Del Webb Explosion

Last updated

Del Webb Explosion
Origin Adelaide, South Australia
Genres Pop
Soul
Rock
Years active1980–1983
LabelsEmpty Dogma, Greasy Pop

Del Webb Explosion was a seven-piece band, cast in the mold of British soul revivalists Dexy's Midnight Runners. They were active in Adelaide for 20 months between 1981 and 1983 with their first concert being played at the Union Hotel on 7 December 1981. [1] The band was founded in Adelaide, South Australia by Peter Flierl in 1980, who had just returned from a trip to the UK with an incredibly strong impression, having been left by the sounds of Dexys Midnight Runners and the very recently formed splinter group from that ensemble, The Bureau. The band has been described as a brass based pop band with strong British soul influences. The band's name was provided by early Del Webb guitarist Gerry Barrett and was named after American construction magnate and real estate developer Delbert Eugene Webb. The 'Explosion' just seemed to follow. [2]

Contents

History

Beginning

Peter Flierl (bass guitar, backing vocals, song-writing) started with an advertisement in the local newspaper "want ads" seeking like-minded musicians to form an 8 piece soul/pop band to play a mix of original and cover songs. Drummer Heinz Stein responded early and was clearly attuned to what Flierl had in mind. Mankyboddle (lead vocals), Barrett (guitar) and Pasetto (tenor sax) were enlisted shortly afterwards, forming the nucleus of the band. Rehearsals commenced with a handful of early songs written for the band by Flierl together with several soul standards and rounded off with a generous selection of Dexys songs from their debut release, 'Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. The band's initial line-up was rounded off with the twin trumpets of Daniel Clements and Rob Symons. A debut gig supporting local favourites, The Screaming Believers, at the Union Hotel, introduced the band to an appreciative Adelaide audience and from then the 'Explosion' proceeded to gig regularly for the approximate 12 months of its existence.[ citation needed ]

Although being integral to scoring brass charts to Flierl's initial compositions for the band, Pasetto left the band prior to their initial foray into the now defunct Pepper Recording Studios in North Adelaide. Symons had also departed around this time and the band recruited Burton on alto sax and Berrington on tenor to record the band's debut single "One Way Love" black and white "Going Home". The single was released on small local label 'Empty Dogma Records' and proceeded to notch up respectable local sales bringing the band to the attention of a wider audience. The band also self-financed a film clip shot at various suburban locations in Adelaide, to further promote the song. Although not venturing beyond the outskirts of the city, the band maintained a steady gigging profile building its fan base from regular performances at inner city venues like the Tivoli and Angas Hotels as well as regular appearances at the Adelaide University Bar.[ citation needed ]

Middle

A heavy schedule of gigging from the outset created a level of interest from some of the major record labels in Adelaide. However, cracks were beginning to show in the band with some members clearly not having the same commitment as others. It was around this time that Barrett was replaced by Oldman on lead guitar duties. Although still unsigned, the band decided to foray into the studio a second time to record the Mankyboddle penned "Gardening as Finer Art" backed with Flierl's "Too Late The Hero". Funds were tighter this time around for the band which resulted in a 'live' rendition of "Too Late The Hero" (recorded some weeks earlier at an Adelaide Uni Bar gig) becoming the B-side. The new single was released on local alternative record label, Greasy Pop Records and despite not having a video clip to accompany it, continued to increase the profile of the band with record company representatives. Keyboardist, Glenn Errington also left the band during this period to be replaced by Peter Flierl's multi-instrumentalist brother, Vic Flierl on keyboards at many 'live' performances by the band. Although the band continued to receive praise for their exciting stage performances, the band seemed to have "more factions than a Labor Party conference", [3] largely due to musical differences, commitment and direction.[ citation needed ]

