Take It Or Leave It

Very smart clean vinyl with the cover showing minor creasing.

Born: 1948. The third child of preacher Harold and piano teacher Jeune.

Early years: Rick started his musical career singing in the church choir where his father preached. At 12 years of age bought his first guitar for eight pounds after raising the money working at a local shop. His older brother John already had a guitar and, along with other kids from church, they taught themselves how to play.

Rick attended boarding school and upon graduating, he worked in a record department of a store tuning guitars and selling the occasional fridge. He then went on to teachers college - it was ‘in the blood’ with his mother and sister both being teachers. While there, he joined The Vision - a four piece band that included his brother John. In 1969, The Vision reached number 9 on the NZ charts with the cover of Carl Perkins song Daddy Sang Bass.

Rick left NZ to travel the world, starting with Australia. He travelled to Perth and did a stint teaching at Eden Hill Primary School and instantly started picking up gigs around town.

In 1977, after marrying Liz, the pair moved to NZ and Rick released his debut solo album Take It or Leave It.

Around this time, he also released the single Arthur Allan Thomas. Similar to Bob Dylan’s Hurricane, the song was about a New Zealand man framed for the murder of two people. Police had falsified evidence and imprisoned Thomas. It was 10 years before the injustice was corrected. The record was banned by the NZ government and all copies destroyed. The song was released while Thomas was still in prison and Rick’s lyrics ‘the man’s been framed, Arthur Alan’s not to blame, the man’s been framed’ were seen to criticise the Government and was deemed libel.