Birtles Shorrock Goble

Birtles Shorrock Goble are an Australian pop/rock group composed of the three original singers and songwriters of Little River Band, namely Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock and Graeham Goble. The members are known for their extensive writing and performance of hit songs and distinctive vocal harmonies. They are sometimes referred to by the initials BSG.

Birtles Shorrock Goble
BSG perform at Castle Towers, Sydney, Australia
BSG perform at Castle Towers, Sydney, Australia
Background information
Also known asBSG
GenresPop rock, soft rock
Years active2001–2007
LabelsUniversal, Capitol
Past membersBeeb Birtles
Glenn Shorrock
Graeham Goble
Websiteshorrockbirtlesgoble.com

History

Background and Little River Band

Birtles, Shorrock and Goble were members of popular Australian bands before forming Little River Band in 1974, which became one of Australia's first supergroups, achieving gold and platinum awards and multi-million international record sales and top 10 hits in the US for five consecutive years (1978–1982).

Birtles, Shorrock and Graeham Goble left Little River Band at different times and for different reasons.

Shorrock left in 1982,[1] Birtles in 1983[2] and Goble retired with the band in 1989.[3]

Following their departures from the band, Birtles, Shorrock and Goble continued to maintain careers in the music industry.

2001-2007: BSG

On 28 May 2001, Shorrock and Goble were seated at the same table at the Australian APRA Awards.[4] A reunion was first discussed after record producer Paul Rodger approached Graeham Goble and Derek Pellicci with interest from Warner Music to produce a video concert like the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over. Subsequent telephone calls to Birtles and Shorrock confirmed that they, too, were not averse to a reunion.

The initial plans provided for Birtles, Shorrock, Goble, Pellicci, David Briggs, and George McArdle to re-form under the band name The Original Little River Band.[5] Those plans were quickly thwarted when former Little River Band manager Glenn Wheatley told Birtles, Shorrock, and Goble that things would be a lot easier if they reformed on their own. It was determined that the name Little River Band and associated logos had been transferred by Wheatley and Goble to a company owned by LRB lead guitarist Stephen Housden without the permission of the other members of the band.[6] (See Legal battles.)

Wheatley decided that the three singer/songwriters would henceforth appear as Birtles Shorrock Goble: The Founding Members of Little River Band. ("Not BSG," said Shorrock, "it sounds like something you get at a Chinese restaurant."[6])

The first public performance of the reformed group occurred on 1 March 2002 at the Australian Grand Prix Ball. The hour-long set of twelve songs reprised many of their international hits.[7]

In March 2003, Birtles Shorrock Goble appointed Paul Rodger as their manager and signed a recording contract with Universal Music Australia. The group recorded their live performance at The Forum in Melbourne and released it as the live album, Full Circle. The concert showcased Little River Band tracks, and new songs written by each of the members.

In August–September 2007 Birtles Shorrock Goble toured Australia with the Countdown Spectacular 2, which reacquainted Australian fans with many of the outstanding performers who appeared on the iconic television program Countdown. Birtles Shorrock Goble were given penultimate billing before Rick Springfield, Birtles' former bandmate in Zoot. BSG performed a LRB medley consisting of eight hits.

In September 2007, Birtles Shorrock Goble performed at the 2007 AFL Grand Final.

2008-present: The Future

Since 2007, there have been no further Birtles Shorrock Goble shows. While there has never been an official announcement of Birtles Shorrock Goble disbanding, when asked in 2010 if they would perform again, Shorrock replied "No... The door is locked, but I have the key... I don't feel the need to go back and be married to those guys again. We had a stormy marriage [but] a great marriage."[8]

The seeds of future legal conflict were sown in 1987: with a new line-up and new recording company, the members of Little River Band formed a "clean slate" company known as We Two Pty Ltd. The five band members at that time were made equal shareholders.[9] Band assets, including the name and logo, were transferred into this company. Goble acknowledges that mistakes were made:

"The LRB name was never 'for sale'. It was lost to Stephen Housden because of a legal document that transferred the name to We Two Pty. Ltd. The name should have been licensed, not transferred. We were ill-advised and totally unaware of what we were leaving behind." Graeham Goble (2005)[9]

As the other members left over time, by 1997 Housden was the sole remaining member and ownership of We Two Pty Ltd (including rights to the name Little River Band) passed to him. He formed a new band which, with various personnel changes, is called the Little River Band and continues to tour North America.

