Mr Cools Scratch Pad
Spunky No 2 June

After three years of being Australia's most popular "unknown" band, it appears that Sydney-based Buffalo will soon reap the national success which has painfully eluded them. Although the band have four albums to their credit they haven't enjoyed the radio exposure of a hit single, basically because the radio networks have failed to program any of Buffalo's recorded material. Despite their non-airplay situation, Buffalo's first album, Dead Forever, reached gold sales status after being on release for three years. Their second and third albums are closely on the heels of their predecessor's success. Much of the band's current state of renewed audience interest has been sparked off since they gained their latest member, guitarist Chris Turner, formerly of the Younger Brothers. This month Buffalo's recording company, Phonogram, will release anew single titled Rollin', which they are confident will break the airplay drought that has seriously restricted the band's career. At present the Buffalo line-up of Turner, vocalist Dave Tice, drummer Jimmy Economou and bassist Peter Wells are busily recording a new album.

BUFFALO: Survival of the Fittest
JUKE, July 10 1976

If what you read about Buffalo was any indication, you'd end up thinking they were scruffy arrogant morons who were forever defending the ear-blasting volume that emanates from their fortress of amps as an expression of their working-class backgrounds. If you thought the music in any way reflected their personalities then, wow, you'd swear they wee harsh, mean, non-compromising, definitely not the type to take home to meet mother. Hot ummm, mother's choice, as it was. Then of course there are all those Life on the Road stories of indescribable acts with the road ladies. Stories of whip rounds, orgies of hotel-smashing, groupie-torturing and other assorted decadent acts that aren't usually considered healthy for children and other living things. Apparently the maid in a Melbourne motel where they were staying went up to air the room and change the sheets after the band checked out Š to find that the Buffalo had taken it upon themselves to indulge in a bit of interior decorating. The TV set smashed in, the beds turned upside down the sheets torn, the bathroom trimmings wrecked, the doors kicked in, and the walls stained in a somewhat smelling substance which I'll leave to your imagination to work out what it was. Then there are those grotesque album covers that only a perverted warped sense of humour could have conceptualised. Their first album Dead Forever depicted a happy scene of coffins, corpse and spilled blood'n'guts. Volcanic Rock was pornographic with ane exploding mountain motif, while Only Want You For Your Body depicted a lady being tortured. Their last one Mother's Choice was originally entitled Songs for the Frustrated Housewife (until the horrified record co. stepped in) was to have a cover showing the group ravaging their manager's mother (well, that's what they say, anyway). Not quite the ideal interview situation for any mild-mannered reporter. But sitting at a quiet Melbourne pub 'requented by well-dressed haughtily spoken businessmen, vocalist David Tice and bassist Peter Wells do''t look too out of place. Tice in well-pressed clean denims sips a double brandy while Wells, adorned in a beautiful expensive-looking coat, rolls his tongue around the rim of a glass of coke and brandy. Meanwhile yer reporter, in contrast, is in grimy jeans, fading pullover and loudly slurps down definitely common beer. "Well I suppose the image is true to a point" Dave chuckles to himself. "But we're not completely debauched absolutely lost people. It's just that we like to enjoy ourselves and we're honest about it. I mean, there's people more debauched than we are only they cover it up with this sugar-coated chocolate niceness." At this point the conversation leads off about the activities of two Top Bands in the country. One, whose lead singer repeatedly makes anti-drug statements and whose manager had to bribe the cops when the band got busted for possession at a border country town on their last tour. The other, whose manager whined piteously tha'"we¹ve lost our clean-cut image" after one well-publicised incident, although they¹d been popping pills and ravaging under-aged groupies for years. "People can think what they like" the soft-spoken Wells says casually. "We are what we are. It's all down to interpretation. We can say something about something or other, and the press reports in such a distorted exaggerated way. So people are bound to get the wrong idea." So you deny all these hotel-smashing antics?"Well we don't do it every week, only sometimes" he says in a grievously injured tone. "I mean, you ought to see my place, ha ha" "People don't really understand the pressures of touring" explains Dave. "Like, to most people going on the road and staying in a motel is like a holiday. But when you do it continually, like week after week, you get bored. So one day you could get drunk and things might get out of hand. Like something could drop, or someone could bump into something Š" Accidentally, of course. "But of course!" You seem to attract the really roughest segment of the women. There's a shocked silence. "Now that's not very nice", murmurs Peter Wells, feigning an aghast expression. "They're lovely ladies" Peter grins, reaching over to click the tape-recorder off as he gleefully launches into the latest batch of Buffalo road tales. But this Hot Stud Ready and Mean Moody and Magnificent image - obviously distorted - has its disadvantages. The main drawback is that much of the media seems to have been frightened off by their growl demeanour, so consequently Tice, Wells drummer Jimmy Economou and new guitarist Chris Turner don't get invited to talk about their music on radio or get interviewed