End

Only 13 months into its existence and with a recording contract virtually on its doorstep, the band split with Flierl, Stein and Burton departing to form another band, Plan B, while Mankyboddle, Clements, Berrington & Oldman continued without them. The band returned to public performances some 4 months later under the banner "Del Webb Explosion – Back without Geno", possibly meaning that the earlier Dexys' influence which was such a major part of Flierl's basis for forming the band, was no longer in existence. In fact, when questioned about Geno at a show at the Tivoli in 1983, Mankyboddle said "Geno was dead" [4] Even though the final Line-Up didn't produce any records, it made some very popular live recordings in which the new material took center stage. According to Mankyboddle, new member Kim Webster (later New Romantics) on keyboards was an important facet of the new direction the band took. Del Webb Explosion Mark III was the attempt to forge, in this kind of band line-up, a more original band from what for a long time was essentially a cover band. The final break up in the end was due to a lack of commitment to go "professional", i.e. interstate, even though the actual band personalities and individual musicianship were much better matched. So, in the end it wasn't so much friction, as the lack of ambition of some of the new members. The reformed band permanently broke up in late 1983.[ citation needed ]

Beyond Del Webb

Flierl, Stein and Burton quickly re-grouped to form Plan B which re-commenced gigging virtually the same week as the 'new' Del Webb Explosion. Following the second and final implosion of Del Webb Explosion, Mankyboddle joined forces with Steve Z to form The Sweets of Sin, an experimental crossover pop-band with strong modern classical and jazz influences.[ citation needed ]

Members

Original

Additional/Short Term

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dexys Midnight Runners</span> English pop rock band

Dexys are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid- 1980s. They are best known in the UK for their songs "Geno" and "Come On Eileen", both of which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved six other top-20 singles. "Come On Eileen" also topped the US Billboard Hot 100, and, with extensive airplay on MTV, they are associated with the Second British Invasion.

The Bureau were an English new wave soul group formed in November 1980 in Birmingham, England, when the original line-up of Dexys Midnight Runners split up. The Bureau retained their Dexys roots and played powerful brass-driven soul sounds. They are best known for their single "Only For Sheep", which reached No. 5 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Rowland</span> British singer (born 1953)

Kevin Rowland is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners. The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" and "Come On Eileen", both of which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come On Eileen</span> 1982 song by Dexys Midnight Runners

"Come On Eileen" is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners, released in the United Kingdom in June 1982 as a single from their second studio album Too-Rye-Ay. It reached number one in the United States and was their second number one hit in the UK, following 1980's "Geno". The song was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley and was initially claimed to be written by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, although Rowland later stated that the essence of the tune should be attributed to Kevin Archer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geno Washington</span> American R&B singer (born 1943)

Geno Washington is an American R&B singer who released five albums with the Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976.

<i>Searching for the Young Soul Rebels</i> 1980 studio album by Dexys Midnight Runners

Searching for the Young Soul Rebels is the debut studio album by English band Dexys Midnight Runners, released on 11 July 1980, through Parlophone and EMI Records. Led by Kevin Rowland, the band formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, and formed a strong live reputation before recording their first material. Recorded during April 1980, the album combines the aggressiveness of punk rock with soul music, particularly influenced by the Northern soul movement.

Andy Leek was an English singer, songwriter, poet and musician, known for his work with Dexys Midnight Runners and Sir George Martin. He was an original member of Dexys Midnight Runners and played on the number one single "Geno". He also wrote the single "Twist in the Dark" for Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA. His solo single "Say Something" reached the number 1 position in Lebanon during the civil war.

<i>Too-Rye-Ay</i> 1982 studio album by Dexys Midnight Runners

Too-Rye-Ay is the second studio album by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners. It was released in July 1982 by Mercury Records. The album is best known for the hit single "Come On Eileen", which included the refrain that inspired the album's title. It was the band's most successful album, debuting at number two on the UK Albums Chart.

The Sweets of Sin are an Australian experimental crossover pop band with strong modern classical, jazz and performance influences. The group formed in Adelaide in 1985 by Frank Mankyboddle on vocals, guitar and percussion; and Steve Z on soprano and tenor saxophones, French horn, flute, clarinet, keyboards, vocals and keyboard programming. The band's name was from Ulysses by James Joyce on the instigation of Steve Z. They relocated to Sydney in 1986 and issued a self-titled debut album in 1987 on Jarra Hill Records. The group moved to Berlin in 1989 and disbanded there in 1994. Mankyboddle reformed the group in 2002 and they issued Me-ism in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Speare</span> British musician

Paul George Speare is an English composer, producer, freelance saxophonist and flute player, formerly a member of Dexys Midnight Runners and The TKO Horns.

