The Atlantics are an
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n
surf rock band founded in 1961. Initially, the band line-up consisted of drummer Peter Hood, bassist Bosco Bosanac, Theo Penglis on lead and rhythm guitar, and guitarist Eddy Matzenik. Matzenik was replaced by Jim Skaithitis while the band was still in its earliest stages, long before the band recorded or released albums.
The band's claim to fame was as Australia's most successful of the genre. Most well known for their classic hit, "
Bombora", their later recordings such as "Come On" are examples of 1960s
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
. They were the first Australian rock band to write their own hits. In 2000 the group reformed with three of the original members, and continue to release new material and perform in concert. In 2013 the group celebrated the 50th Anniversary of their first album, ''Bombora'' and the
eponymous
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
single that was their first to chart. A European tour was organised to mark the occasion.
'Bombora' was added to the
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...
's
Sounds of Australia
The Sounds of Australia, formerly the National Registry of Recorded Sound, is the National Film and Sound Archive's selection of sound recordings which are deemed to have cultural, historical and aesthetic significance and relevance for Australi ...
registry in 2013.
[National Film and Sound Archive]
Sounds of Australia
Note: There was a rock band in the Boston (Massachusetts) area called the Atlantics in the mid-1970s and early 1980s; songs of theirs included "Weekend", "When You're Young", and "Lonelyhearts". They had an album on ABC Records called Big City Rock.
History
Formed in the southern beachside
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
s of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1961, the group began performing locally, and soon gained a following.
Contrary to the accepted surfing connotations of their name they actually took their name from a local brand of
petrol
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
, Atlantic.
In early 1962 they appeared on a local television talent show ''
New Faces
''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central.
Original series: 197 ...
'', where they were voted "Most Promising Group of 1962." They signed a deal with booking agent Joan King, who convinced the members to quit their day jobs and produce a
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
, which she shopped to a variety of
record labels
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
. After several rejections, they were signed to
CBS Records CBS Records may refer to:
* CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company
* CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990
* CBS Records (2006), founde ...
in 1963. The
A&R representative for CBS,
Sven Libaek, was especially impressed by the group's original compositions. Most Australian instrumental rock bands at the time merely aped and covered material from
The Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
or, to a lesser extent,
The Ventures
The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...
.
The Atlantics had the advantage of having twin lead guitarists, both highly proficient on solo work and both capable of pushing the band along with a driving rhythm. It was this, together with the band members' European cultural influences (largely Greek with some Yugoslav and Hungarian - all members came to Australia as child migrants) that gave their music that passionate edge over other local bands of their day.
In February 1963, CBS released the first single, "Moon Man" b/w "Dark Eyes". "Moon Man" was an original song written by Peter Hood, and "Dark Eyes" was a traditional tune reinterpreted by the band. While the single was not a hit, it did gain enough attention for CBS to agree to continue to support the group.
Riding the surf music wave
By this time the surfing music craze had reached Australia's shores and a host of local bands such as The Statesmen, Jimmy D & the Starlighters (a.k.a. Jimmy D & the Jaguars), The Midnighters, The Telstars, Dave Bridge Trio, The Joy Boys and The Denvermen were all releasing surfing titled instrumental tracks, and in particular, The Denvermen's evocative ballad "Surfside", which had topped Australia's charts in February 1963.
In July 1963, The Atlantics released the single that would become their biggest hit, most well-known song and one which remains a classic of its genre to this day. "
Bombora" was written by Hood and Skiathitis,
and was named after an Aboriginal term for large waves breaking over submerged rock shelves. The B-side was the old traditional English song "
Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English Fol ...
". By September 1963, "Bombora" had climbed the Australian charts to reach No 1.
It was released in Japan, Italy, Netherlands, UK and New Zealand and in South America. It was nominated as record of the week by US ''
Cashbox magazine'' and reached No 2 on the Italian charts (where there was even a vocal version released). As well the song was covered by a number of overseas bands. This overseas success made The Atlantics Australia's first internationally recognized rock act. October 1963 saw the release of their first LP album, predictably named ''Bombora''.
They were to release three more albums from 1963 to 1965.
On stage the band maintained their reputation at concerts and beachside surf clubs with an exciting, pounding sound combined with a stage act that included them all playing their guitars behind their heads and Penglis and Skiathitis on opposite sides of the stage swapping lead lines with one another.
In November 1963, they released the follow-up, another similar thundering surf instrumental, "The Crusher" which, while not quite as successful as "
Bombora", still made a respectable dent in the Australian charts.
Their fourth single, "War of the Worlds" however was a total break with the surf sound. Released in March 1964, it was unlike any other of their tracks, or indeed any other instrumentals of the day. A bold and ambitious attempt at a mini Sci-Fi space opera, it had a dramatic build-up intro, tempo changes and dynamic changes. It was way ahead of its time. It featured a battle in space using echo and guitar effects, the like of which would not be heard until Hendrix came along some years later. Disappointingly for the band, many DJ's refused to play it and it failed to make most charts.
By this time
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and the
Merseybeat sound had arrived and instrumentals were becoming rather passé. The Atlantics continued to release a number of instrumental singles with titles such as "Rumble and Run" and "Giant" until July 1965.
However none of these achieved any commercial success, and did not chart.
Their record contract with CBS ended. During 1965 they undertook a far-Eastern tour including Japan.
New image and style
In 1965, the band members reinvented themselves. They set up their own production company JRA productions.
