Australia produced two major rock groups in the 1960s, The Easybeats and The Twilights. Strawberry Records, an imprint of Cherry Red Records, has compiled the complete recordings of the latter in a new three disc box set.

The compilation contains the bands’ two albums, the first in its original mono mix, the second in both mono and stereo versions, as well as singles sides, live concert recordings and tracks intended for an aborted television show, all in their original mono mixes.

Disc one opens with the twelve tracks comprising the band’s 1966 self-titled debut album, only one an original. The band’s versatility is reflected by the range of artists and genres covered. The album opens with mod rock covers of Small Faces’ ‘Sorry She’s Mine’ and The Who’s ‘La La La Lies’, the former a rocker featuring guitarist Terry Britten, the latter a showcase for the groups’ two lead vocalists, Glenn Shorrock and Paddy McCartney. Band original ‘It’s Dark’ written by Shorrock and rhythm guitarist Peter Brideoake, is a standout, its balladish vocals complemented by Britten’s lead guitar and solo. The group’s R&B influences are evident on covers of Willie Dixon’s ‘Diddy Wah Diddy’ and the stomping ‘Needle In A Haystack’, a #1 hit in Australia for The Twilights. The band delves into pop with covers of Barry Gibbs’ ‘Long Life’, Carole King/Gerry Goffin’s ‘Yes I Will’, and The Moody Blues’ ‘Let Me Go’, before venturing into harder edged territory with a punkish take on The Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’ before Britten’s pyrotechnics shine on Mose Allison’s ‘I’m Not Talkin.’’, The single sides that follow are an even mix of originals and covers. Britten and Shorrock’s Beatlesque ‘I’ll Be Where You Are’ is backed by the heavier Shorrock and Brideoake penned ‘I Don’t Know Where The Wind Will Blow Me.’’ The Hollies’ ‘Come On Home’, with its fiery Britten guitar break, is backed by mid-tempo band original ‘Wanted To Sell.’ Britten and Brideoake’s pop rocker ‘If She Finds Out’ is paired with a snarling take on Manfred Mann written ‘John Handy.’ The fuzzed out ‘Baby Let Me Take You Home’ has Smokey Robinson’s classic ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ on its bottom side’ A Britten dominated version of Larry Williams’ ‘Bad Boy’ is taken from an EP also featuring Goffin and King’s ‘I Won’t Be The Same Without Her’ and an alternate take of ‘Baby Let Me Take You Home.’ The disc closes with five tracks recorded live in Adelaide in 1966 including The Zombies’ ‘She’s Not There’ and The Isley Brothers’ ‘Shout.’

Disc two begins with the stereo mix of the twelve songs from ‘Once Upon A Twilight’, the band’s 1968 pop psych album, considered by many a masterpiece in the genre. In sharp contrast to their debut the album consists of all original material with guitarist Terry Britten taking over as the chief songwriter, penning ten of the tracks. The album opens with the orchestrated pop psych title track. ‘What A Silly Thing To Do’ has a delicately nuanced sound, with its acoustic guitar intro, gorgeous vocals and gentle wah wah aided guitar complemented by harpsichord. ‘Bessemae’, ‘Stop The World For A Day’ and ‘Mr. Nice’ continue the LPs flow of melodic pop psych. ‘Take Action’ is an upbeat track dominated by Britten’s guitar. The heavier, ‘Blue Roundabout’ has Britten’s driving guitar supplemented by tasty keyboard accents. ‘Devendra’ has an Eastern feel thanks to the inclusion of sitar and tablas. ‘Found To Be Thrown Away’ is a delicate melody full of vocal harmonies. Brideoake’s ‘Tomorrow Is Today’ has a psychedelic vibe and delicate harmony vocals. Pryor’s ‘Cocky Song’ takes the sound in a different direction with its banjo intro before Britten’s ‘Paternosta Row’ quickens the tempo and closes the LP on a Beatlesque note. The bonus material begins with ‘What’s Wrong With The Way I Live’ , a Hollies cover full of social commentary, which peaked at #3 on the Australian charts. The b-side, Britten’s ‘9.50’ rocks with a notable bass line from John Bywaters and a roaring lead line and solo by Britten. The commercially accessible Pryor composition ‘Young Girl’ peaked at #4 on the Aussie singles charts, while Britten’s b-side ‘Time And Motion Study Man’ is an upbeat Eastern influenced rocker showcasing the writer’s sitar and guitar solo. ‘Cathy Come Home’, a #4 single, is another rocker, Britten’s fuzz guitar and sitar complemented by Bywaters’ driving bass. B-side ‘The Way They Play’ is a raga featuring Britten’s sitar. ‘Bowling Brings Out The Swinger In You’ is a jingle with vocal a-side and instrumental b-side. The disc closes with seven more tracks recorded live in Adelaide in 1966. The tunes include The Beatles’ ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘Girl’, blues standards ‘I’m A Man’ and ‘Smokestack Lightning’ from Bo Diddley and Howlin’ Wolf respectively, mod anthem ‘My Generation’ from The Who, Manfred Mann’s ‘John Handy, and Larry Williams’ ‘Bad Boy.’

