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Tarney-Spencer Band was an Australian rock band composed of Trevor Spencer and Alan Tarney in the late 1970s. The band recorded three albums, and is notable for the song "No Time to Lose" which received substantial air-play in the USA on Album-oriented rock radio stations, and charted twice on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart .
Alan Tarney met Trever Spencer while playing in an Australian group called Johnny Broome and The Handels. In 1969 Alan and Trevor moved to the UK. They formed a band called Quartet, releasing 2 singles on Decca and an unreleased album. The two also occasionally played on on numerous sessions for artists including Olivia Newton-John, Chris Squire, Bonnie Tyler, Charlie Dore, New Seekers, The Real Thing and many others.
Alan and Trevor began working as a duo in 1975. Their first, self titled album was released in 1976 in the UK only, on the Bradley's label.
Shortly after, the Tarney-Spencer Band signed a deal with A&M Records for 10 albums. The band's second album (1st for A&M), was titled "Three's a Crowd" and featured cover art with rounded corners, shaped like an American style cafe menu card. The album received modest airplay on AOR radio station in the US and reached #174 on Billboard Magazine's album chart. A single from the album, "It's Really You" hit #86 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Run For Your Life" appeared in 1979. Again, with airplay at AOR radio, the album charted in the US reaching #181. One of the album's tracks, "No Time To Lose" was released as a single and rose to number #84 on the singles chart.
After the release of a non-LP single, "Cathy's Clown" in 1979, the band was released from their contract with A&M and discontinued their work together as Tarney-Spencer Band.
Two years after the band broke up, the track "No Time To Lose" got the attention of MTV. In 1981, when MTV launched, the channel occasionally aired a video clip for "No Time To Lose". A&M reissued the track as a single. The song charted a second time on Billboard's Hot 100, fairing slightly better that the first time around, reaching #74. Their biggest achievement, "No Time To Lose" has never officially seen mainstream release on CD, either as part of the Run For Your Life album or on a various artist compilation.
Trevor Spencer left the UK and returned to Perth to help start Sh-Boom studios. Recent work with Hank Marvin's 1990's solo albums.
Alan Tarney began working as a producer and achieved notable success with a-ha. Alan produced their first three albums, including their hit single "Take On Me". Additional production work included sides for Squeeze, Bow Wow Wow, Leo Sayer, Pulp, Cliff Richard, Thomas Anders, The Hollies, Voice of the Beehive, The Bluebells, Dream Academy and others.
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