Australian (rock) music for President Obama

During an official visit to the White House, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard gave President Barack Obama a gift of Australian (rock) music on an iPod on behalf of the Australian people. The full playlist (reported in The Australian by Ben Packham) by song (and originating album though not necessarily the original release) included

Paul Kelly
• To Her Door (Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits: Songs from the South, Vols 1 & 2)
• From Little Things Big Things Come (Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits: Songs from the South, Vols 1 & 2)

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
• Bapa (Gurrumul)
• Wirrpangu (Gurrumul)
• Djarimirri (Gurrumul)

Temper Trap
• Sweet Disposition (Conditions)
• Love Lost (Conditions)

Panics
• Don’t Fight It (Cruel Guards)

Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males
• Star of the Sea (Drowning in the Fountain of Youth)

Hilltop Hoods
• The Hard Road (The Hard Road)
• The Nosebleed Section (The Calling)

John Butler Trio
• Funky Tonight (Grand National)
• One Way Road (April Uprising)
• Used to Get High (Grand National)

Angus and Julia Stone
• Big Jet Plane (Down the Way)

The Herd
• I Was Only 19 (The Sun Never Sets)

Jimmy Barnes
• Red Hot (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• That’s Right (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• Hallelujah (I love her so) (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• That’s How It Is (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• Keep a Knocking (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• Reconsider Me (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• Shake Rattle & Roll (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• Rockin’ Pneumonia (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• A Fool In Love (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• You Can’t Judge a Book (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• I was Made to Love Her (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• Young Blood (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)
• My Baby Just Cares for Me (The Rhythm and the Blues Album)

Ian Moss
• Good Times (Soul on West 53rd)
• Standing in The Shadows of Love (Soul on West 53rd)

Dan Sultan
• Your Love is like a Song (Homemade Biscuits)

INXS
• Never Tear Us Apart (Platinum Greatest Hits)
• Need You Tonight (Platinum Greatest Hits)
• The Loved One (Platinum Greatest Hits)
• New Sensation (Platinum Greatest Hits)

Xavier Rudd
• Let Me Be (Solace)
• Better People (White Moth)

Midnight Oil
• King of the Mountain (Blue Sky Mining)
• Blue Sky Mine (Blue Sky Mining)
• Beds are Burning (Diesel and Dust)
• Short Memory (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)

Nick Cave (and the Bad Seeds)
• Into My Arms (The Best Of....)

Troy Cassar–Daley
• Bow River (Standing On the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel)

Kasey Chambers
• Pony (Wayward Angel)
• The Captain (The Captain)

Jessica Mauboy
• Burn (Been Waiting)
• Time After Time (Been Waiting)

Crowded House
• Now We’re Getting Somewhere (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• World Where You Live (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Weather With You (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Something So Strong (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• When You Come (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Four Seasons in One Day (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Distant Sun (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Sister Madly (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Better Be Home Soon (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Mean to Me (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• It’s Only Natural (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Fall At Your Feet (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)
• Don’t Dream It’s Over (The Very Very Best of Crowded House)

Kylie Minogue
• Confide in Me (Ultimate Kylie)
• Where the Wild Roses Grow (Ultimate Kylie)

Megan Washington
• How to Tame Lions (I Believe You Liar)
• Sunday Best (I Believe You Liar)

Bliss n Eso
• Bullet and a Target (Flying Colours)

Yothu Yindi
• Treaty (radio mix) (Tribal Voice)
• Djapana (sunset dreaming) (Tribal Voice)
• Dots on the Shells (One Blood)

Cat Empire
• Hello (The Cat Empire)
• Days Like These (The Cat Empire)

Hunters and Collectors
• Holy Grail (Cut)
• Throw Your Arms Around Me (Natural Selection)
• When the River Runs Dry (Natural Selection)
• Do You See What I See (Natural Selection)

Augie March
• One Crowded Hour (Moo You Bloody Choir)
• Janelle (Standing on the Outside)

