THE STRANGERS

The Strangers were a Melbourne based that existed from 1961 to 1975. The band started out playing instrumental songs in a style similar to The Shadows. The original lineup included bassist Peter Robinson (ex The Thunderbirds, Ray Hoff and The Offbeats), drummer Graeme 'Garth' Thompson (ex The Earls), lead guitarist Laurie Arthur (ex The Planets, The Chessmen) and rhythm guitarist Fred Weiland (ex The Lincolns). In late 1962, after cutting a series of demos, they signed a contract with local label W&G Records, having already proven their worth as a studio band for artists including The Seekers, Pam & Ade, Frankie Davidson,The Thin Men, Margie Mills, Adrian Usher, Bobby Shaw, Ian MacAusland, Terry Dean and Johnny Chester.

Like many other bands that emerged in the brief interregnum between Elvis and The Beatles, they were profoundly influenced by the new wave of British guitar acts like The Shadows and The Tornados, and their set-list in earlier days was dominated by Cliff Richards/Shadows covers, although Laurie Arthur wrote and arranged a number of original instrumental pieces including "Leavin' Town", "Torlido", "The Outcast" and "Undertow", and some of these were later covered by instrumental groups from Brazil, The Philippines, Holland, Belgium and Italy.

Their first single, "Cry of the Wild Goose" was a notable success, reaching #12 in Melbourne. This was followed by three more instrumental singles during 1963, one of which reached the lower end of the Melbourne Top 40. Their first vocal single, a cover of the perennial "Poppa Oom Mow Mow" came out in early 1964. The group's first big break came in January 1964 when they were booked as the support act on the Surfside '64 tour with Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, The Surfaris and Paul & Paula. Laurie Arthur left the group around this time ( he went on to join The Mixtures) and he was replaced by a ferociously talented 18-year-old guitarist-singer called John Farrar.

Their biggest break was in August 1964, when The Strangers were selected as the 'house' band for the new Australian pop TV show, The Go!! Show, broadcast nationally on the new 0-10 Network. The Strangers backed the numerous solo singers who performed on the program, as well as featuring on their own. During their tenure on The Go!! Show The Strangers signed a pioneering sponsorship deal with Maton guitars, the famed Melbourne luthiers. Maton supplied the band with a complete set of their distinctive El Toro line of electric guitars and basses, which took their name form the exaggerated horns sprouting from the body of the guitar.

Between 1964 and 1967 The Strangers recorded a number of singles, one EP and one LP (Colin Cook and The Strangers) for W&G, plus another LP, recorded in 1963, which was never released. In addition to their own output, they recorded scores if not hundreds of other tracks as a backing group for other artists, as well the many numbers they taped as backing tracks for The Go!! Show . Although they did not break out to major national success as recording artists, they had a high national profile due to their many TV appearances and they remained consistently popular in Melbourne.

After their W&G contract expired they briefly signed to the Go!! label in 1967 and their only Go!! single, "Western Union / Cool Jerk", returned them to the Melbourne charts, reaching #30. Around this time Perth musician and vocalist Terry Walker (ex The Times, Ray Hoff and The Offbeats) replaced Fred Weiland, who left to join The Mixtures. Also, in 1967 The Go!! Show had been cancelled and the Go!! label had folded soon after, so The Strangers moved on to the Philips label, for whom they recorded three singles. The first, "Happy Without You", was quite successful -- it reached #28 nationally in May 1968, but went as high as #8 in Melbourne and #11 in Brisbane. The next two singles were "Lady Scorpio" (#31, June 1969) and "Sweet September" (Jan. 1970), as well as their second LP 'The Strangers'.

In 1970 they signed to Ron Tudor's new Fable label. Ron was well known to the group, of course -- he had been the A&R manager and house producer at W&G in the early 1960s, and was renowned as the man who discovered and signed The Seekers to their first recording contract. The Strangers' biggest commercial success came with their 1970 single "Melanie Makes Me Smile", which peaked at #10 and spent eighteen weeks in the national chart. The singles B-side, "If You Think You're Groovy" was one of several "gift" songs written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane for vocalist PP Arnold.

In mid-1970 The Strangers effectively broke up for a short time. Farrar had by then been invited to come to the UK and join a new trio Marvin, Welch & Farrar. Meanwhile, some months after the initial split, Robinson and Thompson put together The New Strangers with guitarists John Cosgrove (ex-Fendermen) and Bill Pyman. They recorded three more singles for Fable, but none made it into the charts. In March 1973 Jim Sifonious (ex-Dove) replaced Cosgrove and the band moved on to the Astor label, for whom they recorded two more unsuccessful singles before finally splitting in 1975. Fred Weiland died in 2018. Laurie Arthur died in 2021. John Cosgrove died in 2024.

Members

Peter Robinson (bass), Graeme "Garth" Thompson (drums), Laurie Arthur (guitar), Fred Weiland (guitar), John Farrar (guitar), Terry Walker (guitar), John Cosgrove (guitar), Bill Pyman (guitar), Jim Sifonius (keyboards), Lloyd Poole (keyboards), Rick Berger (keyboards)

SINGLES

''It's Up To You / Just Another Rumour'' [with Colin Cook] 1962 W&G

''Girls Never Notice Me / There's A Great Day A-Comin' [with Bobby Bright] 1963 W&G

''It Only Happens When I Dream / My Heart Belongs To You'' [with Trevor Warner] 1963 W&G

''A Week In The Country / Please Don't Go'' [with Adrian Ussher] 1963 W&G

''The Cry Of The Wild Goose (#35) / Leavin' Town'' 1963 W&G
''The Outcast / Torlido'' (#56) 1963 W&G
''Undertow (#56) / Along The Navajo Trail'' 1963 W&G
''Poppa Oom Mow Mow / Sunday Kind Of Love'' 1964 W&G
''If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody (#60) / Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go'' 1964 W&G
''Never On A Sunday / In My Room'' 1965 W&G
''Put Yourself In My Place (#94) / Fever'' 1966 W&G
''Western Union (#46) / Cool Jerk'' 1967 Go!!
''Happy Without You (#28) / Take The Time'' 1968 Philips
''Lady Scorpio (#31) / California Soul'' 1969 Philips
''Sweet September / Paper Cup'' 1970 Philips
''Melanie Makes Me Smile (#10) / If You Think You're Groovy'' 1970 Fable
''Mr. President (#78) / Looking Through The Eyes Of A Beautiful Girl'' 1970 Fable
''Sweet Water (#74) / Wishing My Life Away'' 1971 Fable
''Tennessee / That Sunshine Feeling'' 1972 Fable
''Home Ain't Home Any More / Hitch Hike'' 1975 Astor
''Kentucky Poor Boy / Sweet Song Of The Country'' 1975 Astor

EPs

'Let's Go With The Strangers' 1965 W&G

ALBUMS

'Colin Cook And The Strangers' 1964 W&G

'The Strangers' 1968 Philips




References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strangers_%28Australian_band%29

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/