Album Review: Various - The Glory Days Of Aussie Pub Rock Vol 1

Back in the '70s and '80s before the advent of booze buses, the internet and lavish home entertainment systems, live music soundtracked the social lives of pretty much all young Australians. Every pub worth its salt fostered live music to draw punters — and there were more pubs vying for patronage — which meant that rock bands could play the pub circuit seven nights a week. And the crowds may have been drinkers but they were also discerning, so bands required more than a strong work ethic to flourish — they had to be good — and the result was one of the most fertile scenes in music history.

This new four-CD compilation (91 tracks) shines a light on this fascinating era, liberally covering the big-hitters such as Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Rose Tattoo, Hunters & Collectors, Paul Kelly, Sunnyboys, Australian Crawl, Divinyls, Skyhooks, Icehouse, The Church and Dragon — all of whom cut their teeth on the pub circuit. But it's the strength of the outliers that highlights the scene's depth, bands like Weddings, Parties, Anything; Painters & Dockers, The Johnnys, The Screaming Tribesmen, The Lime Spiders, The Dingoes and V. Spy V. Spy all brilliant bands in their own right.

It's slightly Melbourne and Sydney centric, but this probably reflects their dominance (in both musical and industry terms) at the time. A great overview of a glorious time in Australian music, one unlikely to be ever replicated.