{{Short description|Australian rock band}} {{For|the swimming style|front crawl}} {{Use Australian English|date=January 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} {{good article}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Australian Crawl | image = OzCrawlLive02.jpg | alt = Four males holding guitars, a fifth male at centre holds microphone stand. | caption = Australian Crawl performing live | landscape = yes | alias = Clutch Cargo | origin = Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia | genre = {{hlist|Pop|rock|pub rock}} | years_active = 1978–1986 | label = {{hlist|EMI|Geffen|Virgin}} | website = | current_members = | past_members = Simon Binks<br />David Reyne<br />James Reyne<br />Brad Robinson<br />Paul Williams<br />Bill McDonough<br />Guy McDonough<br />Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup<br />John Watson<br />Mark Greig<br />Harry Brus }}
'''Australian Crawl''' (often called '''Aussie Crawl''' or '''The Crawl''' by fans) were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne (lead vocals/piano/harmonica), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar), Paul Williams (bass), Simon Binks (lead guitar) and David Reyne (drums) in Melbourne in 1978.<ref name="McF">{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofau00mcfa |last=McFarlane |first=Ian |author-link=Ian McFarlane |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1999 |isbn=1-86448-768-2 |access-date=8 February 2010 |url-access=registration }}</ref> David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough (drums, percussion).<ref name="OzRockDb">{{cite web|url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/a/australiancrawl.html |publisher=Australian Rock Database |title=Australian Crawl discography |editor=Magnus Holmgren |access-date=1 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209202520/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/a/australiancrawl.html |archive-date=9 February 2008 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> They were later joined by his brother Guy McDonough (vocals, rhythm guitar).<ref name="OzRockDb"/> The band was named after the front crawl swimming style also known as the Australian crawl.<ref name="McF"/>
Australian Crawl was associated with surf music<ref name="AMG">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p15545/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Allmusic article on Australian Crawl |last=Mureika |first=Tomas |website=Allmusic |access-date=2 March 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Howl">{{cite web |title=Australian Crawl |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120726191200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/14231/20120727-0512/www.howlspace.com.au/en/australiancrawl/australiancrawl.htm |url=http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/en/australiancrawl/australiancrawl.htm |publisher=Howlspace (Ed Nimmervoll) |last=Nimmervoll |first=Ed |author-link=Ed Nimmervoll |archive-date=26 July 2012 |access-date=23 January 2014 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and sponsored a surfing competition in 1984.<ref name="MemTV">{{cite web|url=http://www.memorabletv.com/musicworld/ozrock/atob.htm |title=Memorable TV Oz Rock: Australian Crawl entry |publisher=Memorable TV / Little Acorns Publishing |access-date=2 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517031746/http://www.memorabletv.com/musicworld/ozrock/atob.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008 }}</ref> However, the band also handled broader social issues such as shallow materialism, alcoholism, car accidents, and cautionary tales of romance.<ref name="AMG"/>
After its 1980 debut album, ''The Boys Light Up'', reached No. 4, Australian Crawl had two No. 1 albums; 1981's ''Sirocco'' and 1982's ''Sons of Beaches''.<ref name="McF"/> The early singles reached the top 25 but none broke into the Top Ten;<ref name="McF"/> the best performing single was No. 1 hit "Reckless" which came from the 1983 ''Semantics'' EP.<ref name="McF"/>
Upheaval within the band occurred from 1983 onwards. First, Bill McDonough left in 1983, then his brother Guy McDonough died in 1984, and finally, Paul Williams departed in 1985.<ref name="OzRockDb" /> The 1985 release ''Between a Rock and a Hard Place'' was produced at an exceptionally high cost of $400,000 AUD, but sales were disappointing.<ref name="McF"/> They disbanded in early 1986.<ref name="Western Mail"/> The band's status as an icon on the Australian music scene was acknowledged by induction into the 1996 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame.<ref name="HoF">{{cite web|url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=1996 |publisher=ARIA |title=1996: 10th Annual ARIA Awards |access-date=1 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214142950/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=1996 |archive-date=14 December 2007 }}</ref> Hospitalised with lymphoma, founding guitarist Brad Robinson was unable to attend the Hall of Fame induction in person. He died two weeks later.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="OzTennis">{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/arena/5326/art1.html|title=Master Blaster|publisher=Australian Tennis Magazine|date=December 1996 |last=Petkovski|first=Suzi|access-date=10 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020052441/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/5326/art1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 October 2009}}</ref>
==Biography==
