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Favourites:
RECORDING ARTISTS
Linda Ronstadt
 In 1967 I used to listen to Casey Casem's Top 40 every Sunday night. One evening I heard a song called "Different Drum" by a new group called Stone Poneys. It was a nice easy-to-listen-to country-rock number featuring a female lead singer whose voice caught my attention. Down at my local record store I came across the Stone Poneys' Evergreen, Volume 2, the second of three albums they released before disbanding, and for the first time I saw a photo of the band's little leader singer. One look at her big, doey hazel eyes peeping out from under her fringe of straight black hair and I was hooked. Who was this wonderful creature? Where had she been all my life? The album sleeve notes introduced her as "... Linda Ronstadt, described by a friend as a 'Peter Pan still looking for Shadow.'
During the 1970s Linda never forgot the fellow musicians she had shared the stage with at the Troubadour in Los Angeles during the 1960s when she was an unknown on the international music stage. She regularly helped out with backing vocals on their albums and singles after they became The Eagles. From time to time she can be heard backing Henley and the gang if you listen carefully. Linda added her own distinctive touch to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's hit song An American Dream, adding harmony to John McEuen's lead who fronted what for a while was her own touring band.
Linda reached the peak of her pop success in the mid 1970s with a string of hit singles and albums produced by Peter Asher of former Peter & Gordon fame. While Linda's "What's New" album of 1983, which contained a string of lush romantic standards and featured the Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra, was every bit as good as everything else she had done, it was a change in musical direction which represented the coming of age of this wonderful singer. With its release, she left behind the cute, innocent gypsy look of her youth that had so captivated me and a generation of music lovers who had elevated her to the position of one of if not the most popular female recording artist of the 1970s. Thank you Linda, thank you Peter, for those wonderful songs and arrangements that were so much a part of my first decade of adult life.
Olivia Newton-John
If ever there was a girl who I'd want to have living next door to me, Olivia - and not Alice would - be the girl for me. She was cute, dreamy, had a pleasant singing voice and had the ability to turn me to jelly every time she sang I Honestly Love You. And what's more, she migrated from England on the Strathaird, the same ship that brought me to Australia's shore, but four years later. I still admire the lady greatly today, for her wonderful catalogue of music, her charity work and for being a great ambassador for her adopted country Australia.
Mary Hopkin
 Beatle Paul McCartney guided this little Welsh songstress (right) to the top of the popular music charts in the early seventies and my life at that time was all the better for it. I loved her usual voice, the way she included her Welsh heritage in her musical repertoire and believe that she withdrew from recording to start a family way too soon. Three albums was nowhere near enough. She still performs from time to time but sadly, her music don't make it to our shores any more.
Favourite album: Earth Song, Wind Song.
Favourite songs: Temma Harbour; Goodbye; Fields of St Etienne; How Come The Sun; Those Were The Days; Silver Birth And Weaping Willow (I'd have picked one song but that was too difficult).
Joan Baez
 I was never too much into the folk music scene but I loved (and still do) the music of Joan Baez. Her unusual voice was quite capticavating and her renditions of Bob Dylan songs are simply superb and portray so well his genius. Her father was a physicist, born in Mexico, and her mother of Scottish and English descent. She grew up in New York and California, and when her father took a faculty position in Massachusetts, she attended Boston University and began to sing in coffeehouses and small clubs.Ý Bob Gibson invited her to attend the 1959 Newport Folk Festival where she was a hit. Early in her career, Joan's main body of work was historical folk songs, she added political songs to her repertoire during the 1960s.ÝShe supported such organizations as Amnesty International and Humanitas International. Joan Baez continues to speak and sing for peaceful solutions to violence in the Middle East and Latin America.
Favourite Album: Any Day Now.
Favourite song: Love Minus Zero No Limit.
Judy Collins
 As I said previously, folk music was never my scene but this lady's output was spellbinding, especially her Amazing Grace - spine-tingling stuff. Judy Collins has thrilled audiences worldwide with her unique blend of interpretative folksongs and contemporary themes. Her impressive career has spanned more than 40 years. At 13, Judy Collins made her public debut performing Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos" but it was the music of such artists as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, as well as the traditional songs of the folk revival, that sparked Judy Collins' love of lyrics. She soon moved away from classical piano and began her lifelong love affair with the guitar. In 1961, Judy Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, at the age of 22 and began a thirty-five year association with Jac Holzman and Elektra Records.
Favourite album: Whales and Nightingales.
Favourite songs: Time Passes Slowly; Amazing Grace; Song for David.
