Week of January 9, 2005
Personnel:
Harry Brus - Bass
Ross East - Guitar, Vocals
Johnny Green - Guitar
Barry Kelly - Piano, Clarinet
Wendy Saddington - Vocals
Jeff St. John - Vocals
Peter Figures - Drums
Alan Ingham - Bass
Phil Wooding - Guitar
Glyn Mason
Albums:
Joint Effort (Spin SEL 933742) 1970
CD: Radioactive Records RRCD073
Live (Infinity SINL 934255) 1971 (with Wendy Saddington)
EP:
Sing A Simple Song (PS) (Spin EX 11735) 1970
45s:
Cloud Nine/Days To Come (Spin EK-3567) 1970
Teach Me How To Fly/Freedom Blues (Chart CH 214) 1970
Hummingbird/Keep On Growing (Infinity INK-4365) 1971
Golden Angels/What's In A Day (Infinity INK-4698) 1972 (as Copperwine)
Copperwine was a Sydney-based band, who played between 1969-72. Two of their
songs, ‘Freedom Blues’ and ‘Teach Me How To Fly’ can also be heard
on ‘Great Hits From Australia's Great Stars’; ‘Keep On Growing’
has re-emerged on ‘12x12’, and ‘Cloud Nine’ has resurfaced on ‘So
You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star’ (3-CD).
‘Joint Effort’ is a psychedelic/progressive crossover album with some
soul influences. It includes a surging, organ-based cover of The Temptations'
‘Cloud Nine’ and competent versions of Sly and The Family Stone's
‘Sing A Simple Song’ and Blind Faith's ‘Can't Find My Way Home’.
There's lots of good self-penned material too; a long instrumental ‘Any
Orange Night’, the fragile psychedelic-tinged 'Fanciful Flights Of Mind'
and 'Days To Come'. A worthwhile album.
'Cloud Nine' and 'Days To Come' were culled for а 45 release, but surprisingly failed to chart. This situation was corrected by the follow-up, a cover of The Rotary Connection hit 'Teach Me How To Fly'. This brought them a significant hit and had a good flip side too in the soul-influenced 'Freedom Blues'. The band toured relentlessly during 1971 and appeared live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. They also released another good single, the delicate ‘Hummingbird’. By late 1971, friction had emerged between Jeff St. John and Copperwine. He left them early in 1972 to form his own band and pursue a solo career. Alan Ingham had earlier played with Glen Ingram and The Hi-Five.
Taken from "Dreams, Fantasies and Nightmares" by Vernon Joynson, an extensive guide to Canadian / Australian / New Zealand and Latin American psych and garage music 1963 - 1976.