Street Talk

aka Streettalk


Street Talk more or less invented pub rock in Auckland in 1974 when they took on a Tuesday night residency at the Windsor Castle in Parnell. One night a week rapidly became six as crowds grew and grew, and they reigned supreme there for the better part of the next six years.

Built around the world-class voice and blues guitar of Hammond Gamble, Street Talk released two albums, but they made their reputation as a full-on, no-frills live band. Players came and went around a nucleus of Gamble, Andy MacDonald and Mike Caen. In the March 1979 issue of Rip It Up, writer John Malloy stated there had been 18 musicians in all.

Street Talk, 1980. From left: Stuart Pearce, Hammond Gamble, Jim Lawrie, Andy MacDonald, Mike Caen.
Street Talk's 1980 single 'She's Done It Again', produced by Bruce Lynch.
Hammond Gamble with Street Talk, Windsor Castle, 1978
Photo credit: Simon Lynch
The street poster for Street Talk's debut album, produced by Kim Fowley
Street Talk outside The Windsor Castle. The first live rock band at the pub, they would have a long and successful relationship with extended residencies between 1974 and 1977. From left: Stuart Pearce, Andy MacDonald, Hammond Gamble, Mike Caen, and Jim Lawrie.
Photo credit: Murray Cammick
Street Talk onstage at Sweetwaters, 1980.
Photo credit: Stuart Pearce collection
Hammond Gamble with Street Talk, 1979
Photo credit: Murray Cammick
Street Talk: Stuart Pearce, Andy MacDonald, Mike Caen, Jim Lawrie and Hammond Gamble
Street Talk - Battleground of Fun (1980)
Street Talk: an advertisement from Rip It Up.
Street Talk with Kim Fowley at Mandrill Studios, 1979: Jim Lawrie, Stuart Pearce, Andy MacDonald, Hammond Gamble, Kim Fowley and Mike Caen
Photo credit: Murray Cammick
Street Talk, Carlaw Park, November 1976
Photo credit: Simon Lynch
Street Talk at Auckland's Logan Campbell Centre, 1980
Photo credit: Simon Lynch
Hammond Gamble with Street Talk at Albert Park. Stuart Pearce is behind on a Yamaha electric grand piano.
Photo credit: Hammond Gamble collection
Stuart Pearce with Street Talk at the Windsor Castle.
Street Talk, Windsor Castle, 1978
Photo credit: Simon Lynch
Street Talk - Leaving the Country, produced by Chris Hillman (Asylum, 1978)
Hammond Gamble with Street Talk at Albert Park, 1975
Photo credit: Hammond Gamble collection
Street Talk - Falling To Pieces, produced by Chris Hillman (Asylum, 1978)
Street Talk at Mandrill Studios, Parnell, with Kim Fowley and WEA Record's Tim Murdoch: Stuart Pearce, Jim Lawrie, Tim Murdoch, Kim Fowley (front), Andy MacDonald, Mike Caen and Hammond Gamble
Photo credit: Murray Cammick
Stuart Pearce with Street Talk at the Windsor Castle.
Street Talk's self-titled debut album (1978)
Hammond Gamble of Street Talk performing on stage at the Auckland Town Hall, 6 June 1979. 
Photo credit: Timothy Barnett, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1709-04-02
Street Talk and The Crocodiles at the Auckland Town Hall, 18 February 1980
Photo credit: Mike Corless Collection
Picture sleeve for Street Talk's single She's Done It Again/Long Night Blues (WEA NZ, 1980). 
The cover of the Street Talk PR folder which included theKim Fowley bio seen above
Street Talk - Back in the Bad Old Days (1979)
Rip It Up No.34, May 1980
Labels:

Asylum Records


WEA


Elektra

Trivia:

Street Talk’s debut album was awarded Album of the Year at the 1979 NZ Music Awards, where the band also picked up the Most Promising Group title.

Street Talk supported Talking Heads in New Zealand and opened for Fleetwood Mac in Wellington and Auckland. With the Mac coming undone at Athletic Park, a chant started up of, “Bring back Street Talk!”

Members:

Hammond Gamble - vocals, guitar

Andy MacDonald - bass

Walter Ormsby - drums

Chris Murray - guitar

Mike Caen - vocals, guitar

Steve Butler - drums

Noel Christian - drums

Malcolm McCallum - bass

Brent Eccles - drums

Peter Cuddihy - bass

Andrew Kay - keyboards

Jim Lawrie - drums

Stuart Pearce - keyboards

Funded by

Partners with