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The Road To Guitar

GUITAR - 40%

60% Complete

PIANO - 40%

60% Complete

TRUMPET - 20%

60% Complete

VOCALS - 5%

60% Complete

My mother was an exceptional pianist. She achieved the level of 'Licentiate of Music' at the age of 14. I didn't follow in her footsteps, I wasn't that disciplined, but I did learn piano.

My guitar journey started one Christmas when my sister gave me a ukulele and I annoyed everyone by playing the same song over and over again all day.

Things stepped up a notch when my brother got a cheap unnamed electric guitar and amp from Barry his work mate. I think it cost $25 all up. He also brought home a drum kit and thus Black Frog was conceived.

Black Frog's inaugural concert was at the local church hall when Ross on the cheap drums, me on the cheap electric guitar, and my sister Ann on the church Hammond organ performed Fleetwood Mack's Albatross. That was it. My career in music had begun. We ditched Ann in favour of Stanley on bass. We were all in the same classes at school and it just seemed the right thing. Three blokes to become rock legends.

The Latest Works

Here's some music ... not saying it's good stuff, but it's my stuff.

They say that a good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I've never really understood that because it's hard to have one or two without the other. I think the beginning for me was Second Hand Blues. The middle was Cleavage. The end is nigh and it's what I'm doing now.

I spent decades in studios recording other people's music, enjoying every moment. I've got Logic Pro X with as many gadgets on it that you can poke a stick at, and an Earthworks microphone (amongst others).

May as well start playing.

There's no plan.

'Song For A Little Boy' is a piano piece inspired by a young lad having not so good stuff go on around him in a faraway land.

'Arthur Streeton's Eyes' was written by a friend of mine, Hans Poulsen, about the Australian artist Arthur Streeton. I used to produce his music but we never got around to recording this song. In this version I did the arrangement, played all the instruments, and even sang. I'm not a singer, don't want to be a singer, but hey, someone's got to do it otherwise it's not a song.

'Crocodile' is a song inspired by a car ad (and my other name is Croc).

'Can't Find My Keys, Can't Remember Her Name' is a song inspired by Cliff up the road who is in his mid eighties and maintains that when he can’t stand life anymore he’s going to get in his boat and go out to sea until the petrol runs out.  The song gives a nod to Joan Baez towards the end. It was a great excuse for a two long guitar solos.

Song For A Little Boy

Me playing the piano

Arthus Streeton's Eyes

I just wanted to play all the instruments

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Crocodile

inspired by a car ad

Can't Remember Her Name

A song about Alzheimers

Nothing

nothing to hear yet

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Nothing

nothing to see yet




Cleavage

The joke here was that French composer Claude Debussy once said, "Music is the space between the notes."
Cleavage is a space between breasts and hence the name ... a rock n roll version.

The girls didn't like it.

THE BUS SONG

the singer got stuck in a broken down bus

GOOD TIMES AIN'T HERE

a song about Roger Rogerson and the Manly detectives

CRAZY CAT

back to the blues




SECOND HAND BLUES

Second Hand Blues was four blokes having fun in a Jesus rock band. Guitar, bass, drums, vocal ... me on guitar.

The only recording was when my brother brought along a cassette recorder and put it in the middle of the hall, so sound quality not great. We were doing 3 gigs a week at this stage.

The tracks have been edited to remove the boring bits and keep the guitar solos. At nineteen I just wanted to play loud guitar and loud it was. I had a full Marshall stack and a Stratocaster.

I Feel So Fine

It's about surfing ... not Jesus

THE HUNTER

A song about sex

NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO

Chuck Berry cover (again)