W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Australiana (Austen Tayshus 1983)

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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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"Australiana" is a spoken-word "song" from the 1980s in Australia and contains loads of great puns on well-known Australian flora, fauna, slang and place names. For a transcript of of the lyrics to Australiana by Austen Tayshus, go to this website.
"Australiana" was released in 1983 and went to Number 1 and double platinum on the Australian singles chart. "Australiana" holds the record for the biggest selling single of all time in Australia.
Austen Tayshus continues to do live comedy shows and other interesting things - see Austen's offical website.
The stage name "Austen Tayshus" is an aptronym based on the word "ostentatious". Austen Tayshus burst into the consciousness of Australians in 1983 performing his comedy single, Australiana, written by fellow comedian Billy Birmingham. It is a spoken word piece that contains many puns using Australian terms, especially with the names of Aussie icons, places and animals. For example:
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"...my mate Boomer rang" (boomerang)
"...do you wanna game of Euchre, Lyptus?" (eucalyptus)
"...how much can a koala bear?" (koala)
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He branched out into highly political, controversial humour, often drawing on his Jewish background. A tall man (6 foot six), he appears on stage wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses. He is characterised with a resonant deep voice and a gift of mimicry. He is often moody, and taunts his audience and venue staff. He might now be compared to 'controversial' comedians such as Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce, whom he has cited as an influence.
Since Australiana, he has performed over 10,000 shows, and produced films, documentaries and records, mostly dealing with social issues.
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This W.O.C.K on Vinyl post covers all the four letters:
W is for Wacky, O is for Ozzie, C is for Comical and K is for 'well, how much can a Koala Bear?'
The post contains 192kps rips of the A & B sides of his hit single "Australiana" / "The Comedy Commando" with full album artwork and also includes the unedited video clip (avi) of "Australiana" (sourced from YouTube) for your enjoyment.
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Australiana link (34Mb)

The Seekers - Live On (1989)

(Australian 1962-68, 1975-90, 1992-Present)
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The Seekers were a group of Australian folk-influenced popular musicians that was formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were a highly popular band during the 1960s.
They had nine hits in Britain and Australia in the 1960s: "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "The Carnival Is Over" (which The Seekers have sung at various closing ceremonies in Australia, including Expo '88 and the Paralympics and still stands as the 30th Best Selling Song in the United Kingdom), "Someday One Day", "Walk With Me", "Morningtown Ride", "Georgy Girl" (the title song of the film of the same name), "When Will the Good Apples Fall" and "Emerald City".
[extract from wikipedia]
Their best-known configuration was:
* Judith Durham: lead vocals, piano, tambourine
* Athol Guy: double bass, vocals
* Keith Potger: twelve string guitar, banjo, vocals
* Bruce Woodley: guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals
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Later members:
Buddy England (vocals, guitar) 1973-77, replaced Bruce Woodley
Lisa Wisseling (vocals) 1973-81
Julie Anthony (vocals) 1989-90
Karen Knowles (vocals) 1990
Peter Robinson (bass, vocals) 1978-81, replaced Athol Guy
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Riding with the success of other folk acts Peter Paul & Mary, they enjoyed colossal success in the UK, Europe and the USA. The Seekers were far and away Australia's biggest musical export of the decade and for the better part of two years their success as a singles band rivaled that of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The Seekers are also a particularly interesting case study for music historians. They are sometimes marginalised in accounts of Australian "rock" history because, as Ian McFarlane points out, they were "too pop to be considered strictly folk and too folk to be rock". Their popularity crossed all boundaries and their success far outstripped that of any other Australian group in either field. Today they remain one of the most enduringly popular and successful Australian groups of the 20th century. [extract from Milesago]
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The Story Behind 'Live On'
As Australia's Bi Centennial World Expo in Brisbane drew to a close in 1988, the producers of the farewell concert settled on the song that would help create an unforgettable grand finale to the nation's greatest Festival. The Seeker's all time classic "The Carnival Is Over" certainly filled the bill. It evoked the mood and feelings required for Expo's last contact with both visitors and staff.
The televised event would also embrace Australia in Expo's last magical moments. The producers reflected on how best to present this soul-stirring finish. Obviously with the The Seekers themselves, but each was now happily pursuing their independent, individual lifestyle
Julie Anthony was already committed to perform during the closing ceremony. The producers could count on her incomparable voice and presence to bring the song and its meaningful lyrics to the heights they deserved for the dramatic farewell. Julie didn't know that the producers had again contacted the original members of the Seekers, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger were asked to name the voice that would finally convince them to come together in performance of song.
Their answer was short and sweet. Julie Anthony.
Julie loved the idea - The Seeker's music had always held a special meaning for her.
• The producers rejoiced.
• The song was performed.
• The audience roared their approval.
• The Expo closed with a magnificent swansong.
And the world briefly welcomed back the refreshed and still unique sound of Australia's first truly international musical group

