The Little River Band

The Little River Band (Original) 1975: (L to R) Glenn Shorrock, Beeb Birtles, Derek Pellicci, Ric Formosa, Roger McLachlan, Graeham Goble

The Little River Band 2013 (L to R) Wayne Nelson, Ryan Ricks, Chris Marion, Rich Herring, Greg Hind

CURRENT MEMBERS

Wayne Nelson - lead vocals, bass (joined 1980, left 1996, returned 1999) - sang lead on "Night Owls"

Greg Hind - guitar, vocals (joined 2000)

Chris Marion - keyboards, vocals (joined 2005)

Rich Herring - lead guitar, vocals (joined 2006)

Ryan Ricks - drums, vocals (joined 2012)

CLASSIC LINE-UP

Glenn Shorrock - lead vocals

Graeham Goble - vocals, guitar

Beeb Birtles - vocals, guitar

David Briggs - lead guitar (joined 1976)

George McArdle - bass (joined 1976)

Derek Pellicci - drums

ORIGINAL MEMBERS

Glenn Shorrock - lead vocals

Graeham Goble - vocals, guitar

Beeb Birtles - vocals, guitar

Ric Formosa - lead guitar

Roger McLachlan - bass

Derek Pellicci - drums

(Bold Names are original members. Bold Italics indicate early members, though not original.)

THE JOURNEY

The first thing you'll notice is that there are no original members in today's Little River Band. But this isn't like some of the 50's and 60's groups, where an unscrupulous manager owned the band name and just hired musicians to send out on tour. This is more like a local rock group that's been around for decades, and every few years a member leaves and is replaced, and before long there's all different members. But it happened so gradually that you hardly noticed. The main difference here is that the original group contained the guys that wrote and sang a bunch of hits that you probably still own on vinyl, CD or some digital file.

Since Wikipedia lists 28 former members, here's the condensed version: LRB started having hit singles and albums in the U.S. in 1976, including such classics as "Reminiscing," "Lady," "Lonesome Loser," and "Cool Change." The nucleus of the band was Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock, and Graeham Goble, who wrote those hits and whose three-part harmony made them shine. In 1980, Wayne Nelson became the band's bassist, and sang lead on their 1981 hit, "The Night Owls." In the early '80s, the membership in the band started shifting. Some members left, then came back, others left for good. Lead guitarist Stephen Housden joined in 1981. When Wayne Nelson left in 1996, Housden was the member with the longest history with the band, and he acquired the legal rights to the name "Little River Band." Nelson returned in 1999, and although Housden left in 2006, he still owns the name and allows the current line-up to use it.

The current line-up is all from the United States, although the band is still known as an Australian group.

WHAT WON'T YOU HEAR

You'll hear all the hits - and they had a lot. The original band had enough hits to fill a concert. But with the exception of "The Night Owls," you won't be hearing the original vocalists.

WORTH SEEING?

I haven't seen LRB since the 1970s, but from what I've heard, they put on a tremendous show these days. If it doesn't bother you that it's not the original band, then you'll most likely have a wonderful evening of great music. But for some of us, it just doesn't work. It bothers me when an artist says, "Here's a song we recorded back in 1978," when you know that none of these guys were in the band back in '78.

There's also the idea that a tribute band has to actually be better than the original band. They don't have the luxury of "Well, he may not sound as good as he used to, but that's Brian Freaking Wilson - and he wrote these masterpieces!" So, they actually have to sound more like the record, and tribute bands will usually take less liberties with the songs and arrangements than the original band will. Am I saying that the current LRB is a tribute band? Wikipedia defines tribute band as "a music group…who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act…[and] does not include members of the original band whose music is being honored." Wayne Nelson has been with the group for many years, but was not in the band during their 70's heyday, and is not an original member, but he's the closest they have.

RECORDINGS STILL AVAILABLE

It seems that all of their original recordings are available on CD through Amazon.

