I'm Talking are an Australian

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two gui ...

, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles " Trust Me", " Do You Wanna Be?" and " Holy Word" and a top fifteen album, '' Bear Witness'', before disbanding in 1987. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988. The group reunited in October 2018, and went on a 2019 tour as well as a series of small venue shows.

History

1983–1987: ''Bear Witness''

After the break-up of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

-based experimental funk band Essendon Airport in 1983, members Robert Goodge on guitar, Ian Cox on saxophone and Barbara Hogarth on bass guitar set about forming a band to create inventive, commercial, funk-pop music. I'm Talking's original line-up was Kate Ceberano on vocals (ex-Expozay, Hoagy Cats), Stephen Charlesworth on keyboards, Cox, Goodge, Hogarth and Cameron Newman on drums. They introduced sophisticated dance beat music to the

pub rock Pub rock is a rock music genre that was developed in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock ...

scene, performing for a year before recording their debut release. The EP ''Someday'' was released in May 1984 on the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

Randelli label. They also contributed to the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

of the short film ''More Love Stories'' and songs "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Scratching" on the ABC compilation EP ''Cooking with George''. They attracted the attention of

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Ken West and then signed to Regular Records. Zan Abeyratne (ex-Grand Wazoo, Bang) joined as a second lead vocalist. I'm Talking released " Trust Me" in November 1984, which peaked at #10 on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

for the Australian singles charts. This was followed by " Lead the Way" in June 1985, then a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of the Rose Royce song " Love Don't Live Here Anymore" in August, which both peaked into the top thirty. Although their songs were initially credited to the band as a whole (i.e. I'm Talking), in fact Goodge and Cox wrote virtually all the music and lyrics. The group won 'Best New Talent' and 'Best Debut Single' for " Trust Me" for 1984 at the ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

'' Awards ceremony broadcast in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. On 13 July, I'm Talking performed " Lead the Way" in the 1985

Oz for Africa Oz for Africa was an Australian concert held on 13 July 1985 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. It was organised by Bill Gordon who also organised the EAT Concert held at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne at the end of January 1985. That event was ...

concert (part of the global

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

program). It was broadcast in Australia (on both the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

and

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

) and on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

in the US. I'm Talking recorded their debut album ''Bear Witness'' in Melbourne, it was released in August 1986. Produced by Fred Maher (drummer for

Scritti Politti Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside. He is the only member of the band to have remained throughout the group's history. Beginning as a punk-inspired collecti ...

) and Martyn Webster, it peaked at #14 in the albums charts, and spawned three more singles for their Australian label Regular Records. " Do You Wanna Be?", entered the charts in May and peaked at #8, becoming their highest charting single. " Holy Word", released in July 1986, featured solo vocals by Abeyratne and peaked at #9. "How Can It Be?" was released in October 1986, and although it failed to enter the top 100, it was listed among a list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 in November 1986. They signed to

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in the UK but disagreements between the band and that label led to " Do You Wanna Be?" being the only single released outside of Oceania. " Holy Word" appeared on the soundtrack to the 1987 horror film ''

Howling III ''Howling III'' (also known as ''Howling III: The Marsupials'' and ''The Marsupials: The Howling III'') is a 1987 Australian horror film and the sequel to '' The Howling'', directed by Philippe Mora and filmed on location in and around Sydney, Au ...

''. At least three of their songs later appeared in the 1988 film '' For Queen & Country''. After returning from their 1986 UK tour supporting Five Star, there were line-up changes, Warren McLean (ex- Machinations) replaced Newman on drums and Kevin Wiltshire was 'imported' from the UK tour as a second keyboardist. That line-up appeared on the national

Australian Made Australian Made was a festival concert series held during 1986–1987 in the six state capitals of Australia and featured local rock acts Mental as Anything, I'm Talking, The Triffids, The Saints, Divinyls, Models, INXS and even Jimmy Barnes ...

tour of January 1987. By March, Abeyratne, Charlesworth and McLean had left. New members were

John McAll John McAll is a pianist, composer, arranger and producer with experience ranging from jazz, pop, blues, rock contemporary classical, afrobeat and theatre. John McAll graduated with a Bachelor of Arts University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA an ...

on keyboards, Philip Jackson on drum machine and electronics, Susie Ahern on backing vocals, and rapper Tricky J (Julien Lodge). New material was performed live by this line-up, but none was recorded. Ceberano won 'Most Popular Female Performer' for 1986 at the final ''Countdown'' Awards held in 1987. New material was performed live in 1987, but Ceberano departed to pursue her solo career and I'm Talking disbanded in July 1987. In 1988, a compilation, ''

Dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

'' was released by Regular Records.

