Tarney-Spencer Band was an Australian
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band composed of
Trevor SpencerTrevor Spencer is an Australian songwriter, record producer and drummer. He was born in Adelaide, Australia Trevor studied drums and percussion from the age of 10...
and
Alan TarneyAlan Tarney is an English songwriter, record producer and bass guitarist. He was born in Workington, Cumberland, England, but spent his teenage years in Adelaide, Australia.- Career :...
in the late 1970s. The band recorded three albums, and is notable for the song "No Time to Lose" which received substantial air-play in the USA on
Album-oriented rockAlbum-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Freeform and Progressive:The roots of the Album-Oriented Rock radio format began with programming concepts rooted in 1960s idealism...
radio stations, and charted twice on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart .
Alan Tarney met Trever Spencer while playing in an Australian group called Johnny Broome and The Handels and then The Vectormen plus James Taylor Move - all located in Adelaide.
In 1969 Alan and Trevor emigrated to the UK along with Kevin Peek and
Terry BrittenTerry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
- allegedly motivated by Australia's teen-drafting into its army in support of the USA with its then current
Vietnam warThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
in north Vietnam until 1975.
They formed a band called Quartet, releasing 2 singles on the Decca label and recording a 12 track unreleased album.
The two also occasionally played on on numerous sessions for artists including
Hank MarvinHank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
and
John FarrarJohn Farrar , born on 8 November 1946 in Melbourne Australia, is a music producer, songwriter, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
,
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
,
Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a British-born, Australian-raised singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 albums...
,
Chris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes...
,
Bonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer. She is recognisable by her distinctive, husky voice.- Early life :...
,
Charlie DoreCharlie Dore is a respected English songwriter who originally trained as an actress, and is best known for her 1979 hit, "Pilot of the Airwaves", which reached number 13 on the U.S...
, New Seekers,
Peter DoylePeter John Doyle was an Australian pop singer who had success with a number of Top 40 hits in Australia in the 1960s, then success internationally as a member of the New Seekers in the early 1970s, before resuming a solo career in 1973.-Early career:He started his career at the age of 9 appearing...
,
The Real ThingThe Real Thing are a UK pop group, formed in Liverpool in the early 1970s. The vocal quartet comprised brothers Chris and Eddie Amoo alongside Ray Lake, and Dave Smith...
and others.
About the same time as Tarney and Spencer were working under the name Quartet, they were also sitting in on sessions for
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
.
Tarney-Spencer Band was an Australian
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band composed of
Trevor SpencerTrevor Spencer is an Australian songwriter, record producer and drummer. He was born in Adelaide, Australia Trevor studied drums and percussion from the age of 10...
and
Alan TarneyAlan Tarney is an English songwriter, record producer and bass guitarist. He was born in Workington, Cumberland, England, but spent his teenage years in Adelaide, Australia.- Career :...
in the late 1970s. The band recorded three albums, and is notable for the song "No Time to Lose" which received substantial air-play in the USA on
Album-oriented rockAlbum-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Freeform and Progressive:The roots of the Album-Oriented Rock radio format began with programming concepts rooted in 1960s idealism...
radio stations, and charted twice on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart .
Early years
Alan Tarney met Trever Spencer while playing in an Australian group called Johnny Broome and The Handels and then The Vectormen plus James Taylor Move - all located in Adelaide.
In 1969 Alan and Trevor emigrated to the UK along with Kevin Peek and
Terry BrittenTerry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
- allegedly motivated by Australia's teen-drafting into its army in support of the USA with its then current
Vietnam warThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
in north Vietnam until 1975.
They formed a band called Quartet, releasing 2 singles on the Decca label and recording a 12 track unreleased album.
The two also occasionally played on on numerous sessions for artists including
Hank MarvinHank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
and
John FarrarJohn Farrar , born on 8 November 1946 in Melbourne Australia, is a music producer, songwriter, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
,
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
,
Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a British-born, Australian-raised singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 albums...
,
Chris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes...
,
Bonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer. She is recognisable by her distinctive, husky voice.- Early life :...
,
Charlie DoreCharlie Dore is a respected English songwriter who originally trained as an actress, and is best known for her 1979 hit, "Pilot of the Airwaves", which reached number 13 on the U.S...
, New Seekers,
Peter DoylePeter John Doyle was an Australian pop singer who had success with a number of Top 40 hits in Australia in the 1960s, then success internationally as a member of the New Seekers in the early 1970s, before resuming a solo career in 1973.-Early career:He started his career at the age of 9 appearing...
,
The Real ThingThe Real Thing are a UK pop group, formed in Liverpool in the early 1970s. The vocal quartet comprised brothers Chris and Eddie Amoo alongside Ray Lake, and Dave Smith...
and others.
