Editing Rob Younger

{{Short description|Australian musician, songwriter and producer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = Rob Younger
| image               = 
| image_upright       = 
| image_size          = 
| landscape           = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt                 = 
| caption             = 
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          = Robert Kent Younger
| alias               = 
| birth_date          = <!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year unless the exact date is already WIDELY published, as per [[WP:DOB]] -->
| birth_place         = [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], Australia
| death_date          = <!-- {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date 1st) -->
| death_place         = 
| genre               = {{flatlist|
* [[Punk rock]]
* [[indie rock]]
}}
| occupation          = {{flatlist|
* Musician
* producer
}}
| instrument          = Vocals
| years_active        = 1974–present
| label               = [[Citadel Records|Citadel]]
| associated_acts     = 
* The Rats
* [[Radio Birdman]]
* [[New Christs]]
* [[New Race]]
| website             = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} or {{official URL}} -->
}}

'''Rob Younger''' (born '''Robert Kent Younger''') is an [[Music of Australia|Australia]]n [[rock music|rock]] musician, vocalist, songwriter and producer. He is a founding mainstay of the [[punk rock]] group [[Radio Birdman]], and he is a pioneer of the local independent music scene. [[Radio Birdman]], formed with [[Deniz Tek]] on guitar in November 1974, was one of the first [[punk rock]] bands ever formed in Australia, and it is considered one of the most influential and crucial bands in Australian music history. Younger formed a short-term super-group, [[New Race]], in 1981. He also formed [[New Christs]] in that year, who is still active today.

[[File:DSC19610 PSMS-2.jpg|thumb|Rob Younger, during a performance by Radio Birdman in Melbourne in 1996.]]

Younger undertook production work, particularly with bands on the [[Citadel Records]] label. He has teamed up with the label's engineer-producer, [[Alan Thorne (record producer)|Alan Thorne]], and has worked independently in Australia and Europe. Younger and [[Radio Birdman]] are cited as influential by various [[Rock music|rock]] artists, including [[The Hives]] and [[Silverchair]]. At the [[ARIA Music Awards of 2007]], Daniel Johns of [[Silverchair]] announced the induction of Radio Birdman into the [[ARIA Hall of Fame]].

== Biography ==

Rob Younger was lead vocalist of the Rats in 1974 alongside Warwick Gilbert on guitar, Mick Lynne, Ron Keeley on drums and Carl Rourke on bass guitar.<ref name="McFarlane RB"/><ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="Nimmervoll"/> They played cover versions of material by New York Dolls, the Stooges, and Velvet Underground.<ref name="Nimmervoll"/> Younger shared a house with fellow musician, [[Deniz Tek]], who was a member of TV Jones.<ref name="Nimmervoll"/> Younger, Keeley, Rourke and Tek on lead guitar formed a punk rock group, [[Radio Birdman]], in Sydney in November 1974 with Philip "Pip" Hoyle on keyboards.<ref name="McFarlane RB"/><ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="Nimmervoll"/> Rourke was soon replaced on bass guitar by Gilbert.<ref name="McFarlane RB"/> Fellow Australian musician, and some-time rock music journalist, [[Vince Lovegrove]], observed, "[they] turned the volume up full bore on their amplifiers, screamed out about revolution into the microphones, raised clenched fists in the air and in the process heralded in a brand new era for Australian rock'n'roll music."<ref name="Lovegrove"/>

The group's debut four-track extended play, ''[[Burn My Eye]]'', appeared in October 1976.<ref name="McFarlane RB"/><ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="Nimmervoll"/> It was followed by their debut studio album, ''[[Radios Appear]]'', in July 1977. Younger co-wrote a track, "Aloha Steve and Danno", for the international version, which appeared early in the following year. However, the group disbanded in June 1978.<ref name="McFarlane RB"/><ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="Nimmervoll"/> According to Australian musicologist, [[Ian McFarlane]], "From the outset, [they] played an Americanised brand of rock'n'roll that was totally honest and totally committed... Although generally loathed and shunned by the mainstream music industry of the day... [as] one of the most potent rock bands ever to emerge from Australia, [they] holds pride of place as THE cult band of the last 25 years. The band's iconoclastic approach, uncompromising do-it-yourself ethos and outsider status in the face of overwhelming hostility remain the stuff of legend."<ref name="McFarlane RB"/>

