The Real Idols of New Zealand Music

In light of the huge amount of fuss over the New Zealand Idol TV show I figured it would be interesting to put together a very subjective (i.e. based completely on my personal opinion) list of those I figure to be the real idols of NZ popular music. Of course there are many more who should feature than just ten but here are a bunch of notables:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

No. 10: Ray Columbus;
No surprises here! Ray has become regarded as the father of NZ pop, and maybe now the grandfather when you take into account the ages of his prodigies "Zed". Also achieving considerable success in the land of Aus in the crazy and hedonistic sixties, Ray was a star of the big NZ music show of the time, "C'mon", and invented a strange and spastic gyration known as the "Mod's Nod". Oddly real Mods were more into fighting and riding around on scooters as portrayed in the cult movie "Quadrophenia" with strange spastic gyrations being reserved solely for late night trysts or the odd unfortunate who overindulged in various dubious pills. The whole Mod analogy was oddly in contrast to Ray's squeaky clean and wholesome image.

Must haves;
-"She's A Mod" His most famous single -available on various CD compilations.
-"Anthology- Ray Columbus and The Invaders" Album. Released on good old vinyl by Epic Records (ELPS4213) in 1981. Hunt in your local second hand shops.

No. 9: Jordan Luck;
Not exactly a personal idol of mine but on the list on account of being very much the beloved of the pub going female public of 1980's and 90's NZ. There are enough urban legends involving Jordan and his band mates for me to have no need to use up space here. Just ask at your local pub. Jordan and his band "The Exponents" are sure to have passed through. In their time these guys became stalwarts of the live pub scene much as "The Dudes" had done decades earlier.

Must haves;
-Breasts and half a dozen RTD's are an absolute necessity to truly appreciate this guy.
-"Victoria". Originally released when the band were calling themselves "The Dance Exponents" on the Album "Prayers Be Answered" (Mushroom NZ L38077). It's also available on the "Bliss" compilation Volume 1 (Festival D31484) and there's a live version on their farewell album, "Hello, Love You, Goodbye" (Columbia 496324.2).

No. 8: The Quintikis;
One of several Maori show bands which helped develop an awareness of NZ in the states around the time of the Vietnam war. In fact the Quintikis toured Asia entertaining the troops alongside such luminaries as Bob Hope as well as appearing in Vegas. Most of the Quintikis are still playing, many still in the states. Drummer, Gary Wharlich also played the lead role in NZ's first feature film, "Don't Let It Get Ya" where he defeated the evil villain (played by Sir Howard Morrison) and won the heart of the girl.

Must haves:
-"Make Friends With The Quintikis." Album. Occasionally available on Vinyl
-"The Fantastic Maori Quintikis Showband" Album. Occasionally turns up on Vinyl but recently re-released on CD (BMG NZ 74321 317032).

No. 7: Wayne Mason;
Wayne wrote the all-time number one NZ song "Nature" which was recorded way back in the late 60's by his band "The Fourmula". A quick look through their best of CD shows Wayne to have been by far the most prolific writer in the band, a trend which continued in Country rock outfit, "Rockinghorse", best known for the song "Through The Southern Moonlight". Wayne has continued to play and record to this day with a stint in the Waratahs and several solo albums under his belt.

Must haves:
-"The Fourmula" "Creation" Album. (HMV CSDM.6309) Vinyl- rare.
-"The Fourmula" "The Very Best Of" Album. Recently released on CD (EMI 7243 5219242 7)
-"Rockinghorse" "Thoroughbred" Album (EMI HSD1039 1975) Vinyl- relatively available.
-"Same Boy" Wayne's most recent solo album with a great remake of "Nature". Also check out "Leningrad"- one of his best songs ever. On CD (Jayrem CDJAY368).

No. 6: The Clean;
The Clean, consisting of Robert Scott and David and Hamish Kilgour, with the ever-present assistance of Chris Knox (who should maybe also have a space in this list but will just have to settle for his name being mentioned as I am still disillusioned since paying 15 bucks to hear him play really badly a couple of years ago) were the original pioneers of what became known as the "Flying Nun Sound". In fact their records were a large contributor to the success of the Flying Nun label in it's early days and became inspiration to indy bands around the world.

Must haves;
-"Boodle Boodle Boodle" EP (Flying Nun FN003)
-"Great Sounds Great, Good Sounds Good, So-so Sounds So-so, Bad Sounds Bad, Rotten Sounds Rotten" I kid you not- that's really what it's called! EP (Flying Nun GOOD001) This includes the track "Beatnik" which for most NZ-ers is the most familiar Clean song due to once being used in a TV add.

No. 5: Graham Brazier;
Remarkable simply for still being alive, Brazier has been described as the Keith Richards of NZ music. With his band, "Hello Sailor" Graham made it big on the NZ pub circuit before moving on to Aus and the states where everything went awry due to excessive indulgence. With age Brazier has reformed his ways and was recently quoted as saying that he may have purposely orchestrated his past disasters due to a sub-conscious fear of success. NZ musician magazine also recently referred to Graham as a genuine NZ idol -so who am I to argue?

