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Buffalo
dead forever...
Catalogue Number: AVSCD010

Dead Forever…, the legendary 1972 debut by Buffalo was the first to be released outside the UK on the prestigious Vertigo label. It remains one of the first truly sinister albums from an Aussie band of the day.

Highlights of this collection of heavy psychedelic blues included covers of Free’s ‘I’m a Mover’ and the Blues Images’ ‘Pay My Dues’, plus the band-penned tracks ‘Leader’, ‘Suzie Sunshine’, ‘Bean Stew’ and the melancholy, atmospheric ballad ‘Forest Rain’.

The album’s centrepiece is the awe-inspiring title track; ‘Dead Forever’ – its dense, heavy riffing, multi-tracked solos, throbbing basslines, rasping vocals and a weird echoed sound to the drums created the ‘definitive’ Buffalo sound that would be fully unleashed on their subsequent classics Volcanic Rock and Only Want You For Your Body. Aztec Music will be reissuing all 5 Buffalo Dead Forever, Volcanic Rock, Only Want You For Your Body, Mother’s Choice and Average Rock N’ Roller.

The line-up for this album was: Dave Tice (vocals – later vocalist for UK R&B band The Count Bishops), Alan Milano (vocals), Paul Babli (drums), Peter Wells (bass – later guitarist for Rose Tattoo) and John Baxter (guitar).

The 3rd. release in Aztec Music’s reissue of all 5 Buffalo titles, dead forever… features 5 bonus tracks (2 by pre Buffalo band Head), new digital remaster, 24 page booklet with rare photos and liner notes by Ian McFarlane – packaged in a 6 panel digi-pak.

Rainbow Theatre
Fantasy Of Horses
Catalogue Number: AVSCD011

Rainbow Theatre was one of the most unique bands to emerge from the mid-1970s Australian rock scene. On a scene dominated by hard rock, blues and commercially minded, Countdown-friendly glam pop, Rainbow Theatre proffered a style of classically influenced jazz rock that could be practically head spinning in its intensity.

While at the core was a loud rock band capable of blasting out ‘Smoke on the Water’ when called upon to do so, other influences as diverse as classical composers Stravinsky and Wagner to King Crimson and the Mahavishnu Orchestra came into play.

Fantasy Of Horses was released in 1976 as a follow up to the debut The Armada (also due to be reissued by Aztec Music later this year). Full of symphonic grandeur, the seven-part, 16-minute title suite emerges as the band’s crowning achievement - the track weaves its way through complex progressive jazz movements to minor-key classical moments, and naturally there are lashings of mellotron to be heard.

Much bootlegged, this is the first authorised reissue. It has been remastered from the original tapes, and also includes a bonus orchestral excerpt from Rainbow Theatre main- man Julian Browning’s follow up classical piece: Symphony No. 3. (Performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) – packaged in Aztec Music’s trademark 6 panel digi-pak with a revealing essay by noted Australian rock writer Ian McFarlane.

Band Of Light
Total Union
Catalogue Number: AVSCD012

Band Of Light were formed in October 1972 by Phil Key (vocalist and rhythm guitarist from legendary New Zealand band The La De Da’s). Ian Rilen (later a key member of both Rose Tattoo and X) replaced Peter Roberts (also ex-La De Da’s) on bass after just 3 gigs. Master slide guitarist Norm Roue (later to join Buffalo) and experienced drummer Tony Buettel (from The Valentines) completed the line-up.

Key’s first mission was to ensure that Roue’s stinging slide technique was put to good use. If you ever wondered what a nascent Rose Tattoo may have sounded like then this is a good place to start: on a good night, Roue could be matched with the likes of ‘Sleepy’ Greg Lawrie from Carson and La De Das’ Kevin Borich as one of the best slide players in the country, and at the bottom end, Rilen and Buettel always kept the rhythm firm and funky.