Younger formed the Other Side in 1978 with Clyde Bramley on bass guitar and Charlie Georgees on guitar (ex-the Hellcats).<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane DP"/> and Mark Kingsmill (also ex-the Hellcats) Ron Keeley replaced Kingsmill on drums.<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane DP"/> The group disbanded in the following year.<ref name="Holmgren"/> In 1980 Younger was involved in production work on a four-track extended play, ''The Visitors'', by local punk group of [[The Visitors (Australian band)|the same name]] – which included former band mates Hoyle, Keeley and Tek.<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane DT"/>

The [[New Christs]] were formed in 1980 as a hard rock group by Younger and Bramley (ex-[[the Hitmen]]) with Bruce "Cub" Callaway on guitar (X-Men, [[The Saints (Australian band)|the Saints]]), John Hoey on keyboards (X-Men) and Don McGloneon on drums (Bedhogs).<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane NC"/> The line-up never performed live but released a single, "Face a New God" (1981), which was co-written by Younger and Callaway.<ref name="APRA Face New"/> McFarlane described it as "searing acid-punk" which has "since emerged as one of the most collectable artefacts of the Australian punk/new wave era."<ref name="McFarlane NC"/> The group disbanded later that year.

Early in 1981 Younger, Gilbert and Tek formed a short-term punk super-group, [[New Race]], with [[Ron Asheton]] (of the Stooges, Iggy Pop Band) on guitar, and [[Dennis Thompson (drummer)|Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson]] (of [[MC5]]) on drums.<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane NR"/> They toured Australia's east coast during April and May and recorded a live album, ''[[The First and the Last (album)|The First and Last]]'', which was issued posthumously in the following year.<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane NR"/> It was co-produced by Younger with [[Charles Fisher (producer)|Charles Fisher]] and [[Alan Thorne (record producer)|Alan Thorne]].<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane NR"/> McFarlane felt it was "one of the greatest live albums in the history of Australian rock'n'roll... hard'n'fast Detroit rock'n'roll at its very best, with Tek and Asheton's incendiary guitar interplay well to the fore."<ref name="McFarlane NR"/>

The New Christs reformed in June 1983 with Younger joined by Kingsmill, [[Chris Masuak]] on guitar and Tony Robertson on bass guitar (all from the Hitmen) and Kent Steedman on guitar (also in [[the Celibate Rifles]]).<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane NC"/> The group, according to [[AllMusic]]'s Geoff Ginsberg, "have managed to persevere through many personnel changes, as well as Younger's many commitments producing other bands."<ref name="Ginsberg"/> They issued five studio albums,  ''[[Distemper (album)|Distemper]]'' (1989), ''Lower Yourself'' (1997), ''We Got This!'' (2002),<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane NC"/> ''Gloria'' (May 2009)<ref name="Glorfeld"/> and ''Incantations'' (2014).<ref name="Ginsberg"/><ref name="Ironside"/>

Younger had teamed up with the Celibate Rifles on a live four-track EP, ''Rob Younger and the Celibate Rifles'' (1991), which was recorded in July 1988 at one of that group's performances in [[Backnang]], Germany. He had joined them on stage to provide vocals for cover versions of "I-94" (originally by Radio Birdman), "[[She's So Fine|She's so Fine]]" ([[The Easybeats]]), "[[Shakin' All Over]]" (Johnny Kidd & the Pirates) and "[[It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)]]" (AC/DC).

