Radio Freedom (band)
Australian musical group
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Radio Freedom were an Australian dance band, who were active in the early 1990s. They had a top ten hit with their single "I Can Feel It" (1992). Band members were Paul "Pehl" Snashall, Brett "True" O'Hara and Ralph Alvaro The group supported a tour by Elton John in 1993 and issued an album, Beyond the Peach Tree, before disbanding in 1994.
Radio Freedom | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genre | Dance |
| Years active | 1991–1994 |
| Label | Westside/Phonogram |
| Past members | Paul "Pehl" Snashall Brett "True" O'Hara Ralph Alvaro |
History
In November 1991 Radio Freedom were formed in Sydney as a duo by Brett "True" O'Hara on turntables and Paul "Pehl" Snashall on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards.[1] O'Hara was a local DJ while Snashall had completed an audio engineering degree before becoming a bass guitarist in a grunge band.[1] Snashall then played lead guitar in a pop group and keyboards in covers band.[1] Their debut single, "I Can Feel It", was released on 18 May 1992 and peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[2][3][4] It was co-written by O'Hara and Snashall with Miguel Montoya.[5] The Canberra Times' Charles Miranda described its sonation, "'90s funk, Latin American Salsa with a little calypso island feel thrown in for good measure."[1]
"I Can Feel It" had been played on TV series, E Street, which was organised by their label, Westside Records through their same parent company, Westside Television Productions.[1][6] Their second single, "Proove", was released in August and reached No. 30,[3] which was written by O'Hara and Snashall.[7] Their third single released in February 1993, was a cover version of Bob Marley's "Is This Love". Early in 1993 the group supported an Australian tour by Elton John.[6] John informed Snashall that Westside had blocked plans for Radio Freedom to continue John's tour beyond Australia and that their label was insolvent.[6][8]
Following several delays, Radio Freedom's debut album, Beyond the Peach Tree, was released in November 1993. By that time they were a three-piece with Ralpha Alvaro joining on lead guitar.[9] Nicole Leedham of The Canberra Times felt it was "not too bad. Admittedly, [the band] is never going to win a prize for profundity but this debut album is, at least, pretty groovy."[10] The group disbanded in 1994.
In June 2022 Snashall revealed the band's problems with Westside in a podcast, A Journey Through Aussie Pop, "Episode 9: Radio Freedom with Paul Snashall."[6][8]
Members
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Beyond the Peach Tree |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [11] | ||||
| "I Can Feel It" | 1992 | 7 | Beyond the Peach Tree | |
| "Proove" | 30 | |||
| "Is This Love" | 1993 | 51 | ||
| "Edge of the World (Love Storm)" | — |