From Left: Jamie Rhodes, Andy Clayton Smith, Noel Davies, Andrew Read, Marcel Rodeka
My involvement in Perfect Strangers 1986 – 1988
This was a great band!
Perfect Strangers was and still is, one of my favourite bands that I’ve ever been in. I remember seeing them in 1984 in Perth, Western Australia, at the Raffles Hotel, while I was still in Mother Goose. They had a large following, a big sound and an amazing singer/frontman in Andy Clayton Smith. He had been a Western Australian gymnastics champion and brought some of those backflips and gym leaps to the stage. They were a true 80’s synth rock band. The DX7 sequencers were there, the sweeping electronic string sounds, the rock guitar and of course, what 80’s band would be without the customary mullets!
Naturally then, when I received a call to see if I was interested in joining them as their new drummer in mid 1986, I said yes immediately. It totally suited where I was at musically. They had great energy and excitement onstage, they pumped, and they allowed me to be myself. It’s also where I first used a click track live onstage. It didn’t really take a lot of getting used to and I loved (and still love) the challenge of keeping your vibe and energy, playing your natural game and all the while keeping track of the click in your ear. All drummers should be able to do it. It’s a great discipline.
Perfect Srangers was: Guitarist Michael Parks, Keyboard player, Noel Davies, Bass Player, Andrew Read and the aforementioned singer, Andy Clayton Smith and myself who replaced original drummer Barry Litten. About a year after I joined, Michael Parks left the band and was replaced by young 21 year old whiz kid/hot shot guitarist, Jamie Rhodes/Lane/Weatherhead, changing his last name depending on his mood on the day! Jamie was an Eddie Van Halen freak and brought some fiery lead guitar to the band. He also brought with him a great/crazy sense of humour and we spent many tours in the back of Taragos laughing our heads off!
This version of the band continued to the end. After moving to Sydney, we signed to Mushroom Records and began doing all the promo stuff including MTV, radio/press, touring Sydney and NSW, doing some shows with Noiseworks, supporting Chris Rea, making videos clips and recording singles. At this time, right in the midst of all this, our singer Andy, who was five years in remission from Hodgkins Lynmphoma, was ordered off the road by his doctors and returned to Perth. Unfortunately he never recovered and died at his family home in Perth in 1988. He was very well loved and well respected by all those whose lives he touched.
The band never recovered either and chose not to continue after Andy’s death. It just wasn’t the same anymore. I absolutely loved Perfect Strangers.
|
