| MILESAGO: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975 | Groups & Solo Artists |
THE DREAM / THE NEW DREAM
Melbourne, 1966-69 (The Dream);
1969-1972, 1974 (The New Dream)
The Dream (1967-69)
Mark Archer (drums)
Brian Holloway (guitar) 1968
Alex Kadell aka Alex Optiz (vocals)
Jenny Johnson (organ)
Jack McGrath (guitar, vocals) 1967-71
Peter Nicoll (guitar) 1967-68
The New Dream (1969-72)
Mark Archer (drums) 1967-70
John Bois (bass) 1970-72
Alex Kadell aka Alex Optiz (vocals)
Graham Jones (bass) 1972
Jenny Johnson (organ)
Jack McGrath (guitar, vocals)
Peter Reed (drums) 1970-72
Terry Stirzker (bass) 1967-70
History
The Dream formed in 1967 when singer Alex
Opitz and keyboard player Jenny
Johnson, both from The
Changing Times, joined forces with
members of another Melbourne discotheque band, The Final Four. In January 1968 they appeared as a support on the infamous Who-Small Faces "Big Show" tour, and in June Peter Nicoll left the group, to be replaced by Brian Holloway. Holloway left
later in the year to join the remaining members of Somebody's Image,
which became The Image after the departure of lead
singer
Russell Morris, and he subsequently played in Ronnie Charles' shortlived supergroup Captain Australia & The Honky Tonk.
The Dream did not make any known commercial recordings. In April 1969 the group was relaunched as The New Dream, and their style
changed to
exploit the current "bubblegum pop" trend; Glenn A Baker has written
that their agency was grooming the band to take over from Zoot. They
signed with Festival
and
issued their first two singles during the year, "Yours Until Tomorrow"
(April) and
Catching Up On
Fun" (July), which made the Melbourne charts.
Their first national success came with their third
single, "Groupie", one
of a string of successful formula bubblegum songs written by Buzz
Cason, the American who also penned "Hayride" (the hit debut
for The Flying Circus) and
"Everlasting Love", which was also a big hit for The Town Criers. "Groupie"
became a national hit, reaching #28 in March 1970, but the time the
single came out the lineup had changed to Kadell, Johnson,
John Bois
(bass) and Peter Reed (drums).
Regular dance circuit bookings and TV appearances on Happenning '70 helped the band
to build up popularity
with teen audiences, and their next three singles all made the
charts. "Soft Delights" (May 1971) only just missed out on a Top 20
placing,
and although "Candy Love" (Sep. 1971) only scraped into the lower
reaches of the Top 100, "Turned 21" (March 1972) fared much
better, reaching #31. In January 1972 John Bois left to join Country
Radio and he was replaced by Graham Jones (also ex Iguana, Captain
Australia & The Honky Tonk).
This new lineup recorded their
only LP
and their last two singles, a cover of T-Rex's "Ride A White Swan"
(Dec. 1972) and "Girl I'm Gonna Get You" (Feb. 1973). Their
self-titled LP, produced by Brian
Cadd, featured
what Ian McFarlane describes as "...a gloriously campy mix of
the band's
bubblegum hits, easy listening pop fluff replete with sweet harmonies
and schmaltz strings, plus a cover of joni Mitchell's 'Cheslea
Morning' ...".
The group broke up at the end of 1972; with Kadell embarked on a solo career, and Peter Reed joined Gary Young's Hot Dog (he later played with Pantha and Bandicoot, the group that featured Mick Fettes (Madder Lake) and Shane Bourne). Kadell and Johnson revived the New Dream name for two singles released during 1974. The first, "I Can't Stop Dancing (In The Dark)" (July) was written by Andy Fairweather-Low and produced by Steve Groves (ex Tin Tin); the second the oddly-titled "Schlick Schlak Boom Boom" was produced by Buddy England. Neither single made any impression, and the group faded from view.
Discography
Several New Dream tracks have appeared on compilation albums. "Groupie" was anthologised included on Sound Of The 70's and Festival's So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star. "Ride A White Swan" figured on 15 Australian Superstars and Star Tracks and "Catchin' Up On Fun" and "Who Could Be Loving You" were included on Australia's Top Talent.
Singles
April 1969
"Yours Until Tomorrow" / "Turn Around" (Festival FK-2865)
July 1969
"Catchin' Up On Fun" / "You've Got That Certain Style" (Festival
FK-3102)
1970
"Groupie / "It's So Good To Be With You" (Festival
FK-3405)
#25
May 1971
"Soft Delights" / "You Got Me Singing" (Festival FK-4178)
#21
Sept. 1971
"Candy Love" / "Do You Think You Can Make Me Happy?" (Festival FK-4268)
#73
March 1972
"Turned 21" / "Someone Like You (Festival FK-4557)
#31
Dec. 1972
"Ride A White Swan"/ "The Weak End" (Festival FK-4916)
Feb. 1973
"Girl I'm Gonna Get You" / "Gene's Song" (Festival FK-5001)
Albums
1973
The New Dream
(Festival)
Produced by Brian Cadd
REFERENCES / LINKS
McGrath, Noel
Encyclopedia of Australian Rock (Outback Press, 1978)
McFarlane, Ian
Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop (Allen
& Unwin, 1999)
Joyson, Vernon et al
Dreams, Fantasies & Nightmares: Australia
(Borderline Books, 1999)
Spencer, Chris, Zbig Nowara and Paul McHenry
Who's Who of Australian Rock (Five Mile Press, 2002)