Big Red Rock [Remastered]

One of the first bands to record on the Mushroom label, the above album is an excellent example of jazz rock fusion Australian style. The musicianship is of high quality although it tends to become a little over-indulgent in places. The album kicks of though with the radio friendly Lady Montego but tracks such as Crazy Boys, Nostalgic Blues and Big Red Rock in particular are filled with fine virtuoso guitar and saxophone.

Although the band were quite a popular live act their recordings were hampered by a dilemma over whether to opt for a more serious pursuit of expanding the horizons or for a commercial sound, which perhaps never really saw the band reach its full potential on vinyl at least.

The later years saw many personnel changes and two more albums Beyond 1976 and Hotspell 1981.

Their version of Gimme Shelter and Boogie Woogie Waltz later appeared on A-Reefer-Derci, a budget double album.

In 1974 Ayers Rock began recording their debut album, Big Red Rock, at Festival Records' 24-track studio in Sydney. They were dissatisfied with the sound, which failed to capture their music's "live" essence, and recorded it live-in-the-studio at Armstrong's in Melbourne that September. Kennedy told Margaret MacIntyre of Rolling Stone Australia, "Doing the album live was an experiment really and it seemed to work." Big Red Rock, released in November, peaked at number 32 on the Kent Music Report album chart. The album had "a more jazz-rock edge" and its single, "Lady Montego" (written by McGuire), was a new version of a song originally performed by Leo de Castro and Friends. According to Juke Magazine, "the single lifted to push the album, 'Lady Montego' received three weeks airplay and was then dumped." "Lady Montego" was Ayers Rock's most-aired single in Australia, and Kennedy said: "Without AM radio support you can't sell too well in this country." Juke called their songs "lyrically banal" but said the group compensated with "sheer talent", instrumentally and electronically.

—Wikipedia