The current non-original Little River Band setlist relies almost completely on songs from the ‘70s members who are legally muzzled from referring to their part in the creation of the band.
A sampling of a recent non-original Little River Band set shows that the songs of the heritage line-up when the band featured Graeham Goble, Glenn Shorrock and David Briggs, accounted for 12 of the 14 songs played at a recent LRB gig this past October in Warrendale, USA.
Little River Band has not featured an original member ever since drummer Derek Pellicci left the band in 1997.
Former guitarist Stephen Housden now owns the brand name and licences the name to the current line-up to use, with American bass player Wayne Nelson, who joined the band in 1980, now the only link with the past.
In August, 2014 Nelson talked to business writer Kevin Harrington at Forbes Magazine who compared the band to a product like Pepsi, Starbucks and McDonalds but who failed to address that creativity cannot be bought and sold like a Big Mac.
To have the legal rights to a name is one thing and it does work for many businesses. Imagine if Rembrandt was around today. He would most likely operate as a company. If he left that company and someone continued with it, would those new painting still be Rembrandts? Strangely enough, it a court of law, they would. However, the Little River Band name has been tarnished by a legal system that simply does not understand the creativity.
Neither does Jimmy Fallon apparently. The talk show host will feature the non-original Little River Band on his show next Monday to talk about their 40th Anniversary, and no doubt like Kevin Harrington at Forbes, will also fail to address the demise of a once great Australian band with a line-up that has never played live in Australia.
Little River Band setlist, Warrendale USA, October 2014
It’s A Long Way There (writer: Graeham Goble)
Man On Your Mind (writer: Glenn Shorrock, Kerryn Tolhurst)
Happy Anniversary (writer: David Briggs)
Take It Easy On Me (writer: Graeham Goble)
The Other Guy (writer: Graeham Goble)
The Lost and the Lonely (writers: Chip Martin, Paul Nielsen, Paul O’Connor)
I’m An Island (writers: Rich Herring, Mark Houser)
Reminiscing (writer: Graeham Goble)
Help Is On Its Way (writer: Glenn Shorrock)
We Two (writer: Graeham Goble)
The Night Owls (writer: Graeham Goble)
Cool Change (writer: Glenn Shorrock)
Lady (writer: Graeham Goble)
Lonesome Loser (writer: David Briggs)
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