===1975–1979: formation and "Beautiful People"=== {{Main|Beautiful People (Australian Crawl song)}} The band Spiff Rouch<ref name="McF"/><ref name="OzRockDb"/> formed in 1976 in the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Mount Eliza on the outskirts of Melbourne. The group lineup featured James Reyne, brothers Bill and Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, Robert Walker and Simon Binks.<ref name="OzRockDb"/><ref name="Howl"/> Reyne had previously played drums for Archie Slammit and the Doors.<ref name="MelbSongs">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/27/1093518069546.html |title=Songs of Melbourne |newspaper=The Age |last=Carney |first=Shaun |author2=Jeff Jenkins |author3=Michael Dwyer |author4=Chris Beck |author5=Martin Flanagan |author6=Alan Attwood |date=28 August 2004 |access-date=19 March 2008 }}</ref>
By early 1978 Spiff Rouch had separated into two groups: The Flatheads (including the McDonough brothers and Walker, along with Sean Higgins and Nigel Spencer) and Australian Crawl. The original lineup for the latter was Reyne as vocalist, Binks on lead guitar, Williams on bass guitar, along with Reyne's younger brother David Reyne on drums and schoolmate Brad Robinson on rhythm guitar.<ref name="OzRockDb"/><ref name="Howl"/> Australian Crawl performed their first live gig in October 1978 and toured the pub circuit.<ref name="Nostaglia">{{cite web |url=http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/music/australiancrawl.htm |title=Australian Crawl |publisher=Nostalgia Central |access-date=1 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606013115/http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/music/australiancrawl.htm |archive-date=6 June 2011 }}</ref>
David Reyne left the group in 1979 to finish his acting course, later becoming an actor and TV presenter as well as drumming for Cats Under Pressure and the Chantoozies (1986–1990).<ref name="OzRockDb"/> He was replaced in Australian Crawl by Bill McDonough.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="OzRockDb"/> The group's popularity in the Mornington Peninsula area increased with further pub gigs, then they gained audiences with university students and inner city residents.<ref name="Nostaglia"/>
Once the band's escalating popularity brought them into Melbourne they caught the attention of Little River Band's guitarist David Briggs, who helped them gain a recording contract with EMI and he produced their first single.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Nostaglia"/> "Beautiful People" (1979) reached No. 22 on the national charts.<ref name="Kent">{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link= David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6 }}</ref> Reyne had co-written the song with guitarist Mark Hudson in 1975.<ref name="APRA">{{cite web|url=http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch&switchDet=Y |title=Australasian Performing Right Association |publisher=APRA |access-date=19 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505235657/http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch&switchDet=Y |archive-date=5 May 2008 }}</ref> The track included references to the shallow materialism of residents of Toorak<ref name="McF"/> and to the Bombay Rock night club in Brunswick.<ref name="MelbSongs"/>
Just days before recording "Beautiful People" Reyne had been hit by a car on Swanston Street, Melbourne, breaking bones in both wrists,<ref name="Nostaglia" /> an episode later chronicled in the track "Indisposed".<ref name="McF"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countdown.com.au/the_music.asp?Page=&ArtistID=28 |title=Countdown Club entry on Australian Crawl |publisher=ABC |access-date=2 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219060910/http://www.countdown.com.au/the_music.asp?Page=&ArtistID=28 |archive-date=19 February 2008 }}</ref> Australian Crawl made one of the most memorable debuts on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) TV series ''Countdown'' performing "Beautiful People" as Reyne still had both arms encased in plaster.<ref name="McF"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countdown.com.au/the_music.asp?ArtistID=28 |title=Australian Crawl |publisher=ABC |access-date=29 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829065259/http://www.countdown.com.au/the_music.asp?ArtistID=28 |archive-date=29 August 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an41896781 |title=Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia |last=Jenkins |first=Jeff |author2=Ian Meldrum |author2-link=Ian Meldrum |year=2007 |publisher=Wilkinson Publishing |location=Melbourne |isbn=978-1-921332-11-1 |access-date=24 April 2008 }}</ref> "Beautiful People" remains one of their most popular songs according to listeners of Triple M in 2007.<ref name="TripleM">{{cite web|url=http://www.triplem.com.au/melbourne/music/2007countdown/the_countdown.html |title=Triple M's Essential 2007 Countdown |publisher=Triple M Melbourne|access-date=2 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120152401/http://www.triplem.com.au/melbourne/music/2007countdown/the_countdown.html |archive-date=20 November 2008 }}</ref>
===1980 ''The Boys Light Up''=== {{Main|The Boys Light Up}} Australian Crawl's debut album, ''The Boys Light Up'' (1980), also produced by Briggs for EMI,<ref name="McF"/> had a number of hit singles with songwriting shared around the group and beyond. Tracks from this album included the previously released single "Beautiful People", the title track (written by Reyne and Mark Hudson);<ref name="APRA"/> "Indisposed" (Brad Robinson, James Robinson, Reyne, Bill McDonough)<ref name="APRA"/> and "Downhearted" (Sean Higgins, Guy McDonough, Bill McDonough)<ref name="APRA"/> (from The Flatheads).<ref name="OzRockDb"/>
