Steve. Long time fan. May 2002.

In the early 80's there was a consensus amongst the music commentators of the time that Peter Cupples was one of the finest vocalists in the world... When Fear Of Thunder was released, I rushed out to buy it... It took me five words to get hooked. "I've got bills to meet" ...The first five words of Blame It On The Weather...Side 2,Track 1... This record changed the way I looked at music. From that moment on, I dissected every lyric, every note and every beat. I must have listened to that record 1000 times, I still do, 20 years later, and I never get sick of it.

The vocal acrobatics on display on the Fear Of Thunder album, are something unique. Combine that with some of the most amazing musicianship of the era, and you have an unlikely 80's icon. With a group of friends, we started following the Peter Cupples Band around the pub circuit of Melbourne. We saw the crowds grow, from small devoted gatherings, to big devoted gatherings, all marvelling at the brilliance of the players, and the broad spectrum of styles and sounds that developed. Some weeks the guys would play on 5 nights, and some nights they would do 2 shows, at different venues. For the two to three years that the band toured in this form, the musicians within the band all matured. There was a magic between them, that is rarely found. The fact that David Hirschfelder and Virgil Donati have gone on, to become world leaders in their fields, is no surprise to the dedicated group of PCB devotees who witnessed their early days. Rob Little and Ross Ingliss have also gone on to distinguished careers in the music industry...

As good as the musicians were, and they dont come much better, the highlight of the shows was always"The Voice". That was what we came to hear...We marvelled at every note, every sound, the range, the clarity...The room stopped when the music slowed during the ballads, and "the Voice" was on show. As electric and energetic as the music got, the band revolved around the ability of Peter Cupples to belt out the songs with passion and panache. Rarely in life do you get the opportunity to see the best in the world in your own backyard. That was what we were witnessing. My hunger for more material lead me backwards to the Stylus days. The years where Peter had learnt his craft and polished his writing and production skills, with another wonderful group of world class musicians and vocalists. I discovered the sweet soul sound of Stylus, a band that had forged into new and untested markets, a band that had enjoyed the highs and lows of the industry, a band that produced a magic of its own.

The last time I saw the PCB live, was a show at the old Chevron in St.Kilda Road,in about 1984. They brought the house down that night. The crowd was hanging from the rafters, and we thought that all the talk about the U.S. produced album, would finally deliver the success the music justified. Half The Effort was released shortly afterwards, and the band never really got back on the road again.

In the pre-internet days, it was hard to keep track of news, and it seemed a premature end to an exciting era. I moved to Sydney around this time, and had to be content with a stack of albums and tapes. Pete started popping up in television shows, and the yearly ritual "Carols" night. I still scoured Melbourne papers and magazines for hints of what he was up to.

The 1994 release of Changes, gave us devoted fans payback for the years of having to listen to scratched old records. It was worth the wait. I rushed to buy it the day it was released, and it spent the next couple of years firmly wedged into the CD player in my car. I have never tired of Changes. Every song is a gem. If I had to single one out, I would say that "For Your Love" has one of the smartest lyrics ever written. How this tune was never picked up by an international publishing house, I will never know. Maybe it still will!!..."Its Only The Sound" is the voice at its best. A spine tingling, chilling performance best listened to at full boar. "Storyteller" is classic Cupples Aussie folk...Turning a little story into a moving song.

Again world class players graced the studio, to add some extra bite to the recording. Tommy Emmanuel, Jack Jones, Deb Byrne, Ashley Henderson, Ron Peers...It was clearly a passionate project for Pete. It told the world that he was still one of the most talented vocalist/multi instrumentalist/producers on the planet.