Australian Crawl - The Greatest Hits

The Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Australian rock band Australian Crawl, originally released in January 2014 via Universal Music.

Formed in 1978 on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Australian Crawl were originally named Spiff Rouch and consisted of James Reyne, brothers Bill and Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, Robert Walker, and Simon Binks. This group then later split into two groups: The Flatheads, and Australian Crawl, with the latter consisting of Simon Binks (lead guitar), Bill McDonough (drums), James Reyne (vocals, piano), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar) and Paul Williams (bass).

The group's escalating popularity in the pub scene caught the attention of Little River Band’s guitarist David Briggs, who helped them gain a recording contract with EMI in 1979 and produced their first single "Beautiful People" which reached No. 22 on the National charts. Reyne co-wrote the song with guitarist Mark Hudson which included references to the shallow materialism of residents of Toorak and to the Bombay Rock night club in Brunswick.

The band then recorded their debut album The Boys Light Up in 1980 with David Briggs as producer. The album, which spawned the tracks the tracks "The Boys Light Up", "Downhearted", "Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama", and "Indisposed", reached #4 on the Australian album charts and remained in the charts for an unbroken 101 weeks, eventually selling over 280 000 copies (4x platinum). 

It was followed up in 1981 with Sirocco, which also attained 4x platinum accreditation, and spent six weeks at #1 on the ARIA chart, boasting the singles "Things Don’t Seem", "Unpublished Critics", "Lakeside", "Oh No Not You Again" and "Errol" – the latter two singles featuring lead vocals by Guy McDonough who joined the band late in 1980. Sirocco spent eight months in the ARIA Top 20. ARIA’s 1981 Australian End of Year Album Charts placed Sirocco at #2 behind John Lennon's Double Fantasy, making it the best charting Australian album of the year (beating AC/DC's Back in Black).

Australian Crawl's third album Sons Of Beaches was released in 1982, debuting again at #1, and spending five weeks at the top the chart and achieving 2x Platinum status. Singles from this album included "Runaway Girls", "Daughters Of The Northern Coast", and "Shutdown".

Between A Rock And A Hard Place followed in 1985, while two live albums Phalanx and The Final Wave showcased the live prowess of the band. Australian Crawl played their final show in Perth on 1st February 1986, and were inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame in 1996, two weeks before founding guitarist Brad Robinson's death from lymphoma.

This double album 2LP record set is a 2019 limited edition reissue on 180 gram sea blue coloured vinyl housed in a tri-fold sleeve with a printed booklet, pressed in Australia via Universal Music.