Geeza -

Geeza was an Australian hard-rock band from Sydney that issued the 1976 Living Sound single “Vambo” and the 1977 Laser album Streetlife.

Members: Tony Cini (vocals, 1973-75), Alan Watts (vocals, 1973-75), Gabriel Vendetti (guitar, 1973-79), Ian Marshall [aka Martin Adamson] (guitar, 1973-75), Lee Martin (bass, 1973-77), Allan Fraiel (drums, vocals, 1973-78), Ian Webb (drums, 1973-75), Terry Halliday [aka Terry Meaney] (vocals, rhythm guitar, synthesizer, 1975-79, 2010-present), Steve Gronow (bass, 1977-78), Barrington Davis (vocals, 1978-80), Dominic Goffredo (bass, 1978-80), Scott Cornell (bass, 1978-79), John Adams (drums, 1978-79), Xerxes Salazar (guitar, 1979-80), Warwick Hoffman (drums, 1979-80)

Background

Geeza evolved from Solid Ash, formed in Sydney’s western suburbs in 1973 with bassist–singer Martin Adamson, lead guitarist Gabriel Vendetti, rhythm guitarist Ray Falzon, and drummer Ian Webb. After they hired singer Tony Cini as a fifth member, Adamson proposed Geeza as a new name. Western Sydney promoter Steve Rondo assumed management and developed the school-and-dance act into a theatrical production.

In September 1974, Cini and Falzon left the lineup. Singer Terry Meaney joined with second drummer Allan Fraiel as Rondo recast the act as The Geeza Rock & Roll Show. Their performances included cabaret routines, drag costumes, comic props, and exploding telephone boxes. Late in 1975, they played from a flatbed truck through Parramatta.

Living Sound Music signed the group under the shortened name Geeza. In April 1976, LSM issued “Vambo” as their first single (b/w “Get It”). “Vambo” repurposes “Vambo Marble Eye,” a 1973 song by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (who later recorded a track titled “Vambo” as part of their 1975 “Hot City Symphony” suite).

Streetlife

Geeza released their singular album, Streetlife, in March 1977 on Laser, a subsidiary of RCA.

Streetlife presents seven originals and an extended cover of the David Bowie rocker “The Jean Genie.” Bassist Lee Martin received most composition credits under the name Martin Adamson, while Terry Halliday used the name Terry Meaney on shared titles.

“Sydney City Ladies” barrels through grimy riffing as LP take unfurls rough-edged 45 drive across a broader arrangement. “Run ’n’ Hide” charges through brawny guitar figures with brisk, rolling momentum. “The Jean Genie” detours into a quoted “How Many More Times” passage midway through Geeza’s remake.

A1. “Sydney City Ladies” (4:51) – Adamson, Vendetti, Fraiel, Meaney
A2. “You Can’t Do That” (4:02) – Adamson, Vendetti, Fraiel, Meaney
A3. “Song for Warilla” (4:48) – Adamson
A4. “Street Fighter” (4:38) – Adamson, Vendetti

B1. “Dragon Queen” (3:38) – Adamson, Vendetti, Fraiel, Meaney
B2. “Run ’n’ Hide” (4:06) – Adamson
B3. “Too Much Goin’ On Here” (3:42)
B4. “The Jean Genie” (7:35) – Bowie

Sessions commenced in 1976 at Atlantic Studios in Sydney and continued into the following year with producer Mario Millo and engineers Peter Hood and Alex Duyser. Millo came from Sebastian Hardie and led successor group Windchase on the contemporaneous album Symphinity. Atlantic operator Hood, drummer for The Atlantics, co-engineered the record with Duyser. The pair also worked with Millo on Dark Tan’s 1978 Laser single “Disco Lady.”

Music writer Martin Fabinyi art-directed and designed the package before he co-founded Regular Records with Cameron Allan. Go-Set photographer Philip Morris supplied the images after work on the 1975 John Paul Young album Hero. Film gaffer Brian Bansgrove handled cover lighting amid screen work on The Love Letters from Teralba Road.

In 1977, Laser issued “Run ’n’ Hide” (b/w “Sydney City Ladies”) as the first album single. The record entered the Kent Music Report on April 25, 1977, and later peaked at No. 56 on the national survey. Laser followed with “Song to Warilla” (b/w “Dragon Queen”). The parent album reached No. 79 on the Kent albums chart.

German label Bellaphon reissued the album four years after the Laser pressing. The digital edition carries a 2014 Lifestyle Music phonographic copyright.

Postlude

After Streetlife, Martin cleared for bassist Steve Gronow. From April through June 1978, Geeza supported the Ted Mulry Gang on an Australian tour. Allan Fraiel and Gronow exited after the tour; drummer John Adams and bassist Scott Cornell joined from Railroad Gin.

Later that year, Barrington Davis replaced Halliday. Early in 1979, guitarist Xerxes Salazar replaced Vendetti. Bassist Dominic Goffredo and drummer Warwick Hoffman completed the revised lineup after Cornell and Adams left. The quartet wrote and recorded eight tracks, but the material remained unreleased when Geeza disbanded.

Halliday revived Geeza in 2010 with guitarist Brad Johns, bassist Martin Skipper, drummer Tony Meaney, and saxophonist Martyn Wright. Chris Stopforth and Brooke Webb later replaced Johns and Skipper. Halliday’s death in 2014 ended the renewed group.

Discography: