Little Heroes

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Little Heroes
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
GenresIndie pop
Years active1980–1984
LabelsGiant/CBS
EMI
Capitol
Past memberssee Members list

Little Heroes were a popular Australian rock band in the 1980s. They are best known for their hit single "One Perfect Day", which was released in 1982.

Biography[edit]

Little Heroes were formed from the remnants of The Secret Police. The Secret Police were a popular Melbourne rock band, comprising vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Roger Hart(aka Roger Wells), bassist Neil Walker [Died 1979 from Leukemia] was replaced by John Taylor, drummer Bruce Pumpa, guitarist Andrew Callender, and saxophonist Peter Linley.[1] Secret Police did not issue any records, although posthumously the band contributed the tracks "Emotion" and "Everybody Looks Lonely at Night" to Missing Links' 1981 compilation album The Melbourne Club.[2] In 1980 Hart, Taylor and Pumpa joined keyboardist David Crosbie to start a new band called The Little Heroes.[1]

The new line-up competed in the Victorian State heat of the 1980 Battle of the Sounds, finishing a creditable second. The result was enough to advance The Little Heroes to the national final in Sydney, which they won, earning $5000.[2] This resulted in the band recording and releasing their debut single "She Says"/"Coming Home" in November 1980.[2] On the strength of this independent release they were signed to the Giant Records/CBS label to record their debut album.

Prior to recording the album the band recruited a new drummer, Huk Treloar (ex-Bleeding Hearts) to replace Pumpa.[1][2] The band's self titled debut album was released in August, 1981 and reached #81 on the Australian album charts. It produced the singles "For a Bleeding Heart"/"She Says" (March, 1981), "Last Number One"/"Catch Me" (June, 1981), and "India Was Calling Me"/"Pretty Shadow" (September, 1981) all of which failed to chart. At the end of 1981 Alan 'Clutch' Robertson then replaced Treloar on drums.[1][2]

In early 1982 the band undertook the recording of their second album, Play by Numbers, (now with EMI Records) at Armstrong Studios in Melbourne, and then at the EMI studios in Sydney. The advance single, "One Perfect Day", was released in May, 1982 and reached #12 nationally and #6 in Victoria.[3] Those recording sessions also produced a second single "Young Hearts", which reached #42 on the national singles charts.[3] The lineup of Hart, Crosbie, Taylor and Robertson then toured Australia to promote the successful "One Perfect Day".

Martin Fisher (ex-Breakers) then replaced Crosbie on keyboards, and Peter Leslie replaced Taylor on bass.[1][2] The new lineup (Hart, Robertson, Leslie, Fisher) completed recording the second album, Play by Numbers at 301 Studios in Sydney with Australian producer Dave Marrett. The album was released in August, 1982 and peaked at #37 on the national album charts.[3] It also yielded a third single, "Saturday (Afternoon) Inside" released In October 1982, which failed to chart. The album was supported by a six month national tour.

Fisher and Leslie left to join Dear Enemy and were replaced by Paul Brickhill (ex-MEO-245) on keyboards and bass player, Rick Loriot (ex-Inserts) at the end of 1982. Loriot only lasted four months and was in turn replaced by Anthony Tavasz (ex-Modesty).[1][2]

The band added guitarist Paul Bell, which allowed Hart more freedom as lead vocalist[2] and they then (Hart, Robertson, Bell, Brickhill, Tavasz) traveled to the United Kingdom in June 1983 to record their third album, Watch the World at Farmyard Studios with UK producer Rupert Hine (The Fixx, Howard Jones).[2][4] The album was released in September 1983 and reached #50 nationally.[3] The first single, "Watch the World", released in August, 1983 reached #73, with the second single, "Bon Voyage", released in November, 1983 reaching #51,[3] whilst the third single "Modern Times", released in March, 1984 failing to chart.[2] To support the release of "Watch The World" the band toured Australia over a six month period.

