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Axiom Heaped with 60s talent, Axiom threw itself lemming-like at the wall separating Australia and the international music world, only to be destroyed without realizing their full potential. Axiom's formation was a by-product of the annual Hoadley's Battle Of The Sounds, where each year the top Australian bands of the day performed in front of judges for the prize of a paid return trip to London - but little else. In 1967 The Twilights were the first winners, the next year The Groop. Both found it difficult to settle back to the grind of the Australian pop scene after tasting the London big time. Neither band had made anything but the smallest dent in London (The Twilights being given a song by the Hollies, the Groop's 'When I Was Six Years Old' being recorded by Manfred Mann's Paul Jones), but it was enough to leave the lingering thought amongst band members, "What if..?" When The Groop broke up soon after their return to Australia, the Twilights had already scattered in all directions. Singer Glenn Shorrock had moved into management. A plan was hatched to form a new group out of the two group's frontline remnants. The Twilights' songwriter and guitarist Terry Britten was supposed to join Shorrock and the Groop's piano player and chief songwriter Brian Cadd in the new band, but when Terry chose to go to England instead, his place was taken by the Groop's Don Mudie, who in the last stages of the Groop had formed a strong songwriting partnership with Cadd. The group was completed by Cam-Pact guitarist Chris Stockley, and Valentines drummer Doug Lavery. Immediately dubbed a "supergroup" the band asked fans to suggest a name and settled on Axiom. Almost immediately Axiom buried itself in the recording studio. In December 1969 they released the first single, 'Arkansas Grass', heavily influenced by The Band's 'Music From Big Pink'. Four months later the group left for London, and as a parting gift left their second single, 'A Little Ray Of Sunshine', inspired by the birth of Don Mudie's first child. Both singles were top ten hits. 'A Little Ray Of Sunshine' has become one of the Australian songs most often still played on radio. Just before departing for London The Avengers' drummer Don Lebler replaced Lavery. In their absence the band's album 'Fool's Gold' was released, one of the first true 'albums' in Australian music, despite the 'Arkansas Grass' single also one of the first attempts in Australian pop to write about the Australian landscape. The album saw some of the first uses of the didgeridoo in Australian popular music. The songs were all of high quality as were the production values. 'Fool's Gold' reached the top ten but never reached its full potential because Axiom were not around to promote it. A third single failed to chart. In Australia Axiom were signed to Ron Tudor's independent production company. They left Australia with Ron's blessing to secure a world-wide recording contract. He wouldn't stand in their way. In England Axiom signed a three-year recording contract with Warners, cemented by a single 'My Baby's Gone' produced by Shel Tamly of early Who, Kinks and Easybeats' 'Friday On My Mind' fame. The band was then bundled off to Los Angeles to record an album. In international hands they just ended up sounding like everyone else. By the time the album 'If Only' was released the band had already broken up. A couple of trips home to try and keep the momentum on their career and put some money in their pockets had met with disappointing results. The band just fell apart. Glenn Shorrock would return to England where the would-be Little River Band found him. Brian Cadd stayed in Australia and launched a successful solo career. A couple of years later Chris Stockley became part of The Dingoes. Related
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