Must haves;
-"Hello Sailor" "Shipshape And Bristol Fashion" Album. Includes the essential Sailor classic "Billy Bold" (Zulu Records ZLP002) -Vinyl
-"The Sailor Story" CD release which includes Sailor tracks as well as material from various spin-off bands. (Festival D31672)

No. 4: Dave Dobbyn;
Dave is rumored to have once had a fist-fight on stage with band mate Peter Urlich. (Years later when Peter helped bring us True Bliss the rest of the country wanted to hit him too!) This was back in the crazy days when "Th' Dudes" were king of the pub rock scene and Dave was just beginning to flex his song writing muscles. The tongue in cheek Kiwi anthem "Bliss" was penned at this time. After Th' Dudes Dave put together DD Smash and recorded a string of radio hits. A jaunt to Australia on the coat-tails of his soundtrack to the movie "A Dog's Tail" didn't quite come together and the mid 90's found Dave recording in the states before returning home. Now a household name, with Dudes songs still favorites at parties, Dave has been a consistent high quality contributor to NZ music for the last four decades.

Must haves;
"Th' Dudes" "Right First Time" Album. (Key Records L36685) Vinyl -quite available 2nd hand.
"Th'Dudes" "Where Are The Boys" Album. (Key Records L37018) Vinyl- available 2nd hand.
"Song Of The Years" -On the "Baxter" CD (Universal 98422) Lyrics from a James K Baxter Poem transformed into an incredible pop song. Dobbyn makes the other artists on this CD sound like rank amateurs.
"Overnight Success" A best of compilation CD with a great remake of the Dudes song "Be Mine Tonight" (Columbia 496084.2)

No. 3: Bruno Lawrence;
Bruno is still claimed to have been one of the best jazz drummers NZ has ever produced. Most well known to Joe Public for his roles in a string of NZ movies such as "Goodbye Pork Pie", "Smash Palace", and "The Quiet Earth" Bruno was an accomplished drummer and musician well before this, having penned the hit "Ride The Rain" for Quincey Conserve. Bruno first came before the cameras filming a TV series with his band "Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Traveling Apparition" ("BLERTA"). BLERTA toured throughout NZ and Aus in a big old bus, families and kids in tow, before retiring to a patch of land in Hawkes Bay where they began, under the unlikely name of "The Acme Sausage Company", the film experiments which lead to some of the great achievements of NZ movie making. Post BLERTA Bruno continued to combine acting, drumming, and his passion for golf. He sadly succumbed to cancer in 1995.

Must haves:
"Listen To The Band" with "Quincey Conserve" Album. (EMI SREG30112) Vinyl -rare. Includes "Ride The Rain".
"Wild Man" Album. (EMI BUS1) Vinyl- extremely rare.
"This Is The Life" Album. (EMI HSD1041) Vinyl- extremely rare.
"The Return Trip" Album. (EMI 535096.2) Recent CD release.
"Tears" with "The Crocodiles". Album. On CD (BMG 74321 278312)
"Jazz At The St James" Album. (Intone Records IR1001) Bruno's last live recording. Recent CD release.

No. 2: Tim Finn;
As the Ultimate NZ songwriter, Tim's lyrics are never less than pure poetry. Founding member of the legendary "Split Enz" and sometimes member of brother Neil's band "Crowded House", Tim has endured a patchy solo career in later years although a retrospective listen to past solo albums makes one wonder if the lack of commercial  success was more to do with poor public taste than any failing with Tim's songs. Certainly there is an endurance in the songs on Albums such as "Before And After" and the self titled "Tim Finn" which stand them well above their contemporaries. Tim's high standing in Europe, often completely overlooked by the average non-travelling New Zealander also attests to this.

Must haves;
"Feeding The Gods" Tim's recent solo album. Stunning! On CD (Periscope 7243 5 35123 2 3)
"Frenzy" "Split Enz" Album. Features one of the most honest love songs ever written; "Stuff And Nonsense" Available on CD. (Mushroom MUSH32334.2)
"Finn" with Neil Finn. Album. On CD (Parlophone 7243 8 35632 2 7)
"True Colours" "Split Enz" Album. Available in a collection of different coloured covers. Contains more hit singles than any other Enz LP. Vinyl. (Polydor ENZ1) Quite common second hand.
"The Living Enz" A great live album from the early to mid 80's. Vinyl. (Mushroom RML 57005/6)

No. 1: Mike Chunn;
Bass player for the original lineup of "Split Enz". Upon departure formed "Citizen Band" with brother Geoff, Greg Clark and Brent Eccles, who went on to join Aus rockers "The Angels". Hits included "Rust In My Car" and the modified Larry Morris song "I Feel Good". Citizen band were most noted for their high energy live performances and became the ultimate example of Kiwi pub rock. Mike became the head of the NZ office of the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) where he assisted hundreds of NZ musicians until his resignation in 2003. Mike is now fronting "Play It Strange", through which he is endeavoring to give all school children the opportunity to participate in music, or, as he puts it, "make air guitar real".

Must haves;
"The Beginning Of The Enz" "Split Enz" Album. (Mushroom L37132) Vinyl.
"Second Thoughts" "Split Enz" Album. (Mushroom L35981) Vinyl.
"Citizen Band" Album. (Mandrill MAN2) Vinyl.
"Just Drove Through Town" Album. (CBS SBP237349) Vinyl.
"CB Bootleg" Album. Live. (CBS CSP129) Vinyl.