The Aztecs ‘The Hoax Is Over’ Is Coming To CD For The First Time

Gil Matthews is working on an expanded edition of the Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs album ‘The Hoax Is Over’ for its first ever CD release.

The future release of the 1970’s album by The Aztecs is getting closer to completion . CD 2 has a mixture of demo’s and live tracks and rare unreleased and released (never before on CD) tracks.

Including a rare track from Bruce Howard who played on our Sunbury LP 1972 and our single “Most people I know think that I’m crazy”. Bruce recorded the track in London around the late 70’s. Also included are 3 tracks by Warren Morgan and myself. One track never released before.

‘The Hoax Is Over’ was recorded in September, 1970 at Festival Studios in Sydney and Armstrong Studios in Melbourne. It was released in January, 1971.

While the four tracks from the album all featured on the 1994 3CD ‘Lock Up Your Mothers’ compilation the album as a complete piece has never been in its original form on CD.

Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs had been around as a pop band in Sydney in the mid to late 60s. The 70s Aztecs was a completely different band with the Beatlesque suits making way for demon jeans and t-shirts and the music growing an extra set of balls.

For ‘The Hoax Is Over’ three-minute pop songs were replaced with epic rock tracks. ‘Gangster of Love’ clocked in at 24:35 and took up all of side one of the original vinyl. ‘Mississippi’ ran 19:35.

Gil Matthews posted details of the expanded edition to Facebook, “The track Betsy, was recorded during the studio sessions of “Most People” and features Bruce Howard playing piano on the song with Warren Morgan , who wrote the song on Hammond Organ.

“Most of the demos ….trks 7-12, were recorded in Billy’s bedroom whereas trks 2-4 were recorded at the Bondi Lifesaver 1973

“Hopefully released in a few months”.

He then talked about CD 2. “CD 2 of the forthcoming release of The Aztecs 1970 album THE HOAX IS OVER. Featuring tracks from Bondi Lifesaver 1973 and demo’s recorded in Billy’s bedroom.

“Also featuring a track recorded in London, by Bruce Howard who was the keyboard player on Aztecs Live at SUNBURY and also played piano on “Most people I know think that I’m crazy”

“The Hoax is over has never been released on CD before. There’s tracks recorded in Billy’s bedroom and 3 tracks by Warren Morgan and myself.

“It really is a rarity CD with BETSY, written by Warren Morgan with Bruce Howard playing piano. recorded during the sessions for “Most People I Know”.

Tracklisting

CD 1
Gangster of Love
Goodbye Baby
Mississippi
Truth
Season of the Witch
Dream Baby
You Don’t Live Twice
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
Rock Me Baby
Pinball Wizard
Natural Man (with Ronnie Charles)

CD 2

Betsy
Gimme Your Love
Get Ready
Ability To Rock
You Can’t Go Round Saying Fuck On Stage
Friday Night’s A Great Night For Football
Believe It Just Like Me
Beautiful Days
Don’t Take That Light Away
Its Almost Summer
I Really Miss You
No Title
Rock and Roll Music
Walk Me Out (Morgan & Matthews)
Raw Love (Morgan & Matthews)
Endless Winter Nights (Morgan & Matthews)