Week of January 16, 2005

Melissa

Personnel:
Rick Barrett - Guitar
Joe Creighton - Bass
Ken Frazier
Bob Gunn - Flute, Vocals
Wally Sparke - Drums
Glen Farley - Keyboards
Ken Hanley - Bass
Glen Manion - Piano
Chris Keystone - Vocals

Album:
Midnight Trampoline (Festival/Banner SBNL 93435) 1971
CD: Vicious Sloth Collectables VSC007

45:
Mississippi Mamma/Too Much Of Nothing (Festival FK-3590) 1970

This outfit began life as Molten Hue in Sydney in 1969. They started out as a pop band but became immersed in the flower power movement and were one of the first bands to play West Coast music.

Their debut 45, ‘Mississippi Mama’ is a fast-paced progressive style blues-rocker, backed by a raucous cover of a Dylan song. Their ‘Midnight Trampoline’ album the following year is perhaps a little underrated. They were obviously Van Morrison fans, for it features a couple of Morrison covers (‘Madame George’ and ‘Young Lovers Do’). Other higher points are a good rendition of the traditional song ‘Cuckoo’, the rousing ‘Getting Through’ and the mystical ‘Matalla’.

They had a large following on the suburban dance circuit and also performed with Tully and Mecca. Joe Creighton is now one of Australia's top session players.

‘Mississippi Mama’ was produced by Rory Thomas from The Questions and has got a further airing on ‘So You Want To Be A Rock’n’Roll Star, Vol. 2’ and ‘So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star’ (3-CD).

Taken from "Dreams, Fantasies and Nightmares" by Vernon Joynson, an extensive guide to Canadian / Australian / New Zealand and Latin American psych and garage music 1963 - 1976.


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