PsychepediA

From: Wellington, New Zealand

Not to be mistaken for the Australian based Avengers, this Wellington, New Zealand outfit got together in the spring of 1966 when regional promoter and entrepreneur Ken Cooper decided to open a nightclub he would christen The Place, and needed a strong headliner to perform. He recruited seasoned musicians Dave Brown (vocals, rhythm guitar), Clive Cockburn (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals), Eddie McDonald (bass, vocals) and Ian "Hank" Davis (drums, vocals), all of whom were from the city of Wellington save Davis who had recently moved there from the town of Napier. The band was named through a local newspaper contest that received several thousand entries and also after the popular British television show The Avengers. Their headquarters became Davis' flat where they practiced for about a month before finally taking the stage together. The group was an immediate sensation and began playing multiple venues throughout the lower North Island to large crowds. They also developed a rather well-organized fan club that during its peak included over a thousand members.

In the spring of 1967, the band signed a record contract with the His Master's Voice (HMV) label and issued their debut single ('Everyone's Gonna Wonder' b/w 'Take My Hand' in September of that year, which hit big nationally peaking at the #7 spot on The Listener's NZ Hit Parade and was their one and only record to also be released in the U.S. and U.K. The cut was also chosen as a finalist in the Loxene Golden Disc Award for 1967 and the group was added to an adjoining concert billing, a nationwide tour of 25 shows that spanned about a month. The band followed up with a second 45 ('Only Once In My Life' b/w 'Water Pipe') in early 1968 which also sold very well, hitting the #10 spot on the national charts. About three months later, a third single (a cover of Harry Nilsson's '1941') was released, which outsold the previous two discs by reaching the #6 spot on the charts. The group was riding high on a popularity wave and playing almost every night to large crowds around the area. Due to their huge success, the group was able to issue a debut LP in May, 1968 titled Electric Recording, which contains all six tracks from their first three 45s along with another six newly minted tracks. As the album was being snatched off of New Zealand store shelves, the band made their way to Sydney, Australia for a six week residency at the upscale Prince Alfred nightclub. During the successful stint, the band appeared on the music television show Uptight as well as the popular dating show Blind Date.

The summer of '68 saw the ensemble return to New Zealand where they issued a fourth single ('Love - Hate - Revenge' b/w 'Only Last Year') that July, which was inspired by the previously pressed Episode Six rendition. The record soared to #2 on the New Zealand charts and would become the Avengers' career best selling 45. Their continued popularity also allowed the group to become a resident act on the weekly music television show Studio One, which was both a songwriting competition and national talent quest. During this six month period, the band didn't find a lot of time to gig, but did manage to fit in a quick trip to Auckland where they played the popular clubs there. In late 1968, the band issued their fifth 45 (a very well-crafted version of David McWilliams' 'Days Of Pearly Spencer' b/w 'Daniel The Postman') that became another big hit reaching the #4 spot on the charts. Also at around this time, they managed to record a slew of tracks for an upcoming follow-up studio LP and also squeezed in the recording of a planned live album, which was captured while playing their popular hometown nightclub Ali Baba’s. For some reason however, the live LP titled Dial Triple A, Alive! Avengers in Action wasn't to be released until about four months later.

In early 1969, the Avengers relocated to Australia again, in a second attempt to breakout of their home country. They had left behind in the can two complete albums of material along with a sixth single (a rendition of Joni Mitchell's ‘Night In The City’ b/w a cover of the Moody Blues' ‘Nights In White Satin’), which was released a few weeks after the group had left. The critically acclaimed record surprisingly bombed commercially however and can be speculatively blamed on the group not being around to support or promote it. On top of that, the band then learned of a popular Australian act that garnered the same moniker, which forced an awkward relabeling there to the "New Zealand Avengers". The group did however manage to garner some decent promotion in the Land Down Under, making an impactful appearance on the first episode of a new and much anticipated pop music television show called Turning On. Unfortunately though, the foursome was negatively compared to the Australian Avengers as more or less a cover band that wasn't as energetic and creative, hampering their quest for success. The ensemble did however manage to record a single in Melbourne (‘Love Is A One Way Ticket’ b/w ‘I Wouldn’t Do That’) and issue it on the Columbia label in both Australia and New Zealand, but it unfortunately didn't sell well either.

As the band forged on in Australia, a bigger challenge arose when Brown was unexpectedly admitted into the hospital to have an emergency hernia operation, which at the time took eight weeks to recover from, leaving the the remaining threesome without a frontman and unable to play live. To fill the gap, a Melbourne disc jockey suggested that they snatch up former James Taylor Move member John Pugh (vocals, guitar) as a temporary replacement, which allowed for the fulfillment of several booking commitments. Unfortunately though, Pugh didn't jell well with the rest of the lineup and caused creative conflict and dissension. Brown meanwhile had been lying in a hospital bed reevaluating his life and abruptly decided to leave the music business altogether and return to his initial passion of working as a cabinetmaker. The news of Brown's departure struck a terminal blow to the band, which quickly decided to pack it up in late June of '69. A final single (‘Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind’ b/w ‘You Better Come Home') was issued about a month later, along with their second studio LP titled Medallion that fall, but with the group already in shambles, neither record made any impact.

Artist information sources include: An article by Grant Gillanders at AudioCulture and the book, 'Dreams, Fantasies, and Nightmares From Far Away Lands Revisited' by Vernon Joynson.