Rocking Down Under: Kallaj’s Guide To Aussie Rock [PART ONE]

Rocking Down Under: Kallaj’s Guide To Aussie Rock

Australia; home of the Sydney Opera House, Koala’s, and The Wiggles.  

Look, I would have said Cold Chisel but you wouldn’t get it

Is it any wonder why this country is great?  What puts this country apart from the rest, despite an obvious location joke, is this country accepts true rock music, just look at their fans.

The Pre Mullet Age of 1973

 When we think of Aussie Rock, bands that come to mind include the mighty AC/DC, Men Down Under, INXS, and Midnight Oil. All of these groups are great in their own right, but I’m going to pass by them today to introduce the cats you don’t know; that you should know. This list is in chronologic order, and each of the artists listed have shocked the pants off me because: 1. I Didn’t know them; 2. They Aren’t the Wiggles, and 3. Are the epitome of Aussie Rock. So sit back, grab a Fosters, and keep your ears open for some great Aussie Rock

1: "Wild One": Johnny O’Keefe

Every country has its Elvis type figure to bring Rock to its respective masses; we had Elvis (duh), England had Cliff Richard, and Australia had Johnny O’Keefe. J.O.K, as many refer to him, was the first Australian to hit local Australian Top 40 charts, and was the first Aussie rocker to tour here in the states. His flamboyant stage attire, stage antics, and influences of American Rock N Roll drove Australia nuts. From the mid 50’s to the early 60’s, J.O.K released countless covers of rock staples to the Aussie masses, as well as hosting one of Australia’s first Rock TV Programs, “Six O Clock Rock”. What separates him from other early Aussie rock pioneers is this song, “Wild One”. The story goes that J.O.K and his group, The DeeJays were playing a gig above an Italian Wedding. One thing lead to another in the mens bathroom, of all places, and a full scale riot occurs. After the Navy came to restore order, J.O.K was inspired to write the song that gave Australia its first big step in Rock history. Now a rock standard, You might not know his version, but you are probably aware of famous covers done by Jerry Lee Lewis or Iggy Pop. 

2: "Sorry": The Easybeats

        If Johnny O’Keefe is the Australian equivalent of Elvis, then The Easybeats would certainly be The Beatles. I think it’s safe to say that if you know classic rock, you have come across “Friday on my Mind” at least once, but there is far more to talk about then that one song. Although they formed in Sydney, all five members of the Easybeats came from Europe. From the end of World War II to the start of the 1960s, many Europeans decided to leave and start over in Australia. At the time, Australia was desperate for an increase in population and the Aussie government focused on immigration by trying to get Europeans to move down under. Without trying to get too heavy into the politics, the families of George Young (Of Scotland), Harry Vanda (of Denmark), Dick Diamonde (of The Netherlands), Stevie Wright and Gordon "Snowy" Fleet (both of England) all were part of this wave of immigration. They were signed by Ted Albert of Albert Records (one of Australia’s first Indie labels), and by 1966, The Easybeats had 4 top 10 singles. Then they recorded their first number one, “Sorry”, and the real story begins. Written by Vanda and Wright, “Sorry” is raw, snotty and loud. The real distinctive quality, though, is Harry Vanda’s choppy guitar intro, climaxing with a slightly distorted guitar solo. This goes on the list of Punk before Punk, right up with “You Really Got Me”.  

3: "Turn Up Your Radio": The Masters Apprentices 

The Masters Apprentices are like no other band, and the first Aussie band I can think of that had their own distinct sound. Formed originally in 1964 as a surf rock band, The Mustangs, they would shift from the Ventures sound towards the Blues only a year later. The Mustangs were now the Masters Apprentices. Their sound was rawer, louder, and fuzzier than any other top 40 band of the day (put on their song “Buried and Dead”). Their sound was badass, but The Masters still marketed towards the younger pop audience. ("5 10 Man").  By the time 1970 rolled around, the band grew tired of their teenybopper image, and recorded "Turn Up Your Radio". Let’s take a look at what this song accomplishes: 1. A Song about Rock Music; 2. One or more musicians were drunk at the time of recording; 3. The song is low key an insult to someone/something.  Yeah, that sounds like a rock classic to me! Just listen to that twisted guitar/ horn section combination that circles though the song. How much more annoying can you get, but you gotta love it! Funny enough, after recording it, Australia got tangled in a Radio ban and the song didn’t get much radio play. Regardless, it still hit number 7 on the charts.

I've only listed three great records here, but I still have much more to discuss. Stay tuned for Part 2  of Kallaj's Guide to Aussie Rock!

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)

The Flying Burrito Brothers

Gilded Palace of Sin

A&M 1969

“Any Accolade that I’ve been payed and any kind of acknowledgment of my success, is an acknowledgment of Gram Parsons” - Dwight Yoakum 

Gram Parsons is Cosmic American Music, short and simple. What is Cosmic American Music? Well, it's a mix of American roots music such as Rock, Blues, Country, and Folk, all mixed together. With this, Parsons influence would fall over much of popular music from 1969 until his untimely death in 1973.  His spell was over the Byrds as they created the first true country rock masterpiece “Sweetheart of the Rodeo”, and Gilded Palace is truly what he wanted Sweetheart to be.  To backtrack, when “Sweetheart” was being recorded, Parsons was featured more prominently on vocal duties. When the album hit post production, the story goes that Roger McGuinn felt Gram was getting too much attention, so his vocals were removed from some tracks, leaving him singing “You’re Still On My Mind”, “Life In Prison”, and the seminal “Hickory Wind”.  After leaving the Byrds, Gram formed the Flying Burrito Brothers with Ex Byrd Chris Hillman, Steel Guitarist “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow and Bassist Chris Ethridge. Within these four musicians, they would a develop a deep unity between two similar, but yet opposing, types of music, Rock and Country, with Gram Parsons at the wheel.

      The opening track to the album, “Christine’s Tune”, sets up the listener of what’s to come, country rock music that  got drugged and went to church. Lyrically, this song could be performed by the likes of George Jones or Buck Owens; evil girl out to get you, she’s always around to get at you, and you can never escape from her. What starts to bend reality is the inclusion of that fuzzed steel guitar, supplied by “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow. Listening to it, you loose the sense of that honky tonk/Bakersfield country aesthetic and you peer into the west coast psychedelic beyond. It shows how vital of an opening track it is by foreshadowing this album in a song; this is what you’re getting into and any sense of regularity is long gone. 

If Gram is the heart and soul of this album, then Chris Hillman is blood flowing. Hillman’s contributions should not be over looked. He, like Gram, had a wide taste in music, with big elements of country, as well as bluegrass under his fingers. Hillman’s bluegrass styles are seen heavily on “My Uncle” (which he cowrote with Parsons).  Again, the idea of a traditional country feel is very present, but the lyrics, depicting scenes of the draft and subsequent dodging of it gives the whole idea of making country accessible to a rock audience. 

What wraps this album together is the inclusion of "Do Right Woman" and "Dark End of the Street"; two soul songs.  Country and Soul music share many similarities;  southern oriented, rooted in the church, and an expression of the heart. 

Dark End Of The Street

Do Right Woman

The big three musical elements of this album are Rock, Country and Soul. Many would consider this album as Proto Country Rock, but I disagree with that label. This album offers much more than just Country and Rock, and to label it as such shuts off other idea's that this album has produced. Having three contrasting, but very similar styles pull together, giving off the idea of what Parsons was searching for, Cosmic American Music.