He appeared on Countdown twice with the wrists in plaster-casts, and I think he was still in the casts in the original music clip. He wrote a song about the indicent called ''Indisposed'' which should be viewed some time.
Yes this was an iconic Countdown appearance, I think their first, with the two casts. We all were talking about it at school the next week. As Strathfield says, his accident is covered in the song Indisposed.
one of their best songs and for some reason its often lost amongst many of their other tunes, is 'Unpublished Critics' off of the 1981 album Sirocco, it really carries the feel of the 80s in Australia
The old joke is this: ''Love the latest Australian Crawl song. Can't wait for the English version''. Not a bad performance for a guy that had two broken wrists after getting knocked over by a car (not driven by Renee Geyer as I had jokingly said sometime ago).
@@hanierfamily There were other misfortunes that the band and the respective members had to endure over the years. James Reyne addresses the accident in the song ''Indisposed''. The following year, the band's new member, the late Guy McDonough, tells a much darker tale about his own demons in a song called ''Oh No Not You Again''. Check them both out!
James Reyne is notorious for his mumbling lyrics. When I was younger I used to think this song was called "Beach Ball". But the lyrics when you dig into them are very clever and witty... best in this song are " Beautiful People, you know the gardens full of furniture the house is full of plants"
my sister loved this band. she had their poster on her wall (Guy McDonough was in the band by that stage) and our dad saw the poster and said without a glimpse of doubt that he was glad to see his daughter taking an interest professional swimming. He thought Australian Crawl were a men's swimming team... Can't blame him. They looked more like a swimming team than a rock band.
Australian Crawl , or affectionately known as Aussie Crawl, where huge in the 80’s and 90’s in Australia. Lead singer on this one is James Reyne (pronounced Rain). My favourite song of theirs is Oh No not you again, sung by Guy McDonough. Guy also was lead on another of their songs called Errol. RIP Guy. James was in another band called Company of Strangers after Aussie Crawl. That band also had the legendary Darry Braithwaite from the 70’s band Sherbert and had a very popular single as a solo artist called Wild Horses.
James Reyne had a good solo career, try “Fall of Rome” and a brief supergroup experience with “Company of Strangers” which also featured Daryl Braithwaite of Sherbet fame, try “Motor City” and also The Party Boys try “The Beat Goes On” (cover of the Sonny & Cher song)
I was a young man from England when I did my first few years in Australia in the late 70's, and I got to see some tough bands like Midnight Oil, Rose Tattoo, The Angels, etc.. I can't say Australian Crawl were one of those groups, but I did like their tongue-in-cheek take on Australian culture and their mickey-taking of the higher society which they came from.... I much rather Guy's entry in the band and the Sirocco album... Oh No Not You Again is great song, worth a listen
James Reyne (pronounced Rain) is famous for not being able to understand him. Even us Aussies have no idea what he's singing. He's been the subject of many skits on comedy shows over the years.
Australian Crawl (often called Aussie Crawl or The Crawl by fans) were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne (lead vocals/piano/harmonica), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar), Paul Williams (bass), Simon Binks (lead guitar) and David Reyne (drums) in Melbourne in 1978.[1] David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough (drums, percussion). They were later joined by his brother Guy McDonough (vocals, rhythm guitar). The band was named after the front crawl swimming style also known as the Australian crawl. Australian Crawl were associated with surf music and sponsored a surfing competition in 1984. However, they also handled broader social issues such as shallow materialism, alcoholism, car accidents, and cautionary tales of romance. Peace out.
@@Green_N_Blue_monster - Maybe I should pay some closer attention to those lyrics myself then, the next time I hear that song! Maybe I'll actually start liking it!? 😄 Just like it had happened with Kid Creole's song 'Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy', after I'd finally picked up on the line "You see, if I was in your blood, then you wouldn't be so ugly" 😄
@@mightyV444 I was a teenager when Boys Light Up was released and banned on Australian radio. I listened closely, in spite of James Reyne's easy-to-follow singing style, and undestood the words, and was disgusted. Just google the lyrics.
