Wide Open Road (song)
Encyclopedia
"Wide Open Road" is a single released in 1986 by Australian rock band The Triffids
from their album Born Sandy Devotional
. It was produced by Gil Norton
(Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen
, Foo Fighters
) and written by David McComb
on vocals
, keyboards
and guitar
. The B-side "Time of Weakness" was recorded live at the Graphic Arts Club, Sydney, November 1985 by Mitch Jones, mixed by Rob Muir (in Perth). "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" was recorded at Planet Sound Studios, Perth and produced by the Triffids. "Wide Open Road" reached #26 on the UK Singles Chart in 1986, and #64 on the Australian Singles Chart
, and has become an Australian classic.
was recorded there in August 1985 with Gil Norton
producing (fresh from working with Echo & the Bunnymen
). They released two versions of "Wide Open Road", a 7” version and a 12” version. The B-side, "Time of Weakness", was recorded live at the Graphic Arts Club, Sydney. The album reached #27 on the UK charts and the single peaked at #26 on the UK charts while only reaching #64 in Australia. The song was written by David McComb, who described the process:
The song reached #68 on Triple J
's Hottest 100 for 1989
and #49 in 1990
(from 1989 to 1991, voting was not restricted to songs released that year). Its success also resulted in the band's first appearance on Australia's popular weekly musical television show, Countdown.
"Wide Open Road is one of those songs that illustrates the stark reality of Australia’s barren, desolate landscape on many levels, emphasising it's often cruel geography and the realities that come from existing within it."
"The band uses silence and space to allow the lyrics and melody to resonate fully with the listener. While the song may be Australian in setting with its evocation of a vast, desert wasteland, it uses the Australian desert as a metaphor for the distance between people and for the sense of loss following a failed relationship."
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Wide Open Road" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time.
Paul Kelly
and The Saints
' Chris Bailey performed "Wide Open Road" at the Mushroom 25th Anniversary
concert in 1998, to ensure that one of Kelly's favourite songwriters was represented.
"Wide Open Road" was re-released as a CD single by Mushroom Records
in 1998 as No. 16 in a series of 25 limited edition classic Mushroom singles. It was also re-released as a download only single by Domino Records to coincide with the re-release of Born Sandy Devotional in July 2006.
Cover versions of the song were also recorded by Weddings Parties Anything
on their 1998 compilation album Trophy Night
, and The Church
on their 2007 acoustic album El Momento Siguiente
. It was also covered by fellow Perth outfit The Panics
for Triple J
's 'Like a Version
' in 2007.
At the band's induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame
in July 2008, Steve Kilbey
from The Church filled in for David McComb when The Triffids performed "Wide Open Road".
Additional musicians
Recording details
Art work
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
from their album Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional was an album by The Triffids, released in March 1986. The cover photo shows the now West Australian city of Mandurah back in 1961. All the songs on the album were written by David McComb...
. It was produced by Gil Norton
Gil Norton
Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
(Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
) and written by David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
on vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. The B-side "Time of Weakness" was recorded live at the Graphic Arts Club, Sydney, November 1985 by Mitch Jones, mixed by Rob Muir (in Perth). "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" was recorded at Planet Sound Studios, Perth and produced by the Triffids. "Wide Open Road" reached #26 on the UK Singles Chart in 1986, and #64 on the Australian Singles Chart
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
, and has become an Australian classic.
Background
The Triffids had toured Europe in 1985 and were based in London but they were unable to raise a major record deal and with a lack of finances, their second studio album Born Sandy DevotionalBorn Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional was an album by The Triffids, released in March 1986. The cover photo shows the now West Australian city of Mandurah back in 1961. All the songs on the album were written by David McComb...
was recorded there in August 1985 with Gil Norton
Gil Norton
Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
producing (fresh from working with Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
). They released two versions of "Wide Open Road", a 7” version and a 12” version. The B-side, "Time of Weakness", was recorded live at the Graphic Arts Club, Sydney. The album reached #27 on the UK charts and the single peaked at #26 on the UK charts while only reaching #64 in Australia. The song was written by David McComb, who described the process:
The song reached #68 on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Hottest 100 for 1989
Triple J Hottest 100, 1989
The 1989 Triple J Hottest 100 was the first yearly poll of the most popular songs, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. From 1989 to 1991, listeners could vote for songs released in any year.-Full list:...
and #49 in 1990
Triple J Hottest 100, 1990
The 1990 Triple J Hottest 100 was the second yearly poll of the most popular songs, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. From 1989 to 1991, listeners could vote for songs released in any year.-Full list:...
(from 1989 to 1991, voting was not restricted to songs released that year). Its success also resulted in the band's first appearance on Australia's popular weekly musical television show, Countdown.
