Alan Harpley.net

Thanks so much to Alan Harpley for the interview! Merry Go Rhythms was an 80s Sydney band who only released one 7″ back in the day. But they did record many more songs and I wanted to know more about them. So I wrote about them on the blog some time ago and last week Alan got in touch with me and was kind enough to answer all my questions!

++ Hi Alan! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Still making music?

I’m well, and yes still making music 😊

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen at home while growing up?

Mmmm? Music was always in our house when I was growing up. My mother used to sing and act in local stage shows productions and there was always a piano in the house. I have a photo from 1969 with a 2 year old me sitting at the piano trying to play it. My first instrument was the piano but I never had the patience to practice (which I’ve regretted now for years). Guitar became my weapon of choice. I wanted to be on a stage like all the bands we were watching on TV music shows back in the day. So a 14 year old me started to learn guitar at school and played my first gig in 1981.

Growing up I listened to a lot of Beatles and Australian Rock at the time. We had a thriving pub rock scene here in Australia back in the 70’s & 80’s.

++ Had you been in other bands before Merry Go Rhythms? If so, how did they sound like? Are there any recordings?

Yeah, my first band was called THE START in 1981. Then there was a band called CON-FUSION in 1982. Then there was THE ACCOOSTIX from 1983 to 1985. Each of these bands sounded like raw pop rock I guess??? I have a recording (2 songs) of the ACCOOSTIX. All I wanna do & In The City Tonight. All I wanna do was the first of my originals to get played on the radio. I was 17 at the time. 😊 I can send you an audio file if you would like it.

++ What about the rest of the band members?

Paul was in the final ACCOOSTIX line up in 1985. I met Gary in 1984 while doing lights & lugging gear for his band The SILENT TYPES. And good old Andy was playing in the band SOUTH BOUND TRAIN. I was just about to do a project with Paul when Covid-19 stuffed it all up for us. Andy is a radio DJ in Tuncurry Australia. Unfortunately, I lost contact with Gary a few years ago. But he never played after we broke up.

++ Where were you from originally?

We were all from Sydney, mainly the south of Sydney. Well, except for Andy. He’s an Englishman but live in Australia most of his life.

++ How was Sydney at the time of Merry Go Rhythms? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

At the time Merry Go Rhythms were playing, almost every pub had a band on. Every night of the week! It was a great time to be in bands. There were lot’s of great music happening back then. A lot of bands made the big time, a lot didn’t, but still made a good impact on the suburbs. One of my favourite bands at the time were The FINGER GUNS. Great band. Their bass player was Murray Cook who became a worldwide star being the Red Wiggle. Our bands worked together quite often. Most venues had up and coming bands so there was variety plus back then.

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?

OK, Gary approached me when The Silent Types broke up. I had just finished up with The Accoostix at the time. This was early 1986. Paul was rehearsing with some guys which included drummer David Frazer. I told Gary that we should check them out, which we did and the next thing you know Paul and David joined up with us. Pretty simple really, we all just jelled. We did our first gig on the 17th May 1986 at the Oatley Hotel. Good fun pub. Still is.

++ Were there any lineup changes?

Yeah mate, we had a few changes over the years. A few name changes too.

David left to play cover songs and make some money. (we always put our share of the money back into the band for recordings and merch) That’s when Andy came along. We had a name change in 1988. Our sound was getting a little rockier and we thought the name wasn’t strong enough. So, we went with PUBLIC ENEMY. Bad move, right? As we discovered there was already a Public Enemy overseas. Long story short, arguments started happening about money and royalties, so I was the one to quit. Not too long after Gary convinced me to come back and we were then joined by Norm Debonis on guitar and Jason Boylan on drums. This line up didn’t last very long. Too many ego’s I guess. In 89 we change the name again to D-LUXE AND THE RHYTHM. Paul was back in the fold, Gary’s brother in law came on board as an extra guitarist and a drummer named George Muscat,(later to be in the band Black Label) then a drummer named Mark Sullivan. That was the last line up which finished up in 1992.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

Creative wise, Gary and I wrote most of the songs. Paul wrote a couple. But we would just be in the studio and one of us would say “I’ve got this song I’ve been working on” and we would all just start to make it happen. It was really easy like that, magic just happened 😊 There were two main rehearsal studios we used to use. A place called Take 5 studios and Downunder Studios. Both great rooms to rehearse.