1988–2017: After I'm Talking

After the break-up of I'm Talking, Ceberano launched her solo career; Abeyratne released three solo singles. Goodge, Cox and David Chesworth collaborated again in 1990 in the group "Power Trip featuring Mr Larry Weems". Goodge also went into partnership with Gavin Campbell and Paul Main in the '90s to form Filthy Lucre, specialising in

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es. They were responsible for transforming Yothu Yindi's folk-rock song "

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal per ...

" into a dance-groove hit single. Goodge has also written and performed with Stephen Cummings since the 1990s. I'm Talking's manager, West, handled Ceberano for a brief time before going into partnership with Vivian Lees and launching their national rock festival The Big Day Out.

went on to play and record with Goodge's former collaborator David Chesworth, and other jazz and rock acts. In 2003 Goodge revived a trio of Essendon Airport with David Chesworth and Graham Lee. In 2007 Kate Ceberano appeared in the ''Countdown'' Spectacular 2 performing versions of I'm Talking's " Trust Me" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". As of 2008 Cox is a conservator at the

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in th ...

. In October 2010, ''Bear Witness'' (1986) was listed in the book, ''

100 Best Australian Albums 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

''. In 2014, Ceberano released her memoir, ''I'm Talking: My life, my words, my music'', published by Hachette Australia. Ceberano co-wrote the book with Tom Gilling.

2018–present: Reunion and ''Dyin' to Be Dancin

In March 2018 ''Bear Witness'' was re-released with additional tracks, and the band started an official YouTube channel. The album was re-mastered for vinyl, cd, and digital download. On 16 October 2018, the members of I'm Talking announced their return to the stage in 2019 as the supporting act for

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry 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 ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

's Australian tour, between February and April. The reformed lineup consists of five of the seven original members: Goodge, Hogarth, Charlesworth, Ceberano, and Abeyratne. Ian Cox and Cameron Newman did not return due to personal commitments. The group also have not ruled out about whether they'll record or perform any new material beyond that. About the reunited group, Ceberano stated that she was "very excited about performing with I'm Talking again after so many years," adding that " e music still sounds so great – fans are gonna love it!" On 9 November 2018, the group performed an acoustic set of cover songs during a segment on

Myf Warhurst Myfanwy Warhurst (, born May 29, 1973) is an Australian radio announcer and television personality, best known for her work at Triple J radio station and on ABC Television's long-running music-themed quiz show '' Spicks and Specks''. she has a ...

's ABC Radio program. The group later performed a special concert for their fans in Melbourne on 11 February 2019, which received great reviews. On 15 February 2019, the group released a live album titled ''Dyin' to Be Dancin'', which was recorded between 1984-1986. With the success of the reunion and renewed interest from its fan base, the members have already signaled intentions to do more shows and possibly work on new music in the future. In July 2019, the group released new remixes for the songs "It's Over" (an album track on ''Bear Witness'') and " Cry Me a River" (originally a b-side on the single " Love Don't Live Here Anymore"). In February 2020, the group released a 6-track remix single of "Holy Word".

Members

Summarised from sources: * Kate Ceberano – vocals (1983–1987, 2019) *Stephen Charlesworth – keyboards (1983–1987, 2019) *Ian Cox – saxophone (1983–1987) *Robert Goodge – guitar (1983–1987, 2019) *Barbara Hogarth – bass guitar (1983–1987, 2019) *Cameron Newman – drums (1983–1986) * Zan Abeyratne – vocals (1984–1987, 2019) *Warren McLean – drums (1986–1987) *Kevin Wiltshire – keyboards (1986–1987 session musician) *

– keyboards (1987) *Philip Jackson – drum machine,

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

(1987) *Tricky J (Julien Lodge) – rapping (1987) *Susie Ahern – backing vocals (1987) *Miles Henry – drums (2019) *Brodie Everist – saxophone (2019)

Discography

Albums

Extended play

Singles

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions ...

. They commenced in 1987. , - ,

ARIA Music Awards of 1987 The First Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. The awards were ...

, Richard Alan for''Bear Witness'' by I'm Talking ,

ARIA Award for Best Cover Art The ARIA Music Award for Best Cover Art, is an award presented within the Artisan Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", and have been given by the Aus ...

Countdown Music Awards

'' was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974–1987, it presented music awards from 1979–1987, initially in conjunction with magazine ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

''. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. , - , rowspan="3" , 1984 , " Trust Me" , Best Debut Single , , - , Kate Ceberarno in "Trust Me" (I'm Talking) , Best Female Performance in a Video , , - , I'm Talking , Most Promising Talent , , - , 1986 , ''Bear Witness'' , Best Debut Album , , -

References

External links

Kate Ceberano official siteI’m Talking facebook pageZan Abeyratne Music
{{Authority control 1983 establishments in Australia 1987 disestablishments in Australia Australian electronic dance music groups Victoria (Australia) musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Musical groups reestablished in 2018 Kate Ceberano