John Justin and the Thunderwings | |
---|---|
Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Genres | rock |
Years active | 1985 - 1987 |
Labels | Wheatley |
Members | John Justin Paul Hines Gordon Pitt Carl Manuel Tony Featherstone Robert Woodrow |
John Justin and the Thunderwings were an Australian rock band formed by John Justin (guitar, vocals), Paul Hines (keyboards), Gordon Pitt (bass, vocals), Carl Manuel (drums) in 1985. In 1987, Tony Featherstone (bass) replaced Pitt and Robert Woodrow (drums) replaced Manuel. They released one full length album, Justice, in 1987. [1]
Debbie Cameron of The Canberra Times described the impact of the album, "I am not wildly enthusiastic about this type of music so I do not want to be unduly unfriendly about it. All I will say is that Justin appears to be a competent exponent." [2] Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt "[it] was brimming with swaggering glam-pop material." [1]
Their debut single "Flash King Cadillac" (1986) was co-produced by Ross Fraser. Fraser was nominated for Producer of the Year at the ARIA Music Awards of 1987 for his work on this single and an album, Whispering Jack, by John Farnham. [3] [4]
singles
album
John Justin
John Peter Farnham AO is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist, although he replaced Glenn Shorrock as lead singer of Little River Band from 1982 to 1985.
Ratcat are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney who formed in 1985. The band is fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist, Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop song writing and energetic punk-style guitar rock won them fans from both the indie and skate-punk communities. They found mainstream success with their extended play, Tingles, album Blind Love and the single, "Don't Go Now" (April), which all reached No. 1 on the ARIA Charts during 1991. The band released two subsequent albums, however they did not match the earlier chart success. Ratcat ceased performing live regularly in the late 1990s, however they continue to perform sporadically. During their career, much of Ratcat's albums and singles artwork was created by Simon Day.
The Sharp were a three-piece pop, rockabilly band which formed in 1991 with Allan Catlin on double bass and lead vocals, Piet Collins on drums and Charlie Rooke on guitar and lead vocals. They issued three albums, This Is the Sharp, Sonic Tripod and Single File. Their highest charting single, "Alone Like Me" (1994), reached the ARIA Singles Chart top 20. They disbanded in October 1995.
Big Pig was an Australian funk, rock and pop band that existed from 1985 to 1991. An early line-up was Sherine Abeyratne on lead vocals and percussion ; Tony Antoniades on vocals and harmonica; Neil Baker on drums; Nick Disbray on vocals and percussion; Tim Rosewarne on vocals and keyboards (ex-Bang); Adrian Scaglione on drums; and Oleh Witer on vocals and percussion (ex-Bang). They issued two albums, Bonk and You Lucky People, on the White Records Label imprint of Mushroom Records.
Noiseworks are an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens. They had four Australian Top 10 albums, Noiseworks, Touch, Love Versus Money and Greatest Hits. They produced three Top 10 singles, "Take Me Back", "Touch" and "Hot Chilli Woman" before disbanding in 1992. Reunion tours occurred in 1999, 2004, 2007–2008 and 2011.
Flash and the Pan were an Australian new wave musical group formed in 1976 by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of the Easybeats; they were a production and songwriting team known as Vanda & Young. The group's first chart success was their 1976 debut single, "Hey, St. Peter", which reached number five in the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The next single, "Down Among the Dead Men", peaked at number four in Australia in 1978; it was re-titled as "And the Band Played On" for international release.
Douglas John Ford is an Australian rock guitarist and songwriter since the mid-1960s. He was lead guitarist of rock n roll group, the Missing Links (1965–66), then during 1968–72, he joined the pop-rock band, the Masters Apprentices. He established a writing partnership with that group's lead singer, Jim Keays. Ford participated in some of the reunions of the Masters Apprentices from 1988 to 1991 and 1997. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998 the group were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Boom Crash Opera are an Australian pop rock band formed in early 1985. Initially they were based around the songwriting partnership of Richard Pleasance on guitar, bass guitar and vocals; and Peter Farnan on guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and vocals. Pleasance developed tinnitus from constant exposure to loud live music & left in 1992 to pursue a solo career as an artist & producer. The group also included Dale Ryder on vocals, Peter 'Maz' Maslen on drums, percussion and vocals; and from 1992 Ian Tilley on bass guitar and vocals.
Nicholas Paul Barker is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who formed a rock, power pop band, Nick Barker & the Reptiles, in March 1988. Their cover version of Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile " reached the top 30 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Chart in November 1989. They provided two top 40 albums on the related ARIA Albums Chart, Goin' to Pieces (1989) and After the Show (1991). He formed another group, Barker, in 1993, and their single, "Time Bomb", was listed at No. 20 on Triple J Hottest 100 for 1994. Barker then went solo from 1995.
