New Book 'Aussie Rock Anthems' Landing This July

Wollongong-based journalist and author Glen Humphries has announced the release of his new book, Aussie Rock Anthems: The Stories Behind Our Biggest Hit Songs.

Humphries, a journalist with the Illawarra Mercury, has written multiple books about the Wollongong music scene, and one on Midnight Oil’s albums 10-1 and Red Sails In The Sunset.

Set for release on Wednesday, 17 July, via Gelding Street Press, Humphries’ latest venture profiles the Top 40 most popular classic Australian rock and pop songs and the stories behind them.

As for the songs that feature in the book, there are all-time singalong tunes like Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters & Collectors and Don’t Change by INXS, and songs that met between protest and anthem, like I Was Only 19 by Redgum.

With Aussie Rock Anthems, Humphries unearths untold stories about the songs we know and love alongside unforgettable images of our favourite artists for his fourth release under Gelding Street Press. The book description reads: “What a famous song is about and what you think it's about aren't always the same thing.”

Humphries, a writer with numerous interests, has written quirky rugby books for Gelding, such as Biff: Rugby League’s Infamous Fights, Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat and Sticky Wickets: Australian Cricket’s Controversies And Curiosities.

Aussie Rock Anthems is available to pre-order here.

Humphries isn’t the only author digging into Australian music history. Tristan Clark, an author who came up in Melbourne’s punk rock scene, is releasing two new books that track the history of Australian punk.

On Tuesday, 9 July, Clark will release Orstralia: A Punk History 1974-1989 and its companion volume, which tracks the years 1990 to 1999. 

Both volumes of Orstralia tell the stories of Australian punk and feature over 130 interviews with the country’s most influential punk and alternative artists.

With Orstralia, Clark locked in interviews with The Saints, Radio Birdman, Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party, Victims, Xero, Hard-Ons, Cosmic Psychos, The Living End, The Meanies, Bodyjar, Frenzal Rhomb and even more. The two books also cover the Australian punk, hardcore, and thriving punk rock scenes on a city-by-city basis, with regional areas also covered.