BANDS I ADMIRE – 26

Little River Band

Despite being Australian, the original members of the band first met in London whilst touring with other bands. They got on so well, and had the same desire and drive, so determined to set up their own band together when they all returned to their homeland. Little River Band, whose music ranges from country to rock all swimming in close harmonies, have the distinction of being the first Aussie band to break into the notoriously difficult US market and gain a foothold.
The original line-up saw Glenn Shorrock on vocals, Graham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Rick Formosa on guitars and vocals, Roger MacLachlan on bass and drummer Derek Pellicci. In 1975 they released Little River Band, which gave them immediate success in the Aussie charts with Curiosity Killed The Cat, followed by It's A Long Way There. The band members were keen to succeed outside of their own nation, and embarked on a US promotional tour, during which the latter single earned some airplay and solid reviews.
After Hours, in 1976, was a bit of a damp squib, and the band knew it. MacLachlan was replaced by George McArdle on bass, and David Briggs was brought in for the outgoing Formosa on guitar. LRB swiftly followed After Hours later in the same year with Diamantina Cocktail, from which they pulled out both Help Is On Its Way and Happy Anniversary as singles. This was a much better album, and it received a great deal of praise. During that time, the band supported stellar acts such as Queen, The Eagles, Foreigner, Boz Scaggs, Heart and Fleetwood Mac.
1978s Sleeper Catcher went Platinum, and in addition to Light Of Day, the two exceptional tracks, both released as singles, were Reminiscing and Lady. Both were Top 10 hits, and the album emerged to rave reviews from the critics and cemented the band's growing reputation. They were a tight live band, led by Shorrock whose voice was smooth and powerful, backed by musicians who could play without any pyrotechnics to get the audience going. They were laid-back, but always interesting and easy on the ear. Reminiscing remains one of their finest hits.
First Under The Wire was up next, containing Lonesome Loser which was a typical LRB track, plus the sublime Cool Change which swiftly became a stage favourite and was never off the set list. McArdle departed, and in came American Wayne Nelson on bass, who also had a strong voice. Another world tour led to the live album release Backstage Pass, which introduced the live act to many people who realised this band could really hit the spot on stage.
In 1981, LRB released Time Exposure, and it was immediately obvious that this was a fresh sound. This had US sound and production values stamped all over it, and several tracks were rockier, harder, faster. Man On Your Mind and Take It Easy On Me were recognisable as LRB, but in Don't Let The Needle Win and, particularly Night Owls sung by bassist Wayne Nelson, here was a LRB full of confidence and searching for a new identity. It was a hugely successful album, sales increased yet again, and in the US had become a name to be reckoned with. Shortly after its release, however, David Briggs quit and new English lead guitarist Steve Housden came in to quickly make the lead runs his own on stage, with the extended solo from Night Owls a stunning introduction to his ability.
The following year, during a brief hiatus between recording and touring, lead vocalist Glenn Shorrock also quit the band. There are two versions to this departure. He says he left to pursue a solo career, other band members say they voted him out. It seems clear that the change in direction, however slight, bothered both Briggs and Shorrock enough to move on.
So for 1983s album, The Net, English ex-pat then residing in Australia, John Farnham, was behind the microphone. Farnham was a stunning vocalist, incredibly powerful with a vast range – as shown a few years later with his solo release The Voice. The step that the LRB had taken away from their comfort zone on the previous album became a giant leap, with cuts such as Driving Me Out Of My Mind, the brilliant We Two, Mr Socialite and the title track. I saw the band at the Hammersmith Odeon during their UK tour that year, and Farnham was a more beguiling presence on stage than Shorrock had been, the overall sound was punchier, and the excellent Housden on guitar added weight to the solos. They were as good a live band as you could hope to see, with astonishing vocal harmonies.
But what makes a band? Its name or its members? The Who are still The Who even without Keith Moon and John Entwhistle, but would they still be The Who if it was those two who were still alive and Townsend and Daltry dead? I doubt it. So it was that before LRB did anything else, both Beeb Birtles and drummer Pellicci had moved on. Without Briggs and Shorrock as well, was this still the Little River Band? It didn't feel like it, and it was the beginning of their decline. In the past 20 years, Shorrock, Birtles, Pellicci and Wayne Nelson have rejoined, left and, in some cases, rejoined again. The final original member, Graham Goble, quit in 1990, never to return. Housden 'took some time out' in 2006, leaving just Wayne Nelson from those early days. At last count, the band had comprised in excess of 30 members. So what's really left of them? Just the name. And curiously, it was Housden who somehow acquired the right to use it.
Though they have never attained those dizzy heights since the early 80s, LRB have released 7 new albums, some compilations, live stuff, and are still, in name only perhaps, together and currently touring. Rising from the seventies and early eighties, Little River Band were vaguely Eagles-ish, (in fact, Glen Frey of the Eagles once described them as the best harmonies band in the world) and within an eight year period turned out some extremely good albums. The Greatest Hits compilation probably does represent their best work, but their live video is also worth a peek if you can pick it from some boot sale.