The Cleves are back. The who? Anastasia Prikhodko reports on a little known chapter of new Zealand music that's still being played out today.
It's one of the greatest unsung stories of Auckland rock'n'roll: two brothers and a sister from Clevedon started a band in 1963 and went on to perform around the world, breaking ground in folk, psychedelic pop and progressive rock.
The band - which came to be known as The Cleves - is back with a retrospective CD being released by Flying Nun records.
Grant Gillanders has worked with The Cleves for a long time and hopes the CD will also launch in the United States, Australia and London, where the band lived for a while. Gillanders describes the album as a "collaboration of the band's most popular songs", many were well-known in Europe but unreleased in New Zealand.
Growing up in the rural farming community of Clevedon, the three siblings - Ron, Gaye and Graham Brown - were all musically influenced by their mother Joy, a pianist.
Ron went for the ukulele and banjo, before moving on to the electric guitar. Gaye played the piano and became the singer. The oldest, Graham, also began with the piano before moving on to a set of drums he found in the "local scout hall".
The band - originally called the Clevedonaires - were spotted by Benny Levin and signed to Impact Records. During 1967-68, with new member Rob Aitkin, the band performed on The We 3, a weekly TV show for teens and, a year afterwards, were invited for a four-month entertainment service in Vietnam.
Shortly before leaving, the band were told the trip was too dangerous because of bombings in Saigon. With no work coming up, the band packed up and left for Australia.
Australia proved a great choice and the band gained recognition, renaming themselves The Cleves.
In 1970, the band began working on a new album. After the album release, newlywed Graham left the band and The Cleves moved to Europe, on the suggestion of new member Vince Melhouney. With another new member, Ace Follington, the band arrived in the UK and changed their name to Bitch. A local Papakura newspaper was unimpressed: "The group have changed their name again ... they are now called ... wait for it ... BITCH. We don't think that they got that from Clevedon."
The new name was supposed to reflect a more edgy and tougher side of the band. With no contacts, they self-funded a gig at London's Speakeasy Club and invited reps from major record companies. After the performance they signed with Warner, which encouraged the band to begin working on a new album. The single, Good Time Coming, became a top 10 hit in Germany and Holland.
At the 1972 album preview, Melody Maker reported the band "rocked and rolled and came over with all the high power velocity that should make them teen idols within a few months".
But there, fate intervened. Previous manager of Bitch, Bill Harman, reflects: "The album had been mastered and was complete, including artwork ... Things dragged on for months and culminated in the Bitch recording deal being scrapped and the album ditched."
The band packed up and dispersed. Gaye returned to New Zealand, Ace went back to Australia. Ron stayed in the UK for 30 years before returning to New Zealand in 2008. Rob Aitken moved back to Australia and began working as a music producer.
Fast track to today and the family-oriented band now consist of Ron, Graham and Gaye Brown. They have no plans for touring overseas, and are instead gigging around New Zealand.
Once again, the band are considering a name change. With the impending Flying Nun release of the CD, The Cleves' songs will finally be on the map in their hometown - whatever name the band decides to go by.
Famous Unkle
The story continues today with British trip-hop act Unkle sampling one of the band's old songs and performing it earlier this year at the Powerstation.
The British band was formed in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. One of Unkle's feature songs Restless contains a sample from Good Time Coming, originally by the Cleves.
Although, Unkle had heard a band called Mustard's version of the song, the "two versions aren't that much different from each other'', explains Gillanders.
Ron Brown and Rob Aitken are pleased to hear their song being played. "They kept receiving royalty cheques, and not knowing why, until they saw the music clip of Unkle on Youtube,'' says Gillanders.
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