Strange that I'd never heard this song before, seeing that I live in the nearby New Zealand! I quite like it, too! 😀 Sooo much better than their gawd-awful 'The Boys Light Up', which still plays a lot here today. *PS:* If this guy _didn't_ sing this unusual, this song would probably sound more like the 'Beautiful People' by NZ's band Herbs! 😄
Just check out ''oh no, not you again'', ''things don't seem'', ''errol'' and ''reckless''. I think they had 5 singles taken from the Boys Light Up album. They were big in Australia at the time. Sadly, guitarist Brad Sheppard and Guy McDonough (not seen this clip) are no longer with us, and from I've seen, Simon Binks has his own set of problems (please don't come at me Simon, if you read this). Love Aus Crawl.. shame the wheels came off too early.
James Reyne wasn't the only Aussie with that distinctive singing style. Stephen Cummings from "The Sports" is very similar. Give "Strangers On A Train" a listen, for example. Must be something in the water down in Melbourne.
Ha ! Yep fun Tune! havent got the foggiest what he is singing about ! Did not then and dont now ! How ever if this was to go on "Peter Kays " Misheard lyrics ,Im sure the Chorus would sound like "We would be Bald " ! Once youve heard it there is no going back ! Cheers !
Australian Crawl, Midnight Oil, Sunnyboys and maybe Celibate Rifles were Aussie bands made up by members that surfed. I could always tell a fellow surfer, and I didn't need to guess with Sunnyboys or Midnight Oil. Peter Garrett was a local surfer where I used to hang out, and I was in a surfing competition with Jeremy Oxley, years before he and his brother (another surfer) formed Sunnyboys. When I first saw this clip on Countdown I sussed out pretty quickly that these blokes had a surfing vibe about them. I didn't care that they were kids of the pillars of society, or that they attended expensive schools in Melbourne. I just liked who they were. Like Laura mentioned, try ''Oh No Not You Again Austech''. Be sure to include Austech in the title. It's Guy McDonough's finest moment.
A friend of mine did backup gigs to all these Countdown acts back in the 80s. The golden rule for the supports was never do the songs of the big guys. One day his band did 'Fall of Rome' which was a single for James Reyne the lead singer. As he was walking offstage he saw James and his band waiting to walk on. He said 'oh, sorry, I didn't know you guys were here or I'd never have sung your song'. James Reyne who's a really chilled dude just said ' No worries, I always wondered what the lyrics were(!)'
I really did not like this show (countdown) but I couldn't stop watching it... Every weekend I couldn't miss this show ... Iggy Pop and Cold Chisel's meltdown and vandalism on the set was amazing viewing you two need to watch AC/DC do ''baby please don't go'' on countdown... a must watch!!!!!
James Reyne is famous in Australia for his hard to understand phrasing. Also the two casts he had on his arms - people thought it was a gimmick, but he'd injured his arms
Cynthia, I'm very impressed with your ability to pick up lines from a song you're hearing for the first time. You actually understood some of what he sang when he mentions Studio 54 and ''making love in the dark''. It's almost like you're hearing this for the second time. The line is ''beautiful people, Beautiful people, They won't admit it but they make love in the dark''. I guess these beautiful people don't like seeing their own bodies or they notice their own imperfections? Other lines I like are ''They've got a kerouac condition, got a cocaine cough'' and ''You know the garden's full of furniture, the house is full of plants''. ''oh No not you again'' , ''reckless'' , ''downhearted'' and ''errol'' are my recommendations. Cheers
This is a new one for me. I quite enjoyed it too. Todays recommendation is, Gillan, Mutually assured destruction. This is Ian Gillan with the band, Gillan going back to about 80/81 . Typically antiwar from Ian.
@@hanierfamily - Oh dear! And sorry to hear about those! 😯 I've got them myself and have been getting physio treatment for two months now, have started doing Yoga, been going on bike rides... Which helped with my overall wellbeing but very little so far with the actual problem 😏 May Cynthia get well again very soon! 😌🙏
@@mightyV444 thanks for your kind words. My (Cynthia) back issues unfortunately are not going to improve as my condition is just supposed to get worse over time. Physio makes me worse and I can no longer do yoga. I just try managing my pain in natural ways these days.
