The latest Mushroom 50 cover has been revealed.
Mushroom Group recently announced it was celebrating its 50th birthday in a big way with a series of events and initiatives to be held throughout the year.
Formed by the late, great Michael Gudinski in 1972, Mushroom Group released its first album the following year, the iconic Sunbury 1973, The Great Australian Rock Festival. Very quickly Gudinski established Mushroom as one of Australia’s foremost and finest record labels; 50 years later, Mushroom now represents Australian culture around the world, as well as bringing the globe’s best talent to this country.
That’s why Mushroom decided to mark its five decades at the top in such style. Before a massive Mushroom 50 concert in November featuring a to-be-announced all-star lineup, some of Australia’s most iconic musicians will release stunning works throughout the year.
Earlier this month, Mark Seymour followed Budjerah and WILSN, Dan Sultan, Gordi, Paul Kelly, The Temper Trap, Missy Higgins, and Bliss n Eso with a striking cover of Leonardo’s Bride.
And now The Rubens have put their own spin on Split Enz’s 1980 hit, “One Step Ahead”. It’s a fitting combination: Split Enz gave Mushroom Records their first top 40 album in the US (True Colours, 1980), while The Rubens gave Gudinski his final number one album (0202, 2021).
The magnitude of undertaking the cover wasn’t lost on The Rubens. It was a nice reason to take a break from recording our own stuff and have a crack at a classic,” the band say. “We wanted to make sure we were true and respectful of the original song, while hopefully making it kinda sound like us.
“It’s always scary taking on an iconic song by an iconic band like Split Enz. You don’t want to let down the original group or the fans who have always loved the track, so the most difficult thing was probably just taking on the challenge in the first place!”
“One Step Ahead” was the first single from Split Enz’s 1981 album, Corroboree (Waiata), and gave the Kiwi outfit a top five hit in Australia.
You can listen to The Rubens’ cover below. The series will end with the release of a Mushroom 50 album containing all the songs, serving as the definitive compilation of reimagined Mushroom music.
The Rubens’ “One Step Ahead” (Split Enz cover) is out now via Mushroom Group.
