This December, Rolling Stone Australia will publish a special double-length issue of the magazine counting down the 200 Greatest Australian Albums of all Time, put together in partnership with Sonos.
To celebrate this monumental release, Rolling Stone Australia will host a livestreamed countdown the day before the mag hits shelves. The livestream will take place on Sunday December 5th on the Rolling Stone Australia website and can be enjoyed via video or audio.
MC’d by two special guest hosts, the live streamed broadcast will count down the top 100 albums featured in the magazine, playing a song that highlights the brilliance of each record.
The stream will be a perfect opportunity for fans of Australian music to come together and celebrate the best music this country has to offer. Sonos, leaders in home audio technology, will be powering the livestream and thereby reaffirming their place as the leading sound experience brand among music fans.
In the meantime, Rolling Stone Australia and Sonos encourage readers and fans of Australian music to start drafting their own greatest Australian albums lists. Will Gang of Youths, Youth Group and Yothu Yindi make the cut? What about Christine Anu’s Stylin’ Up, 28 Days’ Upstyledown and Turnstyle’s Turnstyle Country? Or perhaps the smart money’s on Spiderbait’s Grand Slam, Dappled Cities’ Granddance and John Butler Trio’s Grand National.
Suffice it to say, there are an awful lot of quality records to choose from. “Australia truly does have some of the greatest music in the world,” said Rolling Stone Australia Editor, Tyler Jenke.
It’s not the first time Rolling Stone Australia has embarked on this sort of retrospective project. 12 months ago, a special edition magazine announcing the 50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time was published, heaping praise on everyone from Flume, Sia and Kylie Minogue to Helen Reddy, Troye Sivan, Parkway Drive and Paul Kelly.
This time, the focus is on the individual records that have defined, characterised and subverted the sound and shape of Australian music history. The process of compiling the list began with the formulation of extensive shortlist, which drew on the tastes and opinions of over 800 industry figures, journalists, producers and artists.
From there, a group of internal staff and music experts subjected each album to extensive scrutiny, eventually whittling it down to the final 200. The list spans 55 years of Australian popular music, stretching from 1965 right up until 2020. And in the 200-page double-length issue—which is coming out on Monday December 6th—close attention is paid to each of the 200 albums.
“It’s been an amazing experience to go in-depth with many of these records, realising and understanding the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making each and every one,” said Jenke. It’s been a journey, to put it lightly, but the livestream on Sunday December 5th is intended as a celebration.
In Sonos, we can think of no better partner for this kind of event. Since its launch in the early years of the 21st Century, Sonos has sought to reinvent home audio. Sonos’ range of portable and multi-room Wi-Fi speakers make it easy for consumers to engage with all the content they love—in this case, Australian music—and share these experiences with friends and family.
But for all the convenience and ease of use offered by the Sonos range—not to mention the premium design—they’ve never reneged on their ambition to be the world’s leading sound experience brand. Significant moments, such as reliving the memories wrapped up in your favourite Australian records, shouldn’t be impeded by scrappy audio or flimsy connections.
To this end, Sonos’ wireless speakers are designed to not only enhance the listening experience, but to bring people together in moments of cultural connectivity. From effortless setup to moving music from room to room, from immersive home theatre sound to listening on-the-go, it’s never been easier to enjoy the 200 Greatest Australian Albums of all Time livestream – no matter where you are and who you’re with. Discover more at sonos.com.
“This countdown celebrates and acknowledges so much of the music that has soundtracked our readers’ lives,” said Rolling Stone Australia‘s Managing Editor, Poppy Reid.
