The Cockroaches

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Album cover for "Hey Let's Go - The Best of The Cockroaches.
Album cover for "Hey Let's Go - The Best of The Cockroaches.

The Cockroaches was an Australian rock / pop band which achieved reasonable success in the 1980s and 1990s. The band took its name from an obscure nom de plume favoured by The Rolling Stones during the 1960s.

The band is today best known for containing several members of the internationally successful childrens' musical group The Wiggles.

[edit] Personnel

The original line-up of the band was:

Peter Mackie replaced Phil Robinson in 1988.

[edit] Discography

The Cockroaches released 5 albums:

  • The Cockroaches (1987)
  • Fingertips (1988)
  • Positive (1991)
  • St. Patrick's Day 10am (1994)
  • Hey Let’s Go – The Best of the Cockroaches (1999)

[edit] History

The Field brothers (Paul, John and Anthony) started the group in 1979 while still at boarding school, St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill. The band regularly played at school dances and pubs. The Cockroaches began writing their own music and issued a string of singles on a variety of independent labels. In 1986 the band signed a deal with Regular Records.

The band's first original songs were:

  • I Want a Leather Jacket
  • Through with Her
  • Bingo Bango (June 1981)
  • Used to Be
  • She Goes on and on (August)
  • Empty Heart
  • Apartment #9 (October)
  • Shake Jump and Shout
  • Last Night
  • Empty Heart (November 1982)
  • See You in Spain
  • I've Been Thinking About You (June 1984)
  • My Whole World's Falling Down
  • Groovin’ in the Graveyard (June 1985)
  • Another Night Alone My Type of Girl (December).

The band's first single on Regular, `Wait Up'/`Henry's Lizard' (September 1986), became a national Top 40 hit and #13 in Sydney. The band's debut album, The Cockroaches (March 1987) produced three further singles, `She's the One'/`Can in the Hand' (January), `Some Kind of Girl'/`Dr Richmond' (May) and `Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)'/`Something Good' (August). The Cockroaches reached #9 on the national chart, on its way to selling over 100,000 copies and `She's the One' became the band's biggest hit when it peaked at #7 during April 1987. `Some Kind of Girl' and `Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)' also made the Top 30.

Peter Mackie replaced Phil Robinson before the band recorded its second album, Fingertips. In early 1989, The Cockroaches undertook a national tour. The band's third album, Positive (June 1991), included a cover of Brenda Lee's `Here Comes the Feeling' (August), which also appeared on the soundtrack to the feature film The Crossing, starring Russell Crowe and Danielle Spencer. By the end of the year, however, The Cockroaches as a band concept had run its course. To add to the stress, Paul Field’s seven month-old daughter died from SIDS while touring.

In the early 90s Anthony Field studied early childhood education at Macquarie University. He eventually started The Wiggles with Jeff Fatt, Murray Cook (guitar) and Greg Page (vocals), which become extraordinarily successful in Australia, the USA and parts of Asia in children's entertainment and early learning.

Adapted from: Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop / Ian McFarlane 1999 [under licence from Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd (www.whammo.com.au)

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