Rewind with Steve Bell

The latest season of Rewind delves into legendary singer-songwriter Archie Roach’s 1990 Charcoal Lane album. The oral history begins by travelling back to Roach’s pre-fame years and experiences that led to the album’s heart-wrenching narratives, and his being plucked from obscurity by Paul Kelly and Steve Connolly.

Rewind’s Charcoal Lane season continues with stories about the making of the album in a small Melbourne studio owned by Greg Ham of Men At Work, how the album came together and Archie Roach's first experiences in a studio environment.

Rewind learns of how Paul Kelly introduced Archie Roach to his label Mushroom for the release of Charcoal Lane. We hear how he was embraced by the label who he remains with to this day after more than 30 years.

This chapter of Rewind traces the slow burn reaction to Archie Roach’s Charcoal Lane as it introduced many Australians to subjects such as the Stolen Generations and quickly started racking up awards and accolades.

Rewind is joined by Briggs and Emma Donovan as they discuss the ongoing legacy of Charcoal Lane and how it not only kickstarted Archie Roach's career but inspired generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to embark on their own musical voyage.

Series eight of Rewind deep dives into Paul Kelly’s How To Make Gravy, first released 25 years ago. Steve Bell talks to Kelly about the song’s origin, stemming from a commission to contribute a song to a charity album. Workshopped at soundchecks and rehearsals, we hear about the song’s unceremonious debut in a small St Kilda shed. And one participant in the song’s evolution reveals a lie he told Paul Kelly about the song at the time.

Rewind’s oral history of How To Make Gravy continues with stories from musicians who played on the original recording of the Christmas classic, including Peter Luscombe, Bruce Haymes, Stephen Hadley, Shane O’Mara and producer Simon Polinski. Learn about the song’s hip hop influences and how it ended up playing a role in AFL history. We also learn of the nerve-wracking experience behind the recent re-recording of the classic song for inclusion on Kelly’s first Christmas album. Plus, there’s also the making of the song’s now iconic video which one Rewind guest reveals was once considered “the biggest pile of shit ever”.

In the final episode of Rewind’s How To Make Gravy series, Paul Kelly and friends look at the legacy of the song. Rewind is joined by Kelly collaborators Vika & Linda Bull, Gretta Ray and Alex The Astronaut as Steve Bell discusses the evolution of the song’s cultural importance over the decades.

Season 7 of Rewind goes behind the scenes of Something For Kate’s revered Echolalia album. Twenty years after its release Steve Bell talks to band members Paul Dempsey, Stephanie Ashworth and Clint Hyndman along with the album’s producer Trina Shoemaker, former Sony A&R Craig Mathieson and John O’Donnell who signed the band to Sony imprint Murmur.