Your opinion on these Aussie classics

[CureTheSane]

I'll attack these a couple at a time.

 

 

 

 

Noiseworks - fairly big band in Australia for a while. As Geoff said, Take Me Back is their standout. The others are mostly easy to listen to, probably because radio slammed them into our brains until we sung along.

 

 

 

 

Choirboys. Amazing band who are massively underrated.

Here are the tracks from my best of compilation.

 

These are all from their first ST album (1983) It is rawer and a bit more 'pub rock' sound to it than subsequent albums

Running From The Storm

Talk Big

Never Gonna Die - the song that got the initial radio airplay

You're With The Big Boys Now (Carrie)

Boys In The Band - this is an epic song

Bought & Paid For

Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Bullshit – popular is concerts and kind of cutting edge to have Bullshit as the song title at the time.

 

The Second album - Big Bad Noise (1988) Very commercial and great production which set the scene for future releases. The album that 'made them'

Run To Paradise - Their biggest hit. If you want to test out one song top see what the band's about, try this.

Struggle Town – Released as maybe the 4^th single. OK

Boys Will Be Boys - The follow up to Run To Paradise. Also did very well

Like Fire

Fireworks - I still have the 7" single of this and it is way better than what made it to the album

Gasoline

One Hot Day

 

From Midnight Sun (1991) This album didn't do much for the band, yet it contains some of their best stuff

Midnight Sun

Our Empire Falls - This is a hooky classic song

Rise Up

Place With No Love

Rendezvous - one of my favorites from this band

We Believed – another great song which builds to a great chorus

 

From Yo-Yo (1996)

All Night

Lonely

Angeline

One Way Street

Gone

Solo

Can't Believe – kind of a punky song for them, the best of this album

This Is My Summer

 

From Evolver (2004) This albums has Beatles songs in brackets after each title. The songs play on this in the lyrics

Fuel (A Day In The Life) - the stand out here

Pharaohs (Let It Be)

The Dog Song – quirky poppy ballad

Dream On (All You Need Is Love)

Please Believe Me (Come Together)

Cold Outside Your Heart (Good Day Sunshine)

Break It Free (Girl)

Ride Up (Baby's In Black) – cool song with nice hooks

Roll It Over (Yesterday)

All Over You (She's Leaving Home)

 

Note, there is one more album, which I don’t have from 1994 which is Dancing on the Grave of Rock n' Roll

Other albums are Big Bad And Acoustic 2006 which is a best of acoustic versions and So Easy 2007 which is a covers album.

[Silverkin]

Ah, Mental as Anything, Live it Up that's a great 80s pop classic for me, one of those that takes me right back to my teens when I hear it. I think it really captured the era.

 

Men at Work were pretty big in the UK with Down Under but were a one hit wonder band for me. I might check out some of their other stuff too.

I always was (& still am to some extent) a lazy listener and unless I REALLY loved a track by a band, or heard a 2nd one by them that I liked I never took it further and listened out for other songs by them.

 

Maybe that's one of the big plusses of the internet and Spotify - it makes it so much easier to 'try before you buy' & extend your listening

[Doggy]

There is band you have listen to Silverkin, they called Radio Sun. I will be interested in your reviews.

[CureTheSane]

Cold Chisel

 

Cold Chisel were the epitome of a pub rock band. Jimmy would skull vodka from the bottle on stage, they destroyed their set on our music show at the time - Countdown, and along the way entrenched themselves into Aussie music culture.

Their stuff was hit and miss, but when they got it right it was great.
All the songs below did well on the charts.

 

Standing On The Outside

You Got Nothing I Want

Khe Sanh - This is an anthem in Australia. EVERYONE knows the first line or two, and then pretty much nobody know the rest of the song

No Sense

Breakfast At Sweethearts

My Baby

Flame Trees - Their best song for me. This is as good as it gets for Jimmy Barnes. Song is hooky and melodic

Bow River

Choir Girl

When The War Is Over - This is one of their best ballads, tonnes of radio play

Cheap Wine

Forever Now

Saturday Night - One of their last songs, a ballad that did very well

Jimmy Barnes

When Jimmy went solo, he became a resounding success, stamping his own mark on the Aussie music scene. Massive radio hits, more contemporary lighter rock for the most part, but some rock in there as well.

No Second Prize

I'd Die To Be With You Tonight

Ride The Night Away

Working Class Man - this was his breakout hit. Was in a Michael Keaton movie

Good Times - This is a duet with Michael Hutchence from INXS. Big hit

Driving Wheels

Too Much Ain't Enough Love

I'm Still On Your Side

Lay Down Your Guns

Let's Make It Last All Night

Little Darling - Probably my favorite song of his. Poppy and easy to listen to

When Your Love Is Gone

Fade To Black - another great ballad, didn't do so well on the charts but one of my faves

(Simply) The Best

The Weight - another stand out

Stone Cold

Change Of Heart

Lover Lover

Gotcha - the first song from a covers album, also containing the songs below

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher

When Something Is Wrong With My Baby

Show Me

Many Rivers To Cross

Reflections

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

I Found A Love

Signed Sealed Delivered (I'm Yours)

Bring It On Home To Me

Here I Am (Come And Take Me)

River Deep Mountain High

Respect

Reach Out I'll Be There

Try A Little Tenderness

Stagger Lee

Sweet Soul Music

[Darkstone]

Cold Chisel are legendary.

