Goanna - Spirit Of Place

Spirit Of Place is the debut studio album by Australian folk rock band Goanna, originally released in November 1982 via WEA Records.

A landmark Australian album with one of the country’s most enduring songs of consciousness “Solid Rock” released as the lead single from the album. Shane Howard wrote the song after a camping trip to Uluru in 1980 where he had a spiritual awakening about the country that he lived in. He is quoted as follows about the inspiration to write this song “I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived.”

This is one of the first hit songs in Australia to be written and recorded by a “white” Australian about the injustices metered out to Australia’s indigenous peoples. The record label were doubtful that the song would resonate with the music public due to its political themes, however it became an instant hit, reaching #2 on the Australian Singles chart, remaining in the Top 50 for 26 weeks. The song also features the native Australian instrument the didgeridoo, again a first for Australian chart history.

The song continues to be performed widely to this day, not only by Shane Howard, but also by community choirs and schools across the country. The song has also been translated into indigenous languages, including Pitjantjatjara, by the peoples on whose land Uluru is located.

The second single “Razor’s Edge” dealt with social issues in Australia of surviving on welfare benefits, and reached #36 on the Australian Singles chart.

The album was produced by Trevor Lucas, a member of the folk band Fairport Convention and peaked at #2 on the Australian Albums chart. The album also charted in the US.

For this album the members of Goanna were Shane Howard (vocals, guitars), Marcia Howard (vocals), Rose Bygrave (keyboards, vocals), Warrick Harwood (guitars), Peter Coughlan (bass), Graham Davidge (guitar), Mick "The Reverend" O’Connor (keyboards) and Robert Ross (drums). Billy Inda of the indigenous band No Fixed Address played the didgeridoo on the album.

This album is a 40^th Anniversary reissue on black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve, pressed in Australia via Warner Music Australia.