Talking Dead White Blowout Relics (September 3rd - 7th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

I'm just writing this all down on a Friday night (no, wait, Saturday morning) before bed. It's taken a while to figure out what I want to hear next week. I still think there'll be changes before I publish this. The list you read below will probably be different to the first one I put down. 

So what have I got so far then? I have Oasis because how long has it been?! There's the recently released B-side compilation from Elbow; also in compilation format, I have the soundtrack to Wayne's World (party time, excellent); in the Rap corner I've got Jay-Z's Black album because it's been a while since I heard it from start to finish and I have Blowout Comb because I can never say no when my brain puts Digable Planets in my head. For something a little gentler I have The Weepies and Sea Wolf. There's some ancient artifacts from Pink Floyd and an EP from Dinosaur Jr. (whose new album comes out soon and I can't wait). Lastly I've chosen Billy Bragg again because I'm in rather a politically indignant mood lately - as you'll see from SOTW below.

Check it out:

• Oasis - What's the Story, Morning Glory?
• Pink Floyd - Relics
• Jay-Z - The Black Album
• Dinosaur Jr.- Whatever's Cool With Me
• Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
• The Weepies - Say I Am You
• VA - Wayne's World OST
• Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom
• Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry
• Elbow - Dead in the Boot

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Ice-T
2. Tracy Chapman
3. Sex Pistols
4. Black Sabbath
5. Pegz

Song of the Week : Tracy Chapman - So

I haven't really had a song step up and present itself for SOTW this week. Whenever that happens, I tend to look for topical happenings that have caught my eye and then find a song to go with it. This week's happening was Gina Reinhart calling for the lowering of the minimum wage and telling ordinary Australians to "get out of the pub" if they wanted to be rich like her. Sorry, but only 200 odd years ago, we would have cut her head off for that.

There were so many songs about clueless, spoilt, rich idiots that I could have picked. Think Common People, Rich Girl, Talkin' About a Revolution, but I chose Tracy Chapman's So. This song is almost Folk music in its purest form. It's political, it's scathing and indignant, yet it's a sweet tune carried by a soothing voice and some smooth ringing chords and a flowing bass.

It was an affront to me to read Gina's words. I have worked minimum wage. And not just as a student living at home; I was even on the dole at one stage and renting a place. Now back then it cost 2 of us a shared $90 a week for a flat on the river, but the dole wasn't that much less than it is now. Anyone claiming that minimum wage should be lowered is insane - or has an agenda, a la Gina.

To be clear, I didn't only choose this because it talks about the rich getting fat. My criticism of Gina has nothing to do with her appearance. It's the unmitigated gall of someone who stepped into a fortune on the pure fact she came out of Lang Hancock's scrotum who thinks she can speak on the value of hard work. I chose it above all the others because of:

"You grind and grind and you push and shove

Claim that those most worthy

Will get what they deserve.

It can't be true.

'Cause I've seen too many hungry faces

I've seen too many of the likes of you."

So yeah, I have a problem with the ruling class :) I still have blue collar bogan blood - what are you going to do?

Addio, Amici

Thanks for stopping by. A happy Father's Day to all the Dads in Australia. I can almost taste the Spanish omelette and bacon tortilla I've been promised for breakfast on Sunday. It really is the little things, isn't it.

Adieu. Hasala malakim.