As I mentioned in my previous post, I was only a few years old when this decade ended, but it’s music was heard all throughout my early years and of course I have some very fond favourites.
Owing to what prompted this little series, it’s probably somewhat appropriate that the first song I want to mention is Black and Blue by Chain, which is about a convict sent to Australia. Released in 1971, so four years before I was born, but a song I grew up listening to. I was actually thrilled when I found this clip on YouTube the other day, as it’s one of the first songs I looked up when I got connected to the ‘net, but found nothing back then. The best thing about it is that it’s a clip featuring the actual band, and not just a fan-made upload with random pics. Singer Matt Taylor looks a lil bit awkward, and I love that when he pulls the harmonica out, he has to take it out of the box first!
According to Wikipedia, this song is “genuine Australian Blues” – I’m not sure if that means because it’s Australian and blues, or because of the subject matter. Either way, it’s probably the first Australian blues song I not only heard, but the first blues song I actually liked.
Next up is Stevie Wright. Though he was a member of The Easybeats, a group often named the greatest Australian pop band of the 60′s, it’s his solo work from the 70′s that I’m most familiar with, and in particular the song Evie – Parts 1, 2 & 3.
Evie is pretty much quintessential listening in so far as Australian music history goes. It’s a love story told in three parts, covering the classic boy meets girl tale from the initial excitement of meeting someone special, all the way up until the tragic death of Evie during childbirth. This was one of the first songs I ever remember my mother talking to me about, telling me it’s story and why she loved it (I’ve also inherited her dislike of radio stations etc playing only one part), and it was a staple song for family road trips. The following videos are a live performance of all three parts recorded in 1979, (over two clips owing to the total duration) . One of the most classic rock songs of all time, Australian or otherwise.
S4E
