Spectrum

About

Also known as the Indelible Murtceps

Innovative, uncommercial band at first but they deserve a special place in the history of Australian rock. Playing original material, their sets contained long instrumental breaks with unusual lyrics, complete with light shows.”
From the Who’s Who of Australian Rock

History

The central figure in the band was Mike Rudd, a New Zealand-born singer, songwriter and guitarist from Christchurch. Mike arrived in Australia in 1966 as rhythm guitarist for the NZ group Chants R&B. That band only lasted a short time after they arrived in Australia, but Rudd remained in Melbourne, teaming up with singer/songwriter Ross Wilson and guitarist Ross Hannaford.

Wilson and Hannaford’s first band The Pink Finks (which had also just broken up) worked in a similar vein to Chants, and had already had some local chart success in Melbourne. Mike was invited to be the bass player in a later lineup of their next band, The Party Machine (1967-69).

Rudd, Wilson and Hannaford then formed the more experimentally-oriented Sons of The Vegetal Mother (1969-71), which was an occasional event-based project rather than a full-time band. When that band split, Rudd formed his own band, Spectrum. This marked the beginning of his partnership with bassist Bill Putt, formerly of Melbourne bands Gallery and The Lost Souls; they formed a lasting friendship and musical partnership, and have worked together ever since. Organist Lee Neale came from pop band Nineteen 87, and drummer Mark Kennedy had already worked with Putt in Gallery. Kennedy’s considerable skill helped carry the band through a difficult first year, during which time the band honed their skills and found their sound.

Initially, Spectrum drew on the work of contemporary bands like Traffic, Soft Machine and Pink Floyd and they played covers of music by these groups in the early days, but they soon developed their own style. Alongside Putt’s solid bass playing and Neale’s inventive keyboard work, a key feature of Spectrum’s sound was Rudd’s guitar playing — he was one of the few rock guitar players at that time who eschewed the near-universal use of the guitar pick, preferring to play electric guitar with a finger-picking style. Combined with contemporary improvements in amplification and recording, his playing technique and his use of a vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar allowed Rudd to develop a highly characteristic sound.
From Wikipedia

Members

• Mike Rudd – Guitar & Vocals
• Bill Putt – Bass & Guitar
• Lee Neale – Organ 1969-72
• Mark Kennedy -Drums – 1969-70
• Ray Arnott – Drums 1970-73
• John Mills – Keys 1972-73
• Tony Fossey – Keys 1989-90
• David Hicks – Drums 1989-90
• Martin Sullivan – Bass 1989-90
• Trevor Courtney – Drums 1990
• Cresswell Crisp – Keys 1990
• Manny Paterakis – Drums 1990

Recordings

• Spectrum Part 1 – 1971
• Milesago – 1972
• Terminal Buzz – 1973
• Testimonial – 1973
• Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet – 1984
• Ghost Post Terminal reflection – 1992

Known Gigs

Date	City	Venue
31/12/70	Launching Place, VIC	Launching Place Festival
30/01/71	Myponga, SA	Myponga Music Festival
31/01/71	Myponga, SA	Myponga Music Festival
29/01/72 - 31/01/72	Sunbury, VIC	Sunbury Pop Festival 1972
10/03/72	Sydney	Chequers