A to Z: 100 Best Australian Albums... The Long List

Right, if anyone cares here is the full and or complete Aussie albums which are just my favorites of all-time and that is just an opinion too. It's been two months since posting anything and last time I just got a bit of over half but I really can't be fucked doing that or this anymore.

A is for...
The A to Z Recordings by Paul Kelly
Adalita by Adalita
All Times Though Paradise by The Saints
Australian Ghost Story by The Paradise Motel
The Axeman's Jazz by Beasts of Bourbon
B is for...
The Best of by Hard-Ons
Big Name, No Blankets by Warumpi Band
Blood Red River by The Scientists
Blue Trees by Mick Turner/Tren Brothers
Body Language by Kylie Minogue
C is for...
Cannot Buy My Soul by Kev Carmody/Various Artists
Cellulite Soul by Witch Hats
Charcoal Lane by Archie Roach
Circus Animals by Cold Chisel
Coal by Devastations
Crossing Off The Miles by Chad's Tree
Cruel, But Fair by Laughing Clowns
D is for...
Dead Wood Falls by Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea
The Definitive Collection by The Sports
Dirty Three by Dirty Three
Drunk On A Train by The Painkillers
E is for...
Eddy Current Suppression Ring by Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Everyday Lies by Hoss
F is for...
Far Be It From Me by Tex Perkins
The First Dance by Bridezilla
For The Birds by The Mess Hall
Free Dirt by Died Pretty
From One To Another by The Darling Downs
G is for...
Gala Mill by The Drones
Girl by Magic Dirt
GOD by GOD
Greasy Lens by Joel Silbersher
Gurrumul by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Gutterville Splendour Six by Gutterville Splendour Six
H is for...
Havilah by The Drones
Henry's Dream by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Here Come The Lies by The Drones
Hey Believer by Kim Salmon with STM
High Voltage by AC/DC
Hit Me With The Surreal Feel by Kim Salmon & The Surrealists
Honey Steel's Gold by Ed Kuepper
Hoodoo You Do by The Devil & Abbe May
Horse Stories by Dirty Three
The Horse, The Rat and The Swan by Snowman
Hourly, Daily by You Am I
I is for...
Ill At Ease by The Mark Of Cain
In The Pines by The Triffids
Inner City Sound by Various Artists
J is for...
James Reyne by James Reyne
Jean Lee & The Yellow Dog by Ed Kuepper
Jingles by Regurgitator
Jungle Blues by C.W. Stoneking
Junk by The Gin Club
K is for...
nothing
L is for...
Live by Venom P. Stinger
Lowercase by Bluetile Lounge
M is for...
Magic Box by The Loved Ones
Man, You Should Explode by The Kill Devil Hills
Marry Me Tonight by HTRK
The Meanie Of Life by The Meanies
Messenger by Jimmy Little
The Miller's Daughter by The Drones
N is for...
Nailed To The Cross by Sacred Cowboys
O is for...
O Soundtrack My Heart by Pivot
Oceans Apart by The Go-Betweens
Ode To Nothing by The Lighthouse Keepers
P is for...
Paddock Of Love by Lubricated Goat
Palimpsest by Essendon Airport
Paradise by My Disco
Pop Crimes by Rowland S. Howard
Personality - One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird by The Sleepy Jackson
Pilgrim's Progress by Harem Scarem
Pop Crimes by Rowland S. Howard
Prayers on Fire by The Birthday Party
Primitive Calculators (Black) by Primitive Calculators
Primitive Calculators and Friends (White) by Primitive Calculators/Various Artists
Q is for...
nothing
R is for...
Reelsville by Dave Mason
Reveal Yourself by The Blackeyed Susans
Ron Pisto's Real World by Fungus Brains
S is for...
The Shiralee by theredsunband
Sleeping Dogs Lie by The Victims
Soaking Red by Tendrils
The Soft 'N' Sexy Sound by Dave Graney 'N' The Coral Snakes
Space Coyote by The Tigers
Still Life by The Paradise Motel
Strange Bird by Augie March
Strange Tourist by Gareth Liddiard
Stoneage Romeos by Hoodoo Gurus
T is for...
The Tabloid Blues by Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males
Tales From The Australian Underground by Various Artists
Tales From the Australian Underground Volume 2 by Various Artists
Teenage Snuff Film by Rowland S. Howard
This Is Not The Way Home by The Cruel Sea
U is for...
nothing
V is for...
nothing
W is for...
Wait Long By The River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By by The Drones
The Waterfront Years by Tumbleweed
We're All Gunna Die by Don Walker
What Are Rockstars Doing Today by Magic Dirt
What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have by Sarah Blasko
Whatever You Love, You Are by Dirty Three
Where Joy Kills Sorrow by Various Artists
X is for...
X-Aspirations by X
Y is for...
Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Own Thing by Kim Salmon & The Surrealists
Z is for...
nothing

So that is it, any questions? What is your all-time favorite Aussie albums?

