The Rough Guide to Australian Aboriginal Music

The Rough Guide to Australian Aboriginal Music is a compilation album originally released in 1999. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series,[1] the album features the Indigenous Australian music of the 1980s and 90s, including both traditional and modern genres, such as Aboriginal rock.[2] Duncan Baker coordinated the project, while Marcus Breen, a professor specializing in Australian music at Bond University, Queensland, wrote the liner notes.[3][4] Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network produced the album.[5] This was the first of two similarly named compilations: the second edition was released in 2008.

The Rough Guide to Australian Aboriginal Music
Compilation album by
Various artists
Released20 April 1999
GenreWorld, Indigenous Australian, Australian
Length64:41
LabelWorld Music Network
Full series chronology
The Rough Guide to the Music of Portugal
(1998)
The Rough Guide to Australian Aboriginal Music
(1999)
The Rough Guide to World Roots
(1999)
Complete list

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [2]

The album received positive reviews. Writing for AllMusic, Alex Henderson enjoyed the "unpredictability" of the album. He went on to wax eloquent upon the didgeridoo, whose sounds he compared to the Gregorian chants.[2] The instrument was also a topic of Josef Woodard's JazzTimes review, where he called it fodder for "latter-day mixologists in search of easy exotica". Its use in "the real thing" on this album, according to Woodard, was thus "fascinating", "important", and a potentially "spiritually transforming experience".[6]

Track listing edit

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Saltwater"Dusty Legune & Campbell Allenbar2:20
2."Kurongk Boy, Kurongk Girl"Ruby Hunter3:36
3."Native Born"Archie Roach4:02
4."Tjapukai Sunset"Tjapukai Dancers2:12
5."Wongga Initiation Song"Rimijmara1:44
6."Bullima"Mark Atkins4:34
7."Kava Song"Waak Waak Jungi5:53
8."Birth Songs"Mornington Island Dancers2:30
9."Drag Net"Jimmy Murray1:20
10."Heart of My People"Tjapukai Dancers6:08
11."Sik O"Christine Anu3:13
12."Nyindi-Yindi"Arnhem Land3:47
13."Buthamar"Budal Lardil3:08
14."Celebration"Gapu4:47
15."Bushfire"Alan Maralung3:33
16."Black"David Page11:54

References edit

  1. ^ Douglas H., Henkle (23 October 2012). "Rough Guide Discography / World Music Network Discography". FolkLib Index : A Library of Folk Music Links. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Henderson, Alex. "Rough Guide to Australian Aboriginal Music [1999]". Allmusic. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  3. ^ Discogs. "Various – The Rough Guide To Australian Aboriginal Music". Zink Media, Inc. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Marcus Breen". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  5. ^ World Music Network. "About Us - The WMN Story". Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  6. ^ Woodard, Josef (September 1999). "Various artists: The Rough Guide to Australian Aboriginal Music". JazzTimes. Retrieved 19 January 2014.

External links edit