Disc three opens with the luscious mono mix of ‘Once Upon A Twilight.’ The bonus material begins with ‘Always’, a breezy slice of pop rock, the band’s last hit single, peaking at #40 in 1968. Its follow up ‘Tell Me Goodbye’ is upbeat and commercially accessible, but failed to chart. B-side ‘Comin’ On Down’ is a mid-tempo tune with a tasty Britten lead line. ‘Sand In The Sandwiches’ is pure pop with the band searching for a hit. The tune was The Twilights’ final single, its bottom side, ‘Lotus’ having a C,S&N vibe. As the band’s time drew to a close, Terry Britten recorded a single, his lone solo release, ‘2000 Weeks’, a mid-tempo pop effort, while the b-side ‘Bargain Day’ displayed his guitar work, A side project with The Twilights serving as the backing band for vocalists Terry Walker and Ronnie Charles resulted in a psychedelic pop single released on the Festival Records label under the moniker Pastoral Symphony. The a-side ‘Love Machine’ was a sizable hit, backed by ‘Spread A Little Love Around.’ Plans were made for further releases, but none were forthcoming. Six tracks recorded live in Melbourne during 1967, released on the 1982 Raven Records LP ‘Twilight Time’ follow. A run through the band’s biggest hit ‘A Needle In A Haystack’ is followed by a scorching rendition of ‘Barefootin’’ with Britten’s guitar and Bywaters’ bass performances notable. ‘Young Girl’, the band’s new 45 at the time of the gig, is much heavier than the studio version thanks to Britten and Bywaters. The Twilights’ mod side is represented by a cover of The Move’s ‘Night Of Fear’ which shines while remaining faithful to the original. The group’s R&B influences are present in a guitar driven cover of Joe Tex’s ‘Show Me’ which leads to a lively take on The Hollies’ ‘What’s Wrong With The Way That I Live’, the third and best version of the tune on the box set. Three recordings done for an aborted television show in the vein of ‘The Monkees’ follow. A medley mixes snippets of five of the band’s best known recordings, while a cover of The Beatles’ ‘Good Day Sunshine’ is unique to The Twilight’s catalog with its female backing vocals. The disc and box set close with the aborted television show soundtrack version of ‘Once Upon A Twilight.’

‘Twilights Time: The Complete 1960s Recordings’ comes in a tri-fold digipak and includes a lavishly illustrated thirty-two page booklet, with complete track listings, a sessionography by compiler Alec Palao, who also mastered the recordings. The box set includes an introduction by Palao, a detailed Twilights biography by Victor Marshall, and new interviews with band manager Garry Spry and guitarist Terry Britten. The eighty-six tracks, seventy-four in mono, three and a half hours of music included in the compilation make this the absolute last word on The Twilights and will be of special interest to fans of Australian rock, 1960s rock and classic rock music.

The Twilights – ‘Twilights Time!: The Complete 1960s Recordings’ (Strawberry Records, 2024)