VA - Rage 30: Celebrating Thirty Years Of R-R-R-R-Rage! [3CD Box Set] (2017)

This massive compilation features standout tracks from across the three decades Rage has been on air. Songs that have resonated with fans and artists covering all genres, ages, genders and nationalities; it’s the definitive Rage collection!

The rainy nights staying in, the drunken stumbles home, the house party-starter, the soundtrack to morning muesli – Rage means something different to everyone. The late-night television mainstay has entertained generations of Australians, providing a musical education and a window into a world of colour and artistry that is sometimes poetic, sometimes plastic, often raunchy but always fascinating.

As a collection, these songs cross the divide between pop, indie and experimental; Aussie and abroad and legendary to one-hit wonder. What binds these songs, however, are their power to conjure a moment in time, elevated in our memories by their accompanying visuals.

Consider the depictions of suburban and outback life in “Streets of Your Town” and “My Island Home”, songs that are as etched into this nation as the earth itself. Off-beat anthems like “Laid”, or “Detachable Penis”, with its equally off-beat clip directed by Richard Kern, were surely helped along by their videos. And let’s not forget Kylie’s infamous gold hotpants that had us all “Spinning Around”.

More recently, many artists like Sia, Tame Impala and Vance Joy are opting for anonymity by not appearing in their videos, allowing the visuals to take a life of their own. As directors enjoy the spoils of increasingly sophisticated video techniques, the results push the format of the music video in exciting new directions. Is Tropical‘s “Dancing Anymore” or “Gosh” by Jamie xx simply could not have been made any earlier than they were.

Dancing across three discs that capture each decade of Rage’s thirty years on television, these songs will make you sing along, cringe along, and relive fashions that, depending on your persuasion, are either fondly remembered or best forgotten. Looking forward, we’re also proud to celebrate some of the current artists creating memories for our future selves.

Long may the music live on, and may the RAGE forever be maintained, too!