''Virgin Ground'' is the second album by
Redgum
Redgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals, Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were later joined by Hugh McDonald on fiddle and Ch ...
. The title is taken from the first track.
It was originally released on vinyl and cassette. It was available on CD between 1990 and 1992, and has been out of print ever since, although some tracks were included on the 2004 collection ''
Against the Grain''.
The band were all working day jobs during recording. They would fly from Adelaide to Melbourne on a Friday, play a gig to pay for the trip, and then record all weekend."
This album led to the band becoming more popular and becoming full-time musicians.
[That Striped Sunlight Sound blo]
Virgin Ground review
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The title track tells the story of the New Australia
New Australia was a utopian socialist settlement in Paraguay created by the New Australian Movement. The colony was officially founded on 28 September 1893 as Colonia Nueva Australia and comprised 238 people.
History
The New Australia ...
Colony established in Paraguay in 1893 by a group of Australians led by William Lane
William Lane (6 September 1861 – 26 August 1917) was an English-born journalist, author, advocate of Australian labour politics and a utopian socialist ideologue.
Lane was born in Bristol, England into an impoverished family. After showin ...
, seeking a fresh start on "virgin ground" to establish a utopian society. Other tracks offer bleak insight into current social issues including chronic unemployment, the plight of migrant women, foreign domination of Australian business and government, and the apathy of 'middle Australia'. "Women in Change" features the last 4 stanzas from Lesbia Harford
Lesbia Harford (9 April 1891 – 5 July 1927) was an Australian poet, novelist and political activist.
Biography
Lesbia Venner Keogh was the first child of Edmund Joseph Keogh and Beatrice Eleanor Moore, great-great-granddaughter of an Earl of ...
's poem "Periodicity", commenting on a woman's menstrual cycle.
Track listing
;Side A
# "Virgin Ground" (M. Atkinson)
# "Maria" (M. Atkinson)
# "Stewie" (J. Schumann)
# "Domination Quickstep" (V. Truman)
# "The Money's No Good" (M. Atkinson/J. Schumann)
;Side B
# "Nuclear Cop" (M. Atkinson/J. Schumann/V. Truman/C. Timms)
# "Women in Change" (V. Truman/L. Harford)
# "Ted" (M. Atkinson)
# "It Doesn't Matter to Me" (M. Atkinson/J. Schumann)
# "Long Run" (J. Schumann)
Personnel
* Michael Atkinson - vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, piano, mandolin
* John Schumann
John Lewis Schumann (born 18 May 1953) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Adelaide. He is best known as the lead singer for the folk group Redgum, with their chart-topping hit " I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)", a so ...
- lead vocals, acoustic guitar
* Verity Truman - vocals, flute, tin whistle, recorder, alto saxophone
* Chris Timms - vocals, violin
Additional musicians
* Dave Flett - bass on "Virgin Ground", "Nuclear Cop", "Ted" and "It Doesn't Matter to Me"
* Gordon McLean - drums on "Virgin Ground", "Nuclear Cop", "Ted" and "It Doesn't Matter to Me"
* Chris Boath - bass on "Maria", "Domination Quickstep", "The Money's No Good" and "Long Run"
* Geoff Gifford - drums on "Maria", "Domination Quickstep", "The Money's No Good" and "Long Run"
* Bronwyn Tupper - cello on "Stewie"
Technical personnel
* Produced by Mark Boath and Redgum
* Engineered by Mark Boath
* Cover painting by George Alridge
* Band photography by Grant Mathews
* Layout & design by Geoff Gifford
* Coordinated by Christopher Gunn
Charts
References
External links
Redgum Lyrics Archive - Virgin Ground
{{Authority control
1980 albums
Redgum albums