Masters Apprentices - Do What You Wanna Do (1988)

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Masters Apprentices - Do What You Wanna Do (1988)

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THE MASTERS APPRENTICES is an Australian band, citing 1965 as their formative year. Their history started the year before though, with the formation of The Mustangs. Featuring Mick Bower (guitar), Rick Morrison (guitar), Brian Vaughton (drums) and Gavin Webb (bass), they made a name for themselves playing cover tunes by acts such as The Shadows and The Ventures. When The Beatles toured Australia in 1964 that style of music went out of fashion though, and after adding vocalist Jim Keays to their ranks, the band started rehearsing their own material.

Come 1965 and The Mustangs started establishing themselves as a popular live act, now pursuing a distinct beat influenced style of music. By the end of 1965 they had built themselves quite a following in their local base of Adelaide. They renamed themselves as The Masters Apprentices late in the year - the name a homage to the masters of the blues apparently - and the arguable highlight of the year for the band was a TV appearance on the Good Friday show as well as landing the third place in the band contest Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds.

In 1966 it was time to record a demo tape, and later in the year two tracks from the demo were issued as a single, sporting the tune Undecided and the A side. The single was given lots of attention in their local Adelaide scene, and towards the end of the year in Melbourne too - with one impressed DJ stating The Masters are to Australia what the Rolling Stones are to England, and The Doors are to America.

A second single, Buried and Dead, was issued towards the end of the year, and the band also recorded several other tunes at that time, which would eventually end up on their debut album. Early in 1967 the attention they got from the Melbourne scene made the band realize that it would be a good move relocating there. Vaughton decided that he would stay behind in Adelaide though, and was replaced by Steve Hopgood (drums) following the move.

The Undecided single sold well in Melbourne, eventually peaking at #9 in the local charts, and the band got themselves further attention with their second single Buried and Dead, for which they also made a promotional film - one of the first rock videos ever made in Australia. This lead to the band being picked up by Astor Records, who issued their self-titled debut album.

At this point in time The Masters Apprentices were introduced to the recent psychedelic rock movement, as well as it's influential companion LSD. Both of which had a major impact on their stylistic expression, documented on their third single Living in a Child's Dream. This latest production entered the top 10 charts in most of Australia, and both this venture as well as their first single Undecided eventually ranked in among the top 5 singles overall by the end of the year.

By the summer of 1967 the success of their singles saw The Masters Apprentices becoming teen idols , and the constant attention and pressure started taking it's toll on several members. In June guitarist Morrison passed out on stage, suffering a collapsed lung. He was ordered to quit performing by medical personnel, and was subsequently replaced by Tony Summers (guitars).

In September disaster struck, when Bower suffered a severe nervous breakdown. As the main songwriter this almost stopped the band dead in their tracks, but following an initial shock recovery phase they decided to keep going, hiring in Adelaide-based Rick Harrison (guitars) to cover the instrumental side of affairs.

Harrisons tenure didn't last long though. On October 14th the band held a free concert in Sydney's Hyde Park that after a couple of numbers degenerated into a full scale riot, the band more or less literally running for their lives pursued by ardent fans. And in the evening the same day they headlined Living in a Child's Dream Ball at NSW Univeristy, a highly psychedelic experience were most participants were high on one thing or another. The total experience of that particular day became too much for Harrison, who quit the band following these two events, replaced by Peter Tilbrook (guitars).

As 1967 ended The Masters Apprentices were in something of a disarray. New members in, important old members gone - and no songwriter in sight. And if the natives didn't become restless due to that, at least some band members started getting disillusioned with the future of this outfit. Vocalist Keaye, by now the band leader, had already started contemplating firing some members at this stage.

In January 1968 Summers and Hopgood left, replaced by Colin Burgess (drums) and Doug Ford (guitars). With Ford a strong songwriter, The Masters Apprentices were now able to pen their own tunes again - and soon Ford and Keaye became a strong composer team. While this new line-up started getting familiar with one another, a new single, Elevator Driver, was issued. Penned by Brian Cadd of The Groop, the single hit the top 30, and kept the momentum going for the band.

In April 1968 Gavin Webb had to call it quits due to stomach ulcers. Keaye initially tried recruiting bassist Beeb Birtles for the vacant spot, without success. While doing so he met artist manager Darryl Sambell though, which resulted in Sambell taking over the management of the band. The line-up situation was eventually resolved by Tilbrook switching to bass, while Glenn Wheatley (guitars) became the new man in. In June a new single, Brigette, was released. The first result of the Ford/Keaye partnership, the tune hit the top 40 of the charts. They attended several band contests this year as well, and always regarded as among the best bands participating. Due to interviews that might have been a bit too honest for comfort they also started getting something of a bad boy attitude at this stage, which caused frictions with their management.

Despite commercial success and constant touring, The Masters Apprentices weren't a commercially sound venture - in fact they were heavily in debt. And while their manager was a high profile one with many connections, he was too preoccupied with his other artists and the band had to take on most of the duties he was supposed to take on. The ultimate low turn in that respect was when Sambell had booked the band for an extensive run at a cruise liner heading for England - but forgot to tell the band about it. Ultimately leading to many more problems for this already heavily challenged outfit.

