VA - (When The Sun Sets Over) Carlton - Melbourne's Countercultural Inner City Rock Scene Of The 70s [2CD] (2014) Lossless

There was time in the late '70s and early '80s when inner suburban Melbourne was churning out as much world class rock 'n' roll as it ever has. Bands like The Sports, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and Paul Kelly & The Dots could pack out venues like Bombay Rock or The Venue for nights on end. The songs coming out of Melbourne were strong and often about the city itself. Skyhooks sung about the sun setting over Carlton, The Sports would sing about going down to the cop shop on Russell Street and a little later, Paul Kelly would name check St. Kilda and other quirks of Melbourne suburbia.
This is a deluxe 2CD set which documents the arts and politics-infused rock scene that gave Melbourne and Australia such multi-faceted cultural icons as Paul Kelly, Joe Camilleri, Stephen Cummings, Jane Clifton, Peter Lillie, Ross Wilson, Ross Hannaford, Greg Macainsh, Red Symons and Shirley Strachan. Taking its title from the famous song by the scene’s best known band Skyhooks, the album traces the countercultural scene’s development from its beginnings in venues like the TF Much Ballroom and Carlton’s La Mama and Pram Factory theatres through Skyhooks breakout success to the thriving pub scene found in legendary venues like Martini’s and the Tiger Lounge. It presents also a glimpse of the birth of Melbourne’s hugely influential 3RRR-FM, which was born out of this scene.
Rarities and unreleased material featured in this remastered 44-track collection includes Daddy Cool covering Skyhooks in ’74, an unreleased Skyhooks demo featuring original singer Steve Hill, two unreleased studio recordings by Paul Kelly’s first band The High Rise Bombers and two little-known tracks from the self-released 1979 EP by his next band The Dots, an unreleased early Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons demo from ’76, a pre-Sports demo by Stephen Cummings with Dave Flett, the first track ever released by Wayne Burt’s pre-Falcons Band (with Pat Wilson) Rock Granite, an unreleased Bleeding Hearts demo produced by Greg Macainsh and rare material from the Pure Shit soundtrack.
It also features a mix of classic and lesser known other material from the likes of The Sports, Stiletto (featuring Jane Clifton), The Bleeding Hearts, The Pelaco Bros. (featuring Stephen Cummings, Peter Lillie, Johnny Topper and Joe Camilleri), Eric Gradman Man & Machine, early Mondo Rock, Company Caine, Spare Change (featuring John Dowler, later of acclaimed Adelaide band Young Modern), Parachute, Mark Gillespie, Millionaires, The Indelible Murtceps (alter-ego of the legendary Spectrum), Peter Lillie & The Leisuremasters and more.