Don Walker - We're All Gunna Die (Album)
» Don Walker: Tales from the Landsborough Highway Tour - July 6, 2011
With an album title like We’re All Gunna Die, you’d think the album would be full of sadness and sorrowful tunes. Be surprised to find a few joyful sounding tracks on the album. The album cover picture isn’t teaming with joyous happy facial expression on Don Walker either, but never judge a CD by its cover!
Brilliant songster Don Walker is pumped and constantly brings appeal to his music with different instruments throughout and, although his vocals aren’t exactly shining with happiness, as most Don songs aren’t, there is still enough passion and oomph to bring forth songs to dance and sway to as well as songs to think about and perhaps even compare to your own life stories.
For those who don’t know it, Don Walker helped form Cold Chisel in 1973 and with hits such as Khe Sanh, Flame Trees, Cheap Wine and Saturday Night, it is safe to say he’s a well-known Aussie muso. In 1993 he joined Tex Perkins and Charlie Owen for some more fine music collaboration.
Always a storyteller in his music, we are not disappointed this time around. This album was first released in 1995 and was Don’s first solo album under his own name after Cold Chisel. Perhaps Don feels this album fits with today’s music and is needed to be re-released but the reality is, if you didn’t know it was a 1995 album, you wouldn’t know the difference - the songs still remain to today’s level and the music is just as sharp.
The opener Party starts off quietly but it’s not long before the music is pumping just a bit more and you can imagine yourself sitting out on your deck kicking up the heels, drinking a few brews and swaying to this jolly tune. I Am The King is a narrative of a man leaving his woman; The Wedding is a classic tune with lyrics like: “There’s a ghost at the wedding, and he looks like me” and is joined with the pedal steel, which has a haunting sound to fit the song.
Eternity is a lovely song, with guitar and soft drums bringing together a great cruising track; The Circus starts off with swaying guitar and feels rather cheerful until Don says: “and the circus was just like home”, a sad story incorporated into Don’s sorrowful vocals, and some more very nice pedal steel!
We’re All Gunna Die has more joyful lyrics (sarcasm present here!) “Will be nothing more than one line on a stone”; a realistic way to look at death perhaps? Ian Moss is a guest here on lead guitar and David Blight on harmonica is always a wonderful touch to any song. In The End is a lovely ode, harmonica cautiously deepening the tune to take you back in time and the harmonies blend so well here.
You really would be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t have this album in your collection and you enjoy storytelling narrative-style with one of Australia’s best known musicians, Don Walker – a man who seems to have a story to tell about everything.