"The Boys Light Up", their second single, was almost banned from radio play due to its explicit lyrics.<ref name="MemTV"/> Many listeners believed the chorus lyrics were about smoking marijuana but Reyne has stated that it was about smoking tobacco cigarettes at school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/love/episodes/transcript5.htm |title=''Love is in the air'' Episode 5: "National Anthems"; transcript of interview with James Reyne |publisher=ABC-TV |date=9 November 2003 |access-date=2 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080128050744/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/love/episodes/transcript5.htm |archive-date=28 January 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It also reached No. 22 on the National charts<ref name="Kent"/> and became their signature song and their most popular track especially live.<ref name="TripleM"/> Their third single "Downhearted" charted higher at #12<ref name="Kent"/> and was a cautionary tale of romance gone wrong.<ref name="McF"/>
''The Boys Light Up'' reached No. 4 on the Australian album charts and remained in the charts for an unbroken 101 weeks.<ref name="Kent"/> It sold five times platinum: over 280,000 copies, and became one of the biggest Australian albums of the 1980s.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/>
Singer/guitarist/songwriter Guy McDonough (ex-The Flatheads and Bill's younger brother) joined the group in October 1980.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="OzRockDb"/>
Rock journalist and commentator Glenn A. Baker compared Australian Crawl with various fellow Australian bands: {{blockquote|Australian Crawl seemed to step out of a tourism poster... Spruce, lean, tanned and young... They swam, they surfed, they radiated a healthy, wholly Australian aura... If Skyhooks has personified the bodgie larrikin and Cold Chisel the hard drinking working class man, Australian Crawl turned the bronzed lifesaver into a pop idol... Crawl songs seemed to eulogise hedonism, adventure and the great outdoors for an audience that couldn't be bothered with Midnight Oil's politics.|Glenn A. Baker, 1983<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zmms.tu-berlin.de/~axhu/AustralianCrawl |title=Zentrum Mensch-Maschine-Systeme |publisher=Axel Husfeldt |date=9 July 1999 |access-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050210151822/http://www.zmms.tu-berlin.de/~axhu/AustralianCrawl |archive-date = 10 February 2005}}</ref>}}
However, according to James Reyne some people accused them of being demonic.<ref name=glad>Wilmoth, Peter – Glad All Over – The Countdown Years 1974–1987, pp: 151–2 McPhee Gribble/Penguin Books 1993. {{ISBN|978-0-86914-293-6}}</ref> He said whenever you bumped into the member of Little River Band who had found God, he'd tell him "you shouldn't be playing that, it's demonic".<ref name="glad"/>
===1981–1982: ''Sirocco'' and ''Sons of Beaches''=== {{Main|Sirocco (album)|Sons of Beaches}} In 1981, Australian Crawl recorded their second album, ''Sirocco'', with producer Peter Dawkins in Sydney. Named for Errol Flynn's yacht, the album peaked at No. 1 on the Australian album chart on 3 August and remained there for six weeks.<ref name="Kent"/> At about this time Robinson was married to actress Kerry Armstrong, later an Australian Film Institute Award winner,<ref>{{IMDb name|id=0035788|name=Kerry Armstrong}}</ref> who co-wrote a track "Easy on Your Own"<ref name="APRA"/> for the album.
''Sirocco'' spawned the hit singles "Things Don't Seem" (May, No. 11 National charts)<ref name="Kent"/> and "Errol" (August, #18).<ref name="Kent"/> It also included "Oh No Not You Again" (November).<ref>''Who's Who of Australia Rock'' Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara, Phil McHenry</ref> Of these, "Errol" about womanising Tasmanian-born actor Flynn is the band's third most popular song of all.<ref name="TripleM"/> Another track from the album, "Lakeside", became a popular radio inclusion. 1981 Australian End of Year Album Charts has ''Sirocco'' at No. 2 behind ''Double Fantasy'' by John Lennon and ahead of AC/DC's ''Back in Black'' making it the best charting album by an Australian act.<ref name="Kent"/><ref>{{cite book|editor=Angus Cameron | title =The Second Australian Almanac | publisher =Angus & Robertson | year = 1986 | isbn =0-207-15232-2 }}</ref>
Another track on this album, "Unpublished Critics" has been compared several times to the later song "Sweet Child o' Mine" by US band Guns N' Roses, as acknowledged by the writer of "Unpublished Critics", James Reyne.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/australian-crawl-fans-spark-online-debate-after-pointing-out-similarities-with-guns-n-roses-hit/news-story/1212022d118bbc4eda6323b13aeb1896|title=Aussie Crawl fans claim song scandal|date=11 May 2015|website=News.com.au|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref> He was responding to media comments in May 2015 about the possibility of plagiarism by the American band.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/how-similar-is-sweet-child-o-mine-to-a-1981-australian-crawl-song.aspx |title=How similar is 'Sweet Child O Mine' to a 1981 Australian Crawl song? | MAX TV |website=www.maxtv.com.au |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513225920/http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/how-similar-is-sweet-child-o-mine-to-a-1981-australian-crawl-song.aspx |archive-date=13 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://radio.com/2015/05/13/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-plagiarism-duff-mckagan/|title=Duff McKagan Swears Guns N' Roses Didn't Plagiarize on 'Sweet Child O' Mine'|website=Radio.com|access-date=14 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518090403/http://radio.com/2015/05/13/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-plagiarism-duff-mckagan/|archive-date=18 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/guns-roses-duff-mckagan-on-aussie-crawl-song-it-is-pretty-stunning-but-we-didnt-steal-it-from-them.aspx |title=Duff McKagan on the Aussie Crawl