The Fourmyula - Biography

New Zealand's most successful pop/rock harmony band of the sixties, the Fourmyula were formed as the In-Sect with Wayne Mason (kybds), Chris Parry (drums), Martin Hope (guitar) and Ali Richardson (bass). After becoming the Fourmyula they added vocalist Carl Evenson, won a local Battle of the Bands and were signed by EMI. Their first single was intended to be a cover of 'Honey Chile' but such was the strength of the Mason/Richardson B-side,'Come With Me', that the record was flipped and 'Come With Me' became a giant hit, kept off the top of the New Zealand charts only by 'Hey Jude'. There followed a string of hit singles throughout 1969, including 'Alice Is There', 'I Know Why', 'Home', 'I'll Sing You A Song' and their only cover, 'Lady Scorpio'. By the end of the 1969 the band had released three albums and had ventured to England where they recorded at Abbey Road. Wayne Mason's 'Nature' became their biggest hit, at the end of 1969, topping the charts for five weeks. After returning to New Zealand and recording a live album, the Fourmyula made a second attempt at breaking through in England but after recording a fifth album, for Decca, the band were dropped by the label. A track from these sessions, 'Otaki', was released under the name Pipp and did well in parts of Europe as well as reaching the New Zealand top 20 but their two final releases, 'Lullaby' and the sublime ballad, 'Turn Your Back On The Wind', failed to chart.

Wayne Mason then left the band and returned to New Zealand. He was replaced by Paul Pryde but the impetus was gone and the band broke up in 1971. Evensen, Richardson and Hope returned to New Zealand where Evenson rejoined Mason in Rockinghorse and Hope joined the Human Instinct before eventually relocating to Australia. Mason later played with the Warratahs before releasing solo records after the 1990s. Chris Parry remained in England and became an A&R man and producer for Polydor. He signed the Jam and produced their first two albums as well as founding Fiction Records and signing the Cure.

Forty years after 'Nature' topped the New Zealand charts the song was voted the greatest New Zealand pop song of all time in a national poll; this renewed interest in the band and the original lineup reconvened for some reunion gigs in New Zealand only. In 2010, the previously unreleased fifth album, 'Turn Your Back On The Wind', was finally released, in a limited edition vinyl run, as well as part of the 4 CD box set, 'The Complete Fourmyula'.

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