New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ SGC Media) In celebration of The Wiggles' 20th birthday, ABC
Music has brought together some of Australia's finest indie artists to pay tribute to the undisputed legends of children's entertainment, The Wiggles.
Rewiggled features 20 all time favourite
Wiggles songs interpreted by The Living End, Washington, Jebediah,
Sarah Blasko, Architecture In Helsinki, Spiderbait, Bluejuice, Frenzal Rhomb, Clare Bowditch, The Snowdroppers, Busby Marou, Adalita, Papa VS Pretty, The Audreys, Dead Letter Chorus, Oh Mercy, Angie Hart, Sons of Rico, Steve Lane and the Autocrats and Paul Greene.
In Australian stores and available in worldwide digital retailers from November 4.
"I remember The
Wiggles before they became The Wiggles. Yes, that's right. Sometime around 1987 I remember trudging out to the
State Sports Centre at Homebush (now Olympic Park) to see six bands for $15. I probably told my parents I was going to the library to study or something as equally lame, when in fact I was sculling copious amounts of sugar laden milk and attempting to pick up girls, sporting more metal in my mouth than Lil Jon, Goldie and
Ludacris put together.
So what does all of this have to do with The
Wiggles you ask? Well before they were The
Wiggles they were The Cockroaches; made up of the effervescent Field brothers and their school mates playing their own brand of white-boy surf and do-wop rock. They were immensely popular for about two years and scored a couple of hits with She's The One,
Double Shot (of My Baby's Love) and some other track I can't recall right now. Then, just like the last song at a school formal, it was all over and the ugly house lights were switched on.
Next thing you know it's 1991 and with a couple of neat line-up changes (The Cockroaches lead singer Paul Field now taking on a manager/producer role, the inclusion of musicians Greg Page, Murray Cook) The
Wiggles were launched and it was instant success. I'm not going to spend the remainder of this story documenting the highs and lows of The Wiggles. We all know they have gone on to become one of Australia's biggest ever musical exports.
They've become part of the Australian cultural make up, as natural to us as a great fitting pair of Stubbies or accidently dropping your chocolate paddle pop in the sand. We all love The
Wiggles and it's been that way for over twenty years. And in that time, teenage girls that used to swoon at the mere sight of The Cockroaches are now yummy mummies with two kids of their own buying up
Wiggles tickets, CDs and merchandise by the pallet load. But what is it that makes The
Wiggles so stupidly popular? Surely it's more than a flashy smile or the bright costumes?
In my opinion, it's the bands own sense of musicality...they get it and they get what makes a great song regardless of whether you're young or young at heart. These are guys that dig The Beach Boys, Motown, The
Beatles and The Rolling Stones. They take all the tried and true ingredients of a classic pop song and drop in lyrics about big red cars, hot potatoes and fruity fruit salad.
So it seems now the time is right for Rewiggled, an album that pays homage to the songs of The
Wiggles and it's an absolute bobby-dazzler! The artist line-up is diverse and unique, each bringing their own flavour to songs that have become holiday car staples and lifesavers for generations of parents. There's the swamp rock growl of The Snowdroppers (Wags The Dog), the snotty-nosed frantic punk of Frenzal Rhomb (Captain's Magic Buttons), the effortless cool of Busby Marou (Dressing Up), Spiderbait's west coast fuzz pop and the pschycedelia of Washington's Monkey Dance (which instantly transports me back to the Batman TV series...y'know the one with Adam West? Grrrooovy), as well as The Living End,
Sarah Blasko, Architecture in Helsinki, Bluejuice, Clare Bowditch, Adalita, Papa VS Pretty, The Audreys, Dead Letter Chorus, Oh Mercy, Angie Hart, Sons of Rico, Steve Lane and The Autocrats and Paul Greene all contribute admirably to an album that both kids and their parents will enjoy.
Rewiggled is one step beyond a tribute. It's an album that celebrates a band of musicians still in their prime. It also highlights the regard with which The
Wiggles are held. Artists, actors and celebrities cue up around the corner to work and hang out with them and with good reason. The
Wiggles were, are and will continue to be cool. That is all."
- Clayton Doughty
