The Missing Links

by Richie UnterbergerOne of the best Australian bands of the 60s, though they werent even stars in their home country, the Missing Links started as a very raw, Kinks-like combo, gaining a number two hit in New Zealand with We 2 Should Live/Untrue. The first lineup folded in 1965, and a second, with entirely different personnel, took the name. This aggregation cut the rawest Australian garage/punk of the era, and indeed some of the best from anywhere, sounding at their best like a fusion of the Troggs and the early Who, letting loose at times with wild feedback that was quite ahead of its time. They didnt find commercial success, and split after several singles, an EP, and an album. Various members turned up in other Australian groups like Running Jumping Standing Still and Python Lee Jackson; the most notable of these was guitarist Doug Ford, who joined Running Jumping Standing Still and then graduated to the Masters Apprentices, the best Australian band of the 60s other than the Easybeats.