Models were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2010. “Alongside The Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party, Models were one of the first Melbourne bands to rise out of the ashes of that city’s hothouse punk/new wave explosion of the late 1970s with a clear vision and wider appeal,” says Ian McFarlane, author of The Encyclopedia Of Australian Rock And Pop. Models are that rare breed of bands – one that has successfully straddled critical acclaim, cult appeal and commercial success. Models rescinded their “no singles” policy with their second album, Local &/or General, and their chart-topping run of hits includes I Hear Motion, Big On Love, Barbados and Out Of Mind Out Of Sight. (Molly didn’t hold a grudge, later calling Models “one of my favourite bands from the Countdown era”.) “He blocked traffic for several minutes to berate us,” singer Sean Kelly chuckles, “telling us that we were doing no one any favours and that our song ‘Happy Birthday IBM’ could’ve been a hit!” In 1980, Molly stopped his car on busy Chapel Street in Melbourne when he spotted a couple of Models. The band actually had a “no singles” policy when they started – which annoyed Molly Meldrum. Models have always done things their own way.Īs the authors of The 100 Best Australian Albums (which featured Models’ The Pleasure Of Your Company) stated: “Melbourne electronic outfit Models followed a distinctly perverse and disjointed course from the outset.”

Well, that’s not quite right – a lot of things have changed, but not the band’s approach to making music. When they formed, Models were hailed as one of the most innovative and imaginative Australian bands.

Australian happy birthday song