MILESAGO - Groups & Solo Artists

MILESAGO - Groups & Solo Artists

The Allusions

Sydney 1965-69

Personnel

Terry Chapman [bass, vcls] 1965 - July 1966

Bruce Davis [bass, vcls] July 1966 - early 1969

Terry Hearne [lead gtr, vcls] 1965 - Oct 1968

Kevin Hughes [drums]

Michael Morris [rhythm guitar, vocals] 1965-late 1967, October '68 - early '69

John Shaw [piano, organ, vocals]

John Spence [guitar] late 1967 - ?

Biography

Not enough recognition has been accorded The Allusions, a Sydney-based quintet, (centred around singer/guitarist/composer Mike Morris) who seemed to burst out of nowhere in late 1965 and just as quickly disappeared into total obscurity after their short career.

Without having paid the usual dues -- that is, doing the live circuit hard slog to gain recognition that most bands underwent as part of their "rites of passage" -- The Allusions snared a deal with Robert Iredale's Leopold Productions (also recording home to Kiwi legends Max Merritt & the Meteors) and were quickly picked up by Parlophone Records. They unleashed themselves on an unsuspecting public in 1966 with their captivatingly melodic version of Rick Nelson's hit, Gypsy Woman, backed with Fever (Burns My Brain), which was written by Mike. Gypsy Woman. The single proved a disc jockey's dream, securing solid airplay on Sydney's 2SM and 2UW, registering impressive sales and peaking at #8.

Mike Morris also penned bothe sides of their mesmerising follow-up, The Dancer / Roller Coaster Man which furthered the polished sound and impeccable harmonies hinted at in the debut, echoing The Beatles' I'm Happy Just To Dance With You. It did even better than the debut, making Sydney Top Ten (#9), and it fostered great hopes for this 'mysterious' outfit among punters and pundits alike. Morris' impressive songwriting ability was persuasive enough to convince Iredale to finance the recording of a full album -- at the time an extraordinarily rare situation for a new, unproven Australian group, and it's now a sought-after rarity and long overdue for a CD release.

Bruce Davis (ex-Dennis Williams and The Delawares) replaced Terry Chapman on bass in July 1966, just in time to appear on the album, and Terry went on to join one of Australia's first psychedelic groups, The Knack, with drummer Craig Collinge (ex-Librettos and later of Procession). Their third single Looks Like Trouble (Oct. '66) didn't chart, although the followup Roundabout (another Morris original, released in March 1967) managed to scrape into the bottom end of the Top 40. They released two more singles, Seven Days Of Rain (Jul '67) and Mr Love (Feb '68), but neither charted. Mike Morris left the band in late 1967 and he was briefly replaced by John Spence. The band continued as a four-piece until October '68, when Terry Hearne left to join Digegr Revell's backing band. Mike Morris rejoined at this point, but the momentum had been lost, and in the face of changing trends they split in early 1969.

And really, that's about it! So little is known about The Allusions - what their stage shows were like; what happened to their members after their brief spell in the limelight - but they left behind a fine bunch of records that are highly sought after by collectors of quality sixties Aussie pop. The evidence we have is that they could indeed "rock out" - witness their spirited cover of The Kinks' I Gotta Move, included on their LP, which arguably rivals the original - along with strong, er, allusions to other early beat-boom merchants like The Zombies and The Searchers. They used I Feel Fine-style guitar feedback too, before it was remotely de rigeur. If this band will be remembered at all though (and they should be), it would be for their extremely tight and inventive sound, those complex vocal harmonies, and their sheer mastery of the three-minute beat-pop single idiom.

Regrettably, little of their output is currently available on CD. The Dancer is the most easily obtainable, on Raven's Sixties Downunder Vol. 1 compilation.