@@hanierfamily - Awww, poor you! 😔 I did see comments pointing to you having health issues, but I hadn't been aware they were this serious, sorry Cynthia! You have my sincere compassion, too! I skipped my Yoga class this morning, because of having sharp pains in my lower back after last week's one that still haven't quite subsided yet, and Physio hasn't really helped me either. I'd be interested in those natural ways of pain management, if you don't mind?
Inspite of James Reyne's verbal inflections The Crawl were a very commercially successful band in Australia at the time and for a while, they dominated radio. Try ''downhearted'', and ''Oh no not you again''.
It's funny that you paused on drummer, Bill McDonough, when reacting to ''Beautiful People'' and ''Errol''. Bill has just released a memoir called ''Sons Of Beachs: Family, fame and tragedy, the story of Australian Crawl's McDonough brothers''. Bill's brother, the late Guy McDonough, would join Ozzie Crawl about 18 months after ''Beautiful People'' and contribute vocals on classics like ''Errol'', ''Oh No, Not You Again'', and ''Runaway girls''. Like most Aussie bands, Ozzie Crawl were a product of their environment rather than a product of a passing fad/trend and that environment was surf, beaches and girls.
Yeah, this was their debut single so we were all wondering what the heck he was singing, but it was infectious pop rock. James deliberately chooses his pronunciation for tonal effect, not for audible coherence. He’s essentially the Oz-Rock version of Sylvester Stallone in those terms. He can make himself understood if he chooses, but he chooses when that will be. Even in some of his songs where he enunciates better, there’s still usually a few Mondegreens to deal with. You’ll get numerous suggestions here for other Aussie Crawl songs, so no need for me to add more, however I’ll make a couple of solo James Reyne suggestions. Firstly, he did a collaboration with Daryl Braithwaite of Sherbet and a few others as a supergroup called Company Of Strangers and their main single Motor City (I Get Lost) is a good track. Additionally I have his first solo album, and I quite enjoy the whole thing but a couple of standout tracks are: Lamp Of Heaven Five Miles Closer To The Sun Wake Up Dead Man
In ''brief'', these guys were what Americans refer to as ''jocks'' - in every sense of the word. They all attended the same private high school in Melbourne, and were all athletic guys. I believe they were on the school's swimming team. It must have been a novel idea to have an Australian pub rock band made up of rich boys. It's a silly notion because I strongly doubt Midnight Oil and INXS were working class stock, and The Birthday Party were definitely middle class toffs - strung out or not. Simon Binks wasn't rich, but his parents worked hard to get him into an exclusive school, and I think the same applied to the McDonough brothers. The song, Boys Light Up, describes the debauchery that their parents' high class peers had engaged in, and I don't think that helped defuse the band's reputation as a bunch of smug-spoiled boys making music. In reality, they were in their mid 20's, and weren't living off mummy and daddy, so they could do whatever they wanted. However, the reputation still sticks to this day, much to the annoyance of James Reyne. Australian Crawl got some publicity when their 1981 song ''Unpublished Critics'' was heavily compared to Guns n Roses ''Sweet Child O' Mine'', and some circles believe Australian Crawl's ''Daughters of The Northern Coast'' sounds similar to Nirvana's ''Smells Like Teen Spirit''. The GnR and Nirvana tunes were recorded years after Australian Crawl called it a day, and both bands were signed to Geffen, who had been Australian Crawl's US label. Try James Reyne's solo song ''Hammerhead''. Like ''Oh No Not You Again'', it's a song about heroin and being strung out and Olivia Newton John does guest vocals. I also recommend James Reyne's ''Motor Too Fast'', and Guy McDonough's ''Memory'' (from his posthumous album 'My Place'). If you're lucky, Simon Binks might throw in a comment on here.
Agree with Notric. No one understands him. Not a problem. "Unpublished Critics" will explain it all. I did see Australian Crawl, Hello Sailor and Split Enz live at the Bombay Rock in Melbourne one night and his arms were broken. Weird licensing rules at the time so you had to have a meal if you wanted to drink and stay after 11.00pm. It was meat pie and sauce or a few dim sims. Whatever. This was October, 1979, from memory.
