As I write it just happens to be May 1st, and although I'm not one to believe in the paranormal, something must've been nagging at the back of my mind to make me think of putting together a page on one of the more extraordinary projects we've been involved in over the past few years.
May 1st 2004 is the 3rd anniversary of the 30th anniversary of I'll Be Gone reaching the dizzying heights of No. 1 single record (or '45' as they used to be known) on the Australian National Charts in 1971.
At the beginning of April of 2001, I had this hare-brained idea of putting a compilation CD together with all the known recorded versions of the song, and then launching it at the Continental Café, to mark the occasion.
But the idea actually developed from there.. I'll let the press release, written by the beautiful Fiona Orbright, tell the rest of the story.

I'll Be Gonz - the CD of the song

At the beginning of April, Mike Rudd had a bright idea. “Why not” he said to Jenny Klepfisz, Spectrum’s manager, “why not put a CD together with all the recorded versions of I’ll Be Gone and launch it on May 1st to mark the 30th anniversary of it tipping number one?”
(Mike had been reminded of this historical fact when doing an interview with a studious young man from Canberra who was doing a thesis no less! on the ‘70s weekly pop journal, Go-Set).
Jenny was less than enthusiastic at first. “May 1st is only a month away” she reminded Mike, “and anyway, how are you going to get permission from all the record companies in time? You know how slow they are.”
Mike was obviously in the mood for bright ideas. “We simply find a charity to donate all the proceeds to – that’ll obviate any objections from the artists or the record companies.”
Jenny was unconvinced, but Mike’s enthusiasm was undimmed. “Run the idea in front of somebody and see what they say” he insisted “and then we’ll make a decision one way or the other.”
The next day Jenny reported back to Mike’s kitchen wide-eyed with excitement. “I put the idea to Paul Stewart (music reporter and ex Painter & Docker) and before I knew it, he was suggesting we should also record some new versions to include on the CD! I think the idea’s a goer!”
And so it came about that a few days later the ever-enthusiastic Paul Stewart did coffee with Mike, Bill and Jenny, and the I’ll Be Gonz anthology was plotted. Pete Dacy was enlisted to record Paul’s collection of half a dozen or so bands in a stingy three or four days, Mike took on the cover art duties, a CD pressing company promised delivery of 1000 CDs for April 27th and the Kids Under Cover charity was contacted.
Mike drew up a manifesto for the recording artists, basically asking them not to get too precious and just to have fun with the song. One by one they trooped into Pete Dacy’s Mount Waverley studio and duly had their way - and fun - with the song.
Jenny, and occasionally Mike (when he could drag himself away from the computer) would drop in to hear how things were going, and they were astonished at the varied approaches to the song and how it magically prospered no matter how it was pushed and pulled.
But it wasn’t till Mike, Bill and Jenny went to the mastering session at Edensound and got to hear all the tracks together for the first time, that they realised this project had more going for it than just simple momentum.
This was fun; in fact, this was more than fun – this was good!
So the anniversary concert happened as planned on Tuesday the 1st of May (vale Continental) and the atmosphere was bubbling. The show started with the gorgeous Celtic pop of Lucid, and finished with everybody up on stage doing a knees-up to the Dili All Stars version of I’ll Be Gone. The Kids Under Cover people were thrilled, the Gonz CDs sold by the bucket load, and radio is already playing tracks from the CD as if it were a commercial release.
Mike Rudd is amazed at ‘what they’ve done to his song’, but just so pleased to be putting smiles on peoples’ faces that he can’t stop smiling himself.
And I’ve gotta tell ya - if you don’t like this CD, you’ve already gone..
Fiona Orbright

Post Script

Of course, there was more to it than that, and it wasn't all smooth sailing. I still think it was a miracle though, and I've not heard of any other project being accomplished in the time available. It wouldn't have worked at all without the energy, patience and generosity of Pete Dacy, who engineered and produced all the new versions of the song at his Secret Sound Studio, and I'm also indebted to all the artists who so kindly donated the royalties from their versions to the Kids Under Cover charity.
Paul Stewart was everywhere (see the photos below for a start!) and his enthusiasm glued the project together when it looked like unravelling a couple of times. His articles in the Sunday Herald Sun helped kick-start the CD and publicise the Kids Under Cover charity in a big way.
Our manager, Jenny, indulged my crazy whim and made sure I didn't break down completely, even when I was floundering with the CD artwork, and without her patience and encouragement, nothing would have happened either.
The end result? A lovely concert at the Conti - one of the last shows at that wonderful venue - featuring some of the young acts that donated their versions of the song to the project, (I'm pleased to say the last time I saw Lucid they were still playing I'll Be Gone as the highlight of the encore check out Lucid's website), a crazy CD with 17 versions of I'll Be Gone (and the previously unreleased Launching Place Part 1), which showed how many completely different takes there could be on a very simple idea, and finally, a wonderfully warm feeling from the involvement of so many generous people coming together for such a deserving cause.. find out more about Kids Under Cover