Axiom

Axiom was a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1969 and included musicians Glenn Shorrock and Brian Cadd.
Axiom's formation was a by-product of the annual Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, where each year the top Australian bands of the day performed in front of judges for the prize of a paid return trip to London. In 1967 The Twilights were the first winners, the next year The Groop. Both found it difficult to settle back to the grind of the Australian pop scene after tasting the London big time. Neither band had made anything but the smallest dent in London (The Twilights being given a song by the Hollies, while The Groop's "When I Was Six Years Old" was recorded by Manfred Mann's Paul Jones), but it was enough to leave the lingering thought amongst band members, 'What if..?'

The Groop broke up in late 1969, by which time The Twilights had already split and singer Glenn Shorrock had moved into management. A plan was hatched to form a new group out of the two groups' frontline remnants. The Twilights' songwriter and guitarist Terry Britten was supposed to join Shorrock and The Groop's piano player and chief songwriter Brian Cadd in the new band, but when Terry chose to go to England instead, his place was taken by The Groop's Don Mudie, who in the latter stages of The Groop had formed a strong songwriting partnership with Cadd. The group was completed by Cam-Pact guitarist Chris Stockley, and Valentines drummer Doug Lavery. Immediately dubbed a supergroup, the band asked fans to suggest a name and settled on Axiom.

Almost immediately Axiom buried itself in the recording studio. In December 1969 the group released its first single, "Arkansas Grass", heavily influenced by The Band's "Music From Big Pink". Though the single's title appears superficially appealed to international markets, it is also a veiled anti-Vietnam war song - and in that respect addressing a very Australian concern. "Arkansas Grass" reached #7 in December, 1969. Midway through the recording of the 'Fool's Gold" album, drummer Don Lebler (The Avengers) replaced Lavery. Four months later the group left for London, and as a parting gift left their second single, "A Little Ray Of Sunshine", inspired by the birth of the child of a couple that the group knew—not by the birth of Cadd or Mudie's child, as has often been incorrectly reported. The single reached #5 in April 1970 . "A Little Ray Of Sunshine" has become one of the Australian songs most often still played on radio and was even celebrated with its own stamp in Australia Post's 1998 Australian Rock stamp series.

In their absence the band's album "Fool's Gold" was released, one of the first true 'albums' in Australian music, despite the "Arkansas Grass" single also one of the first attempts in Australian pop to write about the Australian landscape. It is also notable as one of the first Australian albums on a major label to be self-produced by the recording artist/s, and also featured one of the first uses of the didgeridoo in Australian popular music. The songs were all of high quality as were the production values. Fool's Gold reached #18 in June, and it still stands as one of the best albums of the period, however it never reached its full commercial potential because Axiom were not around to promote it. A third single failed to chart. In Australia Axiom were signed to Ron Tudor's independent production company. They left Australia with Ron's blessing to secure a worldwide recording contract: he wouldn't stand in their way.

In England Axiom signed a three-year recording contract with Warners, cemented by a single "My Baby's Gone" produced by Shel Talmy of early Who, Kinks and Easybeats' "Friday On My Mind" fame. The band completed an album at the iconic Olympic Studios in London. In international hands they just ended up sounding like everyone else. By the time the album If Only was released the band had already broken up.

Glenn Shorrock remained in England where he performed as lead vocalist of the extraordinary band Esperanto and after eventually returning to Australia, the Little River Band found him. Brian Cadd returned to Australia and launched a successful solo career. Don Lebler remained in the UK to become a member of The Mixtures. A couple of years later Chris Stockley became part of The Dingoes.
Members

* Glenn Shorrock - vocals, guitar
* Brian Cadd - vocals, piano
* Don Mudie - bass
* Chris Stockley - guitar
* Don Lebler - drums



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http://www.milesago.com/Artists/axiom.htm