A Covers Band Rocks Australia Day Quiz

Answer:

"Great Southern Land" by Icehouse is a 1982 Australian classic anthem. Written at the same time as Brisbane hosted the Commonwealth Games, lead singer Iva Davies wrote it as a counterpunch to the nationalistic postcard hype due to the games. It tells the story of a beautiful but flawed land, and the struggle of the British to reconcile with its Indigenous owners:
"Anyone will tell you it's a prisoner island / Hidden in the summer for a million years.
Great southern land / Burned you black"
It reached number five on the Australian charts, but it has endured as an anthem - It was selected for the Australian National Film & Sound Archive's "Sounds of Australia" list in 2014. For a covers band, it is a great song to open, especially on a day like Australia Day. All the instruments come in one at a time. The opening two chords, repeating F and G chords originally played on a synthesiser, can be reproduced with some cleverly arranged keyboards. Instantly recognised by most Australians, you will hear whoops of joy before some almighty drums come thudding in (Mic up your bass drum), followed by chugging guitar and complementary bass, and watch people jump up and dance.

"Sounds of Then (This is Australia)" is a 1985 Australian rock song by GANGgajang. While it was only a minor hit when released (it reached number 35 on the Australian Singles chart), the song endured as an anthem because of its backing for Coca-Cola ads and the imagery created by the lyrics:
"And the humidity we'd breathe / We'd watch the lightning crack over cane fields".
In 2016, the song was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia collection in the second round of additions to this list. If your band is going to cover this song, the chord progression is straightforward: It is a Bm-E-D chord progression with a G chord added for the chorus.

"Solid Rock" is a 1982 driving rocker from Goanna. Lead singer Shane Howard wrote the song whilst on a camping trip to Uluru, where he had an epiphany over injustices suffered by Australia's Indigenous people. WEA, the record company, was reluctant to release the song, especially as the lead single off the album "Spirit of Place" (1982), but the Australian public was not concerned, sending it to number three on the Kent Music Report and number 57 on the year-end chart. It even reached number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100. To cover the song, it is very straightforward, with six easy chords, but if you are aiming for a reproducible cover, someone in the band is going to have to play the didgeridoo, a classic Australian instrument but notoriously hard to play (Circular breathing anyone?)

The Angels were an Australian rock band from Adelaide that paid its dues playing the pub circuits. Their sound was classic Australian pub rock with notable lead guitar work from Rick Brewster. Their best-known song was "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?" (1977) to which the audience always answered that question by singing a rude but standardised response every time the question was asked in the song. If your audience as a covers band includes children do not play this song. "No Secrets" (1980) was their biggest hit to date (ignored in the US) and is a straightforward six-chord rocker with chugging guitars. A marker of how well the audience liked your cover version occurs when the last line of the song is delivered, it is whispered by the vocalist "Can you please tell me what this time is". If the audience likes it they will join in and deliver the lyric simultaneously.

Midnight Oil was a hard rock group formed in 1972 that tackled political issues, particularly the plight of Indigenous Australians. Known primarily as a high-energy live band, they lacked mainstream success until their fourth album was released in 1982. Their sixth album, "Diesel and Dust" (1986) spawned their biggest hit "The Dead Heart" which detailed the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians and in particular raised awareness of Australia's Stolen Generations. It reached number four on the Australian Singles Chart. It was recorded for Uluru's handing back ceremony to its traditional Aboriginal owners. While it is a straightforward rocker sonically, it has a sound that is hard to reproduce in a covers band that (ironically) lacks electronic wizardry.

Powderfinger was a high-energy rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. Their third album "Internationalist" (1998) went to number one on the ARIA Album chart as did their next four albums. Their fifth, "Vulture Street" (2003) was somewhat of a turning point in their musical journey. Because of their success, they were given more artistic freedom with this album. The result was a raw sound that translated well live. Four singles came from it, with "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind)" reaching number nine on the Australian Singles Chart. It was written in B-flat major, which is fairly unusual for a rock song but the song belts along regardless. You're going to need two guitarists in your band as well as a bassist but keyboards are not required. Bring your drums to the front of your mix and you will be close to the original.