A great example of two lead vocalists complimenting each other.

 

I haven't really been interested in Jimmy's stuff after "Two Fires". I believe he had huge tax issues and ever since that album i just get the vibe that he churns out as much as he can to make as much money as he can. I hate to say it, but i think he's the biggest "whore" in the Australian music industry.

 

As for Ian Moss, probably the complete opposite. Not enough material from him over the years. He achieved commercial and critical success with his "Matchbook" Album, but that's about it really.

 

[Silverkin]

There is band you have listen to Silverkin, they called Radio Sun. I will be interested in your reviews.

I've had a listen to their 'Outside Looking In' album.

It's got a real 'feel good' factor to it - the kind of album I'd have playing in my car stereo or at a BBQ.

Nice vocals and a pretty consistent sound throughout - which is good and bad for me. Good if I'm in a 'give me a heavy dose of melodic rock' mood, bad if I'm in a general music mood as I'd want to break it up a bit with different styles as they can start to sound all the same to me after a while.

The only one from that album that I didn't think worked was You'll never know. I was loving the acoustic intro but it felt a bit too abrupt when it switched into the rock part.

 

Pretty impressed though over all and will add it to my medleys I think

 

Really liked Geoff's Icehouse recommendations too

[Doggy]

Pick up "Freight Train Heart " album by Barnesy, most of the songs were written by Jonathon Cain of Babys /Journey fame.

[Mr.AOR]

Don't forget Avion who are AWESOME!!! and their White Noise album should be mandatory for every self respecting AOR fan.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h30p8MIG-I&list=PLtN4dmtHgNq6vVwP4cS8cBrif6JULQUi6&index=6

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oKOnPgN8YU&index=4&list=PLtN4dmtHgNq6vVwP4cS8cBrif6JULQUi6

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoUBjErD4-Y&index=3&list=PLtN4dmtHgNq6vVwP4cS8cBrif6JULQUi6

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk3intPQsqo&index=1&list=PLtN4dmtHgNq6vVwP4cS8cBrif6JULQUi6

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytc2UDNkcw&index=7&list=PLtN4dmtHgNq6vVwP4cS8cBrif6JULQUi6

[Geoff]

Jeez mate, you seem to have all the rarest stuff out there. I have heard about this one, but never heard it before. Sounds great. But I know from experience it's 100% completely impossible to find.

[Mr.AOR]

Here ya go...

 

http://www.musicstack.com/album/avion/white+noise

[Mr.AOR]

Here ya go...

 

http://www.musicstack.com/album/avion/white+noise

[Geoff]

Here ya go...

 

http://www.musicstack.com/album/avion/white+noise

 

Thanks mate!! $148 seems a completely reasonable amount for a CD!

[Mr.AOR]

 

Here ya go...

 

http://www.musicstack.com/album/avion/white+noise

 

Thanks mate!! $148 seems a completely reasonable amount for a CD!

 

 

Depends how badly you want it, someone will buy it.

[Geoff]

 

 

Here ya go...

 

http://www.musicstack.com/album/avion/white+noise

 

Thanks mate!! $148 seems a completely reasonable amount for a CD!

 

 

Depends how badly you want it, someone will buy it.

 

 

Haha, and they're welcome to it! I've never wanted a CD badly enough to pay over $40 (and I still curse the ones that got close to that mark) but $148 is absolutely ridiculous.

[Doggy]

The band, Avion, never released a disc in their home country.

[JC_AOR]

Yeah I was under the impression that Avion released their albums on vinyl only...I have both their albums on a 2 on 1 CD reissue...don't think it's legit though. I also have a bunch of Avion 7" singles with unreleased b-sides. Killer Aussie band!

[Invisible_man]

"That's when I think of you" by 1927 is wonderful, it reminds me of Icehouse's Crazy, but stands well on it's own. Good stuff!

Noiseworks (Take Me back)  is a solid song too.

Edited August 25, 2019 by Invisible_man

[Doggy]

Trivia for 1927 fans, Eric the singer was found on a TV show called Hey,Hey its Saturday. They have segment called Red Faces, he got maximum scores from all judges. Including Red for Aussies members.

 

 

[CureTheSane]

Didn't know about the 1927 singer.

Edited August 26, 2019 by CureTheSane

[Doggy]

And one  member of 1927 was  in Moving Pictures, who sang " What About Me " before Shannon Noll butchered it

Edited August 27, 2019 by Doggy

[Invisible_man]

On 5/25/2017 at 3:38 PM, Doggy said:

The band, Avion, never released a disc in their home country.

Discogs lists Australian/New Zealand pressing of both S/T and White Noise

[Doggy]

If you a closer look, you would see they are both bootlegs.

[Invisible_man]

I just read that the songwriter of Mental as Anything Andrew "Greedy" Smith passed away in 2019, very sad. RIP

Greedy is the songwriter of this 80's classic

Live It Up

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Invisible_man

[Darkstone]

Yeah, I only recently heard that Greedy passed away last year. "Mental as Anything" were a big part of Aussie music in the late 70s and 80s. It was sad to hear. I think this was their last hit in 1989. Possibly their best and such a departure from their usual style.