with covers of songs by Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dynamic Hepnotics</span>

The Dynamic Hepnotics were an Australian soul, blues and funk band which formed in 1979 and disbanded in 1986. Mainstay, lead vocalist and front man, "Continental" Robert Susz formed the group in Sydney. They had chart success on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart with a top 5 single, "Soul Kind of Feeling" in 1984. It was followed by "Gotta Be Wrong " which reached the top 20 in 1985. Their album, Take You Higher, reached the top 20 on the related Albums Chart in June. In 1986, "Soul Kind of Feeling" won the APRA Music Award for 'Most Performed Australasian Popular Work'.

Stephen Ellis Gilpin was a New Zealand singer and a founder of new wave band Mi-Sex.

Mondo Rock are an Australian rock band, formed in November 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria. Singer-songwriter Ross Wilson founded the band, following the split of his previous band Daddy Cool. Guitarist Eric McCusker, who joined in 1980, wrote many of the band's hits, and along with Wilson formed the core of the group. They are best known for their second album, Chemistry, which was released in July 1981 and peaked at number 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report. Their song "Come Said the Boy" peaked at number 2 in Australia in 1983.

<i>All for One</i> (The Screaming Jets album) 1991 studio album by The Screaming Jets

All for One is the debut album by Australian hard rock band The Screaming Jets which was released in April 1991. It peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Charts.

Marc Alexander Hunter was a New Zealand rock and pop singer, songwriter and record producer. He was the lead vocalist of Dragon, a band formed by his older brother, Todd Hunter, in Auckland in January 1972. They relocated to Sydney in May 1975. He was also a member of the Party Boys in 1985. For his solo career he issued five studio albums, Fiji Bitter, Big City Talk, Communication, Night and Day and Talk to Strangers. During the 1970s Hunter developed heroin and alcohol addictions and was incarcerated at Mt Eden Prison in Auckland in 1978. He was recklessly outspoken and volatile on-stage. In November 1978, during the band's American tour, supporting Johnny Winter, they performed in Dallas, Texas, where "he made some general stage observations about redneck buddies, illegal oral sex and utility trucks" and called the audience members "faggots". Upon his return to Australia, in February 1979, he was fired from the group by his brother, Todd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quasimodo's Dream (song)</span> 1981 single by The Reels

"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 related Singles Chart. Rock music historian, Ian McFarlane claimed, "the album's highlight was the sparse, evocative title track". The song, written by lead singer Dave Mason, is now regarded as a classic—in 2001 it was named by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) at No. 10 of their Top 30 Australian songs of all time. It was covered by fellow Australians Kate Ceberano (1989) and Jimmy Little (1999).

<i>Pink Suit Blue Day</i> 1982 studio album by Eurogliders

Pink Suit Blue Day is the debut album by Australian rock band Eurogliders, released in 1982. Their debut single, "Without You", was released in June and entered the top 40 of the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart. A follow-up single, "Laughing Matter" in September did not chart.

<i>Out of Mind, Out of Sight</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Models

Out of Mind, Out of Sight is the fourth studio album by Australian new wave rock band Models, it was their most successful album and peaked at No. 3 on the Australian albums chart. It was released in August 1985 by Mushroom Records with Nick Launay, Reggie Lucas and Mark Opitz producing.

<i>Local and/or General</i> 1981 studio album by Models

Local &/or General is the second studio album by Australian new wave rock band Models, which peaked at #30 on the Australian albums chart. It was released in October 1981 on Mushroom Records with Stephen W Tayler producing.

<i>Quasimodos Dream</i> 1981 studio album by The Reels

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 include "After the News" and "Shout and Deliver". The song "According to My Heart", a cover of the 1961 Jim Reeves song had been included on the album against the wishes of the band, as a result of this, there was a sticker on the inner sleeve that said "Due to Record Company Pressure This Album Contains The Hit Single According To My Heart".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science Fiction (song)</span> 1982 single by Divinyls

"Science Fiction" is a song by Australian rock/new wave group Divinyls, which was the lead single from their first studio album Desperate. Released in December 1982, "Science Fiction", peaked at No. 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The B-side, "I'll Make You Happy" is a cover of The Easybeats 1966 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Even When I'm Sleeping</span> 1997 single by Leonardos Bride

"Even When I'm Sleeping" is a song by Australian band Leonardo's Bride that was the second single from their first studio album, Angel Blood. Released on 13 April 1997, "Even When I'm Sleeping" peaked at No. 4 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Chart in July 1997 and was certified Gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Mason (musician)</span> Australian keyboardist

Roger Ashley Mason is an Australian keyboardist who has been a member of new wave groups Models, Absent Friends and Icehouse. He was a session and backing musician for United Kingdom's Gary Numan and for various Australian artists. From the early 1990s he has composed music for television and feature films.

References

General
Specific
  1. 1 2 "'Quasimodo's Dream' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 McFarlane, 'The Reels' entry. Archived from the original Archived 15 June 2004 at the Wayback Machine on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lalor, Peter (24 May 2007). "From The Reels to Real-Life Depression". The Australian . News Corp Australia . Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  4. 1 2 "The Hon. John Marsden Mason (1928- )". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  5. Spencer et al, (2002), "Native Sons" entry.
  6. Spencer et al, (2002), "Brucelanders" entry.
  7. 1 2 Spencer et al, (2002), "Reels, The" entry.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Holmgren, Magnus. "Dave Mason". Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  10. "'Love Will Find a Way' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 16 September 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. Holmgren, Magnus. "The Reels". Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  12. The Reels (Media notes). The Reels. Mercury Records/PolyGram Records. 6357 926.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. "'Prefab Hearts' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 16 September 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. "'After the News' at APRA search engine"". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 16 September 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. "2001 – Top 10 list". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) /AMCOS. 28 May 2001. Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  16. "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead[Collectors Edition] (1998) – Cast and Crew". Allmovie (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  17. Kavarnoj, G (31 May 1989). "Reviews: Ghosts of the Civil Dead Kino Cinemas". Lot's Wife . Vol. 29, no. 10. Shepparton Printers (Monash Student Association). p. 16. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  18. Mesaros, Matthew (29 June 2010). "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead". Cinelogue. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  19. 1 2 Zuel, Bernard (18 April 2003). "David Bridie, Hotel Radio". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  20. Blackman, Guy (25 May 2007). "Reeling in the Years". The Age . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  21. Blackman, Guy (11 May 2008). "Reeling and Reviving". The Age . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  22. Wallen, Doug (5 July 2010). "The Reels: 200 Beats Per Minute". Mess+Noise. Sound Alliance . Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  23. 1 2 "Reels' Dave Mason Back in the Loop for GoMA's Up Late". The Courier-Mail . News Corp Australia. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  24. "Ep 108 – Dave Mason & Sally Seltmann". RocKwiz . SBS One. 26 March 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  25. Hassall, Greg (24 March 2011). "RocKwiz, Saturday March 26". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  26. "Oz Rock". The Age . Fairfax Media. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  27. Maud, Paula (14 September 2012). "Reel 'em in at Thornbury". Northcote Leader. Leader Community Newspapers. Archived from the original on 25 November 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  28. 1 2 Ritz, Ant (20 July 2013). "Art of Music". Get Shot Magazine. John Snelson. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  29. McCabe, Kathy (9 April 2015). "Paul Mac launches Holiday From Me record with mystery train ride party". news.com.au.
  30. "Countdown to the Awards" (Portable document format (PDF)). Countdown Magazine. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). March 1987. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  31. "Final episode of Countdown". 1970scountdown. Retrieved 23 October 2020.