Sophisto-punk: The Story of Mark Opitz and Oz Rock

Mark Opitz and the inside story of making the great albums of Oz rock.

I’d like to take this opportunity to say my career wouldn’t be anything without Mark Opitz, and I say that on behalf of many Australian musicians.

-Jimmy Barnes

From Cold Chisel to The Angels, from AC/DC to INXS to Australian Crawl, Mark Opitz has left an indelible imprint on the Australian music scene. The producer of such iconic albums as Cold Chisel’s East, The Angels’ Face to Face, INXS’ Shabooh Shoobah and Jimmy Barnes’ Bodyswerve, Opitz is one of the most influential figures in the history of Oz Rock.

Sophistopunk tells Opitz’s remarkable story, from his early days serving a musical apprenticeship as an engineer with AC/DC, under the legendary producers Harry Vanda and George Young. Opitz soon struck out on his own with a little-known Adelaide band, The Angels. He helped shape the group’s trademark edgy sound – Mark described it as ‘sophistopunk’ – which propelled The Angels to rock stardom and launched his extraordinary career.

Filled with frequently hilarious, sometimes poignant, anecdotes about Mark’s experiences recording with Australia’s rock greats, this book is a unique journey inside the bands, tours and studios of the music that defined an Australian generation.