MOTHER GOOSE

Rip It Up, Issue 29, 1 December 1979, Page 8

MOTHER GOOSE

Roy Colbert

Sid Bernstein, the main destined to be forever mentioned in the addenda of rock'n'roll through his promotion of The Beatles at Shea Stadium, is leaning back in the armchair of his New York office. With him, somewhat wide-eyed and breathless, are Mother Goose. He's listening to their tapes. "This one is good” he says. "And I know just who will like it John." He dials a number. There is no reply. "You never know. There’s so much bullshit” says Goose writer and keyboards player Steve Young. Goose were signed with Bernstein for six months while they were in America, but nothing ever came of it. So it was back to Australia for a follow-up album to Stuffed debut which sat around New Zealand record shops a bit, but which has moved just on 20,000 copies in Australia.

And 20,000 is gold. Mother Goose did over 80 gigs in and around New York, and they also played at clubs in Los i Angeles, where The Knack were regular ’ members of the audience wondering how come the Goose were getting all these good gigs. Then The Knack became THE KNACK, and now it’s Mother Goose doing the wondering. It was in New York that the band picked up their new guitarist Justin McCarthy (he was working in a record store) and it was there they made friends with Ralph Moss, who helped produce Lou Reed’s Rock'n'Roll Animal. Moss was later flown out to Australia at the group’s expense to do the new album Don't Believe In Fairy Tales. . "There was no-one over there who could get the sound we wanted, so we did a deal with the recording studios and flew Ralph out. It worked pretty well, though he and I disagreed a few times. He tended to let things get through that were out of tune" says Young.

“Paint It Black", which the band have been doing for some time now, is the only cover on the album. And even if Lennon didn’t get to hear Mother Goose music in New York, at least Jagger has heard "Paint It Black.” "Apparently he really liked it” says drummer Marcel Rodeka.

At time of writing, the Rolling Stones’ own label was a likely place for Goose’s American releases the end result of manager Gary Spry hawking the tapes through America in July and August. Locally, Mushroom have re-signed the band. "Everyone was picking "Living In A Silent Movie” as the single, but I though there were about five others on the album which were better for the singles market. But I’ve given up trying to pick things like that” says Young. "Rainy Day and "All The King’s Horses” are two he is particularly happy with. Mother Goose haven’t been seen much at all over this way since their consistently fine concerts in Auckland before the original shift across the Tasman a few years ago. Young admits it’s a pretty ridiculous state of affairs, but the band were looking forward to getting back in the North island when we chatted at the beginning of November. And then back over to Australia to promote Fairy Tales.