let's revisit the golden era of longboards and beach-club parties. That's right, it's the New Zealand surf scene in the 1960s!
Children of the Sun Photo: screengrab
For this episode of our New Zealand music profile series Musical Chairs, reporter Andrew Clifford tracks down members of The Music Convention.
They supplied the psychedelic soundtrack for classic kiwi surf film Children of the Sun, which was directed and produced by Andrew McAlpine, filmed at Piha, and released in 1968.
It remains a cult film within the international surfing community.
But The Music Convention's story begins earlier than that, in Hamilton in the early '60s.
A young Greg O' Donnell was playing in the school band The Spectres along with his brother Bob and drummer Sean Kelly.
Listen out for the bugle call you hear in the programme, on the theme song for the Charge of the Light Brigade movie. It's an 1885 recording of the actual bugle used in the original light brigade’s charge!
The Music Convention. Photo: RCA via AudioCulture
Produced by Andrew Clifford and engineered by Ian Gordon for Radio New Zealand, 2006.
Music Details for the audio version of this story:
Apache, (Lordan) The Shadows ’20 Golden Greats’, EMI, CDP 7 46243 2
A Hard Day’s Night, (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, Parlophone, CDP 7 46437 2
Turn! Turn! Turn!, (adapt. Pete Seeger) The Byrds ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’, Columbia, CK 9254
Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles ‘The Beatles [White Album]’, Capitol, 96895
Like a Rolling Stone, (B. Dylan) Bob Dylan ‘Highway 61 Revisited’, CBS, 62572
Have You Seen My Limousine?, (The Music Convention) The Music Convention ‘Have You Seen My Limousine? 7”’, RCA, 60424
Good Clean Fun, (The Music Convention) The Music Convention ‘Have You Seen My Limousine 7”’, RCA, 60424
Tomorrow Never Knows, (Lennon/McCartney) The Beatles ‘Revolver’, Parlophone, CDP 7 46441 2
Footprints on My Mind, (The Music Convention) The Music Convention ‘Footprints on My Mind 7”’, RCA, 60434
BellyBoard Beat (The Music Convention) The Music Convention ‘Children of the Sun EP’, RCA, RPX1161
Theme from Children of the Sun (The Music Convention) The Music Convention ‘Children of the Sun EP’, RCA, RPX1161
One, (Nilsson) The Music Convention ‘One 7”’, RCA, 60452
Ballad of the Light Brigade (The Music Convention) The Music Convention ‘Ballad of the Light Brigade 7”’, RCA, 60454
Yeah I Know It (Patterson) Kel Szivak and The Music Convention ‘Christine 7”’, Treble Clef, TCP 005
Theme from Children of the Sun (The Music Convention) The Music Convention ‘Children of the Sun EP’, RCA, RPX1161
