Jimmy and the Boys
| Jimmy and the Boys | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Shock rock, new wave |
| Years active | 1976–1982 |
| Labels | Astor, Avenue, Festival, EMI |
| Associated acts | Arms & Legs, Pardon Me Boys |
| Past members |
Tom Falkinham Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth Scott Johnston Ignatius Jones Jason Morphett Andrew de Teliga Barry Litten |
Jimmy and the Boys were an Australian shock rock and new wave band, active from 1976 to 1982. They pioneered the use of shock theatrics in Australia with an act that revolved around vocalist and contortionist Ignatius Jones (born Jaun Ignacio Trapaga) and kitsch transvestite keyboard player Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth (born William O'Riordan). The group recorded two studio albums, Not Like Everybody Else (November 1979) and Teddy Boys' Picnic (July 1981). In May 1981 they scored their only top 10 single with "They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me" – it was written by Split Enz front man Tim Finn. In 1982 soon after issuing their live album, In Hell with Your Mother, they disbanded.
Australian rock music journalist, Jenny Hunter-Brown, described Jimmy and the Boys as a "high voltage package of filth, glorious filth". According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, their performances "mixed S&M trappings, sex shop props, mock rape and other depravities with sub-Zappaesque humour, hard rock, jazz, reggae and disco" and at the end of the 1970s they were "one of the most popular live acts on the Australian scene".
History
Ignatius Jones (born Juan Ignacio Trapaga) and Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth (born William O'Riordan) were friends from Cranbrook and Riverview, exclusive private schools in Sydney. The pair founded Jimmy and the Boys in 1976 as a shock rock group with Tom Falkinham on bass guitar, Hairmouth on keyboards and vocals, Scott Johnston on drums and vocals[Rose tattoo, Outline,Kids in the Kitchen,Swanney ect] Jones on lead vocals, Jason Morphett on saxophone and Andrew de Teliga on guitar.[1] On-stage Jones was also a contortionist and Hairmouth was "the kitchiest [sic] of transvestites".[1] Other than mainstays, Jones and Hairmouth, the line-up was regularly changed.[1] By the end of the 1970s they were "one of the most popular live acts on the Australian scene".[1] Australian rock music journalist, Jenny Hunter-Brown, described Jimmy and the Boys as a "high voltage package of filth, glorious filth".[1] In 1978 Hairmouth and Jones were joined by Danny Damjanovic on saxophone and flute, Steven Hall on guitar and vocals (ex-Jasper), Barry Lytten on drums (Rabbit) and Michael Parks on bass guitar and vocals. In October 1979 the group issued their debut single, "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" which is a cover version of The Kinks 1966 B-side of "Sunny Afternoon".[1]
In November 1979 the group released their first studio album, Not Like Everybody Else, which was delayed after Astor Records decided it was "too obscene".[1] It appeared on Avenue Records – a newly formed imprint by Festival Records "to handle Jimmy and the Boys".[1][2] By April 1980, the new line-up included Joe P. Rick (Joe Atala) on guitar and vocals, who replaced Rick Sutton(Chariot), Michael Vidale on bass guitar and vocals, and a returning Johnston on drums and vocals. In May that year the band were featured on the cover of RAM (aka Rock Australia Magazine) which described the group, "[t]heir performances featured politics, simulated sex and violent humour. Their stage antics involved the use of props, such as setting fire to dolls and maiming an effigy of [then-Prime Minister] Malcolm Fraser".[2][3] In 1981 they scored their only top 10 single with "They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me",[4] written by Split Enz leader, Tim Finn.[1][5] According to the Split Enz radio documentary, Enzology (2005), Finn was initially unhappy with Jimmy and the Boys' version. The original demo by Finn appears on the album Other Enz (1999).
Their second studio album was July 1981's Teddy Boys' Picnic. Jimmy and the Boys briefly disbanded in January 1982 and Jones moved to the theatre stage, playing the dual roles of Eddie and Dr. Scott in the Australian revival of The Rocky Horror Show. In mid-1982 the band reformed for a national tour, which resulted in a live album, In Hell with Your Mother (1982) but they disbanded soon after. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, the group's performances "mixed S&M trappings, sex shop props, mock rape and other depravities with sub-Zappaesque humour, hard rock, jazz, reggae and disco".[1] Following the second and final break up of the band, Warner Bros. Records signed Jones to a six-album record deal, of which little actually materialised, although Jones released a 1982 single "Like a Ghost". In the mid-1980s Jones and O'Riordan formed a swing jazz-cabaret band, Pardon Me Boys, with Jones' sister, Monica Trapaga – former Play School presenter – on lead vocals.[1][6] Following his solo career, Jones co-wrote a book True Hip (1990), and in 2000 helped organise the opening ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[6]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Not Like Everybody Else | Avenue/Festival |
| 1981 | Teddy Boys Picnic | Avenue |
| 1982 | In Hell with Your Mother (Live) | Avenue |
| 1988 | Out of Phaze - The Best Of | Avenue/EMI |
Singles
| Year | Title | AUS | AUS
Scanes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | I'm Not Like Everybody Else | 57 | 38 |
| 1979 | Products of Your Mind | - | - |
| 1981 | They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me | 8 | 6 |
| 1981 | Mirror Mirror | 91 | - |
| 1981 | Get Off My Cloud | - | - |
Members
Arranged chronologically and alphabetically:[1]
- Tom Falkinham – bass guitar (1976)
- Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth (born William O'Riordan) – keyboards, vocals (1976–1982)
- Scott Johnson – drums (1976, 1980)
- Ignatius Jones (born Jaun Ignacio Trapaga)[6] – lead vocals (1976–1982)
- Jason Morphett – saxophone (1976)
- Andrew de Teliga – guitar (1976)
- Danny Damjanovic – saxophone, flute (1978)
- Stephen Hall – guitar, vocals (1978)
- Barry Litten – drums (1978)
- Michael Parks – bass guitar, vocals (1978)
- Joe P. Rick (aka Rick Sutton) – guitar, vocals(1980)
- Michael Vidale – bass guitar (1980)
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Jimmy and the Boys'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- 1 2 "RAM Magazine". Trove. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
The magazine also has significance as visual evidence of the image and profile of the shock-rockers Jimmy and the Boys. Formed in the mid-1970s, Jimmy & the Boys were billed as the 'kings of outrage rock' on their bio. The band approached rock music as a form of theatre. Their performances featured politics, simulated sex and violent humour. Their stage antics involved the use of props, such as setting fire to dolls and maiming an effigy of Malcolm Fraser. The band recorded for John McDonald's Melbourne-based Avenue Records, an important independent label. Formed in 1979 to handle Jimmy & the Boys, it rapidly became a force, signing up Mondo Rock, the Monitors, the Bushwhackers and blues guitar virtuoso Kevin Borich
. - ↑ "Jimmy and the Boys". RAM (Sydney: Eastern Suburbs Newspapers (Phillip Mason)). 2 May 1980.
- 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-64611-917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
- ↑ ""They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- 1 2 3 Shmith, Michael (18 May 2003). "The Can-Can Can-Do Man". The Age (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 11 June 2012.
External links
- Jimmy and The Boys at Nostalgia Central.
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