Cold Chisel played the Mawson Hotel at Caves Beach lots of times in the late 70’s. Well the hotel just got lunched, to make way for more stuff. Some good shows and good nights were had there.
This is one of my favourite shots of Ian Moss. In silhouette. I only used the stage lights, as flash bothers the players and washes out the atmosphere. I shot using fast speed film and doubled the time developing it in my garage darkroom. Mossy used to take a solo spot while the band had a drink and he would play Georgia, and it would hush the crowd down.
Cold Chisel at the Mawson with the crowd up close and personal.
Jimm Barnes in combat boots and ex arm gear rocking his heart out. Mawson Hotel Caves Beach 1978.
Grubby, Newcastle’s most favourite drummer, who played in Rim Shot and Rat Salad and many others and has mixed for a lot of bands too, summed up the crowds feeling after a Cold Chisel gig. Quite often Grubby would take in a show at the Mawson and then hitch into town to play with his own band, who would be waiting, wondering where the hell is he. Somehow he always got there, not so much on time, but got there.
Phil Small Cold Chisel bass player Mawson Hotel 1978.
Ian Moss - another great guitar solo at the Mawson Hotel 1978.
Don Walker on Keyboards Mawson Hotel 1978. You didn’t get to see much of Don from the front of the stage, but he was the backbone of the group, writing some fantastic songs.
Steve Prestwich Cold Chisel Drummer Maswon Hotel 1978.
My daughter Lia in 1976 playing in the storm blown foam in front of the Redhead Shark Tower. This photo also appears on the ABC Website – You know you grew up in Newcastle when…see http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2010/02/22/2826363.htm
Chas Woodward at Birdie Beach by Graham Harkin 1977
Water shot of Peter Pitt surfing Redhead Little Beach around 1974.
One of the good things in surfing at the moment is the variety of surfing equipment people are now making – old ideas, mixed with the new. You would’nt look out of place walking down the beach now with this 1976 5’6″ Martin Littlewood Delta Fish.
Eddo – William Harrison. We wern’t sure what he was doing when he surfed but it was always interesting. Shown here at Newcastle Mattara Surfing contest around 1977, close to the foam and close to the nose.
Grant Brooks showing his cool casual style surfing at Redhead around 1977 .
Cold and windy and big and no one out. Redhead Little Beach around 1977.
Surfers have been into music since the start of surfing, in the beginning surf music was a bit corny but always fun.
1968, a typical surf on a summer Saturday morning at Redhead, the flags were up already but no one was in the water yet (hard to imagine these days). Two young long haired surfers sneak into the surf club (it’s ok they were members but they were sneaking). They set up a portable tape player in front of the PA mike, switch on the PA and the tape player and then grab their boards and paddle out fast.
The lag on the tape leader allows them to get out and then we hear the crackling and over the air waves comes Jimi Hendrix – Third Stone from the Sun. The music sort of rumbles and growls then squeals and sets into an awsome rythm. We take off and surf a wave to the new sound. Hendrix growls, You will never hear surf music again.
Soon enough the funbusters discover what’s happened and the music is switched off.
When we return to shore its…. ””Crow …..you cant play that kinda shit over the PA!!!”
Well I guess I like shit music.
Anyway, we all like different music and I would like to list some of my favourites in the hope someone else likes it.
Jimi Hendrix – Are you experienced – the first record that hit me, the times were changing and this was a big change, no soppy verses and structured choruses – just whatever Jimi felt like. Other Hendrix favoutites are Axis Bold as Love and Band of Gypsys.
A couple of years later a work mate loans me the 3 first Mothers of Invention albums, I listen, hear some weird stuff but some good stuff. In 1970 I go and buy the album Frank Zappa – Hot Rats and now have another favourite guitar player. Captain Beefeart’s growling vocals and Zappa’s Wah-Wah together on Willie the Pimp, awsome. Zappa has some 60 albums out and there is something incredible in all of them. My favourite now is Joe’s Garage, the song Watermelon in Easter Hay is Joe’s last imaginery guitar solo before music is made illegal. However Zappa’s a little bizzare for most people and I am sure I couldn’t paddle out with him playing on the PA, so I have to imagine it too.
Captain Beefheart was Zappa’s school mate and then formed his own band Captain Beefheart & the Magic band, his first album Safe As Milk has a young Ry Cooder on slide guitar, favourite song Sure’Nuff and Yes I Do. Other notable Beefheart albums are Trout Mask Replica and Doc at The Radar Station. Growling blues boogie and meshing electric guitars. Not for the faint hearted.