''what a strange way to sing beautiful people'' was the first thing I thought when I first saw Aussie Crawl on Countdown. ha ha ha A few weeks later, I got to see them open for The Knack and Mondo Rock. We only knew one song by each group and the Knack owned the night. They were very good. I might be going against the grain by saying this, but I never found James Reyne's stage presence to be that interesting. He had the looks and arrogance, but he just didn't have charisma. I always found Guy McDonough to be a more interesting singer than James. On a final note, I do hope Simon Binks has picked himself up. He didn't seem to be doing too well a few years ago. Give ''Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama'', ''Downhearted'', ''Indisposed'' and ''Oh No Not You Again'' a shot.
No Australian would ever claim to understand the words James Reyne was singing back then and by extension we wouldn't expect you Americans to understand either. LOL All jokes aside they were a great band and a couple to listen to are 1. Oh not you again and 2. Errol, both sung by the other singer Guy McDonough who sadly passed away from pneumonia when he was way too young. If you want to have another go at James Reyne you can try Downhearted and Boys light up.
Kia ora hello Hanier Whanau (family) how are you guys Cynthia i hope you are getting a little break from the back pain and Chris have you been getting enough sleep my friend IT sucks working ya self to a zombie state and dangerous if you have a long drive to work and back stay safe brother
"This Summer I did the backstroke And you know that's not all I did the breast stroke and the butterfly And the old Australian Crawl" Name the Canadian sisters
@@hanierfamily Australian Crawl is a swimming style. The band were going to call themselves Australian Pub Crawl, but some smart spark decided the better name was Australian Crawl, as it alludes to swimming - something that the band did a lot of in their youth.
@@hanierfamily Countdown barely played Can't Stand Losing You. I do remember Australian Crawl doing ''Boys Light Up'' , a song that turned me off the band for life. The Police and the Boys Next Door didn't sing about hummers being given and skin lotion (use your imagination as to what that means).
Hay guys some time could you please check out KA MANU the official music video and or THE PROTECTOR'S give back our land ( I'd like to dedicate it to indigenous people around the world who have lost their Land and Rights to live in peace)
Don't worry about not understanding him, us Aussies had trouble too. After a few listens you would be singing it like him. lol
Never before did a song reaction require lyrics to read along with the performance. Even us Aussies don't know what James Reyne is saying.
He appeared on Countdown twice with the wrists in plaster-casts, and I think he was still in the casts in the original music clip. He wrote a song about the indicent called ''Indisposed'' which should be viewed some time.
Yes this was an iconic Countdown appearance, I think their first, with the two casts. We all were talking about it at school the next week. As Strathfield says, his accident is covered in the song Indisposed.
one of their best songs and for some reason its often lost amongst many of their other tunes, is 'Unpublished Critics' off of the 1981 album Sirocco, it really carries the feel of the 80s in Australia
The old joke is this: ''Love the latest Australian Crawl song. Can't wait for the English version''. Not a bad performance for a guy that had two broken wrists after getting knocked over by a car (not driven by Renee Geyer as I had jokingly said sometime ago).
Yeah. I was saying to Heath, you would have hoped for a cool surfing accident story. Nope. Hit by a car.
@@hanierfamily There were other misfortunes that the band and the respective members had to endure over the years.
James Reyne addresses the accident in the song ''Indisposed''. The following year, the band's new member, the late Guy McDonough, tells a much darker tale about his own demons in a song called ''Oh No Not You Again''. Check them both out!
James Reyne is notorious for his mumbling lyrics. When I was younger I used to think this song was called "Beach Ball". But the lyrics when you dig into them are very clever and witty... best in this song are " Beautiful People, you know the gardens full of furniture the house is full of plants"
my sister loved this band. she had their poster on her wall (Guy McDonough was in the band by that stage) and our dad saw the poster and said without a glimpse of doubt that he was glad to see his daughter taking an interest professional swimming. He thought Australian Crawl were a men's swimming team...
Can't blame him. They looked more like a swimming team than a rock band.
Fun fact: Singer played Tina Turner's manager, Roger Davies, in the movie ''What's Love Got to Do with It''.
