| Melodian Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Ian Meldrum, Michael Gudinski and Amanda Pelman |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Location | Melbourne |
Melodian Records was an Australian independent record label founded in 1988 by record producer and music journalist Ian Meldrum with Michael Gudinski and Amanda Pelman. The name Melodian is a combination of 'melody' and Meldrum and Ian. [1]
In July 1987, Australian music television show Countdown ended. Meldrum had hosted the show since its induction in 1974. Meldrum wanted to start a record label as he felt "so many young pop acts weren't getting a go". The first two signings were Indecent Obsession (a pop band from the Gold Coast) and Roxus (a rock band from Melbourne). [2]
The first album released on the label was Indecent Obsession's Spoken Words in November 1989. It peaked in Australia at number 28. [3]
Indecent Obsession managed to have 1 Australian Top 10 single ("Say Goodbye"), the Top 40 hits "Tell Me Something" and "Come Back To Me", and in 1992, the single "Kiss Me" was very successful in South Africa, reaching No.1 (#27 in Australia).
In 1991, TV star Jo-Beth Taylor had a top 40 hit with song "99 Reasons".
Also in 1991, Juno Roxas and his band Roxus had success with debut album "Nightstreet" (#5 ARIA Albums chart) and a Top 20 ARIA single, "Where Are You Now".
Melodian Records' biggest selling artist was Peter Andre. His single in 1992/93, "Gimme Little Sign", spent over 6 months in the ARIA charts, went Platinum and became the biggest selling Australian released single of 1993.
Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1973. Their classic lineup (1974–1977) comprised Graeme "Shirley" Strachan (vocals), Greg Macainsh, Red Symons, Bob "Bongo" Starkie, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks (drums).
Things of Stone and Wood or ToSaW are an Australian folk rock band which formed in 1989. The original line-up was Michael Bruce Allen on bass guitar and backing vocals; Greg Arnold on lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Justin Brady on violin, mandolin and harmonica; and Tony Floyd on drums and percussion. Two of their albums, The Yearning and Junk Theatre peaked at No. 8 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Their 1992 single, "Happy Birthday Helen", which reached No. 9 on the ARIA Singles Chart, was written by Arnold for his then-girlfriend, whom he later married. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993 the group won ARIA Award for Best New Talent for "Share This Wine". Arnold won 'Songwriter of the Year' at the 1993 APRA Awards.
Indecent Obsession were an Australian pop rock band formed early in 1987 in Brisbane with founding mainstays Daryl Sims on drums and Michael Szumowski on keyboards. By 1988 the line-up also included Andrew Coyne on lead guitar and David Dixon on lead vocals. They released three studio albums, Spoken Words and Indio, both reached the top 50 on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 1990 Spoken Words was repackaged for United States market as Indecent Obsession, which reached the Billboard 200. In May 1989 they issued their debut single, "Say Goodbye", which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Singles Chart – their highest position in Australia. Their second single, "Tell Me Something" (September), reached No. 17 nationally. When issued in the US it peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached No. 1 in Indonesia and Hong Kong, and Top 10 in Japan and South Africa. For the Asian market the band used the shortened name, Obsession. In 1992 they were the first Western act to tour South Africa after the lifting of the cultural isolation during the apartheid era. They were "greeted by screaming fans and scenes of mass hysteria", both their second album, Indio, and one of its singles, "Kiss Me", peaked at No. 1 on the relevant South African charts. By 1993 Sims and Szumowski were joined by Mark Gray on bass guitar, Richard Hennassey on lead vocals and Graham Kearns on lead guitar. The following year they issued another studio album, Relativity, before disbanding a year later.
Joseph Vincent Camilleri, aka Jo Jo Zep, is a Maltese Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows. Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons' highest-charting single was "Hit & Run" from June 1979, which peaked at #12; Jo Jo Zep's "Taxi Mary" peaked at No. 11 in September 1982; and The Black Sorrows top single, "Chained to the Wheel", peaked at No. 9 in March 1989.
Juno Roxas is an Australian musician and actor.
