Song Of The Day 7/13/2013: Cold Chisel - "Choirgirl"

Australian '70s Music Week: For the last day of this special week, I'm calling an audible and replacing what I originally had planned ("Be Mine Tonight" by Th' Dudes) with a song that came out mere weeks before the end of the '70s, from superstars Cold Chisel. They dominated Australian album charts in the '80s with the understated pub rock style. Colin Donald, who would be getting a plaque in the mail for his service this week if I was a plaque-maker, says:

Aussie pub rock is boozy, ballsy and loud. Best examples are the early gigs of Cold Chisel. In your face and off your head with beer or whisky. Front man Jimmy Barnes seemed to be permanently soaked, and surprises many by still being alive. He's healthier now, but still screams out songs with his leather lungs.

The drinking age here is 18 and if you had the cash pubs would put on a band to draw the crowds and their money. The 70s pub scene was pretty riotous (we seem to have grown up) so bands had to do energetic gigs to get noticed. Record sales often depended on recalling memories of the act that sweated over you at the local the previous week.

Pubs are not great concert venues, so sound checks had to be basic, favouring smaller bands who could rehearse in warehouses or garages. If you want to check out how recent pub rock sounds listen to Jet or Wolfmother.

There are a bunch of bands I didn't get to this week: The Mixtures, Daddy Cool, Blackfeather, The Sports... We covered Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Ferrets earlier this year. Perhaps we'll spot them some space in the future. Maybe next time we'll pull a Marty McFly and go to the '80s. At any rate, hope you had as much fun as I did this week.

And we got through it all without once mentioning a single colloquialism in jest, like "g'day mate!" I mean, not until just now.