Fanny Adams (band)

Fanny Adams' founder, Vince Melouney had left the Bee Gees when in London, after three-and-a-half years as their guitarist, in 1968.[1] He secured a solo album deal with MCA Records in mid-1970 and wished to form a group to play material similar to Led Zeppelin.[2] He contacted his former Aztec bandmate, Toi: the ex-pat New Zealander was in London doing session work.[2] Then he asked Dick and Parkinson to relocate from Melbourne; both had been members of Doug Parkinson in Focus, which had won the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds in 1969.[1][2] Fanny Adams recorded material for their eponymous debut album.[1][2] It was produced by Melouney with all the tracks co-written by the quartet.[1][2]

The group relocated to Australia in December 1970; upon arrival Parkinson told national pop music newspaper, Go-Set, that "[we] will be the best band that ever trod this earth."[2] They performed at the Wallacia and Myponga Pop Festivals in January.[1][2] They issued Fanny Adams in June that year on MCA Records.[1] Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt they had "cut an album of adventurous, heavy, progressive blues-rock. There were a couple of ponderous, over-long tracks (like the 10-minute 'In a Room'), but Melouney's crunching, multi-layered Jimmy Page-styled guitar riffs kept the whole thing together."[1] David Nichols opined that they "played heavy, bluesy, progressive rock, and its members were instantly filled with a sense of their own perfection."[3] The album had provided a single, "Got to Get a Message to You", earlier in that year.[2]

However Fanny Adams had disbanded ahead of the album due to "ill-advised boasts of their imminent success... internal dissent and high audience expectations" and had followed a fire at a Sydney discotheque, Caesar's Palace, which destroyed the band's equipment.[1][3] According to McFarlane, "The story of Fanny Adams encapsulates one of the great disasters of Australian rock music. What sounded like a brilliant idea in theory turned out to be an ill-fated and short-lived affair for all concerned."[1] Parkinson left to form another line-up of In Focus in February 1971.[1] He is cited by Nichols regarding Fanny Adams: "we got into the studio and the truth came out. In my opinion Vince just couldn't play. Personal hang-ups... It was all done for Vince's production company... There was no musical freedom. Bad vibes all the way along."[3] Melouney disputed Parkinson's assertions about his playing but felt the album was "really shithouse".[3] He was a member of a succession of groups during the 1970s.[1] In July 1971 both Dick and Toi worked for Lobby Loyde and all three were members of a reformed Wild Cherries.[1]

• Johnny Dick – drums, percussion (1970–71)
• Vince Melouney – lead guitar, vocals (1970–71)
• Doug Parkinson – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1970–71)
• Teddy Toi – bass guitar (1970–71)