Les Hall Interview (2023) - Guitarist of Ted Mulry Gang

Описание: In this episode of Vinyl Vibes Jack talks with Les Hall, founding member and guitarist of Ted Mulry Gang. Les grew up in Maitland during the '50s and early '60s. After playing piano at the insistence of his father, he was inspired to start playing guitar due to George Harrison of The Beatles. In 1964 he would see the Beatles live when they came down under on their world tour. Four years later in 1968 he joined a Newcastle band called The Velvet Underground. It was through this band, in the early '70s, he came to meet and play backing for Ted Mulry. After backing Ted for a little while, Ted Mulry Gang (TMG) was formed in 1972 with Les on guitar, Ted on vocals/bass and Herman Kovacs on drums.

In 1974 the band would sign to Albert Productions and release their first album Here We Are in November of that year. After a failed first single, at the insistence of a Newcastle Radio DJ, the band released Jump In My Car, an album track off their first album. It would go to number one for six weeks and would become an Aussie classic. The band would go on to have 4 more top ten singles and after six albums would disband in 1986. More recently, Les has got the band back together and have released a brand new single and their first album in over 30 years.

Jack zoomed Les to talk about his early years growing in Maitland, how he came to start playing the guitar, his memories of seeing the Beatles live in 1964, how he came to join Newcastle band the Velvet Underground in 1968, the formation of TMG, the recording of the bands first album Here We Are, the writing of Jump In My Car, the guitar and amp used on the Jump in My Car recording, the production work of Ted Albert, how songs such as Darktown Strutters' Ball and Jamaica Rum came to be, his work post TMG, the re-formation of TMG and the band's new single and album. 

"It happened at Collaroy Plateau, I was in the bedroom, I'd just listened to a Faces' song called 'Stay With Me', which I really love the feel of, its a really Stonesy feel actually and I was listening to that, that finished and I was fiddling on the guitar and I came up with this riff and I went out to Ted who was in the lounge room watching TV and I said "hey, listen to this" and I played it, he went and got his bass and he followed and we came up with the thing that ended up as Jump In My Car." - Les Hall on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about how TMG's hit Jump In My Car was written

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins