2PR FM COMMENCES ITS FIRST LIVE TEST

CURRENT MOOD: ecstatic

I can't believe it, the stream is going, and after an odd nine years in the making, 2PR FM is doing it's very first live test broadcast.

With over 2000 tracksin the library, we're currently broadcasting our live stream, side by side with our archive of past programs. As they say in radio, there is nothing like a live studio.

Since 10:30 this morning, the stream has been powering along smoothly, and with no slip ups so far, the next 31 days is looking very promising.

By checking various streaming services, egihosting seemed to be the most reasonable with their pricing and reputation, as it looks like they're recommended by a number of radio info sites.

Through thick and thin, 2PR FM continues to grow and move with the times. For me, this is certainly a magical moment, in light of what a dead year this has been.

You can tune in at: http://www.2prfm.com and then click listen. Enjoy!

Michael Jackson - The End of an Era

CURRENT MOOD: Gloomy

As I slowly awoke, the cloudiness of my eye-lids soon revealed the crisp blueness of a cool winter sky through my bedroom windows, and what.... my radio.... Michael Jackson dead?

Michael jackson...... god hell, that just came out of the blue.

Despite his popectual eccentricness and his wacky behaviour, Michael Jackson was a major influence to many of us who grew up and, like me, mucked about during the 1980's.

The first time I heard "Billy Jean", it was a cool morning when I wagged school, "Human Nature", the second day of family holidays in the Netherlands, and the track "Thriller" entered the Australian charts, the day when I poured an entire two litre PET plastic bottle of Pepsi, down that kids back at school, the one that always bullied me.

Thriller came out when I was turning fourteen, so it was the major album of my youth during 1983-1984. Every radio station, television music show and program would have songs and video clips from this album. From the word go in December 1982, Thriller had my personal top 40 charts on fire with the hits (chronilogically) "The girl is mine", "Baby be mine", "Billy Jean", "Beat it", "Gotta get starting something", "Human Nature", "Thriller", and the last hit single "PYT (Pretty Young Thing) in May 1984.



When I started my personal top 40 during March 1979, his first hit was "Shake your body (down to the ground" (September 1979), "Blame it on the boogie", "December 1979", "Don't stop till you get enough", "Rock with you", "Off the wall", and "Girl friend", a track written by Paul McCartney, and "Can you feel it" with the Jackson Five, perhaps one of the first epic video clips I ever saw.

He then had a minor hit during November 1981, "One day in your life", originally recorded in 1976 under the Jackson Five name. Aside from "Thriller" he also released another album in 1984 "Victory" with the Jacksons, which yielded another two hits "State of shock' with Mick Jagger, and "Torture" during early October that year.

His final good album in my opinion was "Bad", released during September 1987. "I just can't stop loving you" (with Siedah Garrett) was a pre-release in July that year, which was followed by the single "Bad", "The way you make me feel", "Man in the mirror", "Smooth Criminal", "Leave me alone", and "Dirty Diana" in May 1989".

One thing of particular interest, was that Michael Jackson and Prince were going to release a song called "Street Walker" during the later part of 1986. Unfortunately Prince pulled out, and the song was never released. The first time I heard it was off his 20th anniversary album of "Bad" back in 2007. With stunningly layered harmony lines, and a synth motiv like no other, it's somewhat unbelievable that it was never released as a single. "Street Walker" would of been the killer hit, that would of made "Bad" just as good, if not better then "Thriller"

But for the record, "Thriller" stands as his best album. I love every track on it, except "The lady in my life".

Going back to this week in June 1985

Welcome to my new look blog on blogger. As per usual, it's another slip down the tunnel of far gone time, through the galactic twist of 24 years, and back to this week in June 1985.

On television, we were watching Wavelength and Hey Hey it Saturday on Channel 9, with the last series of Knight Rider. Mad Max beyond Thunderdome debuted in the cinemas, and Bob Hawke was in power, with John Howard as opposition leader.

Australian Top 20 - Sunday 16th June 1985
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1. Rhythm of the night - DeBarge
2. Would I lie to you - Eurythmics
3. Solid (as a rock - Ashford and Simpson
4. Heaven - Bryan Adams
5. Love don't live here anymore - I'm Talking
6. Money for nothing - Dire Straits
7. One more night - Phil Collins
8. Just a gigolo - David Lee Roth
9. Nightshift - The commodores
10. Lover come back - Dead or Alive
11. We close our eyes - Go West
12. Crazy for you - Madonna
13. You're only human - Billy Joel
14. Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer
15. I know him so well - Elaine Paige and Barbra Dixon
16. Into the groove - Madonna
17. Wide boy - Nik Kershaw
18. Suddenly - Billy Ocean
19. Walking on sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
20. Boombox - The Vita-Beats

Coming toward a crossroad

CURRENT MOOD: Good

Since leaving TAFE in November 2008, I have been busy working on a large digitising project, in the effort of moving 2PR FM from a pre-recorded radio station, into a live streaming service.

This has involved the conversion of all my CDs and Vinyl into wave files. When processing, all the files have to be normalised at the same volume output, so that programming material will flow more easily.

Many CDs have a silent gap at the start of every track, while some don't have it at all. This portion of the track also has to be uniformily the same, so automatic mixing can take place without any gaps or dead air, while at the same time, preventing premature mixing. This is when one track starts, when another song hasn't quite finished yet.

Initially, the entire project seemed quite daunting. Having so much music to convert meant that I had no idea where to start. This issue was soon resolved when I decided to compile tracks by era.

The first part of the project was gathering every charting track from March 1983 through to August 1984. This first part of the project resulted in over 500 tracks on five DVDs. The second portion of the project is gathering all the smaller hit makers of the 70's. This has taken the best part of three months, and so far has resulted in 1200 tracks on eleven DVDs.

Over the last month, I've been gathering all the charting tracks from March 1989 through to September 1990, something I seemed to be at the tail end now. They were a few gaps in my CD collection, so I had to by some CD singles from Chris Rea, The Hoodoogurus, Boris Grebenshikov, Stevie Nicks and Al Green. Though I've got most of them, I'm still awaiting some to arrive. I should have this section wrapped up by the end of this week. I can then burn some back-ups off, and then get it off my hard-drive in readiness for the next era of tracks.

At this stage it's looking like compiling all the charting tracks from September 1979 to March 1983.

Though this project is going to continue, I feel I'm coming to another crossroad where I may have to change my priorities. It seems that commercial radio is about to go digital, meaning that they will be able to broadcast extra channels, parallel to their current radio services. I hope with the experience of my recent digitising project, certificate acquisition, and similar goals, that the people in the Australian Radio Network can consider me for a program director for their new digital radio service.

Though I like to keep an open mind, that a miracle can happen, I somehow already know the conclusion to this one. I guess its fingers crossed and see what happens.

If they accept my proposal for a new digital service, then I will fast-track the digitising project. I guess though if it falls through, then this project will have to take a back-seat to the continuation of my earth two novel.

Banks lapping it up

CURRENT MOOD: Tired

Interesting to note that even during a fully blown recession, the banks still have the nerve to keep lapping it up.

Bill tops $2m for NAB strategy trip
From the Sydney Morning Herald
Friday 22nd May 2009
Artical by Mark Hawthorne and Eric Johnston

AS MANY as 100 National Australia Bank executives have secretly jetted to San Francisco at shareholders' expense to attend a strategy conference, with the bill expected to top $2 million on airfares and accommodation.

The Melbourne-based bank confirmed that 24 executives were in San Francisco, but disputed claims from senior bank staff that 100 had been sent.

The trip coincides with revelations in a Reserve Bank report that Australia's banks receive $11.6 billion in fees from customers, as well as unprecedented taxpayer support to help deal with the global financial crisis.

According to the report, bank fees have risen $885 million, or 8 per cent over the last year.

The industry has also been criticised in recent months for failing to pass on to home owners the full amount of official interest rate cuts, even after the Government provided a universal deposit guarantee to buttress the banking system.

An NAB spokesman, George Wright, confirmed the training program was taking place, but disputed the number of people involved. "Only 24 are put through the program at a time."

He said 24 executives had finished and a further 24 were about to start. The executives were from NAB's Australian, New Zealand and British operations.