P.S. If you don't know that's Sir Les Patterson sitting on the crapper with the Aussie flag, photo by Polly Borland.

A to Z: 100 Best Australian Albums so "L" is for...

The Lorikeet, or should I say the Rainbow Lorikeet which is the full name, so it should be "R" really but anyway you'll maybe note that I've completely missed the last letter "K" out so you could say I don't know my alphabet but there are reasons. Well, one big fat reason really because when I made my list there are no albums under that letter. Maybe the closest would have to be the Chad's Tree album called Kerosene but it was included on a reissue with all their recordings called Crossing Off The Miles which is under "C" already. So for the letter "K" I was going pick the Kookaburra as the bird and pick out some YouTube clips or something but because this is taking forever, as I keep repeating in every post it will not matter missing one letter out, will it? I love Lorikeets because they're everywhere. Well, in Perth you can't go anywhere with out seeing and hearing them too, another very loud Aussie bird.

Only two albums for this post but these albums could be two of the most obscurer albums so far in my list, what do you think?

Live by Venom P. Stinger
This one was only ever put out on vinyl in a very small pressing but if you do get it, like myself you'll play it over and over and oh my god it looks so amazing spinning around on you record player, it's see-though green vinyl! The title Live is misleading too because it's not live in front of a crowd or live on stage at a gig but live recorded in a radio station which was live on the air at the time because there wasn't many recordings of them. It was such a great set they just released it. This band also contains two Dirty Three members and this was only a year or two away from them forming, Jim White on drums and Mick Turner on guitar and how much different they sounded in the early 90's.

Lowercase by Bluetile Lounge
This one is also long not available too or deleted CD but was distributed by Sub-Pop in the mid 90's and possibly more known in the U.S.A. than in the whole of Australia but in Perth at the time if you liked live indie music you will or should remember them. They built a small local following and now are a some what legendary cult band. I would not known where in hell you could get this album now but they did release a second after this debut album which I think is still around, somewhere maybe but in the late 90's they broke-up. This album is so great and would be in my top ten greatest albums of all-time, maybe even top five and that's in the world not just Aussie albums but I think there would be more Aussie stuff in my list anyway.     
Stay tuned for the letter "M" soon...

A to Z: 100 Best Australian Albums so "H" is for...

The Harrier, or it's the Swamp Harrier above and I'm back using John Gould's Birds of Australia again. Swamp Harrier is a bird that's in least concern in conservation status which is a great thing really but people do like to talk about about all the Endangered or even the Extinct species and I did last time with Gouldian Finch. I remember visiting the museum of W.A. and I loved going to the Bird gallery all the time. They have all the birds in Western Australian taxidermied but it seem only the tourists from somewhere else would look at these birds and local people looked at the extinct display in the corner and I would hear things like, "I want to see something I don't see everyday when I come to the museum" or "This is a boring room, let's see what's next" and after a while of hearing this I've stopped going because it was depressing listening to people talk like that, or just start wishing the human race was extincted.

Anyway back to the music and the letter "H" which seems like it's got the most amount of albums so far in my little count down, reaching double figures with ten so that's why its taken so long in between posts.

Havilah by The Drones
Well, here are The Drones again with their last album from 2008, a long time ago now and this time at their own home studio. Joining them as a full new member was Dan Luscombe with Mike Noga on his second album and of-course Fiona Kitschin and Gareth Liddiard have been here from the start.

Henry's Dream by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
With two more Aussie members joining the band Martyn P. Casey and Conway Savage make it the most ever but really can we call Cave an Aussie anymore? He's lived almost all of his adult life in England, and do you know how many albums he has done in Australia? I mean the full album? Well, only two albums Kicking Against the Pricks and Nocturama, which are not great records and that's pretty fucking lame for someone who calls himself an Aussie. Anyway this one was recorded in the U.S.A. but only mixed here. I've picked this because if I was to choose only one Bad Seeds album to listen to this would be it.   

