VA - Hard Knocks [1980]

AUSTRALIAN

VA - Hard Knocks [1980]

Here’s a curious little bruiser from 1980, Hard Knocks, a cassette-only compilation released by Hammard TV Productions, best known for their budget bin bonanzas and late-night ads. But don’t let the packaging fool you: this one’s stacked with Aussie rock royalty, stitched together from EMI, Festival, RCA, and WEA catalogs like a jukebox on overdrive.

The title track, Paul Kelly & The Dots’ “Hard Knocks,” leads the charge, raw, urgent, and full of heart. From there, it’s a pub rock parade: AC/DC’s “High Voltage,” Cold Chisel’s “Breakfast at Sweethearts,” The Angels’ “Take a Long Line,” and Skyhooks’ “Living in the 70s” all show up swinging. But it’s not all muscle, Renee Geyer’s “Heading in the Right Direction” adds soul, and Matt Taylor’s “I Remember When I Was Young” brings the blues.

There’s a strong Vanda & Young thread running through it too, with their fingerprints on William Shakespeare’s “My Little Angel” and John Paul Young’s “Where the Action Is.” While not rare in the traditional sense, the cross-label licensing and cassette-only release make it a fun collector’s piece, a snapshot of Aussie rock’s golden era, pressed for the masses but still humming with grit and charm. (B)

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Track list

01 Paul Kelly - Hard Knocks 4:40

02 Stevie Wright - Evie Part One 3:52

03 Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs - Most People I Know (Think that I'm Crazy) 3:15

04 Sports - Who Listens to the Radio 3:11

05 Matt Taylor - I Remember when I was Young 3:45

06 William Shakesphere - My Little Angel 3:15

07 Cold Chisel - Breakfast at Sweethearts 3:57

08 Angels - Take a Long Line 2:52

09 Richard Clapton - When the Heat is Off 3:03

10 John St. Peters - High Class Woman 2:48

11 Mondo Rock - Fugitive Kind 3:26

12 Dingoes - Way Out West 3:37

13 John Paul Young - Where the Action Is 2:55

14 John Paul Young - Birmingham 3:50

15 AC/DC - High Voltage 4:07

16 Renée Geyer - Heading in the Right Direction 3:37

17 Sherbert - Howzat 3:35

18 Darryl Cotton - Don't Let it Get to You 3:20

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