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The La De Da's
Also known as
  • The Mergers
  • The La-De-Da Band
  • La De Das
OriginTe Atatū, Auckland, New Zealand
Genres
Years active1963 (1963)–1975 (1975)
Labels
SpinoffsKevin Borich Express
Past members

The La De Da's were a New Zealand rock band from 1963 to 1975. They were formed as a mod-ish band, the Mergers, in Te Atatū, by long-term members Kevin Borich on lead guitar and vocals, Phil Key on lead vocals and guitar and Trevor Wilson on bass guitar. They had chart success in both New Zealand and Australia until their split in 1975.

In Australia the band are known for launching the solo career of Borich as leader of Kevin Borich Express. The La De Da's recorded one of the first Australasian rock concept albums, The Happy Prince (1969).

1963–1967: Formation to Find Us a Way[edit]

Kevin Borich performing at Mountain Rock

The La De Da's were formed as the Mergers in Te Atatū Peninsula in late 1963 by three Rutherford High School students Kevin Borich on lead guitar, Brett Neilsen on drums and Trevor Wilson on bass guitar and they were joined by Phil Key on rhythm guitar from neighbouring Mt Albert Grammar School.[1][2] Their average age was 16 years.[2] The Mergers played mod-ish instrumentals,[1] with the Shadows as their major influence,[3] at local dances and school socials.[4] The Beatles' visit in June 1964 and the emergence of the Rolling Stones, brought a change of style to the group with Key becoming their lead singer and Borich and Wilson adding backing vocals.[1][2]

The members decided that the Mergers failed to reflect the toughness of their new music and searched for another name. One promoter changed it to the Gonks for an early 1965 gig at a summer carnival.[5] They initially decided on the Criminals,[1] however, one of the members' mother suggested "something nice, like the la-de-das ...", which was approved.[1][3][5] By early 1965 the group were getting regular bookings on Auckland's dance circuit.[2][3] A local TV producer, Robert Handlin, asked the group to promote an upcoming film broadcast, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), in exchange for studio time and record production.[3][4] Their debut single, "Little Girl", was released on the Talent City label in April 1965.[2] The track was co-written by Borich and Wilson.[6] Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane described it as a "low-key slice of Rolling Stones-derived R&B".[2]

In November 1965 they gained a residency at The Platterack, an Auckland nightclub.[1][4] After Key finished secondary education in December, the band were fully professional and received NZ£12 per week.[5] Bruce Howard, a classically trained organist, joined the La De Da's on keyboards and occasional lead vocals.[1][2] Thereafter, Howard and Wilson co-wrote most of their original material.[5] Zodiac's owner Eldred Stebbing caught their performance at The Platterack and asked the La De Da's to provide a cover version of American duo the Changin' Times's album track, "How Is the Air Up There?", which was issued as their single in February 1966.[1][4] It reached No. 4 on New Zealand Listener's Hit Parade.[7] The single also charted at Sydney radio stations.[2] The group had signed with Stebbing both as their talent manager and record producer for Zodiac, which was distributed via Phillips.[1][2]

Their fourth single, "On Top of the World" (November 1966), was a cover of John Mayall's song, which peaked at No. 2 on the Hit Parade.[7] They became resident band at Stebbing's Galaxie nightclub and regularly appeared on TV pop music show C'mon. Although their music was "tough garage-punk",[2] the La De Da's donned mod clothing with plaid trousers, satin shirts and buckle shoes.[4] Key recalled:

The hits just inspired confidence in us. We became totally involved in getting dressed up and going out to gigs, the gigs and rehearsals were everything. Nothing worried us, we were so busy consuming what was happening around us. We were super aware, on top of every trend in music and clothes and language. We tried to be honest and sincere with our music, only playing and recording what we liked. The guys in the good record bars dug what we were doing and they got in all the latest English R&B records for us. We were listening to Zoot Money, John Mayall, Manfred Mann, the Animals, all that sort of stuff and trying to create that sound. We were different from groups like the Underdogs who just played 12-bar blues all night; we tried to be a lot more imaginative about what we did ... We had no idea what we were earning on tour, we just spent what we wanted and ploughed the rest back into the band. We had our way with girls, bought more clothes and equipment and just enjoyed being stars.[8]