By the time the Total Union album appeared in August 1973, they were on a roll and it represented a definite peak in the band’s career. Across the six tracks, the band’s music is raucous and raw, yet simple and powerful, with Roue’s unique slide explorations splashed liberally over the top.

One of our most anticipated reissues yet; Total Union is digitally remastered and has 5 bonus tracks. It is packaged in a 6 panel digi-pak, with rare photos and extensive liner notes from noted Australian Rock writer Ian McFarlane.

Lobby Loyde with Sudden Electric
Live With Dubs
Catalogue Number: AVSCD013

Aztec Music are excited to announce that we will be reissuing a swag of titles by the legendary Lobby Loyde in 2006. Lobby is an undisputed legend of Aussie rock and our first real guitar hero. His body of work, featuring The Purple Hearts, The Wild Cherries, The Aztecs and The Coloured Balls is unrivalled - these are bands that helped to change the face of Aussie music in the Sixties and Seventies. Our first Lobby Loyde reissue is the mega rare 1980 title: Live With Dubs.

By and large something of an unknown quantity, Live with Dubs is now considered by Aussie guitar rock aficionados to be one of the best albums of its type released at the time. The redoubtable Lobby Loyde has long been considered one of Australia ’s master guitarists. A player of considerable confidence, proficiency and technique, by the time he came to record Live with Dubs, Loyde was a near 20-year veteran of the local scene (The Purple Hearts, The Wild Cherries, The Aztecs, and the legendary Coloured Balls)

In 1979, after spending 2 years in UK , Loyde returned to Australia . On the way, he stopped off in LA in order to catch up with his old Aztec mates Billy Thorpe and drummer Gil Matthews , then preparing for the release of Thorpie’s first American album Children of the Sun. Loyde had a few ideas up his sleeve for a new three-piece touring band, and he knew Matthews would fit the bill. Within weeks of his arrival back in Melbourne , and with Matthews available for a month, Loyde had embarked on a 28-date national tour. The bass player was Gavin Carroll who had previously worked with the Sinclair Brothers and Hush. Radio 2-JJ (the precursor to Radio National’s youth oriented Triple J) recorded a gig at the Manly Flicks for a live-to-air broadcast. When it came to mixing the album it was found that the vocal mic’s had malfunctioned, so Lobby got Mandu (from Lobby Loyde’s Southern Electric) and Angry Anderson (Rose Tattoo) into the studio to record the vocal tracks. The resulting LP was released in 1980 (as a very limited pressing) and has always been difficult to find.

Live With Dubs has been remastered from the original master tapes, has 7 bonus tracks and an extensive booklet with rare photos and liner notes by noted Aussie rock writer Ian McFarlane – all packaged together in our deluxe 6 panel digi-pak.

The bonus material, sub-titled Live without Dubs, was recorded 20 years later. With stalwart bass player Gavin Carroll on hand, the band: Lobby, Gavin, guitarist Peter Coomber and drummer Bruce Hoare (christened Ball Power), played a mix of Coloured Balls and Southern Electric material. The sound was as dynamic as Loyde’s previous aggregations, as demonstrated by the four live tracks: familiar Balls songs ‘G.O.D.’, ‘Flash’ and ‘Human Being’ plus a radically rearranged version of the Elvis Presley standard ‘Heartbreak Hotel’.

$20

The Twilights
Once Upon A Twilight - mono & stereo
Catalogue Number: AVSCD014

A clear case could be made for citing The Twilights’ Once Upon a Twilight as Australia’s greatest pop-psych album. Although almost totally ignored on its original release in June 1968, the album now takes its place among the best of the genre (MOJO magazine’s 2004 Special Edition on Psychedelia listed Once Upon a Twilight as one of the great unheralded World Psych albums).