MY FAVOURITE POPULAR ARTISTS - MALE
Gordon Lightfoot
 It was in Vox Adeon Nicholson's record store in Hay Street, Perth, one day in May 1972m that I was stopped in my tracks by an unfamiliar male voice singing about how good it was to be "Alberta Bound". I flipped idly through the racks of records captivated by this troubador until the final track had finished, at which time I asked the shop assistant who I'd been listening to. She told me it was Gordon Lightfoot, a Canadian baladeer who had written Peter Paul & Mary's hit, That's What you Get for Loving Me, and the song If You Could Read My Mind, which had been a hit for Lightfoot two years earlier. I loved the accoustic guitar playing of Peter Paul & Mary, therefore it is hardly surprising that the accoustic guitar work of Lightfoot and his key support musicians Red Shea and Terry Clements would catch my attention and draw my in. An added bonus was Lightfoot's simple by effective tunes and lyrics, which were both fresh and different. Needless to say, I bought the album Don Quixote (the one I had been listening to) on the spot and a week later after just about wearing it out, I had added Summer Side of Life and Sit Down Young Stranger, alternatively titled If You Could read My Mind, the total Lightfoot collection in Australian release at that time. Two years later, Gord's next album - Sundown - was purchased without me hearing a single note.
I was quite amused when Sundown became a bit hit and everyone else in the world discovered the man who I had been listening to and enjoying for a couple of years. The albums Cold on The Shoulder, Old Dan's Records and Summertime Dream followed and I loved every song on every album. In 1974, Lightfoot toured Australia and my wife and I went along to the Perth Concert Hall to hear him. Midway through the concert he dropped his guitar plectrum which threw him for a minute. I had a guitar plectrum in my pocket and was dying to rush up to the stage and offer it to him, but I was too embarrassed ... ah, lost opportunities!
More ...
John Denver
 I must say I did enjoy the music of the boy from the Rocky Mountains. It came as a breathe of fresh air in the mid 1970s when the pop music scene was dominated by disco. One of the world's best-known and best-loved solo performers of the 20th century, John Denver earned international acclaim as a songwriter, performer, actor, environmentalist and humanitarian. Johnís music has spanned three decades, outlasted countless musical trends, and garnered numerous music awards and honours. As a teen, John took up guitar lessons and joined a boyís choir, which led him at age 20 to take matters into his own hands and pursue his dream of a career in music. In 1963 he struck out on his own, moving to Los Angeles to be in the heart of the burgeoning music scene. It was during this time that Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. was urged by friends to change his name if a recording career was to be in his future. His friends suggested the name John Sommerville, but he ultimately took his stage name from the beautiful Rocky Mountain capital city of Colorado, his home state.
Favourite Albums: Farewell Andromeda; Back Home Again
Favoutite Songs: Matthew; Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Stone; I Think I'd Rather Be A Cowboy.
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Favourites
Bob Dylan
 He couldn't sing (he's a bit better these days), he could barely play guitar but, man, could this guy write songs! To me, Bob Dylan is the greatest artistic figure of the twentieth century. I make no apologisies for making such a bold and sweeping statement because I believe that, even more so than the Beatles, Bob Dylan single-handedly radically changed popular music. Before Dylan, lyricism was effectively ignored by those penning the popular hits of the day. Sure, there were old blues veterans who poured their heart and soul into their lyrics but in terms of commercial pop music, lyrics were just a by-product (preferably as banal and as romantic as possible) to a nice melody. The rock'n'roll literacy that Dylan brought to twentieth century consciousness was utterly revolutionary and directly responsible for rock music existing today as we know it. Without Dylan, there would be no Neil Young, no David Bowie, no Bruce Springsteen, no Byrds (obviously) and any subsequent band that places any kind of importance on their lyrics (therefore the Smiths, Nirvana, Replacements, etc.). Furthermore, it is doubtful the Beatles, Stones, Hendrix and so on would have produced nearly as impressive works if Dylan hadn't come along. I doubt the Beatles would have gone from With The Beatles to Revolver in a mere two years without Dylan redefining rock'n'roll as art in the meantime. In fact, I cannot think of any serious (or at least good) artist post-mid-sixties that was not influenced in some way by Dylan's innovation.
The Seekers
 If it wasn't for The Seekers, I would never have developed my interest in popular music, I would never have taken up playing the guitar, I would never have written a single song and I would never have fallen in love with Judith Durham's simply gorgeous dimples. The Seekers were at the peak of their popularity during my first years of employment after leaving school and they had a great influence on my music buying habits in that their folk style drew me towards other folk artists. I bought all their singles and albums and I would have bought the brand of guitars they played were it not for the fact that Matons were out of my price range. My biggest disappointment with The Seekers ocurred two months after I attended their concert at Beattie Park in Perth in 1979 when they announced they were breaking up. As soon as I found out that Judith leaving the group had caused the split, I was so furious I decided that, had I been talking to her, I would have never spoken to her ever again (I felt the same way about Dusty Springfield when I found out she was a lesbian, and Diana Ross and Lionel Richie when I found out they were never in the studio together when they recorded Endless Love).
From then onwards, every time I listened to their music I got irritated at Judith for missing the last letter off so many words of the songs she sang, and at myself for never being able to play the 12 string guitar as good as Keith Potger. I loved the two albums the boys made with Louisa Weissling - my reaction on hearing The Sparrow Song had made number one was "take that, Judith Durham!".
