Tag: Australia

Bee Gees | Bodyguard

“The Bee Gees made a commercial comeback outside the U.S. with 1987’s E.S.P. and its single, ‘You Win Again,” (AllMusic). One (1989), on the other hand, had an improved chart showing in the U.S., while sales fell off elsewhere. The Bee Gees are remarkable pop craftsmen … say what you will, “One” and “House of Shame” are convincing pop music. ([the single] “One” was a Top Ten comeback hit that topped soft rock radio playlists.) This stuff works as pop for the same reason “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” and “You Should Be Dancing” did: the melodies are catchy, the hooks are deathless, and the vocals convey emotion over meaning. It may be weightless, but it’s polished.”

“‘I’m the last man standing. I’ll never be able to understand that as I’m the eldest,'” said Barry Gibb (SmoothRadio.com). All three of his brothers (twins Robin and Maurice of the Bee Gees, and much younger brother Andy) passed away between 1988 and 2012. “‘Nobody ever really know what the three of us felt about each other; only the three of us knew … It was such a unifying thing, the three of us became one person. We all had the same dream. That’s what I miss more than anything else.”

The disco grooves that propelled the Bee Gees to international superstardom were long gone by the time of this 1989 release, but “Bodyguard” features the fraternal vocal trio still firing on all cylinders. At 3:09, a whole-step modulation leads into a short guitar feature before the vocals return. Many thanks to Brazilian contributor Julianna for this submission!

Architecture in Helsinki | Contact High

Architecture in Helsinki was an indie pop band based in Australia, active from 2000 to 2018. “Contact High” is featured on their 2011 album, Moment Bends, which was nominated for Australian album of the year. Reviewing the album for the online music publication Pitchfork, critic Eric Grande wrote of the tune, “[lead singer Cameron] Bird’s breathy falsetto verses sound normal enough, but they turn into that odd, otherly voice of the Auto-Tuned on the chorus, singing, ‘I’ve got nothing to hide,’ with what might be the slightest smirk, sometimes tripled by an octave-lowered bass voice, sounding in the main like nothing so much as Owl City. And yet, it’s a terrific pop song, and the chorus, for all its strange sheen, is an undeniable pleasure.”

The track begins in Gb major, and modulates up a third to A at 2:56.

Matt Corby | Knife Edge

“Knife Edge” is featured on Telluric, the 2016 debut album of Australian singer/songwriter Matt Corby. The title, which translates to “of the earth,” informed Corby’s songs. “It’s the concept that runs through the record,” Corby said in an interview. “The idea that through nature and human activity we are all connected.”

Reviewing the album for Paste magazine, critic Saby Reyes-Kulkarni wrote “Corby, Hume and the band (whose contributions here cannot be overstated) have come up with a fresh, resplendent take on soul music. Spiked with muted touches of rock and other intangibles, Telluric establishes Corby as far more than a genre stylist and even stamps him as a visionary to watch right out of the gate.”

The track begins in D minor and shifts downwards to B minor in the third verse at 2:44.

Bee Gees | Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)

Released in 1975, “Fanny (Be Tender With My Love”) peaked at #12 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 in Canada. “According to Maurice Gibb, producer Quincy Jones called “Fanny” one of his favorite R&B songs of all time.” (SteveHoffman forums) Written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb and produced by Arif Mardin, the tune was recorded on the same day as “Jive Talkin’,” according to a 2001 interview in Billboard. Blue Weaver, keyboardist for the Bee Gees during this period, was influenced by Hall & Oates’ 1973 LP Abandoned Luncheonette: “The key change in ‘Fanny (Be Tender)’ was a complete rip-off from Abandoned Luncheonette (from ‘She’s Gone,’ which was also produced by Mardin). I only had it on tape, and I didn’t know that Arif produced it”.

The group did not perform “Fanny” live because of the layers of harmonies used to create the studio recording. In the same Billboard interview, Maurice Gibb explained: “We all love that one, but it’s just a bitch to sing.”

After starting with an intro and verse in E major, the tune shifts to its relative minor (C# minor) for the pre-chorus and chorus at 0:24. The pattern holds through verse 2 and chorus, followed by a bridge built around A major at 1:55 and another verse at 2:16. 3:00 and 3:05 bring two half-step modulatons.

Many thanks to our Brazilian follower (and first-time contributor) @julianna_arai for this submission!

Little River Band | Help Is On Its Way

On its website, Little River Band provides this overview: “The Eagles’ founding member, the late Glenn Frey, knew what he was saying when he dubbed Little River Band ‘the best singing band in the world.’ The current lineup of LRB takes that accolade to heart each and every time they perform. Through the ‘70s and ‘80s, LRB enjoyed huge chart success with multi-platinum albums and chart topping hits.”

“One of the first Australian bands to find widespread commercial success in America, Little River Band brought a polished, vocal-heavy pop sound to the late-’70s airwaves, melding the rich harmonies of the Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash with a bit of AOR drive and soft rock melodicism.” (AllMusic).

1977’s “Help is On Its Way” hit #1 in Australia and #14 in the US. The tune starts in B major, shifts to C major for the first chorus at 0:41, and then returns to B major for verse 2 at 0:59. There’s an early bridge at 1:35, suddenly diminished to only piano and few touches of percussion. The full groove is back at 2:06 with a brief guitar feature in G major; 2:25 brings us back to a verse in B major, with another shift to an C major chorus and then an extended B major outro.