"We have established a senior leaders program which we intend to put a number of senior leaders through over the next four years," Mr Wright said, adding that it was more economical to send the executives to San Francisco than have those involved sent to Australia.

The tailor-made program includes academics from business schools including Harvard and Stanford universities and the London Business School.

This week's trip to the US is the second by NAB executives in just three months. In February, 25 flew to San Francisco to attend a leadership program.

One of the most recent programs included the bank's chief executive, Cameron Clyne, who talked up the benefits of the leadership scheme at a briefing to investors earlier this year.

Mid-ranking executives at NAB's Melbourne headquarters said they were not informed of the San Francisco trip by senior executives. "There's no one around to sign off on anything," one complained. "We only worked out what had happened by Wednesday, when it was evident just about everyone's boss had disappeared. Many are tacking on … annual leave … and won't be back until next month."

Those on the latest trip are said to include the head of nabCapital, Shaun Dooley, and the chief risk officer, Bruce Monro.

The cost of the February event, including accommodation, was hundreds of thousands of dollars. Qantas charges about $14,600 for a return business-class flight to San Francisco. If 100 were attending, as suggested by NAB staff, the latest event could top $2 million on travel and accommodation, without including the cost of the tailored training course and executive expenses.

Staff at the Melbourne HQ say they have been "left holding the bag", and the trip had been kept secret to prevent media leaks. "It's nice for some, but meanwhile the rest of us are taking the calls from angry customers asking why we haven't passed on interest cuts to their credit cards and their mortgages," he said

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Banks pick up $1b in penalty fees
From the Sydney Morning Herald
Friday 22nd May 2009
Article by Jacob Saulwick

HOUSEHOLDS paid banks almost $1 billion in late or overdraft fees last year - about $50 for every man, woman and child in the country.

The Reserve Bank has for the first time tallied the "exception fees" charged by banks - the costs attached to making a late credit card payment, overdrawing from a deposit account, or running over a credit limit.

It reveals a $960 million bill accrued by households, the bulk from overdrawing deposit accounts and breaking credit card rules, as well as $200 million in fees from businesses.

For consumer groups, who have spent years agitating for the release of the information, the Reserve's report supported their argument that the level of fees charged by Australian banks is unfair.

Further, the burden is understood to fall disproportionately on lower income earners, who can rapidly rack-up a succession of fees because they do not have the wriggle room in their accounts to avoid penalty charges.

"The reason that it is such a pernicious issue is that the fees are paid primarily by the people that can least afford them," said the director of policy and campaigns at the Consumer Action Law Centre, Nicole Rich.

There are no figures detailing the breakdown of charges on different income groups, but the Senate Economics Committee reported last year "strong anecdotal evidence that in some cases at least the impost of high default fees is marginalising people who are already struggling to feel they belong in Australian society."

A spokesman for Choice, Christopher Zinn, said the exception fee bill was much worse than his expectation of about $250 million.

"We believe that you can have secure and stable banking without a billion dollars a year coming from penalty fees," he said.

Total bank fees actually grew at a slower rate than the size of banks' balance sheets during 2008. Household fees increased by 8 per cent, down from an average growth rate of 11 per cent between 2002 and 2007.

Banks charged households $4.8 billion in fees in 2008.

Of that, credit card fees made up $1.3 billion - up 11 per cent from the previous year, but down from an average growth rate of 23 per cent before that.

For its part, the bankers' lobby noted that customers could find ways of avoiding about 30 per cent of all fees.

"By using your own bank's ATMs, ensuring accounts are not overdrawn and your credit card paid on time, money can be saved," said the chief executive of the Australian Bankers' Association, David Bell.

"Avoiding overdrawn fees can be done by checking your account balances before making large purchases." The majority of major banks have also introduced low or zero fee accounts for low-income earners.

Also yesterday, the Reserve Bank released figures showing households used recent government stimulus payments to carve into their debts. Credit card repayments jumped more than 17 per cent in April, the report showed.

In addition to exception fees, customers paid $640 million for using ATMs that were not from their own bank.

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Feeling good, I reached another goal!

CURRENT MOOD: Accomplished

The mood was much more positive tonight when I was invited to South Sydney TAFE's award night. It was something I knew nothing about, until a few weeks ago, when I was informed that I would receive the high achiever award. In reflection to some recent events, it was just one of those things to really lift the spirits.

Upon getting there, the tables of freshly cooked food were just to irresistible. It was a quick feed on some samosa triangles, cooked fish slices, and a few plates of smoked salmon sandwiches. It was good to catch up with some of my old Tafe friends, but then it was time for the awards. They were many people to get through, and it seemed to take for ever, but before I knew it, I was called up to received not one, but three certificates, one of them being the high achiever award. I had never felt so good in such a long time. I had then spoken to some of the TAFE staff that congratulated me on my efforts.

Asperger meeting

CURRENT MOOD: Inspired

It's been a somewhat rainy cool evening tonight, but a night that was very enjoyable. I was one of the guest speakers invited to the South Sydney Autism Meeting. This was a gathering that is organised every month or so, for parents of Autistic children, friends, specialists, and anyone with an interest with Autism and Asperger's to meet up.

They showed a segment of "Rainman goes to RocKwiz", and tested my knowledge on music charts. They were about 70 people attending, as I met several of them toward the end. Unfortunately time was tight and things got somewhat rushed toward the end. There is going to be another one in early June, something to look forward to.

Brisi trip

Brisi trip

CURRENT MOOD: Quiet

With my head firmly above the jetlag line, and my feet firmly down from a smooth landing, it's time to have an iced coffee, or lemonade and share the memories of Brisbane.

Thursday morning got off to a good start, when I was ready early with half an hour to spare. Unlike Melbourne last year, it wasn't a mad rush to the last seconds. The sun was shining, and it was a reasonably comfortable day. My friends picked me up in a taxi, which got us to the airport on time, and well, a take off that was nothing short of amazing. We had a window seat on the right side of the aircraft, which meant we were able to look out sort of south and east. Ten minutes into the flight, we would have been above Newcastle, and were able to look all the way to South Sydney, the skies were so clear.

The clouds soon appeared, but then heading into the tropics this time of the year, and particularly in the afternoon, what could you expect. Never the less the view of coming in to Brisi was nothing short of brilliant.

Stephanie, who runs Asperger's Services Australia (ASA), picked us up from the airport, and showed us the offices of ASA. The weather was hot, sticky and humid, but the hospitality was wonderful. It was a relaxing afternoon inside the air-conned motel room, then off to see more friends for dinner. This was the first time I ever walked into a queenslander style house. The concept was different, and airy.

The next day arrived, and so did we all at the Brisbane Tattersalls Hotel. With nearly 200 people from the business community, it was the perfect setting to show how gifted people with Asperger's were. Tony Attwood presented the first speech, which was then followed by Amy from the Southern Suburbs Asperger’s Support Group. A representative from MP Bill Shorten's office also appeared, which was follow by a short video on my success at RocKwiz.

The adrenalin was rushing, as it was my chance to show what us aspies were made of. I noted the perception how an aspie would easily meltdown, with all the lights, noise and excitement of such a television show, and how opinion was totally changed around that night, when an aspie was given the chance. I noted how my team and I became victorious, and how enjoyable the night turned out to be. I also spoke on how important it was for aspies and employers to communicate.

It was time for some beautiful lunch, in which the first bight was deliciously scrumptious. It tasted like fish, with hollandaise source, but something seemed different. It was a taste I never had before in my life. Upon asking one of the other guests, they noted that it was chicken. Unbelievable, I actually liked the taste of chicken. When considering my food allergy, I had to give it a miss, as getting sick was the last thing anyone wanted.

But the next thing of utter resistible temptation was the steamed date pudding.......

This seemed to have fixed any remaining nerves I had left over from the speech. With the lunch over, it was then a site seeing trip with Amy's friends, and a look around the city of Brisbane. The taste buds were watering again, so this time it was time to go italiano. Meeting up with cousins that I hadn't seen for years was a real thrill. We went to Tomato Joe's for a beautifully cooked pizza, and some pasta with Salmon.

Saturday arrived, and it was more steamy Queensland weather. We were off to the Holiday Inn, to present the second day of Asperger's Services Australia's seminars. Various people with the syndrome presented their speeches, as I did my last talk in the after noon. This time I spoke more about the experiences of growing up, and the amount of bullying I received as a teenager. I mainly focused on, how many people with the syndrome get a raw deal in life, but more importantly it was your attitude that made the difference.

Stephanie and the rest of us had some problems with the security, when exiting the car-park to get to the air-port. We arrived very late, and well, we only had fifteen minutes to get aboard. We managed to get the last few seats on the plane; however, it wasn't before one of the flight attendants got their knickers in a knot. They apparently noted, because I was vision impaired, I could not sit on the door seat. This issue came up, just as my friends and I were about three meters away from boarding the plain. Thanks to some finger flicking, we all got on without any more issues.

Our flight was an early evening trip. With having an easterly view, looking out the aircraft's left side, they were some spectacular cloud formations. The one below resembled Mt. Everest, and when flying directly above it, it was a real experience and a half.

The trip went fast, and before we knew it, it was a 7:00 touch-down in Sydney. Again, it was just one of those views that you only get at an air-port, a sunset of such deep yellows and oranges. Unfortunately the camera doesn't do it any justice.

Bags are packed, ready to go!

CURRENT MOOD: Excited

Well, the excitement is in the air, and my bags are all packed tonight for going to Brisbane tomorrow. I've been invited by Asperger's Services Australia to do some speeches on my condition, how it effects me, and how it can benefit potential employers.

The idea of going in a plane again already has the adrenalin flowing, I absolutely love flying, and the prospect of presenting my story in front of a few hundred business people is quite a thrill. There must be at least one person there willing to give me a job.

How it all will pan out though is just the matter of taking it all one minute at a time. I'm also looking forward to seeing some of my cousins, who live up there; I haven't seen them for years.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of January 1984

CURRENT MOOD: Cheerful

With our current heat-wave, no doubt January 2009 will be remembered as one of the hottest and most uncomfortable on record. But as the beaches sizzle, and the sun burns, I'm taking this opportunity to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a time, when contemporary culture was at its peak.

January 1984 was a time when everything had so much meaning and vibrancy. Whether it was an interesting documentary on space, a television music program, radio announcers, music and record equipment, personalities, consumer products, venues with pop groups rather then pokies, and a time when you could walk through the local mull without being crushed by a thousand people. This is the point where I wished the world stopped turning. Everything seemed so perfect.

I thought I would start the sentimental time warp with the television programs I watched, which included the season two re-run of Knight Rider. Perfect Match with Greg Evans and Debbie Newsome; can you still remember the lyrics to the theme? The first show aired on Monday 23rd January. This was the same day when Sydney's 2UW radio station renamed itself to Magic 11. Simon and Simon got a few viewings, but Dynasty was more enjoyable. Tim Webster and Katrina Lee were reading Ten Eyewitness News (remember the helicopter at the start). Channel Ten had secured the rights to showing the Olympics that year, thus they were starting to show their new promos, with the LA Olympic theme. Can you remember the black and blue graphics, with the white and cyan running men graphics? The fourth season of Towards 2000 was being repeated on the ABC with Ian Finlay and Carmel Trevors, as repeats of Fame and Battlestar Galactica were on Channel seven. Molly Meldrum and countdown were on their summer break, however Donnie Sutherland was showing the best of After Dark from 1983.

When it comes to the radio scene, you would not know what stations were what, when compared to today. 2Day FM was an easy listening radio station that played music from the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Billy Joel, and much of the current contemporary material in an easy format. The announcer line-up included Grant Goldman in the morning, George Moore, and Tim Webster in the afternoon. Can you still remember the lyrics to the 2Day FM promo; let me refresh your memory.

Out there, somewhere on that radio dial
There's an FM station, with a special kind of style
We play the music, just like you want us to
With an easy rollin' feelin' coming through

2Day FM..... listen easy all the time
2Day FM..... easy rollin', that's our style
2Day FM..... come on, stay with us a while
2Day FM..... we've got an easy rollin' kind of style.

Yes, this station did play good music back then, as unbelievable as it seems today, and better yet, they played records and CDs rather then MP3s. In a time when there was only two FM stations in Sydney, Triple M's line up included Doug Mulray, Paul Holmes, and Stuart Cranny as announcers, and Margaret Bates as news reader. 2UW grabbed Tim Webster from 2Day for their new Magic breakfast show with Glenn Shorrick, as after four years, Rick Melbourne left. Graham Stone and Trevor Sinclair were also on 2UW / Magic 11 at the time.

The political environment was a Labor one, with Bob Hawke (prime minister) and Paul Keating (treasurer) leading federally. In NSW, Neville Wran was leading a majority government with Ted Mack and John Hatton as independents. Nick Greiner was leading the Liberal National Coalition, and would gain more support with the next election, which at this point was only a few months away.

When it came to going out and about, we often went down the south coast to see family. When going shopping, Westfield at Hurstville was only one third the size. You could find what you want, with quality shops, rather now a days where there is a hundred shops, all selling the same "made in china" rubbish. When it came to spending my pennies, it was Leed Lemonade for my favourite drink, particularly the older two litre bottles with the black polypropylene bottoms. I would nag my parents to get the latest Intellivision cartridges, which in those days sold for $85 a pop. When we refilled the car, petrol was only 41.9 cents a litre.

Having my own amatuer radio station at the time, I would go through many cassette tapes. I remember rewiring one of my walkie talkies, then hooking it up on my radio, where pre-recorded programs were played. Though a signal went out, I'm not really sure how far it went. Kids at school said they were able to tune in, but somehow I found it hard to believe as they were 10 to 12 Km away. I mainly used Maxell UD tapes, but sometimes used the cheaper Maxell LN, if circumstances did not allow me to get the more expensive UD. These tapes were great, as they left no oxide shedding on the heads of my D8514 tape deck recorder.

During the summer days, I would often use the trampoline to exercise myself to a sweat, and then jump directly into our pool. As much as I loved it, my parents were very annoyed, as the prospect of me slipping and breaking my neck was a real one. As a fourteen year old, I thought of it as a boring nag, and admit that I never listened.

And now the most important part of this blog, the music. A time and place when there was so much to say, I thought it would be easiest to break it down into my favourite albums.



1. Flashdance - Original Soundtrack - Casablanca

Noting that most of the tracks were produced by Giorgio Moroder, one of the most interesting parts about this album is that their was a large contribution from Phil Ramone, who had also produced albums like Paul Simons "Still crazy after all these years", Billy Joel's "52nd Street", and the single, "Just the way you are", and on top of that, winning Grammy’s for all three projects. With two of the biggest known producers in the industry, "Flashdance" had the ingredients for success.

Aside from the Huge hit "What a feelin", other Moroder contributions included the cool silkiness of "Love theme" by Helen St. John, which for some reason has echoes of Midnight express, but in a new kind of way. Joe Esposito's "Lady, lady, lady" lyrically flows out of the speakers, like an aurora above the clouds. I never heard a ballad constructed so beautifully. It's another upbeat lap through the disco with Donna Summer's "Romeo" which had the unfailing reaction of wanting to dance, every time the song started, a case of being careful with my Inhibitions. Cycle V's "Seduce me tonight" is perhaps the song that would break the Moroder mould the most with a full-on rock feel, synths are not present, or barely noticeable. Despite being out of the usual, it's another feel-good song that keeps the feet tapping.

Phil Ramone, who incidentally is no relation to the late seventies punk group with the same name, produced two of the soundtracks cuts. The first being Karen Kamon's "Manhunt", a track which cleverly uses the 3/4 rhythm to give a flowing, drifting sound that carries you into a musically induced mood, one that's so deep that the songs end always hits like a splash of cold water. Laura Branigan's "Imagination" is frighteningly close to a Moroder sound. The track is a typical example of early 80's disco at it's best, with a melody that weaves it self around the beds of rhythm boxes and synths in a mystical kind of way.

