According to popular stereotypes, Australians prefer their beer strong and their football played by their own rules: hard'n'fast. It's an attitude that frequently extends to their music. Rock'n'roll down under has long held a reputation for being hard, fast, loud and delivered with an untamed, youthful abandon analogous to the land itself. In Australia's mid-60s beat scene this wild spirit flourished, manifesting itself in the music of hundreds of young bands, some of which, fortunately, made it onto vinyl. Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions (the Easybeats, the Missing Links, the Masters Apprentices), most of these amazing records remain largely unknown and unreleased outside of their homeland. Now some of the very best of these sought-after sounds can be heard on Big Beat International's ongoing Antipodean 1960s series, the latest instalment of which is Hot Generation, another collection of prime tracks from the archive of Festival Records.

While the artists here drew from a broad stylistic palette - beat, pop, R&B, soul, even surf - the music shares a raw energy and a sense of adventure indicative of the spirit we've come to call 'punk'. This new frontier punk spirit appears in a variety of moods, shapes and attitudes: The Sunsets' The Hot Generation is a relentlessly upbeat celebration of the nation's surfin' lifestyle, yet later the Lost Souls' dark, eerie lament Peace of Mind finds them marooned "a long way from home".

Steve & The Board's two contributions, I Want and I Call My Woman Hinges, typify the Aussie beat blueprint laid out by the Easybeats, combining crunchy guitar riffery, clever vocal harmonies and a unique sense of mischief. The Easys' touch is even more apparent on Johnny Young's Good Evening Girl, written by that group's prolific Vanda and Young. Elsewhere, the Soul Agents provide throbbing freakbeat on I'm Still Mad at You and back Marty Rhone on the vibrantly catchy Every Minute of You, while the Black Diamonds dish out soaring pop melodies on See the Way and Not This Time.

Other highlights include Robbie Peters' fiery version of the Zombies' She Does Everything For Me, the Purple Hearts' fuzz-inflected R&B wailer I'm Gonna Try, Russ Kruger & the Atlantics' powerful Keep Me Satisfied and Tony Worsley's savage take on the Birds' How Can It Be. The latter track was rather out of character for Worsley, who was a frequent visitor to the Aussie charts in his tamer moments, as was Normie Rowe, who shows his rougher side here on the lesser known With Me. Shout-outs should also go to Ray Brown & the Whispers, the Morloch, the Southern Gentlemen and the Pogs who all provide memorable moments. Whatever form it may take, the wild spirit of this 'Hot Generation' possesses every track.

By Mike Stax
(Mike Stax is editor of the long-lived and world-renowned Ugly Things magazine - a new issue will hit the stands any day now)
FROM ACE RECORDS WEBSITE

1 THE HOT GENERATION
The Sunsets
2 I'M STILL MAD AT YOU
The Soul Agents
3 HOW CAN IT BE
Tony Worsley & The Fabulous Blue Jays
4 GOOD EVENING GIRL
Johnny Young
5 EVERY MINUTE OF YOU
Marty Rhone & The Soul Agents
6 I CALL MY WOMAN HINGES
Steve & The Board
7 KEEP ME SATISFIED
Russ Kruger
8 SHE DOES EVERYTHING FOR ME
Robbie Peters
9 NO
Toni McCann
10 I'M GONNA TRY
The Purple Hearts
11 NAUGHTY GIRL
The Showmen
12 WATCH OUT
The Id
13 (IT'S) ALL OVER YOU (BABY)
Tony Worsley & The Fabulous Blue Jays
14 SEE THE WAY
The Black Diamonds
15 GO TO HIM
Ray Brown & The Whispers
16 THE POGS THEME
The Pogs
17 I'M FEELING SAD
The Morloch
18 I WANT
Steve & The Board
19 PEACE OF MIND
The Lost Souls
20 SATURDAY DATE
Toni McCann
21 I'LL MAKE YOU CRY TOO
The Fabulous Blue Jays
22 LEAVE MYSELF TO ME
The Southern Gentlemen
23 WITH ME
Normie Rowe & The Playboys
24 (AIN'T IT) STRANGE
Ray Brown & The Whispers
25 BEAT IT!
Tony Cole
26 I FEEL GOOD
Greg Anderson
27 NO MORE MOANIN'
Tony Barber
28 NOT THIS TIME
The Black Diamonds
29 HIGH TIME BABY
Peter Doyle
30 WHY WHY WHY
The Dave Miller Set

18.00 €