Phalanx | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | December 1983 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 45:27 | |||
Label | EMI Music Australia Geffen Records | |||
Producer | Simon Binks, Ross Cockle | |||
Australian Crawl chronology | ||||
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Singles from Phalanx | ||||
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European release (1983) | ||||
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Phalanx is the first live album released by [2] Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl. [3] It was recorded live at concerts at Bombay Rock Gold Coast,Queensland and at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in October,1983,during the 'Semantics' tour. [4] The album was initially released on vinyl in December 1983 and was re-released on CD in May 1995. The album reached #4 on the National Album Charts being released by EMI. [5]
The title of the album is derived from the name for the ancient Greek battle formation where long spears were presented from behind a wall of overlapping shields. The title can also refer more generally to a close-knit group of people,in this case the audience.
The cover features distinctive cartoon images by Michael Leunig with the front depicting five sharks swimming towards a lone wader –they are revealed to be five other swimmers with shark fin hair (see infobox). The back cover cartoon depicts a stage manager warning "Five Minutes Mr. Reyne" at the dressing room door. Meanwhile,Reyne is combing his hair backwards with Brylcream liberally applied,a guitar and a half-full bottle are nearby.
Phalanx was also released by Geffen Records in Europe but under a different title,Australian Crawl:Live,and with a different cover. [6]
"Phalanx was the Crawl's fourth album... It yielded a rollicking single,in the form of the band's raucous cover of The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie"... As this album lodged itself at the top of the charts,the Crawl were off to England for some pre-Christmas shows with Duran Duran." –Glen A. Baker,1983. [7]
Songwriting credits from Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). [8]
Credits: [3]
Chart (1983/84) | Peak position |
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Australian (Kent Music Report) [9] | 4 |
Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne,Brad Robinson,Paul Williams (bass),Simon Binks and David Reyne (drums) in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough. They were later joined by his brother Guy McDonough. The band was named after the front crawl swimming style also known as the Australian crawl.
James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM is an Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter both in solo work and,until 1986,with the band Australian Crawl.
Sirocco is the second album from Australian rock band Australian Crawl. It was released in July 1981 and on 3 August,it topped the Australian charts where it remained for six weeks,the band's first of two albums to hit #1. It was released a year after their successful debut The Boys Light Up which had reached #4.
Simon John Binks is an Australian rock musician who was a guitarist and singer-songwriter for Australian Crawl from founding in 1978 to disbanding in 1986.
Guy Gillis McDonough was an Australian rock musician best known for rhythm guitar and singer-songwriter with the iconic band Australian Crawl. He provided rhythm guitar and lead vocals on two of their well-known songs,"Oh No Not You Again" and "Errol". McDonough's solo 1985 release,My Place,was produced by his brother,Bill McDonough.
Sons of Beaches is the third album from Australian rock band Australian Crawl and their second #1 in the Australian albums charts. The album released in 1982 on EMI was recorded in Hawaii with ex-pat Mike Chapman,who had also produced Blondie and The Knack.
The Boys Light Up is the debut album from Australian pub rock band Australian Crawl which was released in 1980 and contains the title track,"The Boys Light Up","Indisposed","Downhearted" and their previously released debut single "Beautiful People". The album reached #4 on the Australian album charts and remained in the charts for an unbroken 101 weeks,eventually selling over 280 000 copies.
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.
The Final Wave is the second live album released by Australian rock band Australian Crawl. It is a recording of the band's final Melbourne concert on 27 January 1986. The album reached #16 on the Australian album charts upon its release.
More Wharf:Greatest Hits is a compilation album of songs by Australian rock band Australian Crawl taken from their four studio albums and their EP,Semantics.
"Errol" is the second single by Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl taken from their 1981 album Sirocco. The song was written by James Reyne and Guy McDonough and sung by McDonough instead of Reyne,and is a lyrical biography about Australian-born actor Errol Flynn. It was produced by Peter Dawkins.
"Downhearted" is the third single released by Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl from their debut album The Boys Light Up. The song was written by Sean Higgins,Guy McDonough and Bill McDonough. All three songwriters had been bandmates in the Flatheads,but at the time only Bill McDonough was a member of Australian Crawl. It was produced by David Briggs.
"Shut Down" is the first single released by Australian rock band Australian Crawl from their third studio album Sons of Beaches. The song was written by drummer Bill McDonough and features lead vocals by James Reyne. The B-side was the non-album track "Creating Monsters". It was produced by Mike Chapman.
Bradford Leigh "Brad" Robinson was an Australian rock musician best known as lead and rhythm guitarist with the 1980s band Australian Crawl. He had a later career as a manager for musicians and sports personalities.
Australian Crawl was an Australian surf / pop rock band. The band released four studio albums,three live albums,six compilations,seventeen singles,one extended play,and three video albums. These include releases credited to Australian Crawl,Australian Crawl and James Reyne,and 'Members of Australian Crawl'.
"The Boys Light Up" is the second single and title track released by Australian rock band Australian Crawl from their debut album The Boys Light Up (1980). The song was written by lead singer James Reyne
Lost &Found is a compilation album of recording studio sessions credited to members of Australian Crawl and other artists;it includes tracks originally recorded with Guy McDonough and released on his 1985 posthumous solo album My Place. Guy McDonough had been Australian Crawl's guitarist,vocalist and songwriter from late 1980 until his death in 1984. Former Australian Crawl drummer Bill McDonough and producer Peter Blyton compiled,produced and mixed the tracks for Lost &Found.
"Reckless" was a 1983 song from the EP Semantics by Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl. The song showed a change in the line up of the band as drummer Bill McDonough was temporarily replaced by Graham Bidstrup. After the EP was released,Bidstrup was replaced by John Watson (drums).
"Things Don't Seem" is the first single by Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl from their 1981 album Sirocco. It was produced by Peter Dawkins The song features one of the band's most complex pieces of lead guitar work,thanks to the skills of guitarist Simon Binks.
Simon Cyril Hussey is an Australian multi-instrumentalist,songwriter-arranger,record producer and audio engineer. In 1984 he formed Cats Under Pressure on keyboards with David Reyne on vocals and Mark Greig on guitar. Hussey and Greig joined Australian Crawl's demo and recording sessions for their fourth studio album,Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Hussey provided keyboards and co-wrote material with the band's lead singer,James Reyne. In 1987 when James undertook his solo career,Hussey joined his backing band on keyboards,and co-wrote six tracks for James' debut self-titled album including top 10 hit singles,"Hammerhead" (October) and "Motor's Too Fast". In May 1988 Hussey was the producer,and provided keyboards and song writing,for Edge (November),the comeback album by Daryl Braithwaite (ex-Sherbet),which peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart for three weeks in mid-1989.