The Johnnys collapsed in the late 1980s only to reform for shows in 2004 where they once again proved themselves to be absolutely brilliant showmen. Their album Highlights of Dangerous Life is a widely regarded Australian classic. All three single A-sides were lifted from the band’s debut album, Ross Wilson-produced album “Highlights of a dangerous life” (august 1986), which concentrated on a straighter rock’n’roll approach. 'The Johnnys Highlights' on Christmas sales online. Low prices on 'The Johnnys Highlights' for a limited time. Hurry before it's too late.
The Johnnys were an Australian pub rock bandthat fused the fun of punk rock with the 3 minute pop sensibilitiesof HankWilliams. They were contemporaries of The Gun Club and LA's X. The Johnnys collapsed in the late 1980sonly to reform for shows in 2004 where they once again provedthemselves to be absolutely brilliant showmen. Their albumHighlights of Dangerous Life is a widely regardedAustralian classic, produced by Ross Wilson of Daddy Cool.They had at least two smash hits (Injun Joe-Bleeding heart) inThessaloniki-Greece in the year 1987 on radio 'Mousikos Diavlos'FM97.3.
Graham Hood quit the Allniters and had a try out for the Hoodoo Gurus, he madean instant connection with Rod Radalj who was in the band at thetime, after the second jam Hood got the impression that he didn'thave the gig with the Guru's. He approached Radalj with an idea ofa side project -- cowboys playing country style music at break neckPunk pace, strange but true as it had never been tried before.Rehearsals ensued, songs were writ and a drummer - Billy PommerJunior acquired. The first gig was at Palms disco on Oxford St,Taylors St, Darlinghurst SydneyAustralia.
Albums
Singles
Guitarist, songwriter and storyteller Spencer P. Jones, who forged his name in Australia and overseas with rock ‘n’ roll bands the Johnnys and Beasts of Bourbon, has died.
Jones was born in 1956 on the North Island town of Te Awamutu in New Zealand and moved to Australia in his late teens - pursuing a life in music from which he never wavered over the next four decades. He died on August 21.
The laconic, self-taught musician was diagnosed with liver cancer in June after fighting poor health since 2015. In March, Jones and longtime friend and collaborator Brian Henry Hooper performed on stage together in Melbourne with their band Beasts of Bourbon, just a week before Hooper died from lung cancer.
“Spencer was very ill at Brian’s benefit gig,’’ said Jones’ wife, Angie Jones, in June. Happiest nuclear winter zip up hoodies. ‘‘So to watch them both get up and smash out some Beasts Of Bourbon songs was a miracle in itself.’’
Jones left New Zealand in the mid ’70s and played guitar in numerous bands, including Cuban Heels and North 2 Alaskans before joining the Johnnys, who released debut album Highlights of a Dangerous Life in 1986.
By the late ’80s when the Johnnys broke up, Jones had turned his attention more fully to the ‘‘swamp rock’’ of Beasts of Bourbon, who by that stage were on the cusp of releasing third album Black Milk. The band would release half-a-dozen albums over a tumultuous 35 years and carve out a reputation as one of the most ferocious live bands of theirs, or any other generation.
Combining elements of jazz, country, blues and on later records a tougher, punchier hard rock sound, Beasts of Bourbon endured with original members Jones and Tex Perkins putting differences aside to play numerous times since the band was originally shelved in 2008.
In between Beasts Of Bourbon albums The Low Road (1991) and Gone (1997), Jones released his first solo album Rumour of Death in 1994. He would follow it with another 10 albums over the next two decades and throughout his career worked with an enormous array of Australian musicians, including Paul Kelly, Warren Ellis, Rowland S. Howard, Renee Geyer and Gareth Liddiard.
Intel parallel studio download crack internet. Other bands to feature Jones’ distincive guitar sound included Hell To Pay (with the late Ian Rilen), Cow Penalty, Olympic Sideburns, the Butcher Shop, Maurice Frawley and the Working Class Ringos, Sacred Cowboys and the Escape Committee.
When he wasn’t performing with a band, Jones would regularly play solo shows and regale audiences with stories in between his songs. He recorded, played alongside and inspired countless musicians over a long career and leaves behind a large body of work.
Five years ago when Beasts of Bourbon came together for some shows, Jones told Fairfax Media he’d been particularly passionate about his old group for the ‘‘simple reason’’ it was ‘‘the sort of band I’d always wanted to be in.’’
‘‘When you’ve been together 10 years it’s like, ‘Wow, we’ve been together 10 years; that’s a long time’,’’ he said, flashing a grin that was rarely far away . ‘‘But I’ll tell you what, when it’s been 30 years, you realise how the first 10 years was f--- all.’’
Martin Boulton is EG Editor at The Age and Shortlist Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald