The La De Da's

The La De Da's
Also known as	The Mergers The La De Dah Band La De Das
Origin	Te Atatū, Auckland, New Zealand
Genres	Garage rock rhythm and blues psychedelic rock blues rock
Years active	1963 (1963)–1975 (1975)
Labels	Zodiac Philips Columbia EMI
Spinoffs	Kevin Borich Express
Past members	Kevin Borich Phil Key Brett Neilsen Trevor Wilson Bruce Howard Bryan Harris Keith Barber Reno Tehei Peter Roberts Ronnie Peel (p.k.a. Rockwell T. James)

The La De Da's were a New Zealand rock band from 1963 to 1975. They were formed as a mod-ish band, the Mergers, in Te Atatū, by long-term members Kevin Borich on lead guitar and vocals, Phil Key on lead vocals and guitar and Trevor Wilson on bass guitar. They had chart success in both New Zealand and Australia until their split in 1975.

In Australia the band are known for launching the solo career of Borich as leader of Kevin Borich Express. The La De Da's recorded the first Australasian rock concept album, The Happy Prince (1969).

1963–1967: Formation to Find Us a Way

Kevin Borich performing at Mountain Rock

The La De Da's were formed as the Mergers in Te Atatū Peninsula in late 1963 by three Rutherford High School students Kevin Borich on lead guitar, Brett Neilsen on drums and Trevor Wilson on bass guitar and they were joined by Phil Key on rhythm guitar from neighbouring Mt Albert Grammar School. Their average age was 16 years. The Mergers played mod-ish instrumentals, with the Shadows as their major influence, at local dances and school socials. The Beatles' visit in June 1964 and the emergence of the Rolling Stones, brought a change of style to the group with Key becoming their lead singer and Borich and Wilson adding backing vocals.

The members decided that the Mergers failed to reflect the toughness of their new music and searched for another name. One promoter changed it to the Gonks for an early 1965 gig at a summer carnival. They initially decided on the Criminals, however, one of the members' mother suggested "something nice, like the la-de-das ...", which was approved. By early 1965 the group were getting regular bookings on Auckland's dance circuit. A local TV producer, Robert Handlin, asked the group to promote an upcoming film broadcast, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), in exchange for studio time and record production. Their debut single, "Little Girl", was released on the Talent City label in April 1965. The track was co-written by Borich and Wilson. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane described it as a "low-key slice of Rolling Stones-derived R&B".

In November 1965 they gained a residency at The Platterack, an Auckland nightclub. After Key finished secondary education in December, the band were fully professional and received NZ£12 per week. Bruce Howard, a classically trained organist, joined the La De Da's on keyboards and occasional lead vocals. Thereafter, Howard and Wilson co-wrote most of their original material. Zodiac's owner Eldred Stebbing caught their performance at The Platterack and asked the La De Da's to provide a cover version of American duo the Changin' Times's album track, "How Is the Air Up There?", which was issued as their single in February 1966. It reached No. 4 on New Zealand Listener's Hit Parade. The single also charted at Sydney radio stations. The group had signed with Stebbing both as their talent manager and record producer for Zodiac, which was distributed via Phillips.

Their fourth single, "On Top of the World" (November 1966), was a cover of John Mayall's song, which peaked at No. 2 on the Hit Parade. They became resident band at Stebbing's Galaxie nightclub and regularly appeared on TV pop music show C'mon. Although their music was "tough garage-punk", the La De Da's donned mod clothing with plaid trousers, satin shirts and buckle shoes. Key recalled:

The hits just inspired confidence in us. We became totally involved in getting dressed up and going out to gigs, the gigs and rehearsals were everything. Nothing worried us, we were so busy consuming what was happening around us. We were super aware, on top of every trend in music and clothes and language. We tried to be honest and sincere with our music, only playing and recording what we liked. The guys in the good record bars dug what we were doing and they got in all the latest English R&B records for us. We were listening to Zoot Money, John Mayall, Manfred Mann, the Animals, all that sort of stuff and trying to create that sound. We were different from groups like the Underdogs who just played 12-bar blues all night; we tried to be a lot more imaginative about what we did ... We had no idea what we were earning on tour, we just spent what we wanted and ploughed the rest back into the band. We had our way with girls, bought more clothes and equipment and just enjoyed being stars.

In November 1966 their song "How Is the Air Up There?" was a finalist for the Loxene Golden Disc Awards. They issued their debut self-titled album of cover versions in December 1966, which sold out of its first pressing. Multi-instrumentalist Claude Papesch recommended Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby" to the group, which they released in February 1967. It resulted in their first number-one on the Hit Parade and the first New Zealand-made record to reach the top. In April they released their extended play Stupidity, with covers of Solomon Burke's "Stupidity", "Coming Home", the Young Rascals' "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" and Otis Redding's "Respect".

While preparing for their second album, Wilson began working on his rock opera project, The Happy Prince. He adapted Oscar Wilde's story "The Happy Prince". Howard supported his project, although it became a divisive issue for other band members. The La De Da's second album, Find Us a Way (May 1967), had their sound shifting from R&B roots by adding influences from the Spencer Davis Group. It included original material and covers. McFarlane, in 1999, described their first two albums and their EP as "highly regarded by 1960s aficionados". Although they unhappy about Find Us a Way's track selection and cover art, it sold well in New Zealand.

1967–69

May 1967 was The La De Da's' first trip to Australia. The trip included a week-long engagement at Ward Austin's Jungle disco, followed by a support slot on the shows at the Sydney Stadium by The Easybeats, who had just returned from the UK. The band were told to clean up their image, so they had their near-shoulder-length hair trimmed back. In following publicity, the band were pitched at the teenage market, a ploy which did not sit comfortably with them.

"All Purpose Low"/"My Girl", was released in June and went to #3 on the NZ charts, followed in August by "Rosalie"/"Find Us A Way" which reached #5.

On the eve of their second visit to Australia, drummer Brett Neilson left the group. He was replaced by Bryan Harris, drummer with The Action. In February 1968, The La De Da's made their second trip to Australia, gaining a reputation for uncompromising and flamboyant live shows on the Sydney circuit. Now dubbed "The Beautiful La De Da's" they were at the forefront of Australian psychedelia. In June, Bryan Harris left and he was replaced by Keith Barber, from The Wild Cherries. In August, they made their second trip to Melbourne and they packed out venues around the city. The direct result was their winning the vote as "Best Australian Disco Act" in the 1968 Go-Set Pop Poll in December.

Jimmy Stewart, an expatriate English producer, had recently set up a new independent label, Sweet Peach. Stewart approached the La De Da's with an offer to record and release The Happy Prince in late 1968. The band began intensive rehearsals in preparation for recording at Bill Armstrong's Melbourne studio. But by November the label had pulled out and the deal collapsed. It was at this point that Melbourne identity Adrian Rawlins came to their rescue. At a gig at the Here Disco in North Sydney; he exhorted the band not to give up on the project and his enthusiasm convinced Trevor Wilson to give it one more try. Gathering support from Widmer and Cordon Bleu, Barry Kimberly of publishers Essex Music and the EMI label, Rawlins and Widmer managed to stitch together a deal to record the album.

Overseen by David Woodley-Page, The Happy Prince was recorded over four weeks in early 1969. The process of "bouncing down" — dubbing a completed 4-track recording onto one track of another tape was susceptible to the buildup of noise on the master tape. However, The Happy Prince effectively became Australia's first 8-track recording, achieved by recording onto on two Scully half-inch, 4-track recorders that were electronically synchronised. This de facto 8-track method provided much greater scope for multitracking and overdubbing and a considerable improvement in overall sound quality. The band released The Happy Prince in April 1969. Hailed as the first Australian concept album, the ambitious LP was a suite of songs co-written by Howard and Wilson. Rave reviews from critics failed to transfer into sales, and the band came close to splitting after its release.

Their next tour was to England. Their Traffic covers carried little weight on Traffic's home turf, so they abandoned touring to record new material. They performed a few well-received shows at London's Stax Club, the Corn Exchange and at clubs in Birmingham, but the gigs soon dried up. They left England to perform a month of poorly paid gigs in France.

Leaving Wilson in the UK, the rest of the group returned to Australia. On their return, they found out that there was far less work on offer than they had been led to believe, but they took what was available and continued gigging to pay back the airfares. Reno Tahei (ex-Sounds Unlimited, Compulsion, Castaways, Luke's Walnut, Genesis) filled in on drums for a few months until Wilson returned. Tahei was arrested and was deported back to New Zealand.

The sudden exit of Tahei, Howard and Wilson regrouped as a four-piece. Peter Roberts from Freshwater joined on bass. At Byron Bay on New Year's Eve 1970, the La De Da's unveiled their new 4-piece's stripped-down hard rock style, which took them back to their R&B roots and drew heavily from 12-bar Chicago blues and the legacy of Jimi Hendrix. The new lineup got a rousing reception at the Wallacia Festival in January. They regularly shared bills with the leading groups of the day -- Tamam Shud, Company Caine, Chain and the similarly revitalised Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs.