Here Come The Lies by The Drones
Here's where it all started with the debut album from 2002, the band members at this point were Gareth, Fiona Kitschin, Rui Pereira and early drummer Christian Strybosch plus listed in the liner notes are Matt Heydon plays "Mr Whippy piano on New Kind of Kick" and Craig Williamson "his swollen eggs on The Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands" whatever that means.


Hey Believer by Kim Salmon with STM
The first of two albums in this post and he's already been here in my list four times, if you didn't know, with From One To Another by The Darling Downs, Dirty Three by Dirty Three, Blood Red River by The Scientists and The Axeman's Jazz by Beasts of Bourbon. This record from the mid-90' was at the time the closest he came to doing a solo album but six of these tracks included and band called STM who was the late Andrew Entsch on Doulbe Bass and Dirty Three's Jim White and Warren Ellis.

High Voltage by AC/DC
This debut album was like the blueprint without really even thinking about it, they were just another rock n roll band starting out, nothing more. I remember having the Aussie version on cassette tape with a different tracklisting, as one of my first albums I bought myself but you can't get that anymore, I wish you could. Most of Bon Scott's lyrics made more sense the older I got but they were never as good as this album. Of course they became one of the biggest heavy rock bands in the world with one of the highest selling albums of all-time but thier early stuff is always better, everytime.  

Hit Me With The Surreal Feel by Kim Salmon & the Surrealists
The debut album of The Surrealists and Kim Salmon. After The Scientists broke-up he formed a trio line-up with Brian Hooper on bass and Tony Pola on drums. Recorded with microphones randomly placed around the studio and recorded on just a four-track in his home town of Perth before packing up and heading east. Other than tours he's never come back finally setting up home in Melbourne a few years later. I like the fact I've sandwiched Kim Salmon's albums in between AC/DC and also The Drones in between Nick Cave but both I would argue are more Aussie than the bigger names and that's what my list is all about.

Honey Steel's Gold by Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper left The Saints after just three albums to form his new band, Laughing Clowns who broke-up. This is one of his solo albums after almost ten years playing under just his name. Original release in 1991 with a killer band line-up of Mark Dawson on Drums, Sir Alfonso on Bass and The Necks' Chris Abrahams on Piano and Organ, also the first he worked with his long time co-producer, Phil Punch. Can I call it one of the best break-up albums of all-time, it's like the Aussie's Blood on the Tracks.

Hoodoo You Do by The Devil & Abbe May
Right this is Abbe May's second album but the only one to be released under this name. It's her totally Blues album so off-course it's got the main star the Devil, himself which is more a heavy metal thing now. Most people compare her to an Female English songwriter but I would say she is more like the bloke who she broke's heart in the late 90's. Yes, I'm talking about Nick Cave again not PJ Harvey and I would argue she's the new Nick Cave. It's seems to me both are pretty much doing the same thing in the last couple of years but it's wicked coming from a young lady but just silly coming from an old man plus she would murder him in a guitar duel. Then again it's really very silly comparing artists and I'm just on a I hate Nick Cave rant tonight.

Horse Stories by Dirty Three
The second  Dirty Three album or is it the third if you count the demo tape that was turned into the album Sad & Dangerous but anyway it's the second on my list. On the DVD doco from 2007 Warren Ellis was saying it he didn't want to or/and could have not released it at the time, I can not think of that time in the mid 90's music landscape without this album. I wish they would stop being just a side project to all of Nick Cave's stuff too and it's so great to have them back with a new album. Ellis should file his divorce papers next and come back to his first love, Dirty Three and make it a full time band again. I'll never forgive Cave for fucking up one of the greatest bands of all-time but I also remember Ellis talking about working with Charlie Marshall in the mid-90's, how amazing it was and what an honor to work with such a great songwriter like him but who knows who he is now? my point is, it was inevitable if someone like Nick Cave came along.