song: 'It is pretty stunning... But we didn't steal it from them' | MAX TV |website=www.maxtv.com.au |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516172030/http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/guns-roses-duff-mckagan-on-aussie-crawl-song-it-is-pretty-stunning-but-we-didnt-steal-it-from-them.aspx |archive-date=16 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Duff McKagan, who was bass player with Guns N' Roses when "Sweet Child o' Mine" was written and recorded,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://radio.com/2015/05/13/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-plagiarism-duff-mckagan/|title=Duff McKagan: Guns N' Roses Didn't Plagiarize on 'Sweet Child O' Mine'|publisher=Radio.com|access-date=May 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518090403/http://radio.com/2015/05/13/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-plagiarism-duff-mckagan/|archive-date=May 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> found the similarities between the songs "stunning," but said he had not previously heard "Unpublished Critics."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/guns-roses-duff-mckagan-on-aussie-crawl-song-it-is-pretty-stunning-but-we-didnt-steal-it-from-them.aspx|title=Duff McKagan on the Aussie Crawl song: 'It is pretty stunning... but we didn't steal it from them'|publisher=maxtv.com.au|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518092122/http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/guns-roses-duff-mckagan-on-aussie-crawl-song-it-is-pretty-stunning-but-we-didnt-steal-it-from-them.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 18, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref>
On the wave of popularity the band toured extensively playing to huge crowds at Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl (10,000), Sydney's Domain (90,000), the Narara Rock festival (70,000), smashing attendance records at indoor venues in Brisbane and Perth.<ref name="Nostaglia" /> They were voted ''Countdown'' 1981 Most Popular Group, and James Reyne was voted 1980 and 1981 Most Popular Male Performer.<ref>{{cite book |last=Atkinson |first=Ann |author2=Linsay Knight |author3=Margaret McPhee |title=The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ELACebeQEgcC |isbn=1-86373-898-3 }}</ref>
''Sons of Beaches'' (1982) was recorded in Hawaii with expatriate Australian Mike Chapman producing.<ref name="McF"/> The album had a rougher, rock 'n' roll edge than its glossy pop rock predecessors and featured the No. 17 hit "Shut Down" (June).<ref name="McF"/> It also included a re-recorded version of "Downhearted" and became their second album to reach No. 1 on the Australian albums chart and remained there for five weeks.<ref name="Kent"/> EMI issued the album in the USA. Two further singles, "Daughters of the Northern Coast" (August) and "Runaway Girls" (November) failed to reach the Australian Top 40.<ref name="McF"/>
Over 1982 and 1983, Reyne was filmed with Australian actresses Rebecca Gilling and Wendy Hughes in the television miniseries ''Return to Eden'', which was screened in September 1983.<ref name="IMDbJames">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0721549/ |title=Internet Movie Database entry on James Reyne |website=IMDb |access-date=1 April 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080422003731/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0721549/| archive-date= 22 April 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> For Reyne's role of playboy tennis professional Greg Marsden, he was given the 1984 "Most Popular New Talent Award" at the TV Week Logie Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=63344 |title=1984 TV Week Logie Awards |publisher=TV Week |access-date=3 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721054106/http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=63344 |archive-date=21 July 2008 }}</ref> Reyne later declared he was not very good in the part, declining many acting offers since.<ref name="McF"/> During breaks in filming, the singer accepted an offer from Paul Christie (Mondo Rock) and Kevin Borich to join their part-time band The Party Boys with Harvey James from Sherbet and Graham Bidstrup from The Angels.<ref name="OzRockDb"/> The group played a short run of shows around Sydney venues and played covers exclusively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ericburdonalbums.com/00.01.3.344%20Party%20Boys.htm |title=Band Members – The Party Boys |publisher=Eric Burdon Albums |access-date=25 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415225935/http://www.ericburdonalbums.com/00.01.3.344%20Party%20Boys.htm |archive-date=15 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The resultant album, ''Live at Several 21sts'', peaked at No. 9 on the national chart.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGrath|first=Noel|title=Noel McGrath's Australian Encyclopaedia of Rock & Pop|orig-year=1978|edition=Revised|year=1984|publisher=Rigby|location=Adelaide|isbn=0-7270-1909-0}}</ref>
===1983–1984: "Reckless", ''Semantics'' and ''Phalanx''=== {{Main|Reckless (Australian Crawl song)|Semantics (album)|Phalanx (album)}} Soon after Reyne finished acting for ''Return to Eden'', Bill McDonough left due to tensions within the band.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> The remaining members then recorded the EP ''Semantics'' (1983) with Bidstrup (from The Party Boys, later a founder of GANGgajang) on drums.<ref name="OzRockDb"/> The four track EP contained their best-known song,<ref name="TripleM"/> "Reckless" (aka "Don't Be So Reckless", "She Don't Like That") which was written by Reyne,<ref name="APRA"/> and went to No. 1 on the Australian singles chart on 28 November.<ref name="McF"/> John Watson (Kevin Borich Express) then came in as a permanent replacement for McDonough. The live album ''Phalanx'' was something of a stop-gap measure between studio albums, nevertheless it reached No. 4 during December.<ref name="McF"/> The band's biggest overseas break came when Duran Duran took the band as support on certain legs of their "Sing Blue Silver" tour of the UK.<ref name="Nostaglia" />