Enthusiasts reading this, who may be able to fill in the some of the gaps in our Allusions story, are invited to do so by contacting us at feedback@milesago.gq.nu

- Paul Culnane, November 1999

Discography

Singles

4/66 Gypsy Woman / Fever Burns My Brain [Parlophone A 8196]
8/66 The Dancer / Roller Coaster Man [Parlophone A 8210]
10/66 Looks Like Trouble / 97 Cigarettes [Parlophone A 8228]
3/67 Roundabout / I'll Be Home [Parlophone A 8242]
7/67 Seven Days Of Rain / Two Of A Kind [Parlophone A 8256]
2/68 Mr Love / And She's Mine [Parlophone A 8281]

EP

4/67 The Dancer [Parlophone GEPO 70038]
Gypsy Woman / Looks Like Trouble // Roller-Coaster Man / The Dancer

Albums

1/67 The Allusions [EMI/ Parlophone PMCO 7540]

1. Roundabout (Michael Morris)
2. I Gotta Move (Ray Davies)
3. Blue Tomorrow
4. Looks Like Trouble (Michael Morris)
5. Shop Around
6. Lady Of Leisure
7. Gypsy Woman (Burnett - Esborn)
8. And She's Mine
9. In My Solitude
10. I'll Be Home
11. I Believe
12. Out Of Order
13. 97 Cigarettes
14. The Dancer (Michael Morris)
Producer: Robert Iredale

This album was later reissued on EMI's budget label Encore [SPMEO 9439].

"When all the tracks used on singles are removed, there are 7 songs unique to this album. The Allusions deserve to have a full CD release of this album and all the singles (A & B sides).
Chris Jarvis

1981 Five By Four [Raven RVLP 03]
Compilation shared with Tony Worsley, Mike Furber and Steve & the Board, featuring the following Allusions tracks:
Gypsy Woman (Burnett - Esborn)
Fever Burns My Brain (Michael Morris)
I Gotta Move (Ray Davies)
Looks Like Trouble (Michael Morris)
The Dancer (Michael Morris)

References

Glenn A. Baker
- sleeve notes for Five By Four

Paul Culnane
- personal archives and reminisces

Ian Mc Farlane
- Australian Encyclopaedia of Rock & Pop (1999)

Noel McGrath
- Encyclopaedia of Australian Rock (1978)

Chris Spencer/Zbig Nowara
- Who's Who of Australian Rock (3rd edition, 1994)