Cliff Richard and The Shadows
About the same time as Tarney and Spencer were working under the name Quartet, they were also sitting in on sessions for
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
. Alan Tarney eventually joined
The ShadowsThe Shadows are Britain's most successful instrumental and vocal group with a grand total of 69 UK hit singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and The Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s...
on bass in 1973, staying until 1977. Alan appears on the following releases by Cliff and The Shadows:
- "About That Man" Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
1970
- "Cliff Live in Japan 1972" Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
1972
- "Marvin and Farrar" Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
and John FarrarJohn Farrar , born on 8 November 1946 in Melbourne Australia, is a music producer, songwriter, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
1973
- "Rockin with Curly Leads" The Shadows
The Shadows are Britain's most successful instrumental and vocal group with a grand total of 69 UK hit singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and The Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s...
1974
- "Help It Along" Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
1974
- "Specs Appeal" The Shadows
The Shadows are Britain's most successful instrumental and vocal group with a grand total of 69 UK hit singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and The Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s...
1975
- "Live at Paris Olympia" The Shadows
The Shadows are Britain's most successful instrumental and vocal group with a grand total of 69 UK hit singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and The Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s...
1975
- "Tasty" The Shadows
The Shadows are Britain's most successful instrumental and vocal group with a grand total of 69 UK hit singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and The Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s...
1977
- "Every Face Tells a Story" Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
1977
- "Rock'n'Roll Juvenile" Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
1979
NB all of the above available on CD format in the UK/Europe.
(The) Tarney / Spencer Band
Alan and Trevor began working as a duo in 1975. Their first, eponymous album
Tarney and Spencer was released in 1976 in the UK only, on the
Bradley's RecordsBradley's Records was a UK record label in the mid 1970s. It was founded by ATV Music publishers in 1974 and run by Derek Johns. The label was active for three years with moderate success, but was discontinued in early 1977....
on the Bradley's label, produced by
Dave MackayDavid Mackay is an Australian record producer/arranger and musical director. He was born in Sydney, Australia and began his music career at the age of 15 in a production of Bye Bye Birdie for J.C. Williamson Theatre Company...
.
In 1978 the Tarney / Spencer Band signed a contract with
A&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group which operates through the Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
for 10 albums but only completed 2 albums after being un-expectantly released from their contract by A&M.
In 1978 the single "Takin' me Back" reached the top 10 on the South African singles charts. What was unusual though was that the exact same song, by a different band named Sweet Chocolate, was on the charts at the exact same time, and climbed higher than the Tarney-Spencer version.
The band's second album (1st for A&M), was titled
"Three's a Crowd", produced by
David Kershenbaum- Biography and Career :David Kershenbaum is an American record producer and entrepreneur.Born in Springfield, Missouri, David Kershenbaum is the internationally known as a record producer and A&R man...
and featured cover art with rounded corners, shaped like an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
style cafe menu card. The album received modest airplay on
AORAlbum-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Freeform and Progressive:The roots of the Album-Oriented Rock radio format began with programming concepts rooted in 1960s idealism...
radio station in the US and reached #174 on Billboard Magazine's album chart. A single from the album,
"It's Really You" hit #86 on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
The third album,
"Run For Your Life", again produced by
David Kershenbaum- Biography and Career :David Kershenbaum is an American record producer and entrepreneur.Born in Springfield, Missouri, David Kershenbaum is the internationally known as a record producer and A&R man...
appeared in 1979. Again, with airplay at
AORAlbum-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Freeform and Progressive:The roots of the Album-Oriented Rock radio format began with programming concepts rooted in 1960s idealism...
radio, the album charted in the US reaching #181. One of the album's tracks,
"No Time To Lose" was released as a single and rose to number #84 on the singles chart.
After the release of a non-LP single,
"Cathy's Clown", this time produced by
Bruce WelchBruce Welch OBE, is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer and singer, best known as a member of The Shadows....
, in 1979, the band was released from their contract with A&M and discontinued their work together as Tarney-Spencer Band.
Two years after the band broke up, the track "
No Time To Lose" got the attention of MTV. In 1981, when MTV launched, the channel occasionally aired a video clip for "No Time To Lose". A&M reissued the track as a single. The song charted a second time on Billboard's Hot 100, fairing slightly better that the first time around, reaching #74. Their biggest achievement, "No Time To Lose" has never officially seen mainstream release on CD, either as part of the Run For Your Life album or on a various artist compilation (though a very limited import edition of Run For Your Life with questionable legitimacy was issued in the early 90s - see below)).
Later Work
Trevor Spencer left the UK and returned to Perth to help start Sh-Boom studios with Gary Taylor. Recent work with
Hank MarvinHank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
's 1990's solo (Hank plays.... series eg Buddy Holly etc) albums.
