Bobbie!

[Sitedrifter]

Dear Bobbie,

We have had some good times over the past few weeks and it needs to continue for the sanity of the OffTopic Central.

Just sayin'

 

[Monkey Man]

Agreed.

I'd still like to know where the nickname came from, as I believe Bobbie does too.

All I could come up with, and it's a long shot, was The Brady Bunch.

 

[WGAF]

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[Monkey Man]

It has its urban slang meaning (something / someone outstanding / excellent), but here in Oz we think of the TV series from way back when starring John Farnham. Well, I do at least.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Dazzler

Fun facts:
My housemate / best mate, who unfortunately died in 2004 at 31(!), played bagpipes for John Farnham whenever he performed his iconic hit "You're the Voice" here in Melbourne. Sam was only 16 when he started doing that I think.

I often spoke with Roger McLachlan (I kept bumping into him), who played bass on that iconic hit. The fretless bass and the bagpipes, ironically, were the most-memorable contributions to the song apart from the vocals. Roger was an early bass player in Little River Band. He was so excited when he bought one of the first Warwick Thumb Basses (if not the first) in Oz, he insisted I play it. I wish I hadn't have, 'cause to this day I dream about owning something that plays (and sounds, but especially plays) like that (like butta).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_McLachlan

Anyway, your guess as to the reasoning behind Bobbie kinda chucked me for a wobbly, as they say. I wanted to laugh, but it brought back too many memories!

 

[Sitedrifter]

Agreed.

I'd still like to know where the nickname came from, as I believe Bobbie does too.

All I could come up with, and it's a long shot, was The Brady Bunch.

\

Bobbie Dazzler !!!

Bobbie... ---> (say it with a British accent and see if you can figure it out) Oh imagine a woman saying it with a British accent.

 

[WGAF]

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[Monkey Man]

Agreed.

I'd still like to know where the nickname came from, as I believe Bobbie does too.

All I could come up with, and it's a long shot, was The Brady Bunch.

\

Bobbie Dazzler !!!

Bobbie... ---> (say it with a British accent and see if you can figure it out) Oh imagine a woman saying it with a British accent.

Hmm... the obvious thing would be a policeman; I've known they were called Bobbies since I was a wee lad.

 

[WGAF]

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[Monkey Man]

Correct on all counts, brother.

I never cease to be amazed by your knowledge of Aussie stuff. I actually assumed you were Australian when I first encountered you here.

Oh, and yeah, the bagpipes totally gave me the shits. Thankfully Sam didn't practice much. He spent the last 12 years of his life suckin' the teet of pre-mixed Jim Beam & Coke™ cans instead of blowin' the chanter, which thankfully was how he practiced in the early days (no bag). He used to make some great duck-calling sounds on that thing. My take on it was that he could attract them with the chanter and then scare them off for good by hookin' the bag up.

LRB was the shiz during its early albums such as Diamantina Cocktail. That shit was about as good as commercial bands get worldwide IMHO.

 

[Sitedrifter]

Agreed.

I'd still like to know where the nickname came from, as I believe Bobbie does too.

All I could come up with, and it's a long shot, was The Brady Bunch.

\

Bobbie Dazzler !!!

Bobbie... ---> (say it with a British accent and see if you can figure it out) Oh imagine a woman saying it with a British accent.

Hmm... the obvious thing would be a policeman; I've known they were called Bobbies since I was a wee lad.

Close.

 

[Monkey Man]

Constable?
Palace / establishment / elite guard?

Bingo?

 

[WGAF]

.

 

[Monkey Man]

Indeed.

Fun facts:
David Hirshfelder and Roger McLachlan hooked up with David Jones (drums) and Bob Venier (trumpet) to form Pyramid in the early '80s. I bought the Sunshower Live (GayBeeCee-studio recording) album. I would've been about 15. First audio-engineering course 5 years later I found myself at Alan Eaton Sound for a practical. It was "known" for Young Talent Time's having recorded all the audio for its TV shows there. The house engineer slapped on a tape for a demonstration of the equipment, figuring nobody would know what it was anyway. I knew straight away that it was Pyramid, reeled the personnel names off to him and declared that it was an unreleased recording. He was impressed, but unfortunately to this day, as far as I'm aware, none of the toons the studio had has been released.

Pyramid albums are hard-to-find, and had I not bought Sunshower, I doubt I'd have found it decades later when iTunes et al came along. So sad! 1980-1983 and that was all she wrote. Never heard another band like it. They create superb vibes for brainstorming stuff and thinking possibilities.

Anyway, I've managed to find two clips from Sunshower at Roger's YouTube channel:

This track was always one of my faves. So-classy:

Another mellow one:

Roger also posted the band at Montreux back in '83. Not the usual crisp, clear Pyramid sound, unfortunately:

Anyway, put this shit in your pipe and smoke it, brother.

 

[Sitedrifter]

 

[Sitedrifter]

 

[Monkey Man]

Holy cow!

Another band he played in in the late '80s, which was when I started talking to him, was Loose Change, who I saw every week at the Grainstore Tavern. Turns out Roger's posted a clip of the band. Bloody Mark Domoney promised me guitar lessons practically every week, and yet it never happened. To this day I've never had a lesson, and can barely play a note.

Well I'll be damned. At 3min he shows the Warwick amp I played his new Thumb Bass through back in the late '80s! Oh man, I see now he shows the actual bass later in the clip! Also shows the defretted one he used for all the Pyramid stuff. Awesome.

Pretty trippy seeing and hearing him and this stuff. S'pose I ought to thank you and SD. Thanks guys!

 

[Devin]

Didn't Brett Garsed play guitar for John Farnham at one point?

That Warwick with the tremolo is insane!

 

[WGAF]

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[Monkey Man]

Indeed he did, Devin. Helluva player and all-'round nice guy too, just like Roger.

Jack Jones also played for John at 18 and went on to form Southern Sons by joining The State. They sounded great but went nowhere after one hitoon.

EDIT:
Quickdraw McWGAF. You're greased lightin' bro'.

Yeah, Brett's been livin' in the country for a long time now AFAIK.

 

[WGAF]

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