Five Great Gift Ideas from The Reels explained

Five Great Gift Ideas from the Reels
Type:EP
Artist:The Reels
Cover:The Reels - Five Great Gift Ideas From The Reels.jpg
Released:November 1980
Recorded:1980 at Albert Studios
Genre:Synthpop, new wave
Length:14:53
Label:Mercury
Producer:Colin Newham, David Mason
Prev Title:The Reels
Prev Year:1979
Next Title:Quasimodo's Dream
Next Year:1981

Five Great Gift Ideas from the Reels is an extended play released by Australian band the Reels in November 1980. It was released during the recording sessions for the band's album Quasimodo's Dream. The EP consisted of 5 tracks: 4 covers and 1 original. It charted at #12 in Australia and was certified gold. "According to My Heart", a cover of the 1961 Jim Reeves song was also controversially included on their album Quasimodo's Dream.[1]

The EP was produced by Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop, featured mainly covers, including Jim Reeves' "According to My Heart", and Freda Payne's "Band of Gold". "Neon Rainbow" was a song made popular by the Box Tops. "According to My Heart" featured a folksy music video filmed at the farm of Australian country music star Smokey Dawson.

The EP did, however, have one original; "The Bombs Dropped on Xmas", co-written by Mason, Newham and Ansel

Engineer Tony Cohen later said, "They were gentle, decent people and we got along well. The Reels didn't try to do anything shocking, they just puttered along in their own way. They thought it was a joke to hire the punk rock dude to record beautiful sounds.[2]

Track listing

Side One

  1. "You Got Soul" (Johnny Nash) - 3:03
  2. "Neon Rainbow" (Thompson) - 3:00

Side Two

  1. "The Bombs Dropped on Xmas" (Mason-Newham-Ansel) - 3:13
  2. "According to My Heart" (Jim Reeves) - 3:12
  3. "Band of Gold" (Wayne-Dunbar) - 2:25

Charts

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Five Great Gift Ideas from The Reels! Chart (1981)! Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 94

Notes and References

  1. http://www.studioconnections.net.au/MusicBk/Reels/Quasimodo.html Studio Connections - Quasimodo's Dream
  2. Book: Tony Cohen with John Olson . Half Deaf, Completely Mad. 2023. 69. Black Inc. Books. 978-1-74382-308-8.
  3. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian)

    . David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 249.

  4. Web site: National Top 100 Singles for 1981 . . 393 . 7 . . 4 January 1982 . 11 January 2022 .