a lot on TV. And they don't get much airplay either. "But it's beginning to break down a bit, though. A few people - not all, just a few - have realised that we're not as bad and tasteless as everyone thinks we are. It's only now that Dead Forever is getting a bit of airplay, actually. I mean, it's only four years later and we don't play that music any more, but still ..." "That album is still selling, you know" the bassman bursts in. "All our albums sell like that. Slowly and steadily and taking their time, but eventually they turn gold. "See, when we started playing that heavy metal music about five years ago, we were the first to do it. No-one else was doing it, so we stood out like freaks, and everyone canned us for being too heavy. But now a lot of kids are discovering those albums for the first time and they're buying them. I think the acceptance of bands like Hush, who¹re not as extreme as we are, has helped a great deal." A couple of DJs wander in, and I offer to do some introductions so something gets happening in the way of airplay. "Don't worry about it" Peter replies nonchalantly, not even bothering to look up. "That sort of promotion bit doesn't really concern us. We've never chased the media and we're not about to start now." "The lack of airplay can be a drag sometimes" Dave says seriously. "I mean, we've had airplay in places like Adelaide and Perth, and Sydney radio did play our last record for six weeks. Although they stopped playing it just as the record started to happen. But you look at all those bands that get airplay - Skyhooks, Sherbet, Hush. Their records sell quickly and then they're forgotten. But ours don't. They sell steadily over a period of time, no fuss, nothing. We're not into this hype business." So virtually, what you¹re saying is that Buffalo are a kind of people's band. "I'd say so, yeah. We¹re not a media band, so we have to be." Has it been hard going without the industry's help? "Well, we've survived so far, haven't we? It¹s made things difficult, sure, but it's helped us in many ways. We've never had to compromise what we do. Look around, and you'll see so many bands playing without balls. Bands with musicians who can rock their asses off if they wanted to, but they think they have to play ball-less, play all that adolescent shit, because they think they have to impress the media. This happens in Melbourne a lot. A lot of these sorts of bands go up quick - but they go down just as quick. We're just cruising along, rocking and rolling and having a good time." On the Queen¹s Birthday holiday, while most of Melbourne snores in deep slumber, Buffalo are a hive of activity down at Armstrong¹s studios. Since the early hours, Tice and new guitarist Chris Turner have been putting the final touches to the new single "Rolling" b/w "Hotel Ladies". They¹ve decided to add on a bit of piano and female vocal harmonies. In the control room Tice voices the lyrics as it comes over the speakers while inside the studio sessions muso Peter Jones bangs down the piano tracks. They try take after take until they get that right feel. "A lot of people will find we¹re moving into a more varied area on this album". Dave watches the tapes roll back as the engineer prepares for yet another take. "There¹ll still be Š like, Buffalo will always be a heavy rockband, but we'll be showing another facet of the band. It'll be heavy but more varied." The first three Buffalo platters saw them deep in Black Sabbath/Uriah Heep territory, and Only Want You For Your Body saw them stretch this genre to its limits. Mother¹s Choice saw a change in direction, where they were getting into a more melodic blues-based rock that owed more than a passing nod to chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones. It was a brilliant rock album, a perfect party disc. Tracks like "Taste It, Don¹t Waste It" and "Honey Babe" roared with nuclear-powered energy, they added some zest in their versions of two well-known Chuck Berry standards "Little Queenie" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" and there was some beautiful blues stuff featuring the really tasteful slide guitar work of the passing Norm Roue like "Lucky" and "Eshukay". Which is why I was really disappointed when I read somewhere else that Buffalo were not over-rapt in the album and proceeded to tear it to bits in print. "It wasn¹t dissatisfaction at all, we were just misinterpreted" sighs Tice. "That particular reporter tends to always over-dramatise and exaggerate things. Look, all that album was intended to do - and did it wel l- was to chronicle a period of this band. It was a time for a change for us; a lot of kids still want us to do those early things we left behind about three years ago. But it¹s like working in a factory, you have to keep changing or else you get bored. And because we treated it as a period piece, the reporter thought we didn't like it. But that's not true." Tice though is looking forward to what's happening in the new album, in particular to the music they're venturing into. He finds it hard to describe it in words but once referred to it as "cocaine and Seven-Up music". Once again you'll never be accused of having too much subtlety in your music, I venture, and he laughs. "Well, we¹re not very subtle people. I prefer the sledgehammer philosophy myself." He takes a swig out of a small flask of brandy and reaches for his cigarette pack. "I'll tell you something. This new band, with Chris, si firing well; it's the best incarnation of Buffalo ever. Wes started off doing heavy metal with our first guitarist John Baxter, and since then we've gone through people like Karl Taylor and Norm Roue. Colin Stead left some time ago because he couldn¹t keep up with Buffalo road life. Now it's all fallen into place. This four-piece is the best rock and roll Buffalo without a doubt.
By Christie Ellezer

