( performance )
25 March 07
in performance

The Great Australian Songbook

Australia, that dark continent, ballast for the rest of the world. Whilst most Americans see it as a destination (for their wildest exotic dreams), I see it as a source, a place where great music is sometimes born.

For those of us who grew up before the age of the Youtubes, digging through the archives is like a trip back in time. And so, for your listening pleasure, I’ve trawled up some of the finest songs written by those who might call themselves Australians. These are the songs that instantly suck me into the whirlpool of nostalgia and sentiment :

The awesome riff that is AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”:

Crowded House, “Sister Madly”:

Crowded House, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” at the farewell concert for drummer Paul Hester:

Paul Kelly, slowly things down for “Dumb Things”:

Paul Kelly “To Her Door”:

Whatever happened to Frente? “Ordinary Angels” my favorite 1:26 min of Ozzie pop:

Frente, “Labor of Love”:

Mark Seymour of Hunter & Collectors, singing “Throw Your Arms Around Me” with Eddie Vedder:

Neil Finn “Better be Home Soon” (sit through the ARIA bio clip of Hester, it’s a really nice version):

Perhaps the greatest tearjerker of all, Peter Allen’s “I Still Call Australia Home”, every time I hear this song, I feel like packing my bags and flying back:

Mark on 03/26 said:

Nice picks Bosco. Paul Kelly and the Finns are brilliant songwriters.

These are not quite in the same league but worth a listen to if you want to hear a mix of more contemporary Aussies:

The fun and whimsical Darren Hanlon

The Herd’s timely cover of Redgum’s A Walk in the Light Green

Augie March Produced and Live

John S. Wilkins on 03/26 said:

Definitely Augie March. The latest in a great series of alternative songwriters.

Bosco on 03/26 said:

Thanks for the link to Redgum’s “I was only 19”. That’s an awesome song and deserves to be ranked up there with the greats. It works remarkably well as a rap – having lived in the States for a couple of years, hip-hop just seeps into the marrow of your bones, which is a strange experience for an ozzie.