They exchanged their suits and thin ties for casual shirts, T-shirts and jeans and grew their hair long, guitarist Theo Penglis switched to keyboards and they added a vocalist,
Johnny Rebb. Johnny Rebb had been a rock star in Australia in his own right in the late 1950s. Indeed, he had at one time been known as the "Gentleman of Rock". With Johnny on vocals they proceeded to release a number of tough sounding singles starting with a hard rockin' revival of
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
's "The Girl Can't Help It" and
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
's, R 'n B, "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover". They recorded songs with a variety of styles between 1965 and 1970 including a cover of
The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels was an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino (lead vocals), Ron Elliott (lead guitar), Ron Meagher (bass guitar), Declan Mulligan (rhythm guitar, bass, harmo ...
' top 40 hit "
You Tell Me Why" with 12 string guitar hook & harmonies, and an instrumental, "Take A Trip," under the pseudonym band name as The Gift of Love. However they only succeeded chart-wise with a version of
Screaming Jay Hawkins "I Put A Spell on You", which reached No. 29 on the Sydney chart in 1966. In 1967 they put out the song that is now widely regarded as a classic punk/garage track, Peter Hood's "Come On". During this time
Johnny Rebb continued to release a number of singles under his own name with The Atlantics backing him. They also provided backing on a string of singles for Russ Kruger, Johnny Rebb's brother, and female singer Kelly Green. It was during this time that The Atlantics started their own independent label, Ramrod. They were one of the first Australian bands to set up their own independent label. From September 1967 all their recordings and all those for the above artists were released on their Ramrod label. As well they put out recordings by other bands such as The Motivation.
More changes after 1970
![The Atlantics](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/The_Atlantics.jpg)
Around 1970 the "classic" lineup ceased to regularly perform live. They started their own recording studio, Atlantic studio (no connection with the U.S. company Atlantic Records), in the Sydney suburb of Earlwood. Run by Peter Hood, this studio was to operate continuously right through into the 1990s, recording a wide variety of music from
advertising jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...
s to
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
to
heavy metal bands and at one point even produced a single there for visiting
Hollywood actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
,
Brooke Shields.
Bosco Bosanac went into country music and switched to
pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...
. He formed a band with Anglo-American country singer Mike Fox and produced two albums for him. Fox won a
Golden Guitar
The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England.
It is also a major attraction duri ...
as the best new talent award for 1978 at Australia's annual prestigious
Tamworth Country Music Festival
The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...
for his song "If Nobody Loves You", which came from his first album. Theo Penglis played lead guitar and piano on this track. Bosco then went to form country rock band
Shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
. Theo Penglis is currently playing piano with Fifties Rock and Roll Band "Rave On".
Robert "Bob" Haanstra also played lead guitar in both
Mike Fox & The Tennessee Ramblers and Shotgun. Bob now resides in southern NSW and teaches guitar, whilst Bosco Bosanac now performs around Australia in a Johnny Cash Review.
''The Flight of the Surf Guitar''
Over the years The Atlantics have re-emerged sporadically. In 1986–1988, Skiathitis, Hood, and Bosanac went on tour with replacement guitarist Brian Burns and drummer Paul Greene. In 1999 the three reformed on a more permanent basis with guitarist
Martin Cilia
Martin Cilia (born December 1958) is an English-born Australian musician. Cilia is best known for his songwriting skills, and his membership in The Atlantics, where he performs on the guitar. Cilia played his first gig in a school hall in Morle ...
. They have since released three albums, beginning with ''The Flight of the Surf Guitar''. They are in the forefront of a new interest in the
surf rock music instrumental
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
. They have done a number of tours including appearing on Australia's ''Long Way to the Top'' 1950s and 1960s rock revival shows,
ABC-TV show ''Studio 22'', and "Bombora" was used in the closing ceremony at the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. They continue to perform live. On 2 December 2006 they appeared live, playing "Bombora" on the
ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to:
*ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or
*ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia
ABC Television or ABC ...
show ''Delightful Rain'', a celebration of four decades of Australian surf rock music. Bosanac had left the band in May that year, just weeks before The Atlantics were invited by Bombora Creative MD David Minear to be a part of the Delightful Rain project, with Michael Smith, the former bass player for Adelaide band Scandal and writer and editor for ''
Drum Media
''The Music'', (formerly known as and now incorporating ''Drum Media)'', is an online Australian music magazine. It previously existed as a street press devoted to long-form music journalism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. I ...
'' magazine, replacing him. In November 2009, Bombora Creative released a DVD, ''The Atlantics Live at Freshwater'', of an impromptu performance the band did at the end of their recording sessions for Delightful Rain.
Discography
*''Now It's Stompin' Time'' (
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, 1963)
*''Bombora'' (CBS, 1963)
*''The Explosive Sound Of The Atlantics'' (CBS, 1964)
*''Flight Of The Surf Guitar'' (Atlantics Music, 1999)
*''Point Zero'' (Atlantics Music, 2003)
*''The Atlantics....The Best Of'' (Atlantics Music, 2005)
*''Point Zero Backing Tracks'' (Atlantics Music, 2010)
References
Notes
* Collected Stories on Australian Rock 'n Roll - Compiled by David Maclean - CaneToad Publications, Sydney - 1991
* ''The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' - Ian McFarlane - Allen & Unwin, Sydney - 1999 -
* Cover Liner Notes - The Atlantics with Johnny Rebb on Vocals - The legendary JRA/Ramrod sessions CD - Canetoad Records CTCD-003
* The Tamworth Country Music Festival - Monika Allen - Horwitz Grahame Pty Ltd, Sydney - 1988
* Cover Liner Notes - Mike Fox LP - Country Boys Memories - Bunyip Records BLS 309 1978
* ''An Australian Rock Discography 1960-1989'' - Chris Spencer - Moonlight Publishers - 1990 -
External links
The Atlantics Web SiteThe Atlantics MySpace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantics, The
Australian surf rock groups
Australian rock music groups
New South Wales musical groups