Discovering Dylan is like being handed the keys to the universe. Once that light goes on suddenly the world seems vastly different than it did before. I have friends who’ll recite Dylan in any situation given half a chance, so it’s not unusual to hear one of them break into Shelter From The Storm at a dinner party for instance. For all the justifiable attention the … [Read more...]
Gossip – Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly’s formative years fall into three distinct periods – growing up in a large Catholic family in Adelaide as an inquisitive and thoughtful kid mad on sport; moving to Melbourne to pursue a career in music and having a brief dalliance in the world of pop (including an appearance on Countdown with the Dots); before finally finding wide recognition and success after moving … [Read more...]
Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
“I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen”. It’s a hell of a claim and while that quote may not have accurately predicted what was to come it certainly became part of rock mythology. The man who wrote it was John Landau, the music critic and record producer who would go on to both produce and manage Springsteen. It was written as part of a review for a live … [Read more...]
The Vinyl Revival
Bigsound is the music industry convention in Australia. Every September artists, managers, record companies, producers, promoters, engineers, photographers and music journalists gather in Brisbane to talk about, and listen to, music. Lots of music. Over the 3 days of the conference there's a plethora of seminars, discussion panels and keynote addresses and every night it's an … [Read more...]
Reggatta de Blanc – The Police
The early Police albums encapsulate a time in my mid teens that tapped into my boundless energy and unbridled enthusiasm for just about everything. There’s a wide-eyed openness in our young lives that seems a little naïve on reflection, yet the shortcomings we possessed through our inexperience were compensated by our willingness to embrace promising new concepts with … [Read more...]