After that momentous night, events moved swiftly. And there were some crucial questions on everyone's minds.
• Was there a project worthy of a more permanent bond of The Seekers legendary music, Julie's brilliant voice and the original Seekers themselves?
• Was there new and original "Seekers" music available to record so those magnificent melodies and harmonies could re-created for today's audience?
Would this musical marriage also suit Julie's future career directions?
• Was there an audience still looking for music of fun, hope and optimism, mirroring life's real moments, without gimmicks, but full of quality and meaning?
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With Julie's sparkling presence the Seeker's and their music would, indeed... LIVE ON
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Into this unique 'Australian-Made" project, prepared and produced for ultimate presentation as a stage musical, came the unconditional moral and financial support of Australia's Pioneer Electronics, old friends of the Seekers and great admirers of Julie.
Pioneer instantly committed to underwrite tie costs of producing this album. Polygram moved quickly to sign The Seekers to new international recording agreements. The "Australian-Made" group are supporting the project with all their resources, both within Australia and internationally, in conjunction with the Australian Tourist Commission.
The Australian Broadcasting Coporation are planning a series on Television for the group
The total project will be a unique international joint venture, combining the marketing skills of all the participants in order to export the project to all parts of the globe.
The Seekers' musical carnival may have indeed once seemed over. Now, with Julie, Athol, Keith and Bruce, The Seekers and their unique music achieve new heights of appreciation world wide.
We are proud to present you with this collection of brillant and original material. The combination of freshly recorded Seekers classics with new material ensures that a legendary Australian musical story will certainly - LIVE ON!
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OK - so this isn't really a 'rock' posting but hey - as a young boy I have fond memories of listening to The Seekers on the radio and grew up on classics such as "Georgy Girl", "World Of Our Own" and "Morningtown Ride". So, here's my rip of 'Live On' taken from an 'out of print' CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork.
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Track Listing

01 - Prelude (Live On)
02 - The Streets Of Serenade
03 - I'll Never Find Another You
04 - Georgy Girl
05 - Building Bridges
06 - Love Is Me Love Is You
07 - Come The Day
08 - The Carnival Is Over
09 - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
10 - Some Day One Day
11 - Taking My Chances With You
12 - Morningtown Ride
13 - Time And Again

