RICK SPRINGFIELD ROCKETS
INTO THE AMERICAN CHARTS

AMERICAN CRITICS HAIL SPRINGFIELD AS THE NEXT
ULTRA/YOUTH IDOL - ANOTHER DAVID CASSIDY

Last week, Australian singer-songwriter, Ricky Springfield, made a dramatic break into the American Top 100 chart with his former Australian No. 1 hit, "Speak to the Sky". On the American Cashbox Top 100 Chart, Ricky rocketed into the No. 89 position with a red bullet. On top of this Springfield's first solo album, Beginnings, received rave reviews from all three of America's most respected music trade magazines - Cashbox, Billboard and Record World. Cashbox's review hailed Springfield's songwriting ability and said of his original composition, One Thousand Years, that 'it's as good a song as has come along this year'.

Billboard said in theirs that this album 'was a strong commercial debut package. The folk-rock composer-performer makes a potent bid for the charts here with heavy rock and ballad material'.

Record World went one step further by praising his acoustic work on the album and saying 'get ready ladies'. Australia's Rick Springfield is about to become your new heart-throb. Rick will be a giant here and magazines will love his face'.

The American music trade papers are not the only ones raving about Springfield. The all-American teenybopper heartthrob magazines like Sixteen/Spec and Tigerbeat, which boast of a six-million readership throughout the world are already raving about Rick's looks and are giving him the David Cassidy treatment.

Ricky Springfield is the first Australian male singer-songwriter to achieve this incredible breakthrough on the American music scene. For full details on Springfield's American success...


SPRINGFIELD
By Ian Meldrum

Ricky Springfield, 22, who for two years tried desperately along with the rest of the Zoot members to make the Australian public recognize their talents for what they are, looks a certainty, as reported above, to make the big time in the States.

The first signs that Rick was going to make such a big noise on this very competitive music market was about three months ago when his face started to appear in such American magazines as Sixteen/Spec and Tigerbeat, capped off with the little odd rave here and there. His album, which he'd recorded in London at Trident Studios had at that stage had not been released, nor had his first single Speak to the Sky, so just on looks alone he started the old publicity machine talking.

After he'd finished the album in London he returned to Los Angeles and did the rounds of newspapers and magazines with his record producer/manager, Robie Porter. He then went to Japan as a representative of Australia in the Tokyo Song Festival and decided about a month and a half ago to come home to Australia for a three-week holiday.

It was in fact, in his last week in Australia, that things started to look very healthy for Ricky. His album, Beginnings, was released and the following week Cashbox Magazine reviewed it (see review below). Also in that same issue of Cashbox his single Speak to the Sky crept into the Looking Ahead Chart at No. 126 - this was even before the single itself had been reviewed. Then last week the big break came when Billboard and Record World also gave him fantastic reviews for the album, Beginnings (see also reviews below).

In Cashbox of that week, being last week's issue. Ricky's single took an incredible jump into the charts at 89 with a red bullet, a raise of 37 places. Also in that same issue Cashbox reviewed the single and quite definitely said that Ricky would be the next American 'ultra-youth idol'.

So there you have it, quite an incredible feat when you consider that Springfield has only been a solo singer for ten months.

Prior to that he was the lead guitarist in the Zoot and only on the odd occasion did he help lead singer Darryl Cotton with the supporting vocals. And although the Zoot has its ups and downs, for Springfield it must have been good schooling for his superb ability of showmanship and the improvement as a guitar player.

After the Zoot broke up, around about this time of last year Ricky decide to go it alone and concentrated for three months on his songwriting. It was during this period, that he wrote songs for Johnny Farnham, Ronnie Burns and Allison Durbin. He then, towards the end of the last year, released his first solo single, Speak to the Sky, and just after it reached the No. 1 spot on many of the Australian charts Ricky left for America with his record producer-come-manager, Robbie Porter.

If what has happened in the last month is any indication, the success story of Ricky Springfield has only reached the end of the first page of chapter one. Ironically enough, the only pop critic who predicted it three years ago that Ricky Springfield was destined to become an international name, arrived back this week, GO-SET's now London correspondent, Michele O'Driscoll.


CASHBOX ALBUM REVIEW JULY 1972
"Rick Springfield is a talented young new-comer whose first album is an interesting assortment of original songs - most of them melodic and up-tempo. Come On Everybody, Hooky Joe and Speak to the Sky are the sort of rhythmic items which are immediately likeable but it is on the softer numbers that Rick really excels. Listen to What Would the Children Say and particularly to One Thousand Years. The latter is as good a song as has come along this year."

RECORD WORLD REVIEW - BEGIINNINGS - RICK SPRINGFIELD
"Get ready ladies, Australia's Ricky Springfield is about to become your new heart-throb. He writes all tunes. Excellent acoustic work enriched by full production. Ricky will be a giant here with songs like Speak to the Sky and What Would the Children Think. Magazines will love his face."

BILLBOARD REVIEW JULY 1972
"The young Australian recorded in London hit it big over there with his single Speak to the Sky which is featured in this strong commercial debut package. The folk-rock composer/performer makes a potent bid for the charts here with heavy ballad and rock material. Highlights include Mother Can You Carry Me, One Thousand Years and Hooky Jo.