The Fourmyula

 ( Apra Award Winners ) 

The Fourmyula were a New Zealand rock group formed in 1967 in Upper Hutt. They achieved considerable local success in the late 1960s, with ten of their fourteen singles reaching the New Zealand Top 20.

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Career (1967–1971) The group initially consisted of Wayne Mason (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Martin Hope (guitar and vocals), Ali Richardson (bass and vocals), and Chris Parry (drums), who founded Fiction Records (UK) in 1978. They were joined in 1968 by Carl Evensen as lead vocalist.

Their first release, "Come With Me" made it to number 2 in August 1968. They released fourteen singles (ten of which reached the New Zealand Top 20) and five albums and won the New Zealand Entertainers of the Year award in 1970.

The Fourmyula's best known song, "Nature", written by Wayne Mason and produced by Peter Dawkins, reached number one in the New Zealand charts in December 1969. "Wayne Mason and the song 'Nature'", New Zealand History online It won the APRA Silver Scroll Award for the year. The Mutton Birds released a rockier version of "Nature" in 1995, and in 2001 the original version was voted New Zealand's greatest pop song ever - becoming the title track of the best-selling Nature's Best compilation.

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Reunion (2010) In 2010 the band reformed to promote the compilation The Complete Fourmyula, a 4-CD set which includes a previously unreleased album Turn Your Back on the Wind, originally recorded for Decca Records. They played two concerts, one in Auckland on 18 February 2010 and another in Upper Hutt, on 20 March 2010.

The Fourmyula was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame at the 2010 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.

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Discography

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Studio albums

The Fourmyula	Released: 1968 Label: His Master's Voice (CSDM 6283)
Green B Holiday	Released: 1968 Label: His Master's Voice (CSDM 6296)
Creation	Released: 1969 Label: His Master's Voice (CSDM 6309)

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Live albums

A 'Live (with Shane)	Released: 1970 Label: His Master's Voice (CSDM 6313)

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Compilation albums

A Portrait of the Fourmyula	Released: 1974 Label: Axis (AXIS 2003) |align="center" –
The Most of the Fourmyula	Released: 1992 Label: EMI (435403 2) |align="center" –
The Very Best of the Fourmyula	Released: 1999 Label: EMI (521924 2) |align="center" –
The Complete Fourmyula	Released: May 2010 Label: His Master's Voice (50999 6265042 7) Note: 4xCD |align="center" 35
Turn Your Back on the Wind	Released: 2010 Label: His Master's Voice (CSDM 6324) Note: Unreleased album recorded in London 1970 |align="center" -
Inside the Hutt: New Zealand's Pop-Psych Kingpins 1968–1969	Released: September 2013 Label: RPM Records (Retro932) |align="center" –

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Extended Plays

Four Hits of the Fourmyula	Released: 1969 Label: His Master's Voice (GESM 6138)

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Singles

1968	"Come with Me"	2
	"Alice Is There"	4
	"I Know Why"	7
1969	"Start by Giving to Me"	21
	"Home"	8
	"Forever"	–
	"Lady Scorpio"	7
	"I'll Sing You a Song"	3
	"Nature"	1
1970	"Make Me Happy"	19
	"Otaki"	15
	"Turn Your Back on the Wind"	–
1971	"Lullaby"	21

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Awards and nominations

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Aotearoa Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.

! |- | 1968 || "Alice Is There" || Single of the Year || ||rowspan="2"| |- | 1970 || "Nature" || Single of the Year || |- | 2010 || The Fourmyula || New Zealand Music Hall of Fame || || |-

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See also

• Nature's Best

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External links

• The Fourmyula profile at AudioCulture
• Collection of band associate Les Gruebner's Fourmyula recordings at the Alexander Turnbull Library

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