14 - Keep A Dream In Your Pocket
15 - Here I Am
16 - World Of Our Own
17 - How Can A Love So Wrong Be So Right
18 - Sparrow Song
19 - House Of Cards
20 - Red Rubber Ball
21 - When Will The Good Apples Fall
22 - Live On
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The Seekers Link (128Mb) New Link 06/05/2020
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Daryl Braithwaite - Rise (1991) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian Solo 1973 -Present)
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It would be hard to find a voice that captures the mood of a song more perfectly than this one. It’s the voice that soars with inspiration, soul and warmth. The voice of course belongs to Australian singer Daryl Braithwaite.
In a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years, Daryl Braithwaite is one of Australia’s award winning premier performers.
His initial success as a singer came with Sherbet, a band which forever remains in the history books of Australian music. Throughout the 70’s, Sherbet produced 20 national Top 40 singles and were the first Australian band to top the one million dollar mark in album sales in the country with a total of 15 albums and 30 singles to the credit with songs like “Summer Love” becoming the highest selling single of 1975. And, “Howzat” not only a #1 hit in Australia, but also achieved #2 in England.
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Following the success of Sherbet, Daryl returned to the Australian music scene in a very big way as a solo performer in 1988 with the release of the phenomenally successful album “Edge” (see earlier posting) which spent well over a year in the national charts.
Edge spawned four hit singles with “As The Days Go By”, “All I Do”, “Let Me Be”, and the gold single “One Summer”. The album itself topped the ARIA charts in 1989 and became the highest selling CD in CBS Australia’s history. During this period, Daryl toured extensively not only in Australia, but also in Canada, USA, UK and Europe adding to the incredible sales figures for “Edge”.
Braithwaite went on to have a number of solo hits in the early 1990s, including "The Horses" the beautiful Rickie Lee Jones penned ballad that featured Margaret Urlich. "The Horses" went to number 1 on the national ARIA Chart and won a richly deserved ARIA Award. Daryl continued to dominate the airwaves with three other single releases from "Rise", "Higher Than Hope" (a song he co-wrote with Simon Hussey which also became a Top 50 hit in the US). "Don't Hold Back Your Love" and "Nothing To Lose". By the end of 1991, Braithwaite's "Rise" album had become Australia's biggest selling CD of the year, and "Edge" had become the best selling album ever released by Sony Music Australia to that time.
"People wondered if there was a lot of pressure going into the recording of Rise", says Daryl. "But I applied the same philosophy that I adopted from "Edge". To make an album that means something to me and hopefully other people would relate to those feelings."
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For a blast from the past, have a listen to the Jono and Dano's fun filled radio interview (GOLD 104.3 Melbourne - 1/9/2010) with Daryl when he reflects on his years with Sherbet and talks about his latest album 'Beautiful Day'
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The rip provided here was taken from CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork and lyrics. This was Daryl's final release on vinyl and I have included some bonus acoustics recordings of "Rise" and "Horses", which were released on his single 'Breakin The Rules' in 1993, along with the B-Side to his 'Horses' Single "I Can't Wait" (a non-album track).
For the latest information on Daryl Braithwaite and his tour dates, click on the banner below.
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Track Listing
01 - Rise
02 - Nothing To Lose
03 - Modern Times
04 - Ghost There Waiting
05 - Waters Rising
06 - Higher Than Hope
07 - Don't Hold Back Your Love
08 - The Horses
09 - Where The Famous Came Out To Play
10 - I Can See Higher Than Before
11 - Poverty Dancing
12 - Goodbye Blue Sky
Bonus Tracks
13 - I Can't Wait (B-Side Single)
14 - Rise (Acoustic Version 1993)
15 - Horses (Acoustic Version 1993)
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Band Members:
Daryl Braithwaite (Vocals)
Jef Scott (Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Bass, Mandolin)
Andy Cichon (Bass)
John Watson (Drums)
Simon Hussey (Drum Machine, Electric Piano, Hammond Organ)
Scott Griffiths (Keyboards)
Alex Pertout (Percussion)
Guest Artists:
Tommy Emmanuel (Guitar)
John Farnham, Graeme Strachan, Margaret Urlich (Backing Vocals)
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Rise Link (127Mb) New Link 20/01/2026
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Daryl Braithwaite - Edge (1988) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian Solo 1973 -Present)
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Daryl Braithwaite's initial success as a singer came with Sherbet, a band which forever remains in the history books of Australian music. Throughout the 70's, Sherbet produced 20 national Top 40 singles and were the first Australian band to top the one million dollar mark in album sales in the country with a total of 15 albums and 30 singles to the credit with songs like "Summer Love" becoming the highest selling single of 1975. And, "Howzat" not only a #1 hit in Australia, but also achieved #2 in England. However, while singing for Sherbet, Daryl decided to pursue a solo career and in 1973 he played the lead role in the Australian production of the rock opera Tommy. The following year, amidst unfounded rumours that he would soon be leaving Sherbet, 

Braithwaite began his official solo career with a cover of the ballad "You're My World", which went to #1 in Australia. More hits followed throughout the 1970s, including a cover of The Small Faces' "Afterglow (Of Your Love)". An infrequent songwriter, Braithwaite's solo career has been dominated by cover songs. Curiously for the 'album rock' era, Braithwaite's solo recordings from 1974-78 appeared only on 7-inch singles. A 'best of' solo LP was compiled in 1978, but Braithwaite's first original full-length album as a solo artist (Out On The Fringe) didn't appear until 1979, during a time when Sherbet had briefly broken up. He was crowned Australia's King of Pop by TV Week over three consecutive years from 1975 to 1977.

By 1980, the members of Sherbet were back together and had renamed themselves The Sherbs. At this point, Braithwaite put his solo career on hold to concentrate on work with his bandmates. However, The Sherbs had only a very few minor hits and broke up in 1984. For a period of time after the break-up, Braithwaite played regular gigs, but as of 1987, he had left the music industry and was working as a builder of footpaths for less than 200 Australian dollars a week.

Following the success of Sherbet, Daryl returned to the Australian music scene in a very big way as a solo performer in 1988 with the release of the phenomenally successful album "Edge" which spent well over a year in the national charts. Edge spawned four hit singles with "As The Days Go By", "All I Do", "Let Me Be", and the gold single "One Summer". The album itself topped the ARIA charts in 1989 and became the highest selling CD in CBS Australia's history. During this period, Daryl toured extensively not only in Australia, but also in Canada, USA, UK and Europe adding the to incredible sales figures for 'Edge'.

Braithwaite went on to have a number of solo hits in the early 1990s, including the Australian #1 "The Horses", a cover of a Rickie Lee Jones recording written by Jones and Walter Becker. He also made his first US chart appearance as a solo artist at #47 with the 1991 single "Higher than Hope", a song he co-wrote with Simon Hussey. By the end of 1991, Braithwaite's 'Rise' album had become Australia's biggest selling CD of the year, and 'Edge' had become the best selling album ever released by Sony Music Australia to that time.

