Cam-Pact
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | April 1967 |
| Defunct | March 1970 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Singles, extended plays, compilation albums |
Cam-Pact was a Melbourne-based Australian band specializing in soul and psychedelic pop, established in April 1967. Initially called The Camp Act, they soon adopted the name Cam-Pact. While their primary activity centered in Melbourne, the group included several musicians who later became prominent figures in Australia’s music industry, such as Ray Arnott, Keith Glass, Chris Löfvén, Russell Smith, Robert Lloyd, and Chris Stockley. Over their career, Cam-Pact issued five singles and three extended plays through Festival Records before disbanding in March 1970.
History
The original lineup of Cam-Pact featured Mark Barnes on bass guitar, Keith Glass handling vocals and guitar, John Pugh on guitar, vocals, and autoharp, Chris Stockley playing guitar, and Bob Lloyd on drums. Their sound initially drew heavily from soul influences reminiscent of Stax Records and Tamla-Motown. Shortly after formation, John Pugh was replaced by Greg Cook, who contributed organ and guitar, while Bob Lloyd was succeeded by Trevor Courtney on drums.
Their first single, "Something Easy," penned by Glass, debuted in March 1968 via Festival Records and was accompanied by a four-track EP bearing the same title. Following releases included singles like "Drawing Room" and "Good Good Feelin'," featuring songwriting efforts from Glass, Cook, and Courtney. After Barnes left toward the end of 1968, Glass transitioned to bass duties. The June 1969 release "Potion of Love" reflected their evolving psychedelic pop sound characteristic of the late 1960s.
By mid-1969, Glass departed to participate in the Sydney production of Hair, while Stockley moved on to join Axiom. Their vacancies were filled by Chris Löfvén on bass and Russell Smith on guitar. During this period, the band released a split EP titled Cam-Pact / Pastoral Symphony, which featured two tracks from Cam-Pact alongside two from the studio project Pastoral Symphony. Subsequently, Bill Blissett took over organ and vocal responsibilities from Cook. Later that year saw the release of the single and EP "Zoom Zoom Zoom."
In early 1970, Ray Arnott replaced Trevor Courtney on drums, with Cliff Edwards stepping in for Löfvén on bass. The band toured Sydney with guest lead vocalist Matt Taylor. The trio consisting of Arnott, Edwards, and Smith continued performing until March 1970 before forming Company Caine alongside Gulliver Smith and Jeremy Noone.
Afterwards
Ray Arnott went on to join several notable Australian bands; he succeeded founding drummer Mark Kennedy in Spectrum (1971–73), then became part of the brief supergroup Mighty Kong alongside former Cam-Pact/Company Caine guitarist Russell Smith and Daddy Cool members Ross Wilson and Ross Hannaford. Arnott's later engagements included playing with The Dingoes (1973–76), pursuing solo work between 1978 and 1980, and performing with Cold Chisel (1983–84) as well as the Jimmy Barnes Band (1984–85).
In 1969, Keith Glass took on the role of Berger in the original Australian staging of Hair and contributed to its acclaimed cast recording. During the early 1970s, Glass co-established the Melbourne record import store "Archie & Jughead" with David Pepperell. In 1977, he founded Missing Link Records, which reissued Cam-Pact’s works including the compilation Psychedelic Pop 'n' Soul 1967-69 released in 2002 along with early recordings by The Go-Betweens and The Birthday Party.
Chris Löfvén transitioned into filmmaking, becoming a pioneer of Australian music videos for bands such as Daddy Cool and Spectrum. He also directed the feature film Oz (1976) and frequently collaborated musically with Glass. Russell Smith co-founded the progressive rock group Company Caine (1970–75) before joining Mighty Kong with Arnott. Chris Stockley was an original member of Axiom (1969–71) and later The Dingoes (1973–78, reuniting again from 2009 onward). Robert Lloyd pursued a multifaceted career as a composer, poet, songwriter, and recording artist.
Bob Lloyd (also known as Tregilgus) performed with groups including Carnival, Extradition, and Forest prior to establishing himself as a successful composer. John Pugh participated in various ensembles such as James Taylor Move, The News, The Avengers, Healing Force, Baiyana, Silversun, Ray Burton Nightflyers, and the Renée Geyer Band. By 1970 both Barnes and Glass were involved with country rock outfit Sundown.
In 1977, Glass partnered again with Pepperell to launch Missing Link Records; among its earliest releases was Cam-Pact’s four-track EP Living in the '60s. Glass also managed the label’s release of Cam-Pact’s compilation Psychedelic Pop 'n' Soul 1967-69 in 2002.
Mark Barnes passed away in August 2014.
Cam-Pact / Company Caine Chronology
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Albums
- Psychedelic Pop 'n' Soul 1967-69 – (October 2002, Missing Link Records)
EPs
- Something Easy – (1968, Festival Records)
- Cam-Pact / Pastoral Symphony – (1969, Festival Records)
- Zoom Zoom Zoom – (1969, Festival Records)
- Living in the '60s – (1977, Missing Link Records)
Singles
- "Something Easy" – (1968)
- "Drawing Room" – (1968)
- "Good Good Feelin'" – (1968)
- "Potion of Love" – (1969)
- "Zoom Zoom Zoom" – (1969)
References
- General
- Note that the archived source has limited features.
- Specific