CamPact

Seminal Melbourne band CamPact began as a soul group in the style of contemporary Tamla, Stax and Atlantic soul acts, and later explored teen-pop, heavy rock and finally into blues/psychedelia. The band formed in April 1967, and according to Ian McFarlane, their original name was The Camp Act, but this was deemed too "risque" for the time and altered to CamPact. The band was a nexus for some of the leading players on the Melbourne scene, and some very noteworthy personnel passed through during its short lifespan, creating connections with most of the major Melbourne bands of the late 60s and early 70s.

The original 1967 lineup was Mark Barnes (ex-Moppa Blues, Roadrunners, Delta Set), Keith Glass (ex-Rising Sons, 18th Century Quartet), John Pugh (ex-Roadrunners, Delta Set, James Taylor Move, 18th Century Quartet), Chris Stockley (The Road Runners, Delta Set) and drummer Bob Lloyd. They approached David Flint, of Melbourne disco Thumpin' Tum for an audition -- he was impressed enough to offer them a gig and take over their management. They signed a recording deal with Festival and their first single Something Easy / Michael was released in February 1968. Lloyd and Pugh left the band shortly after its release.

Lloyd was replaced by Trevor Courtney (formerly with NZ band Chants R&B, with Mike Rudd), and Pugh by Greg Cook (ex-Silk'n'Dreams). Lloyd went on to play with Carnival, Extradition, and Forest; Pugh went on to play in several well-known bands including  James Taylor Move, The News, The Avengers, Healing Force, Ray Burton Nightflyers and the Renee Geyer Band.

The second lineup of CamPact (Barnes, Cook, Courtney, Glass and Stockley) was the best known and most successful lineup. Their second single Drawing Room / I'm Your Puppet) was a Who-ish remake of Keith Glass' song, which had been already been issued as a single by 18th Century Quartet in 1966. (The original version, excellent in its own right, is now a prized collectors item). Over the next year the band issued three more excellent psych-pop singles on Festival: Good, Good Feelin' / And It Won't Be Long, Potion of Love / Cry My Heart Out and Zoom, Zoom, Zoom / Getting Myself Together, but unfortunately the band never got to cut a full LP.

Barnes left in late 1968, and Keith Glass switched to bass, but in mid-'69 both he and Stockley left, Stockley to join Axiom, and Glass to perform in the Australian stage production of Hair. They were replaced by Lofven and Smith. Trevor Courtney left in late '69, thus creating a totally new lineup. He was replaced by Ray Arnott (ex-Chelsea Set, The Browns). Chris Lovfen (bass) later made a name as a film-maker, with the legendary promotional clips for Daddy Cool's Eagle Rock and Spectrum's I'll Be Gone, and he later wrote and directed the cult road film OZ, (with music by Ross Wilson and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons).

Blissett left around the start of 1970; bluesman Matt Taylor (Chain) even became a member for a few weeks, filling in as lead singer when they toured Sydney in early 1970. In March the final three-piece version of CamPact (Arnott, Edwards and Smith) combined with vocalist Gulliver Smith (ex-Little Gulliver & The Children, Dr Kandy's Third Eye) and sax player Jeremy Noone (Leo & Friends, Sons of the Vegetal Mother) to become the first lineup of the legendary Company Caine.

Arnott became a mainstay of the 70s scene, going on to Company Caine, Spectrum, Mighty Kong and The Dingoes; Barnes joined Party Machine, Andy James Asylum and Sundown; Cook moved onto The Graduates, The Mixtures and later, Mondo Rock; Smith went on into Co.Caine with Arnott, then joined Billy T, and Heavy Division.

Keith Glass has been a very important figure in Aussie rock, although his many contributions are still not widely recognised. After leaving CamPact, he embarked on tertiary studies, but that ended abruptly when he successfully auditoned for the cast of the original Australian production of the rock musical HAIR in mid-'69, and he performed with the show for about 12 months, and sang on the subsequent soundtrack LP. In 1970 he formed the seminal Australian country-rock band, Sundown, which included Kerryn Tolhurst and Broderick Smith, (Dingoes), old mate Mark Barnes, Barry Windley (Chessmen, Cherokees) and Richard Wright (The Groop). In the early 70s he also went into record retail, setting up the pioneering Melbourne import shop Archie & Jughead (which can be glimpsed in a scene in OZ).

Ca. 1978 Keith founded Missing Link, the Melbourne shop and record label which were crucial in the emergence of the New Wave scene in Australia; he managed goth-rock pioneers The Birthday Party and released early recording by The Birthday Party and The Go-Betweens. Missing Link also distributed important new wave recordings from the UK and the US, including Money by The Flying Lizards, and the early recordings by The Dead Kennedys.

Since then, Keith has established himself as one of Australia's most respected country music performers and songwriters. He can still be seen regularly, playing with his group The Keith Glass Band, which reunites him with Chris Lofven (bs), plus drummer Rob Souter (ex-Lizard, Dynamic Hepnotics) and top-rated country picker Bob Howe.

STOP PRESS! Good news just to hand (thanks, immedia!) is that Keith is reactivating the Missing Link label. Among its first batch of releases will be a nineteen-track CamPact compilation. We'll keep you posted, so check our What's New page for more information as it comes to hand. We also commend you to the Australian music magazine RHYTHMS -- in the June edition Keith has published the first instalment of his memoirs, looking at the start of his musical career with Rising Sons and 18th Century Quartet. Well worth a read. WE look forward to the CamPact years being covered in a subsequent issue.

DK

Singles

3/68  Something Easy/ Michael  [Festival FK 2195]  5/68  Drawing Room/ I'm Your Puppet   [Festival FK 2364]  9/68  Good Good Feelin/ It Won't Be Long  [Festival FK 2538]  6/69  Potion Of Love/ Cry My Heart Out   [Festival FK 3005]  9/69  Zoom Zoom Zoom/ Getting Myself Together   [Festival FK 3125]

 

EPs

n/d  Something Easy [Festival FX 11496]  (Something Easy, Michael/    Who Could Be Loving You, Mercy)  n/d Pastoral Symphony* [Festival FX 11511]  1. Love Machine,    2. Spread a Little Love Around   3. Drawing, Room,    4. I'm Your Puppet  *Note: this EP was a shared release; tracks 1, 2 were by Pastoral Symphony, tracks 3,4 by Cam-Pact  n/d   Zoom Zoom Zoom  [FX 11661]  ?/77  Living In The 60s  [Missing Link]  Drawing Room / I'm Your Puppet / *Wasted (On A Fantasy) / *(You Don't Have To) Break It To Me Gently  4-track EP issued on Keith Glass's own label; the two tracks marked* were previously unreleased Cam-Pact recordings  from 1968.

• Conn, 1996
• McFarlane, 1999, p.93
• McGrath, 1978
• Special thanks to Keith Glass and Paul Culnane for information and corrections.

• Keith Glass page in the Show Net website