Australian Crawl , or affectionately known as Aussie Crawl, where huge in the 80’s and 90’s in Australia. Lead singer on this one is James Reyne (pronounced Rain). My favourite song of theirs is Oh No not you again, sung by Guy McDonough. Guy also was lead on another of their songs called Errol. RIP Guy.
James was in another band called Company of Strangers after Aussie Crawl. That band also had the legendary Darry Braithwaite from the 70’s band Sherbert and had a very popular single as a solo artist called Wild Horses.
Has anybody else noticed block letters reading ''Mondo Rock'' hanging just above their heads?
James Reyne had a good solo career, try “Fall of Rome” and a brief supergroup experience with “Company of Strangers” which also featured Daryl Braithwaite of Sherbet fame, try “Motor City” and also The Party Boys try “The Beat Goes On” (cover of the Sonny & Cher song)
Seen them Sylvania hotel Sydney, 1978? I think,James had both hands in plaster, great live band.🇭🇲🔥👍
One of my favs.
The film clip for the original is set on blackwattle bay, SYDNEY.
I was a young man from England when I did my first few years in Australia in the late 70's, and I got to see some tough bands like Midnight Oil, Rose Tattoo, The Angels, etc.. I can't say Australian Crawl were one of those groups, but I did like their tongue-in-cheek take on Australian culture and their mickey-taking of the higher society which they came from.... I much rather Guy's entry in the band and the Sirocco album...
Oh No Not You Again is great song, worth a listen
James Reyne (pronounced Rain) is famous for not being able to understand him. Even us Aussies have no idea what he's singing. He's been the subject of many skits on comedy shows over the years.
Australian Crawl (often called Aussie Crawl or The Crawl by fans) were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne (lead vocals/piano/harmonica), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar), Paul Williams (bass), Simon Binks (lead guitar) and David Reyne (drums) in Melbourne in 1978.[1] David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough (drums, percussion). They were later joined by his brother Guy McDonough (vocals, rhythm guitar). The band was named after the front crawl swimming style also known as the Australian crawl.
Australian Crawl were associated with surf music and sponsored a surfing competition in 1984. However, they also handled broader social issues such as shallow materialism, alcoholism, car accidents, and cautionary tales of romance. Peace out.
Even James Reyne can't always tell what he was singing when he watches it back. Very funny.
Love Aussie Crawl with the exception of the song ''Boys Light Up''
That's the only Aussie Crawl song I'd know so far (I think!?), and yes, that's a terrible one indeed! 😅 I did really enjoy _this_ one, though 😊
@@Green_N_Blue_monster - Maybe I should pay some closer attention to those lyrics myself then, the next time I hear that song! Maybe I'll actually start liking it!? 😄 Just like it had happened with Kid Creole's song 'Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy', after I'd finally picked up on the line "You see, if I was in your blood, then you wouldn't be so ugly" 😄
@@mightyV444 I was a teenager when Boys Light Up was released and banned on Australian radio. I listened closely, in spite of James Reyne's easy-to-follow singing style, and undestood the words, and was disgusted. Just google the lyrics.
@@Green_N_Blue_monster - Croikey! Yes! 😅
About a week before James and the boy's appeared on Countdown he was hit by a car and broke both has wrists and didn't what to cancel the show
Strange that I'd never heard this song before, seeing that I live in the nearby New Zealand! I quite like it, too! 😀 Sooo much better than their gawd-awful 'The Boys Light Up', which still plays a lot here today. *PS:* If this guy _didn't_ sing this unusual, this song would probably sound more like the 'Beautiful People' by NZ's band Herbs! 😄
More Aussie Crawl !! Do ' not you again ' live on countdown
You should listen to Errol it’s a song by Aussie Crawl about Errol Flynn the actor
Just check out ''oh no, not you again'', ''things don't seem'', ''errol'' and ''reckless''. I think they had 5 singles taken from the Boys Light Up album. They were big in Australia at the time. Sadly, guitarist Brad Sheppard and Guy McDonough (not seen this clip) are no longer with us, and from I've seen, Simon Binks has his own set of problems (please don't come at me Simon, if you read this).
Love Aus Crawl.. shame the wheels came off too early.
