Various Artists - Nuggets 4: Australia & New Zealand (1963-1972)

Since my previous post of my Nuggets collection from the Netherlands to see what this is all about. In short, I really liked the Nuggets box sets put out by Rhino Records, and wanted more music in that vein. I found there were a lot more good songs like that from overseas than what Rhino compiled, so I've made my own compilations, organized by country.

One thing I've discovered is that although I'd been listening to this style of music for a long time, I was pretty much oblivious about music from countries other than the US, Canada, and Britain, outside of some artists that made it big or the occasional song that became an international hit.

It turns out Australia and New Zealand had quite a thriving music scene back in the 1960s and early 1970s. (Australia's population is five times bigger than New Zealand's, so most of the music is from Australia.) If you don't know much about this music, this is an ideal chance for you to find out. I'm convinced that many of these songs could have been big hits elsewhere, but were not due to geographical isolation.

There's so much good music from "Down Under" that I had to break it up into three albums of about 50 minutes each. I've put all of it into one zip folder, but sorted into three different folders.

By the way, 12 out of the 45 songs here are also on the "Nuggets II - Original Artyfacts From The British Empire & Beyond" box set. That ends in 1969, but I continued until 1972. I stopped then mostly because my knowledge of music from that part of the world falls off a cliff after that year, but also because I sensed the style of music changed significantly around that time, just as it did in most other countries. In my opinion, musically at least, but probably culturally as well, what people think of "the 1960s" really began around 1963 and ended around 1971.

As I said with the Netherlands nuggets collection I've made, if you know of any excellent song that fits the location and era that I've missed, please let me know and maybe I'll add it in. I'm an American and I wasn't alive during this musical era, so I'm sure I missed some things.

I debated with myself whether to include any Bee Gees songs, since they had a recording career in Australia for a few years before leaving permanently in 1966 to try to "hit the big time" in Britain. I decided against including any song from them, since it turned out the vast majority of their career was based elsewhere.

I also took it relatively easy on including songs by the Easybeats and the Twilights, since those are my two favorite Australian groups from this era and I figure any fan of this music should at least get the greatest hits of each band. But I did include their biggest hits.

Also, speaking of the Twilights, I absolutely love their song "Comin' On Down," which I've included here even though it was only a B-side. It's melodically catchy and lyrically brilliant, yet it's a pop song about the horrors of nuclear war! It's that sort of creative ambition that makes 1960s music great in general. In a better world, it would have been a huge hit.

But anyway, the reason I mention it is because it's the one song on this compilation that I've altered. The music in the official version comes to a halt at about the two minute mark, and then the song fades out with a child singing a different song ("All Things Bright and Beautiful"). That was very unsatisfying to me, because in my head I heard the chorus again instead. So I removed the bit with the child and replaced it with the chorus, which soon fades out. I prefer this version so much that can no longer imagine hearing the song any other way. If you don't like it, feel free to replace it with the official version in your collection.

The first album is 47 minutes long. The second one is 50 minutes long. The third one is 54 minutes long.

ALBUM 1: 1963-1966
01 Bombora (Atlantics)
02 I Belong with You (Bobby & Laurie)
03 I'll Never Find Another You (Seekers)
04 A World of Our Own (Seekers)
05 It Ain't Necessarily So (Normie Rowe & the Playboys)
06 Que Sera Sera [Whatever Will Be, Will Be] (Normie Rowe & the Playboys)
07 She's So Fine (Easybeats)
08 Social End Product (Bluestars)
09 The Carnival Is Over (Seekers)
10 Wedding Ring (Easybeats)
11 You're Driving Me Insane (Missing Links)
12 Fever [Burns My Brain] (Allusions)
13 Friday on My Mind (Easybeats)
14 Georgy Girl (Seekers)
15 I Want, Need, Love You (Black Diamonds)
16 I'm Your Witchdoctor (Chants R&B)
17 Step Back (Johnny Young & Kompany)
18 The Loved One (Loved Ones)

https://www.upload.ee/files/16088684/NUGGTS4AustrliaNwZealnd1963-1966_Volum1.zip.html

ALBUM 2: 1966-1967
01 Believe in Me (Throb)
02 How Is the Air Up There (La De Das)
03 I'll Make You Happy (Easybeats)
04 Looks like Trouble (Allusions)
05 See the Way (Black Diamonds)
06 Someday, One Day (Seekers)
07 Sorry (Easybeats)
08 This Life of Mine (Lost Souls)
09 War or Hands of Time (Masters Apprentices)
10 By My Side (Elois)
11 Cathy, Come Home (Twilights)
12 Come On (Atlantics)
13 Exit Stage Right (Ronnie Burns)
14 Good Evening Girl (Johnny Young & Kompany)
15 Heaven and Hell (Easybeats)
16 My Aim Is to Please You (Executives)
17 No More Now (Smoke [New Zealand])
18 Sad (Normie Rowe & the Playboys)
19 Woman You're Breaking Me (Groop [Ausrralia])

https://www.upload.ee/files/16088708/NUGGTS4AustrliaNwZealnd1966-1967_Volum2.zip.html

ALBUM 3: 1968-197201 Comin' On Down (Twilights)
02 Good Times (Easybeats)
03 Arkansas Grass (Axiom)
04 Mr. Guy Fawkes (Dave Miller Set)
05 Nature (Fourmyula)
06 The Real Thing (Russell Morris)
07 A Little Ray of Sunshine (Axiom)
08 Because I Love You (Masters Apprentices)
09 Julia (Ted Mulry)
10 My Baby's Gone (Axiom)
11 Naturally (Allison Gros)
12 Eagle Rock (Daddy Cool)
13 I'll Be Gone (Spectrum)
14 Most People I Know [Think that I'm Crazy] (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs)
15 Wings of an Eagle (Russell Morris)

https://www.upload.ee/files/16088751/NUGGTS4AustrliaNwZealnd1968-1972_Volum3.zip.html