Badloves

With their take on seventies-style laid back Memphis soul/r&b The Badloves were one of Australia's most popular bands of the early nineties.

The Badloves were formed in January 1990 by singer Michael Spiby when he needed to flesh out a bunch of songs he'd written. He called on his brother John to play keyboards and sax, drummer Chris Tabone, and bassist, Stephen 'Irish' O'prey. 'Irish' had toured with Michael as members of Daryl Braithwaite's backing band. After two months they were joined in the suburban garage Spiby was using as a rehearsal room by another former member of the Braithwaite band, guitarist John 'Jak' Housden. Becoming a band in the process, this line up played its first live gig at The Provincial Hotel in Fitzroy, Melbourne in June 1990 as DC3.

1991 saw Michael's brother John leave to further his musical studies while the band decided to remain a four piece outfit called the Badloves, recruiting various keyboard/Hammond organ players to play when gigs came along. One of these, Tony Featherstone eventually became a permanent fixture. Over the next 18 months the band could be found playing around Melbourne until September 1992 when they supported Hall and Oates at The Melbourne Concert Hall. That performance led Mushroom records boss Michael Gudinski to invite them into the recording studio. After three songs were recorded ('Lost', 'Green Limousine' and 'I Remember') the group were given the go-ahead to record a whole album. They toyed with the idea of recording in Memphis, but wound up in Studio 1, Metropolis in Melbourne with producer Doug Roberts "one of the last real studio-men schooled in traditional recording technique".

In March 1993, an EP was released, sporting 'Lost', 'Green Limousine' 'Stop. In recognition of their own Australian music heroes, in particular the Dingoes, the Badloves asked for the EP to carry the original Mushroom label art. While 'Lost' and the subsequent single 'I Remember' didn't set the sales charts of fire they did receive respectable airplay, and backed up by the band's growing profile as a live act, after two months of release the album 'Get On Board' slowly climbed towards the national top ten. It was given a boost when the Badloves joined Mushroom's top-selling artist Jimmy Barnes on his 'Flesh And Wood' album for the hit version of the Band's 'The Weight', a perfect vehicle for the Badloves' sound. After that commercial breakthrough, a rerecorded 'Green Limousine' (the original had been scrapped) and 'Memphis' fared better than the earlier releases.

Because the Badloves took so long to establish themselves with record buyers, they found themselves out on the road from March 1993 through to September 1994 (adding a tour of New Zealand and Europe with Jimmy Barnes to their ever growing Australian commitments) the second album didn't appear until two years after the first. The days on the road were directly responsible for the band parting company with bassist Steve 'Irish'O'prey, who eventually turned up in Weddings Parties Anything. The Badloves continued with a friend, John Favarro, as a replacement.

To record the second album, 'Holy Roadside'- the title inspired by the band's love of gospel - the Badloves deliberately pulled themselves off the road. The sessions for the album were lengthened by the ambitious decision to document the process with filmaker Clayton Jacobsen over a period of twelve months during the making of the album and touring. The long life of the songs from the first album, the gap between albums, and the group's 'disappearance' for the making of 'Holy Roadside' all contributed to the album not getting the attention commensurate with its content, a more sophisticated and adventurous version of their sound than found on the embryonic 'Get On Board'.

In 1997 the band released a live cd 'Everybody Everywhere' recorded at The Continental Café in Melbourne. The album showcased the Badloves' career up to date alongside a favourite cover - Paul Simon's 'Loves Me Like A Rock'. A capital city tour of Australia to promote the album would be the last foray on the road for The Badloves for some time. In 1998 they participated in the Mushroom 25th Anniversary concert, their first show in over two years. Michael Spiby's solo album 'Ho's Kitchen' was released in July 2000. The other members had all moved to other music projects. Jak Housden joined the Whitlams.

An invitation for a one-off performance in Queenscliffe Music Festival 2000 felt so good the Badloves put their individual careers aside temporarily to perform shows in Melbourne and Sydney spasmodically throughout 2000/2001. In August 2001, they decided to record five new tracks, casting the musical spotlight wider than in the past, with songs written and sung by Michael, John and Jak. With Doug Roberts again producing the EP was made available available through the band's website and at live performances. The EP was entitled "14" CD (it was their fourteenth release) and promised a more permanent Badloves presence, alongside members' other projects and commitments.