In what appears to be fantastic news for the Australian music industry at first blush, Prime Minister and First Ranga Julia Gillard has given US President Barack Obama an iPod loaded with what she considers the ‘cream’ of Australian music. While we had a little bit of insight in to the leader of the free world’s iPod last year we wonder how he’s going to take to Gillard’s choices?
We’re blown away that she included the likes of Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s ‘Which Way to Go?’ and Tame Impala’s ‘Solitude Is Bliss’ but we wonder if the US President really needs a Bernard Fanning solo album to get him to sleep at night? No surprises that her Minister Peter Garrett’s old band Midnight Oil got a guernsey, and while it’s also gratifying to think that the US President might listen to The Go-Betweens, Nick Cave, INXS, Paul Kelly, The Panics and our mates Dan Kelly and Dan Sultan, why did they need to also subject him to a Jimmy Barnes solo album of covers?
The main issue Tone Deaf has is why wasn’t the greatest Aussie song of all time – ‘My Pal’ by God – not included? There is no mention of The Triffids or The Church either, let alone The Saints and The Birthday Party but let’s face it – if a politician liked these bands we’d probably end up voting for them.
Check out the list here – tell us what YOU would have included.
Paul Kelly
To Her Door (Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits: Songs from the South, Vols 1 & 2)
From Little Things Big Things Come (Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits: Songs from the South, Vols 1 & 2)
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Bapa (Gurrumul)
Wirrpangu (Gurrumul)
Djarimirri (Gurrumul)
Temper Trap
Sweet Disposition (Conditions)
Love Lost (Conditions)
Panics
Don’t Fight It (Cruel Guards)
Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males
Star of the Sea (Drowning in the Fountain of Youth)
Hill Top Hoods
The Hard Road (The Hard Road)
The Nosebleed Section (The Calling)
John Butler Trio
Funky Tonight (Grand National)
One Way Road (April Uprising)
Used to Get High (Grand National)
Angus and Julia Stone
Big Jet Plane (Down the Way)
The Herd
I Was Only 19 (The Sun Never Sets)
Jimmy Barnes
Red Hot (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
That’s Right (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
Hallelujah (I love her so) (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
That’s How It Is (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
Keep a Knocking (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
Reconsider Me (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
Shake Rattle & Roll (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
Rockin Pneumonia (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
A Fool In Love (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
You Can’t Judge a Book (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
I was Made to Love Her (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
Young Blood (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
My Baby Just Cares for Me (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
Ian Moss
Good Times (Soul on West 53rd)
Standing in The Shadows of Love (Soul on West 53rd)
Dan Sultan
Your Love is like a Song (Homemade Biscuits)
INXS
Never Tear Us Apart (Platinum Greatest Hits)
Need You Tonight (Platinum Greatest Hits)
The Loved One (Platinum Greatest Hits)
New Sensation (Platinum Greatest Hits)
Xavier Rudd
Let Me Be (Solace)
Better People (White Moth)
Midnight Oil
King of the Mountain (Blue Sky Mining)
Blue Sky Mine (Blue Sky Mining)
Beds are Burning (Diesel and Dust)
Short Memory (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)
Nick Cave (and the Bad Seeds)
Into My Arms (The Best Of….)