ONE MORE THING…

The band has continued to put out new albums, and they are excellent! It's sad that musicians this good weren't able to make it big under a different name. But the truth is, having the name gets you more money, and better bookings. With the state of the music industry today, had they NOT used the name Little River Band, you wouldn't have even had a chance to hear their new music. So it's a two-sided thing. I enjoy their new music. I'm just aware than when I hear "I'll Always Call Your Name," that it's only the name that's the same.

OFF SHOOTS

Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock, and Graeham Goble (the original singers and songwriters) went on to perform reunion concerts (in 2002-2007), but because they lost the rights to the name Little River Band, they appeared under the name Birtles Shorrock Goble (catchy, huh?)

Click to see Birtles Shorrock Goble doing "It's a Long Way There" from a 2007 show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzVHb7W97JY

BAND LINKS

http://littleriverband.com

http://www.graehamgoble.com

http://www.beebbirtles.com

http://glennshorrock.com

The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues Classic Line-Up (L to R): Mike Pinder, Justin Hayward, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge, John Lodge

CURRENT MEMBERS

Justin Hayward - vocals, lead guitar

John Lodge - vocals, bass

Graeme Edge - drums, vocals

plus:

Gordon Marshall - drums (since 1990)

Norda Mullen - flute, guitar, vocals (since 2003)

Julie Ragins - keyboards, vocals, additional instruments (since 2006)

Alan Hewitt - keyboards, vocals (since 2010)

CLASSIC LINE-UP

Justin Hayward - vocals, lead guitar

John Lodge - vocals, bass

Graeme Edge - drums, vocals

Ray Thomas - vocals, flute (retired in 2002)

Mike Pinder - vocals, keyboards, mellotron (left in 1978)

ORIGINAL MEMBERS

Denny Laine - vocals, lead guitar

Clint Warwick - vocals, bass (died 2004)

Graeme Edge - drums, vocals

Ray Thomas - vocals, flute

Mike Pinder - vocals, keyboards, mellotron

Patrick Moraz - keyboardist from 1978 to 1991

WHO'S IN THE BAND?

The Moody Blues are one band that people aren't expecting the real original members. Most people don't even know that Justin Hayward and John Lodge weren't original. Actually, Denny Laine (who later played for years with Paul McCartney in Wings) and Clint Warwick were the original guitarist and bassist. They had one major hit in 1965, "Go Now," which was later featured on the Wings Over America album, but by late 1966 the classic line up was in place. For most people, the Moody Blues really started with the Days of Future Past album.

The classic line-up, listed above, remained intact from 1966 to 1974. The band took a short hiatus and recorded solo albums, then reformed in 1977. After recording the Octave album, keyboardist Mike Pinder left the group. They caught a second wind in the 1980s, releasing several hit albums, as well as hit singles. Their sound now featured more and more of Hayward and Lodge's vocals and writing, and gradually less of Ray Thomas's voice, flute and songs. In 2002, Thomas retired from the group.

WHAT WON'T YOU HEAR

Luckily, almost all the hit singles and concert favorites were sung by Justin Hayward and John Lodge. Ray Thomas is missing on vocals and flute, so you won't hear "Legend of a Mind" (the song that most people know as "Timothy Leary's Dead"), or "For My Lady." His flute parts are ably covered by Norda Mullen, who's been with the group (in studio and on tour) for over 10 years now. Mike Pinder's songs, while an important part of the early albums, and could be someone's personal favorites, are not any that one would expect to hear at a show today. And, of course, Denny Laine long ago took his "Go Now" and went.

WORTH SEEING?

Definitely a show worth seeing. They have tons of hits, and they can still pull them off extremely well. Lodge is the onstage focus point, and he and Hayward trade off vocals. Hayward's songs are mostly the ones that were hit singles ("Nights in White Satin," "Tuesday Afternoon," "Your Wildest Dream," etc.), while many of Lodge's songs were FM radio staples and also long time concert favorites, such as "Isn't Life Strange," "I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)," and "Ride My See Saw." Graeme Edge recites his "Late Lament" (the "Breathe deep, the gathering gloom…" segment of "Nights in White Satin,") and provides provides some comic relief when he comes out front to talk to the crowd. Though they've toured with a second drummer for several years now, Edge is definitely still a part of the band. The group will also dig into their rich history and pull out some surprising deep tracks, making each tour a little different. The additional musicians (one full time keyboard player and two multi-instrumentalists, plus the second drummer) do an excellent job filling out the sound - which in the case of a band that has recorded with orchestras and multiple layers of mellotron and voices - isn't that easy. Catch them while they're still out touring!

