The Innocents (band)

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The Innocents were a power-pop band formed in Hobart, Tasmania in 1975. Featuring singer/songwriters David Minchin, Charles Touber, Greg Cracknell and a cast of rotating drummers The Innocents, originally called Beathoven, are still the only band from Tasmania to ever have chart success.

Renown for their late popularity in Hobart in the late 1970s, there was an equivilent of Beatlemania about The Innocents early years and ensured that when they took their touring technique of focusing on school dances and lunchtime concerts to Melbourne in 1977, success and press cynicism followed.

Eventually signing a much heralded international contract with EMI which resulted in the release of Shy Girl under their original name Beathoven, the band were then dumped by their label and returned to relentless touring. Soon picked up by Trafalga Productions/RCA in early 1980 and relocated to Sydney. Here they recorded their hit single Sooner Or Later which, after a performance on the TV show Countdown, peaked at number 2 nationally, The Innocents were championed by Kim Fowley, Nick Lowe, Molly Meldrum and Greg Shaw. All the press hyperbole (particularly from rock historian Glenn A. Baker's pen, e.g - "Perhaps the greatest power-pop band in the whole world since the demise of The Raspberries") couldn't encourage RCA to support the band, despite Fowley's enthusiasm in particular. Faced with delivering pop singles (such as their follow-up Come Tonight) that weren't supported by the label the band disintegrated, with some members returning to Tasmania.

In 1984 Raven Records released the ironically entitled "Here We Come!" album which collected their Beathoven recordings as well as a number of later recordings with Kim Fowley and a third RCA single.

2000 saw The Innocents realise their later celebrity in the US - a place in which none of their recordings were released - and an invitation to play The Troubadour and The International Pop Overthrow Festival alongside fellow power-pop exponents Doug Fieger of The Knack, Nancy Sinatra, The Rubinoos and The Cowsills. Inspired by this and an increasing number of international fan letters, they recorded the album Pop Factory and promoted it with a European tour which included a gig at Liverpool's legendary The Cavern and time recording at Abbey Road Studios.

The 2CD compilation album "The No Hit Wonders From Down Under" was released in 2002 which featured much new material and rapidly sold-out of it's limited initial run.

[edit] References

Liner notes of "Here We Come" album by Glenn A. Baker Countdown annual magazine 1980 (edited by Thomas Richards) The Innocent's website http://www.theinnocents.com.au