Died Pretty’s “Doughboy Hollow”, Triple J, Collingwood’s Peter Daicos and V-Line, all important parts of Andrew Burt’s 1991.

Still basking in the glory of my beloved Collingwood Football Club breaking a 32-year premiership drought, I went into 1991 full of positivity.

But 1991 wasn’t to be the year I’d hoped for in a footy sense. The Pies celebrated well into the new year and were too hungover to even make the finals. On top of that, Darren Millane, one of our best players of the era, was tragically killed in a car accident. A year to forget, in footy anyway.

During 1991, I made the decision that I would move out of the city and do a George Costanza and move back in with my parents. This wasn’t an ideal situation.

Although I love mum and dad dearly, it was the 90-minute commute each way that was an issue. An issue that would pay huge dividends.

For three hours each weekday, my 23-year-old ears would be listening to Triple J, where my musical guru at the time was Andy Glitre, a British born DJ around clubs in Sydney. His musical taste was a revelation, as if he had been briefed that a bloke in Victoria would be on the train each day and we’d be curating a song list just for him.

Andy put me on to so much music in 1991. His play list was consistently strong and wide-ranging.

On a trip home to Gippsland in the afternoon, I could hear anything from The KLF to an old Elvis deep cut. Andy was a fellow devotee of my favourite band Public Image Ltd (PiL), so it wasn’t unusual to pull out of Garfield Railway Station with Jah Wobble’s bass and John Lydon’s unique vocals in my ears.

It was to be, and probably still is, my favourite year in music.

Firstly, there was the release of “Kill Uncle” by Morrissey, not his most popular album, but to me as strong from start to finish. An interesting mix of sultry to rockabilly ‘Moz’, blended with his witty sense of humour, probably why I have always been a big fan.

Another album which was a comeback of sorts, and another Andy Glitre favourite, was “Superstition” by Siouxsie and the Banshees, their first record after taking a break for a few years, and one of their strongest albums. “Kiss Them For Me”, which I still hear today on alternative radio, and my favourite track, “Shadowtime”, make “Superstition” one of the year’s best albums.

In the mornings, I would listen to Maynard on JJJ, who was a bit of a stalwart in and around the Sydney music scene. Maynard played some great music, including new releases by The Reels, a band I have loved since the late ‘70s when they released the post-punk tracks “Love Will Find A Way”, “Prefab Heart” and “Quasimodo’s Dream”, an Australian classic.

There was also a three-piece band from Seattle called Nirvana that was beginning to get a bit of air time, on JJJ anyway, with their new album “Nevermind”, an absolute cracker which would be played most days on the ride home.

The legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and Joy Division/New Order multi-instrumentalist Bernard Sumner teamed up to produce a terrific mix of guitar and Manchester synth pop with their self-titled album “Electronic”. An album I regularly play today.

Along with Andy Glitre and Maynard, my musical influences came from an ancient form of media, the music magazine. My regulars were “Q” and “Mojo”, and there was the legendary Melbourne newspaper “Juke”, published by legendary rock journalist Ed Nimmervoll.

On the football front, Peter Daicos continued his form into 1991 after a 97-goal season in 1990. He spent a Saturday night in August up at Carrara carving up the hapless Brisbane Bears with a lazy 13 goals.

But watching the “Macedonian Marvel” on TV just wasn’t the same as admiring his skills from the RT Rush Stand at Victoria Park, with the gentle Saturday afternoon waft of local hooch smoke making its way up the wing. Good (high) times.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their now classic “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” album, which produced a string of hits and made them one of the biggest acts in the world. With a bassist (Flea) born in Melbourne.

Matthew Sweet released his classic album “Girlfriend”, which is still a brilliant collection of his song-writing prowess, one of the greats. Have a listen.
The Violent Femmes released “Why Do Birds Sing?” Their bass player Brian Ritchie would later play occasionally with Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey of Midnight Oil as The Break.

How good were/are the Oils by the way? Their “Blue Sky Mining” album was still on high rotation into 1991, strong from start to finish.

My mum had a massive heart attack during 1991, ironically on the day I was packing up to move back home. Thirty years later, she’s still with us, turning 80 in June this year.

PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.

