I am not Australian but yesterday spent ages watching old episodes of Countdown, an Australian music chart show. I have linked below all the countdowns which feature Duran Duran. Seems they were really popular there. One chart is presented by Simon, who says he loves the country. Why don't get they go back and tour there.?
By the way Australia had a really big New Wave scene featuring many home grown & NZ acts who were only successful in their home country. Examples include QED/Jenny Morris, Koo de Tah, Kids In The Kitchen, Pseudo Echo, The Models & Eurogliders. Most had the right style & haircuts but lacked the hooks and real substance of groups like Duran Duran. Only INXS, Split Enz, Divinyls & Real Life are of lasting value.
www.youtube.com/user/Vaxman80/search?query=national+top+duranThanx humanracer, ya have just taken me back a bit !
Planet Earth rose to the top of the Australian charts in February or March of 1981, well before any other country elsewhere in the world caught onto the DD sensationalism or is that DD phenomenalism?
I sure knew what it was that I was hearing and therefore purchased the single at the time, it cost me $1.50cents
Back then DD would begin all their world tours in Australia when all other international acts would be ending them in Australia.
Regarding the relationship between DD & Molly/Count Down (including Russell Mulchay) this is how I recall it all.
Early in 1981 two Aussie friends Molly M and Russell M had been having dinner together when Molly said to Russell "I've just interviewed this guy John from DD, Wait till you see him" when Russell replied "I've just done a video with the whole band, wait till you see the rest of them".
And with that said, the rest is history between the three as we all know it.
I remember Nile once telling me about the story of how he came to work on The Reflex and it goes like this "DD were at a BBQ at this guys house (Molly's Richmond mansion) when DD for the first time heard INXS's Original Sin (which Nile had produced). DD refused to simply only hear a few spins and requested to play it repeatedly like a dozen times and by that time there was only one who guy they wanted producing them next. Nick got on the phone to Nile while at that party and asked Nile to remix The Reflex.
I believe AT touches on this particular story too in his book and therefore that BBQ which Nile eluded to, is the same one with the Australian Cricket Team at Molly's house.
Infact I'm sure of it considering INXSs OS was first released late in 1983 and so it all makes sense to me, the SBS world tour began in Australia November 83.
I remember Jenny Morris's band QED and infact if my memory serves me correctly Jenny did the backing vocals on INXS The Swing album (which featured OS) I remember this coz when I'd go and see INXS play in very small venues back in the day (ahh those were the days) Jenny was backing vocalist for INXS. I remember Koo De Tah's hit Too Young For Promises also but not much else from them really.
Regarding the other bands already mentioned two other Aussie acts in addition to Pseudo Echo who were also heavily influenced by DD at the time were a) Kids In The Kitchen, formed in 83. (Ironically enough none other than Sterling Campbell played drums on their second LP before working with DD. How bout that ?)
and b)
Real Life, you may remember them their major world wide hit which was Send Me An Angel
Stick the headphones on play this loud and check these two tracks out
DD are certainly at the DNA of both of them and then everywhere else really
Kids In The Kitchen - Something that You Said
Lead singer Scott Carne doesn't only move like SLB but certainly had studied him. Check out the eye movement/glances, just like SLB would when attempting to bring a dramatic element to DD's clips/live shows (learnt from SLBs drama school days I'm sure). The bass here is all JT and song intro, well a reinvention of New Religion really.
Real Life - Broken Again
Thanks for reading, hope there was something in it for yas !