1 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey. 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: It's Friday, September twenty seven. Jim Chalmers met with his 3 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: Chinese counterparts on his first official trip to the People's 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: Republic on Thursday. Chalmers is the first Australian treasurer to 5 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: visit China in seven years. He says it's vital in 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: rebuilding mutual trust with our biggest trading partner. Will Glasgow 7 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: is the only Australian journal resident in China. You can 8 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: read his expert analysis right now at the Australian dot 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: com dot u. Nobody does exquisite nostalgia like Cold Chisel, 10 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: with a catalog of songs that can make any Australian 11 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: tear up from the first note. Today we have a 12 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: rare treat inside the rehearsal room as Jimmy Barnes, Charlie Drayton, 13 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: Don Walker, Phil Small and Ian Mooss get together to 14 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: make the magic happen. 15 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: Maybe you. 16 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: Know that voice that scream we all do. That's Jimmy 17 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: Barnes and this is Cold Chisel playing together. For the 18 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: first time in years. The Australian was invited into a 19 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: place not even the most hardcore Chisel fans get to 20 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: go the rehearsal room for their forthcoming national tour. This 21 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: is what Chisel chose to play first, a ballad written 22 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: by Don Walker in twenty ten, All for You. Once 23 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: upon a time, Jimmy Barnes would have warmed up for 24 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: this with a bottle of something hard. In twenty twenty four, 25 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: his poison comes in a porcelain cup. 26 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 3: You could get me a coffee would exist a flat 27 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 3: white with white white to please make it sound. 28 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: I'm music writer Andrew McMillan sat down with the band. 29 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 3: I am the luckiest man in the world to get 30 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,959 Speaker 3: up every night and sing this, this set of songs, 31 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 3: you know, like they sing Don Walker song with every night. 32 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 3: What a blessing, you know. I'm the luckiest going in 33 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 3: Australia to be able to do that, you know. 34 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,079 Speaker 1: Barnes, guitarist and Moss, pianist and lyricist Don Walker, bassist 35 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: Phil Small and drummer Charlie Drayton last played together in 36 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: twenty twenty at the end of their last tour. 37 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 3: I think it's going to be even better than it's 38 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 3: going to be because we've had this chance to think 39 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 3: about why we want to play. We're not coming in 40 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 3: exhausted from a studio recording. I can just feel the 41 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 3: excitement from everybody. I can't wait to get in front 42 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 3: of an audience with this band. 43 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: This tour is called the Big five Oho, and it 44 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: sees the band older, grayer, yes, but also in Barnes's case, 45 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: fresh from a brush with death. He's been through open 46 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: heart surgery and two major hip operations, all connected to 47 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: a raging staph infection. Barnes has had to strengthen his 48 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: battered body, especially his hips, to adopt his classic pose 49 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: standing with one foot upstage, one foot downstage, using his 50 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: full body to project that remarkable voice. 51 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 3: This tour is going to roll more than it rocks, 52 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 3: you know, which is a really cool thing. I think 53 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 3: it's going to have a lot more swing and a 54 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 3: lot more groove, which it doesn't mean it's going to 55 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 3: be less intense, but it's going to be not as 56 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 3: frantic maybe, which I think is going to be a 57 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 3: really cool thing. My thoughts are singing a just to 58 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 3: back off, you know, half a degree and a load 59 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 3: of the songs to swing a lot more as I 60 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 3: opposed to push in all the band you know, because 61 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 3: normally I want Everton played faster and harder and louder. 62 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 3: I'm going to let them do their own thing and 63 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:23,719 Speaker 3: find the grooves that work for the songs, and then 64 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 3: singing with them. 65 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: All for you is especially meaningful for fans and for 66 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: the band themselves. 