19 September 2013 (Day 262) What's The Best Album Ever? Australian Albums Pt. 1

Next up in my nomination of albums to feature in my own top 100 albums are those released by acts from Australia.  Some of these have already been played in the year to date.  These are The Saints (I’m) Stranded, AC/DC’s Back In Black and Highway To Hell, Midnight Oil’s Place Without A Postcard and recently Tame Impala’s wonderful Innerspeaker.  With not many commitments at work today , I was able to play another 5 albums starting with:

(# 608) The Avalanches – Since I Met You (2000)

This is a staggering album of electronica based on hundreds of samples that have somehow been moulded to form a seamless whole.   Among the samples are incredibly obscure and well known tunes (including the first authorised use of a Madonna track) as well as found sounds, instruments and vocals.  Part of the fun of listening to this album lies in picking out whatever sample you can recognise whilst simultaneously marvelling at how these are all deployed in the service of catchy original tracks.  The opening title track, immediately puts you into a great happy place and subsequent tracks such as Two Hearts in ¾ Time, Close To You, Electricity and the memorable Frontier Psychiatrist keep you there for the duration.  The only drawback is that its now 13 years since its release and I’m getting rather impatient waiting for the follow up.  But I can understanding why; this is unquestionably one of the most accomplished, not to mention audacious albums ever released by act from this country.

(# 609) Cold Chisel – Circus Animals (1982)

In 1981 Australia’s premier mainstream hard rock band Cold Chisel toured the United States.  A supposed major push by their US record company saw them largely ignored and playing out of the way venues to disinterested punters.  (Ironically, then US label mates Motley Crue thought their early progress was being undermined by the label's promotion of Cold Chisel and have repeated this is some of their memoirs.)  When Cold Chisel returned home they decamped to the studio and produced this scorching album.  At its core are three angry rockers in which they really vent their spleen, producing the highlights of their entire repertoire; You Got Nothing I Want supposedly directed at their US record label rep, Wild Colonial Boy in which they assert their identity overseas and the brutal Houndog in which they look forward to returning home.  To this they added the pop smarts of Forever Now and When The War Is Over, Ian Moss’s epic Bow River containing arguably the single greatest solo unleased by an Australian guitarist, and male bonding sing a long No Good For You.  Backed up with a snarling production sound this is unquestionably their finest hour.

(# 610) Rose Tattoo – Rose Tattoo (1978)

Most of Australia’s biggest bands in the 1970s and early 1980s – AC/DC, The Coloured Balls, early Cold Chisel, early Midnight Oil, Buffalo, The Hitmen – played an Australian version of pub rock which, for the most part, fused blues, rock and boogie which was played very fast and very loud.  But no one did this louder or tougher than Rose Tattoo, arguably the Australian band that has exerted the most influence on impressionable minds overseas.  This was the album that started it all and it’s full of some of the best four on the floor, head banging rock ever released.  Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock And Roll) might very well be the best anthem about rock ever recorded.  One Of The Boys is similarly epic, Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw and Bad Boy For Love are just brutal and Astra Wally is just the perfect ending.

(# 611) The Go-Betweens – Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express (1986)

Not many bands were blessed to have as two accomplished songwriters as the Go-Betweens with the late Grant McLennan and Robert Forster.  This is arguably the best of the albums from the first phase of their career where drummer Lindy Morrison was a fixed third member and its all because of the songs.  The jaunty Spring Rain gave them something akin to a hit single and a number of tracks including To Reach Me, In The Core Of A Flame and Head Full Of Steam.  But it was the ballads that really provided the highligts, The Wrong Road and Twin Layers Of Light leading the way, only for everything to trumped by the stately magnificence of the closing number Apology Accepted.

(# 612) You Am I – Hi-Fi Way (1995)

One of the finest Australian albums of the 1990s, this is a brilliant collection of rocking tunes showcasing the great interplay of the band’s three members and the lyrics and vocals of charismatic front man Tim Rogers.  The fuse was lit by a trio of cracking singles; Cathy’s Clown, Jewels And Bullets and Purple Sneakers which are positioned as tracks 4, 5 and 6 following on from the inspired sequencing of opener Aint Gone And Open, Minor Byrd and She Digs Her.  This opening half dozen tracks simply flash by and yet it only gets you to half way mark.  The second half still finds room for The Applecross Wing Commander, Ken (Mother Nature’s Son) and the inspired closer How Much Is Enough. Overall, it provides conclusive proof of the thrills that can still emerge by focusing on concise three minute songs.