Dr John, The Night Tripper – New Orleans Voodoo Swamp Funk, the album Gris-Gris is scarily awsome. The good doctor has appeared on most big names albums as a session pianist and has many fine albums.
After a re-listen I am back into the Gratefull Dead, the hippy tie-die head band. Listen to American Beauty the song Ripple is beautiful.
After James Brown (try – its too funky in here) came Funkadelic/Parliament – the same band but just add more players. For fun, some great funky rythm’s and guitar and Zappaesque humour leader George Clinton (Brother Bill) is the new hip hop guys hero. Try Parliament Tear the Roof off – which inspired Talking heads Burning down the House after watching them. Also try Funkadelic Music for your Mother and Standing on the Verge of Getting it on.
Took me a long time but I did it and never looked back.- Listen to Miles Davis best intro is the album In a Silent Way.
Carlos Santana’s Greatest hits and Carlos with John Mclaughlin – Love Devotion Surrender is music at its sweetest.
Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa had the same guitar hero – Johnny Guitar Watson, try Funk beyond the call of Duty or his 1959 song – 3 hours past midnight.
I have a lot more but you cant take it all in at once.
Newcastle has seen and heard it’s share of good bands – and here are some of them over the years.
Cold Chisel played many times in Newcastle – and always played hard. Ian Moss played beautiful guitar solos and sang the Blues. Mawson Hotel Caves Beach 1978
Cold Chisel's Ian Moss
Cold Chisel’s Jimmy Barnes singing Khe Sahn at Cardiff Workers Club around 1980.
Cold Chisel's Jimmy Barnes
The Angels Doc Neeson was like a snake oil salesman done up and Dandy, but such a great front man. Always had the crowd up and roaring. Mawson Hotel around 1979.
Doc Neeson from the Angels
England’s Graham Parker and the Rumour played the Civic Theatre around 1978 and played great songs and the band ripped.
Graham Parker
Ignatious Jones the front man for Jimmy and the Boys. They played some wild shows, this one at Belmont Sportsmans Club around 1979. Jimmy wrapped the mike cord around his neck and then spat out blood hopefully from a capsule, to get the message across – I’m not like anybody else.
Ignatious Jones from Jimmy and the Boys
New York’s Lou Reed played at the Civic Theatre around 1979 and played awsome songs and great guitar. He gave me a stink eye for the photo then winked and carried on the show.
Lou Reed Civic Theatre 1978
Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett at the Mawson Hotel 1978, the next visit to Newcastle the gig was packed as word had got around.
Midnight Oil Mawson Hotel 1977
Dweezil Zappa Civic Theatre 2010. Dweezil played his dad Frank’s stuff with some fantastic guitar solos.
Dweezil Zappa Civic Theatre 2010
Another favourite photo of mine – Col Smith the night before heading for Hawaii with a bunch of Radical Pollard Channel Boards, and he ripped placing in 3 main events.
Newcastle Col Smith - Channel Boards for Hawaii 1976
Redhead surfer 23/3/2011. A NE swell jumped up and provided some good surfers with some testing waves, along with a few bombs.
Redhead unknown surfer 23rd March 2011
Redhead’s Col Smith in his shaping bay with some new clinker channel boards 1977.
Col Smith shaping Channel Surfboards 1977
Nobbys Lighthouse opened up to the public for 2 weekends in March and proved to be very popular. The 360 degree views from up there were great.
Kitesurfers at Nobbys 13th March 2011
Newcastle from Nobbys 13th March 2011
Redhead Surfers 17th January 2011
Redhead Beach 24th March 2011
While waiting to get my photos restored after this Web Site crashed, I thought I would put some of my old favourites up.
Redhead’s Col Smith well tubed at Redhead 1976
Col Smith Redhead tubed 1975
Bells Beach Finals 1977 possibly Bruce Raymond
Bells Beach Finals 1977
Mark Richards at Leggy Point 1977
Mark Richards surfing at Leggy Point 1977
Martin Littlewood surfing Redhead 1975
Martin Littlewood from Delta Designs WA and Roy Lee from Newcastle’s Pacific Dreams making their own brands of surfboards in an old Chicken Shed Redhead 1975.
Midnight Oil Mawson Hotel 1977