Many thanks to Chris Jarvis for the tracklisting of The Allusions LP

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MILESAGO - Groups & Solo Artists
The Allusions Sydney 1965-69
Personnel
Terry Chapman [bass, vcls] 1965 - July 1966 Bruce Davis [bass, vcls] July 1966 - early 1969 Terry Hearne [lead gtr, vcls] 1965 - Oct 1968 Kevin Hughes [drums] Michael Morris [rhythm guitar, vocals] 1965-late 1967, October '68 - early '69 John Shaw [piano, organ, vocals] John Spence [guitar] late 1967 - ?
Biography
Not enough recognition has been accorded The Allusions, a Sydney-based quintet, (centred around singer/guitarist/composer Mike Morris) who seemed to burst out of nowhere in late 1965 and just as quickly disappeared into total obscurity after their short career. Without having paid the usual dues -- that is, doing the live circuit hard slog to gain recognition that most bands underwent as part of their "rites of passage" -- The Allusions snared a deal with Robert Iredale's Leopold Productions (also recording home to Kiwi legends Max Merritt & the Meteors) and were quickly picked up by Parlophone Records. They unleashed themselves on an unsuspecting public in 1966 with their captivatingly melodic version of Rick Nelson's hit, Gypsy Woman, backed with Fever (Burns My Brain), which was written by Mike. Gypsy Woman. The single proved a disc jockey's dream, securing solid airplay on Sydney's 2SM and 2UW, registering impressive sales and peaking at #8. Mike Morris also penned bothe sides of their mesmerising follow-up, The Dancer / Roller Coaster Man which furthered the polished sound and impeccable harmonies hinted at in the debut, echoing The Beatles' I'm Happy Just To Dance With You. It did even better than the debut, making Sydney Top Ten (#9), and it fostered great hopes for this 'mysterious' outfit among punters and pundits alike. Morris' impressive songwriting ability was persuasive enough to convince Iredale to finance the recording of a full album -- at the time an extraordinarily rare situation for a new, unproven Australian group, and it's now a sought-after rarity and long overdue for a CD release. Bruce Davis (ex-Dennis Williams and The Delawares) replaced Terry Chapman on bass in July 1966, just in time to appear on the album, and Terry went on to join one of Australia's first psychedelic groups, The Knack, with drummer Craig Collinge (ex-Librettos and later of Procession). Their third single Looks Like Trouble (Oct. '66) didn't chart, although the followup Roundabout (another Morris original, released in March 1967) managed to scrape into the bottom end of the Top 40. They released two more singles, Seven Days Of Rain (Jul '67) and Mr Love (Feb '68), but neither charted. Mike Morris left the band in late 1967 and he was briefly replaced by John Spence. The band continued as a four-piece until October '68, when Terry Hearne left to join Digegr Revell's backing band. Mike Morris rejoined at this point, but the momentum had been lost, and in the face of changing trends they split in early 1969. And really, that's about it! So little is known about The Allusions - what their stage shows were like; what happened to their members after their brief spell in the limelight - but they left behind a fine bunch of records that are highly sought after by collectors of quality sixties Aussie pop. The evidence we have is that they could indeed "rock out" - witness their spirited cover of The Kinks' I Gotta Move, included on their LP, which arguably rivals the original - along with strong, er, allusions to other early beat-boom merchants like The Zombies and The Searchers. They used I Feel Fine-style guitar feedback too, before it was remotely de rigeur. If this band will be remembered at all though (and they should be), it would be for their extremely tight and inventive sound, those complex vocal harmonies, and their sheer mastery of the three-minute beat-pop single idiom. Regrettably, little of their output is currently available on CD. The Dancer is the most easily obtainable, on Raven's *Sixties Downunder Vol. 1* compilation. Enthusiasts reading this, who may be able to fill in the some of the gaps in our Allusions story, are invited to do so by contacting us at feedback@milesago.gq.nu - Paul Culnane, November 1999
Discography
Singles 4/66 Gypsy Woman / Fever Burns My Brain [Parlophone A 8196] 8/66 The Dancer / Roller Coaster Man [Parlophone A 8210] 10/66 Looks Like Trouble / 97 Cigarettes [Parlophone A 8228] 3/67 Roundabout / I'll Be Home [Parlophone A 8242] 7/67 Seven Days Of Rain / Two Of A Kind [Parlophone A 8256] 2/68 Mr Love / And She's Mine [Parlophone A 8281] EP 4/67 The Dancer [Parlophone GEPO 70038] Gypsy Woman / Looks Like Trouble // Roller-Coaster Man / The Dancer Albums 1/67 The Allusions [EMI/ Parlophone PMCO 7540] 1. Roundabout (Michael Morris) 2. I Gotta Move (Ray Davies) 3. Blue Tomorrow 4. Looks Like Trouble (Michael Morris) 5. Shop Around 6. Lady Of Leisure 7. Gypsy Woman (Burnett - Esborn) 8. And She's Mine 9. In My Solitude 10. I'll Be Home 11. I Believe 12. Out Of Order 13. 97 Cigarettes 14. The Dancer (Michael Morris) Producer: Robert Iredale This album was later reissued on EMI's budget label Encore [SPMEO 9439]. "When all the tracks used on singles are removed, there are 7 songs unique to this album. The Allusions deserve to have a full CD release of this album and all the singles (A & B sides). Chris Jarvis 1981 *Five By Four* [Raven RVLP 03] Compilation shared with Tony Worsley, Mike Furber and Steve & the Board, featuring the following Allusions tracks: Gypsy Woman (Burnett - Esborn) Fever Burns My Brain (Michael Morris) I Gotta Move (Ray Davies) Looks Like Trouble (Michael Morris) The Dancer (Michael Morris)
References
Glenn A. Baker - sleeve notes for *Five By Four* Paul Culnane - personal archives and reminisces Ian Mc Farlane - Australian Encyclopaedia of Rock & Pop (1999) Noel McGrath - Encyclopaedia of Australian Rock (1978) Chris Spencer/Zbig Nowara - Who's Who of Australian Rock (3rd edition, 1994) Many thanks to Chris Jarvis for the tracklisting of The Allusions LP