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Disc 1

Shake Baby Shake - Johnny O’Keefe

Johnny O’Keefe was the master at re-inventing not only himself but his actual recordings as times and tastes shifted. A few of his
earlier recordings were re-recorded in the 60s and re-issued with different results. 1950’s J’OK tracks that had the 60s treatment
included Shout (which could never outdo the original), Ooh Poo Pah Doo, and the most famous re-visit So Tough (1972). Included
here is the hit version of Shake Baby Shake (the earlier 1958 version was not a hit as such but was included on an EP) which
sounded remarkably similar in name to another early 60s O’Keefe hit Move Baby Move, with O’Keefe noted for the Shake writing credits.

Needle In A Haystack - The Twilights

For Adelaide band The Twilights, after a series of local Adelaide hits (several of which did chart elsewhere), it was this cover of
Needle In A Haystack (originally recorded in the U.S. by Motown act The Velvelettes) which propelled The Twilights on a wider national
level. Before long they would be in the U.K. (1967) recording at EMI’s Abbey Rd studios virtually alongside The Beatles (down the hallway).
In sound at least The Twilights have often been tagged as our Beatles and certainly when you listen to later work such as the album
Once Upon A Twilight the creativity was certainly there. Then again, look at where two key members would later distinguish
themselves – Glenn Shorrock and songwriter Terry Britten.

Something Easy - Cam-Pact

For Melbourne’s Cam-Pact, this would be the first of their four hit singles to chart locally in Victoria peaking at #22 in 1968. Group
members at some time during the bands brief lifespan included Keith Glass (ex-18th Century Quartet), Mark Barnes (Roadrunners)
and Chris Stockley (Roadrunners), with the band being very much a part of the Melbourne scene often appearing at legendary hot
spots such as the Thumpin’ Tum. Like many others, their hit making success was largely limited to their home state with
the exception of I’m Your Puppet which found its way to other parts of the country.

Undecided - Masters Apprentices

In 1966, Astor Records were the local distributor for a large roster of overseas acts with Petula Clark and The Searchers among
others – and Adelaide band the Masters Apprentices flying the Aussie Astor flag (others included Grandma’s Tonic with less success).
Considering the still fairly conservative nature of Top 40 radio in 1966 this must surely rank as one of the most raucous records to
gain widespread airplay around the country, even if this meant the track was played on many stations only after dark. In many parts
this was actually a double sided hit single with the superb War Or Hands Of Time featured on the flip-side.

Do The Blue Beat - Dinah Lee

This was Dinah Lee’s follow up to the mighty Don’t You Know Yokomo, and to add to this record’s appeal back in 1964 it was coupled
with a cover of Jackie Wilson’s Reet Petite making this one a double “A” sided hit, a worthy follow up to the first hit. Do The Blue Beat
was released in the U.S. on the Vee Jay label and was well-received – however any significant chart success in the U.S. eluded her. Her
backing on both these tracks was provided by fellow expatriate Kiwi’s Max Merritt & The Meteors. The epitome of the 60s Mod look,
Lee went to notch up other 60s hits including a cover of Keith’s 98.6 and I Can’t Believe What You Say.

Everything I Touch Turns To Tears - Jeff Phillips

For Melbourne popstar and soon to be TV star (hosting of the O/10 Network’s Happening ’70 among others), this was Jeff Phillips
second foray onto charts hot on the back of his take of the Shirelle’s hit Baby It’s You. Everything I Touch Turns To Tears was
again produced by Pat Aulton who had produced many hits for Festival Records and connected labels throughout the 1960s,
and while receiving good airplay was never as strong as the initial hit. Both Phillips hits actually performed better in the north than
in his home town of Melbourne where much of his career was focused. Everything I Touch Turns To Tears is not only making its CD
debut here, but its first emergence since its chart days of 1969.

Bombora - The Atlantics

Undoubtedly, this is one of the most quintessential surf hits to make the Australian charts during the Surf hit boom of 1963 and 1964,
and from a home grown act that could equal the chart performance of a Beach Boys or Jan & Dean record (and the rest) of the era.
Taken from the CBS LP of the same name, another hugely successful single was The Crusher with the group switching labels later
in the decade to Sunshine and Leedon – unfortunately with no further hits. This record, and certainly the band still have a large
following to this day, with several fine re-issues over the years, and credible new recordings.

