Australian singles charts:
Lotus 1 (I’ll Be Gone) entered the Kent charts on 25 January 1971 and peaked at #33.
Songwriters:
Credited as Lotus
Producer:
John Bromell
Record label of Australian release:
Parlophone
Lotus was a progressive rock band formed in Sydney in 1970.
Their only single was Lotus 1 (I’ll Be Gone) released in 1971, with Epoch as the B-side. I’ll Be Gone was the song’s original title, but it was changed to Lotus 1 on release to avoid confusion with the record of the same name by Spectrum. Lotus 1 was included on the 1994 compilation album Golden Miles: Australian Progressive Rock 1969-1974.
The main Lotus lineup was Shane Hewitt (lead vocals), Kim Dawson (guitar), Warwick Wilkes (organ), Ray Smedley (drums) and Ian Every (bass). Three members of Lotus went on to join the band The Ash.
Lotus was also the first band that Ian Rilen played in. Rilen grew up in Torquay, Victoria and became a surfer (as you do in Torquay), and later a musician playing bass and rhythm guitar. Rilen was with Lotus when they played at the Myponga Festival (South Australia) in 1971. Rilen went onto many other bands, including Band of Light, Blackfeather and Rose Tattoo.
As well as Myponga, Lotus performed in a 1971 concert at the Melbourne Town Hall that was headlined by Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, and supported by Daddy Cool, Chain, the La De Das, Healing Force and the Wild Cherries.
In 1973, Lotus played at a benefit gig for The La De Das after a highway collision that hospitalised band members and destroyed their equipment. At the gig, Lotus played alongside the likes of Sherbet, Buffalo, Country Radio and Hush.
Also on Bang a Gong: Spectrum’s (entirely different) song I’ll Be Gone
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