In the latter half of the year, they often appeared alongside new sensations Daddy Cool and the press made much of the supposed rivalry between the two bands. In September they teamed with Chain, Tamam Shud and Country Radio for two outdoor concerts at Wollongong and Sydney Showgrounds, before a combined crowd of about 10,000 people, and on Boxing Day 1971 they co-headlined with Daddy Cool before an estimated 50,000 people at the 3XY Rosebud Show in Victoria, cementing their position as one of the top three bands in the country, beside The Aztecs and Daddy Cool.

Towards the end of the year, the La De Da's recorded their fourth single. When released in November, "Gonna See My Baby Tonight" drew a rave review from Molly Meldrum in Go-Set ("...a fantastic song, intelligently recorded, it has to be number one.") and it raced up the charts, reaching #6.

1971–72

In November 1971, the La De Da's were scheduled to go to New Zealand for a four-week return tour. Although the shows sold out well in advance, the group dropped out at the last minute. In January 1972 they performed at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival, and they proved to be one of the highlights of the weekend. "Roundabout", "Gonna See My Baby Tonight" and the yet-to-be-released "Morning Good Morning" were included on EMI's Sunbury double album live set, released in October '72.

Michael Chugg of Consolidated Rock was hired as their full-time agent, and the group was soon netting regular fees of $300–400 per show. Chugg later left Con Rock and set up his own agency, Sunrise, which continued to handle The La De Da's.

They continued to draw huge crowds through 1972, touring nationally supporting Manfred Mann's Chapter III, and making a record-breaking appearance with Gerry Humphries, Friends and Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs at 3XY's free concert at the Myer Music Bowl, which drew over 200,000 people – the largest concert audience ever in Australia at that time.

In spite of the successes, internal tension in the band had been growing. Phil Key and Peter Roberts abruptly left the group in September 1972 to form a new four piece outfit called Band of Light. Michael Chugg had resigned as their manager a month before the split, and they were now managed by Roger Davies. Kevin Borich, now the only remaining original member, brought in Ronnie Peel to continue the band. He retained Keith Barber and decided to carry on as a power trio. Their debut performance as a trio was at Sydney's Paddington Town Hall in November.

1973–75

In January, the new La De Da's lineup headlined the Great Ngaruawahia Festival back in New Zealand. According to John Dix, the La De Da's delivered "...a well-paced set [that] blew Black Sabbath and everything New Zealand had to offer clear off the stage." Following this, they completed a short major-city concert tour in May. For the rest of the year, it was a constant round of touring, either as headliners, or sharing the bill with Sherbet, or as support to visiting international acts such as Little Richard, Gary Glitter, Three Dog Night, The Guess Who and Lindisfarne. They also provided backing on two tracks for Richard Clapton's debut album Prussian Blue.

On 8 July, on the way to a Lindisfarne gig, their truck was involved in a head-on collision on the Hume Highway between Holbrook and Albury. Ronnie Peel and their roadie John Brewster (not John Brewster of The Angels) were both hospitalised, although their injuries were not serious. The major casualty was the band's equipment, most of which was destroyed in the crash. Three weeks later the Sunrise agency organised a benefit gig in Sydney at the Green Elephant (the Doncaster Theatre) in Kensington, including the La De Da's, Sherbet, Buffalo, Pirana, Lotus, Home, Country Radio, I'Tambu, Original Battersea Heroes and Hush, which raised almost $2000 for the group.

By mid-year, the band were being hailed as Australia's leading live act and Borich was widely regarded as Australia's pre-eminent guitar hero. With Chugg back on board as manager, Kevin was impatient to record a new album. EMI agreed to a new record in September. But the first sessions at EMI's studios were deemed unsatisfactory by the band and all but two tracks were scrapped. (The two tracks, "She Tell Me What To Do" and "No Law Against Having Fun" later surfaced on the LP Rock'n'Roll Sandwich.)

Later sessions were recorded with different equipment at the Green Elephant Hotel and were more successful. The resulting LP, Rock'n'Roll Sandwich, was lauded by Glenn A. Baker as "one of Australia's finest rock albums, a fiery, cohesive work dominated by the superbly talented Kevin Borich and carried off by the reliable gutsiness of Peel and Barber." Touring behind the new LP, released in November 1973, the La De Da's enjoyed their most successful period to date, including supports for Elton John and Suzi Quatro on their Australian tours.

The solid gigging continued through 1974 and into 1975, including a well-received appearance at the final Sunbury Festival in January 1975.