"I'll be here where the heart is" is perhaps Kim Carnes most intense ballad. The smooth wandering keyboards speak the message of beckoning love, the waiting, and the desire for that distant love that wants to happen. Hell, the first few seconds already gives the mood, very impressive, not even one word was sung, and you know were this track is heading. This album's only slight disappointment was the album mix of Michael Sembello's "Maniac". Considering they played the single version in the movie, it was a little bit of a dampener to what was simply a "Desert Disc".



2. Irene Cara - What a feelin' - CBS / Network

Giorgio Moroder first appeared on the March 1972 hit "Son of my father", performed by Chicory Tip. He would then be the producer of much of Donna Summer's material during the late seventies and early eighties, much of the music for the Soundtrack of "Midnight Express" in 1978, and an off-beat Sparks song; "beat the clock" in 1979. Blondie's "Call me" would also be another highlight, but the shear presents of Moroder magic would embrace us by 1983, with both the soundtrack to "Flashdance", and Irene Cara's "What a feeling" album.

Perhaps the biggest charting single from my personal top 40, was "What a feelin", the title cut, which stayed at the top of my chart for eight weeks through June, July and early August 1983. It would eventually be knocked out by Mike Oldfield's "Moonlight shadow". "Why me" would appear in late November, reaching it's peak at No.1 during December. "Breakdance" was a dance anthem that bopped to the top of the charts during February 1984, followed by the soundtrack hit, "The dream" from the film "DC Cab". Though it only had modest success on the Australian charts, this track went into the top five portion of my charts during May 1984.

Can you ever imagine lyrics like "Input output microprocessor delay VCR VCA modulation for decay DIN synch to control and invert over stereo Set mode channel two selectors audio schematic vectors"? The first time I heard it; I actually and totally cracked up. It was "Romance '83", a track on how computers and technology get in the way of modern love. Though it wasn't a single, "Talk too much" would be the albums best cut, (yes, I can still say that, despite "What a feeling" being at No.1 for eight weeks). It's a fun and enjoyable track to listen to. "Receive it" and "You took my heart away" were another two tracks that had strong potential for a single and a worthy chart run, but both remained excellent album tracks. "Keep on", "Cue me up", and "you were made for me" were perhaps not the best cuts on the album, but were all-important pieces to this particular Moroder project.



3. Billy Joel - An innocent man - CBS

"Nylon curtain" was Billy Joel at his lyrical peak with the impacting "pressure", the emotionally wrenching "Goodnight Saigon", and the industrial ghost-town gloom of "Allentown". After what was a rather serious album, it seemed that Joel wanted to let loose and the results of which are evident on "An innocent man", the point where he reaches his musical peak with a casual feel good mood.

The album's first single "Tell her about it" reached the top five portion of my personal top 40 during September 1983, a soulful ballad with an exuberant tempo. "Uptown girl" would be his follow up single in November 1983, and would continue in a "Four Seasons" style, a track inspired by his then partner Christine Lee Brinkley. The title cut, "An innocent man" enjoyed moderate success on my chart during January 1984, but dropped off rapidly as it soon wore thin. The a cappella rendition of "The longest time" was a nice break from a music scene heavily dominated by big synths and loud fashion, as for the album's last charting single; "Leave a tender moment alone" had echoes of country, with a strong AC poppy feel.

The opening song "Easy money" was an album track that sounded like a single, a common thing with many of the albums of the era. "This night" continues the throwback feel to the 60's, with a borrowed line from one of Beethoven's concertos. We are then taken back to the Motown sound with "Careless talk", with harmonies resembling mid sixties Temptations or Smokie Robinson. It's the Jerry Lee Lewis treatment all over with "Christie Lee". For an album that takes us to so many places of Joel's musical abilities, "Keeping the faith" brings a smooth close, to what was indeed Joel’s best record ever. 1986's "The Bridge” would come tantalisingly close to equal best.



4. The Moody Blues - The Present - Threshold

"Never dreamt I would hope I would count the miles
Through the wind and the rain I can see you smile
There ain't no turning back
I can see in the distance, got it in my sight

Like a vision, like a face coming out of the sky
You were there like a dream, you were right in my eyes"

Hell, those lyrics.... Strong echoes of Electric Light Orchestra's "Time" album?

In a ghostly similar way, it's "The Present" from the Moody Blues. Some of you may know that ELO's "Time" album ranks near the top of my desert discs selection. With an airy, mystical nature to the music, with production somewhat sentiment of Jeff Lynne, the album was an immediate hit for my liking. Though it rarely got any airplay on Sydney radio, aside from "Blue world", I would hear this album from a brother whose world was nothing but progressive rock. Upon his playing of the entire album, I was simply "blown away" that another group could carry the same kind of magic like ELO.

While none of the tracks from the album charted as singles in the Australian charts, "Sitting at the wheel" had a respectable chart presence on the Billboard charts during September 1983, the time when the album charted in Australia. "Sitting at the wheel" would reach No.10 in early October on my personal charts, "Blue world" reaching No.19 in January 1984, and "Meet me halfway" would reach No.9 in late March, which was the albums strongest cut. Like any good album, the material was diverse, and while not charting as singles, the tracks like "Going nowhere" and "Sorry" would carry emotional overtones of struggling love and hurt. Such tracks would be easy to dismiss as simple love songs, if not for the wonderful orchestral arrangements that are evident, particularly so with "running water".



5. Eurythmics - Touch - RCA

By the later part of 1983, The Eurythmics were already established as one of the decades staple radio groups. By September, they would score their third Australian chart hit, and forth on my personal charts with "Whose that girl", a hit that saw both Dave and Annie immersed in the groups developing sound of arty synth-strings. November saw the release of their next single, "Right by your side", a throw into a somewhat Caribbean feel, expressing the thoughts of co-dependency. One of the albums more impacting tracks, the breathy and luscious "Here comes the rain", made it's appearance in March 1984, "Talk to me, like lovers do, walk with me, like lovers do" encapsulates Annie's impressions on the difference between the rituals of love, and what real love is. Most inspiring are the incredible droning violins that give the illusion of doubt, wondering if real love ever exists out-there.

My two favourite tracks on this album are ones that are worlds apart in their approach. "The first cut" would be an erratic twist of synths and guitars, tied to a rhythm somewhat nostalgic to James Brown, with synth rifts that would remotely resemble the later material of Kraftwerk. The killer track was, "No fear, no hate, no pain, no broken hearts". The lyrics; "Nobody told you it would feel like this", combined with the bone chilling arrangements of her vocals and strings, gives this album it's ultimate knock-out punch. Every time I hear this track, I literally feel that Annie is singing it as if her life was depended on it. "Cool blue" comes across as a moderately enjoyable poppy track. With its line of bight; "When my fists collide", the bold and spiteful "Regrets" is the only other remaining track worth noting,



6. Mike Oldfield - Crises - Virgin

For me, Oldfield was not an album extraordinaire, however he would make up with overpoweringly impacting tracks that still would make an album purchase from him worthwhile. During the 1970's, Oldfield's biggest climb to fame was his hugely successful "Tubular Bells", which after release in 1973, sold very strongly during 1974 and 1975. Many of his follow up albums would delve deeply into experimental music scores, which would feature everything from hard guitar rock, through to delicately crafted eastern European tunes, played with several flutes, violins, and any other instrument you can ever imagine.

It would be 1980's "QE2" which would see his music more focused, with a delightfully airy reworking of ABBA's "Arrival", and a very spaced out rendition of the Shadows early 1960's hit, "Wonderland".

Oldfield would obtain his biggest musical asset toward the end of 1981, when he started work with Scottish folk/rock vocalist, Maggie Riley, a voice that would float like clouds in the sky, or the drifting of an aurora at night, a sound that was eerie, yet very soothing. Oldfield released the album "Five miles out", the title cut of which would reach No.4 in late May 1982 on my personal charts. It was this track that revealed Riley's hauntingly beautiful voice for the first time. "Taurus II" would be a continuation of Oldfields 70's experimental style, but with more electro-guitar and vocoder tracks, the style was much fuller and richer then ever.

