Radio Freedom were an Australian dance band, which were active in the early 1990s. They had a top ten hit with their single "I Can Feel It" (1992). Band members were Paul "Pehl" Snashall, Brett "True" O'Hara and Ralph Alvaro The group supported a tour by Elton John in 1993 and issued an album, Beyond the Peach Tree, before disbanding in 1994.
Radio Freedom | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Dance |
| Years active | 1991-1994 |
| Labels | Westside/Phonogram |
| Past members |
|
History
editIn November 1991 Radio Freedom were formed in Sydney as a duo by Brett "True" O'Hara on turntables and Paul "Pehl" Snashall on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards.[1] O'Hara was a local DJ while Snashall had completed an audio engineering degree before becoming a bass guitarist in a grunge band.[1] Snashall then played lead guitar in a pop group and keyboards in covers band.[1] Their debut single, "I Can Feel It", appeared in May 1992, which peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Singles chart.[2][3] It was co-written by O'Hara and Snashall with Miguel Montoya.[4] The Canberra Times' Charles Miranda described its sonation, "'90s funk, Latin American Salsa with a little calypso island feel thrown in for good measure."[1]
"I Can Feel It" had been played on TV series, E Street, which was organised by their label, Westside Records through their same parent company, Westside Television Productions.[1][5] Their second single, "Proove", appeared in August and reached No. 30,[2] which was written by O'Hara and Snashall.[6] Radio Freedom issued their debut album, Beyond the Peach Tree, via Westside/Phonogram. By that time they were a three-piece with Ralpha Alvaro joining on lead guitar.[7] Nicole Leedham of The Canberra Times felt it was "not too bad. Admittedly, [the band] is never going to win a prize for profundity but this debut album is, at least, pretty groovy."[8]
Their third single, in February 1993, is a cover version of Bob Marley's "Is This Love". Early in that year the group supported an Australian tour by Elton John.[5] John informed Snashall that Westside had blocked plans for Radio Freedom to continue John's tour beyond Australia and that their label was insolvent.[5][9] The group disbanded in 1994. In June 2022 Snashall revealed the band's problems with Westside in a podcast, A Journey Through Aussie Pop, "Episode 9: Radio Freedom with Paul Snashall."[5][9]
Members
edit- Brett "True" O'Hara – turntables, scratches, loops
- Paul "Pehl" Snashall – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Ralph Alvaro – lead guitar
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Beyond the Peach Tree |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [10] | ||||
| "I Can Feel It" | 1992 | 7 | Beyond the Peach Tree | |
| "Proove" | 30 | |||
| "Is This Love" | 1993 | 51 | ||
| "Edge of the World (Love Storm)" | — |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Miranda, Charles (11 June 1992), "Another hit from 'E-Street' studios", The Canberra Times
- ^ a b Hung, Stefan. "Radio Freedom – 'I Can Feel It'". Australian Charts Portal (Hung Medien). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Scott, Gavin (10 November 2017), "20 Australian hits from the '90s you completely forgot about", SBS
- ^ "Song Catalogue Search Results for 'I Can Feel It'". APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d staff writer (13 June 2022). "'Elton John Told Me My Label Had Gone Bust': The Rise & Fall if Radio Freedom". theMusic.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Radio Freedom – Beyond the Peach Tree Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Leedham, Nicole (14 October 1993), "More than pappy pop says Pehl", The Canberra Times
- ^ a b Leedham, Nicole (30 September 1993), "Nirvana follow-up will silence critics", The Canberra Times
- ^ a b c Scott, Gavin; Mollinar, Robbie. "A Journey Through Aussie Pop: 'Ep 9: Radio Freedom with Paul Snashall'". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b Peaks in Australia:
- All except noted: "Discography Radio Freedom". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- "I Can Feel It" certification and "Is This Love": Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 228.