Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Crossfire - "Crossfire" (1975)






The cover may have you expecting some prog-psych-rock nightmare, but this is actually a rare piece of Australian 70s jazz.

Crossfire were my introduction to electric jazz - my brother (15) and myself (13) were both keen guitarists, introduced to the funk via the radio and some Reneé Geyer shows, then this local band Crossfire appeared in 1975, with some funk guitar riffs, rhodes and various woodwinds and brass, often with several instruments played through wah-wah pedals. Whenever I hear this now, I can hear my brother practising the guitar riffs ...

Listening to it again now, more than thirty years later, I think I can hear what they might have been listening to - maybe some early pre-guitar wank Return to Forever, some wah-wah Eddie Henderson, the occasional MPS?

Crossfire made seven albums, and often backed international jazz visitors like Randy Brecker and Ben Sidran. They backed jazz-pop singer Michael Franks on a 1980 live album which is ... ermm ... not recommended by me, but there's a link for Franks fans anyway.

This 1975 album is their first and best album, hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to Micko and the Midoztouch community for the vinyl rip and scans.

TRACKLIST

01. "Remember The Trees" (Jim Kelly)
02. "Nobody Nose" (Mick Kenny)
03. "Freddie Funkbump" (Jim Kelly)
04. "Perverted Pavanne" (Mick Kenny)
05. "Inside Out" (Mick Kenny, Don Reid)
06. "Nada" (Ian Bloxsom)
07. "Stygian Night" (Mick Kenny)
08. "You Gotta Make It" (Greg Lyon)

MUSICIANS

Greg Lyon - bass, voice
Mick Kenny - keyboards, trumpet
Don Reid - Reeds
John Proud - drums
Ian Bloxsom - percussion
Jim Kelly - guitars

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Harvest Records
Catalogue # SHVL 616
Producer - Peter Dawkins
Recording Engineer - Paul Goodwin
Mastering Engineer - Mark Opitz
Cover Illustration - Lauretta Goodwin
Photography - Ralph Cooper
Recorded at EMI Studios, Sydney, July 1975

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31 comments:

  1. Gianni aka Cesare BarbettaSeptember 17, 2008 at 4:45 AM

    thanks Simon.
    your blog is like an apple.
    an apple a day...
    thanks for all your daily passion and pure love for quality music.

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  2. curbfeelersSeptember 17, 2008 at 5:29 AM

    cant wait to hear this... thanks!

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  3. miloramonaSeptember 17, 2008 at 11:08 AM

    I love learning new stuff, thanks

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  4. ishSeptember 17, 2008 at 12:28 PM

    OK Simon, you sold me. Downloading now, will let you know what I think!

    thanks!

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  5. JTFSeptember 17, 2008 at 4:44 PM

    i am really diggin your blog... glad i came across it!

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  6. kizzaSeptember 18, 2008 at 12:35 AM

    It's a damn tragedy that although I'm Australian (and have lived here all my life) I know absolutely nothing about 60s-70s jazz/funk made in my home country! All i seem to know is US and European stuff! So thanks for this post - i look forward to hearing it!

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  7. JCSeptember 18, 2008 at 1:48 PM

    thanks Simon

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  8. ++8s5@3NJ7++September 18, 2008 at 4:52 PM

    This is an absolute belter!

    Complete with woeful Derek Smalls 'etching' cover art, this is pure punchy driving fusion goodness, straight from the top drawer.

    Shades of Mahavishnu, Soft Machine and electric Miles and all bundled up in knat's-chaff-tight arrangements.

    Keep up the excellent work, mate

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  9. Simon666September 18, 2008 at 5:01 PM

    Glad you like it ernest - i think the cover is scaring people away :)

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  10. DjalmaSeptember 18, 2008 at 7:03 PM

    Thanks Simon for showing me some australian jazz I would've never heard of! Peace...




    Djalma

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  11. MaxPtahSeptember 19, 2008 at 5:46 AM

    I've heard of this group once, but never heard the music. gonna check them out, thanks

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  12. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2008 at 5:15 PM

    very nice.. very nice..

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  13. E-mileSeptember 23, 2008 at 11:06 AM

    some nice traxxx, I loved the freaky frenzy on Freddie Funkbump!
    thanx Simon!
    peace, E-mile

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  14. johnvSeptember 28, 2008 at 8:16 AM

    Can't wait to hear this one. Discovering these unknown (to my ears at least) classics is always so much fun.