Though he never had a full album to my liking, "Crises" would come to be the closest, with a pleasant sequel to the "Taurus" legacy as "Part III". Maggie Riley would be at her stunning best with "Moonlight shadow", a tune that still gives me goose bumps after 25 years. She would also do the vocals to the tranquil "Foreign affair". The album would then close off with the track that sounded so big, you could just imagine a speaker the size of a skyscraper, but then it wasn't the volume. Rather more it was a guitar rift pushed through a huge reverb, with Roger Chapman’s mid-tone registry exploited to the maximum depth of the studio's abilities.



7. Elton John - Too low for zero - Rocket

I guess we come to a point again, where I'm out of sync with the majority of an artists fans, when speaking about when they had their greatest period musically. It seems that Elton’s early catalogue material is respected more from dedicated fans, however I would find the period from 1979's "Victim of love" through to 1989's "Sleeping with the past" to be his most exciting and interesting. It would be this period that brung various line up changes, thus adding more colour to his music.

The one thing that other John fans and I would have in common is noting that "Too Low for Zero" was one of his best albums. The tracks on this album moved so much with various emotions, that I somewhat weirdly felt it was music with legs. From pressing play, the immediate first chords of "Cold as Christmas" touched me with a moderately gloomy drone, but magically empowered melody, which lyrically was about a failing marriage. We are then thrown into one of 1983's biggest hit singles, "I'm still standing" which reached No.4 on my personal 40 during June 1983, an exuberant anthem of defiant survival. "Two Low for Zero" which reached No.5 in December 1983 on my personal charts, continues with a blend of percussion, keyboards, and synth tracks that mashes into an incredible array of harmonised instruments, something that I had never heard before. Again, we are treated to an album track that had all the qualities of a hit single, "Religion". "I guess that's why they call it the blues" was my favourite from the album, reaching No.4 in early August 1983. When arriving back in Sydney from Holland on Sunday 18th September 1983, this was one of the first tunes I heard out of the radio, when stepping off the plane. Stevie Wonder played harmonica, as the song is remembered as one of John's Taupin's best-written love ballads. "Crystal" was another hit single during October 1983, another classic that's withstood the test of time. As a Sydney sider, "Kiss the bride" had great significance, as Elton married Renata Blauel in our lovely city during the very time it was a hit, during February 1984. It would be this albums last hit, but definitely not the end of the good stuff. "Whipping boy" charged up the speakers with it's early 80's rock sound, as "Saint" came across as again, another potential radio single. "One more arrow" for me was the albums weakest track, coming across as a solemn tune about someone's passing, but never the less, still not a bad song.

This albums had two significant firsts, the first to feature his entire original band line up from start to finish, since 1975's "Captain Fantastic" with Davey Johnstone playing guitars, Dee Murray on Bass, and Nigel Olsson on the drums. It also was the first to be written entirely by John and Taupin since 1976's "Blue moves". Like many albums of the era, this was a CD that was playable from start to finish.



8. Michael Jackson - Thriller - Epic

For a moment, we take a look at Michael Jackson, the musician, a time when he was at the top of his game performing, before his major fall from grace, now nothing more then a messed up sad case.

Already with the credentials of 1980's "Off the wall", Jackson was set for another huge hit maker. With hits like "Don't stop till you get enough", "Rock the night", "Off the wall" and "Girl-friend", his chart presents was well established.

The first hit from "Thriller" was the McCartney penned composition "The girl is mine". I remember hearing this song for the first time, on the moment I got home from my last day of primary school on Thursday 16th December 1982. It was a threshold moment of my life, the point of moving from a child to a teenager, on the verge of high school. I still remember sitting in the lounge-room drinking lemonade, as Tim Webster announced the intro of the song on the then easy sound of 2Day FM. It was at this time, when "Baby be mine" also got heavy air-play, an easy going upbeat track that I liked better then the McCartney Duet.

"Billy Jean" started it's chart run in late February 1983, and would be the corner-stone track of the album, with it's unique humping synth beat motive, which received massive air-play for most of the year. Another of the album's biggest moments was "Beat it", again the power of a reoccurring motive used to it's best effect. Rather then being dubbed, every guitar track was recorded individually, resulting in the song's HUGE sound. Eddie Van Halen played the instrumental solo, as the single reached No.2 on my personal charts during June 1983, only to be held back by Irene Cara's "What a feeling" which sat at No.1 for several weeks. Heavy on the harmonies in a somewhat mystical way, was "Human Nature", his next single that would chart in October 1983.

It was then time for the landmark video project, the element that would push this albums sales through the roof. The single "Thriller" reached No.1 on several of the world's charts, and No.2 on my personal weekly 40. It is hard to believe that the entire rapping section by Vincent Price was written in the back of a taxi. Writer Rod Temperton efforts were put off that day, by an unexpected meeting with his publisher. He describes in an interview how he quickly had to write the lines on the way to the studio that afternoon. He felt very lucky that all the words were able to come out very easily.

"gotta get startin something" was a minor hit on my chart in late August 1983, reaching a modest No.38. After the title cut, the next hit would be "PYT (pretty young thing" which climbed up the chart in May 1984, and featured backing vocals by sister Janet. "The lady of my life" was unfortunately this album's disaster, and most probably should have just been left off. It just had bad echoes of "She's out of my life", the shocker from "Off the wall".

The 2003 edition of this album features some nice bonuses. Included are some studio demos and out-takes, with extensive interview sessions with producer Quincy Jones. This edition was also remastered in 24-bit sound, which resulted in some increased levels in the higher end of the frequency range, giving it a nice clean polished output. Some may find the sound quality a little too bright for their liking.



9. Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down - Motown

One of 1984's stronger album's is "Can't slow down", an incredible array of music styles and talent. It's unfortunate that Richie is quickly written off as a sleepy ballad performer, but it would be this album that showcased him at his peak. "Can't slow down" would rev the dance feel up, with an exciting mix of synth-beats and electro-guitar rhythms to get your feet moving. "All night long" would be the album's first major hit, reaching No.4 in my personal chart during October 1983, and would feature backing vocals from Richard Marx, who still had to wait another four odd years for his first hit. Though the dance beats are going, the pace is moved into a calypso mood. "Well my friends the time has come, to raise the roof and have some fun", lyrically you’re thrown into a summery feel, as your imagination takes you off into a street party on a barmy night. With many visits to my relatives and family over this summer, this song really hit a chord with me.

We then come to the ultimate eighties ballad, "Penny lover". Aside from Berlin's "Take my breath away", this song touches those raw sentimental feelings, a time when there wasn't a care in the world, when everything was so easy. A song that is of equal impact is "Stuck on you", where Richie explores the country sound, but not just the same old thing. Instead it's a stimulating mix of melodic strings, with a light whispering orchestra, that keeps the song center-field, without it being too country nor too poppy. "Love will find a way" washes over you with a fresh flowing adult contemporary dynamic, but unfortunately is followed by the somewhat dated "The only one". Though it's not a bad track, It's rather more or less a piece that belongs with the Commodores seventies sound. We are then taken into the multi talented efforts of "Running with the night". Again they are backing vocals by Richard Marx and a guitar solo from Toto's Steve Lukather. Released as the second single from the album, it reaches its peak at No.3 in February 1984 on my weekly top 40. Finishing off the album was another super-ballad, but was more of an impact on the Australian charts then mine. "Hello" went to No.1 on the National Top 40 in late April 1984, but would only get as high as No.7 on my charts. Though I like the track very much, it was just a little to slow for my liking.



10. Tim Finn - Escapade - Mushroom/Festival

Brothers Neil and Tim Finn were the driving wheels of Splitenz, being the main contributing composing force with most of their tracks. 1980's "True Colours", 1981's "Corroboree", and 1982's "Time and Tide" saw the enz at their peak. This was particularly so with the hit single "I got you" which went to No.1 on the Australian charts during April 1980, and would peak at No.3 on my personal weekly 40 at the same time. Splitenz's strongest track on my charts was "One step ahead in late December 1980, reaching No.1, however it would only get to No.5 on the Australian charts. With tensions forming between Neil and Finn, things would take a different direction by 1983. Though the group released "Conflicting emotions", the lack of Tim's contributions saw the albums sound pan off into a somewhat experimental electro-rock-synth direction, which affected the group’s output. Despite this, the album would produce another two high impacting hits, "Straight ole line" in December 1983, and "Message to my girl" in February 1984, the second of which reaching No.1 on my personal 40, while reaching only a modest No.12 on the Australian charts.