Many thanks to first-time contributor Ziyad for this submission!

Sia | Free Me

Australian singer/songwriter Sia released “Free Me” as a single and music video in July 2017. The video, narrated by Julianne Moore, depicts an expecting mother (played by Zoe Saldana) who is told she is HIV-positive after going in for a routine check-up. The mother’s emotional journey is communicated through choreography, set by Ryan Heffington. “The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one that can affect anyone, particularly child-bearing women around the globe,” Sia said upon the song’s release.

“I’ve proudly joined forces with the Abzyme Research Foundation and the #endHIV Campaign for the release of my song, ‘Free Me,’ to help raise funds and awareness for a potential breakthrough cure of the epidemic.” All proceeds of the song support efforts to eliminate HIV/AIDS. A half-step modulation from Eb to E occurs at 4:02.

Bee Gees | Too Much Heaven

Originally written to be the Bee Gees‘ contribution to the “Music for UNICEF” concert in 1979, “Too Much Heaven” became one of the band’s most popular songs, the fourth of six consecutive #1 hits for the group in three years. Featuring the distinctive, high falsetto timbre the Bee Gees are known for, the track includes nine layers of three-part harmony, as well as a guest appearance by the horn players of the American rock band Chicago. Key change at 3:30.

Sun Rai | Chase the Clouds

Australian native Rai Thistlethwayte‘s website reports that “his mother was a classical piano teacher, and his father was a language teacher who played bass and guitar in local rock bands. Influenced by his parents, Rai developed an appreciation for a wide variety of music, including classical, rock, pop and jazz.” He served as a keyboards and vocals sideman for multiple acts early in his career. One of his more prominent projects as sideman has been with the band Knower. In an interview with Abstractlogix, Thistlethwaite explains:

“With Knower, I’m playing much more in the ‘synthesizer’ world, lots of rhythmic stabs, a few keyboard solos with lead sounds. I’m using a laptop based setup, so that garners a very different sound in terms of tone color … If it’s not grooving, it’s not happening. I don’t overthink an ‘approach’ to playing, I just try and do what seems musically sound for the task at hand!”

From our regular contributor Carlo Migliaccio comes a tune by Thistlethwayte’s own project, Sun Rai: 2013’s “Chase the Clouds.” Sun Rai’s spare funk-tinged duo sound features Rai on vocals, keys, and keyboard bass, with only the support of kit drums, recorded live in the studio. Starting in Bb minor, there’s a jump to Bb major at the chorus (1:05.) The Bb major/minor line is straddled some more until 4:22, where there’s a key change to B major.

Helen Reddy | Delta Dawn

“Every social movement has its definitive song,” The Guardian reports, “and feminism got its anthem in 1972, when the Australian singer Helen Reddy released the single ‘I Am Woman.’ In three elegant minutes, it hewed a portal through which schoolgirls and their mothers saw an empowered future. Reaching No 1 in the US and selling one million copies there, it also established Reddy, who has died aged 78, as one of the top-selling female vocalists of the decade.” News of Reddy’s passing spread today.

The Guardian continues: “Accepting the 1973 Grammy award in the best female pop vocal category, Reddy rubbed salt into the wound by saying: ‘I would like to thank God, because she makes everything possible.’”

While “I Am Woman” was certainly Reddy’s most prominent release, 1973’s “Delta Dawn” was a clear crossover hit, reaching #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 but climbing all the way to #6 on the Hot Country Songs chart, following another top 10 Country hit rendition of the song by Tanya Tucker just a year earlier.

There’s a whole-step modulation at 1:14. But an additional modulation (2:27) is only a half-step. The combination of these two key changes in one tune is quite unusual! Many thanks to our regular Rob Penttinen for this submission.

Tommy Emmanuel | I Have Always Thought of You

Australian solo acoustic fingerstyle guitarist Tommy Emmanuel has made a global career for himself over the years, covering melody, bassline, and accompaniment alike. The readers of Guitar Player magazine have twice voted him “Best Acoustic Guitarist” (2008 and 2010).

The Las Vegas Review/Journal quotes Emmanuel as saying “Chet Atkins actually said something in an interview about me that struck a chord with me. He said, ‘This guy’s the most fearless musician I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen another player who can go jam with a jazz band and then play Django (Reinhardt) tunes and then play Spanish music and then play all of my stuff.’ I don’t know whether it’s my ignorance or my innocence, but I’ve always felt that if I understood anything at all (about a certain style of music), I’d be ready to jump in and you can throw me a solo and I’ll have a go at it.”

According to Emmanuel’s website, the respect was mutual from the moment Emmanuel, at age six, heard Atkins playing on the radio. “…Like Dylan, who made a pilgrimage from the Midwest to New York to meet his idol, Woody Guthrie, Tommy always knew he had to get to Chet. To let Chet hear his music, which had been so shaped by his years listening, and absorbing, Chet’s genius. When he finally made that trek around the globe to meet the man himself, in Nashville, their bond was immediate, and like their music, existed beyond words. Chet picked up his guitar, and the two men jammed joyously for hours. It started a lifelong friendship which shaped Tommy’s music forever.”

2000’s “I Have Always Thought of You” starts in D major but modulates to C# minor from 1:22 – 1:44 and again from 2:17 – 2:38.