Take a leaf out of their book Perhaps it is because The Church’s frontman Steve Kilbey and guitarist Peter Koppes came from my home town of Canberra that their music is nearer and dearer to me than similar music of the era. Either way, their strong melodies make for some iconic Australian tracks, and their […]
Read MoreAuthor: Rob
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II [US 1st]
True first press impresses This isn’t an Australian release, and has no connection to my country… However, the background to the release of this iconic album is too good not to write about. The story goes that the (now) legendary audio engineer Robert (Bob) Ludwig, at an early stage in his career, was the original […]
Read MoreBob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited [Export]
Export Vinyl Back in the 1970s in Australia, parallel importation of vinyl records created arguably a very niche collectable – the redacted or “donut” labels and sleeves of Columbia Records pressings. Some background: This arrangement ended in 1961 when Columbia formed its own international organization, CBS Records, in 1962, which released Columbia recordings outside the […]
Read MoreHunters & Collectors – Human Frailty
An Iconic 80s Album You’re going to see a lot of Australian albums from the 1980s on this site, and why not? It was my favourite era for Australian music. So let’s take a look at this cracker of an album from Aussie legends Hunters & Collectors. The band were starting to really hit their […]
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INXS – Kick
A Huge Hit Album In the 1980s, INXS hit the big time. An Australian band had hit the international music scene like few had previously. They seemed to go from hit to hit and strength to strength, leaving behind the Land Down Under for Europe and the US. The high point is arguably 1987’s “Kick”, […]
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A “Grail Find”
Last month, I casually browsed an Australian site called Gumtree. It’s a classifieds site which allows people to place free ads online, and I tend to check for listings relating to vinyl records on an ad-hoc basis. I was just relaxing, browsing on my phone, when I came across a new listing which featured five […]
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Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
A classic revisited Simon and Garfunkel’s 1960s masterpiece revived in the 1980s as a part of CBS’ Mastersound series, featuring half speed mastering as an audiophile release. This was a huge upgrade from a heavily scratched original pressing that I had initially. The Release This album surely requires no introduction. There are some of Simon […]
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Spiderbait – Ivy and the Big Apples
90s Australian Grunge This album brings back memories, only this time on vinyl. Much like Powerfinger’s debut album, Double Allergic, Spiderbait’s third album was not released originally on vinyl either (or cassette for that matter). We had to wait until 20 years later, in 2016, before having Ivy available on the turntable. Was it worth […]
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The Beatles – Beatles For Sale
The Beatles Fourth Album It was 1964 and the Beatles had been very busy. Off the back of a movie (A Hard Day’s Night), three albums and worldwide touring, the Fab Four were running out of steam. Writing four albums in two years is an exceptional pace of work, and to accomplish this feat they […]
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Paul Kelly And The Coloured Girls – Gossip
An Australian Institution Paul Kelly is to Australian music what Banjo Patterson was to Australian literature. His lyrics are poetic, and his ability to articulate so many “true blue” virtues is commendable. He formed with “the Coloured Girls” after success with his solo career, and although the band name is inspired [ref] by the chorus […]
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