The driving energy that was Splitenz was now focused on one of 1983's biggest albums; "Escapade", the first of Tim's solo efforts. The exuberant "Fraction too much friction" was the album's first hit in May 1983, rapidly followed by "Made my day" which had a similar feel. "Staring at the embers" was the B-side to the double "A" side hit "Through the years" reaching No.2 in mid December 1983. This was kind of strange, considering his fellow group mates were a few notches below him with "Straight ole line" during the same weeks of charting.

Other highlights from the album include "Not for nothing", which hums along to a similar feel to "Staring at the embers". "Singing in a minor key" will always carry the memory of the 1983 countdown awards mishap, when Finn's live performance of this track was scuffled by a dud mike. The peaceful structure of the tune fits well into an easygoing AC format, and displays Finn's ability on performing such an array of music styles. "Wait and see" is another fine example of the album's softer side. "Grand adventures", "I only want to know", and "Growing pains" seemed somewhat panned out pieces of low significance, and somewhat dampen the feel of the album.



11. Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace - Parlophone

There has always been great debate on who best played the part of James Bond, through the series over the years. Whether it is Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan or etc, the common consensus seems to be that you'll like the one from whatever era you grew up in. Though this has nothing to do with Paul McCartney, you'll soon see the parallel I'm drawing, which is that the James Bond Movie series has been around, for as long as Paul McCartney has.

The honest truth is, that if you were a baby boomer, growing up with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, you'd be familiar with a certain rockier kind of sound McCartney had during his earlier solo albums. Like any artist that's been around for as long as Paul, exploring and experimenting with new ideas is to be expected, which is why "Pipes of Peace" is a very different sounding album to 1973's "Band on the Run".

Though many have written "Pipes of Peace" off as one of McCartney's pourer albums, from the view of an eighties junkie, it's got all the right elements, big productions, multi-layered instruments, and a number of exuberant tunes. Despite the embarrassment of Michael Jackson's involvement, "Say say say" stands out to be the album's best track, with its poppy all-hit feel. The title cut "Pipes of Peace", reached No.4 on my personal 40 in February 1984. "help them to learn songs of joy, instead of burn baby burn" are lyrics that drive a message of hope. You have to remember that this was post-Falklands, and the period just before Britain's darkest chapter in history, when Margaret Thatcher destroyed the heart of the countries mining sector, leaving many to live in poverty. The timing of this track just couldn't of been more incredible, as it stands out like a bright jewel between two of Britain’s darkest hours.

"The other me" is perhaps one of the lesser quality songs, but is worthy of a listen from time to time. The same could also be said for "Keep under cover". Free as the wind on a cool summer day, is what comes to mind with "So bad". A great easy flowing song I love with many great multi-layered harmonies. "The man" displays great guitar playing, and is a duet with Michael Jackson during his peak, (if you can say he ever had one). We then come to the part of the album for some more sing-a-long tracks to make you feel good on a gray overcast day with the "Sweetest little show", an upbeat acoustic number. We are then led into "Average person" which has the same feel with the aid of more keyboards and harmonies, and is somewhat reminiscent of the Beatles "Penny lane" Magic. "Hey hey" is a moderately enjoyable instrumental. We then come to a brief dip in the album with the somewhat boring "Tug of peace", sounding very much like a leftover session from his previous album. "Through our love" is the last song on the original vinyl album, an orchestral finale to end the LP on a pleasant note.

The special edition in my collection features some bonuses, "Twice in a lifetime", sounding suspiciously like a boring B-side, and the strange and enjoyable "We all live together" from the cartoon soundtrack "Rupert and the Frog Song". There is an absolute rarity for McCartney collectors, "Simple as that" from "The Anti-Heroin Project" album, which was released in Britain during 1986.



12. Donna Summer - She works hard for the money - Mercury

Donna Summer was selling well during the disco era, the time when I bought my first records. "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" would be her signature tunes of the era, when she followed in 1980 with "The wanderer". She then released her Quincy Jones production "Donna" in 1982, which featured the hits, "Love is in control", "The woman in me", "State of independence", and "Protection", written by Bruce Springsteen. Summer had issues with her label during 1983, as they were pushing for a sexier raunchier image. It was this time that she wanted to move her music into a Christian direction.

Despite this situation, "She works hard for the money" stood well as a great album, considering that many people were in the throws of riding her off. Many felt that her day in the charts had come and gone, but others like me would disagree. The title cut charted well, reaching #3 on my personal top 40 during August 1983. The albums second single, "Unconditional love" also reached top five during late October, and had featured Musical Youth, who had the 1982 hit; "Pass the dutchie". "Stop look and listen" had modest success, reaching the lower reaches of my charts. "He's a rebel" and "People people" where potential singles, with a great dance beat. For the romantics, a ballad that got totally ignored, "Love has a mind of it's own", a duet with Matthew Ward. For some reason, my mind throws an image of standing on a tropical beach at sunrise, whenever this song gets played.



13. Paul Young - No Parlez - CBS Records

Paul Young performed with the Q-Tips, before his more noted solo career. Though they were known of little down here, they were more successful in Britain. It would be the ballad "Wherever I lay my hat" that would break him worldwide. The single reached No: 5 on my charts during September 1983. He would follow with "Come back" in November/December, then "Love of the common people" in March 1984. All three singles showcased his talent at his peak. Upon listening to the album for the first time, the remake of Joy Division's "Love will tear us apart" initially sounded too loose and flimsy, but grew quickly to be one of the albums stronger tracks. The bitter sounding instrumentations on "No parlez" gave an interesting melody effect, whilst the speedily rhythmed "Sex" completes the album with a wide palette of styles. Overzealous rhythm-box work is apparent on "Behind your smile", but is more interesting rather then overdone with varying effects. The remaining highlights of this album include "The rough spots", and the emotionally charged "Broken man" which was also a minor hit during 1984. "Kukukurama", "Oh woman", and "Tender trap" could have been left off, nothing happening much here with these three tracks.



14. The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl - WEA

It was the point where any group would call it a day, but after a tremendously tumultuous period, The Pretenders had release the aptly titled "Learning to crawl". It was the time when James Honeyman Scott and Pete Farndom had both died within a very short period of time, both related to heavy drug use. It's this very grim backdrop that drives the ironic forces of "Back on the chain-gang", the album's first single release, which reached No.6 on my personal 40 during early January 1983. "Time the avenger" instantly grabs your attention with a driving guitar rift, to be one of the album's more lively tracks. Full-on reverbing pianos and harmonies take "Thin line between love in hate" to spars and empty places in your imagination. I guess this was my impressions of what emotions the group was experiencing at the time. It was a minor hit across the world, particularly in the UK. "Thumbelina" jumps along with an enjoyable feel-good hillbilly sound, with its brushy drumbeats and tappy guitar struts. "2000 miles" would be their Christmas 1983 hit across the world, and in my opinion would be the best all time xmas carole, I guess an equal tie with Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "I believe in father Christmas". The album's last note-worthy track was "Middle of the road", which rocked it self into my personal 40 around March 1984.



15. Midnight Oil - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 - CBS

"10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" made less of an impact on me then several of the other albums of this summer. Many of the tracks dealt with political issues, material that pretty much went over my head as a fourteen year old. Never the less the musical content was still both catchy and haunting, which is the case with the albums first cut, "Outside world". Sweeping synths and sudden drum beats give a rather eerie feel to this track, which in later years I would discover the subject matter to be about economic isolation, something very appropriate to ones life when suffering Asperger’s Syndrome. "only the strong" was for me one of the albums weakest tracks. The rhythm of "Short memory"' was different and interesting, a track that received strong airplay during the later part of 1983, and had the potential to be a strong selling single. The same was also evident for "Read about it" which would get regular airplay around the autumn of 1984. It's rapid beat and guitar rifts, made this one of the best tracks on the album. "Scream in blue" felt like album filler.