Hourly, Daily by You Am I
This would have to be my favorite You Am I album and it's for the simple reason that it's their first album recorded in Australia. Tim Rogers, Andy Kent and Russell Hopkinson stopped going oversea to do their albums and this is the third album, the two album before were both done in the U.S.A. with Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo. Roger's songs also look closer to home e.g. daily life from waking up in the morning to saying goodnight. You really couldn't find a more Aussie looking album cover because when you look out a window or walk down the street that is what you would see. This albums got nothing to do with Nick Cave, thank fuck but from now on I promise to NOT say his name anymore on this blog, he just pisses me off now. I'll have to write about all these albums again without him so sorry about that.

Stay tuned for the letter "I" soon...

A to Z: 100 Best Australian Albums so "D" is for...

Duck or this Aussie member of the duck family called the Pacific Black Duck which is my favorite duck and once again from the John Gould's The Birds of Australia too. If you missed my last three posts I've now edited them because all these post which are about my favorite Aussie albums started getting to be not really at least before I edited them, that probably only makes sense if you read them before.

At the top of the post I'm just going to pick out one of my favorite Aussie birds that starts with the same letter as the albums in the post and I've been looking at the old John Gould's The Birds of Australia books so it seems right to use the images and hopefully it will not take a month to write each one - which is how long the last three have taken.

Anyway on with the next four albums of my 100 Aussie albums under the letter "D". I think I will continue with keeping what I write on each of these albums short to one sentence like the last post, or this is going to take me forever but I might come back and write more on each album at a later date, under the title of "classic album" because I think all these are classics, have I already said that?

Dead Wood Falls by Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea

Well, Jen Cloher has somewhat been lost in the flood of solo Aussie female artists over the last few years. For me she is on pretty much on the top and this, her debut album, is the one I would have to pick out.


The Definitive Collection by The Sports

This two disc set is epic in just how much stuff is included on it, for a band who released four EPs and four albums in the late 70's and early 80's before breaking up, this is what the title says it is.


Dirty Three by Dirty Three

How could I not includ the debut album from the band I would call the greatest band in the 90's No one could come close to this band in that decade, not just in Australia but the whole wide world.


Drunk On A Train by The Painkillers

This was recorded as just a demo to get more gigs but this was just too good or so great not to releas as their debut album and it's also a wicked comeback for James Baker.

Stay tuned for the letter "E" soon...

A to Z: 100 Best Australian Albums so "B" is for...

Well, above now is a Satin Bowerbird, or for short just a Bowerbird which is again from the John Gould's The Birds of Australia.

OK, last week was my one year anniversary of my blog which I started with a post about one of my classic albums and it was going to be series but I only did one album. All these albums here could be in my classic albums series so maybe I'll get back to it after posting the A to Z: 100 Best Australian Albums list. I think I could write a lot more about each of these albums but I did promise to keep it short so I will.

The Best of the... by Hard-Ons
Right, here's a best of album which I think is justified because the Hard-Ons always put out a lot of 7" singles, Mini-albums or EPs and was really a D.I.Y. band when they started in the 80's. This compilation is of all the most important early work by them. The only band I've seen live which brought the ceiling down on the crowd, literally but that still didn't stop them playing, I have to tell that story in full at a later date.


Big Name, No Blankets by Warumpi Band
One of the greatest bands from the 80's which are totally unfortunately forgotten now. In my opinion they should be remember like Midnight Oil but are not, maybe just as their footnote which is totally unfair. At least no one in this band turned into a shit politician, I don't know how people listen to them without thinking about that. Warumpi Band have a long off-on history but have a very short recording out-put which can't help, I guess. This is thier debut album from 1986 and I recommend it to anyone who listened to that other band, this is better.


Blood Red River: 1982-1984 by The Scientists
Before these reissues The Scientists albums were so hard to find with Sub Pop in America having only one compilation album of their huge recording out-put but now in the last few years all of it became available. This one is of the middle years and the best, well maybe, at least the best place to start with but off course you should go get the earlier and later recordings as well. Kim Salmon is very prolific but so underrated too and not the last time he will appear here.


Blue Trees by Mick Turner/Tren Brothers
After the last Dirty Three album in 2005 and the violin player running off with someone who I don't need to name here. Mick Turner released this in 2007, underrated compilation album of recordings he and Jim White recorded without that mad fiddle player bloke and I'll say here it's better than some of the Dirty Three albums and proves these two are just as important as that other guy, what is his name anyway?


