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Human Nature
Human
Nature became Australia's most successful pop group of the Nineties.
Andrew
Tierney, John Tierney, Phillip Burton, and Toby Allen first joined up as
the 4Trax in 1989 when they were all still attending New South Wales'
Hurlstone Agricultural High School.
Andrew,
Phil and Toby were all in performances of Godspell and Grease at high
school and in the same year level, while Michael, Andrew's younger brother,
was a few years behind. Mike used to sing in school choirs, and did a
performance in an opera, 'The Magic Flute'. Their sister Margaret was
titled Miss Australia in 1995.
As the
4Trax, the group went from busking in the streets of Sydney to winning
three Mo Awards for excellence in live performance in the adult club scene.
Deciding there was not much more they could accomplish in that area of
entertainment, they started to send their demo tapes off to various
recording companies. Legend has it they were signed on the spot by Sony
after a live performance of 'People Get Ready' in chief executive Dennis
Hanlin's office. It was at this point in their career they changed their
name to Human Nature, a name thought up by Mike, the group having
considered and rejected the names Krush and Farenheight.
Australia
had seen entries into the r&b vocal era via CDB, Kulcha and Past To
Present, but no serious contender in the 90s trend towards vocalizing pop
groups (aka "boy bands"). Human Nature changed that. As well as
the harmony style which impressed Sony, they had some songs of their own
which were added to those of professional songwriters Andrew Klippel
(ex-Euphoria) and Paul Begaud. The first single, 'Got It Goin' On' was
their first experience in the studio. They were so nervous first up, they
had to go back to record it again.
Begaud
produced most of the first album, 'Telling Everybody', which went on to
sell four times platinum. It also saw Human Nature secure major support
slots on international tours by Michael Jackson and Celine Dion. By the
time the second album was released, the band had travelled the world
several times over. 'Counting Down' was the result of sessions in Sydney,
Los Angeles and London, and combined the team which had created the first
album with international songwriters and producers. Back in Australia,
combining Human Nature's harmonies with John Farnham's voice and
popularity, created one of the top Australian hits of 1997, 'Every Time You
Cry'. That, an appearance in a stage version of 'Grease', and an all-star
concert tour of Beatles songs conducted by George Martin threatened to take
Human Nature away from their teen pop group beginnings and turn them into
an adult-oriented act.
Human
Nature dispelled all thought of such a shift with their third album,
self-titled as if to underline the fact that the band had returned to its
original emphasis. With session in London, Stockholm and New York Human
Nature worked in the studios and with the producers and songwriters who
also name-checked Westlife, Billie Piper, Spice Girls, 5ive, Britney Spears
and Backstreet Boys amongst their clients. There was also a songwriting
session with Gary Barlow, formerly of Take That. Human Nature were
declaring they were ready to be thought of in the same league.
Human
Nature spent 2003 in hibernation while Toby Allen took a starring role in
the stage musical 'Cabaret'.
In
December 2005 Human Nature's sixth long-play CD 'Reach Out - The Motown
Album' became their second national No.1 album. Motown songs had always
been part of their stage act, and the group decided to dedicate an entire
album to those songs and style, produced by American Paul Wilshire partly
in Los Angeles, partly in Melbourne. After five-times platinum sales for
'The Motown Album', a similar 'Dancing In The Street: The Songs Of Motown
II' was released in October 2006.'Get Ready', a third and final
Motown-themed album was released in November 2007, recorded in Detroit, Las
Vegas and Los Angles and featuring guest appeareances by Motown legends
Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, and Martha
Reeves.
All
three albums have now sold close to half a million copies in Australia.
Human Nature's total album sales are more than 1 million copies sold in
Australia.
Endorsed by Smokey Robinson Human Nature took their Motown-inspired
‘How Sweet It Is’ to Atlantic’s City’s Tropicana Casino in February 2008,
one thing leading to another as Human Nature entered the next chapter of
their career.
Before beginning a year-long 6-nights-a week
engagement in Las Vegas at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in May 2009,
the previous November Human Nature had recorded and released "A
Symphony Of Hits" with Prague Philharmonic Orchestra ahead of
performances with orchestras in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. On May 11,
2010 the Vegas adventure continued when Human Nature announced that the
Imperial Palace had signed them for a further two years. An album, Vegas
Songs From Sin City’ was released in November.
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Euphoria
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Past To Present
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