Troy CassarDaly
Bow River (Standing On the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel)
Kasey Chambers
Pony (Wayward Angel)
The Captain (The Captain)
Jessica Mauboy
Burn (Been Waiting)
Time After Time (Been Waiting)
Crowded House
Now We’re Getting Somewhere (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
World Where You Live (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Weather With You (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Something So Strong (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
When You Come (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Four Seasons in One Day (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Distant Sun (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Sister Madly (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Better Be Home Soon (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Mean to Me (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
It’s Only Natural (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Fall At Your Feet (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Don’t Dream It’s Over (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
Kylie Minogue
Confide in Me (Ultimate Kylie)
Where the Wild Roses Grow (Ultimate Kylie)
Megan Washington
How to Tame Lions (I Believe You Liar)
Sunday Best (I Believe You Liar)
Bliss n Eso
Bullet and a Target (Flying Colours)
Yothu Yindi
Treaty (radio mix) (Tribal Voice)
Djapana (sunset dreaming) (Tribal Voice)
Dots on the Shells (One Blood)
Cat Empire
Hello (The Cat Empire)
Days Like These (The Cat Empire)
Hunters and Collectors
Holy Grail (Cut)
Throw Your Arms Around Me (Natural Selection)
When the River Runs Dry (Natural Selection)
Do You See What I See (Natural Selection)
Augie March
One Crowded Hour (Moo You Bloody Choir)
Janelle (Standing on the Outside)
Missy Higgins
Scar (The Scar)
The Special Two (The Special Two)
Steer (On a Clear Day)
James Morrison
Chameleon (Scream Machine)
God Bless the Child duo with Deni Hines (The Other Woman)
St Louis Blues (Quartet)
St James Infirmary Blues (Tribute to Louis Armstrong)
Powderfinger
These Days (Odyssey Number Five)
Burn Your Name (Golden Rule)
My Happiness (Odyssey Number Five)
Baby I’ve Got You on My Mind (Vulture Street)
Lost and Running (Lost and Running-Single)
Bernard Fanning
Wish You Well (Tea & Sympathy)
Songbird (Tea & Sympathy)
Watch Over Me (Tea & Sympathy)
Thrill Is Gone (Tea & Sympathy)
Wash Me Clean (Tea & Sympathy)
Which Way Home? (Tea & Sympathy)
Hope and Validation (Tea & Sympathy)
Down to the River (Tea & Sympathy)
Yesterday’s Gone (Tea & Sympathy)
Not Finished Just Yet (Tea & Sympathy)
The Strangest Thing (Tea & Sympathy)
Sleeping Rough (Tea & Sympathy)
Further Down the River (Tea & Sympathy)
Believe (Tea & Sympathy)
Clare Bowditch
Message to My Girl (She Will Have Her Way: The Songs of Tim and Neil Finn)
Modern Day Addiction (Modern Day Addiction)
Guy Sebastian
Like It Like That (Like it Like That)
In the Midnight Hour (The Memphis Album)
(Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay (The Memphis Album)
Living End
All Torn Down (The Living End)
White Noise (White Noise)
Silverchair
Straight Lines (Young Modern)
Tomorrow (Frogstomp)
Ana’s Song, Open Fire (Neon Ballroom)
Wolfmother
Joker and the Thief (Wolfmother)
Woman (Wolfmother)
Tame Impala
Solitude is Bliss (InnerSpeaker)
Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Which Way to Go (Primary Colours)
Tina Arena
Chains (Don’t Ask)
To Sir With Love (Songs of Love and Loss)
Savage Garden
To the Moon & Back (Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden)
Affirmation (Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden)
Lior
This Old Love (Autumn Flow)
Tumbling into the Dawn (Tumbling into the Dawn)
Christine Anu
Island Home (Stylin Up)
Sunshine On a Rainy Day (Come My Way)
No Woman No Cry (Liberation Blue Acoustic Series)
GANGgajang
Sounds of Them (GANGgajang)
The Go-Betweens
Streets of Your Town (16 Lovers Lane)
Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter
Little by Little (Ruby)
Coolman Baby (Ruby)
Nagarrindjeri Woman (Ruby)
Archie Roach
John Pat (Journey)
Too Many Bridges (Journey)
Liyarn Ngarn (Journey)
The Waifs
London Still (Up All Night)
Lighthouse (Up All Night)
Bridal Train (A Brief History)
Renee Geyer
Heading in the Right Direction (The Ultimate Collection)
Stares and Whispers (The Ultimate Collection)
It’s a Man’s Man’s World (The Ultimate Collection)
Saltwater Band
Compass (Malk)
Djarridjarri-Blue Flag (Djarridjarri)
Arafura Sea (Gapu Damurrun)
