Charcoal Lane
1990 studio album by Archie Roach
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Charcoal Lane is the debut studio album by Australian singer song writer Archie Roach, released in 1990.
| Charcoal Lane | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1990 | |||
| Recorded | April 1990 | |||
| Studio | Curtain Street Studios; Melbourne, Australia. | |||
| Length | 43:39 | |||
| Label | Aurora, Mushroom Records | |||
| Producer | Paul Kelly, Steve Connolly | |||
| Archie Roach chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Charcoal lane | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 25th Anniversary Edition (2015 release) | ||||
Name
From the 1960s through to the 1980s, the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy was a meeting place for Aboriginal people who had left missions, Aboriginal reserves, and other government institutions and drifted to the city in a bid to trace their families,[1] and Roach was one of these. A street behind a factory was a meeting and drinking place known to the community as Charcoal Lane.[2]
In 2009 the old Aboriginal Health Service building at 136 Gertrude Street was converted into a social enterprise restaurant, which was called Charcoal Lane[2] at the request of the local Koori community,[3] and provided training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.[4][5] It closed its doors in August 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the building being returned to the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service.[6]
Other musicians
Vika and Linda Bull were backing vocalists on the album.[7] Tim Finn provided backing vocals on "Took the Children Away".[8][9]
Reception, ratings, awards
The album was released in May 1990 and peaked at number 86 on the ARIA Charts in April 1991.[11] At the ARIA Music Awards of 1991, the album received three nominations, winning two; ARIA Award for Best New Talent and Best Indigenous Release.[12]
Rolling Stone said "In the best singer-songwriter tradition, Charcoal Lane is deeply moving in both personal and political terms".[13]
The album was certified gold in 1992.[11]
25th anniversary edition
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Native Born" | Archie Roach | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Charcoal Lane" | Roach | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Munjana" | Roach | 7:36 |
| 4. | "I've Lied" | Roach | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Down City Streets" | Ruby Hunter | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Took the Children Away" | Roach | 5:24 |
| 7. | "Sister Brother" | Roach | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Beautiful Child" | Roach | 4:01 |
| 9. | "No No No" | Roach | 3:49 |
| 10. | "Summer of My Life" | Roach | 3:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Charcoal Lane" (performed by Paul Kelly and Courtney Barnett) | Roach | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Munjana" (performed by Dan Sultan and Emma Donovan) | Roach | 7:33 |
| 3. | "I've Lied" (performed by Marlon Williams and Leah Flanagan) | Roach | 3:15 |
| 4. | "Beautiful Child" (performed by Ellie Lovegrove and Nancy Bates) | Roach | 5:12 |
| 5. | "Down City Streets" (performed by Emma Donovan & The PutBacks featuring Archie Roach) | Hunter | 4:21 |
| 6. | "No No No" (performed by Radical Son and Urthboy and Trials) | Roach | 4:06 |
| 7. | "The Children Came Back" (performed by Briggs and Gurrumul and Dewayne Everettsmith) | Roach | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Charcoal Lane" (performed by Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter [Live at the Wireless, 1990]) | Roach | 3:44 |
| 9. | "Down City Streets" (performed by Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter [Live at the Wireless, 1990]) | Hunter | 5:19 |
| 10. | "Native Born" (performed by Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter [Live at the Wireless, 1990]) | Roach | 5:13 |
| 11. | "Sister Brother" (performed by Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter [Live at the Wireless, 1990]) | Roach | 5:55 |
| 12. | "Took The Children Away" (performed by Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter [Live at the Wireless, 1990]) | Roach | 5:57 |
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | Gold | 35,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | May 1990 | Aurora, Mushroom Records | D30386 | |
| United States of America | 1992 |
|
Hightone Records | HCD 8037 |
| Australia | 6 July 2004 [17] |
|
Mushroom Records | MUSH320132 |
| Australia | 6 November 2015 [14] |
|
Festival Records | FEST601039 |