REAL WILD CHILD: AUSTRALIAN ROCK MUSIC 1950s-90s (1996)

Press Release

Real wild child! - an irresistable experience

For everyone from old rockers to cyberkids!

With the same enthusiasm that the early rockers embraced the electric guitar, the Powerhouse Museum's exhibition Real wild child!: Australian rock music then and now has inspired the creation of Real wild child!: Australian rock music 1950s - 90s -- the CD-ROM.

Through a surreal virtual landscape inspired by Reg Mombassa and irreverent gags and games, Real wild child! takes you on a compelling journey into the heart of Australian rock music and youth culture from the "wild child" Johnny O'Keefe in the 1950s to Savage Garden in the 1990s.

Over 2000 images, over 100 movies and more than 200 excerpts from original recordings let you delve into the rich fabric of Australian rock music and the fashion, politics, social rituals, leisure and technology which helped to shape it.

Real wild child! will introduce new generations to the worlds of bodgies and widgies, punks and hippies, mods and grunge. You can test your knowledge in the rock trivia quiz, play the fashion mix 'n' match game and search the index for your favourite band.

By interpreting post-war Australia through its music and youth culture, the Real wild child! CD-ROM presents history in a way that is relevant to young people. It will increase awareness of the richness and diversity of Australian rock music both nationally and internationally.

Real wild child! has been produced by a consortium consisting of the Powerhouse Museum, Mushroom Pictures, ABC/Triple J and Pacific Advanced Media and has been funded through the federal government's 'Australia on CD' program. Real wild child! has brought together a real wild team including TV-boy-with-attitude Richard Fidler as scriptwriter; creative direction from the very creative Mike Fronzek; and content developer Peter Cox supported by historical consultants Stephanie Lewis and Glenn A Baker, and a team of writers including Clinton Walker, James Cockington and Stuarte Coupe.

Church Write-up

The Church
In May 1988 the Church reached the Australian top 10 with the classic single 'Under the Milky Way'. It was to be the commercial peak in a long and impressive career that took the Church from its 1960s-inspired psych-pop beginnings to an international standing based on a series of exceptional album releases. 'Under the Milky Way' was just one example of the Church's unique and distinctive style. The genesis of the song's lush acoustic strum (underscored by the sexual throb of Steve Kilbey's bass lines) can be traced back to the likes of 'The Unguarded Moment' and 'Almost With You'.

The Church Canon
'The Unguarded Moment' (1981) was the band's first hit single. With it's jangly, Byrds-like guitar riffs it became something of a millstone around the band's collective neck for many years. Bassist-singer-songwriter Steve Kilbey has often declared his dislike for the song, which it came from the band's debut album, Of Skins and heart (1981) - the work of an outfit still finding its way. The blurred crusade (1982) was a smoother, fuller release and spawned the Church's second hit single, 'Almost with you'. Around this time Kilbey declared to Rock Australia Magazine (RAM) that he was the 'best songwriter in the world'. Whether he meant it seriously or otherwise this resulted in a local backlash that persisted for some years. Seance (1983) was a stark album that explored the band's darker side. Tracks like the singles 'Its no reason', and 'Electric lash' were awash with strings and other effects. The EPS Remote Luxury and Persia and the album Heyday (1986) contained shimmering songs like 'Myrrh', 'Shadow Cabinet', 'Columbus' and 'Constant in Opal', all of which number among the richest moments in the Church canon.

While the band was on its third international tour (April 1986) guitarist Marty Willson-Piper quit. Tensions had arisen over Kilbey's authority within the band (he wrote nearly all the band's material), and Willson-Piper only came back into the fold under the agreement that future Church compositions would be collaborative efforts. This new-found unity immediately revealed itself on Starfish (1988), which yielded 'Under The Milky Way'. Upon release as a single in the USA it reached the Top 30. Gold Afternoon Fix (1990) featured the single 'Metropolis', whilst Priest=Aura (1992) concentrated on long, atmospheric pieces and sold over 200,000 copies in the USA in the process. Sometime Anywhere (1994) and Magician Among The Spirits (1996) picked up where Priest left off, but were not so successful commercially.

For the Church's many faithful fans across the globe Steve Kilbey may well be the 'best songwriter in the world'; witness 'Almost With You', 'Tear It All Away', 'Electric Lash', 'Constant In Opal', and 'Under The Milky Way' for proof.

Ian McFarlane