In June, 1984 Roger Hart/Wells announced he was leaving the band and as a result the Little Heroes was formally disbanded.[2]

Post Heroes[edit]

  • Roger Hart/Roger Wells went on to become an author and meditation trainer. His books on meditation are: Happy to Burn (Lothian 1997) and Love & Imagination. More recently his first novel, Levin's God was published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press (2004).[5]
  • John Taylor became a filmmaker and graphics designer, winning an AFI award in 1986.[6]
  • Paul Brickhill went on to head the Music Department at the Australian Ballet School.[7]
  • David Crosbie was the Chief Executive of Melbourne's Odyssey House, the largest drug and alcohol treatment centre in Victoria and is on the National Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs.[8] He is now the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Council of Australia.[9]
  • Alan 'Clutch' Robertson worked for Warner Music for sixteen years in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, after which he established Alan Robertson Management, representing bands such as Magic Dirt, Taxiride and Juke Kartel. Robertson currently works in the mobile content/entertainment industry and plays drums for The Rock Legends.
  • Martin Fisher became a Crown Prosecutor in the Northern Territory and played keyboards in popular Darwin band The Fabulous Baker Brothers.
  • Peter McCaughley (Drummer) was an original member of 'The Secret Police' in the year of 1979/1980. Prior to them he was with a local Melbourne band 'Ready Rubbed' and after leaving 'The Secret Police' he joined up with another local group 'Danger Dancer' died in 1986 of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 32.

Members[edit]

  • Paul Bell - guitar, vocals (1983–1984)
  • Paul Brickhill - keyboards, vocals (1983–1984)
  • David Crosbie - keyboards (1980–1982)
  • Martin Fisher - keyboards (1982)
  • Roger Hart (aka Roger Wells) - vocals, songs, guitar (1980–1984)
  • Peter Leslie - bass (1982)
  • Ric Loriot - bass (1983-1983)
  • Bruce Pumpa - drums (1980)
  • Alan 'Clutch' Robertson - drums, percussion (1981–1984)
  • Anthony Tavasz - bass, synthesiser (1983–1984)
  • John C. J. Taylor - bass, vocals (1980–1982)
  • Huk Treloar - drums (1980–1981)

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

  • The Little Heroes - Giant (August, 1981) AUS #81
  • Play by Numbers - EMI (August, 1982) AUS #37
  • Watch the World - EMI/Capitol (September, 1983) AUS #50

Singles[edit]

  • "She Says"/"Coming Home" - Independent (November, 1980)
  • "For a Bleeding Heart"/"She Says" - Giant (March, 1981)
  • "Last Number One"/"Catch Me" - Giant (June, 1981)
  • "India Was Calling Me"/"Pretty Shadow" - Giant (September, 1981)
  • "One Perfect Day"/"Just Can't Wait" - EMI (May, 1982) AUS #12
  • "Young Hearts"/"Please Don't Wear That Hat" - EMI (September, 1982) AUS #42
  • "Saturday (Afternoon) Inside"/"To Be Her Cat" - EMI (October, 1982)
  • "Watch The World"/"Who's Turn To Cry" - EMI (August, 1983) AUS #73
  • "Bon Voyage"/"Let It Go" - EMI (November, 1983) AUS #51
  • "Modern Times"/"Painting Pictures" - EMI (March, 1984)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Australian Rock Database, abgerufen am 17. Dezember 2008.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Citation/CS1/Suggestions' not found.
  3. ^ a b c d e Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help) NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  4. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Discogs, abgerufen am 17. Dezember 2008.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
  5. ^ Hughes, Juliette (2004-06-04). "Sexual Healing". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
  6. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Australian Film Institute, abgerufen am 17. Dezember 2008.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
  7. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Australian Ballet School, abgerufen am 17. Dezember 2008.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär [dead link]
  8. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". ABC Radio, 10. Dezember 2000, abgerufen am 17. Dezember 2008.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
  9. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Australian National Council on Drugs, abgerufen am 17. Dezember 2008.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär [dead link]

External links[edit]

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