Album The Australian Years by Daevid Allen Review
In 1981 Daevid Allen returned to his native Australia for the first time in over 20 years. An uncertain start saw his performances restricted to the local poetry circuit but, by early 1983, he had opened his own studio in Mullumbimby and it was there, over the next few years, that he cut the music preserved on the sensibly titled The Australian Years. Opening with a reminder of the Radio Brainwave FM radio show he was hosting during 1983, the album continues along many of the same lines that his late-'70s New York sojourn introduced, although the new musical surroundings necessarily wrought some astonishing changes of their own. Among the multitude of guest musicians on an album that frequently dances towards bare-bones folk can be found Bart Willoughby, didgeridoo player with the Aboriginal band NFA. A fascinating glimpse into what many fans view as its creator's own lost weekend, The Australian Years is scarcely essential Allen - but it is a very enjoyable collection, and does make one wish more of this material could be made available.Review by allmusic.com
