ROCKS
The Rocks EP is an Aussie want list standard especially since its inclusion
on the great Feel Lucky Punk compilation LP (1991). The record packs in five
songs, all winners. The original issue of 500 copies on the Point Blank label is
predictably tough to find... even the reissue (Little Axe 1996) has become scarce.
And now a few words from a Rock...
ROCKS (Never put a "THE" in front) started out as a three piece in late 1976 with
Bill Webb (a.k.a. Bill Posters) on Drums/Lead Vocals, Peter Davie on Guitar/Vocals
& Steve Vanderschoot on Bass/Lead Vocals. Doing what came naturally, it was a
combination of original songs and covers (Ramones, Sex Pistols, Dead Boys Etc.)
that made Rocks what they were to become, one of Australia's best Punk bands. Their
first gig was at the legendary Grand Hotel on Broadway in Sydney... the bands at
The Grand Hotel were booked by Johnny Dole And The Scabs,
this was in November of
1977. How Rocks got this first gig would be the catalyst for them becoming a four
piece, I was to join soon after.
We were always looking for new bands to play at The Grand Hotel, so I started to
look for bands around the area where I lived, this was in the southern suburbs of
Sydney. I decided to give Bill a call to see if he was still playing, we had started
playing together while still at school, playing in my mum and dad's garage (how unique).
I figured if anyone was going to be into punk it would be Bill. Of course, I wasn't
wrong. When I went down to see them rehearse who would be there with him but Peter
& Steve, also from the early days of jamming in my mum and dad's garage. So it
was inevitable that I would not only give them gigs at The Grand Hotel but also if
the opportunity arose I would join the band. This was to happen sooner than I thought
as I was to get kicked out of Johnny Dole And The Scabs not long after Rocks' first
gig at The Grand Hotel, so I got straight on the phone and within two weeks of rehearsal
I made my debut with Rocks supporting of all bands Johnny Dole And The Scabs.
The lineup now was Bill Webb on Lead Vocals, Peter Davie on Guitar/Vocals, Steve
Vanderschoot on Bass/Lead Vocals and Greg Morris on Drums/Vocals.
We had employed the services of a manager by the name of Lorry Brown, he was a nice
guy and to my recollection the best thing he managed to do was misspell the title
of our EP we had just recorded. This EP should have been called "YOU'RE SO BORING"
not "YOU'R SO BORING". We recorded at Axcent Recording Studios at Kogarah NSW and was engineered
by Ross Mcgregor. Ross was blind, and he made his way around a desk better than most.
It took about eight hours to record and we came back the following week to mix it
down; that took about four hours. Our manager financed the pressing. The EP was received
OK, though we weren't around much longer after it was released so that didn't help.
Most bands didn't last very long in those days, there weren't many places to play
and not many people coming along to see the bands. So bands tended to play, record,
split up. If you were lucky enough to release a record then it seems to go on and
become a collectible no matter how good or bad it was.
Rocks played all the popular venues of the time and some not so popular, some of
these were "Blondies" in Bondi Junction "The Last Resort" in Taylor Square and the
biggest one was "The Paris Theatre" in Sydney supporting JAB and
The Boys Next Door, both from Melbourne.
Everything was going along nicely until one particularly unsavory bust-up between
some band members. We decided not to continue. Some time later, Bill called me and
we got together and formed another band called The Prisoners, however this later
folded and since then we have gone our separate ways musically.
Over the years Bill has kept Rocks going with Peter with different drummers but
that's his story.
— Greg Morris
July 2000
CONTACT: Break My Face