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  15. ShaneSeptember 29, 2008 at 4:41 PM

    Thanks for this download. I owned the album and played it a lot. I also went and saw the band at French's a wine bar on Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. I never thought I would hear it again and listening to it now brought back such strong memories of the flat I lived in Kirribilli where it was on high rotation.
    The music still stands up really well and I'm so pleased to have it.
    Thanks again.

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  16. Simon666September 29, 2008 at 4:45 PM

    Thanks Shane. I know I saw them live, but I can't for the life of me remember where or when - I would have been 13 when this came out, so probably not at French's :)

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  17. WarpedjohnApril 10, 2009 at 10:52 PM

    I went to school with Jim Kelly ( gtr ) Narrabeen Boys High 1965 -68.
    Jim was /is a prodigy on guitar.
    Tutored by George Golla he was showing his master new jazz chords in his teens.
    Jim was playing in Leagues clubs while still at school ( ie underage) and left school early to join Channel 7 tv band.

    I remember Frenchs ( now the Tandoori Palace upstairs)

    last I heard Jim was teaching music at Lismore uni but occasionally has a gig at the Basement.

    Sadly another friend of mine roomed in a boarding house next to Mick Kenny ( kbds) recently. Mick was playing in Thailand and apparently contracted HIV and was very sick.

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  18. Simon666June 13, 2009 at 8:00 PM

    hi Warpedjohn -
    Had meant to come back here and say thanks for the history but forgot to. Sad to hear that Mick Kenny is sick.
    I czme back here now to say that I just posted some more Australian jazz - ”The Jazz Sound of the Don Burrows Quartet”

    regards,
    Simon

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  19. Simon666June 17, 2009 at 5:51 PM

    ... and another Don Burrows album, this time it's "The Tasman Connection" from 1976 :

    http://neverenoughrhodes.blogspot.com/2009/06/don-burrows-tasman-connection-1976.html

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  20. Simon666July 16, 2009 at 5:37 PM

    More Australian 70s jazz :

    John Sangster – “Australia and all that Jazz – Vol 1” (1971), come check it out ☺
    Simon

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  21. MalibuSeptember 17, 2009 at 4:51 AM

    :::AWESOME:::
    "Nobody Nose" it's a killer track.
    Fantastic guitar wha sound on it.

    I never heard nothing about Crossfire.
    Thank You Simon and greetings from Italy

    Angelo

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  22. UnknownMarch 18, 2010 at 11:50 PM

    I was fortunate to see Crossfire live at the Northsea Jazz. The minute i heard Michael Franks in combination with Crossfire. I got very interested in this band. Because of the drive of the bassman and the play of the guitarplayer.

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  23. AnonymousAugust 31, 2010 at 11:32 PM

    John Proud has played with... AC/DC !

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  24. Simon666September 1, 2010 at 6:14 PM

    Thanks for the comments guys :)
    Didn't know that about John Proud ... welllll I guess I'm going to have to post some Acca Dacca then : )

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  25. RickSeptember 28, 2010 at 6:00 AM

    thanks - i never got to hear this band locally (i was too young) but now i have the chance. they had a great rep

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  26. UnknownJuly 17, 2011 at 8:38 AM

    East of Where is one of my favourite albums ever from these guys. I started listening to them in the early 80s, and this album could still be recorded yesterday and have some clout. Brilliant.

    http://www.scubainstructor.co.uk/EastOfWhere.rar

    Enjoy!

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  27. JezAugust 19, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    There are some real gems on this album. Can never get enough of "Nobody Nose" - every note is genius! I have a tape which is the pre-mastered version of the album, given to my father by one of the recording engineers... and I like it slightly better than the final album, the dynamics are different.

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  28. PaulMarch 4, 2016 at 4:55 PM

    Wow .... just discovered this page 41 years after recording the first Crossfire album with Peter Dawkins in Studio A at EMI. My (then) wife Lauretta did the beautiful cover. Paul

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  29. WytseMay 3, 2016 at 4:04 AM

    This is great, thanks!

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  30. gr8daneOctober 15, 2016 at 1:13 PM

    Thanks very much.

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  31. Mind The JuxtapositionFebruary 4, 2023 at 6:45 PM

    Wow. Can't believe I was completely unaware of this band. And still sounds so fresh after 48 years.
    Thanks for the education. Only wish I had stumbled across your blog a decade earlier.

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