Exploding White Mice were an Australian punk-pop band from Adelaide which formed in 1983 with Paul Gilchrist on vocals, Andy MacQueen on bass guitar, Gerry Barrett on guitar, Craig Rodda on drums and Giles Barrow on rhythm guitar. In 1984 Barrett was replaced by Jeff Stephens on guitar – later also on lead vocals. In 1985 Rodda was replaced on drums by David Bunney. The group released four studio albums, Brute Force and Ignorance, Exploding White Mice (1990), Collateral Damage (1992) and We Walk Alone (1994). The band toured Europe twice before disbanding in April 1999.

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band are an England-based soul band.

Peter Saunders is an English keyboard player.

The Killjoys were a punk band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1976, with members including Kevin Rowland and Kevin "Al" Archer, who would later form Dexys Midnight Runners, and Ghislaine "Gil" Weston, who would later join Girlschool. Although their releases while still together were limited to one single, subsequent interest has seen an album of their recordings released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There, There, My Dear</span> 1980 single by Dexys Midnight Runners

"There, There, My Dear" is a song by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners, released in June 1980 as the second and final single from their debut album Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. It peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.

British soul, Brit soul, or the British soul invasion, is soul music performed by British artists. Soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s, and American soul was extremely popular among some youth subcultures, such as mods, skinheads, and the Northern soul movement. In the 1970s, soul gained more mainstream popularity in the UK during the disco era.

Levi Smith's Clefs, originally The Clefs, were an Australian R&B, pop rock group, which formed in Adelaide in 1963. Lead vocalist, Barrie "The Bear" McAskill, joined in 1965. In 1967 he took over and renamed the group after founding keyboardist, Winston "Tweed" Harris, left. They released a sole studio album, Empty Monkey, in March 1970 and underwent numerous line-up changes until they disbanded in 1972. After their time in the band various members formed the groups: Tully, Fraternity and Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (SCRA). Winston Harris (1941–2004) died of throat cancer, aged 63. A drummer from 1970 to 1971, Russell Dunlop (1945–2009), died after a seizure, aged 63. Richard Lockwood, flautist and saxophonist in 1968, died in 2012 of bowel cancer.

Magic Wands is an American rock band, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and currently based in Los Angeles, California.

Greasy Pop Records was an Australian independent record label established by Doug Thomas in 1980 in Adelaide. Greasy Pop Records predominantly signed South Australian artists including Exploding White Mice, Where's the Pope?, Del Webb Explosion and The Mad Turks from Istanbul. As from 2006, the label was owned by Pete Hartman-Kearns and Monique Laver. According to I-94 Bar's Patrick Emery, Greasy Pop "was the focus of much of the city’s vibrant music scene, putting out great records ... Much of the Greasy Pop stable was based on the Detroit-via-Birdman thing – it's interesting that while Adelaide continues to share a cultural affinity closer to Melbourne than Sydney, its musical influences arguably owe more to the Sydney and the Birdman sound than the art-school aesthetic of Melbourne".

<i>Lets Make This Precious: The Best of Dexys Midnight Runners</i> 2003 compilation album by Dexys Midnight Runners

Let's Make This Precious: The Best of Dexys Midnight Runners is a best-of compilation album by Dexys Midnight Runners, which also contained two newly recorded songs by the group, "Manhood" and "My Life in England ". Dexys had broken up in early 1987, and these two songs, recorded in 2003, were the first new Dexys material since the single "Because of You" in 1986. Nevertheless, the album was similar to the 1991 compilation The Very Best of Dexys Midnight Runners, as eleven of the sixteen older Dexys songs on it had also been included on that album. However, to record the two new songs, Rowland put together a new version of Dexys that featured prior members Pete Williams and Mick Talbot (keyboards) plus new members such as Lucy Morgan (viola) and Neil Hubbard (guitar), and the reformed band played a series of live concerts later in 2003.

References

  1. ↑ Day, David (1987). SA great it's our music 1956-1986. Glandore, S. Aust: D. Day and T. Parker.
  2. ↑ "PlanB - About Del Webb Explosion". PlanB Australia web site. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  3. ↑ Clementi, Devin (June 1984). "A fraction too much faction". On Dit. 52 (9): 19. hdl:2440/42543.
  4. ↑ de Szombatfalvy, Jacki (March 1983). "Big Brass Bang". On Dit. 15 (3): 15. hdl:2440/42528.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.