23 A full house Twin Towns Showroom the other Saturday night with Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Six consecutive gold discs and sold more “vinyl” than any other recording act at the time …including the Beatles. Their music, before people got into overcategorising, has always been regarded as power ballads. Those ‘60’s recording sessions at Hollywood’s Columbia Studios worked magic in our minds’ music vault. Song lyrics are essentially written treasures, stored and poured over, cherished and put away again – ready for another emotive moment when we need a song to get us through. Gary shared a condensed timeline and sang through these stories. So listen to the massive array of hits, like the melodic declaration of “This Girl Is a Woman Now”, the warning tones of “Young Girl”, “Willpower”, “Woman Woman”, Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s classic “I just don’t know what to with Myself”, Bob Dylan’s “Mighty Quinn”, Jimmy Webb’s “By the time I get Phoenix”, the very beautiful “Over You” written by their then producer Jerry Fuller – you’ll get a sense that their music filled a gap and soothed a difficult era. It still does now. Even if in a mellow kind of reflective way, at times. Personally respected by industry greats such as the Bee Gees and Elvis Presley, Gary could easily have gone off the rails – but no. An old French author wrote, ‘Il ne faut pas toucher aux idoles: la dorure en reste aux mains,’ which roughly translates (for me anyway) to ‘Don’t touch your idols: a little gold always rubs off.’ It’s not always true. Our encounters backstage with Gary and the Band totally negate this perceived ‘anti-climax’ curse. These are truly the gentlemen of pop rock who love their audience and fans. Puckett’s powerful vocal range at 82 (maybe age has no limits when you still have it) combined with an individually talented band lineup became aweinspiring. Mike Candito on drums, Jamie Hilboldt keyboards, Woody Lingle on bass. They all sang with Gary - we all sang with them. That worked just fine. www.twintowns.com.au Reviewed by 101FM Radio Presenter Stu Robertson www.101fm.com.au | Photography by Michelle Cop (MC Photography) MUSIC REVIEW: Twin Towns 15 Feb 25 Gary Puckett and the Union Gap PRESENTING AUSTRALIAN STAR OF STAGE AND SCREEN, TOM BURLINSON, IN A SENSATIONAL SALUTE TO THE MASTERS OF VOCAL SWING. This dazzling, energetic show presents a montage of swing classics made famous by the great superstars Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra, through to the hits of the hugely successful modern favourites – Harry Connick Jr and Michael Bublé. Tom created the acclaimed theatrical production ‘Frank – A Life in Song’, a celebration of the music and career of the legendary Frank Sinatra, which played highly successful seasons at premier venues around Australia and overseas. Now he has explored the renowned achievements of other stars of the genre and chosen their best songs to perform, as well as some Sinatra classics and timeless “standards”. “Still Swingin’” truly has one great song after another! Most of the musical arrangements in the show are based on the originals, providing instant recognition for fans of the style. Accompanying Tom on stage as always will be a fabulous jazz band including some of Australia’s best musicians. “Pure class and highly recommended” – The Sun Herald “Hugely enjoyable” – The Age “Tom Burlinson is sensational! His delivery makes one feel he is talking and singing directly to you” – The Adelaide Advertiser TO ENTER - EMAIL: info@localnewsletters.com with TOM BURLINSON in the subject line. Please include your name, address and phone number in the email. Entries close 31.03.2025 Winners will be notified by email. WIN A DOUBLE PASS Saturday 26 April @ 2.30PM TWIN TOWNS SHOW ROOM 2 Wharf St, Tweed Heads book online www.twintowns.com.au
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