Daryl continues to record and tour today and is fondly remembered as a mainstay of Countdown. The friendly rivalry between Daryl and Shirley Strachan on the Countdown set still stirs emotions today. Sherbet or Skyhooks? You choose! In 2006 the boys from Sherbet returned to the stage to blow away audiences in the Countdown Spectacular Tour. [extracts from wikipedia and Daryl's webiste)

.The rip was taken from CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork with label scans, plus lyric sheets and single covers. As a bonus, I have included two A side singles that Daryl released in the mid seventies, ripped from vinyl - "Old Sid" and "Cavalry".
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Track Listing

01 - As The Days Go By
02 - You Could Be Wrong
03 - All I Do
04 - Let Me Be
05 - Sugar Train
06 - Down Down
07 - In My Life
08 - Edge(Instrumental)
09 - I Don't Remember
10 - One Summer
11 - It's All In The Music
12 - All The Same
13 - Up-Out
14 - Pretending To Care
[Bonus Tracks]
15 - Old Sid (Single 1976)

16 - Cavalry (Single 1975)
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Band members:
Daryl Braithwaite (Vocals)
Jef Scott (Guitar)
Andy Cichon (Bass)
John Watson (Drums)
Simmon Hussey, Scott Griffiths, Jef Scott (Keyboards)
John Farnham, Glenn Braithwaite (Backing Vocals)
Brett Kingman (Guitar on Up-Out)
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The Edge Link (118Mb) 

New Link 13/09/2025

U2 - Unauthorised Live Vol. 3 (The Lovetown Tour)

(Irish 1976-Present)
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I bought this U2 'Unauthorised Live' recording many moons ago, when they were really popular in Australia, as few bootlegs existed on CD format at the time and the series is no longer available. In fact, I've found quite a few other titles since at garage sales and flea markets, but none quite match the recording quality of this little gem.
This is a classic example of 'don't judge a book by it's cover' - the cover might look pretty average but the music is excellent, and I would compare it to any of their 'official live releases' such as 'Under a Blood Red Sky' and 'Rattle and Hum'.
The cover makes no mention of the origin of the recordings, but a little research on the Internet has revealed that the recordings were made during U2's Lovetown Tour in 1989-90 when they toured DownUnder, so I'm guessing the recordings were done in Australia and consequently released by an Australian company called Joker.
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The Lovetown Tour was limited in scope, but did try to reach places that their 1987 Joshua Tree Tour had missed, all the while avoiding the United States entirely. The tour's opening night was on September 21, 1989 at the Entertainment Centre in Perth, Australia. The first leg took place over the next 10 weeks in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. A brief second leg hit four countries in Europe for four weeks, ending on January 10, 1990 at the Sport Paleis Ahoy in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Of the tour's 47 concerts, 23 were played in Australia.

The Lovetown Tour is famed among fans as it had the greatest set list variety of any U2 tour, including the use of six separate songs to open concerts, which is still U2's record amount of concert openers for one tour. The tour featured the most different original U2 songs of any tour in the 1980s, though it did not have as many total different songs as the Joshua Tree Tour, which featured a large number of cover songs.
B. B. King toured with the band and played the first set each night. At the end of U2's set, King and his band joined them for a short encore.

The tour was plagued by troubles with Bono's voice due to both excessive use and illness - he stated in concert that he caught "some pretty psychedelic germs" in Australia and that they were "having their Annual General Meeting" in his throat. These vocal troubles meant three Sydney concerts had to be postponed. Later, severe troubles meant a concert in Amsterdam had to prematurely conclude; two other Amsterdam shows were cancelled and replaced by four shows in Rotterdam, causing the tour to spill over into 1990 instead of ending on New Year's Eve at Dublin's Point Depot as planned. However, when Bono's voice was not troubling him, he had an impressive singing range, with the falsetto later mastered starting to seriously appear, but without sacrificing the powerful depth of his lower singing range.

As with all U2 tours from 1983 on, the stage and lighting design was done by Willie Williams. The tour name, possibly a contraction of the Rattle and Hum song "When Love Comes to Town", was the first not to be named for the band's then-current album, all of their subsequent tours have also had different names from any album [extract from wikipedia]
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The rip was taken from CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork (plain though it might be)
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Track Listing

01 - Twilight
02 - Two Hearts Beat As One
03 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
04 - An Cat Dubh
05 - I Threw A Brick Through A Window
06 - A Day Without Me
07 - October
08 - Gloria
09 - 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
10 - I Will Follow
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Band Members:
Paul Hewson (Bono) - Vocals
Dave Evans (The Edge) - Guitar
Adam Clayton - Bass
Larry Mullen - Drums
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U2 Link (86Mb) New Link 22/04/2026
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