TERRY BRITTEN
In the mid-1960s Terry Britten gained national fame in Australia as the
lead guitarist and main songwriter for The Twilights, one
of the top pop Aussie bands of their day. In the late 1960s, around the
time
that the group split up, Terry began to establish himself as a writer
and producer for other artists. His first credited work as a producer
was for the band Zoot, writing and producing their early 1969 single
"1x2x3x4", which was a moderate hit for them. He also wrote two other
tracks for the band ("Yes, I'm Glad" and "She's Alright"), which were
included on their debut LP Just Zoot and he presumably produced both these recodings as well.
Just after the breakup of The Twilights, Britten released a solo
single, "2000 Weeks", a song inspired by the landmark Tim Burstall film
of the same name. He then moved back to his native England, where he
teamed up with old friends Kevin Peek, Alan Tarney and
Trevor
Spencer (ex-James Taylor Move) in the band Quartet. They released one
single, "Now"
on Decca before disbanding in late 1969; a much-touted Quartet album, Joseph,
never saw the light of day.
Terry then briefly partnered with
Brian
Peacock (ex-Procession)
in the band Homer. Terry then concentrated on honing his
craft as
a songwriter, sometimes working in collaboration with Tarney
and/or Spencer and B.A. Robertson. In the 1970s Terry established
himself as one of the leading pop writers of the period, penning major
hits for artists including Cliff Richard ("Devil Woman", We Don't
Talk Anymore"), Tina
Turner ("What's Love Got To Do With It") and Countdown discovery (the late) Christie Allen.
Among his many stellar credits, Terry wrote "Just
Good Friends" with Graham Lyle, which was included on
Michael Jackson's mega-selling Bad album. Finally,
too, he fulfilled his long-time ambition
to secure a film soundtrack song, winning a Grammy for his theme to the
movie Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome,
Tina's hit song "We Don't Need Another Hero".
These days,
Terry continues to compose from his home base in rural England,
although he has returned to Australia on several occasions for reunion
performances by The Twilights.
Production credits
Zoot
Jan. 1969
"1 x, 2x, 3x, 4" / "Sailing" (Columbia DO-8605)
Produced by Terry Britten
Terry Britten (solo)
1969
"2,000 Weeks" / "Bargain Day" (Columbia DO-8711)
Composed, performed and produced by Terry Britten
References / Links
Ian McFarlane
Encyclopedia of Australia Rock & Pop (Allen & Unwin, 1999)
Beeb Birtles official website