1. The Herd is a hip-hop group from suburban Sydney. They have released four full-length albums since 2001’s self-titled debut. Unusually for a hip-hop outfit, The Herd’s full band format permits dynamic live shows. The Herd’s members include MCs Ozi Batla, Urthboy and Berzerkatron, Unkle Ho (beats), Traksewt (piano accordion, clarinet and beats), Sulo (beats and guitar), Toe-fu (guitar), Rok Poshtya (bass) and singer Jane Tyrrell. Their songs often feature politically-oriented lyrics. Their first single to attract Triple J airplay was the superficially humorous ‘Scallops’ in 2001. Later tracks included ‘77%’ which featured the line “77% of Aussies are racist”, referring to the number of Australians announced in a survey that agreed with the Australian federal government’s response to the MV Tampa incident, and ‘Burn Down the Parliament’, which was to be interpreted metaphorically, but unfortunately was released the same week as the January 2003 Canberra bushfires. 77% scored well on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003, coming in at #46. The Herd released their third album “The Sun Never Sets” in 2005, featuring the single ‘We Can’t Hear You’. Their subjects ranged from their well-known anti-war stance and anti-corporatism to more personal topics like divorce and slow death of the Australian outback/country. In October 2005, The Herd featured on Triple J’s ‘Like a Version’ (acoustic covers) segment. They performed their own version of the famous Australian song ‘A Walk in the Light Green’ by Redgum (better known as ‘I Was Only 19’). The song was so well received by fans that it entered regular Triple J rotation, and was voted #18 in the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100 countdown. |2. The Herd were an English pop group, formed in the Beckenham area in 1965.|The record label Parlophone dropped them after several unsuccessful singles, and they subsequently signed to Fontana Here songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who had been largely responsible for a string of hits by Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, orchestrated for them a unique blend of pop and flower power. After a UK singles chart near-miss with “I Can Fly” (1967), the haunting “From The Underworld” reached Number 6, with help from copious plays on pirate radio later that year. This was followed by “Paradise Lost”, which made it up to Number 15 in 1968. Their greatest success came with “I Don’t Want Our Loving To Die”, a Number 5 hit (also in 1968). With his boyish photogenic looks, guitarist Peter Frampton was dubbed ‘The Face of ‘68’ by teen magazine “Rave”. Steele then left the group, to be replaced by Henry Spinetti. Dissatisfied with mere teen idol status, and disappointed with the failure of their next single “Sunshine Cottage”, Frampton left to form Humble Pie with Steve Marriott. The remaining Bown and Spinetti made another flop single “The Game”, then formed the short-lived Judas Jump with Mike Smith and Allen Jones, saxophonists from Amen Corner, and Welsh vocalist Adrian Williams. Taylor, who became a disc jockey, and Steele, reunited briefly for a one-off single “You Got Me Hangin’ From Your Lovin’ Tree” in 1971, to almost universal disinterest. According to sleeve notes on their 1967 album Paradise Lost, drummer Andrew Steele was the first man in Britain to successfully boomerang a banana. Gary Taylor’s distinctive bass voice can also be heard on Fox’s S-S-S-Single Bed single from 1976. By the late 1970s, Andy Bown had become a member of the legendary UK rockers, Status Quo. |
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