What Am I Doing Here With You - Bev Harrell

Recording for EMI locally in the late 60s (under their HMV banner) was one of our true 60s “sweethearts”, Bev Harrell. Her other hits
included One In A Million, Mon Pere and Come On Over To Our Place but it is this 1967 hit (her first) that Bev will always be linked to.
The song itself has incredible DNA – having been written (and also recorded) by P.F Sloan, the same man who gave us more serious
and thought-provoking songs like Eve Of Destruction and Take Me For What I’m Worth.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder - M.P.D. Limited

M.P.D. Limited will always be remembered for their beat cover of Johnny Burnette’s Little Boy Sad which rocketed to #1 in 1965,
yet they also gave us some other quality hit singles in this Go Records era. Most of the other charting hits followed the same
pattern as the big single – usually a beat style cover of an earlier U.S. hit, but here was a totally different perspective of the band
with the Beatle-ish Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder. This one was pretty much away from the mould of the other singles
which may explain why it missed the mark in their hometown of Melbourne, yet up in Brisbane it became the band’s second
biggest single behind Little Boy Sad. The Bee Gees were also quite involved with the recording, with Maurice on piano and both
Barry and Robin providing subtle backing vocals.

The Same Old Song - Ray Brown

Here’s a Ray Brown hit from the post Whispers era, where the record was just credited to Brown and like other Ray Brown hits was
a cover, with this track being a more bolder cover of a Motown hit. The record came complete with live style intro
(“how about a warm round of applause etc”) even though the record was a studio recording as opposed to the pseudo-live treatment.
Even though Brown continued recording further singles for Festival Records, the major hits had come to an end, and by 1968 he
was living in Los Angeles where he signed a recording deal with Capital Records (that sadly never led to much) and for a while
even found himself working at Paramount Studios. By the end of the decade a re-invented Ray was back in Oz working with his
new country/rock focused band Moonstone which gave us the wonderful and super-groovy Start Of A New Day.

I Sure Know A Lot About Love - Tony Worsley & The Blue Jays

The best charting hits for Tony and his Blue Jays were undoubtedly the big ballads (Velvet Waters, Missing You), but Worsley was
always at his best belting out something a little louder – such as I Sure Know A Lot About Love. During the decade Tony and
band (like fellow Sunshine acts The Purple Hearts) found themselves as support acts for major tours, including The Kinks and
The Dave Clark Five (among many others). Tony for many years ran a high profile restaurant on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and
as for the fabulous Blue Jays they morphed into another 60s band called Grandma’s Tonic.

Windy Day - The Executives

Very much a Sydney hit for The Executives, (in the city where they had their strongest following) peaking at #7, but not much action
elsewhere. Still, a fine example of their style and work which also gave us more recognisable hits such as My Aim Is To Please You,
which in the U.S. (where they were signed to Buddah Records), did have some impressive success in regional areas. In Kentucky
My Aim Is To Please You cracked some local Top 20 charts – not a bad effort for an Aussie band in the 60s. The Executives returned
briefly to the Sydney charts (just) in 1976 with Let The World Go Around.

I'll Make You Happy - The Easybeats

This Easybeats classic came from the days when the EP (Extended Play) was an important part of the vinyl landscape, with four
tracks in all and an impressive picture sleeve (as opposed to the regular paper or plastic sleeve). This power-packed “rafter shaker”
was one of those four tracks on the Easyfever EP of 1966, with others on the disc including Too Much. Such was the strength and
following of the band, not only pushing regular 45s to the top but also this EP. The only other group to fare well out of these four
track singles had been The Beatles during their first couple of years of chart dominance.

I Can See My Love -  In-Sect

For Adelaide’s In-Sect this particular track is a power-packed and almost frantic psychedelic gem, and like their other works for
W&G Records (via the “In” label) in the 60s should have achieved far more on a national level. I Can See My Love was performed by
the group’s leader Frank Sebastyan with the added bonus of being coupled with a cover of an earlier Bobby Vee record More Than I
Can Say (later made more famous by Leo Sayer). Both sides made the Adelaide charts taking the record to #14. Another
great single which also performed strongly in their home state was Let This Be A Lesson.

