In order to get more accurate results, our search has the following Google-Type search functionality:
If you use '+' in front of a word, then that word will be present in the search results.
ex: Harry +Potter will return results with the word 'Potter'.
If you use '-' in front of a word, then that word will be absent in the search results.
ex: Harry -Potter will return results without the word 'Potter'.
If you use 'AND' between two words, then both of those words will be present in the search results.
ex: Harry AND Potter will return results with both 'Harry' and 'Potter'.
If you use 'OR' between two words, then bth of those words may or may not be present in the search results.
ex: Harry OR Potter will return results with just 'Harry', results with just 'Potter' and results with both 'Harry' and 'Potter'.
If you use 'NOT' before a word, then that word will be absent in the search results.
ex: Harry NOT Potter will return results without the word 'Potter'.
Placing '""' around words will perform a phrase search. The search results will contain those words in that order.
ex: "Harry Potter" will return any results with 'Harry Potter' in them, but not 'Potter Harry'.
Using '*' in a word will perform a wildcard search. The '*' signifies any number of characters. Searches can not start with a wildcard.
ex: Pot*er will return results with words starting with 'Pot' and ending in 'er'. In this case, 'Potter' will be a match.
It reveals the musical and personal journey of Michael Rudd a national treasure, even though he's a New Zealander!
The book traces Rudd's musical origins leading Chants R&B, a quirky counter-cultural phenomenon of a band from Christchurch and follows him as he moves to Melbourne in the mid-1960's to become an integral member of two Ross Wilson led avant-garde outfits, Party Machine and Sons of the Vegetal Mother. In 1969 Rudd then formed what would become Australia's premier progressive/expressionist band, Spectrum.
The book describes the political, social and artistic context in which Rudd led Spectrum for the next four years. This was an era when Dylan wrote symbolist lyrics such as those of Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, The Beatles were using horns and harps, harmonica quartets, assorted animal noises and a 91-piece orchestra on their recordings and Pink Floyd's 1970 Atom Earth Mother LP presented side 1 as a suite, almost a symphony.
Politically in Australia hundreds of thousands of young people all over the country were marching in the streets of our capital cities in protest of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War and capitalism was under the microscope, with many young people challenging it's social and sexual inequalities, rampant materialism and environmental destruction.
It was in this tumultuous context that Mike Rudd wrote his seminal song I'll Be Gone, a song that rejects the overriding materialist paradigm and describes an alternate life that embraces simplicity and freedom. It's a beautiful song that encouraged a generation of young people to embrace a spirit of hope over violence, naturalism over avarice and freedom over servitude.