Reviews
"Hauntingly simple in its sparse use of keyboards, clean, ringing guitars, and just the one, repeated drum fill, it has an epic majesty which is entirely suited to the semi-mythical Australia of The Triffids’ vision; no other song has so perfectly captured the sense of vast, uncharted expanses which characterises the Australia of our collective imagination.""Wide Open Road is one of those songs that illustrates the stark reality of Australia’s barren, desolate landscape on many levels, emphasising it's often cruel geography and the realities that come from existing within it."
"The band uses silence and space to allow the lyrics and melody to resonate fully with the listener. While the song may be Australian in setting with its evocation of a vast, desert wasteland, it uses the Australian desert as a metaphor for the distance between people and for the sense of loss following a failed relationship."
Legacy
In May 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Wide Open Road" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time.
Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
and The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
' Chris Bailey performed "Wide Open Road" at the Mushroom 25th Anniversary
Mushroom 25 Live
Mushroom 25 Live is a live album, video and DVD by various Australian musicians and was recorded at the Mushroom 25 Concert held on Saturday 14 November 1998, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground...
concert in 1998, to ensure that one of Kelly's favourite songwriters was represented.
"Wide Open Road" was re-released as a CD single by Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
in 1998 as No. 16 in a series of 25 limited edition classic Mushroom singles. It was also re-released as a download only single by Domino Records to coincide with the re-release of Born Sandy Devotional in July 2006.
Cover versions of the song were also recorded by Weddings Parties Anything
Weddings Parties Anything
Weddings Parties Anything were an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1998. Their name came from The Clash song and musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Australian rock debut since Skyhooks' Living in the '70s.-Formation and...
on their 1998 compilation album Trophy Night
Trophy Night
Trophy Night : The Best of Weddings Parties Anything is a compilation album released by Australian rock band Weddings Parties Anything. It comprises songs from the band's seven studio albums together with two new tracks: "Anthem" and "Traffic Goes By", together with a cover of The Triffids' "Wide...
, and The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
on their 2007 acoustic album El Momento Siguiente
El Momento Siguiente
El Momento Siguiente is a 2007 album by The Church and the second in the Liberation Acoustic Series following 2004's El Momento Descuidado. The title translates from Spanish as, "The Following Moment."Contains a cover of The Triffids' Wide Open Road....
. It was also covered by fellow Perth outfit The Panics
The Panics
The Panics are an ARIA Award–winning indie rock band originally from Perth, Western Australia, and currently based in Melbourne, Victoria.-History:...
for Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's 'Like a Version
Like A Version
Like a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show...
' in 2007.
At the band's induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
in July 2008, Steve Kilbey
Steve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey is the lead singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for The Church, an Australian rock band. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter....
from The Church filled in for David McComb when The Triffids performed "Wide Open Road".
Original release (12")
- "Wide Open Road" - 4:08
- "Time of Weakness" (live) - 3:12
- "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts"
- "Native Bride" (live)
Personnel
The Triffids members- Jill BirtJill BirtJill Birt is an Australian rock musician and architect, best known as the keyboardist of the 1980s band The Triffids.-Early years:Jillian Birt was born in Tambellup, where she attended Tambellup Primary School. She attended Methodist Ladies College in Perth, as a boarder...
— keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(track 1), hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
(track 3) - Martyn P. CaseyMartyn P. CaseyMartyn Paul Casey is an English-born Australian rock bass guitarist. He had been a member of The Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Bass.-Biography:...
— bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(all tracks) - Graham LeeGraham Lee (Australian musician)Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
— pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
(track 1), lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
(track 2, 4) - Alsy MacDonaldAlsy MacDonaldAlan MacDonald is an Australian rock musician and lawyer, best known as the drummer of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he performed under his nickname 'Alsy'....
— drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(track 1, 3), hi-hatHi-hatA hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
(track 2, 4) - David McCombDavid McCombDavid Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
— vocals (all tracks), guitar (all tracks), keyboards (track 1) - Robert McComb — guitar (all tracks), violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(track 3)
Additional musicians
- Adam Peters — piano, keyboards
Recording details
- Producer — Gil NortonGil NortonGil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
- Sequencer — MacDonald, (track 1), D McComb (track 1)
- Mixer — Rob Muir (track 2)
- Recording — Mitch Jones (track 2, live)
- Studio — Mark Angelo Studios, London (track 1), The Graphics Art Club, Sydney (track 2)
- Mixing studio — Amazon Studios, Liverpool (track 1)
Art work
- Photography — Bleddyn Butcher (front cover), MacDonald (back cover), Mark Trengove (Domino 2006)