Almost on the right track

By rights, this should be a Stuff On My Phone post but, perhaps unforgivably, despite the musical thread, it is not.

I awoke to darkness and the sound of a howling gale. As I attempted to gather my thoughts, a keyboard riff played across my consciousness, and what passes for my brain at five in the morning was off on a wild goose chase. I don't know about you, dear reader, but these mental gymnastics in the wee small hours are often a fruitless and exhausting exercise in not being asleep. Gah.

So...

I was in two minds which, although I do not have any truck with astrology, I am told is just typical of a Libra. On the plus side, it was only two minds, as any more and I'd maybe require counselling with something from the chemist.

But getting back to that 'So... '

A name began to emerge through the swirling veils of the past... something alliterative... Jimmy? Jimmy James? Could be?

Oh, hang on, no, here's a chorus... "Waiting for a train"... Hmmm, that sounds too 'pop' for the soulful intro I had in mind.

Ah, no, wait a minute, there are two intros with the same tune. Nice one, brain, no point in making this easy, eh? OK, let's just run through our options here...

Intro 1

Intro 2

Yup, they're not of the same vintage, are they? The first one I now recall from a mix tape which my brother made for me when I left home in 1980. That must be Mr Alliterative Name, but is it Jimmy James? The second one is definitely later, but for an answer, I will have to wait until morning and a more polite time to hit the internet.

[Later, after removing some madly-flapping silage wrap from the wire fence of the adjacent paddock, and watching a thrilling rugby semi-final] OK, pop pickers, the second song is by Australian band Flash And The Pan, and is, as several synapses had earlier figured out, "Waiting for a train" from 1983.

But the original riff I had remembered was "Why Can't We Live Together?" from 1972 by...

Timmy Thomas!

Alliteratively close, but no cigar.

Incidentally, the song writing duo behind Flash And The Pan, George Young and Harry Vanda, had been former members of The Easybeats in the 60s. They were the first rock and roll band from Australia to score an international pop hit, with "Friday On My Mind". If the words 'Young' and 'Australia' are sparking the neurons in your cerebral cortex, then yes, George is the brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC. And George occasionally helped out his siblings in their band. But it'll be a few more hours yet before I will be Back in Black at 5am.