In April 1997 he was interviewed by Lovegrove: he described his recent work with New Christs and as a producer for other artists, "Yeah, I haven't done anything exceptionally odd, just work in studios, written songs and produced bands. I've got a family to support, a little girl aged 18 months and a four year old boy, so I've even had to work a few day jobs at various times. The band doesn't have a big audience in Australia, so I'm champing at the bit to do this European tour. I think the lack of commitment on our part over the past few years hasn't helped our Australian following, so we've had a real slump. But a band's only as good as the songs that it writes, and we've got some good songs at the moment. We can rock, we know how to rock".<ref name="Lovegrove"/>

Younger has participated in reformations of Radio Birdman in 1996 and the following year; they reunited sporadically thereafter. In July 2007 the group were inducted into the [[ARIA Hall of Fame]].<ref name="Pope"/> They had refused an earlier nomination in the previous year but relented according to Shane Pinnegar, "to pacify friends & family who wanted to see them acknowledged for their contribution to Australian rock n’ roll."<ref name="Pinnegar"/> Younger reflected, "I didn't really want to accept [the Aria] because I didn't think the music business was ever really on our side, but there were people that did help us out, whether they were journalists or the odd agent or whatever. But generally, of course, I was always on my high horse about what assholes most of the people in the music business were, but I was just scattering my antipathy around at the world really. I don't know where it all fell, whether it landed on the right people or anything like that."<ref name="Pinnegar"/>

== Production work ==

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
!Title
!Artists
!Details
|-
| ''Phantom EP''
| [[The Visitors (Australian band)|The Visitors]]
| 1980 EP, [[Phantom Records]]
|-
| ''[[The First and the Last (album)|The First and the Last]]''
| [[New Race]]
| August 1982, [[Warner Music Group|WEA]]
|-
| ''The Name of the Game''
| City Kids
| 1983
|-
| ''City Kids''
| City Kids
| 1984
|-
| ''Next to Nothing''
| [[Died Pretty]]
| August 1985 EP, [[Citadel Records]]
|-
|''Strange Device''
|The Melting Skyscraper
|1985, Waterfront Records
|-
| ''[[Love Will Grow – Rosebud Volume 1|Love Will Grow]]''
| [[The Stems]]
| February 1986 EP, Citadel Records
|-
| ''Destroy Dull City''
| [[The Psychotic Turnbuckles]]
| August 1986 EP, Rattlesnake Records
|-
| ''[[Free Dirt]]''
| Died Pretty
| August 1986, Citadel Records
|-
| "Indignation"
| [[Porcelain Bus]]
| August 1986, Citadel Records
|-
| ''The Orphans Parade''
| City Kids
| 1986
|-
| ''Long Sweet Dreams''
| Playmates
| 1986
|-
| ''In the Pouch''
| Joeys
| 1987
|-
| ''This Is the Planet''
| Meera Atkinson
| 1987
|-
| ''Vital Hours''
| Fixed Up
| 1987 EP
|-
| ''[[Lost (Died Pretty album)|Lost]]''
| Died Pretty
| June 1988, Blue Mosque/[[Festival Records]]
|-
| ''Home Sweet Home''
| Asylum
| 1988
|-
| ''Out''
| Happy Hate Me Nots
| 1988
|-
| ''[[Headcleaner (album)|Headcleaner]]''
| [[Lime Spiders]]
| 1988, [[Virgin Records]]
|-
| ''Taste This!''
| Bits of Kids
| 1989 EP
|-
| ''Have no More''
| [[Toys Went Berserk]]
| 1989 EP
|-
| ''Wired''
| Horny Toads
| 1989 EP
|-
| ''[[Distemper (album)|Distemper]]''
| [[New Christs]]
| August 1989, Blue Mosque/Citadel Records
|-
| ''The Smiler with a Knife''
| Toys Went Berserk
| 1989
|-
| ''Mindless''
| Thrust
| 1989
|-
| ''Sarah's not Falling in Love''
| [[The Plunderers (band)|The Plunderers]]
| April 1990 EP, Citadel Records
|-
| ''The Mutated Noddys''
| The Mutated Noddys
| 1990
|-
| ''Da Da Da Da''
| Club Hoy
| 1991
|-
| ''Quit Slylarking''
| The Barbarellas
| 1991 EP
|-
| ''Fringe''
| The Barbarellas
| 1991 EP
|-
| ''Home Movie ''
| The Plunderers
| July 1991 EP, Citadel Records
|-
| ''The Lost Generation''
| [[The Trilobites]]
| February 1992
|-
| ''Heaven on a Stick''
| [[The Celibate Rifles]]
| March 1992, Festival Records
|-
| ''A Place to Live''
| Happy Hate Me Nots
| 1992
|-
| ''Dateless Dudes Club''
| [[Hard-Ons]]
| May 1992, Waterfront Records/Festival Records
|-
| ''Formaldehyde''
| The Screaming Tribesmen
| 1993, Survival Records
|-
| "[[Caressing Swine]]"
| Died Pretty
| June 1993
|-
| ''Woe Betide''
| New Christs
| 1995 EP
|-
| ''[[Sold (Died Pretty album)|Sold]]''
| Died Pretty
| February 1996, [[Columbia Records]]
|-
| ''Lower Yourself''
| New Christs
| 1997, Citadel Records
|-
|''Remember The River''
| [[Halfway (band)]]
| November 2006, Laughing Outlaw Records
|-
|''Cremation Day In The Court Of Miracles''
| Dimi Dero Inc.
| 2010
|-
|''Hikikomori''
| HITS
| March 2014
|-
|''Transmission''
| The Volcanics
| October 2015
|-
|}