In November 1966 their song "How Is the Air Up There?" was a finalist for the Loxene Golden Disc Awards.[9] They issued their debut self-titled album of cover versions in December 1966, which sold out of its first pressing.[4] Multi-instrumentalist Claude Papesch recommended Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby" to the group, which they released in February 1967.[2][4] It resulted in their first number-one on the Hit Parade and the first New Zealand-made record to reach the top.[2][3][10] In April they released their extended play Stupidity, with covers of Solomon Burke's "Stupidity", "Coming Home", the Young Rascals' "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" and Otis Redding's "Respect".[2][4]

While preparing for their second album, Wilson began working on his rock opera project, The Happy Prince.[1][2][4] He adapted Oscar Wilde's story "The Happy Prince".[1][2][4] Howard supported his project, although it became a divisive issue for other band members.[1][2][4] The La De Da's second album, Find Us a Way (May 1967), had their sound shifting from R&B roots by adding influences from the Spencer Davis Group. It included original material and covers.[1][2] McFarlane, in 1999, described their first two albums and their EP as "highly regarded by 1960s aficionados".[2] Although they unhappy about Find Us a Way's track selection and cover art, it sold well in New Zealand.[4]

1967–1969: Australian tours and relocation[edit]

The La De Da's travelled to Sydney in May 1967, where they worked at Ward Austin's Jungle disco and supported the Easybeats, which had returned from the United Kingdom.[4][5] The band's Australian talent manager, Jimmy Murta, had their near-shoulder-length hair trimmed back and pitched them at the teenage market, which dissatisfied the band's members.[5] Another single, "All Purpose Low", was released in June and went to No. 3 on the NZ Hit Parade.[10] It was followed in August by "Rosalie", which reached No. 5.[10][11] Before their second visit to Australia, in early 1968, Neilson was replaced on drums by Bryan Harris (ex-the Action).[2] McFarlane observed, "they had changed direction. [They] were one of the first local bands to include covers of Vanilla Fudge, Doors and Traffic... [and were] at the forefront of the Australian flower power movement."[2]

In June 1968 Harris was replaced, in turn, by Keith Barber (ex-the Wild Cherries).[2] English-born producer, Jimmy Stewart approached the La De Da's to record their third album, The Happy Prince, but by November the deal had collapsed.[5] Early in 1969 Adrian Rawlins convinced the group to continue recording in Sydney with himself as narrator and David Woodley-Page as producer for EMI Music (NZ).[1][2][12] Woodley-Page recorded their material onto two Scully 4-track recorders, which were electronically synchronised and provided better multi-tracking and overdubbing.[5] The Happy Prince was issued in April 1969,[2] as one of the first Australasian concept albums.[1][5] It was "praised for its quality musicianship and production values. Despite the fine playing, it was an overly serious and flawed album, and duly sank without a trace."[2] Music journalist Ed Nimmervoll felt "the ambition of the project outweighed its entertainment value."[3]

They toured England from April 1969, but "[their] brand of soft psychedelic pop was outdated".[2][13] Their use of cover versions put them "out of step with what was going on" locally.[3] Nevertheless they recorded their rendition of the Beatles' "Come Together", which was issued, by the La-De-Da Band, in September 1969.[3][13] They performed shows at London's Stax Club, the Corn Exchange and at clubs in Birmingham, but the UK gigs dried up. They undertook a short German tour and then France for a month of poorly paid gigs.[1] Leaving Wilson in the UK, the rest of the group returned to Australia in April 1970.[1][2][3]

Back in Australia they changed musical direction again, adopting "straightforward, gutsy rock'n'roll".[2] Reno Tahei (ex-Compulsion, Luke's Walnut, Genesis) joined on bass guitar until Wilson returned.[2] Tahei was arrested and deported to New Zealand.[4] The exit of Howard, Tahei and Wilson resulted in a four-piece with Barber, Borich and Key joined by Peter Roberts (ex-Freshwater) on bass guitar.[2] At Byron Bay on New Year's Eve 1970, the La De Da's unveiled their stripped-down hard rock style, which took them back to their R&B roots and drew heavily from 12-bar Chicago blues and the legacy of Jimi Hendrix. The new line-up got a rousing reception at the Wallacia Festival in January. They regularly shared bills with Tamam Shud, Company Caine, Chain and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs.