Between 1966 and 1967 The Twilights enjoyed eight Top 40 hit singles. Near-perfect pop-psych gems like ‘9.50’, ‘Young Girl’, ‘Time and Motion Study Man’, ‘The Way They Play’, ‘Cathy Come Home’ and ‘Comin’ on Down’ remain some of the finest moments in Australia’s 1960s musical legacy. The Twilights had gained much inspiration and experience on their trip to the UK (October 1966 to February 1967), during which they recorded three tracks at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios with in-house producer Norman Smith (Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things): a cover of The Hollies’ ‘What’s Wrong with the Way I Live’, ‘9.50’ and ‘Young Girl’. Upon returning to Australia , the band set about recording what was to be their greatest (and final) LP.

Just what is it that makes The Twilights’ Once Upon a Twilight such an important pop-psych artefact? First and foremost is the quality of the songs themselves, with nearly all having been written by the band’s resident musical genius, guitarist Terry Britten. Secondly, under the guidance of producer David MacKay, the band recorded the album as a complete work, so that even today it displays a unity of purpose and holistic purity not generally achieved elsewhere. Thirdly, the sound of the album boasts all the trappings of period psychedelia, with all manner of studio trickery from echoed harmonies and gentle phasing to vocals fed through rotating Leslie cabinets.

After the break-up of The Twilights, lead singer Glenn Shorrock went on to join Axiom and later, the internationally famous Little River Band. Britten became an in-demand session player and producer for the likes of Cliff Richard (for whom he co-wrote ‘Devil Woman’, ‘Carrie’ and ‘Green Light’), as well as a highly successful songwriter (Christie Allen, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson).

Aztec Music’s reissue of Once Upon A Twilight has been digitally remastered, and both the Stereo and Mono versions are included. The CD is packaged in a deluxe 6 panel digi-pak, with a 24 page booklet containing many rare photos and liner notes by noted Aussie Rock writer Ian McFarlane .

$20

Kahvas Jute
Wide Open
Catalogue Number: AVSCD015

Wide Open is a progressive rock milestone and a consummate example of underground psychedelic hard rock at its most inventive and powerful. As the title suggests, Wide Open is a free-flowing and expansive musical blending of rock, blues and jazz, and to leaven out the sound there’s a touch of acid folk thrown in for good measure. It’s a very English-influenced sound but far from being a slavish copy of the overseas role model, the album bears a uniquely Australia flavour.

It continues to be held as one of Australia ’s prime rock collectables, with original pressings of the album selling for as much as US$600.00 on eBay in recent years.

The tightly structured songs and the superb guitar work of Dennis Wilson and Tim Gaze (Tamam Shud) combine to stamp the record as a tour de force, where style, content, technique and sonic bearing meet in perfect equilibrium. Furthermore, the whole shebang is held together by the restlessly exploratory bass lines of the great Bob Daisley (who later went on to a stellar international career with Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Uriah Heep, Chicken Shack – the list is endless!) and the muscular, yet agile drum patterns of Dannie Davidson (Tamam Shud, Band Of Light). Is it any wonder then that all these elements add up to make Wide Open one of the most sought-after artefacts of the entire Aussie progressive rock era?

Reformation

On the 17th July 2005 , Kahvas Jute, featuring new drummer Mark Marriott (an experienced session player), played a gig at famed Sydney venue The Basement which was filmed for future DVD release. The set list that night featured six tracks from Wide Open, seven new songs, a cover of Cream’s ‘Politician’ plus an impromptu jam on the old Yardbirds number ‘The Nazz are Blue’ featuring guest vocalist Jimmy Barnes (5 of the audio tracks feature as bonus tracks on the CD reissue). If anything, the gig showed the band to be better musicians than ever, with the added elements of experience and maturity shining through, while also managing to capture the Kahvas Jute sound to perfection.

Aztec Music’s reissue of Wide Open has been digitally remastered by Dennis Wilson. Packaged in our usual 6 panel digi-pak, with rare photos, and liner notes by Ian McFarlane.