Credits:<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="AMG Creds"/>

== References ==

{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="McFarlane RB">{{cite book | last1 = McFarlane | first1 = Ian | author-link1 = Ian McFarlane | title = [[Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop]] | chapter = Encyclopedia entry for 'Broderick Smith' | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040809222147/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=667 | chapter-url = http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=667 | year = 1999 | publisher = [[Allen & Unwin]] | location = [[St Leonards, New South Wales|St Leonards, NSW]] | archive-date = 9 August 2004 | isbn = 1-86508-072-1 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

<ref name="Holmgren">[[Australian Rock Database]] entries:
* Rob Younger:&nbsp;{{Cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031019112354/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/y/youngerrob.html | url = http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/y/youngerrob.html | work = hem.passagen.se | title = Rob Younger | publisher = Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) | last1 = Holmgren | first1 = Magnus | archive-date = 19 October 2003 | url-status = usurped | access-date = 5 November 2017 }}
* Radio Birdman (1974–78, 1995–96, 1997, 2002, 2005–08):&nbsp;{{Cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131014110602/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/r/radiobirdman.html | url = http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/r/radiobirdman.html | work = hem.passagen.se | title = Radio Birdman | publisher = Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) | last1 = Holmgren | first1 = Magnus | last2 = Weld | first2 = Henry | archive-date = 14 October 2013 | url-status = usurped | access-date = 5 November 2017 }}
* New Race (1981):&nbsp;{{Cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110805194228/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/n/newrace.html | url = http://hem.passagen.se:80/honga/database/n/newrace.html | work = hem.passagen.se | title = New Race | publisher = Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) | last1 = Holmgren | first1 = Magnus | last2 = Weld | first2 = Henry | archive-date = 5 August 2011 | access-date = 5 November 2017 | url-status = usurped | df = dmy-all }}
* The New Christs (1981, 1983–84, 1987–90, 1992–2001):&nbsp;{{Cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031206034218/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/n/newchrists.html | url = http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/n/newchrists.html | work = hem.passagen.se | title = The New Christs | publisher = Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) | last1 = Holmgren | first1 = Magnus | last2 = Weld | first2 = Henry | archive-date = 6 December 2003 | url-status = usurped | access-date = 5 November 2017 }}
</ref>