67 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 4: It's a very clearly a love song written from one 68 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,480 Speaker 4: to another. Don Walker wrote this for his partner of 69 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 4: the time, Good Shoe. Ginny Barnes loves singing this song 70 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 4: that has since it was written because it's a song 71 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 4: that he sings to Jane Barnes, his wife, all day 72 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 4: and and you can extrapolate that to the listener. It's 73 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 4: easily become any of people's favorite love song because it's 74 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 4: just so direct, and it's written from a man to 75 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 4: a woman who's very earnestly and directly explaining what she 76 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 4: means to him. It's very bald and unpretentious and almost 77 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 4: like a country song in the way in that there's 78 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 4: very little artifice or pretension. It's just very direct. And 79 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 4: John Walker would have been about sixty when he wrote this. 80 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 4: I'm guessing police he's seventy to today, So it's kind 81 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 4: of funny. These great songwriters the all that they get. 82 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 4: Sometimes they strip away the metaphors and the messages and 83 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 4: just say it real straight, and it works just as well. 84 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: All for You was the last song the band recorded 85 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: with their former drummer, Steve Prestwitch. He died in twenty 86 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: eleven after surgery for a brain chew, a loss that 87 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: is still raw. 88 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 3: Steve was one of my favorite people in the world, 89 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 3: one of my favorite dramas in the world. 90 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: At the time Pressed, which seemed irreplaceable. But then Charlie 91 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: Drayton came along, already established as an outstanding drama in 92 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,839 Speaker 1: his own right, living in New York, married to another 93 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: Australian musical superstar, the the Vinyls Chrissy Amphlet. 94 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 3: Charlie's like a totally different abest, complete to Steve. He's 95 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:37,119 Speaker 3: got the swing in this groove. He's relentless, he doesn't 96 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 3: let you miss it. You know, he's a king of groove. Listen. 97 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 3: If Charlie hadn't joined the band, if we hadn't met 98 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:45,720 Speaker 3: up with Charlie, I don't think cultures or whatever got 99 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 3: back together after Steve died. 100 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,039 Speaker 4: Hi, Charlie, Andrew, how you doing. 101 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: When Andrew talks to Charlie Drayton. After they rattle through 102 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: All for You in the studio, the emotion is momentarily overwhelming. 103 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: Back in twenty eleven, Christy Amflet was suffering multiple sclerosis 104 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: and breast cancer, which eventually would claim her life. 105 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 4: That was the first time you guys have or five 106 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 4: played together in years. Right, just then, how you feeling. 107 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 2: There's a music that's like medicine in that songbook. Then 108 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 2: there's some healing in us playing together because we play 109 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 2: one way together different to how we play with the 110 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 2: other musicians. So they have just played one song together again. 111 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 2: It's emotional because we've we've been through a lot to 112 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 2: get back here, and I love playing music with these guys. 113 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 2: If you had told me in twenty eleven, he Charlie 114 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 2: have a feeling this, you know, might link up with Coaches, 115 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:09,239 Speaker 2: I'd be like, you're crazy. I was sitting with my wife, Christie, 116 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 2: who had just entered a major change of life. We 117 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 2: were sitting together when we'd heard the news about Steve's passing. 118 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 2: She said, if Coaches decides to play again, they'll come 119 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 2: looking for you. Three days later, she got an email 120 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 2: from Done. She knew, She just knew so, and that's 121 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 2: initially what brought us together. Playing music was about healing. 122 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 2: In every chapter we've come together, we learned the value 123 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 2: of like life. 124 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 4: We have music at the top. 125 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:47,839 Speaker 2: That's the medicine. 126 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 4: But you know. 127 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 2: It's healing right now. That's why I'm feeling some happy. 128 00:08:55,320 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 1: Joy coming up the meeting behind another of Cold Chisel's 129 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: deeply moving smash hits. This story is from The Australian's 130 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: Review section. Each week, it's the home of the best reviews, 131 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: previews and interviews with artists, authors and musicians by some 132 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 1: of Australia's best journals. Check us out at Theaustralian dot 133 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,320 Speaker 1: com dot au and we'll be back after this break. 