The Mutton Birds
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1991 in Auckland, New Zealand |
| Founder | Ross Burge, David Long, Don McGlashan |
| Defunct | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Auckland , New Zealand |
| Products | Albums, singles |
The Mutton Birds emerged as a rock group from Auckland, New Zealand in 1991, initially formed by Ross Burge, David Long, and Don McGlashan. The lineup expanded in 1992 with the addition of Alan Gregg. They achieved significant success with four albums reaching the top 10 on New Zealand's charts: The Mutton Birds (1992), Salty (1994), Envy of Angels (1996), and Rain, Steam and Speed (1999). Their single "The Heater" topped the charts in 1994, complemented by other top 10 hits such as "Nature" (1992) and "Anchor Me" (1994). After relocating to England from 1996 until 2000, the band returned to New Zealand before disbanding in 2002.
History
The formation of the Mutton Birds took place in early 1991 in Auckland, initiated by guitarist David Long and lead vocalist/bassist Don McGlashan.[1] They were soon joined by drummer Ross Burge, completing the original trio. Prior to this, McGlashan had notable involvement with Blam Blam Blam and the Front Lawn, while Long had been a member of Six Volts and collaborated with the Front Lawn. Burge brought experience from his time with the Spines, Sneaky Feelings, and Dribbling Darts. In 1992, Alan Gregg, formerly of Dribbling Darts, joined the group as bassist.[1]
As a quartet, they released their self-titled debut album The Mutton Birds, which peaked at number two on the New Zealand Albums Chart and earned platinum certification.[2] This album remained in the top 50 for an entire year. Their rendition of "Nature", originally a 1969 hit by Fourmyula penned by Wayne Mason, climbed to number four on the singles chart.[3]
For their sophomore album, Salty (1994), they secured a deal with EMI Australia. The band took on production duties themselves while American producer-engineer Tchad Blake handled mixing.[1] The album reached number three locally and also achieved platinum status. Notable singles included the chart-topping "The Heater" and the top 10 track "Anchor Me", which earned McGlashan an APRA Silver Scroll songwriting accolade.[4] In 1995, Virgin Records released Nature, a UK compilation featuring selections from their first two albums along with additional production by Neil Finn.[1]
Their third studio effort, Envy of Angels, was produced by Hugh Jones in Wales and came out in 1996, reaching number four on New Zealand's charts.[2] The band then based themselves in London until 2000.[5] That year also saw them contribute a cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" to Peter Jackson's film The Frighteners, which entered the ARIA top 50.[6] After guitarist David Long returned to New Zealand, British musician Chris Sheehan took over his role.[1]
In 1997, they participated in the Another Roadside Attraction festival during a Canadian tour.[7] They established their own label, Gravy Train Records, under which they released two limited-edition albums: an acoustic live recording titled Angle of Entry (1997) and a collection of rarities called Too Hard Basket (1998).[1] Midway through 1998, Alan Gregg departed and was succeeded by English-born Tony Fisher, who contributed bass and keyboards.[1] Their fourth studio release, Rain, Steam and Speed (1999), was issued on shhh! Records.[5] Prior to their UK tour that year, they put out a live album called Live in Manchester, which featured new guitarist Andrew Claridge from Garageland.
During their 1999 tour across New Zealand and Australia, Matthew Bannister—known for his work with Sneaky Feelings and Dribbling Darts—joined the ensemble.[1] The group returned to New Zealand in 2000. A greatest hits package titled Flock was released in 2002 shortly before their dissolution mid-year. They briefly reunited in 2012 for performances at New Zealand wineries featuring Burge, Gregg, Long, and McGlashan,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name culminating in the release of a live album named Free Range: The Mutton Birds Live 2012 later that same year.[8]
Albums
| Year | Title | Information | Highest Chart Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | AUS | UK | |||
| 1992 | The Mutton Birds |
|
2 | — | — |
| 1994 | Salty |
|
3 | — | — |
| 1995 | Nature |
|
— | — | — |
| 1996 | Envy of Angels |
|
4 | 59 | 64 |
| 1997 | Angle of Entry |
|
— | — | — |
| Too Hard Basket |
|
— | — | — | |
| 1999 | Rain, Steam and Speed |
|
10 | — | — |
| 2000 | Live in Manchester |
|
— | — | — |
| 2002 | Flock: The Best of the Mutton Birds |
|
30 | — | — |
| 2012 | Free Range: The Mutton Birds Live 2012 |
|
— | — | — |
Aotearoa Music Awards
Since 1965, the Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as the New Zealand Music Awards) have been held annually to honor outstanding achievements in the field of music in New Zealand.
!
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1993 || The Mutton Birds || Album of the Year || ||rowspan="38"| [9]
|-
| The Mutton Birds || Group of the Year ||
|-
| Nature || Single of the Year ||
|-
| Fane Flaws & The Mutton Birds/ Sycorax Films for "Nature" by The Mutton Birds || Music Video of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1995 || Salty || Album of the Year ||
|-
| The Mutton Birds || Group of the Year ||
|-
| 1996 || The Mutton Birds || Group of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1997 || Envy of Angels || Album of the Year ||
|-
| The Mutton Birds || Group of the Year ||
|-
| The Mutton Birds || Single of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1998 || The Mutton Birds || International Achievement ||
|-
| The Mutton Birds || Group of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="4"| 2000 || Rain, Steam & Speed || Album of the Year ||
|-
|"Pulled Along By Love"|| Single of the Year ||
|-
|- Don McGlashan (The Mutton Birds) || Male Vocalist of the Year ||
|-
|- Sam Gibson for "Rain Steam & Speed" by The Mutton Birds || Engineer of the Year ||
|-
|- |2003|| Campbell Hooper-Johnson for Flock: The Best of The Mutton Birds|| Album Cover of the Year ||
|-
|-}
Bibliography
- Dix, John, Stranded In Paradise, Penguin, 2005.
- Eggleton, David, Ready To Fly, Craig Potton, 2003.
- Shute, Gareth, NZ Rock 1987–2007, Auckland, Random House, 2008.
- Spittle, Gordon, Counting The Beat, GP Publications, 1997.
External links
- archived version of the original site as of 9 June 2002. Accessed on 23 December 2020.
- A Religion of a Kind – The Mutton Birds and beyond fan website.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Cite error: Invalid
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