<ref name="Nimmervoll">{{cite web | archive-url = https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120726191200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/14231/20120727-0512/www.howlspace.com.au/en/radiobirdman/radiobirdman.htm | url = http://www.howlspace.com.au/en/radiobirdman/radiobirdman.htm | title = Radio Birdman | last1 = Nimmervoll | first1 = Ed | author-link1 = Ed Nimmervoll | publisher = Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd (Ed Nimmervoll) | archive-date = 26 July 2012 | access-date = 5 November 2017 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

<ref name="Lovegrove">{{cite web | archive-url = https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19980322130000/http://www.immedia.com.au/im_m/london/backtracks/backtrack-Younger.html | url = http://www.immedia.com.au/im_m/london/backtracks/backtrack-Younger.html | title = Lovegrove's Backtracks | last = Lovegrove | first = Vince | author-link = Vince Lovegrove | date = April 1994 | work = InMusic&Media | archive-date = 22 March 1998 | access-date = 9 November 2017 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

<ref name="McFarlane DP">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20041010041152/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=278 'Died Pretty'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=278 the original] on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 5 November 2017.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlane DT">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803185600/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=716 'Denis Tek'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=716 the original] on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 5 November 2017.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlane NC">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803173138/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=525 'The New Christs'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=525 the original] on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 5 November 2017.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlane NR">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040622164107/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=527 'New Race'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=527 the original] on 22 June 2004. Retrieved 5 November 2017.</ref>

<ref name="APRA Face New">{{cite web | publisher = [[Australasian Performing Right Association]] (APRA) | title = 'Face a New God' at APRA search engine | url = https://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch#axd?q=Face%20A%20New%20God | access-date = 5 November 2015 }} Note: User may have to click "Search again" and provide details at "Enter a title:" e.g. Face a New God; or at "Performer:" New Christs</ref>

<ref name="Glorfeld">{{cite news | title = ''Gloria'' | work = [[The Age]] | publisher = Fairfax Media | publication-date = 7 August 2009 | pages = 10 | issn = 0312-6307 | quote = Jeff Glorfeld ''Gloria'' The New Christs (Impedance Records) 3/5 Twenty-odd years ago, Rob Younger's fingerprints were found all over the Australian indie-rock scene as singer }}</ref>

<ref name="Ironside">{{cite news | url = http://louderthanwar.com/the-new-christs-incantations-album-review/ | title = The New Christs: ''Incantations'' – Album Review | last = Ironside | first = Gus | work = Louder Than War | date = 25 August 2014 | access-date = 5 November 2017 }}</ref>

<ref name="Ginsberg">{{cite web | url = https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-christs-mn0000475252/biography | title = New Christs &#124; Biography & History | last = Ginsberg | first = Geoff | publisher = [[AllMusic]] | access-date = 5 November 2017 }} Note: additional information available at tabs, e.g. Discography</ref>

<ref name="Pope">{{cite web | url = http://www.aria.com.au/pages/documents/MediaRelease-ARIAAnnounceFurther2007HallofFameInductees-Final.pdf | title = Microsoft Word – Media Release – ARIA Announce Further 2007 Hall of Fame Inductees | last = Pope | first = Mark | date = 14 June 2007 | publisher = [[Australian Recording Industry Association]] (ARIA) | format = PDF | access-date = 9 November 2017 }}</ref>

<ref name="Pinnegar">{{cite web | url = http://magazine.100percentrock.com/interviews/201411/86122 | title = Interview – Rob Younger, Radio Birdman | last = Pinnegar | first = Shane | date = October 2014 | work = 100% Rock Magazine | access-date = 9 November 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170930041143/http://magazine.100percentrock.com/interviews/201411/86122 | archive-date = 30 September 2017 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

<ref name="AMG Creds">{{cite web | url = https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rob-younger-mn0000549944/credits | title = Rob Younger &#124; Credits | publisher = AllMusic | access-date = 5 November 2017 }}</ref>

}}
{{Died Pretty}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Younger, Rob}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian punk rock singers]]
[[Category:Australian rock singers]]
[[Category:Radio Birdman members]]
[[Category:New Race members]]
[[Category:The New Christs members]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]