PAUL KELLY

This week, we go from American punks, to Australian singer-songwriters. You’ve got to have some variety to keep things interesting.

Paul Kelly is a legend in his country, but still relatively unknown in the states. He’s been recording and touring pretty much non-stop since the late seventies. First with The Dots, then with The Coloured Girls (a.k.a. The Messengers), and later as a solo artist. Though he’s been solo since the early nineties, he continues to work with many other bands and singers.

As with so many artists, Paul’s work can’t be pinned down into one category. The songs vary from straight forward rock (“Darling It Hurts”), to ballads (“Big Heart”), to bluegrass (his work with Uncle Bill) and even some groove (Professor Ratbaggy).

Keeping in mind that Paul has a few hundred recorded songs to choose from, this is the best I could do for a quick overview:

Some album cuts:
Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls - “Last Train to Heaven” from Gossip (buy)
Paul Kelly - “Nothing On My Mind” from Words and Music (buy)

Some rarities:
Paul Kelly - “Woomera Song (I Guess I Get A Little Emotional Sometimes)” free download from paulkelly.com.au, no longer available. Read the story HERE.
Paul Kelly & Mark Seymour - “Hey Boys” from the Garbo soundtrack (1992)

Compare and Contrast:
Paul Kelly - “Careless” from Live at the Continental and the Esplanade (buy)
Michael Petak - “Careless” (Paul Kelly cover) from Pretty Little Lonely (1994)
Paul Kelly - “God’s Hotel” (written by Paul Kelly and Nick Cave) from Wanted Man (buy)
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - “God’s Hotel” (live on KCRW) from Rare On Air

Paul Kelly Discography:
Paul Kelly and The Dots - Talk (1981)
Paul Kelly and The Dots - Manila (1982)
Paul Kelly - Post (1985) (buy)
Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls - Gossip (1986) (buy)
Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls - Under The Sun (1987) (buy)
Paul Kelly and The Messengers - So Much Water So Close To Home (1989) (buy)
Paul Kelly and The Messengers - Comedy (1991) (buy)
Paul Kelly and The Messengers - Hidden Things (1992) - a collection of non-album tracks
Paul Kelly - Live 1992 (1992) - solo acoustic set
Paul Kelly - Wanted Man (1994) (buy)
Paul Kelly - Deeper Water (1995) (buy)
Paul Kelly - Live at The Continental & The Esplanade (1996) - with band (buy)
Paul Kelly - Songs From The South (1997) - best of (buy)
Paul Kelly - Words and Music (1998) (buy)
Professor Ratbaggy - Professor Ratbaggy (1999)
Paul Kelly and Uncle Bill - Smoke (1999) (buy)
Paul Kelly - Nothing But A Dream (2001) (buy)
Paul Kelly - Ways and Means (2004) (buy)
Paul Kelly and The Stormwater Boys - Foggy Highway (2005) (buy)
Stardust Five - Stardust Five (2006) (buy)
Paul Kelly - Stolen Apples (2007)(buy)

Since most of his albums are only available in the states as imports, the price can be pretty steep. You may want to keep on eye on eBay to get them a little cheaper.

More info on Paul Kelly at his official site, or his wiki entry.