Avion were an Australian 1980s pop rock band formed in 1981, originally named Lionheart, the line-up was Evan Murray on keyboards, Martyn Toole on guitar, and three brothers: John Waller on drums, Kendall Waller on bass guitar and Randall Waller on lead vocals and lead guitar. The group issued two albums, ''Avion'' (1983) and ''White Noise'' (1987). Late in 1987, Murray died in a car accident and the group disbanded. According to Australian rock music historian,

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the ''Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

, the group had "a strong cult following ... ith theirbrand of melodic, American-influenced Adult Oriented Rock ... utmet with virtual indifference at home".

History

Avion's lead guitarist and lead singer, Randall Waller had previously released two albums as a solo artist, ''Oasis'' (1978) and ''Midnight Fire'' (1980). In 1981 Waller formed pop rock group Lionheart in Sydney with Evan Murray on keyboards, Martyn Toole on guitar, and his two brothers: John Waller on drums and Kendall Waller on bass guitar – the group was soon renamed as Avion. Avion signed with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

and, in September 1983, released their debut self-titled album. Despite being mixed by

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born Chiaramonte, January 15, 1953) is an American mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Pretenders, and Bryan A ...

at the

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recording studio in New York City, the album was not a success. The album spawned three singles, "I Need You" (March 1983), "Diamond Eyes" (September) and "Never Let Me Go" (October) which were not successful.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described the album, "its overwrought AOR sound and simplistic lyrics failing to secure significant sales". In August 1984 the group issued a non-album single, "Still the Night". Paul Gannell replaced Toole on guitar and, in September 1985, released "We've Got Secrets" on RCA. In 1986, the band signed a deal with

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

and "Celebration" appeared in September. In 1987 the band's second album, ''White Noise'', followed "but the more considered songwriting failed to produce an upturn in Avion's career". It also lacked airplay, and was not a success – the group was dropped by EMI. In April 1987 they released the third single from the album, "Berlin Wall". In September 1987 Evan Murray died in a car accident while the group were on tour and the band essentially disbanded. According to Australian rock music historian,

, the group had "a strong cult following ... ith theirbrand of melodic, American-influenced Adult Oriented Rock ... utmet with virtual indifference at home". Randall Waller was briefly a member of

Sharon O'Neill Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and pianist, who had an Australasian hit single in 1983 with "Maxine (Sharon O'Neill song), Maxine" which reached No. 16 on both the Australian Kent Music Report and Re ...

's backing band before relocating to United Kingdom from 1988 to 1993 where he worked as a record producer and engineer. In 1992, Waller laid down vocals for the "Surrender Absolute" album by David Zaffiro (Intense Records). As of 1998, he was playing guitar for

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...

's band.

Discography

Albums

* ''Avion'' (

) (September 1983) * ''White Noise'' (

) (1987)

Singles

* "I Need You" (1983) AU #61 https://www.top100singles.net/2011/11/every-amr-top-100-single-in-1983.html * "Diamond Eyes" (1983) * "Never Let Me Go" (1983) * "Still the Night" (1984) * "We've Got Secrets" (1985) * "Celebration" (1986) * "Berlin Wall" (1987)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avion Australian pop rock groups Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Musical groups from Sydney EMI Records artists RCA Records artists