| The Mixtures | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Victoria, Australia |
| Years Active: | 1965–1976 |
The Mixtures were an Australian rock band that formed in Melbourne in 1965.
Australian musicians Terry Dean and Rod De Clerk met in Tasmania in 1965. They then met Laurie Arthur, a member of the Strangers, and the three formed a band after a jam session. They signed to EMI that same year and released three singles. They went through several line-up changes over the following few years, then signed to CBS Records in 1969. A few further singles followed before transferring to Fable Records in 1970.
The Mixtures recorded a cover of Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" and—as a result of the 1970 radio ban, during which many Australian radio stations refused to play Australian and British music released by major labels—received much more airplay than had initially been expected for a group on a small record label. The single went to
The next single, "Henry Ford", peaked at #43 in Australia. Further line-up changes ensued before "Captain Zero" went to #6 in Australia in 1971, their last big hit. Brian Eno guested on synthesiser on "Captain Zero".[2] The group underwent some more line-up changes including Brenton Fosdike (guitar, vocals), John Petcovich (drums, vocals) and the last member to join was keyboard player Rob Scott.
The 1976 single, "Skateboard Jive" / "Come Together for the Games" was to be their last and the group folded sometime in 1976.
In 1978 the band travelled to Perth to do some recording and put together a new show. During this time bass player Chris Spooner died in a fishing accident at Trigg Beach. The band only carried on for a further three months as a four-piece before breaking up in early 1979. The remaining four members, Brenton, John, Rob and Peter Williams, then formed a new band with two other Australians, (Dennis Broad and Paul Reynolds) and the band was named BRIX.
Fred Wieland, whose tenure with the Mixtures led to an appearance in the United Kingdom TV programme Never Mind the Buzzcocks, died of lung cancer in December 2018 at the age of 75.[3]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| In the Summertime |
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| The Mixtures |
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| Title | Album details | |
|---|---|---|
| The Best of The Mixtures |
| |
| The Push-Bike Song |
| |
| The Best of The Mixtures |
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| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS[4] | US | |||
| 1966 | "I've Been Wrong" / "Koko Joe" | — | — | rowspan=5 |
| "Come On Out" / "Lose Your Money" | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Music, Music, Music" / "(They Call the Wind) Maria" | 57 | — | |
| 1969 | "Sad Old Song" / "Never Trust in Tomorrow" | — | — | |
| "Here Comes Love Again" / "Fancy Meeting You Here" | 66 | — | ||
| 1970 | "Call Me Do" / "Ten Thousand Children" | — | — | In the Summertime |
| "In the Summertime" / "Where You Are" | 1 | — | ||
| "The Pushbike Song" / "Who Loves Ya" | 1 | 44 | ||
| 1971 | "Henry Ford" / "Home Away from Home" | 43 | — | The Best of the Mixtures |
| "Never Be Untrue" / "She's Gone Away" | — | — | ||
| "Captain Zero" / "I Wanna Go Home" | 6 | — | ||
| 1972 | "Guitar Song" / "I've Found Out Where It's At" | — | — | rowspan=4 |
| 1973 | "Dazzle Easy, Diane" / "Found Out Where It's At" | — | — | |
| "My Home On the Murrumbidgee" / "Slow Train" | — | — | ||
| 1974 | "Love Is Life" | — | — | |
| "Down Under Girls" / "My Neck of the Woods" | — | — | The Mixtures | |
| 1976 | "Skateboard Jive" / "Come Together for the Games" | — | — | |
. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 204.