US label Geffen Records signed Australian Crawl and issued ''Semantics'' (1984) as an album (with the four songs from the EP and re-recordings of tracks from past Australian records) for the international market. In April 1984 Australian Crawl became the first Australian band to sponsor an ASP surfing competition.<ref name="MemTV" /> The Rip Curl/Australian Crawl Bell's Beach Surfing Festival<ref name="MemTV" /> was won by Australian surfer, Cheyne Horan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheynehoran.com.au/prosurfingevents.html |title=Pro Surfing Events 1976–1999 |publisher=Cheyne Horan |access-date=18 April 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080415181844/http://www.cheynehoran.com.au/prosurfingevents.html| archive-date= 15 April 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
In June 1984 the band was forced off the road when Guy McDonough was admitted to hospital in Melbourne; he died soon after of viral pneumonia.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> Australian Crawl regrouped with Mark Greig on guitar (ex-Runners) for a series of live performances in late 1984.<ref name="McF"/> Prior to Guy's death, he had recorded demos with his brother Bill McDonough (drums, percussion), Sean Higgins (synthesisers) and Nigel Spencer (bass, synthesisers), (all former The Flatheads);<ref name="OzRockDb"/> and Mick Hauser (saxophone) and Michael Bright (guitar).<ref name="OzRockDbGuy">{{cite web|url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/mcdonoughguy.html |title=Australian Rock Database entry on Guy McDonough |publisher=Magnus Holmgren |access-date=21 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319134507/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/mcdonoughguy.html |archive-date=19 March 2008 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Bill McDonough assembled the tapes and produced Guy McDonough's posthumous album ''My Place'' on Wheatley Records in April 1985.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="OzRockDbGuy"/><ref name="ebuy">{{cite web|url=http://www.ebuyrecordstore.com/MCDONOUGH-GUY-MY-PLACE-LP-p-17541.html |title=Guy McDonough – ''My Place'' |publisher=ebuyrecordstore.com |access-date=31 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720035349/http://www.ebuyrecordstore.com/MCDONOUGH-GUY-MY-PLACE-LP-p-17541.html |archive-date=20 July 2008 }}</ref><ref name="NWOut">{{cite web|url=http://www.nwoutpost.com/mfv_detail.asp?mfv_id=220 |title=Obscure 80s/MFV Archive |publisher=New Wave Outpost |access-date=31 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807054706/http://www.nwoutpost.com/mfv_detail.asp?mfv_id=220 |archive-date=7 August 2007 }}</ref> Singles "My Place" / "Things Don't Seem" and "What's in it For Me" / "Hook, Line and Sinker" were also released.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/guy_mcdonough |title=Albums by Guy McDonough |publisher=Rate Your Music |access-date=5 April 2008 }}</ref>{{deprecated source|certain=y|date=November 2024}} "Things Don't Seem" written by Guy McDonough and Sean Higgins,<ref name="APRA"/> had been released as an Australian Crawl single in 1981 off ''Sirocco''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/australian_crawl/things_dont_seem___big_fish/ |title="Things Don't Seem" / "Big Fish" |publisher=Rate Your Music |access-date=5 April 2008 }}</ref>{{deprecated source|certain=y|date=November 2024}} Tracks from these sessions were re-mastered and released on ''Lost & Found'' in 1996.<ref name="LostFound">{{cite web|url=http://www.jamesreyne.com.au/forum/index.php?topic=201.0 |title=''Lost & Found'' album insert |publisher=James Reyne Official website |access-date=15 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727072556/http://www.jamesreyne.com.au/forum/index.php?topic=201.0 |archive-date=27 July 2008 }}</ref>
===1985–1986: ''Between a Rock and a Hard Place'', ''The Final Wave'' and split=== {{Main|Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Australian Crawl album)|The Final Wave}} By 1985 the group recorded their last studio album, ''Between a Rock and a Hard Place'', with English producer Adam Kidron. It was released in Australia on Australian Crawl's own label Freestyle Records.<ref name="OzRockDb"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://gemm.com/item/AUSTRALIAN--CRAWL/BETWEEN--A--ROCK--AND--A--HARD--PLACE/GML757079306/ |title=''Between a Rock and a Hard Place'' |publisher=GEMM |access-date=25 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716073852/http://gemm.com/item/AUSTRALIAN--CRAWL/BETWEEN--A--ROCK--AND--A--HARD--PLACE/GML757079306/ |archive-date=16 July 2011 }}</ref> The album, which allegedly cost $400,000 to record,<ref name="McF"/> was a mishmash of styles and -- considering the expectations placed on the LP's sales -- a commercial disaster. (It peaked at No. 11 in August 1985 but slipped out of the Top 40 two weeks later; their previous two albums had hit #1, and received multi-platinum certifications.<ref name="McF"/>) None of the singles had any Top 40 chart success.<ref name="Kent"/> Harry Brus (Kevin Borich Express) replaced long-standing bass player Paul Williams in May 1985. The band performed three songs for the July 1985 Oz for Africa concert—part of the global Live Aid program—"Reckless (Don't Be So)", "Two Can Play" and "The Boys Light Up". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US.<ref name="OzAfrica">{{cite web |url=http://liveaid.free.fr/pages/ozforafrika-uk.html |title=Oz for Africa |publisher=liveaid.free.fr |access-date=12 March 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080426064747/http://liveaid.free.fr/pages/ozforafrika-uk.html| archive-date= 26 April 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
