Mike Rudd

Mike Rudd

Mike Rudd, 2009
Background information
Birth name Michael David Rudd
Also known as My Crudd
Born (1945-06-15) 15 June 1945
Christchurch, New Zealand
Genres Progressive rock, blues
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, harmonica, recorder, bass, keyboard
Years active 1960s–present
Labels Havoc, EMI, Mushroom, Rare Vision, Volcano
Associated acts Chants R&B, The Party Machine, Sons of the Vegetal Mother, Spectrum, Indelible Murtceps, Ariel, Mike Rudd's Instant Replay, Mike Rudd and The Heaters, W.H.Y., Spectrum Plays The Blues
Website http://www.mikeruddbillputt.com
Notable instruments
L Series Fender Stratocaster

Michael David "Mike" Rudd (born 15 June 1945) is a New Zealand-born musician and composer who has been based in Australia since the late 1960s, and who was the leader of Australian progressive rock bands Spectrum and Ariel in the 1970s.

Biography

Michael David Rudd was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. His first major group was the Chants R&B. The group came to Australia and settled in Melbourne in 1966 but broke up soon afterwards. Rudd then joined The Party Machine led by Ross Wilson and Ross Hannaford, who later formed Daddy Cool.

After Party Machine split up in late 1969, Rudd formed his own group, Spectrum, one of Australia's first progressive rock groups. This also marked the beginning of his long association with bassist Bill Putt. Spectrum released four LPs and several 7" singles, including their national No. 1 hit single I'll Be Gone, which has remained one of the best-known songs of the period, and the first Australian rock double album, Milesago. The group also worked under the pseudonym Indelible Murtceps and recorded one LP under that name.

After Spectrum split in April 1973, Rudd and Putt formed a new group, Ariel. Along with keyboard player John Mills they joined forces with two leading Sydney musicians, guitarist Tim Gaze and drummer Nigel Macara from pioneering progressive band Tamam Shud. They released one successful LP, A Strange Fantastic Dream, in December 1973, but Gaze and Macara left the band soon after it was recorded.

In early 1974 Rudd and Putt began work on an extended concept piece, The Jellabad Mutant, and began rehearsing the music with drummer John Lee, ex-The Dingoes. Lee then brought in a friend, lead guitarist Harvey James, and this arrangement eventually coalesced into the second line-up of Ariel. They recorded a full-length demo tape of the planned LP, called The Jellabad Mutant, and presented it to their record label EMI, but to their surprise it was rejected.

However, by this time the band had gained some critical praise in the United Kingdom, thanks in part to leading disc jockey John Peel, and this led EMI's parent office in London to invite the group to record their next album at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios. However the rejection of the Mutant album left the band with no new material, and when they arrived in London they discovered that EMI were expecting the line-up that had recorded the first LP. Rudd hastily wrote a number of new songs, but to complete the LP they were forced to fall back on Rudd's back-catalogue, recording new versions of several Spectrum/Murtceps songs. The resulting album, Rock'n'Roll Scars, was mixed by famous EMI recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who had worked with The Beatles.

In January 1975 Ariel was expanded to a five-piece with the addition of respected New Zealand singer-songwriter-guitarist Glyn Mason. This line-up recorded only one single and lasted until early 1976. Lead guitarist Harvey James left to join chart-topping Australian pop band Sherbet in March (he was replaced by keyboardist Tony Slavich) and drummer John Lee quit to join English band Dirty Tricks during Ariel's second visit to the UK in April. He was briefly replaced by Nigel Macara, who quit again in October 1976 to be replaced by Iain McLennan.

Ariel continued to record and perform until July 1977, when they announced their break-up; they performed their farewell concert at the Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne on 31 August 1977; the show was recorded and later released on two LP's: Aloha; then Ariel Live!!-More From Before.

After Ariel, Mike Rudd moved into promotion and production for a time. He produced the debut album for Newcastle bands Daniel and Jab and demos for Jane Conway (ex-Melbourne band Stiletto).

Rudd and Putt later formed a succession of groups, in the 1980s—Mike Rudd's Instant Replay, Mike Rudd & The Heaters (both also with Tony Slavich) and the more electronically oriented W.H.Y. (Weird Harold and You), a drummer-less trio comprising Rudd, Putt and John Moon and featuring Weird Harold, an early but cantankerous drum-machine—but none achieved the same level of success as Spectrum or Ariel.