"US forces" and "Power and the passion" were the two killer tracks, charting in my charts in December 1982 and April 1983 respectively. At the time, I had some idea that "US forces" was about the United States Military power, but with it's acoustically powered chords, it would make it to be the albums best track, together with "Power and the passion". "Maralinga" carried a somewhat strange, but beautiful guitar presents, but dealt with a subject matter that's become rather tired and boring. This is where the album totally runs out of legs. "Tin legs and tin mines" and "Somebody's trying to tell me something", somehow feel like they were just added on to finish the album, with a rather directionless ending. Produced by Nick Launey, "10 9 8" boldly cracked new ground in its recording styles and compositions. With six solid tracks, the album is far from a failure, but in my opinion is not 1983's best, as others have noted.



16. Culture Club - Colours by numbers - Virgin

As a teenager at the time, I most probably heard the phrase "gender bender" and had absolutely no idea what it meant. However just like any kid, if seven or so songs that you like seem to be on the one album, then it basically was nagging the parents insane, until they gave the tiny bit of pocket money for that album purchase, though sometimes it would be misfired to such a tacky pop group. "Karma Chameleon", "It's a miracle", "Miss you blind", "Mister man" were all reasonably good tracks, however I wore the grooves out on "Church of the poison mind", and "Victims".

The reality check

CURRENT MOOD: STUNNED

The last assignment has been finished, no more lessons, and I've just received my final marks.  It's over, it's finished, and perhaps what has most probably been the busiest year in my life since leaving school in 1988, has come to its end. 

Unfortunately though, I'm experiencing the reality of inertia, where mentally I'm flying a thousand miles an hour, but everything around me physically has stopped.  What I would like to do now is to work a few days a week, or even better a full-time job.   Though I have made many friends this year, the current employment environment is still an unwelcoming one for those with asperger's. 

With sending off a number of e-mails, and following up an application, I spoke to an employer who owns a company that specialises in digital music.  Within a flash, my breath was taken away with his full on "ENTITLEMENT" attitude; "what can you do for me, what can you do, that I'm not doing already".  His mind-set was very much, "I couldn't give a monkey's on who you are".  In the age where there has been so much more awareness of Asperger's, I kind of expected a more intelligent approach, particularly as the company was part of one of Sydney's successful radio stations. 

It seems the "Gordon Gekko" mind set is alive and kicking still in a big way, and that despite so much more awareness for employees and employers to become more casual and understanding in the work place, it seems nothing has changed.

I suppose I'm now getting to a very fine line without sounding to pessimistic, but then I also don't want to guild the lily.  I'm amazed with the amount of press I've appeared in, including television coverage, national and local newspapers, and radio interviews.  In particular there has been so much stuff on the internet, so much to the point that even a short wikipedia article has appeared about me.  Perhaps if Warragamba Dam is still empty, I could fill it to the brim with all the compliments and congrats I've received.  So through all that stuff, it would only be normal that for me to expect that someone has seen something about me, and to have offered me a job, but yet one month on there has been nothing.

My brother and I spoke about some current affair issues on one of the television sites.  He noted that my story of "Rainman goes to Rockwiz" was next to another story about a mother and her child.  Apparently he noted that the mother-child story received over 720 comments, while my Rainman story only received 5.   This is despite the fact that both stories went to air on the same night, at the same time, on the same channel.

So to conclude, this is not about thinking the worst, or trying to be pessimistic, but just to realise that as an Asperger, there's no real fame or party.  It is a constant reality check and a bite of the tongue every-day. 

Reminicing the days of huge CD shops.

Current Mood: Sad

Perhaps it was inevitable, but then somehow I hoped that it wouldn't happen.  The death of CD shops as we know them seems to have reared it's ugly head again with the closure of another CD shop, but this just wasn't another store.  It was Dirt Cheap CD's on Sydney's shopping strip, Pitt Street Mall.

I think they may have opened about 2001, but a friend told me about the store in late 2002.  From this time to about the earlier part of 2008, this shop you could say was one of my favourite hangouts.  I guess it's a place where I've spent hundreds, but admittingly I would have to confess that I've spent thousands of dollars over the years in this one particular store.  in 2004 - 2005 it would not be unusual for me to be walking out with twelve to fifteen CDs at a time. 

Today, my mother and I went to the city, to get my eyes checked, but fortunately, the appointment went quick.  My mother needed to look for some books at Dymocks on George Street, as I went to Dirt Cheap CD's on Pitt, discovering to my horror that the door was semi-open with all the shelves stripped.  The lady came and thanked me for my patronage, and told me that they were moving their business to the internet. 

Expecting to be browsing through the store for an hour, I ended up going to the JB Hifi underneath, but the range and price was just not the same.

It was only August last year, that HMV closed its huge mid-city store, due to mall renovations.  HMV did state in a newspaper article that they wouldn't re-open that particular store, due to the high rental costs of retail space. 

Reading this stuff took me back to the days of 1990 when the HMV Mid-City store just opened.  Directly opposite was a huge Virgin Megastore, two doors down was Strand Music, and at the end was an Edels Superstore.  A short walk down the southern end of Pitt Street would of taken you to the Brashes Superstore with another Edels three doors down from there.  December 1990 seemed to be the peak of CD retailing.  You only had to think of a CD back then, and any one of the six stores was bound to have it.  Now in 2008, it has become impossible to purchase anything, as the only place to get it seems to be Amazon. 

While flashing through the papers this evening, I came across the following article, noting that the Australian dollar had also pushed them out. 

So in the end, could the death of the CD be one step closer?

CD stores suffer death by download
From the Sydney Morning Herald
Friday 31st October 2008 at 9:17 am

The CD is going the way of vinyl. So, Too, are the cheap CD stores, as Kelsey Munro finds out.

NOT too long ago, you could walk south from the mall along Pitt Street in the Sydney CBD and pick up new CDs for $10 or less each and find plum bargains at several second-hand CD shops stretching all the way to Chinatown.

Things have changed.

The second-hand shops are disappearing and the discount options are narrowing. Today, the final NSW franchise of Dirt Cheap CDs on Pitt Street is the latest to shut down. At its peak, the six-year-old chain, known for $10 CDs, had five shops in Sydney.

Walter Lehne, the owner of the Dirt Cheap CDs chain, says the market has changed completely. "It's no secret that a huge amount of music is now legally downloaded," he says.

CD sales are suffering generally but the second-hand market has dropped even further, store owners say.

Michael McRae, who works at Red Eye Records' second-hand shop, says: "Where we are in Pitt Street there used to be numerous stores up and down; now there's basically nothing. It's all pretty much gone."

Along with downloads eating into retail sales, Lehne points to the buying power of big-chain CD retailers and the struggling Australian dollar for his decision to sell his business (the online store will continue.)

"The whole price market has changed: record companies now do deals with big major stores, like the JB Hi-Fis and Big Ws, Kmarts, Harvey Norman, so they go out at prices sometimes below what they sell to other people," Lehne says.

As for Dirt Cheap CDs' model of importing cheap CDs, margins were thin but the weak dollar has made it worse.

Specialising seems to be the secret to surviving as an independent. That has been the case for niche stores such as Ashwood's Music and Books, on York Street, and Red Eye, the 26-year-old record store that sells new and second-hand music in three shops in the Sydney CBD.

"Jazz and classical are still strong, vinyl is selling," says Ian Vellins, the manager of Ashwood's. "It's just that the contemporary pop CDs aren't selling because everyone downloads them. The only thing that's not selling is everything that would get an ARIA award."

McRae says: "Downloads have obviously had an effect on things but in general our business is OK - not as bad as you'd think."

Many small retailers cite competitive pressures on CD prices from JB Hi-Fi, which its chief executive, Richard Uechtritz, says is now Australia's sixth-largest retail chain, with 45 to 50 per cent of the music retail market. JB's policy of having a large range, deep back-catalogue and low prices has paid off, he says, and it still invests as much in its CD market as it did eight years ago.

"Unlike others, we've kept on in the doom and gloom about the hard-copy CD business," he says. "We've had great faith in the fact that people will want to continually buy CDs.

"The biggest threat to CD sales is not downloading, it's from movies and games."

The DVD film and games markets in Australia now surpass the CD market: games were worth $1.4 billion last year while music sales were only $700 million.