When Birtles, Shorrock and Goble initially proposed to re-form as The Original Little River Band, Housden asserted his rights to the name and took the matter to the Federal Court of Australia (see We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock (2002)). In an out-of-court settlement, it was agreed that Birtles, Shorrock and Goble would not use the trade mark (name) or logo as the name of their band, or in the name of their band, but "shall be entitled to refer prominently but always only in a descriptive way in promotional and advertising material, to the fact that they were members of the original line up of the Little River Band".[10]

Loss of access to the LRB name for Birtles, Shorrock and Goble came as a shock to many fans and received considerable attention in the Australian media.[6][11][12]

The settlement would be tested repeatedly, including the blocking[13] of a Little River Band retrospective DVD put together by Birtles, Shorrock and Goble.[14] Housden also challenged the manner in which BSG described their link to LRB in promotional material and recordings. Further legal action ensued in Australia[15] and in the United States.[16]

Discography

Albums
Title Album details Certification
Full Circle
  • Released: 6 October 2003
  • Label: Universal Music Australia (9811807)
  • ° Australian Music DVD Chart.

Compilation albums
Title Details
Beginnings (Before Little River Band)
Beginnings Vol. 2 (Before Little River Band)
  • Released: 1980
  • Label: Capitol Records
  • Format: Vinyl

See also

Awards

ARIA Hall of Fame

The ARIA Hall of Fame is to honour the growing number of legendary performers, producers, songwriters and others who have influenced music culture in Australia.[18]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 (As members of) Little River Band ARIA Hall of Fame inducted

Australian Club Entertainment
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005[19] Birtles Shorrock Goble Best Original Music Group Won

Mo Awards

The Mo Awards, (technically The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards), are annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia.[20]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 Birtles Shorrock Goble Classical Rock Performers of the Year Won

Musicians

Since forming in 2002, Birtles Shorrock Goble have used a small nucleus of support musicians who have mastered the original LRB sound.[21]

  • Lead guitar
  • Bass guitar
  • Guitar
    • Joshua Goble 2003, 2007
    • Nathan Goble 2007
  • Drums
    • John Watson 2002
    • Angus Burchall 2002, 2006–2007
    • Dave Beck 2002–2005
  • Keyboard
    • Stewart Wilkinson 2002
    • Dorian West 2002–2005, 2007
    • Scott Griffiths 2006
  • Percussion
    • James Richardson 2002
    • Alejandro Vega 2002–2007

Further reading
  • Phillips, Greg (2003). "BSG – Birtles, Shorrock and Goble". australianmusician.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  • Cashmere, Paul (2003). "Hang On, BSG Is on Its Way". undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  • Kruger, Debbie (2003) Haaang On, BSG is on its way..., Melbourne Weekly Magazine, 6 July 2003
  • Cashmere, Paul (2003). "Birtles, Shorrock, Goble". undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 December 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2012.

References
  1. Cashmere, Paul (2003). "Hang On, BSG Is on Its Way". undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  2. Forbes, Clark (1989) Whispering Jack, Hutchinson Australia, (ISBN 0-09-169441-8).
  3. Aue, Frankie (1997) A web-interview with Mr Goble Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine 22 July 1997.
  4. birtlesshorrockgoble.com Birtles Shorrock Goble: Welcome! Archived 25 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Te Koha, Nui (13 December 2001). "Legends of rock to return". Archived from the original on 31 May 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  6. Elder, Bruce (2002) Help is far away for a famous band Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 November 2002.
  7. Birtles, Beeb (2002). "BSG 2002 Archives". birtles.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  8. Dow, Steve (6 June 2010). "Shorrock and awe". stevedow.com.au. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  9. Miller, Chuck (2005) "Born in the Sign of Water" Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Goldmine, 4 February 2005.
  10. Federal Court of Australia (2002) We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock (2002)
  11. Gregory, Peter (2002) The Little River Band, a name banned Archived 20 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine The Age, 13 June 2002
  12. McFadyen, Warwick (2002) A river too big to cross Archived 28 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Age, 16 June 2002
  13. Cashmere, Paul (14 October 2004). "Little River Band DVD Delayed Over Legal Issues". undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 October 2004.
  14. Raymond, Jean-Luc (2004) Little River Band: It's A Long Way There Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 9 October 2004
  15. Federal Court of Australia (2005) We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock (No 2) (2005)
  16. Cashmere, Paul (27 July 2005). "Birtles, Shorrock and Goble Settle With Steve Housden". undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 July 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  17. graehamgoble.com Reminiscing: Awards Archived 21 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Sams, Christine (2004) ARIAs reunite Little River Band Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 September 2004.
  19. "ACE Awards 2005". aceawards.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  20. Goble, Graeham (2006) Graeham Goble Reminiscing: Awards Archived 21 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 14 July 2008.
  21. Grafton, Julius (2002) Not the Little River Band – Live in Sydney CX magazine Archived 25 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 29 November 2002.
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