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TH' DUDES Where Are The Girls-Th' Definitive Collection (Festival) Apart from Split Enz's Finn brothers, there is no-one who has had more impact on mainstream New Zealand music than Dave Dobbyn. A whole generation of Kiwis has grown up listening to, and singing along to his songs. It started in the late 70s when Dave and classmates from Auckland's Sacred Heart College formed Th' Dudes. He was the band's guitarist and songwriter. They had a natural frontman in Peter Urlich. However it was Dave who took lead vocals on the band's debut single, 'Be Mine Tonight', an anthem to pub rock audiences, today an NZ classic, not to mention the other anthem sung by Kiwi's around the globe 'Bliss', with lead vocals by Peter Urlich. Th' Dudes released two albums before calling it a day in 1980. Click on album image to see larger album cover
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D.D. SMASH The Optimist (Festival) The group which would establish Dave Dobbyn was DD Smash, formed in mid-1981. This time he also managed to garner an audience in Australia, although it was nothing like the hit-scoring award-winning career the band would enjoy in New Zealand. By the time they recorded their second album (The Optimist), Dave was living in Sydney and DD Smash was principally made up of Australian musicians. From this period came the singles 'Magic What She Do', 'Whaling' and 'Outlook For Thursday'. In 1984 the group's Australian record company pulled the plug. Click on album image to see larger album cover
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DAVE DOBBYN Overnight Sensation (Sony) His fortunes changed again in 1985 when Dobbyn was commissioned to write the music for the film based on the comic strip 'Footrot Flats'. The single from the accompanying album Slice Of Heaven, (recorded with vocal group The Herbs) spent eight weeks at Number One in New Zealand, and almost a year later, three weeks in Australia. The soundtrack album itself met with similar success, as did the follow-up single from the soundtrack 'Oughta Be In Love', a number two record in NZ. In the process Dave had learned how to be more than a songwriter. It took Dave Dobbyn months to deliver the next, all-important release, an all-out display of his musical talents captured in an album he called Loyal and filled with songs to his wife. The album reached number 9 in NZ and generated two important songs, the hit single 'Love You Like I Should' and the album title track, which would come to outrate DD Smash's 'Whaling' and old Th' Dudes songs as the most requested song at Dobbyn's live shows. 'Loyal' restored Dave to NZ hearts forevermore. In Australia the album couldn't overcome the 'Slice Of Heaven' novelty factor and slipped from sight unnoticed, even though Dave spent a lot of valuable time in Australia promoting the album. From Sydney he wrote the theme song for a new NZ puppet series, 'Space Knights'. After a 15 year career in New Zealand Dobbyn found himself without a record contract. He undertook production of two albums for friend and former Go-Between G.W. McLennan and recorded his own Lament for The Numb in Los Angeles with Crowded House producer Mitchell Froom and Bruce and Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello's Attractions, one of the world's most respected rhythm sections. Outside the studios LA was still rebuilding itself after the earthquake, and gripped by the Rodney King riots. The album's songs were also touched by the deaths of his father and former bass player Ian Belton, and by the frustrations of a five year gap between albums. Dave Dobbyn returned to New Zealand in early 1994 to find Neil Finn moved back from Australia, his country and Neil welcoming Dave back with open arms. Almost straight away Neil and Dave went into the studio and recorded Twist, arguably the finest music of Dave Dobbyn's career. He'd learnt a lot from Froom, and found a sympathetic producer in first time producer Neil. Another four years passed before Dave's next album, Islander. This time it was family and a writers's block rather than the music business which kept him out of the recording studio. In between albums he'd also become involved in Eddie Raynor's Enzo project, classical interpretations of Split Enz songs on record and stage. 'Islander' started with sessions in Neil Finn's basement studio with visiting Australian musicians Peter Luscombe and Bill McDonald. It had been years since Dobbyn recorded with a band. He continued the process with Allan Gregg and Ross Burge, The Mutton Birds' rhythm section that had played on Twist. 1999 marked the twentieth anniversary of Dave Dobbyn's first recordings. To mark the occasion, Sony Music compiled a career spanning retrospective Overnight Success- the definitive Dave Dobbyn collection. Working on bringing some of the earlier tracks up to date brought Dave back in contact with his old The' Dudes compatriot and DD Smash producer Ian Morris. They instantly picked up where they left off and recorded Dave's next album together, 'Hopetown' an album which introduced musical diversity to Dave Dobbyn's obvious and well-established songwriting skills. In August 2000 Dave toured New Zealand with Neil Finn and Bic Runga, performing alone and together, acoustically and with a band. The results were released in November in an album called Together In Concert, featuring five songs from each performer. 
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