When the album virtually failed to chart, the band was ready to split but had to go out on tour to pay off its debts.<ref name="Howl"/> On 27 January 1986, their final Melbourne concert was recorded and released as the live album ''The Final Wave'' in October.<ref name="McF"/> The band performed its final concert on 1 February at the Perth Entertainment Centre.<ref name="Western Mail">{{cite news | title = Last Wave Farewell | first = Martin | last = Black | newspaper = Western Mail | publisher = Western Mail Ltd | date = 1–2 February 1986 | page = 1 }}</ref>{{blockquote|We really enjoy Perth, and have a lot of friends there, so it was a conscious decision to play our final show there. Besides, everybody expected us to play the last show back in Melbourne, so stuff 'em.|James Reyne<ref name="Western Mail"/>}}
In seven years, Australian Crawl had sold over one million records in Australia, with five of its albums and an EP reaching the Australian Top 5 Album Charts, two of which had been No. 1 hits.<ref name="McF"/> A cumulative total of eleven weeks at Number 1 on the Albums Charts places them equal fourth for Australian groups behind Skyhooks, The Seekers and Midnight Oil.<ref>{{cite news |title=Music Business News archive |publisher=themusic.com.au |url=http://www.themusic.com.au/im_m/display.php?id=75&s=christie |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121230185839/http://www.themusic.com.au/im_m/display.php?id=75&s=christie |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 December 2012 |last=Eliezer |first=Christie |date=21 November 2006 |access-date=30 March 2008 }}</ref>
===1986–1995: Solo careers=== {{main|James Reyne|Brad Robinson (Australian musician)|Simon Binks|}} In 1985, Lin Buckfield (Electric Pandas)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/spicksandspecks/txt/s1964342.htm |title=Spicks and Specks Episode Twenty Two |publisher=ABC |access-date=5 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608213954/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/spicksandspecks/txt/s1964342.htm |archive-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Reyne released a duet single "R.O.C.K." / "Under My Thumb".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/lin_buckfield_and_james_reyne/r_o_c_k___under_my_thumb/ |title="R.O.C.K." / "Under My Thumb" |publisher=Rate Your Music |access-date=5 April 2008 }}</ref>{{deprecated source|certain=y|date=November 2024}} After Australian Crawl disbanded, Reyne went on to a solo career. His first few singles failed to chart but 1987's "Fall of Rome" and the self-titled album that followed were the beginning of a string of hits that lasted until the early 1990s. In 1992 he and James Blundell had a hit with a cover of The Dingoes' "Way Out West" (#2, May 1992).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=James+Blundell+and+James+Reyne&titel=Way+Out+West&cat=s |title=Australian Charts – "Way Out West" |publisher=australian-charts.com |access-date=28 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020194722/http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=James+Blundell+and+James+Reyne&titel=Way+Out+West&cat=s |archive-date=20 October 2012 }}</ref> Reyne also formed Company of Strangers that year with former Sherbet lead singer Daryl Braithwaite, Simon Hussey and Jef Scott. Company of Strangers only released one self-titled album, Company of Strangers in 1992, which produced the hits "Motor City (I Get Lost)" (#26, September 1992), "Sweet Love" (#21, January 1993) and "Daddy's Gonna Make You a Star" (#35, March 1993).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Company+Of+Strangers&titel=Daddy%27s+Gonna+Make+You+A+Star%21&cat=s# |title=Australian Charts – 'Company of Strangers' |publisher=australian-charts.com |access-date=28 April 2008}}</ref>
In 1993 Reyne appeared as Tina Turner's manager Roger Davies in ''What's Love Got to do With It?''.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="IMDbJames"/> He featured in twelve episodes of ''State Coroner'' during 1998 and in 2003's ''The Postcard Bandit''.<ref name="IMDbJames"/> Reyne lives on the Mornington Peninsula with his partner, Tina, and a daughter.<ref name="Wilmoth">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/home-james/2007/06/07/1181089236518.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 |title=Home, James |last=Wilmoth |first=Peter |date=10 June 2007 |newspaper=The Age |access-date=5 March 2008 }}</ref> He has released his eighth solo studio album, ''Every Man a King'' (2007) and still performs occasionally.<ref name="Wilmoth"/>
Almost immediately after the split Robinson became manager of Chantoozies (with early Crawl drummer David Reyne).<ref name="OzRockDb"/> Their first single, "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" (1986), a cover of Redbone's song, reached No. 4 on the National charts.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Memorable TV |url=http://www.memorabletv.com/musicworld/ozrock/ctod.htm |title=Memorable TV entry on The Chantoozies |access-date=5 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517031157/http://www.memorabletv.com/musicworld/ozrock/ctod.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008 }}</ref> Robinson then moved into a career in television (with Network Ten's ''Page One'') and as a co-producer of documentaries. In the 1990s he became the manager for the Reyne brothers and worked as an agent for the Advantage Sports Management Group. This included managing Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis.<ref name="OzTennis"/> Three years after being diagnosed with lymphoma, Robinson died on 13 October 1996.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="OzTennis"/>
