The Town Criers were an Australian pop band formed in 1964.[1] By 1967 their line-up was Andy Agtoft on lead vocals, Mark Demajo on bass guitar (ex-Gemini 5), Sam Dunnin on lead guitar (ex-Gemini 5), Chris Easterby on drums, and George Kurtiss on keyboards.[2] Their first single was a cover version of the Kinks' album track, "The World Keeps Going Round", which was issued in 1965 but did not chart.[3]
Town Criers | |
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| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 1964–1972 |
| Labels |
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| Past members |
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They released a cover version of American singer, Robert Knight's "Everlasting Love", as a single in February 1968, which reached No. 17 on the Go-Set National Top 40 alongside United Kingdom's Love Affair's rendition which peaked at No. 23 on the same chart at the same time.[4] Kurtiss left the group in May 1968 and was replaced on keyboards by John Taylor (ex-Strings Unlimited).[2] Their next single, "Unexpectedly", did not reach the top 40.[2]
Agtoft was replaced early in 1969 by Barry Smith from Adelaide and Taylor left without being replaced.[2][3] Town Criers released further singles, "Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad)" (March 1969), "Love Me Again" (October 1969) and "Living in a World of Love" (May 1970), before disbanding in 1972.[2][3] Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, opined, "[they] made a name for themselves with a melodious, commercial pop sound and squeaky-clean teen idol image... By the end of 1971, [their] sound had become outmoded, and the members went their separate ways."[2]
Discography
editCompilation albums
edit| Title | Details |
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| Complete Recordings |
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Extended plays
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Everlasting Love |
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| Love Me Again |
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Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [4][5] | ||
| "The World Keeps Going Round"[3] | 1965 | — |
| "Everlasting Love"[3] | 1968 | 17 |
| "Unexpectedly"[3] | — | |
| "Any Old Time (Your Lonely and Sad)" | 1969 | 53 |
| "Love Me Again" | 35 | |
| "Living in a World of Love" | 1970 | 42 |
| "Laughing Man" | 1971 | — |
| "Love, Love, Love" | — |
References
edit- ^ Nuttall, Lyn; Walker, David. "'Everlasting Love' The Town Criers (1968)". Where Did They Get That Song?. PopArchives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Town Criers'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kimball, Duncan (2002). "Town Criers". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ a b Nimmervoll, Ed (24 April 1968). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ Nimmervoll, Ed (15 November 1969). "National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 2 March 2018.