The La De Da's
From their beginnings as a tough garage R&B band, to their
final years as an exciting hard rock/boogie outfit, New Zealand's
La De Da's did it all. Over the course of ten years they recorded
five albums, toured Britain and Europe, scored hit singles and
established themselves as one of the most innovative bands in
Australia. When
a bunch of idealistic 17-year-olds formed The La De Da's in
Auckland during 1965, they had immediate designs on following in
the footsteps of national heroes like Ray Columbus and The
Invaders, and Max Merritt and the Meteors.
And before long, the La
De Da's were at the forefront of a vibrant New Zealand pop scene.
Their early singles, Little Girl, How Is The Air
Up There?, On Top Of The World and Hey Baby
(A New Zealand Number 1), were tough garage-punk, and the band's
second album, Find A Way, is highly regarded by
aficionados of 60s music.
Having conquered New Zealand, the La De Da's set their sights
on Australia as the next logical step towards world domination.
Arriving in 1968, they became the first locally based band to
include covers of Vanilla Fudge, Traffic and
The Doors in their
repertoire. The band's ambitious concept album, The Happy
Prince (based on a tale by Oscar Wilde), was widely praised
for its originality and production values.
Following a disastrous five month stay in Britain, The La De
Da's
changed direction and were quickly hailed as one of the funkiest,
hard rock outfits in Australia. It was this concept of
straightforward gutsy rock & roll which resulted in the La De
Da's, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs and
Daddy Cool becoming the top
three groups in the country in 1972.
Former bassist Reno Tehei was arrested in the early 70s for
robbing a bank in Sydney, but by this stage, only two
original La De Da's remained - Guitarist Kevin Borich and singer
Phil Key. Key left in 1972 to form Band of Light, and Borich
continued with the band as a three-piece (with drummer Keith
Barber and Bassist Ronnie Peel).
The band featured prominently at the inaugural Sunbury Pop
Festival in January 1972, and attracted one of the largest crowds
ever assembled for a concert in Australia when they played with
The Aztecs in front of over 200,000 people at Melbourne's Myer
Music Bowl.
The group pulled out all stops, and Kevin Borich was already
firmly entrenched as Australia's guitar hero supremo. Their first
album in five years, Rock & Roll Sandwich, remains a
classic rock album, and their final singles (Too Pooped To Pop
and Honky Tonkin') were minor hits.
By 1975 the band had run its course and Borich threw in his lot
with his new band, The Kevin Borich Express - An outfit which he
fronted well into the 90s. Phil Key died in 1985 of a congenital
heart condition.
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