The Ritz

The Ritz was formed around early 1975, when former Heaven and Rain guitarist and musical visionary, Peter Dodson, teamed with talented ex-schoolmate Steve Maughan (from prominent Canberra all-rounders The Second Movement). Englishman George Bennett (who had a stint in mid-60s UK vocal outfit The Ivy League), seasoned keyboardist Alan Cook and charismatic front man Richard Hauser (along with Dodson and Bennett, ex-Wally & the Wombats). The group presented a colourful hybrid of sounds inspired by the likes of Yes, Focus, Pink Floyd and the later music of The Beach Boys, for an audience starved of such heady and sophisticated material presented in live performance.

In concert, The Ritz certainly delivered the goods. While their main rivals, Snibbo served up a popular repertoire of R&B and hard rock standards, The Ritz put on shows of amazing polish, clarity and musical dexterity, utilising their own in-house song writing skills of Dodson, Maughan and Hauser. They were among the first bands to introduce the wonderful sounds of the Mellotron and Moog to live Aussie music. To witness a Ritz gig (rare though they were) was a truly enervating experience. I can still remember them performing a hypnotic rendition of Floyd’s Us and Them and having shivers down my spine from it!

Side One
A Diamond As Big As The Ritz... P.Dodson
If It Felt Good... R.Hauser
I'm Still In Love... P.Dodson
Can't Get Enough Of You...S.Maughan
What Do You Do...R.Hauser
Side Two
Prelude...A.Cook
My Love Has Come...P.Dodson
Piglet Of The Imagination...P.Dodson
Life And Times...P.Dodson

The band released one jaunty single on RCA, the Steve Maughan-penned Pick Me Up, before being picked up by Mushroom Records for their sole LP, A Diamond As Big As The Ritz.

The album cover was designed by Keith D. Davis who also designed albums by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. It was recorded at T.C.S. Studios, Melbourne, October 1975, February 1976 and October 1976. It was engineered by John French, pictured above, and was produced by The Ritz and John French.
PHOTO COURTESY STEVE MAUGHAN

Recorded at Melbourne’s TCS Studios under the production guidance of John French, the ambitious album displayed adequately enough the strengths of the group and the great song writing skills of Dodson in particular, but, while satisfying to the listener, it unfortunately failed to really capture the dynamic essence of the band, in this writer’s opinion. The lacklustre production undermined the highly melodic, rich and inventive range of songs offered, and the album’s long gestation period before its eventual release did the band few favours. When A Diamond…emerged in early 1977 it was, alas, met with general indifference -- a situation exacerbated by a distinct lack of support from their record company. Apparently at the time, Mushroom supremo Michael Gudinski, when asked what he considered his failures, cited The Millionaires and The Ritz as such. We in Canberra didn’t mind though, because for a short time we had our own virtual Yes or Floyd in residence and we loved it!

With the advent of punk and new wave, punters’ taste for The Ritz’s ornate, highly-orchestrated style of music -- essentially ‘prog’ -- quickly waned and signalled their death knell. Members went on to other extremely popular and successful Canberra groups, notably good-time all-purpose barnstormers Kevin McLaughlin & the Murrumbidgee Orchestra (there was no Kev; dig the joke, trainspotters!) This outfit featured Bennett on lead vocals, Maughan on bass, ubiquitous drummer Pat Italiano, former All Stars and Kevin Borich Express roadie Barry McCulloch on guitar and revered lead guitarist Ian “Willie” Winter whose impressive resume included stints with Carson, Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock and the Alberts All-Star Band. At the height of their popularity, Kev & the M.O. frequently upstaged national and visiting international acts they supported, propelled through the sound barrier by their demented sound engineer, whose identity is revealed at the foot of this profile. Their solitary (limited edition) single, Thunder On The Mountain, backed with a version of Wreckless Eric’s Whole Wide World is well worth seeking out. Good times indeed.

The Ritz however will remain affectionately remembered as an informed, accomplished and musically literate band that could have blown anyone else off the stage at that time. They were very very good!

RITZ FANS
L-R we have Marie Campbell, Monica Luff, Bev Sullivan & Helen Bladen.

ritzgermanclub1975tonybarber.JPG (24382 bytes)

THE GERMAN CLUB ... 1975
L-R around table we have Marie, Tony Barber, Steve Maughan, George Bain, Natalie Karaka & Manny Notaras.

Up the back is Helen Bladen, Rossi & Peter Dodson.
Thanks to Marie for filling in the names for me.
PHOTOS COURTESY STEVE MAUGHAN.

Steve Maughan picks up award for best local album in 1977 from Radio Station 2XX.

Seen here with Jenny Bowen, the station's producer, and Mick Trimmer, co-ordinator.
PHOTO COURTESY STEVE MAUGHAN

BELCONNEN WAY HOTEL ... 1976
Broc O'Connor guitar, Barry McCulloch guitar, Tony Hayes bass, Pat Italiano drums, George Bennett vocals, Alan Cook keyboards. We were later joined by Peter Dodson also on keyboards, Steve Maughan on percussion, and Richard Hauser on vocals. I still have the tape of that Sunday arvo jam, we did a 20 minute version of Bob Marley's Get Up Stand Up.

MANNY NOTARAS
Along with Arthur Laing, Manny managed The Ritz single handed.
PHOTO COURTESY STEVE MAUGHAN

Alan Cook, Steve Maughan, George Bennett, Richard Hauser & Peter Dodson appearing at

Fri, 10 Sep 2004
There was a Canberra band called The Ritz in around 1974, wasn't there?
They made up in chutzpah what they lacked in talent. They brought out at least one album and probably two.
Who could forget that cabaret-esque venue in the basement of the Rex Hotel where I saw them.

There was also Floyds over in Phillip in one of the industrial area 'Courts'.
Gavan Evans comes to mind as a member, but I can't remember the name of the lead singer.
Gina

Nah it was better when I sang. Nobody bothered to give me a microphone.
George and Steve I hope you are both well and going out gracefully. I know Bazza and I are.
I live in Glasshouse Mountains north of Brisbane with a lovely lady called Louise and life is truly wonderful.
Regards
Steve Devine

I think the singer was Alan (Can I bring my camera) Smith.
And as for Gina 'lacking in talent'. This is not true as Peter Dodson assures me he was (and may still be) quite talented!
And as for Steve 'life is truly wonderful' Devine, Buffalo want their mikes back!

Fri, 17 Sep 2004
As usual Steve Maughan is letting the Alzheimer's do the talking:

I distinctly recall I assured him that I was (and still may be) quite talent less, and he said,

"That's OK, Pete, you make up for it in chutzpah."
(though perhaps he said "volume") which was exactly what Gina noticed.

The lead singer (Arthur Laing as I recall) probably still has copies of our second album which went double Aluminium in Bega!

As for Gavin, he was, in many ways, part of the band, and yet in other ways, not at all.

Thanks for the photos. They're so old that Richard is playing my old L Series white strat (probably worth about $20K now) and I'm playing his Les Paul jr.

The Ritz

1974-77

Bennett, George =Drums/Vocals

Cook, Alan =Keyboards/Vocals

Dodson, Peter =Guitar/Vocals

Hauser, Richard =Vocals/Guitar

Maughan, Steve =Bass/Vocals