“Someone was telling me the other day there are between 15 and 20 versions in various Aboriginal languages,which I am absolutely thrilled about because it was such an important part of the song,too.”
Each year since 2007,the archives have asked the public to nominate sound recordings for their cultural,historical,and aesthetic relevance.
Speeches,environmental sounds,music,and radio programs are eligible for consideration,provided they are Australian and at least a decade old.
The siren from the Melbourne Cricket Ground was ruled out in previous nomination ballots as it did not quite qualify as a sound recording.
This year the archives sent a shortlist of 40 to 50 nominations to an industry panel comprising record label owners,musicians,festival organisers and radio networks. This year’s 11 approved sound recordings take the number of registry items to 186.
TheSlip Slop Slap jingle was made for the Cancer Council of Victoria by the advertising agency trio behind the earlierLife. Be in It campaign, of which broadcaster Philip Adams was the agency’s creative director.
The 2023 Sounds of Australia,in chronological order
- Anvil Chorus by P. C. Spouse (1927)
- Sweet Nell of Old Drury by Nellie Stewart (1931)
- The Death of a Wombat,Ivan Smith,George S. English,ABC (1959)
- I Only Came To Say Goodbye by Wilma Reading (1961)
- The Loved One by The Loved Ones (1966)
- Howzat by Sherbet (1976)
- Menstruation Blues by Robyn Archer (1977)
- Harry Williams and the Country Outcasts,by Harry and Wilga Williams (1979)
- Slip Slop Slap jingle,Phillip Adams,Peter Best and Cancer Council Victoria (1981)
- I am Australian (1997)
- Concerto of the Greater Sea,by Joseph Tawadros (2012).
The campaign ran until 1987 when it was replaced by the Sun Smart campaign and revamped for use in 2005.
One of the most nostalgic of this year’s entries isHowzat,recorded in the same year as the band’s frontman Daryl Braithwaite was named Australia’s King of Pop.
Inspired by the appeal shouted by cricketers to get a wicket,it became the band’s biggest-selling single,and their second Australian number 1 following its release in May 1976.
The song topped charts in New Zealand,South Africa,and Israel,and reached the Top 10 in many European countries. It was covered by comic character Norman Gunston and recorded in German and Finnish by local artists.
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The oldest entry isAnvil Chorus,the best-selling record of P. C. Spouse,Australia’s most successful harmonica player from the 1920s to the 1940s.
The most recent is a 21st-century concerto self-released by Joseph Tawadros in February 2012,which won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album.
“Together,they join the definitive list of Australia’s recorded sound history,” said Nick Henderson,curator of the Sounds of Australia project. “It’s a huge privilege to preserve this audio celebration of Australian life for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Many recordings of the new entries exist in the 300,000 item-strong collection of the National Film and Sound Archive,although not every iteration.
“Our focus is usually on at-risk material,especially the magnetic medium,” Henderson said. “So it’s a really a process for us to draw attention to our significant sound recording heritage and work and connect with significant recording artists.”
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