40 years ago New Zealand transplants Mother Goose were winding up a massive Australian tour after a year in the States. They were still riding high in Australia on the back of their smash “Baked Beans” single and debut album Stuffed.

Let's remember the unlikeliest band to ever play the Australian pub circuit.

Take a mustachioed mullet-haired singer dressed up in a little boys sailor suit, a long-haired hippy in a bib and nappy,  a bearded hippy dressed up as a fat bumble bee, and similar characters dressed up as a ballerina, a pixie and Minnie Mouse respectively, and you have Mother Goose. Six unlikely musicians from Dunedin in New Zealand who braved – and we mean BRAVED - the wild and willing Aussie pub scene in the late 70s.

Mother Goose built a large and loyal following, had themselves a hit single and earned themselves a crack at the US in the process.

Yes, they were ludicrous. Yes, “Baked Beans” was the novelty single to end all novelty singles. And yes, they made it hard for most people to take them seriously. But the fans that Mother Goose won over in the pubs were serious in their love for the band; they loved the band’s musicianship, their songs, and their inventiveness. A cursory look at fan comments on YouTube tells the story:

“Saw these guys several times at the Herdsman in Perth back in the early '80s.....being a Kiwi from Northland I had only really known them for "baked beans".....suffice to say I was totally blown away at the first show....powerhouse performance with a stage act to match.”

“Amazing live band... I remember seeing them in the late '70s in Canberra at The Floyd. They totally blew me away...Great Musicians & Great Entertainers.”

“Must have watched this band at least 50 times at the playroom gold coast they are the best live band I've seen. did a ripping version of stairway to heaven and paint it black brings back lots of good memories.”

“Great musos.”

“Went to see these guys for a joke and couldn't believe how good they were.” 

“Hard to fault a band that takes the stage on lawnmowers!!”

And yes, they even made an impression overseas.

“Oh my God!!! My friends and I saw this band in the Village in NYC in the late '70s. We were all doing mescaline and walking around the Village when we walked into a club called Great Gildersleeves. The band hadn't come on yet, but then these guys came out in their costumes. We were laughing so hard. I thought I pissed in my pants. They played for a couple of hours. They were a great band. Great original tunes. What a fuckin' night that was.”

“In 1984 they played a lot in Vancouver and Vancouver Island Canada...AMAZING BAND...”

Mother Goose had built up a substantial following in New Zealand before they came to Australia and remain one of New Zealand’s most loved bands. Having formed in ’75, they made the move to Australia in 1977, making the unlikely decision (yes it would seem that everything that these guys did was unlikely!) to base themselves in Queensland. They quickly made an impression in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, where legendary 60s promoter Ivan Dayman took them under his wing,  and before long headed south to sign on the dotted line with Mushroom.

The success of “Baked Beans” and their first album Stuffed saw the band relocate to the US. After initially signing to Californian based label Scotti Bros (best known for Leif Garrett), they moved to New York where they received the patronage of promoter Sid Bernstein – the man who brought the Beatles to America. Problems with Scotti Bros stalled their recording career in the States, and unable to take up other offers, they headed back to Australia. Although they never had another real hit, they received ongoing support from Mushroom and released two more albums Don’t Believe In Fairy Tales (1979) and This Is The Life (1982). They continued touring Australia and even spent time in Canada before breaking up in 1984. Their popularity has endured in New Zealand to the point that they’ve played a number of hugely successful reformation shows over there.

Mother Goose were a band that needed to be seen as well as heard, so let’s have a look at some classic video footage, starting with rarely seen in Australia video for the original New Zealand recording of “Baked Beans”, and then the 1977 Australian remake. 

New Zealand version... 

Australian version...