"Jump In My Car" was a huge hit for Ted Mulry Gang in 1975. It spent six weeks at number one on the Kent Music Report. It told the story of a young man (Mulry, singing) offering a lift to a young girl as it was starting to rain. However, the young man had nefarious intentions (The girl's responses were sung in falsetto by the guitarist Les Hall). The lyrics are quite misogynistic and it would be doubtful that the song would be successful in the second quartile of the 21st century (though David Hasselhoff tried in 2006). However, if you have a female musician in the band who sings the 'male' lyrics' and any male singing the "female" lyrics, it can be very successful as a cover version. Sonically it sounds simple enough to reproduce but there are nine chords including the unusual Asus2. Once you have mastered the chords just remember to crank up the bass when you play it live.

Cold Chisel was the archetype Australian pub band. Their rock sound included some rockabilly and more than a little soul/blues. They earned a huge following by paying their dues in small venues around the nation. Their biggest album was "East" in 1979 which was a deliberate attempt to make a commercial album and featured all five members contributing songs. The result was polished - it became the biggest-selling Australian album of the year. Their next studio album, "Circus Animals" was a reaction to the polish of "East" - It was a return to the spontaneous live sound fo which they were known. The songs were much looser in structure. Lead single "You Got Nothing I Want", written by lead singer Jimmy Barnes, was a reaction to the lack of interest shown in them by their American label when they toured there in 1981. It's a rollicking fast-tempo rocker with the lyrics almost spat out in disdain. The lack of studio polish makes it easy to cover as long as you have a singer who has a bit of 'grit' in their singing style. Also, the keyboards are low in the mix. If you have two guitarists in the band, you can enhance the guitar-driven soundscape this song creates.

The Easybeats were the first Australian band to achieve international success. Ironically all five members were migrants from Europe - they met at the Villawood Migrant Hostel in Sydney in 1964. "Friday On My Mind" was their best-known song and what brought them international success. It reached number one in Australia in 1966. A rock song distinguished by some truly outstanding vocals with swoops and rapid key changes, it nevertheless is fairly easy to play though a cover version might want to 'fill in' the tinny '60s drum sound.

Christine Anu won Song of the Year at the 1995 APRA Awards with "My Island Home". However, it was a cover version. Anu changed some of the lyrics to reflect her birthplace in the Torres Strait Islands at the northern tip of Queensland and it was a polished pop song. The original was by the Warumpi Band and this version was a straight rock version. It told the story of the lead singer George Burarrwanga's island home on Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. (This song has become somewhat of an Australian anthem as most people mistakenly believe the song's title refers to Australia as the island in the song).

"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was one of AC/DC's first hits. It was a signature song for Bon Scott, the band's first lead singer. (Subsequent lead singer Brian Johnson did not perform this song out of respect for Bon Scott). It was released in 1975 and peaked at number nine on the Kent Music Report. It told a story of trying to make it big as a rock and roll band. While it was a hard rock song there was an interlude where there was a call-and-response section between Angus Young and his Gibson SG versus Bon Scott playing bagpipes. Despite its enduring popularity, it was rarely played live as every instrument needed to be tuned to the drone pipe to accommodate the bagpipes. As a cover version, if you change the lyrics slightly you get an even more Australian song as you can sing "It's a Long Way to the Shop (If You Want A Sausage Roll)". This change will bring on a guaranteed cheer from the audience. If you want to cover the song, (it's very easy - three chords B A E) finding a rock musician who can play bagpipes is difficult. However, you can still perform the call-and-response with two guitars (one using a capo). If you don't use the bagpipes you can play the song in the key of A Major (it was originally recorded in B-flat Major). In 2001 Australasian Performing Rights Association named the Best Australian Songs of All Time. "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was ranked at nine on the list.

"Throw Your Arms Around Me" (1984) by the Hunters and Collectors is one of Australia's most enduring songs. It is a love song but acknowledges the fleeting nature of that feeling. It was only a modest hit (reached 34 on the Kent Music Report) but in 2001 APRA named "Throw Your Arms Around Me" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. A very optimistic song and a perfect 'closer' for your Australia Day gig. If you sing the verses and then ask the audience to sing the chorus, it is almost guaranteed most people will sing "We may never meet again / So shed your skin and let's get started / And you will throw your arms around me / You will throw your arms around me'.

So there you are - twelve very popular Australian rock songs, known to most, danceable and fairly easy not just to play, but to reproduce. All you can ask from an Australian covers band. Especially on Australia Day.

Every song that was not Australian was Canadian:
"American Woman" - The Guess Who 1970
"Sweet City Woman" -The Stampeders 1971
"Don't Walk Away Eileen" - Sam Roberts Band 2002
"Turn Me Loose" - Loverboy 1980
"My Happy Ending" - Avril Lavigne 2004
"How You Remind Me" - Nickelback 2001