James Reyne wasn't the only Aussie with that distinctive singing style. Stephen Cummings from "The Sports" is very similar. Give "Strangers On A Train" a listen, for example. Must be something in the water down in Melbourne.
LMAO, we have the best water in Australia!
Ha ! Yep fun Tune! havent got the foggiest what he is singing about ! Did not then and dont now ! How ever if this was to go on "Peter Kays " Misheard lyrics ,Im sure the Chorus would sound like "We would be Bald " ! Once youve
heard it there is no going back ! Cheers !
For something a bit different, try 'Downhearted'. You will not be disappointed. It's short and sweet and catchy and groovy.
+1 for 'Downhearted' ! 😀👍
Australian Crawl, Midnight Oil, Sunnyboys and maybe Celibate Rifles were Aussie bands made up by members that surfed. I could always tell a fellow surfer, and I didn't need to guess with Sunnyboys or Midnight Oil. Peter Garrett was a local surfer where I used to hang out, and I was in a surfing competition with Jeremy Oxley, years before he and his brother (another surfer) formed Sunnyboys.
When I first saw this clip on Countdown I sussed out pretty quickly that these blokes had a surfing vibe about them. I didn't care that they were kids of the pillars of society, or that they attended expensive schools in Melbourne. I just liked who they were.
Like Laura mentioned, try ''Oh No Not You Again Austech''. Be sure to include Austech in the title.
It's Guy McDonough's finest moment.
and also do ''Errol''
A friend of mine did backup gigs to all these Countdown acts back in the 80s. The golden rule for the supports was never do the songs of the big guys. One day his band did 'Fall of Rome' which was a single for James Reyne the lead singer. As he was walking offstage he saw James and his band waiting to walk on. He said 'oh, sorry, I didn't know you guys were here or I'd never have sung your song'. James Reyne who's a really chilled dude just said ' No worries, I always wondered what the lyrics were(!)'
I really did not like this show (countdown) but I couldn't stop watching it...
Every weekend I couldn't miss this show ... Iggy Pop and Cold Chisel's meltdown and vandalism on the set was amazing viewing
you two need to watch AC/DC do ''baby please don't go'' on countdown... a must watch!!!!!
James Reyne is famous in Australia for his hard to understand phrasing.
Also the two casts he had on his arms - people thought it was a gimmick, but he'd injured his arms
Unpublished Critics is another gem by AC
Cynthia, I'm very impressed with your ability to pick up lines from a song you're hearing for the first time. You actually understood some of what he sang when he mentions Studio 54 and ''making love in the dark''. It's almost like you're hearing this for the second time.
The line is ''beautiful people, Beautiful people, They won't admit it but they make love in the dark''. I guess these beautiful people don't like seeing their own bodies or they notice their own imperfections?
Other lines I like are ''They've got a kerouac condition, got a cocaine cough'' and ''You know the garden's full of furniture, the house is full of plants''.
''oh No not you again'' , ''reckless'' , ''downhearted'' and ''errol'' are my recommendations.
Cheers
This is a new one for me. I quite enjoyed it too.
Todays recommendation is, Gillan, Mutually assured destruction.
This is Ian Gillan with the band, Gillan going back to about 80/81 . Typically antiwar from Ian.
David Reyne - no one has ever known WTF he's talking about, but sounds great! :)
And it can't be long now before Cynthia actually jumps up and dances around the room! 😁😉
That's going to be difficult, with her back issues. 😕
@@hanierfamily - Oh dear! And sorry to hear about those! 😯 I've got them myself and have been getting physio treatment for two months now, have started doing Yoga, been going on bike rides... Which helped with my overall wellbeing but very little so far with the actual problem 😏 May Cynthia get well again very soon! 😌🙏
@@mightyV444 thanks for your kind words. My (Cynthia) back issues unfortunately are not going to improve as my condition is just supposed to get worse over time. Physio makes me worse and I can no longer do yoga. I just try managing my pain in natural ways these days.