Body Language by Kylie Minogue
Kylie really gets to much of a bad rap for being one of the biggest singers, if not the biggest music star ever from Australia, it's that tall poppy thing. I love Kylie and I don't care what anyone says. Her 2003 album Body Language is her masterpiece, in my opinion, which came two years after the run-away success of her single "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" and the previous album, Fever plus a couple of years before her cancer scare.


Stay tuned for the letter "C" soon...

More Gaz: the Roots of The Drones & Gareth Liddiard

OK, even more Gaz and The Drones which I'm not going to apologize for because they are my favorite band and singer-songwriter plus because I haven't done that much here on my blog lately this is extra, extra long. This time I've put together a collection of songs they or he has covered or name dropped at one time or another. I will do my best to cite when and where and why I've included them. If you have seen Liddiard's myspace he's written "Who care's" under influences but also credited Margaret Thatcher as a band member who play's the Kora. This post is somewhat inspired by my last post about Gaz. It's NOT a big list of who the members of The Drones have rooted but in this case it means influenced by, who they loved and covered their songs kind-off like Mojo magazine's free CDs but because this is an online blog here's what I found on youtube. I've made the player thingy small because most are not worth watching for one reason or another but you can make them bigger your self, if you want to.

1. De Kelb Blues by Lead Belly
The first of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies".


2. The Downbound Train by Chuck Berry
The second of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies" also killer live version on "Live in Spaceland".


3. New Kind of Kick by The Cramps
The third of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies".


4. Motherless Children by Blind Willie Johnson
The last of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies".


5. Same Old Man by Karen Dalton
The song which Shark Fin Blues was based on from the album "Wait Long By The River and The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By".


6. I Believe by Alan Vega
The original version of I Believe which was on the album "The Miller's Daughter".


7. Part 1: Acknowledgement by John Coltrane
In the liner notes for the above song Gareth also writes about "A Love Supreme" which is a Coltrane album but it must be this he's talking about.


8. Are You Leaving for the Country? by Karen Dalton
The one and only cover on the album "Gala Mill". One of only two artists who appear on this playlist twice.


9. Cortez the Killer by Neil Young
One of a couple songs The Drones have covered which can be found at thier website under sounds


10. Manic Depression by Jimi Hendrix
The second song The Drones have covered which can be found at thier website under sounds.


11. Who Do You Love? by Bo Diddley
Also at their website but orginally on the Hoodoo Gurus tribute album "Stoneage Cameos" so it's a kind-off cover of a cover.


12. Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones
Gareth Liddard sung a duet with The Audreys' Taasha Coates on Aussie music quiz show Rockwiz. You can find thier verison on "the Rockwiz Duets, Volume 2".


13. Messin' With the Kid by The Saints
Gareth Liddard sung a duet with Magic Dirt's Adalita Srsen on Aussie music quiz show Rockwiz You can find thier verison on "the Rockwiz Duets, Volume 3".


14. Words from a Woman to Her Man by Beasts of Bourbon
The Drones covered this Kim Salmon song on Triple J's Like A Verison. You can find it on "Triple J's Like A Version, Volume 2"


15. Suicide Is Painless by Johnny Mandel & Mike Altman
The Drones covered the M*A*S*H theme song Triple J's Like A Verison. You can find it on "Triple J's Like A Version, Volume 5".


16. River of Tears by Kev Carmody
Most likely the most well known song that The Drones have ever covered. You can find both the original and their cover on "Cannont Buy My Soul"


17. Jailbreak by AC/DC
The first of three songs on youtube from his top five "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.


18. Collapse Board by Laughing Clowns
The second of three songs on youtube from his top five "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.


19. Hope by Dirty Three
The last of three songs on youtube from his top five "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.


20. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by The Bee Gees
At the AIR (Australian Independent Records Labels Association) Awards 2008, The Drones and Martha Wainwright performed this and the next song.


21. Train Long-Suffering by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
At the AIR (Australian Independent Records Labels Association) Awards 2008, The Drones and Martha Wainwright performed this and the above song.


22. Crowned by These Immortal Souls
The Drones covered this on the album called "A Tribute to Rowland S. Howard" double CD.


23. I Drink by Charles Aznavour
The Drones cover this on the "Custom Made E.P."


24. You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond by Blind WIllie Johnson
Another song from "The Miller's Daughter" who's title borrowed and the second of only two artists who appear on this list twice.