Paul Williams, who had left the band in 1985, played in the Broderick Smith Band in 1987<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Australian Rock Database entry on Broderick Smith |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/s/smithbroderick.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219211843/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/s/smithbroderick.html |archive-date=19 February 2008 |access-date=5 March 2008 |publisher=Magnus Holmgren}}</ref> and has worked in music-related retail.<ref name="Wilmoth" /> Simon Binks and Mark Greig both played in the Broderick Smith Band in 1988.<ref name=":0" /> Simon Binks was injured in a 1995 car crash at a council roadworks that left him slightly brain-damaged.<ref name="SMH">{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rocker-gets-330000-for-drunken-crash/2006/05/25/1148519306191.html |title=Rocker gets $330,000 for drunken crash |last=Wallace |first=Natasha |author2= David Braithwaite |date=26 May 2006 |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=3 April 2008 }}</ref> A court in 2006 awarded him $330,253 in damages, down from an estimated $750,000 because he was said to be over the legal limit.<ref name="SMH"/> Binks later disputed the alcohol reading as belonging to another driver and stated the remuneration mostly went to his lawyers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.news.com.au/index.php/news/comments/newsdesk_update_guitarist_wins_compo_claim |title=Guitarist wins compo claim |last=Temple |first=Will |date=26 May 2005 |work=news.com.au |access-date=5 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825151824/http://blogs.news.com.au/index.php/news/comments/newsdesk_update_guitarist_wins_compo_claim/ |archive-date=25 August 2006 }}</ref> A 2007 appeal by the council, saw amount awarded further reduced to $304,750.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=91517 |title=Less damages for Australian Crawl member |publisher=National Nine News |date=18 September 2007 |access-date=9 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060428041027/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=91517 |archive-date=28 April 2006 }}</ref>
===1996–present: ARIA Hall of Fame and compilations=== {{Main|ARIA Hall of Fame}} In 1996, a compilation titled ''Lost & Found'' was released. It contained seven of the tracks from Guy McDonough's solo album ''My Place'' which were remastered.<ref name="ebuy"/><ref name="NWOut"/><ref name="Lost">{{cite web |url=http://www.australiancrawl.com/ |title=''Lost & Found'' by members of Australian Crawl |publisher=australiancrawl.com |access-date=5 April 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080321091925/http://www.australiancrawl.com/| archive-date= 21 March 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> Compilers and producers of ''Lost & Found'' were Bill McDonough and Peter Blyton.<ref name="OzRockDb"/><ref name="Lost"/> ''Lost & Found'' tracks from ''My Place'' include "Too Many People" a duet sung by Guy McDonough with Colin Hay of Men at Work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://menatwork.com.br/novo/en/part.htm |title=Participações (Participation) |publisher=menatwork.com.br |access-date=31 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210221411/http://menatwork.com.br/novo/en/part.htm |archive-date=10 December 2007 }}</ref> Some ''My Place'' tracks used on ''Lost & Found'' have Reyne singing backing vocals.<ref name="NWOut"/> As of 2001, Bill McDonough left the music industry and began working in the construction industry and continues to own and operate his building and demolition companies in 2017.<ref name="Wilmoth"/>
The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in September 1996. Three weeks later, Robinson died.<ref name="HoF"/>
Additional compilation albums were released; ''More Wharf'' in 1998, ''Reckless: 1979–1995'' in 2000 and ''The Definitive Collection'' in 2002. ''The Definitive Collection'' contained songs from the band and from James Reyne's solo career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldsunhit.com.au/product/definitive_collection_458081_164621.html |title=Definitive Collection |work=Sun Herald |access-date=18 March 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
In 2001, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, the Australian Performing Right Association (APRA) compiled a list of the Top 30 Australian songs, with "Reckless (Don't Be So)" coming in at number nineteen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.debbiekruger.com/pdfs/aprathirty.pdf |title=The songs that resonate through theyears: Industry votes for Top 30 Australian songs |publisher=APRA |last=Kruger |first=Debbie |date=2 May 2001 |access-date=28 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517070044/http://www.debbiekruger.com/pdfs/aprathirty.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In October 2007, eleven Australian Crawl tracks were featured in the Triple M Essential 2007 Countdown of songs (positions are voted by listeners out of the best 2007 songs of all time).<ref name="TripleM"/> They were "Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama" #1673; "Lakeside" #1354; "Indisposed" #956; "Downhearted" #728; "Oh No Not You Again" #587; "Shut Down" #415; "Things Don't Seem" #371; "Boys Light Up" #305; "Errol" #227; "Beautiful People" #153; and "Reckless" #39.<ref name="TripleM"/>
In January 2014, Universal Music Australia celebrated the 35th anniversary of the release of "Beautiful People" by releasing ''The Greatest Hits'', which peaked at number 4 and was the 40th best selling album in Australian in 2014.
