Simon Binks

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Simon Binks
Simon Binks with 1964 Fender Statocaster.jpg
Simon Binks as lead guitarist of Australian Crawl
Background information
Birth nameSimon John Binks
Born (1956-11-27) 27 November 1956 (age 67)
Mount Eliza, Victoria, Australia
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1976–present
Labels EMI, Geffen, Virgin, Blue Pie

Simon John Binks [1] (born 27 November 1956, [2] [3] [4] ) is an Australian rock musician who was a guitarist and singer-songwriter for Australian Crawl from founding in 1978 to disbanding in 1986. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Biography

Early career

Binks was raised in the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Mount Eliza on the outskirts of Melbourne and educated at The Peninsula School.

Spiff Rouch [5] [7] was a band formed in 1976, it included Binks and fellow locals James Reyne, Bill McDonough, Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, and Robert Walker. [6] [7] By early 1978, Spiff Rouch had separated and Australian Crawl was formed with Binks (lead guitar), Reyne (lead vocals, piano, harmonica), and Williams (bass guitar), they were joined by James Reyne's younger brother David Reyne (drums) and schoolmate Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals). [6] [7]

Australian Crawl

Australian Crawl performed their first live gig in October 1978. [8] Bill McDonough (drums) replaced David Reyne within the first year. [5] [6] [7]

Binks wrote or co-wrote four tracks [1] for Australian Crawl's 1980 debut album The Boys Light Up as well as guitars (lead, slide, acoustic) and vocals. [9] Bill's brother, Guy McDonough (guitars, singer-songwriting) joined Australian Crawl later that year. [5] [6] For their second album Sirocco in 1981, Binks supplied two tracks, [1] and guitar work; [10] the third album, Sons of Beaches in 1982, had Binks providing guitars but no songwriting credits. [11]

Drummer Bill McDonough left early in 1983, the Crawl recorded an EP Semantics with Graham Bidstrup on drums. [5] [6] [7] Of the four tracks, Binks wrote "White Limbo" [1] which was also the B-side of the European single release "Reckless". Mountain climber, Lincoln Hall, quotes lyrics from Binks' song in his book, White Limbo: The first Australian climb of Mt Everest (1985). [12] [13] The EP Semantics charted on the Australian Singles Charts to reach No. 1 and consequently some sources list "Reckless" as a No. 1 single. [14] [15] After the EP, John Watson replaced Bidstrup as drummer. [5] [7]

Phalanx released late in 1983 was a live album which saw Binks and sound engineer Ross Cockle [16] [17] as producers. [7] Australian Crawl toured England supporting Duran Duran in late 1983 but they returned to Australia with Guy McDonough seriously ill and subsequently dying in June 1984. [5] During recording sessions for Between a Rock and a Hard Place , Mark Greig (ex-Runners), [5] shared guitar duties with Binks. [7] Between a Rock and a Hard Place was expensive and had less chart success than previous albums. [5] [14] A final national tour resulted in the live album, The Final Wave , which was released in 1986. [5]

Later career

Binks played guitar in the Broderick Smith Band in 1988. [18] He signed with Blue Pie Productions, in July 2004 [19] but didn't produce any recorded materials and subsequently left.

An injury in a 1995 car crash at a North Sydney Council roadworks left Binks slightly brain-damaged with some sensory loss and restriction of finer movements of his right hand, which had prevented him from regaining the high level of skill he had previously shown. [4] [20] [21] A court in 2006 awarded him $330,253 in damages, down from an estimated $750,000 because lawyers for North Sydney Council provided evidence that Binks was speeding and over the legal alcohol limit. [4] [22] Binks later disputed the alcohol reading as belonging to another driver and stated the remuneration mostly went to his lawyers. [21] During the court case media also reported that he fell out with Crawl co-founder James Reyne after claiming to have written "The Boys Light Up", one of Australian Crawl's early hits. [4] Binks denied this also, claiming that although he wrote the introductory musical theme from "The Boys Light Up" such work was not usually credited, and that the basic chords and lyrics were written by Reyne. [21] After an appeal by the Council, in September 2007, the amount Binks was awarded was reduced to $304,750. [23]

Personal life

By November 1993 Binks was married and they had a child. [24] During his court case v North Sydney Council, evidence was presented that he suffered from migraines most of his life and had been prescribed injections of pethidine by his doctor to combat the pain. [24] Evidence from the court cases reported that Binks was due to separate from his wife Sharon in 2006. [4] [21] He lives with his daughter, Elizabeth, and continues to perform and write music.

Discography

Related Research Articles

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

Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne, Brad Robinson, Paul Williams (bass), Simon Binks and David Reyne (drums) in Melbourne 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Reyne</span> Musical artist

James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM is an Australian musician. He achieved fame as the lead singer of Australian Crawl, and subsequently went on to a successful solo career.