25. Don't Look Back by John Lee Hooker
This is another song from "The Miller's Daughter" album, this song is what the track Stop Dreaming comes from but it is the lyric and not the title of the song that is borrowed here.


26. Moreton Bay by Bernard Fanning
Sixteen Straws for "Gala Mill" uses the first verse from Moreton Bay. This is a very old song. This version was recorded from the Ned Kelly movie but is better than John Denver's version but it's been around forever.


27. Believe In Me by The Throb
One of the earliest covers The Drones have done on the album called "Wild About You! Tales From the Australian Rock Undergound 1963-1968".


28. My Pal by GOD
The Drones played this at The Last Song at the Tote with original singer Joel Silbersher.


29. Slammin' On The Brakes by Spencer P. Jones
The first of six songs which have no videos on youtube so you'll have to find them yourself. Covered on "The Miller's Daughter" album.

30. Revolution by X
From his top five, the Aussie band X's song was picked for "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.

31. Obvious Is Obvious by Kim Salmon
From his top five, Salmon's song was picked for "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.

32. Long Gone Whistle by Maurice Frawley
This is the most recent cover The Drones have recorded from the three CD tribute called "Long Gone Whistle – The Songs of Maurice Frawley".

33. The Executioner by Paul Kelly
Gareth Liddiard played this live for Kelly's induction into The Age newspapers' EG Awards Hall of Fame in 2010.

34. Highlands by Bob Dylan
Not covered or anything like that but just a guess that it might be an big influence on Liddiard's songwriting with his songs like The Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands from debut album and recently Highplains Mailman on his solo album plus he now lives in the Victorian's mountains. There's no Dylan here on this list and it's his longest song and Gaz does like long songs.

35. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Patti Smith
If you haven't heard the original by Nirvana I don't know where you've been. Patti Smith covered it on her album called Twelve but at the Sydney Opera House in 2008 The Drones were her support band and were invited back on to cover it and I've finally found it on youtube, you can't see anything but you can hear it, well it's not great but better than nothing. I've made the size a bit bigger because it's The Drones with Patti Smith which is a great way to finish this very long post.


By the way I have no idea who took the top photo but it's another one from their myspace profile. Wow, that has taken me a really long time to write so I'll have to make the next post shorter.

More Gaz: A Painting, 3 Albums, 5 Songs & New Video

Well, it's another post about Gareth Liddiard (surprise, surprise) so I'm just going to title them all More Gaz from now on and hopefully write about something else too but this post is just nicking stuff from other websites really which I hope is OK. I've read these the other day but just lost them and just going to re-post here to go with all the other Gaz posts as some kind of collection.

First up is Gareth Liddiard top three Aussie albums which I have to ask why only three? five or ten would be better even twenty maybe thirty, fuck-it if Liddiard wrote a book called 100 greatest Aussie albums I would buy it and read it over and over. I love it when he name-drops stuff because he always comes up with wicked music and I've never been disappointed with it because most of it I have and if not I can go out and find it. It's a bit of a history lesson in Aussie music, stuff that is less known but should be listened to more than it is. This is from the great people at FasterLouder and like someone said in the comments "He sure has a way with words" so I've cut and pasted it into my blog sorry if I'm breaking some copyright law but it's too good to edit or anything.

1. Kim Salmon & STM – Hey Believer

"When I was a young snapper I did all sorts of work at and for Kim Salmon shows. I was too young to drive a hire car but I had to drive the Surrealists around ‘cause they were too drunk and their promoter hated that about them. No one told me about Tarago handbrakes so the van always stunk of fishy hot brake pads and I was henceforth mocked. The Surrealists were amazing but STM was another story all together. The band was made up of Kim, Warren [Ellis] and Jim [White] from the Dirty Three and a double bass player called Andrew [Entsch] who died a long time ago. They only did one tour and made one album. One of the best bands I’ve ever seen live. And in true Australian fashion, no one gave a fuck because they weren’t from some other country run by white people."

2. AC/DC – Let There Be Rock

"As far as guitar sounds go, you can’t really beat this recording. It’s intense. And interesting considering that everywhere except Australia they’re known as the biggest rock band ever. Bigger even than the Beatles and Pink Floyd. They didn’t do a lot of compromising considering. But they didn’t come from somewhere else that’s run by whites or something so forget that. And Rupert Murdoch and Julian Assange don’t run the planet right now either. And Peter Singer isn’t usually right about everything and Les Murray isn’t one of the greatest three or four living poets right now. Elsewhere in the west is always best, remember that. Pretend you’re them."

