Thursday 18 April 2013

Thane Russal And Chrissie Shrimpton, 1966







Chrissie Shrimpton and Thane Russal photographed in 1966 by Richard Avedon.


Thane Russal, whose real name was Doug Gibbons, was an Australian singer lived and recorded in Britain in the mid-1960's.His most memorable song is the dynamic version of Otis Redding's 'Security' recorded in 1966. In my modest opinion, Thane Russal's version is FAR superior to the original, which sounds pretty generic by comparison (Sorry, Otis Redding's fans..). The brass section from Otis's version is here replaced by melodic guitar riff, and instead of Otis's soulful vocals, we get angry, Mick Jagger-esque snarl of Thane Russal. Indeed, this version could almost pass for a lost Stones song...


'Security' was a minor hit in Britain in 1966. John Peel was a fan of the single and played it often on his radio show Perfumed Garden. Thane Russal And Three, as his backing band was called, toured with P.J. Proby, The Searchers, and fellow Mod bands - The Who, The Sorrows and The Action. They also supported Pink Floyd in Italy. Today, 'Security'  is a cult classic for Mod/Psych fans. 

Intersting piece of trivia - 'Security' was produced by certain Paul Raven - real name Paul Gadd - who would later achieve fame (and infamy) as Gary Glitter.

Here are some photos of Thane Russal and Three from 1965-1966..



The Three: (from left) Mick Brill, Martin Fisher, Allan Collins and Pete Huish (that's four, surely). Evidently the boys were customers of I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet boutique.


 Martin Fisher

 Martin Fisher

Mick Brill and Martin Fisher



     And the man himself - Doug Gibbons A.K.A. Thane Russal




Source of the photos - Italian page Beatssesanta.

3 comments:

PAULLONDEN said...

Unbelievable this fell through the cracks.....it wasn't even played on the pirate stations then..This could've been as massive a hit as Ticket To Ride, or Satisfaction. I discovered it just a few years back with the emergence of 'Freakbeat' compilations.

Greg said...

Interestingly it was a huge hit in Australia. I was playing in my first band at the time (aged 14) and this was a must for the repertoire. You can still hear it played by pub bands in Sydney and Melbourne and people who weren't even born in the 1960's recognise it. Great stuff.

Noopy said...

A great adaptation of a very ordinary song, it was a big hit in Australia in 1966 or 67, from memory it went to the top of the charts in Hobart.