Big Name, No Blankets by Warumpi Band

Big Name, No Blankets, the 1985 debut from the Warumpi Band, is desert rock in the most literal sense: the group came together in 1980 in Papunya, out in the Northern Territory, and the sleeve shows them touring through the Tanami Desert in 1982. It came out on Powderworks, made by singer George Burarrwanga, the Butcher brothers, Gordon on drums and Sammy on guitar and bass, and Neil Murray on rhythm guitar.

The title is a joke with teeth. Murray later recalled a 1984 stop in Halls Creek after their single "Jailangaru Parkanu (Out from Jail)" had aired on Countdown; the locals figured the band must be rolling in money, and their singer answered that all they had was a big name and no blankets. The songs, sung in English, Luritja and Gumatj, deal with Aboriginal life as it was being lived, and "Blackfella/Whitefella" became one of the band's defining singles. A 2007 retrospective on Double J praised its rough, rollicking energy and called it an important document.

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