During 1975 problems for the band increased—Australian commercial radio was ignoring their records, and internal tensions were building. The situation was described by Glenn A. Baker in 1981:

The disintegration that took hold ... was an easily diagnosed malady which has afflicted every Australian rock and roll band that has ever achieved a degree of popular success. Essentially it comes down to: the bigger you become, the more meaningless your future. Overseas bands can make an album, do a tour and then hide away for a year or two to prepare the next LP with no concern for loss of position. In Australia, just three months off the road to prepare new material and a band's gig price drops to half, the media erects new superstars in their place, and the public acts as if they never were ... That is what killed the La De Da's: the bludgeoning effect of realising that, after 10 hard years, nothing tangible had really been achieved and the only thing that lay ahead was more of the same.

By early 1975, the band's spirits were flagging. In March EMI issued Legend, a valedictory sampler of single A-sides, recent recordings and leftovers put together by Michael Chugg, which also included a much-requested studio rendition of "All Along The Watchtower", Kevin's Hendrix-inspired live showpiece.

In May 1975, Borich officially announced that the La De Da's would disband.

After The La De Da's

Kevin Borich put together a short-lived touring band under the La De Da's name, with Harry Brus and Barry Harvey, after which he formed the Kevin Borich Express.

After the split of Band of Light in 1975, Phil Key left the music business and, in 1984, he died. Ronnie Peel went on to have a solo career in the late 1970s performing as Rockwell T James. In later years he was part of John Paul Young's backing band.

The remaining original La De Da's' members reunited in New Zealand in 1992 for a Galaxie Club reunion show and played a set dedicated to the memory of Phil Key.

Personnel

• Kevin Borich – lead guitar, vocals (1964–1975)
• Phil Key – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1964–1972, died 1984)
• Brett Neilsen – drums, vocals (1964–1968)
• Trevor Wilson – bass guitar (1964–1970)
• Bruce Howard – organ, keyboards (1965–1972, died 2021)
• Bryan Harris – drums (1968)
• Keith Barber – drums (1968–1975)
• Reno Tehei – bass guitar (1970)
• Peter Roberts – bass guitar (1971–1973)
• Ronnie Peel (p.k.a. Rockwell T. James) – bass guitar, vocals (1973–1975, died 2020)

Discography

Studio albums

• The La De Da's (1966, Zodiac Records / Philips)
• Find Us a Way (1967, Zodiac Records)
• The Happy Prince (1969, EMI)
• Rock and Roll Sandwich (1973, EMI)

Live albums

• Sunbury 1972 (1972, His Master's Voice)

Compilations

• Legends (1975, EMI) (rereleased on CD as The Best of the La De Das Legend)
• Rock 'n' Roll Decade 1964-74 (1981, EMI)
• La De Da's (1995, Zero Records (rereleased in 2003 on EMI)
• How Is the Air Up There?: 1966-1967 (2000, Ascension Records)
• La De Da's (2014, Real Groovy Records)

EP

• Stupidity (1967, Philips)

Singles

Song Title	Peak chart positions NZ Hit Parade	Peak Month
"Little Girl"	32	June 1965
"How Is the Air Up There?"	4	May 1966
"Don't You Stand in My Way"	-	June 1966
"On Top of the World"	2	November 1966
"Hey Baby"	1	March 1967
"All Purpose Low"	3	June 1967
"Rosalie"	5	September 1967
"Come Together"	-	September 1969
"Come and Fly with Me"	-	December 1969
"Sweet Girl"	-	February 1971
"Gonna See My Baby Tonight"	-	November 1971
"Morning, Good Morning"	-	May 1972
"I'll Never Stop Loving You"	-	November 1972
"The Place"	48	May 1974
"Too Pooped to Pop"	-	July 1974
"Honky Tonkin'"	-	August 1974

Compilation appearances

• Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 ("How Is the Air Up There?")
• Wild Things: Wyld Kiwi Garage 1966-1969 ("How Is the Air Up There?", "Don't You Stand in My Way")

Awards

• 1977 - Australian Rock Music Awards - Best Guitarist
• 1978 - Australian Rock Music Awards - Best Guitarist
• 1978 - Concert of The Year Award (Marconi Club)
• 1983 - Ampex Golden Reel Award
• 1983 - The Party Boys - LP EMI Gold Record
• 1983 - Live at Several 21st (Party Boys) EMI Gold Record
• 1987 - He's Gonna Step on You (Party Boys) EMI Gold Record
• 1999 - Australian Blues Music Festival - Heritage Award
• 2003 – Australian Blues Foundation – Hall of Fame

Further reading

• John Dix: Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll 1955 to the Modern Era  :(Penguin, NZ, 2005, first published 1988)
• Noel McGrath :Encyclopedia of Australian Rock :(Outback Press, 1978)
• Chris Spencer/Zbig Nowara :Who's Who of Australian Rock :(Five Mile Press, 1994)

External links

• Kevin Borich official website
• The La De Da's discography at Discogs