Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)

Album: The Raven (1979)
Charted: 36
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was written about the political shenanigans of the then Premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, which the band observed during their first visit to Australia. "We were there for about six weeks, bassist JJ Burnel recalled to Toro Magazine. "This man, Joh Bjelke-Peterson, he was basically a criminal who gained power through gerrymandering. We became rather critical of him, wondered how this guy who got only 20% of the popular vote had done that. He threw aboriginal people of their land, sold uranium mines to groups who performed nuclear explosions off the coast of Australia. He was racist and corrupt. At one point he brought people in to storm our concerts. We had to flee over the state line. But a wonderful inspiration for the song."

Comments: 1

  • Zabadak from London, EnglandThe single reached #36 in the UK - continuing the nuclear power theme, the B-side is Yellowcake UF6, an instrumental recorded backwards
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