INXS had achieved quite resounding commercial success in the US, and all that could be put down to the fact that these bands were not only capable of writing catchy hook laden and maticuously produced songs but because they were soulful as well.
Glenn Shorrock was no Michael Hutchence, but both of them had the stage charisma and the vocal range to take the bands further than the average aussie pub rock band, in the notoriously fickle 80`s American pop rock market.
One Australian group which started out as just another bunch of wannabes, a band that could have so easily been just another pub rock band in around `87 doing the rounds with the Choirboys or Cold Chisel (if they had still been a group) was the enigmaticly named `1927`.
1927 ended up being a burnt out bunch of pub rockers by about 1990, but not before they churned out one of the great contemporary Australian rock albums.
The name of it was `ish`, and it was released in 1988. Dont ask me what ever happened to 1927, they seem to have it all, most probably it was a case of too much success far too
soon.
They did release a worthy follow up to `ish` a year later with `The Other Side`, but by the time their third self titled album appeared in the early 90`s, it was clear that the magic of the debut had long dissolved.
1927 was made up of Erik Weideman (vocals, guitar and keyboard), Gary Frost (guitar, keyboards), Bill Frost, his brother, on bass and James Barton on drums.
There is a real unique story to how the band originally came about. Sometime in 1986, Gary Frost saw Eric Weideman perform on the Red Faces segment on Channel 9`s Hey Hey Its Saturday, and he was sold on him that much that he drove hundreds of miles to Melbourne within the day to recruit Eric Weideman into a band which at that stage didn`t even have a name yet.
How many contestants on Red Faces ended up fronting one of the best bands in Australia around the late 80`s?
Not too many I`m sure? Actually ZERO haha. I dont know why the band named themselves what they did, but dodgy name aside, the album ...ish was an emphatic and confident affair that was rich in atmospheric structure and soul.
Of course the most famous 1927 song is `Compulsory Hero`, a wonderful and powerful song which tells of the pitfalls of compulsory conscription in the armed forces from a young man's perspective.
The breezy ballad `You`ll Never Know` still
gets some airplay on AM radio to this day, but it rarely if ever features on the corrupted FM dial.
The maudlin and rather melodramatic `If I Could`, is convincingly good for an Australian band as far as love ballads go.
`Thats When I Think Of You` is another prime example of Weideman`s effortless vocal delivery and his capabilities to hit the big notes when needed. ....ish is just one of the best polished rockers ever to come out of our shores, it did sell alright in the states, but 1927 lost momentum before their commercial potential there could be realised fully.
Their second album `The Other Side` as I said earlier was a very decent follow up, not quite as charming as ...ish, but the album still contained some pearlers, namely `Dont Forget Me`, `Tell Me A Story` and the title track. Number three isn`t even worth talking about.
Weideman has attempted to get 1927 back together over the years, in recent times he has toured as 1927 with a completely new
band backing him, for a couple of tours around Australia.
band backing him, for a couple of tours around Australia.
It mightn`t be really 1927 anymore but the man responsible for belting out`Compulsory Hero` is still there and what a great song that is.
1927 deserve to be remembered for creating two top notch and innovative rock albums
which set a new benchmark for studio gloss in Australia.
which set a new benchmark for studio gloss in Australia.
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