The Reels

The Reels was an Australian rock music group which performed and recorded between 1978 and 1991. The major figures in the group were:

• Paul Abrahams (bass)
• Karen Ansell (keyboards, vocals)
• Stefan Fidock (drums)
• Craig Hooper (guitars, keyboards, vocals)
• David Mason (lead vocals, keyboards)
• Colin 'Polly' Newham (keyboards)
• John Bliss (drums)

The Reels originated with the group, Native Son (Mason, Hooper, Bliss and Newham), which was formed in the country town of Dubbo, NSW and played in the area for about three years, mainly playing cover versions of current and classic hits. After moving to Sydney in 1978 they added Abrahams and changed the band's name to The Brucelanders. They gradually developed an original repertoire of fast-paced, quirky pop music that was strongly influenced by current British trends, notably the spiky 'new wave' sounds of XTC and DEVO, as well as ska and reggae, and their energetic performances gained them a strong following on the triving east coast live music scene at that time. They were also given enormous support in Sydney by the ABC's rock radio station Double Jay (which moved to the FM band and became Triple Jay in 1980).

In 1979 they secured a recording contract with the Australian branch of the Mercury Records label, changed their name to The Reels and released their debut single, "Love Will Find A Way". This, and its follow-up "Prefab Heart", combined with the band's distinctive image, gained increasing attention, with their music videos featured on the influential national TV pop show Countdown. These were followed by their self-titled debut album with producer Mark Opitz (The Angels, Cold Chisel).

In 1980 the Reels added second keyboardist Karen Ansell and released their third single, 'After The News'. It marked an important transition in their music -- their songs began to take on a more serious lyrical tone, and (like DEVO) they dispensed with guitars, began using synthesizers as their main instruments, and were one of the first Austraian groups to use wireless headsets instead of the traditional microphone and foldback arrangment.

in mid 1980 the group undertook the innovative "Reels By Rail" tour, which saw them using rail transport to travel to all the destinations on their tour. At the end of the year, returning to their roots as a covers band, they released a five track Christmas EP, Five Great Gift Ideas From The Reels, produced by [[Bruce Brown (producer)|Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop, which included versions of Jim Reeves' "According To My Heart", and Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold". "According To My Heart" was very successful and featured a folksy music video filmed at the ranch of Australian country music star Smokey Dawson.

In early 1981 they released the album considered to be their best work, Quasimodo's Dream, which saw the band displaying an impressive maturity in songwriting, backed with strong performances, inventive arrangements and top-class production. The LP's classic title track was released as a single, and although widely considered to be among the best Australian singles and albums of that period, neither it nor the album was a major commercial or chart success, although it did succeeed in reaching #31 in June that year. The band undetook the "Kitchen Man Tour", which saw the stage dressed as a fully-equipped Australian kitchen.

The Reels' lack of mianstream commercial success was at odds with their strong live following, but it was due in part to the restrictive programming on commercial radio at that time, which gave little exposure to local "new wave" acts. The group's deteriorating relationship with Mercury was also a factor, as evidenced by the LP's track listing -- it included two previously released tracks "According To My Heart", and "Band Of Gold", but a disclaimer printed on the LP sleeve noted that both tracks had been included at the insistence of the record company (i.e against the band's wishes).

Internal problems were also a factor; Bliss left just after the recording of the album, and Newham had also quit by the time the LP was released. The new five-piece lineup (with Fidock) cut a new single, "No.3", which was not successful; soon after this, both Abrahams and Ansell left. Now reduced to a trio (Mason, Hooper and Fidock) they continued performing by augmenting their live sound with taped backing tracks, and used the new Fairlight synthesizer for studio recordings.

In late 1982, having signed a new contract with the RCA Records label, The Reels scored an unexpected hit with a wry cover of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David classic "This Guy's In Love With You", which reached #7. They followed this with a highly unusual tactic -- they recorded an one-off album for the K-Tel company, which was best known for its licenced pop hit compilations and budget 'golden oldie' LPs. Although the tracks on Beautiful walked a fine line between sincere tribute and gentle parody, it proved to be the biggest success of their career, selling in excess of 40,000 copies and reaching #29 in the LP chart.

In 1983 saw the band travel to the United States and Britain, released another five track EP, "Pitt Street Farmers" (the title being an old Australian experession referring to wealthy rural landowners who never leave the city). This was followed by a new version of 'Quasimodo's Dream' in December 1983, which demonstrated the band's faith in the song, although it failed to chart on its second release.

At this point Mason was forced to give up peforming after contracting hepatitis, and this effectively ended the group. Hooper joined The Church as keyboard player, and then joined The Mullanes, which was the first incarnation of Crowded House.

By late 1985 Mason had recovered and The Reels was revived (with the original lineup of Mason, Hooper, Bliss and Newham) and completed their commitments to RCA with a single, an unsuccessful cover version of Labi Siffre's "It Must Be Love" (famously covered by Madness.

They then signed with Regular Records and released a radically slowed-down, synthesiser-driven version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising". It proved to be another surprise hit, reaching #11 (October 1986); the arrangment featuring prominent use of the Vocoder voice synthesiser, which the band also used extensively on stage to augment Mason's vocals. Bliss left the band again at the end of 1986

Their next single (Jan. 1987) was a cover of the old Edison Lighthouse hit "Love Grows (where My Rosemary Goes)" . During the year they embarked on the popular "Reels By Request" tour, where the audience was allowed to call out for the songs they wanted to hear. This was followed by an 'all Australian songs' version of the same concept, and this in turn led to the Reels' next studio album, "Neighbors", which contained their idiosyncractic versions of thirteen Australian rock classics, including the singles "Are You Old Enough" (originally a hit for Dragon) and "Forever Now" (by Cold Chisel).

In 1989 Mason appeared in the acclaimed Australian feature film Ghosts ... of the Civil Dead, which co-starred Nick Cave. In September '91, the Reels issued "I Don't Love You Anymore" -- it was their first original single in five years, and was followed by their last single, a remix of "Bad Moon Rising". The group officially disbanded with the release of the 'best of' CD, Requiem.

Lead singer Mason is the son of mid-1970s NSW state Liberal Party leader John Mason. Hooper was also a member of The Church, The Mullanes (the original incarnation of Crowded House), and also recorded with The Rockmelons and Ross Wilson. Karen Ansell went on to become a noted film and TV computer graphics specialist in the United States.

External links

• Entry on HowlSpace
• Entry in the Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop