Russell Morris - Retrospective (Reissue) (1978/2004)

Russell Morris is an Australian singer/songwriter, who had five Australian top ten singles during the late 1960s and early 1970s. His career started at the age of eighteen, in September 1966 with the formation of the Melbourne group Somebody's Image. The band came to the notice of local music identity Ian Meldrum, who convinced Morris to leave the band and pursue a solo career.
Meldrum, as his manager/producer, spent unprecedented hours and money to create a seven-minute production extravaganza around a song called "The Real Thing". Once the result was released to shocked radio programmers (who had never been asked to play such a long Australian single before), it was up to Morris' personality, singing and performing talents to make the record work. It reached Australia's number one spot in June 1969 and without any promotional support, reached number one in Chicago, Houston, and New York.
"The Real Thing" is now considered one of the very best psychedelic rock singles produced in the 1960s