THE MISSING LINKS

The Missing Links came together in early 1964 in Sydney, with Peter Anson and Dave Boyne on guitars, Bob Brady on vocals, Danny Cox on drums, and Ron Peel (formerly of the Mystics) on bass. Their long hair earned them the name “The Missing Links,” after one venue owner remarked they looked like a cross between man and ape. That November, they performed at a benefit concert for Oz founders Richard Neville, Richard Walsh, and Martin Sharp, who were awaiting trial on obscenity charges.

The band’s first line-up recorded the single ''We 2 Should Live'', released in March 1965 on the Parlophone label. By then, Boyne had been replaced by John Jones (also ex-Mystics), and Cox soon left, with New Zealand-born Andy Anderson (a.k.a. Andy James or Neville Anderson) stepping in on drums. The group split briefly in July, after which Anson formed the Syndicate, which later became Jeff St. John and The Id. Brady joined Python Lee Jackson, Peel headed to Brisbane to play with The Pleazers, and Cox became part of The Lost Souls.

The Missing Links got back together before the end of July with a temporary lineup of various musicians, later locking in a new crew featuring Anderson and Jones, Doug Ford on guitar, Chris Gray on keyboards and harmonica, and ex-Showmen members Baden Hutchins on drums and Ian Thomas on bass. This second lineup was said to be “even more fierce” than the first. At their shows, Anderson would scale walls to hang from rafters before slamming his head into the drums, while other members smashed guitars into speakers, all decked out in the latest Carnaby Street fashions.

With this-new lineup, the group signed with Philips Records and dropped "You're Drivin' Me Insane" in August 1965, followed by "Wild About You" in September. Veteran rock ’n’ roller Johnny O’Keefe wasn’t impressed—he even banned them from his TV show, Sing Sing Sing. In October, they put out another single, "H'tuom Tuhs," their take on "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut," but played backwards on both sides of the record as parts 1 and 2. Their debut album, 'The Missing Links,' hit the shelves that December. According to Allmusic's, Richie Unterberger, "This aggregation cut the rawest Australian garage/punk of the era, and indeed some of the best from anywhere, sounding at their best like a fusion of the Troggs and the early Who, letting loose at times with wild feedback that was quite ahead of its time". 

In 1966, Baden Hutchins and Ian Thomas left and later returned to the Showmen, while the remaining members – Anderson, Gray, Ford, and Jones – recorded the EP 'The Links Unchained' in April that year. This rare record is now worth up to $1000. After the band split, Anderson and Ford formed Running Jumping Standing Still in Melbourne in August 1966. Anderson went on to act in Australian and New Zealand television, while Ford became lead guitarist for The Masters Apprentices in 1968. John Jones became a Hollywood screenwriter. Ian Thomas died after a short illness on Monday, August 17, 2009, in Phnom Penh. Peter Anson died in 2015, and Ronnie Peel died in 2020.

Members

Peter Anson (guitar, vocals), Dave Boyne (guitar), Bob Brady (vocals, percussion), Danny Cox (drums), Ronnie Peel (bass, harmonica), David Longmore (guitar), Frank Kennington (vocals), Col Risby (guitar), Doug Ford (guitar), Chris Gray (keyboards), Baden Hutchins (drums), Andy James [Andy Anderson] (vocals, percussion), John Jones (guitar, vocals), Ian Thomas (bass)

SINGLES

''We 2 Should Live / Untrue'' 1965 Parlophone
''You're Drivin' Me Insane / Somethin' Else'' 1965 Philips
'' Wild About You / Nervous Breakdown'' 1965 Philips
''H'tuom Tuhs - Part 1 / H'tuom Tuhs - Part 2'' 1966 Philips

EPs

'The Links Unchained' 1966 Philips

ALBUMS

'The Missing Links' 1965 Philips

References

The Missing Links - Wikipedia