Mum and dad always encouraged our love of music, having some choice cuts in their own collection. Dad had the likes of Jim Croce, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, whereas mum had The Village People and David Lee Roth. Yes, Diamond Dave’s “Crazy From the Heat” is in Mum’s record collection. She isn’t a Van Halen fan (she should be), but he did a cover of The Beach Boys “California Girls”, so she had street cred for about five minutes in 1985.

The UK produced most of the great music of 1991, singles such as “Take 5” by the great Manchester indie band Northside, Big Audio Dynamite released their album “The Globe” with the self-titled track and the classic “Rush”. A great live band, who put on one of the best shows I’ve seen.

Billy Bragg sang about “Sexuality” on his “Don’t Try This At Home” album, and the legendary Kirsty MacColl released “Electric Landlady”, which included “Walking Down Madison”, a song on high rotation on JJJ.

Back to the footy, and the SANFL had a “Bloodbath” grand final between North and West Adelaide, and the AFL played their showcase event on a cold, windy, wet paddock out in Waverley.

Robert de Castella looked on in shock and the Ondiekis pissed themselves laughing at Angry Anderson in a bizarre version of the Batmobile screeching “Bound For Glory”, before Hawthorn, in a strong final quarter, overcame West Coast to win the flag.

Meanwhile in Adelaide, Darel Hart, Matthew Simpson, Steven Sims and about a dozen others belted the crap out of each other for four quarters. That’s entertainment!

The 1991 album, “Jahmekya” by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, planted the seed for a trip to Jamaica in 1993, where I met characters like Charlie Brown, local artist and purveyor of fine herbs, a handy bloke to know … a country full of great people and great music, “Jahmekya”, yet another gem I heard courtesy of my guru Andy Glitre.

Some honourable mentions from 1991 include Gary Clail “Emotional Hooligan”, The Reels “Requiem”, a “best of” including the great new track “I Don’t Love You Anymore”. There was Soundgarden’s “Badmotorfinger” and the classic “Blue Lines” from Massive Attack. All terrific records.

But over all others, the album of 1991 for me and still in my top five of all time, was “Doughboy Hollow” by Australian band Died Pretty. A collection of beautifully mesmerising songs full of brilliantly-written lyrics sung by one of Australia’s great frontmen, Ron Peno.

I would often hear my favourite song from the album, “Godbless”, on my V-Line commute back to Trafalgar in the late afternoon, just the tonic for a day putting up with uptight money market dealers and cranky bond traders (the worst).

“Doughboy Hollow” is an album so strong from track one, “Doused”. “Ahhh, it’s the seven come eleven, oh, there’s gold down here…” I have no idea what it means, but it is so well-written, played and sung that I really don’t mind not understanding it. The singles from the album included “Stop Myself”, “Sweetheart” and the brilliant “D.C”.

I have several copies on CD, including re-releases with demos and B-sides, and more recently the vinyl pressing produced a few years ago. Oh, and a Spanish pressing of the vinyl record I bought in France … as you do.

Thirty years on, “Doughboy Hollow” is still on high rotation through my speakers, and probably always will be. Widely-regarded as an Australian classic and one that should have given Died Pretty a much wider audience.

Most of, if not all of this music I bought from my favourite record store, Gaslight Music at the top of Bourke St in Melbourne.

I would spend many lunch hours discovering new music, ordering rare PiL imports and talking music with the staff. I had my go-to man in there, Andrew, who as soon as I walked in would bail me up and say: “Hey you need to listen to this!”

Off I would go to the back of the store to the headphone booths and spend my lunch hour discovering bands like The Jayhawks and a young band from London called Blur. More often than not, it would be a hidden gem and would further enhance my record (CDs at the time) collection.

Sadly, Gaslight shut its doors many years ago as downloading of music started to take over. It was a wonderful place to seek refuge from the corporate world and spend half my monthly pay on new music. I wouldn’t eat for the last week of the month, but I had a killer music collection!

Earlier this year, I learned of the tragic passing of Andy Glitre. He was 64.

I owe a lot to Andy, who unwittingly steered my musical tastes in directions I’d never have travelled on my own. Those months in 1991 were a musical coming of age, and unlike George Costanza, I’m glad I moved back in with my parents.

It was a year that started with hopes for my footy club, nearly killed my mum, and broadened my musical horizons.

What a year. A year that delivered. Just don’t miss the 6.30am train, or you’re stuffed.