Lets do it
Doug flew to the Gold Coast from Sydney then traveled with Tom from Murwillumbah to the reunion venue at Wayne’s place in the hills of Northern NSW. It had been around 40 years since we last saw each other face to face.
We needed more time, perhaps another day or two, to catch up on events that had shaped our lives. In hindsight we could comfortably accommodate up to 10 people maybe more at the reunion venue.
Everyone seemed to arrive at around the same time. The equipment was quickly set up. Tom and Wayne had already set up and tested the PA the weekend before.
With in twenty minutes or so the warm up group fired up and the surrounding forest rustled along with the music. I think we should all congratulate ourselves for making this event happen.
Around twenty entities were able to extract themselves from the daily routines they had forged for themselves over the past 35 to 40 years and come together to celebrate the bond that was created during those wondrous times on the road in the seventies.
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This is a classic example of how a four piece band might sound with one member down. The band starts playing without Michael (lead guitarist). Hang in there because he soon makes up for his absence. Around the halfway point at about 03:30, Michael plugs in, gets into gear and nails it with a brilliant guitar solo.
Ken is still pumping out a strong vocal just like he was 35 years ago. Or was it 40 years ago? Tom pops in for a few seconds to tweak the PA.
Music has been the medicine that has kept our brains young. If you want to keep your brain fit throughout the aging process then listening to or playing music can provide a total brain workout. Needless to say there are four very fit brains on stage here.
The day didn’t seem to last long enough. Let’s have another one soon before any of us fall off the perch.
Just love this. Three in one. Guitarists I mean. Mike, Ray and Dwight.
What can we say here? This song is a real foot tapper. Graeme performs a cracking version of this song written by Robbie Robertson of The Band, sung by the drummer Levon Helm and released in 1969. We could change the lyrics to “Up on Websters Creek”.
Whoops I just had a flashback to a Chinese restaurant in Coffs Harbor. I wonder what Ray Brown is up to. I could watch this video many times and still enjoy it.
Frankly I prefer Graeme’s version. It just seems to move your body and sole, more. What a great day it was at “The Creek”.
Lyrics: Up On Cripple Creek
This video is a compilation of several shoots made during the reunion gig at Wayne’s. We didn’t have a song list or schedule of what was to follow hence some songs like the Hi-Revving Tongues hit “Rain and Tears” were shot in bits and pieces probably because the cameraman was taking a break or swapping SD cards.
If we come together for another reunion we will try to persuade the bands to prepare song lists and maybe rough cue sheets. There will be accommodation available at the venue and close to the venue.
Hey Chris well sung mate.
Can anyone comment on this video? During the seventies Caboose toured Australia from Adelaide to Darwin. This song was played nightly. They were the frugal days when we learned how to survive on a mug of muesli, a lid of lentils, tempting thighs and herbal wraps. We were all in good shape.
Almost everyone had packed up and returned to their abodes by early evening. A few remained and Bruce and Julian decided to stay overnight at the venue (Wayne’s place).
Julian grabbed his guitar, skilfully played and sang several songs into the night. The smoothness and richness of Julian’s voice is noticeable even though the audio was captured with just a camera microphone.
You will hear a few interjections from a drunken friend. It got more annoying as the evening progressed. About four segments were recorded on the original clip which ran for around 20 minutes. However the interference from the drunken out of sync participant rendered the remainder of the shoot a bit of an embarrassment. Sorry.
In this clip there should have been an earlier camera pan to timely capture Bruce’s scatting but the cameraman was distracted while making an effort to alert the drunk to the fact that we were recording.
The track “Illusion” written by lead guitarist Mike Balcombe in the mid sixties, is remembered as an early example of New Zealand psychedelia.
It was recorded by Wahanui Wynyard at Astor Studios. The band entered into the “National Battle of the Sounds” competition in 1967, where they placed second.