++ What’s the story behind the band’s name? 

Yes, the name. I personally never really liked it. lol (Hence the MGR reference).

We were going to be called Merry Go Round after a rocking song by the band Cold Chisel. But as per our luck someone beat us to it. I remember we were sitting in Accent recording studios doing some mix downs of our first recordings, (we recorded before we had even played a gig together) and names were being thrown back and forwards and one was Merry something??? And the other was rhythmic something??? And somehow it ended up as Merry go rhythms. By then I was over it and just went with the flow.

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

I would say we were very influenced by the Australian music styles at the time, maybe even a little Beatles thrown in. Paul was more of a sort of Jazz player so our sound I think was our own. It was a good mix.

++ As far as I know you only released one 7″ back in 1987 on your own label MGR Records. Why did you go the self-release route? Was there no labels interesting in putting your music out? Or you preferred doing it your own way?

That’s correct. We only ever released the one record. It was our idea to go it independently and hopefully get the attention of the larger labels. We ended up doing two pressings of the record. We recorded the next single RAIN but it was never released on vinyl.

++ And how did you like the experience of doing label stuff? Was it easy to get your record distributed?

I would have to give all the credit to Gary for all that sort of stuff. He was the business man, I was more the writing, playing and partying guy. 😊 Paul and Andy just wanted to play.

++ Both songs on the 7″ were recorded at Reel-Time-Studios in Sydney. Was it your first experience at a proper recording studios? How did you like this recording studios?

Reel time was a great studio. Not our first studio but the most professional studio we had been in. It was a good place to record. I loved every second of it.

++ And how was working with Mark Tinson, who produced the record?

Mark was great, he helped guide us through the sessions with ease. Mark was a top bloke. I was thrilled to be working with him. He was a guitarist for the Ted Mulry Gang who were one time pretty big in Australia. So yeah, I looked up to him.

++ On your website you have releases like the “Famous Lies” EP or the “Living on the Edge” EP. Were these two EPs properly released? They were recorded at Accent Studios, right? I couldn’t find any other information on the web!

No, none of these songs were ever released. Famous Lies was recorded at Accent recording studios in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah. Living on the edge was recorded at Riversond Recordings in the Sydney suburb of Riverwood. Something missing and Rain were also recorded there.

++ Care telling me a bit about these two EPs? When and where were they recorded?

Opps, Think I jumped ahead and answered that one. My bad 😊

++ And what about the “Somethings Missing” EP? That was recorded in 1989. Was it released? There is a different version of “Perpetual Motion” on this one, right?

Perpetual motion was always a crowd favourite, but as the band progressed we thought, let’s kick this up a notch. I do like this version much better than the original. It was more us. Perpetual motion had been in the Silent Types live set before we recorded it. So by the time the latest version was recorded, it sounded more like where the band was at the time.

++ I see you have many songs, so I wonder was there plans to release an album at some point? What about these days, a retrospective compilation perhaps?

Not really. I have them all on file. It could be possible to put them all together and throw them on iTunes and Spotify. But there weren’t any plans to do it.

++ Were there any other demo tapes by Merry Go Rhythms?

I think Paul still has some rehearsal tapes somewhere. I’ve got some live ones and I know Andy still has some live ones as well.

++ What about compilation albums, did you contribute songs to any?

No. Not that I’m aware of???? But hey? I didn’t know about your blog and you found us! How did you come across us by the way? Now I’m asking you questions. Sorry.

++ And are there more unreleased songs by the band?

No. We only recorded the 11 songs during our time.

++ I think my favourite song of your is “Face the War”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?

Once again, I would have to give Gary the credit for that song. He came into the studio with it already written. We just created it. It turned into a monster. 7 something minuets!! Sorry, I don’t know what inspired Gary to write it.

++ If you were to choose your favorite Merry Go Rhythms song, which one would that be and why?

Wow, Hard question. I like them all. If I had to choose? I would say the re-recorded Perpetual Motion because it just sounds fresher and up compared to the original recording. And Rain. I like Rain. The song had a more commercial / international style to it.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? I read about 200? Is that so?!