RAM Aug 27 1976 No 39

You Meet the Nicest People On A Š Unfortunately, he was on tour and so not available for our biking supplement. So were Alan Sandow of Sherbet and Dave Tice of Buffalo in Australia. Dave Tice on the other hand did come off his bike a few months ago. The plaster cast, he says, played havoc with his usual microphone technique.

Buffalo's Chase

Sebastian Chase, former manager of Buffalo is now looking after Rose Tattoo, the band put together by former Buffalo bassist Peter Wells. Chase is also the new manager (their fourth since their arrival in this country from N.Z.) of Dragon. CBS Records are pleased with the last move because according to a spokesman, Dragon (who are on their label, natch) have never been pushed in the right direction.

Unknown

The new Buffalo album is completed and will be released soon. Tentatively titled Buffalo V (it's their fifth album, y'see), it showcases the totally new Buffalo sound that punters may have witnessed at recent Ritchie Blackmore concerts around Oz at which the band got a good reaction. A spokesman was heard to say that the album is "More laidback, more musical. The raunch and power is still there but it's more refined.

Record Boys Had a 1976 Ball
Sunday Mirror, December 26, 1976

Sweden''s ABBA has been at the forefront of a remarkably good year for the record industry in Australia. All record companies have shown economic growth during the year despite such nasty considerations as inflation, unemployment, lack of business confidence, devaluation and revaluations. No, I'm not trying to make a takeover bid for Bill Harcourt's financial column. I¹m trying to make the point that no matter how bad the economy gets, people still need this cheery escape into records and tapes. And, incidentally, lead into my annual review of the best album releases. Once again I've attempted to condense hundreds of album releases into my own personal Top Ten. And, as usual, it's a hard job. I've split my choices into an overall Top Ten that includes records from all sources plus an Australian Top Ten. If you¹ve been a regular reader of this column, you'll know how dedicated I am to assisting the local record industry. So I start with my Australian Top Ten: 1. Sherbet's Howzat on their own label, distributed by Festival. 2. Jon English - Hollywood Seven on Polydor. 3. Marcia Hines - Shining (RCA). 4. Kevin Johnson - A Man of the 20th Century (Good Thyme). 5. Richard Clapton - Main Street Jive (infinity). 6. Jeannie Lewis - Tears Of Steel And The Clowning Calaveras (EMI). 7. The Little River Band - After Hours (EMI). 8. Buffalo - Mother¹s Choice (Phonogram). 9. Mike McLellan - Until The Song Is Done (EMI). 10. Skyhooks - Straight In A Gay World (Mushroom).
POP with Kevin Sadlier