Various Artists
Blood & Thunder: The Sound Of Alberts DVD
Review by Gary Hill
On the one hand, this documentary digs deep into the history of the Australian music scene. Playing devil's advocate, it does so by focusing on the artists and history that fits the narrative that the creators were trying to push, while ignoring artists and movements that didn't fit.
Looking beyond that issue, if you are looking for information insights about the artists covered, The Easybeats, John Paul Young, Stevie Wright, The Angels, Rose Tattoo, AC/DC, this is well worth the time. Its focus is really on two families, The Alberts and the Youngs.
This is actually not one complete documentary, but rather a story that was produced for Australian television and shown in two parts. Both of those parts are gathered here. While this film seems to overstate the significance of certain parts of the Australian scene at the expense of others, it is informative and entertaining. It does play more like a promo piece than true documentary a lot of the time, though. Still, this is engrossing and enjoyable.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023 Volume 4 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.
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