Favourite album: Seekers Seen In Green. I still can't figure out the hidden meaning of the title which seems a bit too clever for its own good. The songs on it are great, though - every single one of them, especially Angeline, Can't Make Up My Mind, Colours Of My Life and All I Can Remember.
Favourite song: I Am Australian. This song had done more than anything else to unite Australians as a nation and deserves every single accolade that has been bestowed upon it. No other song stirs up patriotism in us as a nation like this one.
Peter, Paul & Mary
 These are three of the most deightful people I have ever met - I've met them as a group three times, once to spend a whole afternoon with. A major musical influence on my life, this trio is about "unplugged music" at its very best, with delightful three-part harmonies, fluent guitar playing (6 and 12-string) by the two guys and that husky voice of Mary's!! They were made for each other.
I share the same surname with Peter (Yarrow) - my research indicates we are possibly related, but quite distantly; I share the same faith with Paul (Noel Stookey), we are both born again Christians and keep in touch on a very casual basis these days. Though it was The Seekers who got me interested in listening to music and playing guitar, it was by immitating Peter & Paul that I developed the playing style I now have and it was Paul's personal encourgement during his first solo tour in the early 1970s that helped me become a better songwriter.
Though I'm a great fan of Bob Dylan, apart from the odd song like Just Like A Woman and Like A Rolling Stone, I generally find it a chore listening to his nasel voice whining through his classic lyrics, and he couldn't hold the rhythm of a song if his life depened on it. Such is not the case with PP&M - no one sings Dylan like they do. Their interpretations of his songs are simple yet powerful, and to the point, allowing the words to have maximum impact. The first time I heard Dylan sing The Times They Are A'Changin', I thought "what was that all about?"; the first time I heard PP&M sing it, the message hit me like a ten tonne truck!
The Beatles
 What baby boomer could leave the Beatles off their list of music favourites? Their music shaped my teenage years as no one else's did and their songs, particularly those from their post Brian Epstein days, set the direction of popular music for the next 30 years. They are landmarks in popular music by which all others since are measured. Each of the Beatles went on to create enorous solo careers after the group's demise. Ringo was the least talented msically, though ok to listen to, but ended up making more money narrating the kids TV show Thomas The Tank Engine than he ever made as a Beatle. John went on his paranoid way with Yoko Ono, taking potshots at Paul whenever he could until he was gunned down in New York. After the group's breakup, Paul's creativity never attained the heights it reached in the group, no doubt because Beatle producer George Martin was no longer there to bring out the best in him. Paul remained popular, first as the leader of Wings, and then as a solo artist. He denied his Beatles heritage for many years but these days looks back on those days with affection. George was my favourite post-Beatles Beatle. His All Things Must Pass set, though sounding quite over orchestrated these days, remains a favourite. I play it on CD now, as I wore out the LP copy I bought myself for my 21st birthday many moons ago. I've always have a soft spot for the "quiet Beatle" though his religious beliefs differed greater from mine.
Favourite Album: Abbey Road, followed closely by Let It Be.
Favourite songs: Let It Be; Here Comes The Sun; Penny Lane; Eleanor Rigby; Something.
ABBA
 I know in certain quarters it's not cool to like ABBA any more, but that's OK with me because I'm not into trendy and cool. Bjorn & Benny wrote some absolutely brilliant songs during their ABBA days, their arrangements were very innovative and their careful choice of who would sing lead on which song shows their compete understanding of the medium of popular music. Some of their material like Rock Me and Bang-a-Boomerang was low grade pop at its most commercial, but their love ballads, particularly from their later body of work, like The Winner Takes It All, Andante Andante and Our Last Summer, are among the best love songs ever written. Anna and Frida sang so well - together as well as solo - and seemed to bring out the best in each other. I love their accents, particularly Anna and the way that her Swedish native tongue comes through, like in The Winner Takes It All where she sings, "and I unerstand ..." rather than "understand".
Favourite Album: Super Trouper.
Favourite songs: The winner Takes It All; Andante Andante; The Way Old Friends Do; One of Us; Our Last Summer; Fernando; Happy Hawaii; Angeleyes; I Have A Dream; Chiquitita; When All Is said And Done; I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I do.
Little River Band
 Fronted by three of the finest musicians and songwriters that Australia has produced (Glenn Shorrock, Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble), LRB was the first Aussie band to crack the difficult U.S. market, and listening to their tight harmonies, lyrics and generally high standard of production, it is not hard to see why. And when I talk about LRB, I'm not talking about the present band that has hijacked the name; I'm talking about the originals, the line-up of which, back in 1966 (see photo), was George McArdle (bass), Derek Pelicci (drums), David Briggs (lead guitar), Glenn Shorrock (lead vocals), Beeb Birtles (guitar and harmony vocals), Graeham Goble (guitar and harmony vocals).
Favourite Albums: Diamantina Cocktail and Sleeper Catcher
Favourite songs: Help Is On Its Way; Home On A Monday; Long Jumping Jeweller; Lady.
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