Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Thursday 10 February 1994, page 30


The Black Sorrows: Linda Bull, left, Vika Bull, Jeff Burstin, Stephen Hadley, Peter Luscombe (rear),

Jen Anderson, Joe Camilleri and Michael Barker.

A concert tour of the better times

By NICOLE LEEDHAM

THE BLACK Sorrows have

been around for close to 10 years, creating and performing their unique brand of vocal

based rock, and yet the band has had very few "hit" singles.

They've never been The Next Big Thing and they don't get called the best or the biggest but, over seven albums, the band has been consistent.

"We're probably one of the few album bands left in the world," lead singer and Sorrows spokesman Joe Camilleri told Good Times.

This consistency shows up in The Black Sorrows latest release, The Chosen Ones, a collection of some of the band's best work, with songs from their early days as a covers band to 1992's Better Times album.

The.band has also been through

the odd line-up change, with the latest incarnations offering the harmonies of Vika and Linda Bull, being the most successful.

Currently in the middle of an Australian tour to promote The Chosen Ones, the Black Sorrows are "getting to as many people as we possibly can", according to Camilleri. "

"We're kind of working six nights a week, getting down to business," he said.

Camilleri and the band are also trying to get used to doing a "greatest hits" tour.

"It's still early days on this tour but I noticed that with normal tours I would put in a whole bunch of new songs but these concerts only go up to Better Times."

"It takes people back a little.

"We normally wouldn't do something like Brown-Eyed Girl as part of this set but with these gig we're throwing up some old chest

nuts like that and like Chosen Ones and getting a huge response."

The greatest hits album has received a fair bit of airplay on commercial radio.

"People are probably saying, 'that scumbag Camilleri, how does he get on the radio?'

"But saying that, we don't sell many singles."

The Chosen Ones has nearly reached double platinum sales — better than the record company or the Black Sorrows expected.

"People have probably sat back and decided, 'Well, he's finally put it all on the one album, so we'll just get this one'," Camilleri said.

The Black Sorrows are at the Royal Theatre tomorrow night. It will be the last time Canberra audiences will get the chance to see the Bull Sisters perform with the band before branching into their

solo careers.