New World (band)
| Company type | Pop group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1965 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Defunct | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Brisbane , Australia |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
New World was a pop group originating from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, established in 1965. They gained prominence primarily for their 1971 top 10 hit, "Tom-Tom Turnaround." The majority of their notable tracks were penned by the songwriting duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.
Career
Initially formed as The New World Trio in Brisbane, the band consisted of John "Fuzzy" Lee, Mel Noonan, and Robert Elford—all vocalists and guitar players. In 1968, John Kane joined the group, replacing Elford. After adopting the name New World, they achieved success in Australia with their rendition of "Try To Remember," which reached number 11 on the national charts, followed by the release of their first album. Subsequently, they moved to the United Kingdom to expand their international presence.
During the early 1970s, Chinn and Chapman helped the band gain television exposure and introduced them to Mickie Most, who owned a record label. Most signed New World to RAK Records. Their initial single under RAK was a cover of Billy Joe Royal's "Rose Garden," which climbed to number 15 on the UK Singles Chart in 1971. This release coincided with Lynn Anderson's internationally successful version of the same song.
Their most successful track was "Tom-Tom Turnaround," also recorded by The Sweet. Subsequent singles included "Kara, Kara," which charted in the UK, Germany, and Australia; notably, a German-language version by Peter Orloff achieved greater success. "Sister Jane" also performed well in the UK charts. However, their rendition of "Living Next Door to Alice" did not fare as well in the UK but reached the Australian top 20; this song later became a worldwide hit for Smokie in 1976.
New World appeared on prominent BBC programs such as The Two Ronnies in 1971 and The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1973. That same year, they expanded their lineup by adding a three-piece backing band composed of Brian Willoughby (formerly of Strawbs), Alan Wood, and Roy Simmonite.
The band became embroiled in controversy over alleged result manipulation on the British talent show Opportunity Knocks. This matter was explored in detail in John G. Lee's 2005 publication titled New World Guilty: Vice and Payola Scandals Oust Watergate.
Their last releases appeared in 1976.
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The New World |
|
| New World |
|
| Believe in Music |
|
| Yesterday's Gone |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | GER | IRE | NZ | UK | |||
| Go-Set | KMR | ||||||
| 1968 | "Try to Remember" (Australia-only release) | 12 | 11 | — | — | — | — |
| 1969 | "Feed the Birds" (Australia-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | "I'll Catch the Sun" | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Something's Wrong" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | "Rose Garden" | — | — | — | — | — | 15 |
| "Tom-Tom Turnaround" | 24 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| "Kara, Kara" | — | 53 | 31 | — | 2 | 17 | |
| 1972 | "Sister Jane" | 16 | 19 | 47 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| "Living Next Door to Alice" | 31 | 20 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | "Rooftop Singing" | — | 51 | — | — | — | 50 |