This is Bruce Watson’s first album, and it shows how fast he came out of the blocks as a talented songwriter and spirited performer. And yes, this album does have it all: politics, religion … and sex! The album opens with the original version of Bruce’s iconic and oft-covered song Amazon, a powerful, yet plaintive anthem for the planet’s greatest forest, led by the unforgettable chorus: “In the time it takes to sing this song, there’ll be four acres cleared in the Amazon.” And in time, Eric Bogle and a host of other Australian and international artists took this song to their hearts and made it their own by recording and performing their own version s of the song. Save the Hippy is a hilarious anthem to an endangered species, and It’s Good to be Back in Melbourne expresses Bruce’s love for his home town. Bruce Watson has been a Leonard Cohen addict for decades. He called my first guitar Suzanne! He wrote Song For Leonard as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the great writer. Eight Trees remembers those who were cut down by a crazed gunman in the streets of Melbourne on Sunday night. Bruce was only hundreds of meters away from this massacre. The Folk Rap is Bruce’s attempt to drag folk music kicking and screaming into the 1980s (which he is still trying to do!). The album finishes with the pensive song, In the Eye of the Storm The politics? That’s covered by Bruce’s classic song in praise of Mikhail Gorbachev (which includes a tribute to Mickey Mouse – you’ll have to listen to find out!). The religion? The song Would Jesus be an Ocker? Is a brilliant piece of music which is funny and singable, but, if you listen closely to the words, it really makes you think. And the sex? Well, there’s the quirky, Woody Allen inspired song The Sperm. Count the bad puns!