Vika and Linda, also known as Vika and Linda Bull, are an Australian vocal duo consisting of Vika Susan Bull and her younger sister, Linda Rose Bull. They came to prominence after singing backing vocals in Joe Camilleri's band The Black Sorrows from 1988. They left that group early in 1994 to start their duo with a self-titled album appearing in June that year. It peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 16 in New Zealand. Their other top 40 charting albums are Princess Tabu and Two Wings.
Whispering Jack is the twelfth studio album by Australian adult contemporary pop singer John Farnham. It was produced by Ross Fraser, and released on 20 October 1986, peaking at #1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Album Charts. Whispering Jack has become the second best-selling-album in Australia, behind Meatloaf's album Bat Out of Hell, and the highest selling album in Australia by an Australian artist - 24x platinum indicating sales of over 1.68 million copies sold. It spent 25 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Album Charts during 1986–1987, it was awarded the 1987 ARIA Award for "Album of the Year", and was the best charting album for the decade of the 1980s in Australia. It was the first Australian-made album to be released on Compact Disc within Australia. One of Farnham's biggest hits, "You're the Voice" was issued as the lead single from this album and peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report Singles Charts.
Stephen Vert "Steve" Balbi is an Australian musician and record producer. He was the founding bass guitarist in pub rockers, Noiseworks in 1986 and formed a psychedelic pop group and production duo, Electric Hippies in 1993 with fellow Noiseworks member, Justin Stanley. He joined Mi-Sex in 2011. Balbi issued his debut solo album, Black Rainbow, in October 2013.
The First Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. The awards were introduced by ARIA Chairman, Paul Turner, who explained the nomination and voting procedures. Presenters of the 20 awards included Slim Dusty, Basia Bonkowski and Donnie Sutherland. The ceremony was not televised. The most successful artist was John Farnham with his album and its associated single, "You're the Voice" helping him win six awards.
David Alexander John Steel is an Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former member of folk rock group, Weddings Parties Anything (1985–88) and pop band, the Whipper Snappers (1990–91). Steel has issued seven solo albums, including one as leader of Dave Steel and the Roadside Prophets. He also released two albums as half of an eponymous duo with folk singer, Tiffany Eckhardt (2010–present). At the ARIA Music Awards he has been nominated for Best Indigenous Release for his debut single, "The Hardest Part" in 1989, for his fourth album, Cross My Palm, for Best Independent Release in 1994, and his seventh solo album, Home Is a Hard Thing to Find, was nominated for Best Blues & Roots Album in 2002.
For the Danish heavy metal band, see Geisha.
Girl Overboard were a pop rock band formed in 1985 as Separate Tables by Robin Gist on guitar, Brett McNaughton on keyboards and Lisa Schouw on lead vocals. In 1989, with an expanded line-up, they changed their name. Girl Overboard released two albums: Paint a Picture , which reached number 18 on the ARIA Albums Charts, and Go in 1993. Their highest charting singles are "I Can't Believe" and "The Love We Make". The group split up in late 1993.
Blue Ruin were an Australian blues rock band, which started as Scrap Museum in 1984. Their third studio album, I'm Gonna Smile, was nominated for Best Independent Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 1991. The group had released three other studio albums, Such Sweet Thunder, Flame and Tattoo Tears (1993), before disbanding in 1995. Mainstay members were Ian "Quincy" McLean on lead vocals and Mulaim Vela on lead guitar.
The State were an Australian band, which formed as The Cutters. Their second single, "Real Love", was nominated for the 1989 ARIA Award for Best New Talent. They released their debut album, Elementary, in February 1989. After the State disbanded, all four members formed Southern Sons with Jack Jones late that year.
Cameron Beck Allan was an Australian-born American-based composer, record producer, filmmaker and former label owner. In September 1978 he co-founded the record label Regular Records with fellow filmmaker Martin Fabinyi. Their first signing was the new wave group Mental As Anything, and their second was the pub rock band Flowers. Allan produced both groups' early work. His TV and film music compositions include Stir (1980), The Umbrella WomanKojak: Ariana (1989), and Kojak: Flowers for Matty (1990). In 1986 he relocated to the United States and in July 1992 he married Margaret Wertheim, a science writer. The couple had separated by 2007. Cameron Allan died of liver failure, after a transplant, aged 57.
Bachelors from Prague were an Australian band formed in 1985. Original members were Russell Cook on drums, George Friml on bass guitar, Bruce Haymes on keyboards, Henry Maas on vocals, Chris Minko on trumpet, Andrew Philipp on saxophone, Jeff Raglus on trumpet, Tom Roberts on guitar, and Justin Stanford on percussion. Their music is described by Ian McFarlane as a mix of "1940s jazz, 1950s R&B;, 1970s funk and salsa" and by Maas as, "jazz meets dance." In 1991 Friml was replaced on bass guitar by Thiery Fossemalle. The group broke up in 1993 but reunited in 2016 and in the following year. They released five albums including, Live at Sing Sing (1986), The Energetic Cool, Birth of the Fool and The Essentials (1990). Their 1989 single, "Get Smart", was later covered by Melbourne Ska Orchestra, which issued it as a single in 2014.