3. Rowland S. Howard – Teenage Snuff Film

"This is Rowland’s masterpiece. He was the greatest, most original guitarist Australia has ever had. On the break up of the band that brought him fame he went on to record 10 or so records solo and with various bands that were mostly overlooked. Probably because his original singer appealed more to record companies that needed to make a buck, though Rowland was always, at least, equally as good. You never see him on those “greatest Australian album” lists which is nuts. He’s not alone though, Rowland and Spencer P. Jones are the most underrated songwriters on the planet. Everything on this record is perfecto, the tunes, guitar playing, production, Mick [Harvey], Brian [Hooper] and Rowland’s voice which was as jocular as it was jaundiced."

Next up is something called Take Five from Triple J radio. The five songs for each capital city in Australia because well he's on tour again, I guess. You can re-play it as much as you like too on the player links at the bottom of the page. Most of the songs are at the tail ends of the albums they're from and none are the singles or the more poplar tracks from them. I wish Liddiard would be a DJ after this because he would play the best songs and I could listen to his talk forever, even if it's his jokes and him laughing. Anyway I've cut and paste one paragraph and the playlist from their website too, oops I did it again.

He dropped by the triple j studios just before the start of his national tour with Dan Kelly to play five songs that remind him of different places - and not surprising he picked five fantastic Aussie tunes. He talked about how he visited Sydney just to buy a copy of X's Aspirations, why Kim Salmon & The Surrealists blew his mind and his love for the Dirty Three.

Here's what he played:

1. Kim Salmon & The Surrealists - Redemption For Sale (Perth)
2. Laughing Clowns - Song Of Joy (Brisbane)
3. X - Good On Ya Baby (Sydney)
4. Dirty Three - Red (Melbourne)
5. The Mark Of Cain - Summertime (Adelaide)

Gareth Liddiard - Strange Tourist from Two Fish Out Of Water on Vimeo.

So above is his new video for Strange Tourist which was re-recorded for this in his home in the Victorian mountains. The video directed by Jasmin Tarasin who is the same person who did the one for the Blondin Makes An Omelette video last year. I'm still slowly writing that big post but not finish yet. I've been sick this week but I did get to see him last weekend and it was a great live show too. The top image is a new painting for the Archibald Prize 2011. It’s not all Henry bloody Lawson is the title and it's painted by Jason Benjamin.

Stay tuned for more soon...

2010: My Top Ten Albums of the year plus some more

My Song of the year
Rowland S. Howard's Golden Age Of Bloodshed



Rowland S. Howard - 'Golden Age Of Bloodshed' from Ghost Pictures Pty Ltd on Vimeo.

My E.P. of the year
Adalita's Hot Air


Adalita - Hot Air from Adam Harding on Vimeo.

My Reissue of the year
The Triffids' Wide Open Road: Best of...



My Compilation of the year
Various Artists and Maurice Frawley's Long Gone Whistle: The Songs of...


http://vimeo.com/14273007 from Carbie Warbie on Vimeo.

My Soundtrack/Film Score of the year
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis' The Road



My DVD of the year
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Henry's Dream (Collectors Edition)



The Best Music Writing of the Year
My Book:
Craig Mathieson's Playlisted: Everything You Need to Know About Australian Music Right Now


My Magazine:
Tom Waits' edited Mojo Magazine 200th issue


My Online:
Andrew Ramadge's The World According To Gaz


My Live Act of the Year
Dirty Three performing Ocean Songs in its entirety as part of a Don't Look Back concert event @ Beck's Music Box on The Esplanade, Perth (11 February 2010)

DIRTY THREE - Ocean songs (complete 'Recovery' ABC TV performance) from Paralysed mind on Vimeo.

The Top Ten Albums of the Year
My #10
My Disco - Little Joy


My #9
The Gin Club - Deathwish



My #8
Stephen Cummings' Good Bones


http://vimeo.com/13512082 from Carbie Warbie on Vimeo.

My #7
Glenn Richards' Glimjack


Glenn Richards - 'Torpor and Spleen' (Official Video) from Glenn Richards on Vimeo.