$20

Lobby Loyde
Obsecration
Catalogue Number: AVSCD016

Lobby Loyde: “We recorded Obsecration towards the end of 1975, but we only recorded on full moons over a period of three months”. “See, originally we were gonna call that album Full Moon Fever, but then we thought, ‘oh, it sounds a bit like mountain music, y’know, Kentucky moonshine music’. So then I came up with the title Obsecration.” sort of intense.”

After the unpleasant and, indeed, ill-fated break-up of the Coloured Balls at the end of 1974, Loyde cooled his heels, and by mid-year with a couple of allies in drummer Jimmy Thompson and sax player Paul Dixon was ready to hit the studio again. A solo single ‘Do You Believe in Magic / Love Lost on Dream-Tides’ was released on the the Bootleg label. Loyde, suitably revitalised and re-energised was ready to proceed. For his new band, dubbed Southern Electric, the guitarist eventually added two of his old Coloured Balls companions, rhythm guitarist Andrew Fordham and bass player Janis Miglans before rounding out the line-up with keyboardist John Dey and singer Mándu.

Obsecration features an incredibly eclectic and diverse assortment of music, all up a magnificent album of guitar explorations and textures, a thematic collection of riffs, runs, rhythms and timing shifts taking the listener through a wide range of moods and styles. If anything, it lacked a commercial focus but as we’ve seen Loyde was well and truly beyond working within commercial considerations at the time. One thing is certain: his beautiful, at times heavy yet always unique psych-rock guitar work is the main feature throughout.

The album was released in May 1976, on the Rainbird label. When Richard Branson heard Obsecration he wanted to release it on Virgin. Branson sent the company a few notes, saying he wanted the master tapes. What Lobby (who had moved to the UK ) didn’t know at the time, was that Rainbird had gone into liquidation. Despite that set-back, Loyde was able to take Southern Electric into Surrey Sound Studios with producer Nigel Gray in order to record tracks for a proposed EP release (previously unreleased, they have been added as bonus tracks to this reissue).

Our reissue of Obsecration is packaged in a 6 panel digi-pak, with liner notes by Ian McFarlane and Glenn Terry, digitally remastered, has 6 bonus tracks and many rare photos.

$20

Coloured Balls
Ball Power
Catalogue Number: AVSCD017

When we started the Aztec Music label, we made a list of the albums that we hoped to reissue and this absolute classic was certainly one our top choices! Ball Power was a defining moment in the history of Aussie music and one of the greatest guitar-driven hard rock albums of the 1970s.

By the time Lobby Loyde formed the Coloured Balls in March 1972, he was already a 12-year veteran of the local music scene. Working his way through R&B legends The Purple Hearts, psychedelic heroes The Wild Cherries and onto the bluesy Aztecs, Loyde had well and truly established his reputation as Australia ’s pre-eminent guitar master. By the beginning of 1973, the band’s standing was such that they put in an astonishing performance at the second annual Sunbury Festival. Loyde’s legendary 16-minute, freeform showpiece ‘G.O.D.’, a searing cosmic heavy metal epic that surely stands as one of the greatest performances ever recorded by an Australian band of the era is included here as one of the 7 bonus tracks.

After releasing 2 singles on the Havoc label, the Coloured Balls Signed to EMI. With help from producer Ian D. Miller and highly experienced engineer John Sayers the band knocked out Ball Power in a couple of weeks. One of the great progressive hard rock LPs of the era, Ball Power really had a lot going for it: great songs, inspirational playing, attitude to burn and an experimental edge that would have frightened the hell out of any lesser band.

The overall excellence of Ball Power makes for quality listening all the way through. The songs range from the crunching, melodic hard rock of ‘Flash’ and ‘Hey! What’s Your Name’ to the simple, raw rock’n’roll of ‘Mama Don’t Get Me Wrong’ and ‘Won’t You Make Up Your Mind’ (a proto-typical punk ball-tearer at a breathtakingly brief one minute and 32 seconds) and a raucous cover of the Jerry Lee Lewis standard ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’’. In between there are the sleazy blues of ‘Something New’ and ‘B.P.R.’ plus progressive, guitar-heavy monsters like ‘Human Being’ and ‘That’s What Mama Said’.

