Various Artists – Follow the Sun
Anthology Recordings – 5 May 2017
Follow The Sun compiles twenty cuts dug from dusty bins by Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring) and Keith Abrahamsson (Founder / Head of A&R at Anthology Recordings and Mexican Summer) surveying the sought after sound of Australia’s lesser — and greater — known moments of ‘70s rock, folk, and their in-between offspring. Follow The Sun filters the sublime and sometimes subversive psychedelic airwaves transmitted around the world from America’s terrestrial platforms during the golden age of gentle, exploratory FM through a distinctly Australian lens.
Independent labels and recording studios proliferated across Australia during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, while major labels simultaneously scoured the furthest reaching corners of the continent to foster new approaches in making music. With both indies and majors ultimately compelled to uncover the almighty single, the fringe was frequently explored for “crossover” sounds. This engendered a creative freedom amongst artists that mirrored the open-ended mood of the times. Anything was possible.
Follow The Sun does not represent those Australian acts who produced a number one single leading to international fame and fortune. Some of the artists on the compilation never even made the local hit parade. But the fact that many of these artists didn’t enjoy chart success is secondary; these artists represent the consciousness of their time. As radio perpetrated pop fodder trodding the middle ground to ensure maximum advertising, the artists on this album chronicled the times in their own unique ways.
Beyond sharing a penchant for pop and its many shades, creating common ideals or setting a narrative around the artists featured on Follow The Sun is a tall task and tale. After all, Australia is a huge country, nay continent. The scuffed shuffle of Mata Hari’s “Easy” drastically contrasts the loner vibes of Gary Shearston’s “Witnessing,” while Megan Sue Hicks “Hey, Can You Come Out And Play” hypnotizes a la Shocking Blue and Trevor McNamara’s “Country Corn” spins out like a rural Skip Spence tune. Hailing from distant, disparate cities across the wide Australian map, each of these artists represents distinct, different forms of pop music.
Follow The Sun Tracklisting:
Follow the Sun – Dave Douglas
Riverboat – Andy Armstrong
Easy – Mata Hari
First Boy I Loved – Marian Henderson
Spirit Move Within Me – Flock
Hey, Can You Come out and Play – Megan Sue Hicks
Kill My World – Autumn
Knowing That You’re There – Australia
Am I Really Here – Moonlight
Witnessing – Gary Shearston
Wild Horse Plains – Tidewater
Whispering Pines – Shepherd
The Orange Tree – Cathie O’Sullivan
Cement River – Steve Warner
Good Morning – Paul Adolphus
Something Strange – Doug Ashdown
Country Corn – Trevor McNamara
This Must Be The End – Billy Green
Today’s The First Day Of Your Life – Catmando
Goodbye – Simon Jones (LP ONLY)
Order via Bandcamp | Anthology
