Rabbit - Rabbit (1975)

Australia's Rabbit began its life as a power trio in 1973, based out of Newcastle. Mark Tinson (vocals/guitar), Jim Porteus (bass) and Phil Screen (drums) quickly opted to augment the band with a dedicated vocalist, one Greg Douglas, the following year. That union only lasted months before Dave Evans climbed aboard as the new frontman. Evans, newly ousted from a fledgling AC/DC, was a flashier entertainer and quickly audiences began catching on to the hedonistic image the band was now sporting. Having recently relocated to Sydney and on the strength of Evan's association with AC/DC, CBS Records signed the band the following year, culminating in their self-titled debut, "Rabbit". A few charting singles were issued from the album, prompting the band to engage in an all out war with glam contenders, Hush. Luckily, there was plenty of room in Australia for both bands, and Rabbit's success began to increase over the next year. By this time, a second guitarist named Dave Hinds was added to thicken up the band's sound.

The tougher sound proved to be just what the band needed when they entered the studio in 1976 to record and release their 2nd album, "Too Much Rock & Roll", which only cemented their position in the charts and increased the band's visibility. This was also helped by an appearance on the popular Aussie TV show, Countdown that same year. Just as things were moving along nicely for the band, Tinson and Screen bailed, leaving Rabbit a trio once again. Drummer, Barry Lytten, was brought in on drums and the band carried on as a quartet until finally imploding at the conclusion of a short promotional tour in late 1977. Members later hooked up with other bands like Swanee, Heroes, Finch, Hot Cockerel and Thunder Down Under. Evans later embarked on the revival circuit, mostly capitalizing on his association with AC/DC. He continues recording and touring with his band, The Badasses, to this day.

So what to make of this album? Well, due to its close ties to AC/DC, one can't help but draw comparisons. The problem is that, frankly, most of the writing doesn't stand up to the legacy. There are hooks here and there, but the album and its followup are both devoid of any real staying power, save for a few tracks between them. Hush and Rabbit are actually almost indiscernably identical, different vocalists aside. Nonetheless, this extremely elusive album is highly sought by collectors. This particular rip was passed on to me recently, and for the most part it's a solid conversion. "Running Bear" does cut short, but the rest of the tracks sound clean and mostly free of clicks and pops. Until I secure a pristine copy of the album and rip it myself, this is as good as we'll get for the time being. Download and enjoy!

192kbps @ http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BMOH78J9