On The Other Side - The Seekers

In 1967 The Seekers struck gold with Georgy Girl the title song from the hit film, with that perhaps some of their other hits from this
period have been overshadowed or quite often simply overlooked. On The Other Side is one such track, even with solid Top 40
charting it earned around the country. Again like some of the earlier Seekers “giants” this track was also co-written and produced
by Tom Springfield. It was this same year The Seekers performed their historic most famous concert in Melbourne at the Sidney
Myer Music Bowl with an audience of around 200,000 people – unprecedented at that time for an Australian concert.

When I Was Six Years Old - Ronnie Burns

While a successful portion of Ronnie’s 1960’s Spin recordings were Bee Gees connected, here is one co-penned by then Groop
member Brian Cadd. While Brian was an active key member of The Groop he was also setting a standard for further song writing
achievements, around this time period he also wrote the psychedelic classic Elevator Driver for the Masters Apprentices.
As for Ronnie Burns, he himself had a bigger hit waiting for him around the corner, this time penned by another 60s pop icon
Johnny Young – that would be the 1970s smash Smiley.

4,003,221 Tears From Now - Judy Stone

A “Bandstand” regular in the 60s, Judy Stone had already notched up several hits on the music charts, prior to the arrival of this 1964 hit.
4,003,221 Tears From Now proved to be a strong hit in a period when the charts were dominated by The Beatles and other British
Invasion acts – reaching high in the Top 10 around the country. For those with a strong memory you may even remember
the “Bandstand” clip for this featured Judy singing the song as she hit the Luna Park rides. After being absent from the charts
from the late 60s, Judy found a whole new recording career in the 70s with a string of well performing hits like Mare Mare Mare and
Would You Lay With Me In A Field Of Stone.

Lavender Girl - Jon Blanchfield

This is another in a string of singles Queenslander Blanchfield recorded for RCA Records in the late 60s after a fleeting period recording
with Leedon Records. As with many of the other records, most exposure was gained understandably in Queensland with Lavender Girl
getting some radio attention in Victoria. In 1969 Jon boldly covered Johnny O’Keefe’s She’s My Baby where it hit the Top 5 in Brisbane,
prompting O’Keefe’s version to be rush re-issued by Festival Records where it to made a strong chart return in the South.

Sad Dark Eyes - The Loved Ones

This was just one of several singles released from The Loved Ones landmark album Magic Box, amazingly an Aussie album rarely out of
print since its initial release. The singles which appeared on the album also included The Loved One and Everlovin’ Man, which
preceded this track late in 1966. Fronted by the power-packed Gerry Humphrys the band were signed to Ron Gillespie’s W&G Records,
and issued via subsidiary label In Records. This group still easily remains one of Australia’s most influential acts of the 1960s.

Long Legged Baby - Purple Hearts

After being regulars playing at Brisbane’s legendary Primitif Coffee Lounge (actually Prim Jnr adjoining the cafe), located in the long
gone Piccadilly Arcade (just about the hippest place to hang in the 60s), the band\ who had signed to Ivan Dayman’s Queensland
based Sunshine Records soon moved to Melbourne to find deeper appreciation of their blues influenced brand of rock
(Melbourne also gave stronger support to Chain several years on). The band featured tall blonde Mick Hadley belting out the
vocals, plus Barry Lyde who would became better known as Lobby Loyde. Long Legged Baby became their first hit, progressing in style
and volume as the hits rolled out – including Of Hopes And Dreams And Tombstones to the incredibly wild and raucous You Can Sit Down.
The Purple Hearts have retained a strong cult following through the years in Australia – and for a good reason, nobody else was quite like them.

Disc 2

Cara-lyn - Johnny Young & Kompany

Caralyn initially made the charts in Australia via U.S. studio band The Strangeloves one year prior to this Johnny Young cover hit the
airwaves. While the original only received patchy response around the country, this cover from Perth based Johnny Young became a
monster hit. The fact it was a double “A” single containing Step Back was also a major boost. Both sides were recorded in the
West for Martin Clarke’s Clarion Records. Clarke himself built his own recording studio in Perth based on the plans and layout
of Sun Records in Memphis. In the 90s this unique studio had survived relatively intact, however being used as a dry-cleaning business!

