DIED PRETTY. DOUGHBOY HOLLOW, CONSIDERED (1991): Caught by the turning tide

Australia has unleashed scores of exciting bands and artists but as time moves on the number becomes distilled down to just the most memorable: the Easybeats, expat Bee Gees, the Saints, Birthday Party, AC/DC, the Church, Cold Chisel, INXS, Midnight Oil, the Angels, Paul Kelly, Renee Geyer, Go-Betweens, Silverchair, Men at Work . . .

But just behind those big names were many others within kissing distance: Master's Apprentices, Hoodoo Gurus, the Triffids, Tex Perkins' Cruel Sea and Beasts of Bourbon, Rose Tattoo, Black Sorrows, You Am I . . .

And Died Pretty.

Emerging out of Sydney in the early Eighties they ran quite contrary to the post-punk rock of their time as they looked to other reference points: the country-rock of Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan, a touch of the Paisley Underground leavened by Velvet Underground, a hint of the Doors' grandeur and plenty of crafted songs by singer Ron Peno and guitarist/singer Brett Myers.

As they developed through that decade and expanded their musical palette they also refined their sound and had an American producer Jeff Eyrich when they recorded 1990's Every Brilliant Eye in Los Angeles.

The album after that, Doughboy Hollow pulled from the shelves at random for this on-going column, was the first of their essential albums which – although it gave them their highest Australian chart placing to date – didn't quite catch the wider imagination.

Perhaps it was a matter of unfortunate timing: it was released in August '91 at the same time as Pearl Jam's debut album Ten and just a month before Nirvana's breakout Nevermind.

There was a gear change in rock culture and Died Pretty – while still away from the mainstream – weren't bellicose, angst-filled or quite as radio-friendly in the new era.

But Doughboy Hollow – produced in Sydney by respected British knob-twiddler Hugh Jones – is chock full of strong songs with Amanda Brown of the Go-Betweens on violin and cellist Sara Peet.

Peno delivers heartfelt lyrics without overstatement (The Love Song, Turn Your Head) and the six minute Satisfied deserves to be rediscovered.

Closer to power pop and the jangling thread of REM (the Boston-like Stop Myself, Out in the Rain), mainstream FM radio pop (DC, Godbless about the Sunnyboys) and with a studio polish and precision to the sound (Battle of Stanmore), Doughboy Hollow delivered all that Died Pretty wanted but . . . it didn't capture the zeitgeist.

In that regard, because it isn't held captive by its time, Doughboy Hollow is one of those albums pulled off the shelf which is going stay close to the turntable rather than being quickly returned.

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You can hear this album at Spotify here

Elsewhere occasionally revisits albums -- classics sometimes, but more often oddities or overlooked albums, some by major artists -- and you can find a number of them starting here.