Albatross -

Albatross was an Australian rustic-folk band from Sydney that released the 1973 Reprise album A Breath of Fresh Air.

Members: Peter Barron (bass), Kim Bryant (drums), Lindsay Bjerre [Bjerre] (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Simone Bjerre (bass, vocals, 1973), Richard Lockwood (saxophone, flute, clarinet, 1973)

Background

Albatross formed in Sydney in September 1972 when singer–guitarist Lindsay Bjerre and bassist Peter Barron continued their Tamam Shud partnership with drummer Kim Bryant, recently of Country Radio. Bjerre led Tamam Shud as singer–guitarist and principal songwriter. Barron joined Bjerre in late 1967 and remained through the final Tamam Shud shows in Melbourne. Bryant spent a short late-1971 spell in Country Radio between drummers Ace Follington and Tony Bolton, as the Greg Quill group moved from acoustic folk toward electric country rock.

Bjerre formed Albatross to reduce the scale of late-period Tamam Shud. He wanted a simpler group than the larger live sound and PA setup then expected of the older band. Albatross emphasized acoustic guitar and bouzouki within Bjerre folk- and country-based songs. The trio established a base on Sydney’s northern beaches and played regular dates at Mona Vale Memorial Hall. Albatross appeared at the Bungool Festival near Windsor over the 1972–73 New Year holiday.

By April 1973, Albatross welcomed singer Simone Bjerre and Tully/Taman reedist Richard Lockwood, a multi-instrumentalist (harmonium, bamboo flute, recorder, violin) on the 1971 Extradition album Hush. Albatross opened four Frank Zappa and the Mothers concerts on June 24–26 and July 8 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion. The expanded group recorded A Breath of Fresh Air at ATA Studios in Sydney with producer Gus McNeil for Reprise Records.

Discography:

A Breath of Fresh Air (1973)

Sources:

Milesago: Albatross

References and notes

MILESAGO — Albatross. Core chronology: September 1972 formation, Bjerre/Barron/Bryant trio, acoustic folk-country direction, Mona Vale Memorial Hall, Simone Bjerre, Lockwood, Zappa support, and November album release. Its bibliography cites Paul Conn, Noel McGrath, and Ian McFarlane. (Oocities)
Lindsay Bjerre / Purple Haze interview material. Bjerre described his desire to leave the escalating size and amplification of Tamam Shud for a simpler setup; the surviving article paraphrases the Southern FM interview. This is the main evidence for the musical cause behind Albatross. (Rock On Vinyl)
Newcastle Bands Database — Four Strangers/Tamam Shud. Confirms the Bjerre–Barron continuity from 1967 through Tamam Shud and identifies Albatross as the trio Bjerre formed upon ending that band. (Newcastle Bands Database)
MILESAGO — Greg Quill/Country Radio. Places Kim Bryant in the late-1971 lineup between Ace Follington and Tony Bolton and documents Country Radio’s transition from an acoustic folk act into electric country rock. (Oocities)
Third Stone Press / Ian McFarlane; Frank Zappa Gig List. Confirms Albatross as Sydney support on the 1973 Zappa tour. The gig documentation establishes June 24–26 and July 8 at Hordern Pavilion. (Third Stone Press)
NFSA Australian Vinyl Record Catalogue; surviving LP-credit transcriptions. The National Film and Sound Archive confirms A Breath of Fresh Air, Reprise RS 4002, in 1973. Surviving sleeve information identifies ATA Studios and producer Gus McNeil. (NFSA)
Billboard, March 1972. Contemporary trade report identifies Greg Quill and Gus McNeil as directors of Cellar Music. I used this only to investigate the possible industry route to McNeil, not as evidence of an undocumented introduction. (World Radio History)