When you have been around for 50 something years, an artist like Russell Morris will have career highs and lows. In Melbourne last night, Russell’s performance with the Southern Cross Symphony was a career highest of highs.
With 65 musicians on stage, including a 54-piece symphony orchestra, the rock band and backing singers, and a set arranged by Oscar nominee David Hirschfelder, Russell had a lot of ground to cover. This show delved back 55 years to his short-lived band Somebody’s Image with 1967 represented with his covers of ‘Hush’ and ‘Its All Over Now Baby Blue’ as well as The Moody Blues orchestrated hit at that time ‘Nights In White Satin’.
The dynamics of the rock band with Peter Robinson’s electric guitar working in unison with the symphony orchestra invigorated the classics ‘The Real Thing’, ‘Mr America’ and ‘Sweet Sweet Love’. The songs from the blues trilogy were left mainly to the band without orchestra and that created a further dynamic.
Russell himself pointed out the diversity of his catalogue has been often to his detriment, comparing his journey through Pop, Rock, Blues and Folk as something even his most diehard fans have had trouble following. He called is “a smorgasbord” with many choosing to eat from just one corner of the table and rarely seeing the full feast. The symphony orchestra brought all the dishes together.
The highs produced the hits we all know but the lows meant some great music fell through the cracks. Mining back to 1979’s ‘Foot In The Door’, 1991’s ‘A Thousand Suns’ and 2008’s ‘Jumpstart Diary’ gave the audience a chance to hear some nice things they missed.
Russell’s heart and soul went into his 1991 album ‘A Thousand Suns’ but its timing was upstaged by the arrival of Grunge and bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drowning it in the day. ‘Foot In The Door’ came at the end of the 70s, also up against a shift in sound with the global punk into new wave revolution. ‘Jumpstart Diary’ was equally a tough sell in 2008 as the reality star took command of the day with that forever rotating 15 minutes of fame churn. All of these albums had great moments and I’m glad Russ chose to resurrect a few for this project. It was a timely catchup for those who missed them the first time around.
When 2012 rolled around, Russell had nothing to prove and no-one to please except himself. That is where the trilogy of blues albums starting with ‘Sharkmouth’ was conceived. It was the start of the journey back that led to these shows. Looking back over the past 50 years, the Russell Morris music eras form blocks. Another “block” was the two more recent Jack Chrome albums, the first with Rick Springfield. From the second one, ‘The Dreams of Jack Chrome’ (2022) ‘Dance With Me Now’ was positively hypnotic with the orchestra.
The Melbourne show was recorded for a live album to be released soon. Russell’s Live Symphonic Concert from the Hamer Hall performance Tuesday 4th July will be released on a 2CD or 2LP release. You can pre-order your autographed copy at this link – https://greatmusiclivesforever.com/collections/russell-morris-1
Russell Morris at Hamer Hall Melbourne, setlist 4 July 2023
Set I
Prologue/Part Three Into Paper Walls (from Wings of an Eagle and Other Great Hits, 1973)
Only A Matter Of Time (from Wings of an Eagle and Other Great Hits, 1973)
A Thousand Suns (from A Thousand Suns, 1991)
Black Dog Blues (from Sharkmouth, 2012)
The Drifter (from Sharkmouth, 2012)
The Girl That I Love (from Wings of an Eagle and Other Great Hits, 1973)
Dance With Me Now (from The Dreams of Jack Chrome, 2022)
Van Diemans Land (from Van Diemans Land, 2014)
Rachel (from Wings of an Eagle and Other Great Hits, 1973)
Mr America (from Wings of an Eagle and Other Great Hits, 1973)
Set II
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (Somebody’s Image single, 1967)
Squizzy (from Sharkmouth, 2012)
Sandakan (from Van Diemans Land, 2014)
Doctor In The House (from Foot In The Door, 1979)
I Will Wait For You (from Jumpstart Diary, 2008)
Blown Away (from Jumpstart Diary, 2008)
Nights In White Satin (The Moody Blues cover)
As Far As I Remember (from Jumpstart Diary, 2008)
Hush (Somebody’s Image single, 1967)
The Real Thing (single, 1969)
Wings Of An Eagle (from Wings of an Eagle and Other Great Hits, 1973)
Sweet Sweet Love (from Bloodstone, 1971)
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