Alan Tarney began working as a producer in 1979 and was largely responsible for masterminding Cliff Richard's resurgent chart career in the late 1970s and mid-1980s with world-wide-hit "We don't talk anymore" and the albums
I'm No Hero,
Wired for Sound,
Stronger and
Always Guaranteed.
However, Tarney's most notable commercial success was with
A-haa-ha is a synthpop/-rock band from Norway, formed in 1982. The group initially rose to fame during the 1980s and has had continued success in the 1990s and 2000s.a-ha achieved its biggest success with their debut album and single in 1985...
. Alan produced their first three albums
Scoundrel Days,
Stay on these roads and
Hunting high and low including their massive world-wide-hit single "Take On Me".
Additional production work included sides for
SqueezeSqueeze are an English band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the New Wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording successfully in the 1980s and 1990s...
,
Charlie DoreCharlie Dore is a respected English songwriter who originally trained as an actress, and is best known for her 1979 hit, "Pilot of the Airwaves", which reached number 13 on the U.S...
,
Elkie BrooksElkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. She is known for her powerful husky voice.-Life and career:...
,
Bow Wow WowBow Wow Wow was a 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's, New Romantic fashion lines. The group's music is described as having an "African-derived drum sound". -History:...
,
Leo SayerLeo Sayer is an English-born singer-songwriter and musician whose singing career has spanned four decades. A distinctive singer-songwriter, Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
,
PulpPulp were an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Upon their split in 2002, their lineup consisted of Jarvis Cocker , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
,
Thomas AndersThomas Anders is a German singer, composer and record producer. Anders was the lead singer of Germany's popular pop-duo Modern Talking in 1984–1987 and in 1998–2003.-Early years:...
,
Morten HarketMorten Harket is the lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop band a-ha, who have released nine studio albums and topped the charts in several countries after their breakthrough hit "Take on Me" in 1985....
,
The HolliesThe Hollies are an English rock group from Manchester formed in the early 1960s. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style they became one of the leading British groups of the era, and they enjoyed considerable popularity in many other countries although they did not achieve major US chart...
,
Voice of the BeehiveVoice of the Beehive are an Anglo-American college rock/alternative band, formed in London in 1986 by Californian sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland, daughters of The Four Preps singer, Bruce Belland.-Career:...
,
The BluebellsThe Bluebells were a Scottish pop group in the 1980s.-Career:The Bluebells performed jangly guitar based pop not dissimilar to their Scottish contemporaries Aztec Camera and Orange Juice. They had three Top 40 hit singles in the UK, all written by guitarist and founder member Bobby Bluebell - "I'm...
,
The Dream AcademyThe Dream Academy was a 1980s pop band from England, comprising singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes; multi-instrumentalist Kate St John; plus keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel...
and others.
Discography
LPs
- Tarney and Spencer Bradleys (1976)
- Three's a Crowd A&M 4692 (1978) #174 US
- Run for Your Life
Run for Your Life is the second full-length album by Burlington, Ontario's The Creepshow released by Stomp Records. The album was released on August 22, 2008 in Compact Disc format and as a translucent green vinyl LP. The band's previous album, Sell Your Soul was released by Stereo Dynamite...
A&M 4757(1979) #184 US
Singles
- I'm your Man Rock n roll/Gunslinger Private stock PS??? - USA
- I'm Your Man Rock N Roll/Gunslinger Bradleys BRAD7603-UK (1976)
- If You Knew/It's Really You Bradleys BRAD7621-UK (1976)
- I Can Hear Love (edit version) /The Real Thing Bradleys BRAD7615-UK (1976)
- Takin Me Back/Set The Minstrel Free A&M AMS7339 (1978)
- Easier For You/Magic Still Runs... A&M AMS7358 (1978)
- It's Really You/Bye Bye My Sweet Love A&M AMS7386 (1978)
- No Time To Lose/Live Again A&M AMS7456 (1979)
- Cathys Clown/Anthing I Can Do A&M AMS7485 (1979) (pic sleeve)
- Three's a crowd flexi disc 33.3 rpm 4 tracks.
Reissue CDs
- Tarney and Spencer UK.Castle Communications
Castle Communications is a British record label, subsidiary of Universal Music Group, specialising in the back catalogue of folk and folk-rock artists. They possess most of the Transatlantic and Trailer catalogue. Starting in the early 1980s, they released work by Fairport Convention, John...
2003
- Run for Your Life
Run for Your Life is the second full-length album by Burlington, Ontario's The Creepshow released by Stomp Records. The album was released on August 22, 2008 in Compact Disc format and as a translucent green vinyl LP. The band's previous album, Sell Your Soul was released by Stereo Dynamite...
Germany Polydor 1993 (Limited edition 1,500CD pressing).
External links