Today’s song is the title track from one of my favourite Australian albums Hotel Radio. David Bridie’s music has featured extensively here at Observation Blogger. Bridie is hardly known in my home country, but he has had a great influence on the Australian music and film industry in similar mode to the unheralded The Go-Betweens (regarding music) who were a great inspiration to Bridie. This cruelly underrated Australian album Hotel Radio doesn’t even have a wikipage, but there are so many gems on it including today’s title track.
Bridie’s output is just so atmospheric and Hotel Radio is no exception. In some respects it reminds me of Dylan’s Visions of Johanna. He is a songwriting puritan and doesn’t appease to the masses. I watched him perform live many of the songs from the album and I listen to them regularly. Bridie formed a breakaway band – My Friend The Chocolate Cake whose music has also featured here. Their first album was recorded with a budget of $800. In his review of the album for Rolling Stone Australia, Bruce Elder wrote it is “one of the best albums of high-art pop ever recorded in Australia.”
February… one long day
I’d hardly call it summer when my skin’s so pale
Two star room well that’s ok
I stay one night then move on to another place
Each place I stay I hear the same wrong done
On my hotel radio
Far away from the bastard few
Roman pillar houses with a harbour view
I aspire to nothing it’s a regular thing’
On my hotel radio
No version of Hotel Radio exists on You Tube so I have uploaded my own audio which appears complete on his web page. All rights are reserved to David Bridie. As it states: ‘Regarded as Bridie’s most pop-oriented effort to date, the album radiates a sensual summer’s warmth with an expansive sense of mystery that delved even further into the artform of sonic texture. Title track is a wonderful song. Produced by David Bridie and co-producer Nick Littlemore‘.
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
A beautiful and haunting track.
It’s very atmospheric and alluring and gets better on repeated listens. I’m glad you liked it so.