THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,667) The Twilights — “Comin’ on Down”
From “one of the most successful and popular Australian pop acts of the 1960s” (see #563) comes a late gem, a “cosmic, slightly confusing, phasing-drenched [song that] seemed to be about the apocalypse or something”. (Paul Culnane, http://www.milesago.com/artists/twilights.htm) “I don’t want to be afraid
When Father Time ticks in the hour”. Yeah, doesn’t read “hit”, but a really cool song.
Paul Culnane sheds some light on the Twilights in the definitive Milesago: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964 -1975:
The[y] have earned acclaim and respect for their formidable body of recorded work, coupled with their legendary status as arguably the most polished and accomplished Australian live act of the era. . . . [I]n Elizabeth, north of Adelaide in South Australia, a[] mob of young guys, like so many youths all over the world, were seduced by the magic of . . . “A Hard Days’ Night”. Drawn together by their British origins . . . Glenn Shorrock (hailing originally from Kent, UK), and his friends Mike Sykes and Clem “Paddy” McCartney (although born in Belfast, blessed with a classic albatross of a surname!), formed an a-cappella trio to try out their pop and folk wares, eventually gaining regular bookings around the relatively meagre Adelaide folk/coffee-house circuit. Occasionally, and especially for more prestige engagements, the vocal three-piece teamed with local instrumental outfits, among them The Vector Men and The Hurricanes. . . . The Twilights and The Hurricans developed a solid bond. . . . [T]he prospect of blending it all together . . . prove[d] irresistible. Thus, the six-piece, fully electric-and-vocal group as we know and revere them, was born. Still based in Adelaide, self-managed and produced, the newly-formed band released its debut single, “I’ll Be Where You Are” . . . in June 1964. . . . [that] got some airplay in Melbourne but failed to chart outside their hometown. Subsequent releases made further inroads — their second single, “Wanted To Sell”, cracked the Melbourne charts and the third . . . “If She Finds Out” gained them fans in Sydney and Brisbane. The Twilights began to cause a stir with their dynamic live shows in Adelaide, and a ‘vibe’ quickly built about the band who could knock out note-perfect renditions of the latest hits with ease and could also rock out with wild abandon. . . . After taking over the group’s management, [Gary] Spry’s strategy was to establish the group in Australia’s pop capital, Melbourne, so The Twilights moved there in late 1965, and rapidly became established as one of the top acts . . . . It was with their classic fifth single “Needle In A Haystack” that The Twilights achieved national success. . . . [with a] superb rendition of the Motown song (originally cut by Martha & The Vandellas) . . . . [that] was a Top 10 in most states and reached the coveted #1 spot on the new Go-Set national chart in October 1966. . . . And to consolidate, the funky follow-up . . . a cover of the Sam Cook classic “You Got Soul”, together with a strong first album, confirmed critics’ and fans’ faith in the band. On their eponymous debut LP, The Twilights demonstrated their diversity as a recording unit. With a strong mix of self-penned tunes, songs specially written for them ([including] by Barry Gibb . . . ), and tour-de-force reproductions of their stage favourites, the group’s dexterity with a variety of styles was proven. . . . The next milestone was a new established national pop competition, The Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds. . . . [F]irst prize being full return passage to England . . . two definite gigs and $1,000 prize money. . . . [They won] the competition ahead of over 500 other hopefuls. . . . [In] September 1966 the group set sail for London, and . . . made a bee-line for all the essential landmarks of swingin’ London. . . . [T]he band’s lofty ambitions were tempered somewhat when the boys were confronted by the sheer quantity and quality of the British groups they encountered. . . . A clutch of songs from the Abbey Road sessions soon saw release back in Australia. In February, the splendid “What’s Wrong With The Way I Live?” made the national Top 10. . . . [c]omposed especially for the group by Graham Nash, Tony Hicks and Alan Clarke of The Hollies . . . . The third song recorded [was] the next a-side. “Young Girl” was a Laurie Pryor tune — melancholy and evocative . . . . [and] became the group’s biggest hit to date. . . . [There was the] increasing dominance of Terry Britten. . . . [who] seemed the one to have most absorbed the kaleidoscopic influences on offer in the melting pot of Swinging London. Not only did he sport the best clothes and haircut (!) of the bunch [and] exhibited the greatest creative growth in the band . . . . [He] assumed the role of chief songwriter and virtual helmsmanship. Embracing, like his hero George Harrison, elements of Eastern philosophy and religion, Terry introduced exotic instruments and musical forms into The Twilights’ music . . . . The last single from the group in 1967 [“Cathy Come Home”/”The Way They Play”] used the sitar as a lead instrument on both sides. . . . The spine-tingling A-side showed the group at the peak of its formidable pop powers . . . . The single was another unqualified airplay and chart success, but it was to be the last major hit that the band enjoyed. . . . [T]he Seven Network [invited them] to develop a weekly television sit-com series based around the group at work and play, loosely along the lines of “The Monkees” . . . . While the disappointing fate of the TV show was only revealed at the end of the year, when the Ford motor company withdrew its sponsorship, the project helped to inpsire what was to become The Twilights’ recording zenith, as the “soundtrack” to the shelved TV show took on a life of its own. A long gestation period, interspersed with the band’s most concentrated regime of live touring yet, resulted in one of the finest albums of the decade, Once Upon A Twilight. . . . [T]he album is essentially Britten’s own. . . . present[ing] a suite of spirited and captivating pop songs that hinted at brilliance. . . . Concurrent with the release of the album came the group’s eleventh single, “Always”. . . . Great single, crap response – the demise was about to set in. . . . [with a] lacklustre reception to . . . [the] album and the . . . single . . . . Nevertheless . . . . Melbourne was “theirs” as they dominated the city’s thriving dance and disco circuit. . . . [T]he group released the double-a-side, “Tell Me Goodbye”/ “Comin’ On Down” in August. . . . It was a fine single . . . but criminally ignored by the public. By this time the band was beginning to outgrow the audience that had so hungrily supported them only months before. . . . Spry had quit as manager mid-year and internal divisions and petty power struggles had begun to surface. . . . Preparations for a return foray to the UK were thwarted later in the year when Laurie [Pryor] declined to participate and resigned from the group . . . . Disappointed and dejected with their recent lack of progress and perceived declining public response, the group decided then to cut its losses and disband . . . .
As to the breakup, Glenn Baker notes that they “were becoming disinterested; after all they had seen the Beatles record, been once joined on stage by an enthusiastic Steve Marriott and here they were, grinding away in the same old dives to audiences with whom they were gradually losing touch.” (liner notes to the CD comp The Twilights: The Way They Played)
Glenn Shorrock later was lead singer of the Little River Band and, as Paul Culnane says, Terry Britten became “songwriter to the stars . . . plac[ing] strong chart hits for Cliff Richard [and] Tina Turner . . . writing ‘Just Good Friends’ with Graham Lyle . . . for Michael Jackson’s mega-selling Bad album. . . . [and] winning a Grammy for his theme to the movie Mad Max 3 – Tina’s ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’ ”. (http://www.milesago.com/artists/twilights.htm)
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