You Make Me Happy - Jimmy Hannan

Here is another long lost Aussie gem finding its first ever CD issue, this time from one of our great TV icons of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
In the early days of Australian TV, Jimmy appeared as a contestant on “Name That Tune”, before long he would find himself as part
of the enduring Nine Network line up hosting Variety shows, Game and Quiz Shows for the next three decades. As many of these
such shows were co-produced for the Network with Reg Grundy, it would come as no surprise Jimmy would soon find himself
recording for the newly created Grundy label. His most notable hit from this period would be Beach Ball also famous for being written
by The Byrds Roger McGuinn, followed closely by this double sided hit – one side being Hokey Pokey Stomp and the other
You Make Me Happy (the official “A” side). Listen carefully to this and you will also hear the young Bee Gees providing backing vocals
to this tight little pop track, just as they had done with Beach Ball. Jimmy Hannan cut some other singles for the Reg Grundy label
and would later return to the charts again in 1970 recording Curly for Fable Records.

One - Johnny Farnham

One was a pretty snappy cover of the Three Dog Night record which in turn was completely overshadowed by the Farnham version
during 1969. The flipside of this 45 also received some interesting radio airplay around the country with some stations opting not to
play it, as it seemed like blatant advertising! That song was the whimsical Mr Whippy, a song which John is possibly much more
embarrassed about today than Sadie (which to be honest he is not embarrassed about at all). One remains one of John’s most
timeless hits of his 60s period and a favourite still of his in concert.

Hi Hi Hazel - Grandma's Tonic

From one group another emerges, in this case Tony Worsley’s Fabulous Blue Jays became Grandma’s Tonic recording for Astor
Records in 1966. Drummer Bobby Johnson was the driving force behind the band with Paul Shannon handling the lead vocals with
Hi Hi Hazel becoming their most prominent record and the one that received the most attention. The single was superbly produced
by imported producer Roger Savage at Melbourne’s Armstrong studios, sourced here from the original master tape for its first CD issue.
Another single Poor Girl also made the charts, prior to the band working closely with Peter Doyle backing him on the interesting
1967 hit Plastic Dreams & Toy Balloons which made the Melbourne charts.

Hallelujah I Love Her So - Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs

Written by Ray Charles and with an earlier Australian charting version in 1960 for Eddie Cochran, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs placed
their own stamp on this song in 1965. At this time Thorpe & Co were thriving on the charts and the concert circuit covering some
lesser known titles – from Sick & Tired to better known tracks like Poison Ivy to the iconic Over The Rainbow. As with many of
their hit records, both sides were actually double “A” side hits, with this one you flipped over the 45 and you had the power packed
performance of Baby, Hold Me Close. For some reason this particular track is rarely included on Thorpe’s retrospective packages,
hence its inclusion here.

Unforgotten Dreams - King Fox

While mostly a hit in their home town of Sydney, this ‘psych’ classic from King Fox has grown well beyond being a ‘local’ hit
increasing in statue enormously through the years becoming an acknowledged masterpiece of the era and genre. Not bad for a
bunch of high school lads fortunate enough to record a demo recording for Martin Erdman’s Du Monde label, with much of the
original demo recording remaining in the final master. Lead singer Billy Field would re-emerge as a hugely successful solo artist
in the early 80s with hits including Bad Habits and You Weren’t In Love With Me.

She's Coming Home - Marty Rhone

Another fine example of Marty Rhone’s “Spin” output of the 1960s is She’s Coming Home (not to be confused with the 1965
Blue Beats song with the same title) and along with other Rhone singles (supported by his band The Soul Agents), just never
seemed to create a solid path nationally during the 60s. Not just a pity for Rhone, but more so for much of the country who got
to miss out on being exposed to these superbly-crafted and well-produced pop records. Others included No No No No and
Ruby With The Red Hair and of course this 1968 effort which performed best in Queensland along with Rhone’s other 60s Spin
material and his later 70s hits.