In October 2016, Australian Crawl released a seven album vinyl collection, titled ''The Album Collection''. The collection included the band's four studio albums, two live albums and the US-expanded version of the ''Semantics'' album which had previously been unavailable to Australian audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noise11.com/news/australian-crawl-to-release-vinyl-box-including-us-semantics-20161004|title=Australian Crawl To Release Vinyl Box Including US Semantics|publisher=Noise11|work=PAUL CASHMERE |date=4 October 2016|access-date=21 October 2016}}</ref>
==Members== Chronological list:<ref name="OzRockDb"/> *Simon Binks – guitars (1978–1986) *David Reyne – drums (1978) *James Reyne – vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica (1978–1986) *Brad Robinson (d. 1996) – guitars, keyboards (1978–1986) *Paul Williams – bass guitar (1978–1985) *Bill McDonough – drums (replaced David Reyne) (1978–1983) *Guy McDonough (d. 1984) – vocals, guitar (1980–1984) *Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup – drums (replaced Bill McDonough) (1983) *John Watson – drums (replaced Bidstrup) (1983–1986) *Mark Greig – guitars (replaced Guy McDonough) (1984–1986) *Harry Brus – bass guitar (replaced Williams) (1985–1986)
== Discography == {{main|Australian Crawl discography}}
* ''The Boys Light Up'' (1980) * ''Sirocco'' (1981) * ''Sons of Beaches'' (1982) * ''Semantics'' (1983 EP / 1984 LP) * ''Phalanx'' (1983) * ''Between a Rock and a Hard Place'' (1985) * ''The Final Wave'' (1986)
==Awards and nominations== ===ARIA Music Awards=== The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Australian Crawl were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-award.php?awardID=36 |title=Winners by Award: Hall of Fame |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association |access-date=23 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202052952/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-award.php?awardID=36 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{awards table}} |- | 1987 | Art Scarff for ''The Final Wave'' by Australian Crawl | Best Cover Art | {{nom}} |- | 1996 | Australian Crawl | ARIA Hall of Fame | {{yes2|inductee}} {{end}}
===TV Week / Countdown Awards=== ''Countdown'' was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974–1987, it presented music awards from 1979–1987, initially in conjunction with magazine ''TV Week''. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.<ref name="CountdownMarch1987">{{Cite web | url = http://www.countdownmemories.com/magazines/pdfs/1987_03.pdf | title = Countdown to the Awards | work = Countdown Magazine |date=March 1987 | publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) | format = Portable document format (PDF) | access-date = 16 December 2010 }}</ref>
{{awards table}} |- | rowspan="5" |1980 | "Downhearted" | Best Single Record | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="2" | ''The Boys Light Up'' | Best Australian Record Cover Design | {{nom}} |- | Most Popular Record | {{nom}} |- | Themselves | Most Popular Group | {{nom}} |- | James Reyne (Australian Crawl) | Most Popular Male Performer | {{won}} |- | rowspan="3" |1981 | ''Sirocco'' | Best Australian Album | {{nom}} |- | Themselves | Most Popular Group | {{won}} |- | James Reyne (Australian Crawl) | Most Popular Male Performer | {{won}} |- | 1982 | Themselves | Most Popular Group | {{nom}} |- | rowspan="3" | 1983 | Mark Opitz for work with Australian Crawl | Best Record Producer of the Year | {{nom}} |- | Themselves | Most Popular Group | {{won}} |- | James Reyne (Australian Crawl) | Most Popular Male Performer | {{nom}} |- {{end}}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [http://www.australiancrawl.com Universal Music's 'Australian Crawl' website.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321091925/http://www.australiancrawl.com/ |date=21 March 2008 }} * {{musicbrainz artist|id=c42c550c-ceab-4739-bf83-7c5d63e27dc5|name=Australian Crawl}} * {{Discogs artist|Australian Crawl}} * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20131022063048/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/a/australiancrawl.html Australian Rock Database]}} * [http://www.jamesreyne.com.au Official website of James Reyne] * {{IMDb name|3082657}}
{{Australian Crawl}} {{James Reyne}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Crawl}} Category:Australian Crawl Category:Musical groups from Victoria (state) Category:ARIA Award winners Category:ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Category:Musical groups established in 1978 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1986 Category:Australian pub rock musical groups Category:EMI Group artists Category:1978 establishments in Australia Category:1986 disestablishments in Australia