WILD CHERRIES

In 1964, Melbourne University's Architecture students, John Bastow on vocals, Rob Lovett on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Les Gilbert on bass guitar, formed The Wild Cherries. Although Gilbert had studied classical piano with noted pianist Leslie Miers at an early age, he initially played bass guitar. The Wild Cherries were named by word association: Chuck Berry – Buck Cherry – Black Cherries – Wild Cherries. Local bluesman Malcolm McGee on lead guitar and vocals, and Geoff Hales on drums soon joined. Their debut performance was at Melbourne's first discothèque, the Fat Black Pussycat, located in South Yarra. Drummer Kevin Murphy, who had been playing in a modern jazz trio, replaced Hales almost immediately.

The new line up made a crude recording of Manfred Mann's "Without You" in Gilbert's parents' living room before Lovett left in October 1965 to join The Loved Ones. Reduced to a quartet, they made three more crude recordings at a rehearsal at the Fat Black Pussycat, including a cover of John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road". Early in 1966, Murphy left to travel to the UK and English-born drummer, Keith Barber joined. Soon after his arrival, the quartet recorded two further tracks: an original composition, “Get out of My Life” and a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bye Bye Bird" but no label was interested in picking up their songs for a single. By June 1966, the group had disbanded, and McGee left to join Python Lee Jackson while Bastow returned to his studies.

At the end of 1966, Barber and Gilbert reformed The Wild Cherries by recruiting singer Dan Robinson, who had previously played bass guitar in The Weird Mob, and added Peter Eddey on bass guitar, who was the founder and lead guitarist of The Weird Mob. Gilbert had switched to keyboards with a Hammond organ. After rehearsing for several months, former The Purple Hearts lead guitarist, Barry Lyde aka Lobby Loyde, from Brisbane, completed the second incarnation in January 1967.

The group immediately signed to Festival Records and in February travelled to Sydney to play a week-long engagement at Here disco in North Sydney filling in for the absent Jeff St John & The Id. The band then returned to Melbourne and started picking up local gigs, including an appearance at the Catcher on 4 March with The Clefs, The Mind Excursions and The Chelsea Set and playing a two-nighter at Sebastian's on 8–9 March. The Wild Cherries returned to Sydney in April for an extended engagement at Here Disco and attracted rave reviews from the local press. While there, they laid down tracks for a debut single, including the Loyde penned "Krome Plated Yabby" and a cover of Otis Redding's "Fa-Fa-Fa" which was never completed.

"Krome Plated Yabby" reached #44 on the charts when it was released in June 1967, according to the Kent charts. The group followed it up with Loyde's "That's Life", which was released in November and became a minor hit in Melbourne, it peaked at #37 on the Go-Set National Top 40 in January 1968. By early 1968, Eddey had left to return to Sydney, and university, and John Phillips from The Running Jumping Standing Still joined on bass guitar.

The band's third single, released in April 1968, was "Gotta Stop Lying", also failed to chart. For the group's final Festival single, Robinson and Loyde collaborated on the sublime "I Don't Care", which took the "wall of sound" approach, complete with echo effects, orchestration and female backing vocals. The Wild Cherries' crowning achievement on a creative level, it was another chart failure, and the group underwent a mass exodus with founding member Les Gilbert first to leave in September 1968. Soon afterwards, Barber, Phillips and Robinson departed, and Loyde retained the band's name. Rock historian, Ian McFarlane described their four singles for Festival as "exciting, revolutionary excursions into a musical void with no concessions to commercial demands all remain classic examples of hard guitar psychedelia."

Loyde recruited Brisbane's Matt Taylor on vocals and harmonica from The Bay City Union and three musicians from another Brisbane group, Thursday's Children: Barry Harvey on drums, Steve Pristash on bass guitar and Barry Sullivan on rhythm guitar. The new version of The Wild Cherries performed in October 1968, but Loyde left within a month to join Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs. Brian Wilson joined on vocals to replace Taylor who left in November (eventually he joined Chain in 1970), Tim Piper joined The Wild Cherries on lead guitar in December 1968. The Wild Cherries disbanded in April 1969 without recording any further material. Harvey, Piper and Sullivan joined Chain in late 1969.

Loyde resurrected the name in 1971 as a three-piece hard rock outfit with Johnny Dick on drums and Teddy Toi on bass guitar (both ex-Max Merritt & the Meteors, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Fanny Adams). The new line-up of The Wild Cherries issued one single on the Havoc label, "I am the Sea (Stop Killing Me)" in November 1971. Raven Records included "I am the Sea (Stop Killing Me)" on the compilation 'Golden Miles: Australian Progressive Rock 1969–1974' released in 1994. The band appeared at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1972 but disbanded a month later. Half A Cow records released a wonderful compilation of released, unreleased and live tracks titled 'That's Life' in 2007. Lobby Loyde died in 2007. Malcolm McGee died in 2012. Barry Sullivan died in his sleep 27 October 2003 at his Sunshine Coast home, aged 57. Teddy Toi died in 2022.

Members

John Bastow (vocals, harmonica), Les Gilbert (bass, organ), Geoff Hales (drums),Rob Lovett (guitar), Malcolm McGee (guitar, vocals), Kevin Murphy (drums), Keith Barber (drums), Peter Eddy (bass), Danny Robinson (vocals), Lobby Loyde (guitar), John Phillips (bass),Barry Harvey (drums), Steve Pristash (bass), Barry Sullivan (bass), Matt Taylor (vocals),Brian Wilson (vocals), Tim Piper (guitar), Teddy Toi (bass), Johhny Dick (drums)

SINGLES

''Krome Plated Yabby (#44) / Everything I Do Is Wrong'' 1967 Festival
''That's Life (#29) / Try Me (I'm Not As Bad As You Think)'' 1967 Festival
''I Don't Care / Theme For A Merry-Go-Round'' 1968 Festival
''Gotta Stop Lying / Time Killer'' 1968 Festival
''I'm The Sea (Stop Killing Me) / Daily Planet'' 1971 Havoc

EPs

'Krome Plated Yabby' 1968 Festival

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Cherries

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