I Got Burned - Merv Benton

Merv Benton’s home base during the 60s was Melbourne, and it was this city which rewarded him with high charting hit singles –
I Got Burned his most successful peaking at #3 during 1965. Benton (with his band The Tamlas, who did not have label credit on
the 45s) notched up around 15 hit records on the Melbourne charts between 1964 and 1967 yet elsewhere around the country
that success was unable to be replicated (not unusual in 1960s where such state differences occurred). In both Queensland
and South Australia the I Got Burned single was dropped in favour of the other side of the 45 – Cincinnati Fireball, meanwhile in
Victoria while this side might have been played the charting side was in fact I Got Burned.

Sorry - The Groop

Following a line up re-shuffle for Melbourne based The Groop, which saw the addition of new members including vocalist Ronnie
Charles and Brian Caine (Cadd) on keyboards and vocals with Don Mudie on guitar, Sorry became the first single for what has
become known as The Groop “Mark II”. This was a pounding cover of a song written by Solomon Burke, who around this time
had provided other local acts with great covers (including Peter Doyle and The Cherokees). Sadly this track really deserved
better national recognition, but The Groop would have to wait later in 1967 for Woman You’re Breaking Me to receive much
wider exposure and success.

Que Sera Sera - Normie Rowe & The Playboys

A record find in a Melbourne bargain basement bin became the model for one of the biggest Australian hits of the last fifty years.
That record was the High Keys hipped-up version of the song most associated with Doris Day up to that point – Que Sera, Sera.
With the skilful production from the late Pat Aulton, the Normie Rowe version pretty well replicated the High Keys arrangement
right down the line. Indeed a smart move, as the High Keys take was pretty obscure in Australia (hence the find in the ‘cheapie’ bin),
and combined with Norm’s energetic performance of Shakin’ All Over on the other side this would become an Aussie hit to
be reckoned with.

You Got Me Hummin' - The Id featuring Jeff St John

For rocker Jeff St John & The Id, they struck gold covering Big Time Operator (an obscure record in these parts from Zoot Money &
The Jelly Roll Big Band), so it made sense that the next single (also issued on Spin) would be another cover. This time they
covered Sam & Dave’s You Got Me Hummin’ with less than enthusiastic response from radio and the public, even though this
was like the previous single – a couple of minutes of pure pop dynamite and a darned good cover. Nevertheless it did make the charts,
however not in the same strength as the previous single. For his next major hit, Jeff St John would team up with Copperwine in
the early 70s for Teach Me How To Fly.

Getting Better - The Valentines

For many radio programmers around the country in 1969 who opted not to play The Valentines Knick Knack Paddy Whack
(due to the novelty factor), they simply decided to ‘flip’ the record and play the other side which in this case was Getting Better.
Despite this, many charts still only listed the official “A” side and not the record as a double sided hit. Originally hailing from Perth
and at this time recording for Ron Tudor (Pre-Fable Records) these Valentines tracks were released locally on the Phillips label.
With Vince Lovegrove and Bon Scott (well and truly pre-AC/DC) usually sharing vocal duties, on this record Bon is far more
prominent, and quite possibly as he co-wrote the song.

I'll Eat My Hat - Little Pattie

Another significant hit for Little Pattie, now in her fifth year as a pop star, scoring her first hit as a teen in late 1963 and still only
around 18 when this infectious pop ditty made the charts in 1967. As a “Bandstand” regular, the TV show always provided great
promotional opportunities to sing and promote her records to a large national audience. In 1969 she travelled on a record company
“junket” with her producer David Mackay (her label EMI picked up the bill) to the U.K. where they had the chance to record some
material at Abbey Rd. This resulted in the very English sounding Gravitation, perhaps one of her finest recordings and a massive
hit in Queensland but failing elsewhere. That much sought after Pattie hit has never surfaced on CD, and for various reasons quite
possibly never will – but we can hope!

