The Triffids had toured Europe in 1985 and were based in London but they were unable to raise a major record deal and with a lack of finances, their second studio albumBorn Sandy Devotional was recorded there in August 1985 with Gil Norton producing. They released two versions of "Wide Open Road", a 7” version and a 12” version. The B-side, "Time of Weakness", was recorded live at the Graphic Arts Club, Sydney. The album reached No. 27 on the UK charts and the single peaked at No. 26 on the UK charts: while only reaching No. 64 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The song was written by David McComb, who described the process: On 10 January 1987 The Triffids performed the track live at their home town, Perth's Subiaco Oval, as part of the Australian Made Tour by various artists. McComb introduced their performance: "... it's sorta hard to write the set list at the start of the day 'cos we've had so many hits in this country: it's difficult to know which hit to play. Where to start? But this one's been played on Countdown so I guess that means something..." In July that year a documentary film, , of the concert series, with The Triffids represented by "Wide Open Road", was released to Australian cinemas and later onto VHS. The song reached No. 68 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 1989 and No. 49 in 1990. Its success also resulted in the band's first appearance on Australia's popular weekly musical television show, Countdown.
Reviews
"Hauntingly simple in its sparse use of keyboards, clean, ringing guitars, and just the one, repeated drum fill, it has an epic majesty which is entirely suited to the semi-mythical Australia of The Triffids’ vision; no other song has so perfectly captured the sense of vast, uncharted expanses which characterises the Australia of our collective imagination." "'Wide Open Road' is one of those songs that illustrates the stark reality of Australia’s barren, desolate landscape on many levels, emphasising it's often cruel geography and the realities that come from existing within it." "The band uses silence and space to allow the lyrics and melody to resonate fully with the listener. While the song may be Australian in setting with its evocation of a vast, desert wasteland, it uses the Australian desert as a metaphor for the distance between people and for the sense of loss following a failed relationship."
Legacy
In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Wide Open Road" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. Paul Kelly and The Saints' Chris Bailey performed "Wide Open Road" at the Mushroom 25th Anniversary concert in 1998, to ensure that one of Kelly's favourite songwriters was represented. "Wide Open Road" was re-released as a CD single by Mushroom Records in 1998 as No. 16 in a series of 25 limited edition classic Mushroom singles. It was also re-released as a download only single by Domino Records to coincide with the re-release of Born Sandy Devotional in July 2006. Cover versions of the song were also recorded by Weddings Parties Anything on their 1998 compilation album Trophy Night, and The Church on their 2007 acoustic album El Momento Siguiente. It was also covered by fellow Perth outfit The Panics for Triple J's segment, "Like a Version" in 2007. At the band's induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in July 2008, Steve Kilbey from The Church filled in for David McComb when The Triffids performed "Wide Open Road".
