Compilations

During the 1990s I (Greg) produced the "Spill" series of compilations as a kind of pre-Myspace attempt to showcase interesting independent music being made in Australia. The comps were distributed widely and had something of an impact - now I think they are interesting historical snapshots of a time when the focus of Australian music was shifting from Sydney to Melbourne - and St Kilda to Fitzroy - and indie scenes around the world were discovering each other and cross-pollinating. The people on these compilations were part of that process.

These compilations are deliberately non-genre-specific, as I think it's wise to recognize that good (and bad) is being done in every music style. Richard Hagen recalls, "they were a bit like very big split singles." For bands without the resources to release albums, comps were a way of releasing the occasional song to a reasonably wide audience.

These are out of print, and the Internet has superceded discs, so I've converted these ones to mp3 and made them available here. All songs are owned by the artists listed, except when they are covers.

I wrote the text accompanying the songs in 2007, fifteen or so years after they were released. I'm not 100% certain of all the details and have lost contact with some of the performers. I will add details as I discover them. If you notice any errors, please let me know. Thanks to the several music scene identities who have helped me with this already.

After the three Spill compilations, I helped compile two theme comps - Box and Kraftworks - helped with a few others, and co-produced the Melbourne Water compilations. Enjoy!

• Spill One
• Spill Two
• Spill Three
• Box (tv)
• Kraftworks
• Valiant (SWE tribute)
• Melbourne Water

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M e l b o u r n e . . A u s t r a l i a