This is a demo from mid-1967 that was never commercially released, in which Zoot, then called Down the Line, backs an emerging John Farnham.
Half Heaven, Half Heartache had been a hit in Australia by Gene Pitney four years earlier.
At the time, Down the Line was Beeb Birtles (vocals, bass), Darryl Cotton (lead vocals, guitar), John D’Arcy (guitar, vocals) and Ted Higgins (drums). The name change to Zoot came shortly after this recording.
Milesago:
By 1967, Down The Line had become a hot live attraction, and like many other bands they supplemented their gigs by backing visiting solo singers. It was a common practice at that time for established local groups to provide backing for solo artists, and solo singers like Ronnie Burns and Russell Morris often had a roster of bands in each major city that they could call on for backing when they toured. One such singer, with whom they worked on several occasions, was a young English-born vocalist, Johnny Farnham who had just split from Melbourne band The Mavericks.
Down The Line backed Farnham on several ‘demo’ tracks recorded at Adelaide’s Gamba Studios. One of these tracks, Half Heaven, Half Heartache, has never been commercially released, although it did eventually surface on Volume 3 of bootleg CD-R compilation series Obscured (But Unscarred). Another of the Gamba demo tracks, In My Room, was evidently considered good enough to be released as the B-side of Farnham’s breakthrough hit Sadie, The Cleaning Lady. It would appear that these demos were made as part of (then-manager) Darryl Sambell’s successful bid to get Johnny signed to EMI.
Read more: www.milesago.com/artists/zoot.htm
Lyrics:
My arms reach out for you
I kiss you tenderly
But when you touch my lips
You′re kissing him not me, why must it be
Half heaven, half heartache, my lovin’ you, darlin′
Can’t you forget that other love you knew, mm-mm-mm
Click for full lyrics
Also on Bang a Gong: Half Heaven – Half Heartache by Gene Pitney
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Milesago