Someone - Bobby and Laurie

Prior to their number one hit Hitchhiker for Albert Records, Laurie Allen and Bobby Bright were part of the small but significant
Go Records family in the mid 60s, pounding out great little beat singles like Someone (included here) and the even bigger I Belong With You.
After the Alberts stint they switched to country-flavoured records signing with Ron Tudor and Fable Records (initially through RCA)
with hits which included Carroll County Accident. It could be argued that their best work and perhaps most enduring records were made
during the Go Records period.

Tumblin' Down - Maria Dallas

Perhaps not as fondly remembered as her “hot rocking” hit Ambush, with this track getting most of its action in New South Wales
where it achieved good chart positions. Elsewhere other single releases such as You Don’t Treat Me Right performed well
(while missing the mark in NSW). Maria Dallas was another performer of the era who came to us via New Zealand and Viking Records
(similar story to Dinah Lee), with Tumblin’ Down making its stereo CD debut on this release.

Part Three Into Paper Walls - Russell Morris

Was The Real Thing a hard act to follow for Russell Morris? Well, not really when the follow up single has the same DNA with
Johnny Young (who was involved in writing both sides of the follow-up) and of course Ian “Molly” Meldrum producing. That follow-up
was the double “A” single The Girl That I Love and The Real Thing sequel called Part Three Into Paper Walls, the latter picking
up where the earlier hit left off, with an explosion. This track was another epic masterpiece complete with choirs and phasing effects,
and in Brisbane this record was even bigger than The Real Thing becoming the #1 record of 1969. In Melbourne on the other hand, The
Real Thing was the biggest record of the year. Either way...it was a chart dominating year for Russell Morris.

Down To The Last 500 -  Rev Black & The Rockin' Vicars

In a strange way this group harks back several years to the British Invasion with a band from Blackpool called Rev Black And The
Rockin’ Vickers, soon changed to just The Rockin’ Vicars. While not directly connected to that band ex-pat Blackpool musician
Dave Rossall (who had emigrated to Australia settling in Wollongong with his parents) set up his own version of the band here in
Australia using the name Reverend Black & The Rockin’ Vicars (spelling of Vicars was changed from the original and sometimes
“Reverend” was cut down to “Rev”). Signed to Queensland based Sunshine Records Down To The Last 500 became their best chart
entry, despite other good records cut for Sunshine. The song itself was penned by Easybeats Harry Vanda & George Young.

Simon Says - The Groove

This was one of two hits called Simon Says to invade the local charts in the late 60s, however it was this Simon Says that emerged
earlier (in 1967) than the 1910 Fruitgum Co song which arrived the following year (same name, different song of course).
The Groove formed in Melbourne with Peter Williams on lead vocals (who had been with Max Merritt & The Meteors) and other
members, who already had been around the block coming from bands like The Librettos (Rod Stone) and Steve & The Board
(Geoff Bridgford) plus bass player Jamie Byrne. Williams as lead singer gave the band a soulful Alex Chilton (Box Tops) like sound.
This was the first of their bunch of hit singles. Despite their success on the East Coast their records were all but ignored in
South Australia, with no chart hits in that State.

You On My Mind - Marcie and The Cookies

For Marcie Jones and her Cookies, this was the follow up to the Top 10 hit (in some parts) I Would If I Could. While it charted fairly
well in Queensland (where Marcie has always had a strong following) it never reached the heights of the earlier single. Written by
Hans Poulsen an interesting fact about this record, besides being recorded by fellow EMI act Russell Morris is that both the Morris
and Marcie & The Cookies versions shared the same identical backing tape. Mind you a move not uncommon, especially in the U.S.
in the 60s where different artists would lay down vocals on a prepared common backing.

It Comes And Goes - Marty Kristian

For this soon to be member of the internationally acclaimed New Seekers, a Neil Diamond penned track would provide another hit
single, at least on the Melbourne charts for Marty Kristian. Recording locally for CBS Records (one of the very few local signings the
label had during this part of the decade), Marty managed three hits of varying degrees of success for the label around 1967.
The others were the Crispian St Peters produced I’ll Give You Love and We Didn’t Ask To Be Brought Here. After this trio of
Melbourne based hits dried up, Marty felt more could be achieved by heading overseas, so he departed for the U.K. on the
Fairstar and like another Aussie, Peter Doyle would find himself as a key player in the New Seekers during the early 1970s.

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