<i>Sirocco</i> (album) 1981 studio album by 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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oh No Not You Again</span> 1981 single by Australian Crawl

"Oh No, Not You Again" is the third single by Australian rock band Australian Crawl from their 1981 studio album Sirocco. The song was written and sung by Guy McDonough, the band's rhythm guitarist, and was about "two young lovers who lived on the coast" whose relationship is disrupted by the man spending his nights "out on the town". It was produced by Peter Dawkins.

<i>Sons of Beaches</i> 1982 studio album by Australian Crawl

Sons of Beaches is the third studio album from Australian rock band Australian Crawl, released in July 1982. It became the band's second #1 in the Australian albums charts. The album was recorded in Hawaii with ex-pat Mike Chapman, who had also produced Blondie and The Knack.

<i>The Boys Light Up</i> 1980 studio album by Australian Crawl

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.

<i>Between a Rock and a Hard Place</i> (Australian Crawl album) 1985 studio album by Australian Crawl

Between a Rock and a Hard Place was the final studio album from Australian rock band Australian Crawl. It was produced by English producer Adam Kidron.

<i>Semantics</i> (album) 1983 EP by Australian Crawl

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.

<i>Phalanx</i> (album) 1983 live album by Australian Crawl

Phalanx is the first live album released by Australian surf rock band Australian Crawl. 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. 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.

<i>The Final Wave</i> 1986 live album by Australian Crawl

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.

<i>More Wharf</i> 1998 compilation album by Australian Crawl

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Errol (song)</span> 1981 single by Australian Crawl

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downhearted</span> 1980 single by Australian Crawl

"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.

Bradford Leigh 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'.

<i>Lost & Found</i> (Australian Crawl album) 1996 compilation album by Australian Crawl

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reckless (Australian Crawl song)</span> 1983 single by Australian Crawl

"Reckless" (aka "Reckless (Don't Be So)", "Reckless (Don't You Be So)", "She Don't Like That") is a 1983 song from the EP Semantics by Australian 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 (also on keyboards). 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.

<i>The Definitive Collection</i> (Australian Crawl & James Reyne album) 2002 compilation album by Australian Crawl / James Reyne

The Definitive Collection is a double CD compilation album of songs credited to Australian rock band Australian Crawl and the band's lead singer, James Reyne. The album was released in October 2002. The versions of “Lakeside”, “Unpublished Critics” and “Things Don’t Seem” are all previously unreleased versions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Australasian Performing Right Association search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  2. ↑ "Simon Binks Band". www.fasterlouder.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
  3. ↑ "Simon Binks". Showcase Your Music. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Wallace, Natasha; David Braithwaite (26 May 2006). "Rocker gets $330,000 for drunken crash". Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Australian Crawl'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . St Leonards: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nimmervoll, Ed. "Australian Crawl". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan; Draper, Oliver; McDonough, Bill. "Australian Crawl". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "Nostalgia Central entry on Australian Crawl". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
  9. ↑ "MSN entry on The Boys Light Up". MSN. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2008.
  10. ↑ "MSN entry on Sirocco". MSN. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2008.
  11. ↑ "MSN entry on Sons of Beaches". MSN. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  12. ↑ Hall, Lincoln (1985). White Limbo: The first Australian climb of Mt. Everest. McMahons Point: K. Weldon. p. 257. ISBN   0-949708-19-4. NOTE: On-line version has limited access.
  13. ↑ "White Limbo: the first Australian climb of Mt Everest / Lincoln Hall ; photography by Lincoln Hall". catalogue. National Library of Australia . Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  14. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  15. ↑ Baker, Glenn A. (1983). "Phalanx liner notes". Axel Husfeldt. Archived from the original on 29 July 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  16. ↑ "Discogs entry on Ross Cockle". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  17. ↑ "Internet Movie Database entry on Ross Cockle". IMDb . Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  18. ↑ Holmgren, Magnus. "Broderick Smith". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "Blue Pie Productions Archived Nooze". Damien Reilly.
  20. ↑ Wilmoth, Peter (10 June 2007). "Home, James". The Age . Fairfax Media. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Temple, Will (26 May 2005). "Guitarist wins compo claim". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  22. ↑ Gallagher, Patrick (24 January 2008). "Case Note: North Sydney Council v Binks [2007]". DLA Phillips Fox . Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  23. ↑ "Less damages for Australian Crawl member". National Nine News . news.ninemsn.com.au. 18 September 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
  24. 1 2 Brown, Malcolm (18 September 2007). "Court cuts musician's damages". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  25. ↑ "Australian Crawl Home". musichead. 13 May 2004. Archived from the original on 25 May 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
  26. ↑ "Spiff Rouch". Discogs. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  27. ↑ Australian Crawl & James Reyne - The Definitive Collection , retrieved 30 August 2022
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