A very positive review of the Ballad Of The One Eyed Man Live At The Basement CD.

Author: Peter Peterson.

Date: February 2002.

Original URL: http://www.mediasearch.com.au/ .

Article Text

This live recording from Pay TV’s “Live at the Basement” – a series of shows from artists performing at The Basement in Sydney. This show is a pretty good look at where Mark Seymour is today post Hunters & Collectors, one of the last bastions of true Aussie pub rock. I can tell you Mark Seymour circa 2002 is a revelation. Gone are the anthemic, all-in choruses that symbolised much of the Hunters work, replaced with a more introspective look at the human side of life. The show draws mostly from Seymour’s latest solo CD, “One Eyed Man” Fantastic tracks like “Don’t You Know Me”, “Sad Songs” (probably the track that could easiest fit the Hunter’s mould); Long Way Down; and Lost in Your Illusion are stunning in their execution. The masses are taken care of with the inclusion of the Hunters classic “Holy Grail” and “Home Again”, a great track about Melbourne from his 1997 solo debut, King Without a Clue. This album also contains unreleased tracks “El Dorado”, “Paradise Downunder” and “Parting Glass” which blend in effortlessly with the multitude of great tracks. It’s re-assuring to see releases from the supposed ‘yesterday’s heroes’ of Australian music still more than cut it with anything else being released today – it’s just a great shame that radio and media in general ignore the new stuff, preferring to bask in the reflected glory of past triumphs. It would be a refreshing change if I could turn on the radio and hear a “Waratah Street” or a “Don’t You Know Me” instead of the millionth playing of “Throw Your Arms Around Me” or “Say Goodbye” – great songs that they are. A truly under-rated release worth digging around for.

Comments

N/A.