Oz rock!

sorry. i got the title wrong. should be It's A Beautiful Day. i was gonna link you (there are live performances of White Bird as well as the some studio cuts), but you and i are from the generation where album and flow was important.

The album flow isn't a big deal for me - I have a pretty modern attention span, I guess. Just checked out this song of theirs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdLluzeiWUY ... great music but it's the Child in Time riff ... amazing they didn't take Deep Purple to court over that!


An aussie band name that popped in my mind immediately is INXS...

My guess is that INXS, ACDC and Little River Band would be our best known exports.

Have you guys heard of Hunters & Collectors? Their drummer, Doug Falconer, was probably my biggest influence in the 80s. They were pretty big here for a while ... started out very indie quirky and ended up more slick and commercial (but still good)

Early H&C: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjIZwthWnlA (I can imagine DrumEatDrum liking this)

Later slick pop H&C: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e69wQsfrbSU
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kk3_FsqH3w hoodoo gurus, love these guys still, they did a smart thing by letting surf fil makers put their music in movies, so surfers all over the world rock out to gurus, also Richard Clapton ( byron ) blue bay blues is a beautiful song. yeh love oz rock.

I didn't know the Gurus were known in the US! Great band - love their retro hippy drippy tracks like Like Wow Wipeout and Miss Freelove 69.


A digression but Oz also had our own version of Weather Report, a band called Crossfire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ji32gcXyZE ... I once saw their drummer playing in another fusion band at a tiny bar. I counted nine people in the audience - all looked like musos. He was incredible, playing Billy Cobham fills verbatim ... amazing to see world class musicians in such an intimate close-up environment.
 
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My guess is that INXS, ACDC and Little River Band would be our best known exports.

Midnight Oil were much bigger in the USA then Little River Band.

And Midnight Oil didn't quite the get the explosion of mass hysteria Men At Work got in the early 80s, although Men at Work was a short lived hysteria.

Funny though, Men at Work tends to only get radio play on 80's New Wave revival shows, while Midnight Oil gets on as part of classic rock stations. Which is only funny because Men At Work weren't really New Wave, at least not compared to Berlin, Missing Persons and the like.

EDIT: Maybe not, per wikipedia, Little River band has 13 US hit singles, which would make Polly correct. Funny though, I can't think of any song by them.
 
The MOST Australian musical performance evah: http://youtu.be/d1YlviwvrxQ

Speaking of Midnight Oil, my buddies and I used to have a lot of fun with the video for Beds Are Burning. That guy's dancing-without-moving-his-feet bit was hilarious. We used to impersonate the dance and also his voice during the verses of that song. Also, the way his silhouette would creep into the side of the frame when he'd let out those growls during the second verse. Awesome. http://youtu.be/ejorQVy3m8E
 
Midnight Oil were much bigger in the USA then Little River Band.

And Midnight Oil didn't quite the get the explosion of mass hysteria Men At Work got in the early 80s, although Men at Work was a short lived hysteria.

I forgot Men at Work. Only saw them play once. Tight band.

LRB attracted a different scene ... I found that normal people at work were into them but the musos and other reprobates I hung out with found the music too generic, but respected their musicianship. Their vocalist was a gig of ours earlier this year and had a chat with us afterwards. Nice guy.

It should be said that a bunch of guys are in the US playing under the name LRB through some arcane legality, but the heart and soul of the band - Glenn Shorrock and Beeb Birtles - left the band long ago. The real LRB ended up playing as Birtles Shorrock Goble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49aBfO8MHRc. Maybe a lot of the sales happened after they essentially became an American band?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMSyumchMWA ....NEVER get tired of this song/vid so glad youtube exists.

The Divinyls got noticed overeas too! This thread's been a big eye opener for me.
 
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The MOST Australian musical performance evah: http://youtu.be/d1YlviwvrxQ

Ah, you guys know our Jimmy! (actually he's Scottish but we claimed 'im) ... we claim everyone who's any good as our own, especially expatriate Kiwis (New Zealanders). Fir instance, Split Enz who were freaky in a proggy neo-vaudeville kind of way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cOSoKONZfo but later they went to bland pop (and got rich).

Actually, the most Aussie performances you'll see would be by Yothu Yindi, a fantastic Aboriginal band http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib7hcWboRDM


Speaking of Midnight Oil, my buddies and I used to have a lot of fun with the video for Beds Are Burning. That guy's dancing-without-moving-his-feet bit was hilarious.http://youtu.be/ejorQVy3m8E

Haha yes, everyone loves his dancing. About 8 years ago Peter Garrett, the singer, went into politics and he's now Minister for School Education. Sadly, no more of those crazy moves :(
 
This thread's been a big eye opener for me.

Me too. Didn't know so many had any US presence.

About 8 years ago Peter Garrett, the singer, went into politics and he's now Minister for School Education. Sadly, no more of those crazy moves :(

Plenty of "crazy moves" Pol.....just on a different stage. As a politician, he made a hell of a rock singer. ;-)

Great thread.....like a walk down memory lane.
 
yes. and let us not forget Jet who saved my life once.

every now and then i have become despondent over the state of Rock and Roll. one time...i saw no future...and then i heard this:

Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkVyCj4TJPA&feature=related

re: Divinyls (one of the best band names ever) "Make Out Alright" is always on my listening / learning radar. "Boys In Town" was another life saver back in '82. unfortunately, they are most known for "I Touch Myself". yuck.

Divinyls - "Make Out Alright" Live In NYC 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVpD0YpZrCM

Divinyls - Make Out Alright - (video proper)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-FYVGOWohA
 
Forgot about Kylie - she did well in the UK. The only song of hers that I enjoyed was Confide in Me. One band that made it in Europe (but not the US, as far as I know) was The Hard Ons ... totally not my style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BpPiuEsXAw. I remember playing a support for them at some fleabag little pub in the 80s before they went OS. Didn't care much for them much back then either ...

