Dreams of a Love
Studio album by
the Ferrets
ReleasedOctober 1977 (1977-10)
Recorded19 July 1976 – 15 August 1977
StudioArmstrong Studios, South Melbourne
Genre
  • Pop
  • pop-rock
Label
Producer
The Ferrets chronology
Dreams of a Love
(1977)		 Fame at Any Price
(1978)
Singles from Dreams of a Love
  1. "Don't Fall in Love"
    Released: June 1977
  2. "Janie May"
    Released: October 1977

Dreams of a Love is the debut studio album by Australian pop-rock band, the Ferrets. Released in October 1977, it peaked at number 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart. Its production was started by Ian "Molly" Meldrum under the pseudonym, Willie Everfinish – after almost a year the group, assisted by audio engineers Tony Cohen and Ian MacKenzie, finalised the work.

Background

The Ferrets had formed in 1975 and early in the following year they recorded a demo tape, which they sent to Ian "Molly" Meldrum, talent coordinator for Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) pop music TV series, Countdown. Meldrum had them signed to Mushroom Records and started producing their debut album, Dreams of a Love, in July 1976.[1][2]

After nearly a year, production of the album was still incomplete, so the Ferrets took over — assisted by recording engineers, Tony Cohen and Ian MacKenzie — Meldrum was attributed as "Willie Everfinish".[3] In June 1977 they released "Don't Fall in Love" as a single, which they performed on Countdown, it peaked at No. 2 on the Kent Music Report singles chart.[1][4] Dreams of a Love followed in October and achieved gold record status.[1] The album cover depicted a model, Wendy Bannister, holding a snarling ferret at her shoulder.[1]

Reception

The Australian said, "A grand debut, overseen by Ian Meldrum. "Just Like the Stars" is akin to the Beatles at their best. Billy Miller's mum sat knitting in the studio: 'Mmm, yes that sounds very good.'"[5]

Track listing

LP/Cassette[6]
Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Prelude"The Ferrets0:45
2."You Belong with Me"Martin Falls, William Miller, David Springfield (a.k.a. David Schofield)3:43
3."Bye Bye Baby"Springfield2:37
4."Lies"Kenneth Firth, Ian Davis4:25
5."Killing Ourselves"Frank Howson, Schofield3:40
6."Janie May"Falls, Miller4:23
7."Dreams of a Love" (featuring The National Boys Choir)Falls, Miller6:03
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Old Dog"Firth3:31
2."El Quicko"Firth4:04
3."Don't Fall in Love"Firth, Davis3:13
4."The Children Play" (featuring The National Boys Choir)Falls, Miller3:28
5."Just Like the Star" (featuring The National Boys Choir)Falls, Miller, Schofield5:37
6."Magic in the Sand"Miller3:08

Personnel

The Ferrets
  • Philip Eizenberg – guitar
  • Kenneth Firth – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • William "Billy" Miller – lead vocals, guitar, strings (arranger)
  • David Springfield – guitar
  • Rick Brewer – drums, percussion
  • Jane Miller – backing vocals, keyboards
  • Pam Miller – backing vocals
Additional musicians
  • Kevin Kasey – choir conductor
  • David Springfield – guitar, backing vocals
  • Dave Clarke – flute (track 13)
  • Brian Godden – banjo (track 6)
  • Chris Harold – synthesiser (tracks 7, 12)
  • Nicky Hopkins – piano, voice (track 3)
  • Peter Jones – strings arranger (tracks 1, 7, 9, 12–13)
  • Bobby Keys – saxophone (track 2)
  • Ian Mason – synthesiser (track 7)
  • Ian Mawson – piano (tracks 2, 5, 7, 9, 11), organ (track 12)
  • National Boys Choir – choir vocals (tracks 7, 11–12)
  • Manny Paterakis – percussion (track 7)
  • Peter Whitford – percussion (tracks 5, 9, 11)
Recording details
Art works
  • Artwork – Bill Burrows, Mushroom Art, Steve Malpass
  • Illustration – George Lazerides
  • Photograph, cover – Derek Hughes

Charts

Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)[4] 20

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Broderick Smith'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 9 August 2004.
  2. ↑ "The Ferrets". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Archived from the original on 30 July 2003. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "The quirks that made it work". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 5 August 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2007.
  4. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  5. ↑ Alan Howe. "Flawless: 52 of the best albums you'll ever hear". The Australian.
  6. ↑ "The Ferrets Dreams of a Love". Discogs. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
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