In the latter half of the year, they often appeared alongside Daddy Cool. In September they teamed with Chain, Tamam Shud and Country Radio for two outdoor concerts at Wollongong and Sydney Showgrounds, before a combined crowd of about 10,000 people, and on Boxing Day 1971 they co-headlined with Daddy Cool before an estimated 50,000 people at the 3XY Rosebud Show in Victoria. The La De Da's issued their next single, "Gonna See My Baby Tonight", in November 1971,[2] which drew a rave review from Molly Meldrum in teen pop music newspaper, Go-Set ("...a fantastic song, intelligently recorded, it has to be number one").[5] It reached No. 12 on the Go-Set National Top 40.[14]

1971–1972: line-up changes[edit]

In November 1971 the La De Da's planned a four-week New Zealand tour but despite shows selling out the group dropped out at Key's insistence.[5] Sydney-based Michael Chugg of Consolidated Rock was hired as their talent agent and when he later set up his own agency, Sunrise, he continued to handle the La De Da's.[1] In January 1972 they performed at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival and were described as one of the highlights of the weekend.[4] Three of their tracks, "Roundabout", "Gonna See My Baby Tonight" and "Morning Good Morning", were recorded for EMI/HMV's live double album by Various Artists, Sunbury (October 1972).[15]

Their next single, "Morning Good Morning", was released in March and peaked at No. 24 on the Go-Set charts.[16] They continued to attract large audiences through 1972, touring nationally supporting Manfred Mann Chapter Three. They appeared with Gerry Humphrys, Friends and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs at 3XY's free concert at the Myer Music Bowl, which drew an estimated 200,000 people – one of the largest concert audiences in Australia to that time.[2] McFarlane considered they were one of the top three bands in the country, beside Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and Daddy Cool, during that year.[2]

In spite of the successes, internal tension in the band had grown. Chugg resigned as their manager and they took on Roger Davies (Chugg's workmate at Sunrise).[5] Key and Roberts, who "wanted to pursue a gentle pop course",[3] left in September 1972 to form Band of Light.[2] Borich, now the last original member, with Barber brought in Ronnie Peel (p.k.a. Rockwell T. James) on bass guitar to continue the band as a trio,[2] which "became a rock powerhouse".[3] Their debut performance of the new line-up was at Sydney's Paddington Town Hall in November.

1973–75[edit]

In January, the new La De Da's line-up headlined the Great Ngaruawahia Festival back in New Zealand. According to John Dix, the La De Da's delivered "...a well-paced set [that] blew Black Sabbath and everything New Zealand had to offer clear off the stage."[citation needed] Following this, they completed a short major-city concert tour in May. For the rest of the year, it was a constant round of touring, either as headliners, or sharing the bill with Sherbet, or as support to visiting international acts such as Little Richard, Gary Glitter, Three Dog Night, The Guess Who and Lindisfarne. They also provided backing on two tracks for Richard Clapton's debut album Prussian Blue.

On 8 July, on the way to a Lindisfarne gig, their truck was involved in a head-on collision on the Hume Highway between Holbrook and Albury. Ronnie Peel and their roadie John Brewster (not John Brewster of The Angels) were both hospitalised, although their injuries were not serious. The major casualty was the band's equipment, most of which was destroyed in the crash. Three weeks later the Sunrise agency organised a benefit gig in Sydney at the Green Elephant (the Doncaster Theatre) in Kensington, including the La De Da's, Sherbet, Buffalo, Pirana, Lotus, Home, Country Radio, I'Tambu, Original Battersea Heroes and Hush, which raised almost $2000 for the group.

