Into The Music

Australia is a nation of suburbs. For some, the suburbs are a space to dream in. For others, they're a place to escape from. In the second program in the series Wide Open Road, we'll hear how the suburbs have seeped into Australian song. Featured artists are The Hilltop Hoods, Paul Kelly, Weddings Parties Anything, Tim Rogers, The Herd, Kev Carmody, Don Walker, and Sarah Blasko.

It wasn't until the 1970s when Skyhooks revealed the 'pizza places and spaced out faces' of the streets of Melbourne that many songwriters were given a licence to celebrate the ordinariness of Australian life. Despite the boredom of our quiet quarter-acre blocks and dreary outer suburban estates, the suburbs are far from bland. It might not always be explicit, but the stories of ordinary Australians told by artists as diverse as Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly and the Herd, map the political geography and history of our country.

Wide Open Road Four is a four part documentary series to be broadcast on Radio National and triple j about how Australian contemporary music has been shaped by our unique environment. Over four weeks, the series explores the way the landscape and the social and cultural environment has shaped distinctly Australian music. From the desert to the coast, the suburbs to the outback, from punk to hip hop, you'll hear some of our best known songwriters talk about where they're from and why it matters. Premieres during Australian Music month.

The programs are narrated by Richard Kingsmill.
Sound Engineer: Mark Don
RN Executive Producer: Robyn Ravlich

Wide Open Road continues online with extended interviews, photos, tracks to stream and a road map of Australian lyrics. Listeners are invited to get involved and submit stories and photos, lyrics about Australia and your favourite memories of gigs, songs and artists. You can find the website at abc.net.au/wideopenroad

Music details

World's End
(Mason / Hooper / Newham / Bliss)
Mushroom Music Publishing / Regular Music / Control.
The Reels
Trk 12 From Requiem
TVD93370
D: 1'26"

Stopping All Stations
(M. Lambert / D. Smith / B. Francis)
(P) Sony/ATV Australia / NZ.
Hilltop Hoods Pty Ltd.
Hilltop Hoods
Trk 4 from The Hard Road
Obese OBR042
D: 24"

Simmy and the Gravespitter
(M. Lambert)
(P) Hilltop Hoods Pty Ltd.
Hilltop Hoods
Trk 8 from The Calling
Obese OBR017
D: 33"

Dumb Enough
(D. Smith/M. Lambert)
(P) Hilltop Hoods Pty Ltd.
Hilltop Hoods
Trk 4 from The Calling
Obese OBR017
D: 57"

City Of Light
(M. Lambert / D. Smith / B. Francis)
(P) Sony/ATV Australia / NZ.
Hilltop Hoods Pty Ltd.
Hilltop Hoods
Trk 8 from The Hard Road
Obese OBR042
D: 1'55"

Quasimodo's Dream
(D.Mason)
(P) Control
The Reels
Trk 6 From Requiem
TVD93370
D: 1'06"

Hammer
Sarah Blasko/Robert F Cranny
(P) Sony/ATV Publishing/Control
Sarah Blasko
Trk 9 From What the Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have
DEW 903001
D: 2'08"

Mourningtown Ride
(TISM) Copyright Control.
TISM
Trk 7 From The Beasts of Suburbia
TISM OO4
(triple j version only)

Girl in a Sweater
(Hard Ons)
(P) Polygram
Hard Ons
Trk 3 from The best of the...Hard Ons
CITCD546
D: 1'19"

Shit #1
(Hard Ons)
(P) Polygram
Hard Ons
From CD 2 Rarities from The best of the...Hard Ons
CITCD546
D: 49"

Under The Clocks
(Michael Thomas).
(P) Mushroom Music Publishing
Weddings Parties Anything
Trk 6 from The Best of Weddings Parties Anything
MUSH33152.5
D: 2'48"

Roaring Days
(Michael Thomas).
(P) Mushroom Music Publishing
Weddings Parties Anything
Trk 7 from The Best of Weddings Parties Anything
MUSH33152.5
D: 2:32

City
(Ma / Norman / McGregor / Tariq)
(P) Mushroom Music Publishing.
TZU
Trk 2 from Snarling At Strangers EP
D: 1'57"

Balwyn Calling
G. Macainsh
(P)Mushroom Music.
Skyhooks
Trk 3 from Living in the 70s
D: 1'05"

Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)
G. Macainsh
(P)Mushroom Music.
Skyhooks
Trk 6 from Living in the 70s
D: 0:36

Khe Sanh
(Don Walker).
(P) Rondor Music Australia Pty Ltd
1999 Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd.
Cold Chisel
D: 1:34
Trk 7 from CD 2 of Standing on the Outside Looking In - The Songs of Cold Chisel

Flame Trees
(S.Prestwich/D.Walker)
(P) Cold Chisel Pty Ltd
Cold Chisel
Trk 8 from CD 2 of Standing on the Outside Looking In - The Songs of Cold Chisel
D: 58"

Flame Trees
(S.Prestwich/D.Walker)
(P) Dew Process/Universal
Sarah Blasko
Trk 16 from CD 1 of Standing on the Outside Looking In - The Songs of Cold Chisel
D: 1'16'

Lee Remick
Robert Forster
(P) Truetone Records
The Go-Betweens
Trk 1 from EP The Able Label Singles
Truetone 888 277-1
D: 1:46

Spring Rain
(Forster/McLennan)
(P) Complete
The Go-Betweens
From Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express
Beggars Banquet/SILK005
D: 3:00

Rosedale
(Rogers/You Am I)
(P) Ra records
You Am I
Trk 4 From Sound As Ever
RA4509939582
D: 1:57

Soldiers
(Tim Rogers)
(P) Universal Music Publishing Pty Limited.
You Am I
Trk 4 From Hourly Daily
RA2068300036
D: 2:40

How to Make Gravy
Paul Kelly
(P) Mushroom
Paul Kelly
Trk 1 from Greatest Hits
D: 3:01

From St Kilda to Kings Cross
Paul Kelly
(P) Mushroom
Paul Kelly
Trk 20 from Greatest Hits
D: 1:37

Darkside
Kev Carmody
(P) Kev Carmody
Kev Carmody
Trk 6 from Bloodlines
Festival D30954
D: 1:51

All Australian
Cross Bred Mongrels
Cross Bred Mongrels
Cross Bred Mongrels
Trk 2 from World Domination EP
D: 0:23

Brotha's Back
(Shannon Williams/Michelle Bamford)
(P)Control
Brothablack
Trk 14 from The Hip Hop Show
ABC 5101111712
D: 0:13

No Matter Where You're From
(C.McGregor/K.Abdulwaaab/M. Komba)
(P) Control/ABC
Diafrix
Trk 7 from The Hip Hop Show
ABC 5101111712

Main Street
(Jupiter/Toth/Trey)
(P) Central Station/Grindin
Foreign Heights
Trk 4 from Foreign Heights
GRINDCD005

77%
The Herd
(P) Elefant
The Herd
Elefant Traks single 77%
D: 2:50

The Hard Road
(M. Lambert / D. Smith / B. Francis)
(P) Sony/ATV Australia / NZ.
Hilltop Hoods Pty Ltd.
Hilltop Hoods
Trk 3 from The Hard Road
Obese OBR042
D: 4:06

Producer

Cath Dwyer and Tom Morton