Joanne Rebecca Guilfoyle, known professionally as Jo Beth Taylor, is an Australian television presenter, actress and singer most well known for hosting three weekly programs at the same time in the 1990s on the Nine Network: Australia's Funniest Home Video Show (1993–1997), Hey Hey It's Saturday (1995–1997) and What's Up Doc? (1996–1997), before taking a hiatus from television for more than two years.
Cherry were an Australian pop music group from the late 1990s. The five founding vocalists were Amy Canto, Empress Camielle, Hayley Toomey, Gerri Mackay and Zoe Trilsbach. Two of their singles reached the ARIA Singles Chart top 60, "S.O.S." and "Saddest Song". Amy and Zoe left the group, which continued as a trio but disbanded soon after in 1999.
Sunnyboys were an Australian power pop band formed in Sydney in 1979. Fronted by singer-songwriter/guitarist Jeremy Oxley, the band began performing on the city's pub circuit – where, according to music historian Ian Mc Farlane, they "breathed some freshness and vitality into the divergent Sydney scene". Their first two albums, Sunnyboys and Individuals, both appeared in the Top 30 of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart.
Roxus were an Australian hard rock band which existed between 1987 and 1993. Members included Juno Roxas - lead vocals, Dragan Stanić - guitar, Darren Danielson - drums, John 'Stones' Nixon - bass guitar and Andy Shanahan - keyboards. Their debut album, Nightstreet was released in August 1991 and peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Their most successful single, "Where Are You Now?", reached No. 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold.
Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM is an Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent coordinator, on-air interviewer, and music news presenter on the former popular music program Countdown (1974–87) and is widely recognised for his trademark Stetson hat, which he has regularly worn in public since the 1980s.
"Accidently Kelly Street" is the debut single of Australian indie pop group Frente!, released in October 1992 ahead of their debut studio album, Marvin the Album. The title includes an unintentional misspelling of "accidentally" that the band decided to keep. The song peaked at No. 4 on both the Australian and New Zealand singles charts, and it was a minor hit in the United Kingdom in 1994, peaking at No. 80 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Say Goodbye" is the debut single by Australian pop rock band Indecent Obsession, released by Melodian Records in May 1989. The song was included on their debut album Spoken Words (released internationally as Indecent Obsession. The single peaked at No. 6 on the Australian ARIA Chart.
"Tell Me Something" is the second single by Australian pop rock band Indecent Obsession, released by Melodian Records and MCA Records in 1989. The single peaked at number 17 on the Australian ARIA Chart. Early in 1990, "Tell Me Something" peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and No. 91 on the Official Charts in the UK.
"Come Back to Me" is the third by Australian pop rock band Indecent Obsession, released by Melodian Records and MCA Records in January 1990 off their debut album Spoken Words. The single peaked at number 40 on the Australian ARIA Chart, but was a number-one hit in Hong Kong. The band promoted the song, supporting Debbie Gibson on the Australian leg of her Electric Youth world tour.
"Kiss Me" is the fifth single by Australian pop rock band Indecent Obsession, released by Melodian Records and MCA Records in March 1992 off their second album Indio. The single peaked at number 27 on the ARIA Chart.
"Indio" is the sixth single by Australian pop group Indecent Obsession, released by Melodian Records and MCA Records on 27 July 1992 off their second album Indio. The single peaked at number 41 on the ARIA Chart.
Spoken Words is the 1989 debut studio album by Australian pop rock band Indecent Obsession, released in Australia by Melodian Records in November 1989. It includes two singles which reached the top-20 in Australia: "Say Goodbye" and "Tell Me Something".
Nightstreet is the debut studio album by Australian rock band, Roxus. It was released in August 1991 and peaked at number five on the ARIA Albums chart.
Live, styled as Live!, is a live extended play by Australian rock band, Roxus. Its four tracks were recorded at Billboards Club, Melbourne in March 1990 and released in June that year. It peaked at number 33 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were an Australian Blues, rock and R&B band. The band released eight studio albums. The band were included into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007.
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