BIG RED ROCK

My sons recently asked me what were the 70s really like musically.I went to my vinyl collection looking for an album that would answer their question as i saw it.I remembered that there were 2 levels of australian rock back then.The commercial radio airplay version and the underground, the type yer older brothers mates listened to. It was a no brainer .Big Red Rock is the album that says it all.I first heard "Get out to the country" on double jay late 75 and looked up Ram magazine to find they were playing a sunday afternoon gig at the Bondi Lifesaver in Sydney that week.Watching Mark Kennedy set up that brass drum kit was enough to cement my love of drums for life.I later find that this gig was the first they played since returning from a sucessful tour in the states promoting Beyond. They opened with "Little Kings" and finished the set with "Boogie Woogie waltz". I was on my own listening to a band that I felt I had discovered this band myself.I went out after the weekend to possess "Big Red Rock". I remember coming home and listening to the album in it's entirety via headphones and just being transported into a mindset that was larger and more sophisticated than myself. Each track has a structure and basic arrangement but you can be swept up in the improvisation that you learn after witnessing a few performances and then referencing the album.Listen to the rhythmic interchange between Duncan Maguire on bass and Mark Kennedy on drums.The Australian vocals of Chris Brown and the melodic sophistication of Jimmie Doyle on guitar.This album was recorded live in the studio,something most bands these days would not dare attempt. For as long as I live this album has the ability to transport me back to a time where Australian rock had it's own unique voice.