As anyone truly appreciative of the 60s will tell you, Australia boasted a mind-boggling array of talented artists and groups, some of whom made it to the big time, while many others are known only to collectors of the obscure. Iain McIntyre has gathered together many of the stories behind some of the names responsible for a heap of cool, savage and freaky sounds, giving a glimpse of what was really happening in Australia from the mid-60s and into the early 70s.
The obvious names are here: The Easybeats, The Twilights, the early journey of British ex-pats the Bee Gees. Some less common names are also covered, including Juno Gemes. Her story, and that of Sydney’s 10 Cunningham Street, is compulsory reading, covering the months when she helped formulate London’s early UFO scene.
A timeline lists many important happenings in pop and politics, while the reviews of the bendiest cuts are a real treat. A heap of photographs and numerous indepth interviews make this one of the must-read tomes on the 60s. And that’s without info on a couple of Australia’s greatest: The Missing Links and The Master’s Apprentices.