My #6
Kim Salmon & the Surrealists' Grand Unifying Theory


http://vimeo.com/16824515 from Carbie Warbie on Vimeo.

My #5
PVT's Church With No Magic


"Window" PVT from London Sessions Productions on Vimeo.

My #4
Eddy Current Suppression Ring's Rush To Relax


Eddy Current Suppression Ring RUSH TO RELAX from Johann Rashid on Vimeo.

My #3
Dan Kelly's Dream


DAN KELLY Hold On, Im Coming On from Johann Rashid on Vimeo.

My #2
The Paradise Motel's Australian Ghost Story



My #1
Gareth Liddiard's Strange Tourist



The End.

50 Greatest Nick Cave Songs: from #4 to #0 not #1

So after all this writing about Nick Cave and all 50 of my favorite tracks I don't think I want to listen to him for a while now. Anyway I wanted to finish off these epic blog posts before the end of the year. So here's my top five songs by Nick Cave starting with number...

4. Nick Cave with Bruno Coulais - To Be By Your Side
One of two tracks in my top five Nick Cave songs which are not on a Bad Seeds album, both are from soundtracks. I know that they all should be album tracks but I can't help but number this song up this high. it's one of his most perfectly written lyrics, a totally stunning, captivating and exquisite song. The music by Bruno Coulais absolutely and exactly matched his words. It's also needs to be heard more too because people don't know of it or just don't know how great this is. Plus where else do you get Cave sing along with Geese which are the stars of the film. A wicked movie too.
Find it on: Travelling Birds (Soundtrack) 2002 or under the title Winged Migration in USA or Le Peuple Migrateur in France

3. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Babe, You Turn Me On
Another of his tracks featuring more winged friends with butcher birds, nightingales and even bees too. This is the fourth song from the huge double album I've picked for my favorite Cave songs. Three tunes from The Lyre of Orpheus side and just one from Abattoir Blues and two were rehashed as singles which I would say are two of his best choices, I never liked the singles but those two are flat out outstanding and superb. Only one other album has four tracks here in my list of his best songs. I've only seen his perform it once live and wished he would play it last time but maybe next time, fingers crossed.
Find it on: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (Album) 2004

2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Grief Came Riding
This is on my copy of this album but is not included normally. I got it the week it was originally available and it was a bonus track on the album. One of only two Bad Seeds albums recorded at Abbey Road Studios, the other one was the previous album The Boatman's Call. He rarely plays this one live but at a very short, invite only launch party for the album Cave said "the Bad Seeds actually deemed it too depressing" and is about "the misery of living in England". Three songs ended up in my list from this album which ties with The Boatman's Call in second place, the albums with the most tracks I've selected here in my list.
Find it on: No More Shall We Part (Limited Edition) 2001 or B-Sides & Rarities (Compilation) 2005

1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Loom Of The Land
Well, here is my number one track (finally) and of-course has to be from Henry's Dream album. I really have run out of things to say now after fifty tracks but here goes. An album with only nine songs and I've picked four here it's the album that wins hands down here...if you count Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus as one album not two discs or a double album as some people do. I've only ever seen him play this once too but it doesn't matter I love this song so much and I don't really need to explain anymore, full stop.
Find it on: Henry's Dream (Album) 1992

0. Nick Cave with Dirty Three - Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum
But just to be difficult I'm including number zero here. So is this my top song or the previous track? See if you can figure that out. This is the very first Warren Ellis and Nick Cave collaboration, he joined the band Dirty Three for this classic song. In the liner notes for the soundtrack all that was written was "Zero is also a number" and your physically had to rewind your CD which some players didn't do. A hidden track which is the most hardest to find or even just play. The title is in Latin and translates to "Dread the passage of Jesus for He will not return". Epic, Do I need to say anymore?
Find it on: Songs in the Key of X (Soundtrack) 1996 or B-Sides & Rarities (Compilation) 2005

Top photograph by Bleddyn Butcher and was first published in Rolling Stone Australia in May 1994 and now can be found at National Portrait Gallery. He's wearing Smith & Wesson handguns T-shirt, he-ha.

Just to finish off here is a kind-off mix tape thingy called grooveshark so you can play all (but one) tracks on my 50 Greatest Nick Cave Songs, enjoy!