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Russell
Morris
Surprisingly this collection has not been released on a major label, but a boutique label run by his manager. Why other artists of the stature of Morris have not been able to release their old material in a similar manner surprises me, but I expect more will do so in the future. This CD also sees one of Morris' best albums, Bloodstone, re-issued on CD. Prior to this, Bloodstone had not been re-issued on CD. Why EMI have overlooked this gem is hard to fathom, given some of the other rubbish they have issued on CD in preference. Bloodstone contains one of my favourite songs of all time, The Cell, but it hardly ever turns up on other experts' lists of best songs. As well as including every track off Bloodstone, this album includes all of his other hits: Hide & Seek (which he recorded with Somebody's Image) - but not their bigger hit, Hush which reached No. 2 on the Melbourne charts. Instead it includes a later version Morris recorded with The Rubes; The Real Thing - surprisingly his only Number One hit single; Sweet Sweet Love, The Wings of an Eagle and his most recent chart entry, Tartan Lines which managed to reach #27 in April 1991. It does not contain the track, Mr America, which reached Top 5, which is a notable omission. All up, a must have for all Russell Morris fans and of high interest to collectors of Australian pop music. References Previous
columns Chris Spencer is author of the "Who's Who of Australian Rock'. He can be contacted through Moonlight Publishing. |
I
have overlooked this album for over 18 months, but have finally
found the time to review Russell Morris' most recent release. This
is the first compact disc compilation of Russell Morris' that attempts
to bring together examples of all his recorded work from the 1960s
until the 21st century. His only prior compilation (Retrospective
- EMI 1978) only included work from his early career and did not
attempt even with a re-issue in 1983 on CD to licence any of his
new material he recorded with Mushroom records. Morris has been
one of the stalwarts of the Australian Music industry, working within
the pop idiom as a soloist, leading his own bands - The Russell
Morris Band and Russell Morris and The Rubes with which he tried
to conquer the US market. After disappearing from the scene for
five years, but never far from the live scene, singing with a cover
band, he recorded a neglected album, A Thousand Suns in 1991. During
the latter part of the nineties, he performed in a trio with Cotton,
Burns and Morris with Daryl Cotton and Ronnie Burns. They would
perform favourites from the seventies as well as perform several
of their own hits. Last year the trio had a lineup change to replace
Burns with Jim Keays.
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