Ball Power is presented in a 6 panel digi-pak with a 24 page booklet filled with rare photos & liner notes by Ian McFarlane. It has been digitally remastered with 7 bonus tracks – including the 16+ minute live version of G.O.D.

$20

Coloured Balls
Heavy Metal Kid
Catalogue Number: AVSCD018

With the dawning of 1974, the future looked bright for the Coloured Balls. Their album Ball Power sat in the Melbourne Top 10 (national #13) and their performance at Sunbury 1974 over the Australia Day weekend had been a triumph. They were at the peak of their powers, one of the country’s top live draws Yet, by the end of the year, fate had intervened and the band was simply crumbling under the weight of outside pressures: EMI calling for hit singles; the national media branding them as anti-social misfits; a wave of violence unfolding at their gigs around the country. The image, perpetrated by the media, sat uneasily with the members of the Coloured Balls - one of the most misunderstood bands of the early 1970s. Fortunately, they left behind another great album in Heavy Metal Kid. Like Ball Power, this album retains a power and strength of purpose to this day, displaying an adventurous spirit and further reaffirmation of the band’s status as a pioneering progressive / hard rock outfit. One of the standout album tracks “Back To You” was performed recently when Lobby Loyde was inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame (backed by the Aztecs).

The band managed one more single “Bama Lama Baby / Be Your Lover” before disbanding. This single was thought to be their last recording, until a master tape of an unreleased single “Flying / Around and Around” was discovered. Recorded live in the studio in 1975 with engineer / producer Gil Matthews, these 2 tracks represent the final studio offering from one of Australia ’s greatest bands.

Heavy Metal Kid is presented in a 6 panel digi-pak with a 24 page booklet filled with rare photos & liner notes by Ian McFarlane. It has been digitally remastered with 7 bonus tracks

$20

Rainbow Theatre
The Armada
Catalogue Number: AVSCD019

Rainbow Theatre’s groundbreaking debut album, The Armada was originally released in 1975. Reissued here officially for the first time (there have been dubious pirated copies floating around the worldwide collector market in recent years) - this is the real deal, in digitally remastered splendour and with a bonus track to boot!

Influences as diverse as classical composers Stravinsky and Wagner to King Crimson and the Mahavishnu Orchestra came into play. With composer, arranger, guitarist and mellotron player Julian Browning at the helm, the band was never going to be easily pigeonholed. Browning set about creating the unique music he had formulated in his mind. His classical influences began to emerge and in the meantime he’d also fallen in thrall of adventurous guitarists like King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and John McLaughlin. The King Crimson influence was certainly a key factor in the band’s development because, as well as the complex arrangements that Browning was forging, the other aspect that stood RainbowTheatre apart from the pack was the extensive use of the mellotron. Very few other Australian bands of the day even possessed, let alone knew how to incorporate the mellotron into their sound.

Browning: “It is hard to describe our sound on record. To describe Rainbow Theatre as a jazz-classical-rock band, it sounds like an awful hybrid concoction of something or other. It’s like a fish milkshake! It’s hard to put it into words, but I don’t mind if you call it a jazz-classical-rock band, or a classically influenced jazz rock band. Probably progressive rock is as good a term as any to describe what we did.” As displayed on The Armada the music oscillates between nimble jazz rock (‘The Darkness Overture’), classical and operatic themes (‘Petworth House’, ‘The Armada’) and several points beyond. It’s one of the most idiosyncratic albums of the period, closer in spirit to King Crimson circa In the Court of the Crimson King/In the Wake of Poseidon/Lizard than anything else, and very accessible besides. Rainbow Theatre went on to record a second album, Fantasy of Horses before eventually breaking up in 1977.

Digitally remastered from the original tapes, with a bonus symphonic excerpt by Julian Browning ( Performed by the Melbourne Grammar Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Rutherford).

$20