@@hanierfamily - Awww, poor you! 😔 I did see comments pointing to you having health issues, but I hadn't been aware they were this serious, sorry Cynthia! You have my sincere compassion, too! I skipped my Yoga class this morning, because of having sharp pains in my lower back after last week's one that still haven't quite subsided yet, and Physio hasn't really helped me either. I'd be interested in those natural ways of pain management, if you don't mind?
Inspite of James Reyne's verbal inflections The Crawl were a very commercially successful band in Australia at the time and for a while, they dominated radio.
Try ''downhearted'', and ''Oh no not you again''.
the guy who sang "Oh no not you again" also had a great voice
@@ariesred777 I'd argue that Guy McDonough had a better voice than James
@@brettfrench6121 Possibly Nice tone
Ka Manu Official music video is Reggae Maori style it's beautiful
It's funny that you paused on drummer, Bill McDonough, when reacting to ''Beautiful People'' and ''Errol''. Bill has just released a memoir called ''Sons Of Beachs: Family, fame and tragedy, the story of Australian Crawl's McDonough brothers''. Bill's brother, the late Guy McDonough, would join Ozzie Crawl about 18 months after ''Beautiful People'' and contribute vocals on classics like ''Errol'', ''Oh No, Not You Again'', and ''Runaway girls''. Like most Aussie bands, Ozzie Crawl were a product of their environment rather than a product of a passing fad/trend and that environment was surf, beaches and girls.
Yeah, this was their debut single so we were all wondering what the heck he was singing, but it was infectious pop rock.
James deliberately chooses his pronunciation for tonal effect, not for audible coherence. He’s essentially the Oz-Rock version of Sylvester Stallone in those terms. He can make himself understood if he chooses, but he chooses when that will be. Even in some of his songs where he enunciates better, there’s still usually a few Mondegreens to deal with.
You’ll get numerous suggestions here for other Aussie Crawl songs, so no need for me to add more, however I’ll make a couple of solo James Reyne suggestions.
Firstly, he did a collaboration with Daryl Braithwaite of Sherbet and a few others as a supergroup called Company Of Strangers and their main single Motor City (I Get Lost) is a good track.
Additionally I have his first solo album, and I quite enjoy the whole thing but a couple of standout tracks are:
Lamp Of Heaven
Five Miles Closer To The Sun
Wake Up Dead Man
In ''brief'', these guys were what Americans refer to as ''jocks'' - in every sense of the word. They all attended the same private high school in Melbourne, and were all athletic guys. I believe they were on the school's swimming team. It must have been a novel idea to have an Australian pub rock band made up of rich boys. It's a silly notion because I strongly doubt Midnight Oil and INXS were working class stock, and The Birthday Party were definitely middle class toffs - strung out or not. Simon Binks wasn't rich, but his parents worked hard to get him into an exclusive school, and I think the same applied to the McDonough brothers. The song, Boys Light Up, describes the debauchery that their parents' high class peers had engaged in, and I don't think that helped defuse the band's reputation as a bunch of smug-spoiled boys making music. In reality, they were in their mid 20's, and weren't living off mummy and daddy, so they could do whatever they wanted. However, the reputation still sticks to this day, much to the annoyance of James Reyne. Australian Crawl got some publicity when their 1981 song ''Unpublished Critics'' was heavily compared to Guns n Roses ''Sweet Child O' Mine'', and some circles believe Australian Crawl's ''Daughters of The Northern Coast'' sounds similar to Nirvana's ''Smells Like Teen Spirit''. The GnR and Nirvana tunes were recorded years after Australian Crawl called it a day, and both bands were signed to Geffen, who had been Australian Crawl's US label.
Try James Reyne's solo song ''Hammerhead''. Like ''Oh No Not You Again'', it's a song about heroin and being strung out and Olivia Newton John does guest vocals.
I also recommend James Reyne's ''Motor Too Fast'', and Guy McDonough's ''Memory'' (from his posthumous album 'My Place'). If you're lucky, Simon Binks might throw in a comment on here.
I heard people and? I have no idea what else he was singing
Does James Rayne have a twin brother? Swear I saw him in a Chantoozies video clip. Or whatever that band is with Olivia Newton- John's niece.
Check out James later songs, they are brilliant.
Agree with Notric. No one understands him. Not a problem. "Unpublished Critics" will explain it all.