Yeah about that. Between 1986 and 1992. There were a few gaps in there. I have a list of most of them from old diaries but I’m sure there are some I have forgotten in there.

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

They were all fun for me. But the record release run of shows were the best I think. We did some good support shows and some great headlining shows. A funny story comes from a weekend tour back in 1987. We left Sydney in our trusty hire van and drove 107kms to a venue called the Illawarra leagues Club. Played a cool gig then packed up the hire van and drove 532Kms through the night with Andy at the wheel (and lots of laughs along the way with our road crew Leo) to a country town called Griffith. Not so unusual for a band on the road. We arrived at the hotel sometime during the day and go in for sound check. Great big PA System. We play one of our rockier songs (Living on the edge) and the sound guy loves us! Then he says, “You guys should play that sort of stuff all the time. It rocks”. We all look at each other and just shrug shoulders. We go rest up in the motel for a few hours then back to the venue for show time. That’s when we discovered what the sound guy was talking about. The place was full with old rock n roll 1950’s dancers!!!!! Being a country town, people came from miles around to see (what we were billed as) Merry-Go-Rhythms the 50’s, 60’s rock and roll review! I know it sounds like something out of The Blues Brothers movie but it’s all true. We stumble through the first set, making it up as we went along. Unlike the Blues Brothers, it was horrible. The manager comes up to us when we have a break, pays us, gives us a case of beer and said “Not your fault the promoter is about to get a phone call”. “Go back to the motel and enjoy, the DJ will finish the night”. So forever more, that weekend was known as the Pull the plug tour.

++ And were there any bad ones?

Oh yeah. As above. There was only one other I remember being a bit of a shocker. A show at the Kings Head Tavern. What I remember of the gig was that we were on fire! Sounding great. But before the last set, someone had offered me some 420 in the carpark. On top of the amount of beer already consumed by me things could of gone much worse. I do recall all the guys looking at me during one song (could not tell which one) But apparently, I have started playing a different song mid solo. I thought it was sounding great. I had no idea. That only ever happened once. But the worst one was at some venue in a beach side suburb called Coogee. Poor Andy was outside having a smoke in our break and some Asshole decided to beat the crap out of him. Poor Andy lost a couple of teeth and was laid out for a few weeks. That cut the gig short real quick.

++ When and why did Merry Go Rhythms stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?

We just fell apart, I guess. We had run our course. Line-up changes, different opinions, growing different musically. All that stuff. Our last gig was at the Villawood Hotel in Sydney on the 15th May 1992. That was the end. Since 1994 I have been playing consistently in cover bands and trios and duos. My longest stint has been playing in the GTS DUO. I did 15 years and 601 shows with GTS. We only stopped because the world did.

++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands afterwards?

Andy went back and played with South Bound Train again for a while from memory. Paul has been playing in a band called Skylark for like 20 something years now. (I was just about to join them on bass guitar when Covid hit). Gary never played after the Villawood gig.

++ Has there been any reunion gigs?

No gigs, but we had a reunion rehearsal a few years back. It was like riding a bike. I had a photographer came and take some memories for us.

++ Did you get much attention from the radio?

Not a lot. We did get spun a few times on commercial radio but in those days without label backing?? We did get a lot of plays on community radio. That was where we got played the most.

++ What about TV? Made any promo videos?

No TV or promo videos unfortunately.

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

Yeah, we got quite a lot in the local newspapers from the areas we were playing. All good reviews. Which was nice.

++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

It would have to be releasing the Perpetual Motion / Face The War record. And finally, being able to play some great venues as headliners instead of support acts.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

Mate, when I’m not playing music and have the time, I love to get out on the lake and go fishing. It doesn’t happen very often though.

++ Never been to the Sydney or Australia! So I will ask for some recommendations. If  I was to visit your city what shouldn’t I miss? What are your favourite sights? And any particular food or drinks that you think one shouldn’t miss?

I guess you would have to do the Harbour Bridge climb. Check out The Sydney Opera House and Darling Harbour. Doyals Seafood at Watsons Bay 😊

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

Yeah, I just want to say thanks for discovering us after so many years. Andy was the one who sent your blog to Paul and myself. He found it online somewhere 😊

Just to add, these are my memories and answers of events and may not necessarily represent the opinions of all members.

(Paul & Andy have read this interview and given their consent to publish).