Richard Clapton - The Definitive Collection (2004)

Richard Clapton is - and probably will always be - the great undiscovered genius of Australian rock music. Not to say that he's completely unknown outside of his home country. Neil Young did specifically request him as as opening act for one of his Australian tours, and Jackson Browne has also admitted to being a Clapton fan. To appreciate the magnitude of Clapton's appearance on the Australian pop music scene, you really need to understand what a dismal situation it was in during the early to mid 1970's. The favourite band of the era were called 'Sherbet'. The best loved male singer was a soapie actor who wore a white suit and red carnation. If this weren't bad enough, we had glam rock acts like Willian Shakespeare, who made Garry Glitter look sensible, and at least two of the favoured bands of the era (Ol' 55 and Silver Studs) specialised in 'Happy Days' era pre-Beatles pop covers. The few genuinely worthwhile acts (The Dingos, Radio Birdman, The Saints, etc) weren't allowed within a bull's roar of Countdown - the tv pop show which dictated which singles Australian audiences were exposed to.

Tracklist:

01. Girls On The Avenue
02. Stepping Across The Line
03. Ace Of Hearts
04. Capricorn Dancer
05. I Wanna Be A Survivor
06. Down The Road
07. Get back To The Shelter
08. Goodbye Tiger
09. Down In The Lucky Country
10. Deep Water
11. Blue Bay Blues
12. Need A Visionary
13. Suit Yourself
14. High Society
15. Hearts On The Nightline
16. Dark Spaces