When @galenkp posted his selection for Aussie music last week, I couldn't help but think of all the Australian bands I've listened to and loved. Thing is, when you grow up in Australia, you kinda look everywhere else for 'good' Arts - whether it's music, literature, architecture or fine arts, we tend to have a little cultural embarrassment and a desire to seek out work from other countries. Still, this has changed a lot. Perhaps it's to do with how much the Arts get promoted or maybe it's just about growing up and understanding that we've got some good shit on our doorstep that's worth celebrating.

How to choose is the difficult thing. Do I go back to my childhood and the '80's, or jump right to the current time? Do I go full mainstream, the stuff we'd hear on the radio all the time, or the underground Melbourne garage, punk and post punk that I loved so much growing up?

Everyone's tastes is so different!

I've decided to do it by decade - as hard as it is to three songs for each decade, and only three, it does create a bit of a theme for the next few months! I'm going to look at the 'best songs' list and choose the ones that really mean something to me.

I could easily go into a few '70's rock tunes or some other genre but I decided to through the lists and choose the ones that jumped out at me.

So if I begin in the 1970's, as I was born in 1971, I have to start with the Saints and 'Stranded'. Some people declare it one of the best punk bands ever but no one has ever really heard of them. Chris Bailey, the lead singer, died last year. According to a Guardian article:

(I’m) Stranded is regarded as one of the most influential punk songs of all time. In a promotional video for the single’s UK rerelease, the INXS frontman, Michael Hutchence, credited the band for creating the sound that led to the rapid rise of the Sex Pistols.

Now that's pretty big, and the song is just as good as it was in '77.

The '70's were also a time of AC/DC, which everyone seems to know, Cold Chisel (which was always played as we left the Geelong Hotel in the late '80s), Olivia Newton John, Dragon, and more. To look at the list sends me down memory lane of listening to music in the car driving down the coast with Dad.

But it's the high energy punk sound I loved the most, and probably feel most affectionate about when I look back on Australian music. I'm going to have to go with Radio Birdman. I used to have a Radio Birdman tshirt and the album this is from is seminal. They drew inspiration from bands like the Stooges and MC5 and were kinda surf rock punk. Kinda iconic.

Looking through the list I'm tempted to share Little River Band as Dad had it on vinyl and we'd pass Little River, for which the band is named, on the way down the coast from Melbourne. I guess Australians would get it more though. And I'm also tempted by the Skyhooks for the same reason.

But I have to go for this one. I am not entirely sure about why - it's just so '70's, and I can audio-visualise my folks singing it. It's not anything Jamie, being English, could possibly relate to, not growing up with this song. But there'ssomething I just really love about it.

Daddy Cool were also really, really famous for Eagle Rock. I don't think there's an Australian around that doesn't know this song. I kinda hate it for that reason. I much prefer 'Come Back Again'.

Some other songs I really love from this era I'm going to have to do for next week - I think the 1970's deserves two Three Tune Tuesdays at least!

Drop your favourite Australia tunes in the comments below!

And as usual, thanks so much to @ablaze for giving us the opportunity to share some music together on HIVE on Tuesdays. Yay for #threetunetuesday!