This Sunday’s edition of Vinyl Vibes at 6pm features a member of one of the unsung greats of Australian music, The Missing Links. Andy Anderson joined the band in 1965 as lead singer, and over the course of just over a year they would release some of the heaviest music Australia had likely produced up to that point. They could be regarded as one of the few Australian groups that were on par with overseas contemporaries such as The Who at a time when most Aussie acts followed rather than led.
Andy grew up during the 1950s and early 1960s in New Zealand. He was exposed to rock and roll for the first time when he heard Little Richard’s “Can’t Believe You Wanna Leave” on the radio. He soon started playing drums and performing in various local bands, including serving as the drummer for The Corvairs. During his teenage years, he was greatly influenced by The Beatles. Andy got to see the Fab Four live on their 1964 world tour when they played Wellington Town Hall in June of that year. Soon afterward, Andy travelled by plane to Sydney, Australia.
In 1965, he joined a band called The Missing Links in what would become their second lineup. The band signed with Philips Records and released their first single with this lineup, “You’re Drivin’ Me Insane,” in August 1965. The singles “Wild About You” and “H’tuom Tuhs” followed in September and October respectively. “H’tuom Tuhs” was particularly innovative for its time. The song was actually a cover of Bo Diddley’s “Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut”; however, the band reversed the tape and released the backwards version as the single. This pre-dated the use of backwards audio by bands such as The Beatles.
Their sought-after self-titled album, recorded without a producer in a cramped studio, was released in December 1965. Before their breakup in August 1966, the band released an EP called Links Unchained in April 1966.
Andy remained involved in music for some time after the band’s breakup but soon embarked on a successful acting career. He has since returned to music and, through Half a Cow Records, released his latest album, Andersongs, in 2017.
Hear Jack Hodgins’ interview with Andy Anderson this Sunday at 6pm AEST on 2NURFM 103.7.
Lonnie Lee Interview:
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Lonnie Lee was among the top artists in the country.
Last year Vinyl Vibes presenter Jack Hodgins had the pleasure of interviewing Lonnie on camera, and the video is now available on Lonnie’s recording‑label YouTube channel.
They talk about standout moments in Lonnie’s career — how he wrote his breakthrough hit Ain’t It So with Johnny O’Keefe in just 15 minutes, how he rang Clovis, New Mexico to speak with Buddy Holly’s manager Norman Petty, and what it was like touring alongside Jerry Lee Lewis in the early ’60s.