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Features Disc of the day
Coloured Balls
Ball Power
(EMI, 1973; Reissued on Aztec, 2006)
Teeth-rattling bovver-rock from Down Under, remembered by MOJO Messageboarder
Few people who grew up outside of Australia, and in particular Melbourne's expansive suburban sprawl in the 1970s, are likely to be familiar with the social phenomenon known as the Sharpies. Easily recognised by their distinctive skinhead-with-tails haircuts, colourful knitted tops, tight jeans and cuban-heeled shoes, the Sharpies represented a distinctively Melburnian take on the disaffected and bored urban youth looking to make a mark on their world, or at least have a good time drinking, dancing, fighting and shagging (not necessarily in that order). And yet the band most often associated with the Sharpies - and at the time, often accused of inciting the violence surrounding the Sharpie subculture - were a group of ardent and avowed pacifists.
In 1972, singer and lead guitarist Lobby Loyde was already a veteran of the Aussie music scene when he joined forces with guitarist Bobsy Millar, bass player John Miglans and drummer Trevor Young to form the Coloured Balls. Mixing the classic rock'n'roll and R&B they had grown up on with the more progressive musical elements of the early-'70s, the Coloured Balls created a unique, often ferocious sound that belied their peaceful personalities. "The Coloured Balls were the greatest bunch of hippies that ever crawled," Loyde states in his notes. "They were really gentle guys, but on stage we let it go and spat out all the venom we had... that was our release."
With the help of producer Ian Miller, Ball Power captured the band's musical force without sacrificing its commercial potential, reaching the Top 20 in the Australian charts. Opening track Flash is a perfect taste of what's to come, with hard-driving riffs and a shout-along chorus. The raw rush of Mama Don't You Get Me Wrong and Won't You Make Up Your Mind follow in quick succession, the latter a frenetic sub-two-minute explosion of proto-punk that deserves much wider acclaim. The dirty blues of Something New and B.P.R. showcase the band's road-honed tightness, while the first half of Human Being features a monstrous riff that eventually gives way to some more meditative guitar work, highlighting Loyde's virtuosity and growing songwriting sophistication. This is made even clearer on Side B of the original album, where the crowd-pleasing rock of Whole Lotta Shakin' and Hey! What's Your Name give way to the epic That's What Mama Said, a 10-minute, pounding slab of freaked-out rock'n'roll featuring Loyde on foot-controlled Theremin.
The recent Aztec reissue adds a clutch of revealing pre-Ball Power singles, displaying all the elements that would crystallize so fully on their debut LP. The inspired inclusion of the live track GOD (short for Guitar Overdose) from the band's legendary appearance at the Sunbury Festival in early '73 rounds out a stunning portrait of a band which, while little known outside the Antipodes, has left a legacy to Australian music which is still keenly felt today.
Ange Tsibogiannis
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 10:28 AM GMT 29/03/2010
Further Listening
Lobby Loyde & The Coloured Balls – Heavy Metal Kids (EMI, 1974; Reissed on Aztec, 2006)
Various Artists - The Complete HAVOC Singles 1972-1974 (Aztec, 2008)
Captain Beyond – Captain Beyond (Capricorn, 1972)
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There's a new porn site on the internet, like we don't already have enough of these already. Atleast they came up with a pretty good name of Whateverporn.com so a lot of credit goes to the site owner for that.
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