Redgum
Redgum's 1983 Number One single I Was Only 19 (A Walk In The
Light Green) was an examination of the effects that the
Vietnam War had on Australia's young servicemen.
When the song was released in the UK two years later it was
heavily criticised for being a blatant rip-off of producer Paul
Hardcastle's single 19 which addressed the same subject -
despite the fact that Redgum had actually written and recorded
their song first.
In 1984, Redgum asked their lawyers to apply to inspect their
alleged ASIO file (ASIO are Australia's national security service) under
the Freedom of Information Act. The group suspected a file had
been started when they began expressing their left wing political
views back in 1975 when they formed in Adelaide (many of the
original members had attended Adelaide's Flinders University).
Also in 1984, the band released the single I've Been To
Bali Too, which related the story of customs officials going
through John Schumann's bags "like McCartney's in
Japan".
Never a band for orthodox songs, and always socially and
politically concerned, Redgum recorded a single in 1987 entitled Roll
It On Robbie.
Written in response to the concern caused by the proliferation
of AIDS, the song advocated safe sex via the use of condoms and
reiterated the "prevention is better than a cure"
catchphrase.
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