Sharon O'Neill "Danced in the Fire" 1987

…“Although Sharon O’Neill had been around the local music scene for a few years I was not aware of her. Watching a talent contest show, I came across Sharon singing ‘Luck’s On Your Table’. I thought she was just fantastic and was surprised that her wonderful song and performance only got her only 3rd place. I was sure I had come across an artist who would be worth signing as our CBS New Zealand’s first local artist.”..

...“I found that Terry O’Neill-Joyce, a well-known Wellington record producer had actually completed a whole album with Sharon in conjunction with Radio NZ. Better still ‘Luck’s On Your Table’ was included. I negotiated an agreement with all concerned parties to release the album on CBS and with Sharon to sign with us for future recordings: Sharon also signed with us as a songwriter.”
In 2001, O’Neill reflected, “It was very important. I know for a fact that John [McCready] was only interested in signing me because I had original material. That to me was fantastic. It was a bit scary when somebody of John’s status said ‘I really believe these songs are going to work and we are going to market these and they are going to happen for you’.”
For her second album Sharon O’Neill (1980) the ambitious McCready used Wellington’s classy Marmalade Studio and US producer Jay Lewis. The record executive wanted O’Neill to be selling albums on both sides of the Tasman. The album was retitled Words in Australia. McCready recalls, “Jay with his brilliant production managed to enhance Sharon’s wonderful songs.”
The late 1970s was a disco/rock/punk/reggae whirlpool, but local music writers loved O’Neill’s work included Peter Thomson in Rip It Up and Gordon Campbell in the NZ Listener. Campbell wrote, “There are at least four tracks on Sharon O’Neill that are the equal of anything Linda Ronstadt is capable of. Two songs ‘Asian Paradise’ and ‘Southern Blues’ are marvelously evocative mood pieces.” In a story headed “Soft rock, hard sell” Campbell even praised her ambitious record company. “CBS deserve a lot of credit for having both the interest and the courage to put up the $30,000 that it took to make this album.”…to be continued... - Audioculture

trax:
01. Physical Favours 02. We're only Human 03. Trojan Horse. 04. Far away 05. Take me to Paris 06. Danced in the Fire 07. Shock to the Heart 08. Thirst for Love 09. Under Suspicion 10. In Control 11. Silk or Stone
…served by Gaius…