By mid-year, the band were being hailed as Australia's leading live act and Borich was widely regarded as Australia's pre-eminent guitar hero.[2] With Chugg back on board as manager, Kevin was impatient to record a new album. EMI agreed to a new record in September. But the first sessions at EMI's studios were deemed unsatisfactory by the band and all but two tracks were scrapped. (The two tracks, "She Tell Me What To Do" and "No Law Against Having Fun" later surfaced on the LP Rock'n'Roll Sandwich.)

Later sessions were recorded with different equipment at the Green Elephant Hotel and were more successful. The resulting LP, Rock'n'Roll Sandwich, was lauded by Glenn A. Baker as "one of Australia's finest rock albums, a fiery, cohesive work dominated by the superbly talented Kevin Borich and carried off by the reliable gutsiness of Peel and Barber." Touring behind the new LP, released in November 1973, the La De Da's enjoyed their most successful period to date, including supports for Elton John and Suzi Quatro on their Australian tours.

The solid gigging continued through 1974 and into 1975, including a well-received appearance at the final Sunbury Festival in January 1975.

During 1975 problems for the band increased—Australian commercial radio was ignoring their records, and internal tensions were building. The situation was described by Glenn A. Baker in 1981:

The disintegration that took hold ... was an easily diagnosed malady which has afflicted every Australian rock and roll band that has ever achieved a degree of popular success. Essentially it comes down to: the bigger you become, the more meaningless your future. Overseas bands can make an album, do a tour and then hide away for a year or two to prepare the next LP with no concern for loss of position. In Australia, just three months off the road to prepare new material and a band's gig price drops to half, the media erects new superstars in their place, and the public acts as if they never were ... That is what killed the La De Da's: the bludgeoning effect of realising that, after 10 hard years, nothing tangible had really been achieved and the only thing that lay ahead was more of the same.

By early 1975, the band's spirits were flagging. In March EMI issued Legend, a valedictory sampler of single A-sides, recent recordings and leftovers put together by Michael Chugg, which also included a much-requested studio rendition of "All Along The Watchtower", Kevin's Hendrix-inspired live showpiece.

In May 1975, Borich officially announced that the La De Da's would disband.

After The La De Da's[edit]

Kevin Borich put together a short-lived touring band under the La De Da's name, with Harry Brus and Barry Harvey, after which he formed the Kevin Borich Express.

After the split of Band of Light in 1975, Phil Key left the music business and, in 1984, he died. Ronnie Peel went on to have a solo career in the late 1970s performing as Rockwell T James. In later years he was part of John Paul Young's backing band.

The remaining original La De Da's' members reunited in New Zealand in 1992 for a Galaxie Club reunion show and played a set dedicated to the memory of Phil Key.

Personnel[edit]

  • Kevin Borich – lead guitar, vocals (1964–1975)
  • Phil Key – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1964–1972, died 1984)
  • Brett Neilsen – drums, vocals (1964–1968)
  • Trevor Wilson – bass guitar (1964–1970)
  • Bruce Howard – organ, keyboards (1965–1972, died 2021)
  • Bryan Harris – drums (1968)
  • Keith Barber – drums (1968–1975)
  • Reno Tehei – bass guitar (1970)
  • Peter Roberts – bass guitar (1971–1973)
  • Ronnie Peel (p.k.a. Rockwell T. James) – bass guitar, vocals (1973–1975, died 2020)

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

  • The La De Da's (1966, Zodiac Records / Philips)
  • Find Us a Way (1967, Zodiac Records)
  • The Happy Prince (1969) – EMI[17]
  • Rock and Roll Sandwich (1973, EMI)

Live albums[edit]

Compilations[edit]

  • Legends (1975, EMI) (rereleased on CD as The Best of the La De Das Legend)
  • Rock 'n' Roll Decade 1964-74 (1981, EMI)
  • La De Da's (1995, Zero Records (rereleased in 2003 on EMI)
  • How Is the Air Up There?: 1966-1967 (2000, Ascension Records)
  • La De Da's (2014, Real Groovy Records)

EP[edit]

  • Stupidity (1967, Philips)

Singles[edit]