Although Rudd was forced to withdraw from performing for several years due to the illness and subsequent death of his wife Helen, Mike and Bill sustained an enduring musical partnership, including reunions of Spectrum during the '80s, and a duo album in 1996, Living on a Volcano. A new 3-piece incarnation of Spectrum, with drummer Peter 'Robbo' Robertson, debuted in the late 1990s as Spectrum Play The Blues with a CD Spill, which took them back to their musical roots. Ariel also reformed for occasional gigs with varying line-ups, including a final reunion of the 'Mark II' line-up with Harvey James and John Lee, which took place not long before Lee's untimely death in July 1998.

Rudd, Putt and Robertson continued to perform and record as Spectrum, with occasional help from keyboardist Daryl Roberts, until Putt's sudden death in Strathewen on 7 August 2013, ending an enduring 44 year partnership. Spectrum now continues as Mike Rudd with Broc O'Connor (bass), Peter 'Robbo' Robertson (percussion) and Daryl Roberts (keyboards).[1]

Mike Rudd's entire back-catalogue was re-released on Spotify and iTunes in August 2015.[2]

Discography

Albums

Recorded Vinyl release CD re/release Title Band Band Members Original Label
1966 1966 - Stage Door Witchdoctors Chants R&B Courtney, Rudd, Hansen, Tomlin
1970 1971 2007 Spectrum Part One Spectrum Rudd, Putt, Neale, Kennedy EMI-Harvest
1971 1972 2008 Milesago Spectrum Rudd, Putt, Neale, Arnott EMI-Harvest
1972 1972 [*] Warts Up Your Nose The Indelible Murtceps Rudd, Putt, Neale, Arnott EMI-HMV
1973 1973 - Terminal Buzz (Live) Spectrum/Murtceps Rudd, Putt, Mills, Arnott EMI-HMV
1973 1973 - Testimonial Spectrum / Indelible Murtceps Rudd, Putt, Mills, Arnott EMI
1973 1973 2002 A Strange Fantastic Dream Ariel Rudd, Putt, Gaze, Mills, Macara EMI
1974~76 - 2002 The Jellabad Mutant Ariel Rudd, Putt, James, Lee Rare Vision
1974 1975 2002 Rock And Roll Scars Ariel Rudd, Putt, James, Lee EMI-Harvest
1976 1976 - Goodnight Fiona Ariel Rudd, Putt, Mason, Slavich, Macara CBS
1977 1977 2013 Aloha (Live) Ariel Rudd, Putt, Mason, Slavich, McLennan Image Records
1977 1978 2013 Ariel Live!!-More From Before (Live) Ariel Rudd, Putt, Mason, Slavich, McLennan Image Records
1982 1982 - The Unrealist Mike Rudd and the Heaters Rudd, Putt, Fossey, Dillon Mushroom
1982 - - Mushroom Evolution Concert (Live) [**] Mike Rudd and the Heaters Rudd, Putt, Fossey, Dillon, Mason, James Mushroom/iTunes 2009
1983 1983 - Woman of Steel [12" single] W.H.Y. Rudd, Putt, Moon (and Weird Harold) I.C. Records
1983 - - Present Tense W.H.Y. Rudd, Putt, Moon (and Weird Harold) iTunes/Spotify 2015
1971~73 1984 - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet Spectrum (various – compilation) EMI
1971~72 - 1991 Ghosts: Post-Terminal Reflection Spectrum/Murtceps (various – compilation) Raven
1995 - 1995 Living on a Volcano Mike Rudd and Bill Putt Rudd, Putt Volcano Records
1999 - 1999 Spill Spectrum Plays The Blues Rudd, Putt, Logan, Robertson Volcano Records
2004 - 2004 No Thinking Spectrum Plays The Blues Rudd, Putt, Robertson Volcano Records
2008 - 2008 Breathing Space [EP] Spectrum Rudd, Putt, Roberts, Robertson Volcano Records
2009 - 2009 Breathing Space Too [EP] Spectrum Rudd, Putt, Roberts, Robertson Volcano Records
2011 - 2011 Breathing Space As Well [EP] Spectrum Rudd, Putt, Roberts, Robertson Volcano Records
1971~82 - - Singles Collection Mike Rudd (various – compilation) iTunes/Spotify 2015

[*] Some tracks re-released on Ghosts: Post-Terminal Reflection compilation CD 1991

[**] Also re-released as Live at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl iTunes/Spotify 2015

Singles

Some singles have been re-released on CD as follows:

Other singles are as listed in the Spectrum, Indelible Murtceps and Ariel discographies.

Collaborations

References

  1. ↑ "Mike Rudd's Stop Press #121". September 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Mike Rudd's Stop Press #144". August 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.

See also references listed at:

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