134 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 1: On the drums is Steve Prestwich, Cold Chisel's late lamented 135 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,680 Speaker 1: drummer kids at bab. 136 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 5: Sad Chispasmafa, I'm just save. 137 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 6: Your Sad. 138 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 1: This is a of course, Flame Trees, the nineteen eighty 139 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,959 Speaker 1: four song that never went to number one, but it 140 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 1: has become an enduring part of the soundtrack to Australian life. 141 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 4: Its music was composed by Steve Prestwich, the drummer, and oddly, 142 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 4: the drummer composed it on bass guitar first. From what 143 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 4: I've read, he composed it across many months backstage at 144 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 4: col Chissel shows while they're on tour. He was constantly 145 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 4: playing with a chord progression bassline that became the driving 146 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 4: force of the song, but he never could get lyrics 147 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 4: to it. He also was an eight lyricist a songwriter, 148 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:47,679 Speaker 4: but this one, for whatever reason, eluded him and it 149 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 4: wasn't until I think either Don Walker heard him playing 150 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 4: at backstage or Steve asked him directly, do you want 151 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 4: to write something to this? 152 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 5: Say all the ray man we driver, there's no man else. 153 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 6: Set fatis down. 154 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,440 Speaker 4: Gone. Walker got in a nostalgic kind of frame of 155 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 4: mind thinking of his growing up in Grafton and also 156 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,719 Speaker 4: just the notion of being a young man on the 157 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 4: cusp of adulthood and what that all represented and worked 158 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 4: into what became this song. 159 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 6: Set Fat. 160 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 4: It's a song of coming and going. As in the 161 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 4: character in the song, the protagonist has left, but he's 162 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 4: coming back for the purposes of this song and seems 163 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 4: to disdain or look back with some regret on what 164 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 4: this town represented to him, and yet he's drawn back 165 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 4: to it. And there's elements that he assuming it's a he. 166 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 4: I mean, it's Betten from a mal perspective, elements that 167 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 4: he can't get away from that kind of magnetic pool 168 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 4: that so many of us have to our hometowns where 169 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 4: we grew up. And it's such a young person's song, 170 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 4: and I suppose that's why it's resonated with Chisel's audience 171 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,200 Speaker 4: at that time. And it was released initially young people 172 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 4: who are now what forty years older, which is primarily 173 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,560 Speaker 4: the fan base I suppose middle aged people and above. 174 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 4: But it's a young person's song because it's talking about 175 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 4: that cusp of young adulthood where you're trying to find 176 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 4: your place in the world and you come from somewhere 177 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 4: and you're looking back at it with a certain sense 178 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 4: of emotion and you're hoping what's ahead of you is 179 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 4: better than where he came from. But you never really know. 180 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 3: This has never been a band that feels is so 181 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 3: good for me as this band. You know, there's just 182 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 3: something about the way the rhythm section play, the way 183 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 3: that Don approaches a piano. I don't know anybody else 184 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:18,560 Speaker 3: who plays piano like him and Mossy. The interaction between 185 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 3: Mossy and Don sometimes you can't tell where Don's leaving 186 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 3: off and where Mossi's felling in the chords, and that's. 187 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 4: It's really unique. 188 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,160 Speaker 3: And as soon as the band starts playing, I just 189 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 3: I feel comfortable and that's where I've literally learned how 190 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 3: it's seen do in that so to be able to 191 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,040 Speaker 3: do it fifty years down the track is a real gift. 192 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 4: They acknowledge that these songs mean a lot to a 193 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 4: lot of people. They're currently gearing up to play this 194 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:54,959 Speaker 4: great songbook once again, to reopen the songbook for a 195 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:57,199 Speaker 4: generation of Australians perhaps who didn't get the chance to 196 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 4: see them last time around. That was five years ago, 197 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 4: and with every passing year, more and more people find 198 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 4: this great band because the songs that they've written are timeless. 199 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: Andrew McMillan is a music writer with The Australian. You 200 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: can read his full interview with Cold Chisel right now 201 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: at The Australian dot com dot au. Thanks for joining 202 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: us on the front this week. Our team is Kristen Amiot, 203 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: Jasper league, Leat Sammaglue, Tiffany Dimak, Joshua Burton and me 204 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: Claire Harvey.