Category Archives: Wanganui

Categories: Allied International, New Zealand, Wanganui

The Cresendos (aka the Crescendos)

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The Cresendos, from left: Graham Johnston, Ian Irvine, Max Johnston and Bryan Stewart
The Cresendos, from left: Graham Johnston, Ian Irvine, Max Johnston and Bryan Stewart

The Cresendos (sic) consisted of Graham Johnston lead guitar, Max Johnston rhythm guitar, Ian Irvine bass guitar, and Bryan Stewart drums. The band began in 1965 in the small coastal city of Wanganui on the north island, about halfway between Wellington to the south and New Plymouth to the north.

In 1966 Allied International A&R man Fred Noad saw them at a talent contest. Supposedly they recorded their only 45 in a local warehouse. The label released it at the start of 1967 with their name misspelled on the label as the Crescendos – except their name was misspelled in the first place and you could say the label got it right.

“Now She’s Mine” is a great original by Ian Irvine. The vocals and lyrics are excellent and Graham Johnston really helps distinguish the song with the variety of sounds he lays over it. The neat buzzy tone comes from a home-made fuzz pedal created by someone from the local post office.

“I Want Your Love” is a ballad with a cool echo effect on the opening chords. It was written by Johnston – Irvine – Berryman.

Photo and most of the info from the liner notes to Wild Things vol. 1.

Categories: HMV, New Zealand, Wanganui

The Top Shelf “Time Beyond”

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The Top Shelf His Master's Voice 45 Time BeyondThe Top Shelf were from Wanganui, a port town on the southwestern coast of the North Island of New Zealand, about a three hour drive from Wellington where they based their career. The Cresendos also came from Wanganui.

“Time Beyond (Can’t We Still Be Friends)” takes inspiration from “White Room” with some fantastic wah wah playing.

“Time Beyond” was left to the b-side behind a pop song with the very unwieldy title “Baby the World Really Turns (Many a Slip Twixt Cup and Lip)”. Although relatively lightweight, the opening is arresting and performance solid.

Production was by Peter Dawkins. A radio station card that accompanies my copy shows it was received on July 24, 1969, and played a paltry four times over the next two months, despite being a “Golden Disc Entry” for the year.

The band reunited for the Third Official Wellington 1960s Rock Band Reunion on Sunday, October 12, 1996 in the Lower Hutt Horticultural Hall. I can’t find any reviews of the show, but an article promoting the reunion in the New Zealand weekly the Sunday Star-Times gave a description of the band:

Wanganui’s Top Shelf are best remembered for their 1969 residency at Ali Baba’s in Wellington’s Willis Street, where they played soul and harmony based pop for the popular club’s post-teen regulars. They emerged in the strong Wanganui 1960s scene in mid 1968, made up of members from the popular Nusonics (Murray Barnes and John Harrison), and The Sect and Downbeats (Martin Berryman [on drums], Kevin Furey, and Doug Bonner) to play local dances, and save enough money to break into the Australian scene.

When kingpin promoter Ken Cooper offered them the Ali Baba’s gig, they headed south instead, leaving behind bassist Doug Bonner, who was replaced by Dave Berryman.

On-stage, they played up to nine hours a night on weekends, cutting a dash with their two piece horn section, and later in 1969, cutting a single for HMV Records, the bubblegum pop “Baby, The World Really Turns” backed with the psychedelic “Time Beyond”, penned by Wanganui duo Dick Le Fort and Martin Hadlow. They disbanded in late 1969.

Sources include: Mysterex: New Zealand Music and Culture (via the Internet Archive)