Finding out the details of the Prime Minister’s exchange of records last night.
For some of us, vinyl records are the ultimate gift. Tangible artifacts, often quite beautiful, that fill our homes and our lives with great music.
They’re relatively cheap and buying them is really a way to offer real support to artists who improve our lives with their creative work.
A record is a thoughtful gift: it says, “That’s something I thought you’d like.”
It’s a lasting gift – you probably think of the person who gave you the album every time you put it on.
We make politicians …
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosted New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Sydney last night and reportedly had a good time.
They caught up on all the jokes (a bit of what was going on), saw one of the epic Vivid light shows, and changed a lot of wax.
“I just finished a lovely dinner with the new Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese,” Ms Ardern said on Facebook.
“He was so kind as to give me Midnight Oil, Spiderbait and Powderfinger on vinyl, so we left him with a few Flying Nun candies in return.”
It was an unexpectedly warm but welcome exchange between the two leaders.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds the records given to him by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds the records given to him by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
“I don’t know how to express how happy it makes me,” says Maggie Collins, executive director of the Artists Managers Association and manager of Australian artists DZ Deathrays and Donny Benet about the music exchange last night.
“He’s like the greatest friend I’ve ever had.”
The records that Prime Minister Albanese set for his kiwi counterpart were solid but predictable.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office told Double J that the records were Powderfinger’s classic LP 2000, Odyssey Number Five, Midnight Oil’s latest album, Resist, and Janet English’s new compilation, Sounds in the Key of J.
While it would have been fun to offer a Crowded House album, proclaiming them one of Australia’s best bands, we understand the Prime Minister’s reluctance to start a war with one of our closest neighbors.
Thanks to a photo of Mr. Albanese taking the reciprocal gift offered by Mrs. Ardern posted on Facebook, we can confirm that he did well. Really good.
“Seeing the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand exchanging vinyls represents an incredible moment of renewed cultural diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific,” says APRA AMCOS Public Affairs Executive Director Nicholas Pickard.
“Across genres and borders, Australian and New Zealand composers are making incredible waves around the world.”
Gifts on the other hand
Of course, politics is still the worst, and you wouldn’t blame the cynics for saying that this is just a cheap trick to win over music nerds like us. A distraction from issues that need attention and deserve scrutiny.
If that was the case, a look at the comments on this Facebook post suggests that it worked a lot.
That being said, not every day we can mention the world leaders and punks of Auckland Proud Scum in the breath … So here is a brief summary of what Mr. Albanese will hit the record label this weekend.
Aldous Harding – Aldous Harding
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Aldous Harding is without a doubt one of New Zealand’s most interesting exports.
She has just released her fourth album Warm Chris, but Mrs Ardern returned to her self-titled debut in 2014 when she selected the right gift for the Australian Prime Minister.
There can be many reasons for this:
- Perhaps Mrs. Ardern finds Aldous’s more adventurous later albums a little too far to the left (she’s wrong, they’re better).
- Maybe it’s easier to get a copy of the debut at their local record barn (I’m personally still chasing a 2019 Designer copy on mine).
- It is possible, though unlikely, that Ms. Ardern has pursued Mr. Albanese’s Discogs account and realized that she already had the latest LPs.
But not to deny this record. It served as a fascinating introduction to Aldous Harding when it was released and has remained extraordinarily well.
Her beauty has not diminished at all and also reminds us of the rapid evolution of this infinitely creative singer-songwriter.
The Clean – Boodle Boodle Boodle EP
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It is difficult to criticize this choice. Kiwi icons’ 1981 debut EP was a key part of establishing what has come to be known as Dunedin Sound.
It contains one of his most enduring songs on ‘Anything Could Happen’, and its sales essentially helped keep the great Flying Nun label alive.
If we had to guess, we would say that it is likely that Mr. Albanese has a copy of Anthology, the revered 2002 compilation of the band’s early work, but we’re sure he’ll be grateful to have a copy of Boodle Boodle Boodle, with his Chris Knox Artwork on the shelf.
Reb Fountain – Iris
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A fairly new album (released last year) by an artist not yet well known in Australia.
It debuted at number one on the New Zealand sales charts, but it’s easy to hear what has attracted so many. Supreme composition and delicious production, with the confident voice of Fountain serving as a pure and fortifying anchor.
It’s worth checking if you’re a fan of Sarah Blasko, Tori Amos, Kate Miller-Heidke or Washington.
Various artists – AK79
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The real power movement of the group. A classic compilation full of unappreciated punk rock jewelry from the New Zealand of the seventies.
Could this be a timely message from Ms. Ardern? A recognition of the love of Mr. Albanese for punk rock bands like Radio Birdman, with a reminder that the less advertised punk scene in New Zealand was cheering at the same time.
This composition includes some high quality proto-hardcore bands like Suburban Reptiles, The Spelling Mistakes power-pop and Terrorways Golden Garage.
What comes next?
We would not complain if Mr. Albanese maintained the tradition of giving LPs where appropriate.
I could probably go to an operations store to grab a record from The Seekers for US President Joe Biden (we know he has a collection).
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson once made Desert Island Discs on the BBC, revealing his affection for Booker T and the MGs. It seems like a great excuse to locate a copy of Don Burrows’ 1975 classic LP The Tasman Connection for the next time they meet.
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We’re sure Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, an avid pianist, would like a copy of Heather Shannon’s beautiful 2021 Midnight Sun LP.
Given the opportunity to present a record to a world leader, it is not surprising that Collins supports one of his own to create the right atmosphere.
“Donny Benet’s Mr Experience,” he says, “Because he’s very good and everyone loves him when he hears him.”
Seeing how world leaders promote tangible support for local music (in the case of Ms. Ardern, relatively clandestine artists who could actually use that support) gives the music industry something to smile about.
“How could I not?” Collins says when asked if last night’s gesture gives him hope for future government support for the music industry.
“From the moment this government intervened, I felt a huge sense of security and hope for our industry. The fact that records are being exchanged as a personal touch between them, just cement that they expect more.”
His greatest hope is a better-funded Association of Artist Managers.
“Artist managers are arguably the most important gear in the music industry outside of the artists themselves, but they are the most threatened,” he says.
“The AAM has been putting pressure on its weight, putting pressure on the contemporary music industry throughout the pandemic and it is extremely important to fund it to support the hard working executives of this country.
“More funded, supported and more resourceful managers do a better job considering more acts. It’s like watering the roots to keep a plant healthy.”
Pickard points to the three-point plan created by the music industry ahead of this year’s federal election when asked how the government can show real support in the future.
“There is an incredible opportunity for the new Australian government to partner with the contemporary music industry with an investment and policy approach to create the next wave of great local music that can travel the world,” he says.
“Australian music is already one of our country’s major cultural exports, with live tours and performances combined with digital exports. It projects the vibrant, diverse and ancient First Nations cultures of our continent into the world.”
For an industry that has felt unfamiliar for a long time, they will expect this medium to go beyond a photographic opportunity.
“Prime ministers have now set the bar high,” Pickard says. “We look forward to even more vinyl diplomacy to celebrate great Australian music.”