I did see Australian Crawl, Hello Sailor and Split Enz live at the Bombay Rock in Melbourne one night and his arms were broken.
Weird licensing rules at the time so you had to have a meal if you wanted to drink and stay after 11.00pm. It was meat pie and sauce or a few dim sims. Whatever. This was October, 1979, from memory.
''what a strange way to sing beautiful people'' was the first thing I thought when I first saw Aussie Crawl on Countdown. ha ha ha
A few weeks later, I got to see them open for The Knack and Mondo Rock. We only knew one song by each group and the Knack owned the night. They were very good.
I might be going against the grain by saying this, but I never found James Reyne's stage presence to be that interesting. He had the looks and arrogance, but he just didn't have charisma. I always found Guy McDonough to be a more interesting singer than James. On a final note, I do hope Simon Binks has picked himself up. He didn't seem to be doing too well a few years ago.
Give ''Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama'', ''Downhearted'', ''Indisposed'' and ''Oh No Not You Again'' a shot.
No one knew what the lyrics were for a while.... I think they did it to create intrigue.....
Hahaha, Wet Leg won two Grammys.
No Australian would ever claim to understand the words James Reyne was singing back then and by extension we wouldn't expect you Americans to understand either. LOL All jokes aside they were a great band and a couple to listen to are 1. Oh not you again and 2. Errol, both sung by the other singer Guy McDonough who sadly passed away from pneumonia when he was way too young. If you want to have another go at James Reyne you can try Downhearted and Boys light up.
We're Canadian, and we just did, 'Oh No Not You Again'. You should check it out.
@@hanierfamily I know, I just meant that even us Aussies couldn't understand his diction when he sang. I will check it out.
Check out their song Reckless. Bit slower and you can almost..almost understand what hes saying
Kia ora hello Hanier Whanau (family) how are you guys Cynthia i hope you are getting a little break from the back pain and Chris have you been getting enough sleep my friend
IT sucks working ya self to a zombie state and dangerous if you have a long drive to work and back stay safe brother
...apparently, he even uses an interpreter for interviews.
hey guys, check the pending comments. I don't know if my comment is visible
found it, We don't know why some comments end up there that obviously don't belong there.
Lead singer, James Reyne, is renowned for his vocal illegibility. Nonetheless, he's recorded many killer tracks over many years.
Lol..aussies kinda joke about how hard he is to understand. It's a unique singing style for sure. It's like he sings in code..lol
"This Summer I did the backstroke
And you know that's not all
I did the breast stroke and the butterfly
And the old Australian Crawl"
Name the Canadian sisters
?
@@hanierfamilyThe Swimming Song by Kate and Anna Mcgarrigle. Written by Loudin Wainwright III who married one of them, Kate I think.
@@hanierfamily Australian Crawl is a swimming style. The band were going to call themselves Australian Pub Crawl, but some smart spark decided the better name was Australian Crawl, as it alludes to swimming - something that the band did a lot of in their youth.
So now I know why he crawls hit by a car i just thought it was because Australians find it hard learning to walk on two feet
You'd think maybe a cool surfing accident. No. Hit by a car.
I’m an Aussie and I always had a hard time understanding James
His arms were in plaster casts
They say he was in some sort of car accident.
Countdown has these guys that referenced cocaine, hummers and skin lotion.. but wouldn't have Boys Next Door due to the mention of suicide.
I don't think that should matter. The Police had a hit song referring to it. Can't Stand Losing You.
@@hanierfamily Countdown barely played Can't Stand Losing You. I do remember Australian Crawl doing ''Boys Light Up'' , a song that turned me off the band for life.
The Police and the Boys Next Door didn't sing about hummers being given and skin lotion (use your imagination as to what that means).
@@hanierfamily Oh No Not You Again is the only song by the band I can listen to... I hate Reckless and I hate this one. Sorry
Hay guys some time could you please check out KA MANU the official music video and or THE PROTECTOR'S give back our land ( I'd like to dedicate it to indigenous people around the world who have lost their Land and Rights to live in peace)
Don - you look younger :-)
They have a fair few good songs ..like( down hearted )and (errol)