Uechtritz says it's not the end of cheap, legal music for people who still prefer CDs - that market "will be around for a long time yet".

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Remembering February 1983

Current Mood: Lethargic:

It seems that this RockWiz journey that I've been riding is about to hit its climax.  Being aware that I might get much exposure over the coming days, it's going to be somewhat nerve wrecking.  With two radio interviews lined up early tomorrow morning (looks like I won't get much sleep tonight), and the premier of my doco tomorrow night, it's going to feel very much like a strange dream.

My memory for charts has impressed many people, and without gloating, I feel more that I'm now in a position to demonstrate on a whole, what Asperger Syndrome people can do.  For me, it's 70s 80s music, but for one of my friends, he can tell you every model of car and piece of trivia there is to know about motoring.  I guess his lucky that he has a good job, but I would bet for every one in his position, they would be thirty aspie's sitting on the unemployment scrap-heap,

Now that there is more awareness of the condition, there is real hope that things may change.

With this in mind, I thought I would take the opportunity to demonstrate my chart research skills, and bring out the original inspiration of this blog..... to take Triple M to task with their sloppy music research.

Triple M 104.9 COLD 30
Tuesday 21st OCTOBER 2008

For the month of February 1983

CH#  TRACK TITLE ARTIST/GROUP (correct chart date) LABEL CAT No:

30. Power and the passion Midnight Oil (28 Mar 1983) CBS / Sprint BA 223010
29. The safety dance Men Without Hats (29 Aug 1983) Big Time BTS 1000
28. Burning down the house Talking Heads (12 Sep 1983) Sire 7-29565
27. Should I stay or should I go The Clash (14 Feb 1983) Epic ES 807
26. Let's dance David Bowie (26 Mar 1983) EMI America AMI 958
25. My girl The Hoodoo-gurus (31 Oct 1983) Bit Time BTS 1072
24. Australiana Austen Tayshus (25 Jul 1983) Regular RRT 606
23. Sunday bloody Sunday U2 (Non charting track) Island (Announcer’s personal pick)
22. Always something there to remind me Naked Eyes (4 Apr 1983) EMI EMI 847
21. Overkill Men at Work (28 Mar 1983) CBS BA 223038
20. Our house Madness (31 Jan 1983) Stiff K 8933
19. Drop the pilot Joan Armatrading (4 Apr 1983) A&M K 9019
18. The swing Inxs (Non charting track) WEA (Announcer’s personal pick)
17. 1999 Prince (14 Feb 1983) Warner Bros 7-29896
16. White wedding Billy Idol (31 Jan 1983) Chrysalis K 8918
15. Electric Avenue Eddie Grant (20 Jun 1983) Ice ES 861
14. Cuts like a knife Bryan Adams (16 May 1983) A&M K 8993
13. Dance hall days Wang Chung (4 Jun 1984) Geffen GEF 3837
12. I was only 19 Redgum (18 Apr 1983) Epic ES 844
11. Read about it Midnight Oil (Non charting track) CBS / Sprint (announcer’s personal pick)
11. That's entertainment The Jam (Non charting track) Polydor (Announcer’s personal pick)
10. Sweet dreams The Eurythmics (16 May 1983) RCA Victor 104123
9. No sense Cold Chisel (24 Oct 1983) WEA 7-259773
8. Karma Chameleon Culture Club (26 Sep 1983) Virgin VS 612
7. New years day U2 (18 Apr 1983) Island K 8983
6. Let’s go to bed The Cure (6 May 1983) Sire 7-29628
5. Twisting by the pool Dire Straits (7 Feb 1983) Vertigo 6205-062
4. Reckless Australian Crawl (10 Oct 1983) EMI BUG 3
3. Billy Jean Michael Jackson (28 Feb 1983) Epic ES 823
2 Rain Dragon (15 Aug 1983) Mercury 812 763-7
1. Every breath you take The Police (20 Jun 1983) A&M K 9104

Though they are supposedly counting down the top 30 hits from February 1983, in reality, the entire chart is incorrect with songs from late 1983, the middle of 1984, and many album tracks that never charted.  I guess the biggest crack up was listening to Australiana again, followed by Ugly Phil getting the numbers mixed up.  He also noted 'Austin Tayshus' Australiana only got as high as No.24', whilst it actually reached No.1 on the ARIA Charts, and No.4 on my personal top 40 charts.

To compare notes, I have retrieved the original top 40 chart from my archives, from the week ending Sunday 27th February 1983.

Weekly National Top 40 Singles Chart
From the Week Ending Sunday 27th February 1983

CH#  TRACK TITLE ARTIST/GROUP LABEL CAT No:

1. Shoop shoop diddy wop cumma cumma wang dang Monte Video and the Cassettes (14 Feb 1983) White Label K 8906
2. Baby, I need your lovin’ Carl Carlton (7 Feb 1983) RCA Victor 104051
3. Under attack Abba (14 Feb 1983) RCA Victor 104088
4. 1999 Prince (14 Feb 1983) Warner Bros 7-29896
5. All touch Rough Trade (27 Feb 1983) Big Time BTS 697
6. Twisting by the pool Dire Straits (7 Feb 1983) Vertigo 6205 062
7. The other guy Little River Band (14 Feb 1983) Capitol CP 918
8. You can’t hurry love Phil Collins (31 Jan 1983) WEA 7-259980
9. Sexual Healing Marvin Gaye (17 Jan 1983) CBS BA 223007
10. Up where we belong Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (27 Dec 1982) Liberation LS 900
11. Allentown Billy Joel (17 Jan 1983) CBS BA 223011
12. Science fiction The Divinyls (17 Jan 1983) Chrysalis K 8953
13. Young guns (go for it) Wham! (17 Jan 1983) Epic ES 816
14. Gloria Laura Branigan (13 Dec 1982) Atlantic 45-4048
15. Living on the ceiling Blancmange (14 Feb 1983) London BLANC 3
16. Our house Madness (31 Jan 1983) Stiff K 8933
17. Zoom Fat Larry’s Band (13 Dec 1982) Virgin VS 546
18. Love in store Fleetwood Mac (27 Dec 1982) Warner Bros 7-29848
19. On the wings of love Jeffery Osborne (31 Jan 1983) A&M K 8661
20. Peek-a-boo Devo (20 Dec 1982) Warner Bros 7-29931
21. Mirror man Human League (20 Dec 1982) Virgin VS 522
22. Shadows of the night Pat Benatar (13 Dec 1982) Chrysalis K 8931
23. Walk on by Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons (17 Jan 1983) Mushroom K 8941
24. IGY (what a beautiful world) Donald Fagen (29 Nov 1982) Warner Bros 7-29900
25. Truly Lionel Richie (6 Dec 1982) Motown 1644 MF
26. All of my heart ABC (29 Nov 1982) Mercury 6059 571
27. The traveller Big Red (20 Dec 1982) Mercury 6038 069
28. I eat cannibals Toto Coelo (29 Nov 1982) Radialchoice POW 0102
29. Stand up The Angels (22 Nov 1982) Epic ES 792
30. Can’t take my eyes off you Boys Town Gang (20 Dec 1982) RCA 104067
31. The woman in me Donna Summer (18 Dec 1982) Warner Bros 7-29805
32. Aftica Toto (29 Nov 1982) CBS BA 222906
33. Ain’t no pleasing you Chas and Dave (10 Feb 1983) Liberation / Towerbell) LS 870
34. True love ways Cliff Richard (21 Feb 1983) EMI EMI 903
35. Are you getting enough happiness Hot Chocolate (18 Dec 1982) EMI America 8143
36. The clapping song The Belle Stars (8 Nov 1982) Stiff K 8824
37. Down the line (making love on the telephone) Mi Sex (6 Dec 1982) CBS BA 223001
38. Heartbreaker Dionne Warwick (6 Dec 1982) Arista K 8883
39. Shock the monkey Peter Gabriel (20 Dec 1982) Charisma 6000 872
40. Hey little girl Icehouse (15 Nov 1982) Regular RRSP 721

Interesting to note the accuracy of each chart, when compared to the data of David Kent's Australian Chart Book.  Note the dates given after the artist/group in each chart, as these are the dates when singles first charted or debuted into a particular chart.