{{Short description|Australian garage rock band}} {{About|the Australian 1960s band|the similarly named U.S. hard rock band|The Throbs}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2013}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = The Throb | image = | image_size = | landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank --> | alt = | caption = | alias = | origin = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | genre = Garage rock, R&B, rock, surf | years_active = {{start date|1965}}–{{end date|1967}} | label = Polydor, Albert, EMI/Parlophone | associated_acts = Geoff Doyle and the Resonettes, The No Names | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> | current_members = | past_members = * John Bell * Denny Burgess * Peter Figures * Marty Van Wynk * Bob Daisley * Paul Wylde }}
'''The Throb''' were an R&B-based garage rock band from Sydney, Australia, who were active in the mid-1960s.<ref name="Marks and McIntyre">{{cite book|last1=Marks and McIntyre|first1=Ian D. and Iain|title=Wild About You: The Sixties Beat Explosion in Australia|date=2010|publisher=Verse Chorus Press|location=Portland/London/Melbourne|isbn=978-1-891241-28-4|page=52|edition=First}} - A) Premise of book is garage rock in Australia/New Zealand. Pg. 52 refers to their song, "One Thing to Do" as "garage punk." B) On pg. 49 and 52-53, Marks singles out "Black" as a "Gothic masterpiece" and their finest song.</ref><ref name="Throb: Fortune Teller">{{cite web|last1=PopArchives.com.au|title=The Throb Fortune Teller|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/254/the-throb/fortune-teller|website=PopArchives.com.au}} – describes the Throb as "garage-style R&B"</ref> Despite their short tenure, they achieved a brief moment of success, scoring a major hit in Australia with a cover version of "Fortune Teller", originally recorded by Benny Spellman, and which had previously been covered by The Rolling Stones. But, perhaps the song for which they have become best-remembered is the brooding lament "Black", a feedback-drenched rendition of the traditional folk song, "Black (Is the Colour of My True Love's Hair)", which they released in August that year, with lesser success, although it became a minor hit in Sydney.<ref name="Marks and McIntyre"/>
==History== The Throb formed in Sydney in 1965 with the line up of John Bell on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Denny Burgess (ex-Mystery Men) on bass guitar and vocals, Peter Figures (ex-Geoff Doyle and The Resonettes, The No Names) on drums and Martin Van Wyk (ex-Geoff Doyle and The Resonettes, The No Names) on lead guitar.<ref name="McFarlane"/>
Figures and Van Wyk had worked together in The Resonettes in the early 1960s as a surf instrumental band.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Kimball"/> When they signed with Polydor Records in 1964 they changed the band's name to The No Names and issued two beat music singles, "She Is Mine", and a cover version of The Coasters hit Charlie Brown.<ref name="Kimball"/><ref name="Marks"/> By December 1965 The No Names became a R&B and rock band called The Throb.<ref name="McFarlane"/>
The Throb signed with Albert Productions and label owner, Ted Albert, recommended a cover version of "Fortune Teller" as their debut single.<ref name="McFarlane"/> In February 1966 it was issued by EMI/Parlophone and soon charted at No.4 in Sydney and No. 2 in Melbourne.<ref name="McFarlane"/> It also charted at No.4 in Adelaide and was a number-one hit in Brisbane.<ref name="PopArchiveFortune"/> According to the ''Australian Chart Book 1940–1969'' (2005) this equates to a national chart position of No.4.<ref name="Kentpre1970"/><ref name="AusCharts66"/> The group had become a "hot live draw on the discotheque circuit".<ref name="McFarlane"/>
The band reworked an English folk song, "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair", as a "mournful, demonic" tune, which was released as their second single, "Black".<ref name="McFarlane"/> It reached the Top 40 in Sydney but did not chart in other capital cities.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="AusCharts66"/> Van Wyk left to join The Soul Agents while The Throb continued as a three-piece until October,<ref name="McFarlane"/> when Burgess left to form his own group, Honeybunch. Bell and Figures recruited Bob Daisley (ex-Dennis Williams and the Delawares, Gino Affair) on bass guitar and Paul Wylde on organ and piano.<ref name="McFarlane"/> The Throb disbanded in January 1967 when Figures joined The Square Circle.<ref name="McFarlane"/>
Bell became a builder and ran a plastering firm. By 1969 Figures had joined Jeff St John & Yama and was later in various other groups. In 1972 Denny Burgess joined The Masters Apprentices, alongside his brother Colin. Van Wyk was in the Marty Rhone Band and also had a career as a songwriter.<ref name="Kimball"/>
==Discography== ===Singles=== * "Fortune Teller" (1966) <small>AUS No. 4<ref name="Kentpre1970"/><ref name="AusCharts66"/></small> * "Black" <small>AUS No. 42<ref name="Kentpre1970"/><ref name="AusCharts66"/></small>
==References== {{Refbegin}} ;General *{{cite book|last1=Marks and McIntyre|first1=Ian D. and Iain|title=Wild About You: The Sixties Beat Explosion in Australia|date=2010|publisher=Verse Chorus Press|location=Portland/London/Melbourne|isbn=978-1-891241-28-4|edition=First|quote=Premise of book is garage rock in Australia/New Zealand.}} * {{Cite encyclopedia | last = McFarlane | first = Ian | authorlink = Ian McFarlane | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop | title = Whammo Homepage | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20040405231007/http://www.whammo.com.au/index.asp | url = http://www.whammo.com.au/index.asp | archivedate = 5 April 2004 | accessdate = 3 October 2013 | year = 1999 | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = St Leonards, NSW | isbn = 1-86508-072-1 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }} Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality. ;Specific {{Refend}} {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="McFarlane">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040419091614/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=726 'The Throb'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=726 the original] on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 3 October 2013.</ref>
<ref name="Kimball">{{cite web | url = http://www.milesago.com/artists/throb.htm | title = The Throb | last1 = Culnane | first1 = Paul | publisher = Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions | year = 2007 | accessdate = 3 October 2013 }}</ref>
<ref name="Marks">{{cite web | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101223061311/http://www.3cr.org.au/way/content_10.html | url = http://www.3cr.org.au/way/content_10.html | title = The Throb | last = Marks | first = Ian D | work = Wild About You | publisher = 3CR Melbourne | archivedate=23 December 2010 | accessdate = 3 October 2013 }}</ref>
<ref name="PopArchiveFortune">{{cite web | url = http://poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=762 | title = Fortune Teller | work = Where Did They Get That Song? | publisher = PopArchives (Lyn Nuttall) | accessdate = 3 October 2013 }}</ref>
<ref name="Kentpre1970">{{cite book | title = Australian Chart Book 1940–1969 | last = Kent | first = David | authorlink = David Kent (historian) | isbn = 0-6464-4439-5 | year = 2005 | publisher = Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd | location = Turramurra, NSW }} Note: Chart positions back calculated by Kent in 2005.</ref>
<ref name="AusCharts66">{{cite web | url = http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&search=Throb&id=40662&pages=#1103081 | title = 1966 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) | last1 = Ryan (bulion) | first1 = Gary | publisher = Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung) | date = 20 January 2013 | accessdate = 3 October 2013 }}</ref>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Throb, The}} Category:Australian rock music groups Category:Musical groups from Sydney Category:Musical groups established in 1965 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1967