RECORDINGS STILL AVAILABLE

Virtually all of the Moody Blues' albums are available on CD (remastered) from Amazon and other retailers. Many of the solo albums released through the years by all the band members are available, while a few of them had an initial CD re-release and have since gone out of print.

OFF SHOOTS

While the Moodies haven't released any new music for quite a while, Justin Hayward continues to release solo albums. Get up-to-date info at his website: http://www.justinhayward.com

BAND LINKS

Official Band Site: http://www.moodybluestoday.com

The Moody Blues 2013: Graeme Edge, John Lodge, Justin Hayward

Welcome to Who's in the Band

The Beach Boys and Chicago with all original members (except Brian Wilson) in 1975 (photo by Tim Coulter)

WHY DID I CREATE THIS BLOG?

I got a phone call one day from a friend of mine. She was considering going to a big summer concert with three bands that had their heydays in the 1970s. She'd always loved one of the bands, and probably owned all of their 8-tracks. But before she bought tickets she wanted to know if they still had their original singer. I told her no. That sealed it for her - she wasn't going.

Another friend of mine emailed me. His daughter had been listening to some of his "old" music, and really loved a certain band. Since it was also one of his favorites, they were making plans for a road trip - about eight hours - so that she could see them in person. He said, "They've still got most of the original guys, right?" I said no. In fact, there were none of the original guys in the current touring version of the band.

I understand that a lot of people don't care if the original members are still with the group. People flock to Beach Boys' concerts. Do they know that's only one of the original five guys up there on stage? Do they care? Some people do, and some don't. Probably 90% of the people leaving a Beach Boys' show would tell you they had a great time, and that the music was great. Others are probably scratching their heads and trying to figure out how someone that looks likes he's forty could be in a band that got started in the early 60s. And, of course, a lot of Beach Boys fans are aware that 4/5 of the original group are no longer there and passed completely on the concert.

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

If you came to this site, you're obviously someone that cares who's in the band. I'll do my best to have the most current information about a touring band's current line-up, and compare it to the original line-up. If I've seen the band in concert, I'll let you know if they're worth spending your money on. And let's face it, many of the groups, especially from the 50s and 60s, have members who have passed away, or no longer have the ability to play.

Classic rock history has had many groups, usually because a manager ended up owning the rights to the band name, that were touring with absolutely a new line-up, put together just for that particular tour, with no relationship at all to the band. In the early 70s, while Fleetwood Mac was taking a break before deciding to add Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, their ex-manager sent a bogus group out on the road. I also remember reading that, at one time, there were three or four groups touring at the same time under the moniker "The Drifters." Apparently a manager who owned the name figured out an easy way to triple or quadruple his income.

But now there's the Internet. People can research and see who's currently in a band. But if you go to a group's website, they rarely post, "Featuring One Original Member!" Some do pay homage to their past members, others just don't bother saying who's original, and hope you don't dig any deeper. And since there was never room on an 8-track label to list the band members, it's likely you don't remember their names. (Also, it was the 60s - you might not remember much, other than the music itself.)

PLEASE JOIN IN

If you want to know about a particular group, feel free to make a request in the comments, or to email me. If you've recently seen one of the bands featured here, let people know how the concert was. If you don't agree with my opinion, you're welcome to add your thoughts in the comments, also. Just keep it clean, and no haters. And there's no need to point out that you think the music from your youth is "real music" and everything being released now is crap. Save those comments for YouTube, where they belong.

Oh, and if you're a member of an oldies or classic rock band, and you're going to be playing near Kansas City…sure, I'd be happy to have a couple of free tickets to check you out. But I'll still post an honest review.

Tim Coulter