Missy Higgins
• Scar (The Scar)
• The Special Two (The Special Two)
• Steer (On a Clear Day)

James Morrison
• Chameleon (Scream Machine)
• God Bless the Child duo with Deni Hines (The Other Woman)
• St Louis Blues (Quartet)
• St James Infirmary Blues (Tribute to Louis Armstrong)

Powderfinger
• These Days (Odyssey Number Five)
• Burn Your Name (Golden Rule)
• My Happiness (Odyssey Number Five)
• Baby I’ve Got You on My Mind (Vulture Street)
• Lost and Running (Lost and Running-Single)

Bernard Fanning
• Wish You Well (Tea & Sympathy)
• Songbird (Tea & Sympathy)
• Watch Over Me (Tea & Sympathy)
• Thrill Is Gone (Tea & Sympathy)
• Wash Me Clean (Tea & Sympathy)
• Which Way Home? (Tea & Sympathy)
• Hope and Validation (Tea & Sympathy)
• Down to the River (Tea & Sympathy)
• Yesterday’s Gone (Tea & Sympathy)
• Not Finished Just Yet (Tea & Sympathy)
• The Strangest Thing (Tea & Sympathy)
• Sleeping Rough (Tea & Sympathy)
• Further Down the River (Tea & Sympathy)
• Believe (Tea & Sympathy)

Clare Bowditch
• Message to My Girl (She Will Have Her Way: The Songs of Tim and Neil Finn)
• Modern Day Addiction (Modern Day Addiction)

Guy Sebastian
• Like It Like That (Like it Like That)
• In the Midnight Hour (The Memphis Album)
• (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay (The Memphis Album)

Living End
• All Torn Down (The Living End)
• White Noise (White Noise)

Silver Chair
• Straight Lines (Young Modern)
• Tomorrow (Frogstomp)
• Ana’s Song, Open Fire (Neon Ballroom)

Wolfmother
• Joker and the Thief (Wolfmother)
• Woman (Wolfmother)

Tame Impala
• Solitude is Bliss (InnerSpeaker)

Eddy Current Suppression Ring
• Which Way to Go (Primary Colours)

Tina Arena
• Chains (Don’t Ask)
• To Sir With Love (Songs of Love and Loss)

Savage Garden
• To the Moon & Back (Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden)
• Affirmation (Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden)

Lior
• This Old Love (Autumn Flow)
• Tumbling into the Dawn (Tumbling into the Dawn)

Christine Anu
• Island Home (Stylin’ Up)
• Sunshine On a Rainy Day (Come My Way)
• No Woman No Cry (Liberation Blue Acoustic Series)

GANGgajang
• Sounds of Them (GANGgajang)

The Go-Betweens
• Streets of Your Town (16 Lovers Lane)

Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter
• Little by Little (Ruby)
• Coolman Baby (Ruby)
• Nagarrindjeri Woman (Ruby)

Archie Roach
• John Pat (Journey)
• Too Many Bridges (Journey)
• Liyarn Ngarn (Journey)

The Waifs
• London Still (Up All Night)
• Lighthouse (Up All Night)
• Bridal Train (A Brief History)

Renée Geyer
• Heading in the Right Direction (The Ultimate Collection)
• Stares and Whispers (The Ultimate Collection)
• It’s a Man’s Man’s World (The Ultimate Collection)

Saltwater Band
• Compass (Malk)
• Djarridjarri-Blue Flag (Djarridjarri)
• Arafura Sea (Gapu Damurrun’)

The collection certainly reflects the Prime Minister Gillard's taste. No doubt, she was ably assisted by the Australian music industry in compiling the collection.

However, it is disappointing that she has omitted excellent groups such as The Church, Matt Finish, Dragon, The Saints, Australian Crawl, Mondo Rock, AC/DC etc. Oddly, she has included Jimmy Barnes but not his earlier band, Cold Chisel. Indeed, the golden age of Australian rock and pop music was in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s.