Tilbrook tired of the situation and left the band in April, with guitarist Wheatly switching to bass. At the end of the year the band decided to ditch their manager, and Wheatly took over the managerial duties as well at this stage.

In 1969 they released their first single for new label EMI Records, and although it didn't chart Linda, Linda was a sweet pop tune that got quite a lot of airplay and attention. Throughout 1969 the band slowly but surely started taking control of their career. They attended band contests, toured extensively, and slowly but surely started booking shows themselves rather than via promoters. They also cut down on TV appearances and other non-concert stints, making it easier to function as a band and also getting the needed energy to focus on what they wanted to achieve as a band.

They evolved their stylistic expression away from pop to a heavier variety of rock, and when the second single of the year was released in July, 5:10 Man, they hit the top 20 again, and the same was the case for third single Think About Tomorrow Today.

Come 1970 and The Masters Apprentices officially set up their own booking agency, Drum. Pretty soon other acts sought the services of this company as well, which hit off a flying start. In February their second album, Masterpieces, was issued. A new single, Turn Up Your Radio, followed next, hitting the top 10 charts. And then the band decided to give it a go in the UK. The previous year they had won a cruise to England in one of the band contests they attended, and late in May they boarded a cruise ship. For the next 6 weeks they got to enjoy life, write new songs and generally ease off after many hectic, problematic years. When they arrived in England it was without much money, hardly any equipment - but with a certain new-found optimism and energy.

Eventually they negotiated with various departments of EMI to set up recording sessions and a deal to release an album. Starting in September the sessions were finished within a month, and new compositions influenced by bands with a more progressive take on music creation found their way into the studio.

But while their forthcoming album sounded good, strong and original, they were almost broke - again - following these recording sessions. Wheatly travelled back to Australia to set up a tour, got a sponsor deal as well, and at the end of December 1970 the rest of the band followed. One of the tracks they had recorded was released as a single by EMI just about then, Because I Love You. Another hit single for The Masters Apprentices, hitting the top 20 charts.

1971 kicked off with the Australian tour, and after the recording of one of the first shows of the tour the live album Nickelodeon was issued, with a single with the cuts Future of Our Nation and New Day pulled from the album to be released as a single in June.

After almost a year away from Australia they initially found it difficult to regain their former popularity, but good concerts and magazine articles soon rectified that - at least to some extent. In between a massive concert schedule the band also had TV appearances, and generally worked hard to regain the momentum in their home country. In the UK EMI issued the track I'm Your Satisfier, a tune that would hit the top 10 charts in several European countries this year. In Australia their studio album made the previous year was issued in April, named Choice Cuts, and it soon hit the top 20 album charts.

But while they started getting a name over in Europe, The Masters Apprentices were stuck in Australia at this point. A new bout of experiences with promoters ripping off the band and band activities taking it's toll on managerial oversight saw to it that their fiances still were dire, although not in debt they didn't have the financial muscle to return to Europe for possibly more sound commercial and financial success there. And late in the spring of 1971 they were about to call it a day.

A phone call from EMI UK postponed that decision though, their album was getting a lot of good press in the UK, and they were urged to return to England. So in May 1971 they boarded a cruise liner headed for England. When they arrived 3 months had passed though, and by now EMI UK wasn't as eager about the band anymore. Newly founded Bronze Records were though, but fearing legal problems they decided to stick with EMI - which they later would regret.

In the autumn of 1971 they hit the studio again, to record what was to be their final album. In January 1972 A Toast to Panama Red saw the light of day, to highly positive receptions mostly everywhere. EMI Australia didn't support the album nor the single Love Is though, and both releases bombed. With this latest negative development Wheatly had enough, and quit the band to concentrate his efforts full time with the management firm that was set up two years previously. Keays announced his departure soon after, and headed back to Australia as well. Ford and Burgess tried to keep the band going, adding the latters brother Denny to the line-up, but in mid-72 The Masters Apprentices called it quits.

The Burgess, Ford, Keays and Wheatley line-up reunited briefly in 1987, and issued the album Do What You Wanna Do the following year, but apart from this brief resurrection The Masters Apprentices as a continuing band project was over, but various one-offs with different line-ups have occurred infrequently over the years.

In 1998 the were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in Australia for their achievements, and while it is the part of their history as a pop and rock outfit that are most highly regarded today, the final two studio ventures from the band were, at least at the time, innovative, daring and high class progressive rock tinged efforts. And it is these two last efforts from this troubled band that has lead to the band being added to the database at Progarchives. As they were a highly influential act in their native Australia exploring territories pretty close to progressive rock as such, they have been approved in the Proto-prog category. A little late from a European perspective, but just about perfectly right seen with Australian eyes.

~ progarchives

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Masters Apprentices - Do What You Wanna Do (1988)

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Masters Apprentices - Do What You Wanna Do (1988)

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