grant smithies
grant smithies Content tagged as grant smithies.
Human Instinct: Midnight Sun (Ode)
When thirtysomething guitarist Joel Haines invited me to the launch of the new Human Instinct album he told me he'd joined the group. I said, “ You've joined what used to one of the most dangerous bands in the country! Good luck.” They might not have been, but in the late Sixties/early Seventies New Zealand bands like Human...
TICKET, HALF-REMEMBERED (2010): Hair today and gone until tomorrow
Two things I remember clearly about Ticket: their hair was long and their songs were even longer. And back in the early 70s those were two very good things indeed. In truth I don't remember much else – definitely not the names of the long gone Auckland clubs I saw them at – but they were at that Elton John show at Western...
absoluteelsewhere/3706/ticket-half-remembered-2010-hair-today-and-gone-until-tomorrow/
Highway: Highway (Ode)
A decade or so ago there was a major excavation undertaken of New Zealand pop and rock of the Sixties, thanks to enthusiasts like John Baker and Andrew Schmidt, and Chris Caddick at EMI who actioned a series of terrific compilations. Some of the work of these people spilled over into the early Seventies. Thierry Pannetier at EMI was...