Alastair Riddell is a New Zealand singer-songwriter.

Background

Riddell is a musician and a film maker. He has a singing style that was likened to a combination of

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. Prior to 1974, he was in a band called Orb with Eddie Rayner. Then later, the two of them were in Space Waltz. In 1968, Alastair started a newsletter called "Bluesnews" and also organised the First National Blues Convention, held at Mollers Farm in

Oratia Oratia is a semi-rural locality on the western edge of metropolitan West Auckland in New Zealand. It is approximately to the south west of Auckland CBD (Central Business District), and sits at the eastern edge of the Waitākere Ranges Herita ...

, Auckland.

Career

Original Sun

In 1967, Original Sun Blues Band was formed by the original line-up consisting of Alastair on rhythm guitar and vocals, Ron on drums, Peter Kershaw on bass guitar and vocals, and Henry Jackson on lead guitar. The band was influenced by

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall. While never producing a hit of their own, the band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues ...

and

American blues American Blues were an American 1960s Texas-based rock band who played a psychedelic style of blues rock music influenced by the 13th Floor Elevators. They are most notable for including two future members of the band ZZ Top in their ranks, Dus ...

, with the band's name a nod to

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...

. After Peter and Henry left the band, the name was shortened to Original Sun and consisted of Alastair on guitar and vocals, Ron on drums, and Peter Cuddihy on bass guitar. The new line-up took on the more adventurous blues sounds of

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

. There are no known recordings of the band.

Orb

In 1971, while studying at

Auckland University The University of Auckland is a public university, public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest, most comprehensive and highest-ranked university in New Zealand and consistently places among the top 100 universit ...

, Alastair formed the

Psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

Art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

band Orb. They played some of Riddell's original songs, including Seabird which would later feature on the Space Waltz album. Orb consisted of Alastair on rhythm guitar, synthesizer, and vocals,

Eddie Rayner Anthony Edward Charles Rayner (born 19 November 1952) is a New Zealand musician who spent twelve years as a keyboardist in the band Split Enz. He has also played in the groups Orb, Space Waltz, Crowded House, The Makers, The Angels in 1986-198 ...

on keyboards, Paul Emlyn Crowther on drums, Paul Wilkinson on lead guitar, and Peter Kershaw on bass guitar. They played the Art's Festival in 1972.

Space Waltz

In 1974, Alastair formed the

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band

Space Waltz Space Waltz are a New Zealand glam rock band formed in 1974 by frontman Alastair Riddell. In 1974, they had a number-one hit in New Zealand with "Out on the Street". Career In 1974, Alastair Riddell (vocals/guitar), Greg Clark (guitar), Eddi ...

. The group appeared on Studio One New Faces and created a stir with their image. They lost out in the finals, however their performance went down well with fans. They were noticed by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

and promptly signed to the label. Their single "Out on the Street" was a number-one hit in New Zealand.New Zealand Music Commission, Te Reo Reka O Aotearo
Alastair Riddell Releases New Single
/ref> The album ''Space Waltz'', which was released by EMI in 1974 featured Riddell, Eddie Rayner, Greg Clark, Peter Cuddihy,

Brent Eccles Brent Eccles is best known as the drummer for The Angels, an Australian pub rock band. He has also drummed in: The Breed, Vox Pop, Stuart & The Belmonts, Streetalk, Space Waltz, After Hours, and Citizen Band. Eccles left Citizen Band in 1981, a ...

, and

The Yandall Sisters The Yandall Sisters were a popular New Zealand-born Samoan all-female singing group of the 1970s, who made a major contribution to music in New Zealand. The members of the group were Caroline, Mary and Adele Yandall, and later younger sister Pauli ...

.National Library of Australi
2002, 1974, English, Sound, Recorded music edition, Space waltz (sound recording) / by Alastair Riddell.
/ref>

Post Space Waltz

In 1977, the single "Wonder Ones" / "Oh Ron" was released on the

Mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

label. In 1978, the self titled album ''Alastair Riddell'' was also released on the Mandrill label. Riddell toured with The Alastair Riddell Band until 1979. The Alastair Riddell Band consisted of Alastair on lead guitar, synthesizer, and vocals, John Treseder on guitar, and Gavin Beardsmore on bass guitar. He was asked to join Split Enz twice, the first time to replace guitarist Wally Wilkinson, and then again in 1977 when Phil Judd left, with Neil Finn subsequently taking the position.

1980s

In 1983, he contributed electronic drums to the number-one hit "

Poi E "Poi E" is a New Zealand 1984 number-one hit song by the group Pātea Māori Club off the album of the same name. Released in 1984, the song was sung entirely in the Māori language and featured a blend of Māori cultural practices in the song a ...

" by

Pātea Māori Club Pātea Māori Club is a New Zealand cultural group and performance act formed in the South Taranaki District, South Taranaki town of Patea, Pātea in 1967 as the Pātea Methodist Māori Club. In 1983, the group began to release Māori language, ...

. Incidentally, The Yandall Sisters who sang backup on the Space Waltz album appeared on another track of the album that the hit was on. Both Poi E and Out on the Street appear on the soundtrack for

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at t ...

's 2010 film,

Boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

Later years

In 2012, Riddell directed ''The Last Stop'', a short film set in 1950s New Zealand which featured his wife Vanessa. also that year he released a single "Last Of The Golden Weather". He joined a brief David Bowie tribute tour in 2016 with

Jordan Luck Jordan William Hunter Luck (born 15 October 1961) is the former lead singer and songwriter of the New Zealand rock band The Exponents. He was born in Vanderhoof in the province of British Columbia, Canada. His family moved to Tokarahi (near O ...

Finn Andrews Finn Andrews (born 24 August 1983) is a British/New Zealand musician. He is a solo artist and lead singer and songwriter of London-based rock band The Veils. His father Barry Andrews is a current member of Shriekback, was a member of XTC, and ...

, Rayner and others, the same year Fraulein Love featured in the trailer for Taika Waititi's 2016 film

Hunt for the Wilderpeople ''Hunt for the Wilderpeople'' is a 2016 New Zealand adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, whose screenplay was based on the book ''Wild Pork and Watercress'' by Barry Crump. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison play "Uncle" ...

Personal life

Riddell married English model Vanessa in the 1980s. Riddell and his wife have four children and live in the West Auckland suburb of

Titirangi Titirangi is a suburb of West Auckland in the Waitākere Ranges local board area of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres (8 miles) to the southwest of the Auckland city centre ...

.Amplifie
Alastair Riddell
/ref>

Discography (selective)

Film work

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddell, Alastair Living people Year of birth missing (living people) New Zealand songwriters New Zealand musicians Male songwriters New Zealand film score composers New Zealand film directors Male film score composers People educated at Kelston Boys' High School