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Spectrum
When
latter-sixties psychedelic rock became the progressive rock of the early
Seventies, Melbourne’s Spectrum was at the
forefront of the Australian response.
Ross Wilson had abruptly split his group to join Procession in London, leaving
Party Machine’s bass player Mike Rudd (ex
Chants R&B) with the opportunity of creating a group of his own,
Spectrum. Rudd switched to lead guitar, and recruited Bill Putt from the
Lost Souls on bass, organ player Lee Neale from Nineteen87 and hot young
drummer Mark Kennedy. Rudd took with him from Party Machine that group’s
leaning towards lyrical satire, including the Wilson/Rudd song ‘Make
Your Stash’.
EMI Australia added Spectrum to the company’s global progressive roster
(Pink Floyd, Deep Purple etc), and found amongst the group’s
experimental repertoire a melancholy, uncomplicated song called ‘I’ll Be Gone’(YouTube)
released as the group’s first single. On the B-side was an instrumental ode
to an ill-fated (pre-Sunbury) Melbourne outdoor rock festival, ‘Launching
Place Part II’. In May 1971, ‘I’ll
Be Gone’reached Number One nationally,
changing the group’s fortunes dramatically. Prior to the release of ‘I’ll
Be Gone’ Spectrum had struggled for gigs (promoters found them too
progressive) and Mark Kennedy had lost patience. He left to join a group of
more high profile musicians collected together under the name Friends. Some
observers thought that the loss of the flashy and busily impressive drumming
of Mark Kennedy would be a blow Spectrum wouldn’t survive, but ‘I’ll
Be Gone ensured the group’s survival. Kennedy was replaced by the less
explosive, more sympathetic Ray Arnott.
Mike Rudd refused to allow I’ll Be Gone to be included on the album ‘Spectrum
Part One’. It didn’t fit with the innovative roaming style of the rest
of the music on the album. Spectrum’s
follow-up single was an attempt to replicate their hit’s commerciality,
with a song written and sung by Ray Arnott, ‘Trust Me’. With the
help of a second ambitious double album ‘Milesago’,
Spectrum had become one of Australia;s
first concert’ bands, preferring venues when they could use elaborate
light shows. By now Ross Wilson had returned to Australia and formed the
incredibly successful Daddy Cool. Sharing management, the two groups often
performed together, a perfect foil for one another, Spectrum’s adventure
next to Daddy Cool’s fun. Step by step Spectrum were
becoming an “event” band. It was hard for them to present themselves at
their optimum at the regular gigs which were bread and butter for any
working band.
To keep Spectrum’s performances “special” Mike Rudd invented an alter ego, Murtceps (Spectrum spelt backwards) with, apart from‘I’ll Be Gone’, a repertoire all its own.
Most important was the fact that Murtceps, as a
stripped-back version of Spectrum, with no lightshows, and a portable
electric piano instead of the weighty Hammond organ could play anywhere and
often. Murtceps released its own singles and
album.
Because of personal problems Lee Neale left the band in around September
1972, replaced by John Mills, but when Ray Arnott decided to leave to join
a new Ross Wilson group, Mighty Kong, Mike Rudd and Bill Putt decided it
would be simpler to put an end to Spectrum/Murtceps
altogether. They started again with a new group, new set of songs, and new
name, Ariel.
Spectrum’s “final”’ performance on April 15, 1973 was recorded as the double album ‘Terminal
Buzz’. The Rudd/Putt partnership endured through Ariel, Mike Rudd and
the Heaters, W.H.Y., No.9 and the Burwood Blues Band. In 1995 they
reinstated their Spectrum career with an independently released album, ‘Living
In A Volcano’. They continue to perform under a variety of names, to
suit different situations and line-ups, but predominantly still call
themselves Spectrum.
After a
couple of albums as Spectrum Plays The Blues, Mike, Bill and friends
playing the music that shaped their music, Spectrum finally returned to
recording in 2008 with the six track 'Breathing Spaces' EP the first of a
planned four disc series. ‘Breathing Space Too” (2009) and ‘Breathing Space
As Well’ (2011) followed. – Ed.NImmervoll
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MORE
Related
artists
Ariel
Chants R&B
Daddy Cool
Mighty Kong
Party Machine
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