‘Follow the Sun’ Captures Lost Gems From the Dusty Fringe of 70s Australian Psych and Folk

It may be a stretch to say that Follow The Sun has the potential of doing for Australian 70s folk-rock what Soul Jazz did for roots reggae and soul, but there's no denying that it's a brilliant collection of lost gems from the Australian music fringe.

Compiled by Mikey Young, of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and Keith Abrahamsson of Anthology Recordings and Mexican Summer records, the double LP contains 20 tracks of obscure gold. From Mata Hari's "Easy", to Megan Sue Hicks' "Hey, Can You Come Out And Play" taken from her hypnotic 1972 album Maranatha, the album represents distinct, and different forms of Aussie pop music.

In an essay that comes as part of the liner notes Young says, "Maybe I inject some vision of a simpler more self-contained, innocent Australia in the way I hear this music. A 'pre-Crocodile Dundee, Koala Blue, Ken Done' Australia where in my yet-to-be-born head it seems that the rest of the world was less concerned about us and we were less aware of it. Our culture could operate in its own little bubble a lot easier than it does now and will again. I don't idealise these as the 'good times.' Those kind of bubbles also create closed minds and shitty attitudes, but some great music is made when it's restricted to its own small universe."

James Vinciguerra, Young's bandmate in Total Control, has created the album art and the first video for Mata Hari's "Easy" that you can watch here.

Follow the Sun Tracklist:

Follow the Sun - Dave Douglas
Riverboat - Andy Armstrong
Easy - Mata Hari
First Boy I Loved - Marian Henderson
Spirit Move Within Me - Flock
Hey, Can You Come out and Play - Megan Sue Hicks
Kill My World - Autumn
Knowing That You're There - Australia
Am I Really Here - Moonlight
Witnessing - Gary Shearston
Wild Horse Plains - Tidewater
Whispering Pines - Shepherd
The Orange Tree - Cathie O'Sullivan
Cement River - Steve Warner
Good Morning - Paul Adolphus
Something Strange - Doug Ashdown
Country Corn - Trevor McNamara
This Must Be The End - Billy Green
Today's The First Day Of Your Life - Catmando
Goodbye - Simon Jones

'Follow The Sun' is available May 5 through Anthology.