We also did a support for a haircut band, The Venetians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNKXl-0oulU ... their road crew sabotaged our sound, leaving a loud bassy hum howling through the PA and then walking out ... so we had to put up with it for the whole set.

The best of our 80s glam bands were Pseudo Echo, with their scorching cover of Funkytown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X6BbfCdtWM and The Models http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9seGsUGvMU. The Models's sax player is now a radio host for middle aged people :)

8 Mile, the other links were blocked but I could access the Jet link Unfunky gave - it's a great little rocker. I know nothing about them lol - keep teaching me, guys :)

Yes, the Oils were always political. Refreshing when almost everyone else is singing about lurve or the LOTR or whatever :)

PS. Hey DED - did you listen to the early Hunters and Collectors link?

PPS. PFOG, I'm enjoying this little potted history too!
 
Forgot about Kylie - she did well in the UK. The only song of hers that I enjoyed was Confide in Me. One band that made it in Europe (but not the US, as far as I know) was The Hard Ons ... totally not my style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BpPiuEsXAw. I remember playing a support for them at some fleabag little pub in the 80s before they went OS. Didn't care much for them much back then either ...

We also did a support for a haircut band, The Venetians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNKXl-0oulU ... their road crew sabotaged our sound, leaving a loud bassy hum howling through the PA and then walking out ... so we had to put up with it for the whole set.

The best of our 80s glam bands were Pseudo Echo, with their scorching cover of Funkytown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X6BbfCdtWM and The Models http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9seGsUGvMU. The Models's sax player is now a radio host for middle aged people :)

8 Mile, the other links were blocked but I could access the Jet link Unfunky gave - it's a great little rocker. I know nothing about them lol - keep teaching me, guys :)

Yes, the Oils were always political. Refreshing when almost everyone else is singing about lurve or the LOTR or whatever :)

PS. Hey DED - did you listen to the early Hunters and Collectors link?

PPS. PFOG, I'm enjoying this little potted history too!

Kylie: Can't Get You Out Of My Head. a Sandy Dennis song, yes ? Sandy shure knows what she's doing. that girl can write a song / hook / groove.

Jet: I don't know how the vocalist keeps his voice. every song i've heard by them is like that.

Hard Ons: Foculate Them. Jealousy is a terrible thing. unless, erm...did you guys P them Off before hand ? either that, or your band was DAMNED GOOD. i'm inclined to believe the latter.
 
Good one, uniin. Someone had to cover the new stuff.

Hard Ons: Foculate Them. Jealousy is a terrible thing. unless, erm...did you guys P them Off before hand ? either that, or your band was DAMNED GOOD. i'm inclined to believe the latter.

The Hard Ons were fine, I just wasn't into their music. It was the other mob. Good pickup, though, because there was a disagreement. They were paying us a lousy $50 and expected us to lug their stuff in and out as well. Then they told us we couldn't use our own amps and would have to use theirs but ... DON'T TOUCH ANY OF THE SETTINGS! Ja vol!

Needless to say we could see we'd been sold a crock and the vibes weren't great. It was worse after our sound was sabotaged (pity the poor audience). After we finished playing we left without lugging their gear out, which burnt our bridges with the booking agency. Stuff happens ...

Not sure if Skyhooks was known overseas. Hot live band and their drummer, Freddie Strauks, was great http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb4AdU6rbFc
 
Good one, uniin. Someone had to cover the new stuff.



The Hard Ons were fine, I just wasn't into their music. It was the other mob. Good pickup, though, because there was a disagreement. They were paying us a lousy $50 and expected us to lug their stuff in and out as well. Then they told us we couldn't use our own amps and would have to use theirs but ... DON'T TOUCH ANY OF THE SETTINGS! Ja vol!

Needless to say we could see we'd been sold a crock and the vibes weren't great. It was worse after our sound was sabotaged (pity the poor audience). After we finished playing we left without lugging their gear out, which burnt our bridges with the booking agency. Stuff happens ...

Not sure if Skyhooks was known overseas. Hot live band and their drummer, Freddie Strauks, was great http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb4AdU6rbFc

pfft. i can dig it. i usually don't play games i'm not allowed to win. and i'm not gonna s*ck enough d*ck to be in position to look down on others. i won't be sucking any d*ck, actually.

Skyhooks: i LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Skyhooks. great drum sound too. good production too. i am so remiss that i never picked up Ego Is Not A Dirty Word.
 
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Onya uniin - we're getting quite a catalogue going here.


pfft. i can dig it. i usually don't play games i'm not allowed to win.

Skyhooks: i LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Skyhooks. great drum sound too. good production too. i am so remiss that i never picked up Ego Is Not A Dirty Word.

Yeah, that was the worst gig ever. Much more fun having residencies at small, fleabag bars. As for the "exposure" you receive playing a prestige venue with a name band ... it doesn't necessarily mean good exposure ...

I usually find Skyhooks songs too repetitive but they worked great live because they were so tight and had such great energy. Ego is a great little number.

Going back to 1972, this was a classic by excellent vocalist, Jeff St John http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgWGQTcDFLk ... a million miles from from the formulaic singer/dancer bimbo and himbo pop stars on the record company mass production line!

We even had our own precursor to Boy George - Jeff Duff - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUFeKIaVFP8 ... I went with friends to see a more recent band of his in a city venue. They knew Jeff and we sat and drank with him and the band after the gig. The fruity shtick is such a game - he's a really grounded, likeable guy :) ... and he's still gigging http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQtNSSFfvwc
 
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