List of singles with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Ref(s)
NZ
Hit Parade 		AUS
Go-Set
"Little Girl" 1965 32 –
"How Is the Air Up There?" 1966 4 – [7]
"Don't You Stand in My Way" – –
"On Top of the World" 2 –
"Hey Baby" 1967 1 – [10]
"All Purpose Low" 3 –
"Rosalie" 5 –
"Come Together" 1969 – –
"Come and Fly with Me" – –
"Sweet Girl" 1971 – –
"Gonna See My Baby Tonight" – 12 [14]
"Morning, Good Morning" 1972 – 24 [16]
"I'll Never Stop Loving You" – –
"The Place" 1974 48 –
"Too Pooped to Pop" – 26 [18]
"Honky Tonkin'" – –

Compilation appearances[edit]

Awards[edit]

  • 1977 - Australian Rock Music Awards - Best Guitarist
  • 1978 - Australian Rock Music Awards - Best Guitarist
  • 1978 - Concert of The Year Award (Marconi Club)
  • 1983 - Ampex Golden Reel Award
  • 1983 - The Party Boys - LP EMI Gold Record
  • 1983 - Live at Several 21st (Party Boys) EMI Gold Record
  • 1987 - He's Gonna Step on You (Party Boys) EMI Gold Record
  • 1999 - Australian Blues Music Festival - Heritage Award
  • 2003 – Australian Blues Foundation – Hall of Fame

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Schmidt, Andrew (30 July 2021). "The La De Da's". AudioCulture. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'La De Das'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 7 August 2004.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Nimmervoll, Ed. "HowlSpace: La De Das". HowlSpace. Archived from the original on 19 December 2002. Retrieved 7 June 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Sergent, Bruce. "La De Da's". New Zealand Music. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kimball, Duncan. "MilesAgo - Groups & Solo Artists - The La De Das". MilesAgo. Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Song Catalogue Search Results for 'Little Girl'". APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society). Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Forum - 1966 Chart (General)". New Zealand Charts Portal (Hung Medien). Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  8. ^ Baker, Glenn A. (1981). Rock'n'Roll Decade 1964-74 (liner notes). EMI. EMY 508/9.
  9. ^ Grigg, Simon (27 October 2015). "Loxene Golden Disc". Audio Culture. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d "Forum - 1967 Chart (General)". New Zealand Charts Portal (Hung Medien). Retrieved 8 June 2024. n.b.: source sometimes incorrectly spells artist as La Di Da's
  11. ^ Shuker, Roy; Pickering, Michael (1994). "Kiwi Rock: Popular Music and Cultural Identity in New Zealand". Popular Music. 13 (3): 261–278. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021 – via JSTOR.
  12. ^ Iain McIntyre, ed. (22 November 2006). Tomorrow is Today: Australia in the Psychedelic Era, 1966-1970. Wakefield Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-1862546974.
  13. ^ a b Gillanders, Grant. "London Calling: the New Zealand invasion, 1960s - Article | AudioCulture". AudioCulture. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023.
  14. ^ a b Nimmervoll, Ed (26 February 1972). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  15. ^ Kimball, Duncan. "MilesAgo - Festivals - Sunbury Festival 1975". Milesago. Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ a b Nimmervoll, Ed (17 June 1972). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  17. ^ La De Da's; Wilde, Oscar; Rawlins, Adrian (2005), The Happy Prince, EMI Music (NZ), retrieved 9 June 2024, Performer: Group members: Phil Key, guitar, vocals; Trevor Wilson, bass, vocals; Kevin Borich, guitar, vocals; Bruce Howard, keyboard, vocals; Brett Neilson, drums.
  18. ^ Nimmervoll, Ed (27 July 1974). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

Further reading[edit]

  • John Dix: Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll 1955 to the Modern Era  :(Penguin, NZ, 2005, first published 1988)
  • Noel McGrath :Encyclopedia of Australian Rock :(Outback Press, 1978)
  • Chris Spencer/Zbig Nowara :Who's Who of Australian Rock :(Five Mile Press, 1994)

External links[edit]

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