"Black and Blue" is a 1971 song by Chain which is said to be "genuine Australian blues". It is a song about a chain gang from Australia's convict past, and it struck a raw chord with young suburban audiences, to the extent that it reached #1 on the Australian charts. The song was written by the four members of Chain at the time (the classic Chain line up); Matt Taylor, Phil Manning, Barry Sullivan & Barry Harvey.
"Black and Blue" features on the double gold certified album Toward The Blues which was released in September 1971 and went to #6 nationally in Australia. The album reached ARIA gold status for the 2nd time in 1998. Also available in CD format and the 30th anniversary "remixed" version of the album was released as a CD in September 2001. The 30th anniversary CD included 3 bonus songs; Chain's number 2 hit single "Judgement", "Blow in D", and the single version of "Black and Blue". Chain appeared at a special night to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of "Toward the Blues" held in Melbourne at the Mercury Lounge during September 2001.
Famous quotes containing the words black and/or blue:
“When I from black and he from white cloud free,
And round the tent of Godlike lambs we joy,
I’ll shade him from the heat till he can bear
To lean in joy upon our father’s knee;
And then I’ll stand and stroke his silver hair,
And be like him, and he will then love me.”
—William Blake (1757–1827)
“There were ghosts that returned to earth to hear his phrases,
As he sat there reading, aloud, the great blue tabulae.
They were those from the wilderness of stars that had expected more.
There were those that returned to hear him read from the poem of life,
Of the pans above the stove, the pots on the table, the tulips among them.
They were those that would have wept to step barefoot into reality....”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)