dwarfthrower
24-02-2006, 09:56 AM
Breakfast at Sweethearts may have catapulted Cold Chisel into the position of number one Australian rock band of all time, but it was East that cemented the reputation. Winning 7 Countdown awards in 1980 it was also the second highest selling album of 1980. "My Baby" was chosen to be the first Cold Chisel single released in the USA while Radio Station JJJ chose "Never Before" as the first song played on the FM band.
Known mostly for their hard, uncompromising rock style, East also manages to showcase their ability to write songs that capture a more soulful tone. The songwriting on the album is a tour-de-force of talent, with tracks written by all five members recorded.
"Standing On The Outside" kicks the album off with Chisel's trademark frenetic pace. A tale of an average working man pondering setting himself up for life by pulling a quick armed robbery, the song starts quick and ends furiously with Don Walker's piano and Ian Moss's guitar work vying for superiority.
The Ian Moss track "Never Before" shows off his virtuoso guitar work as well as his exceptional songwriting talents.
"Choirgirl" is a haunting look at attitudes to abortion in the late seventies and early eighties.
"Rising Sun" is classic Barnsey set to a rollicking twelve-bar blues progression. Jimmy penned it shortly after his girlfriend (now wife) moved to Japan as a result of her father accepting a diplomatic posting.
The simple, catchy pop style of Phil Small's contribution to the album (aside from his sterling bass work) "My Baby" make for an almost surreal interlude in the album. Sandwiched between Jimmy's boisterousness and Don Walker's solemnity it provided the perfect mainstream single to use as a first foray into the US markets.
For a guy who never served time, Don Walker wrote about it a fair bit. The second of three songs penned by Walker on the album with a crime/prison theme "Tomorrow" tells the story of a guy "three days out of Parramatta jail" not quite legitimately. It captures the swirling emotions of being on the run from the law.
"Cheap Wine" remains one of Cold Chisel's most recognised songs. A song about leaving it all behind, it was a not-so-subtle dig at the materialism that was starting to take hold in the early eighties.
"Best Kept Lies" is Steve Prestwich's songwriting contribution to the album and presents an almost psychedelic feel which contrasts strongly with the standard Moss/Barnes/Walker fare.
Don Walker effortly switches from serious to seriously cheeky with "Ita", a good-natured tribute to etiquette guru and magazine publisher Ita Butrose.
"Star Hotel" is a menacing look at discontented youth. For whom drinking and violence were "all they had".
Don Walker paints a bleak picture of prison life with "Four Walls". The song reaches a crescendo of sarcastic defiance before switching seamlessly into depressed acceptance.
The upbeat tempo of "My Turn To Cry" sits at odds with the lyrics. A song of a lover lost it brings to a hesitant conclusion. As the final song on the album it tends to leave the listener waiting for more.
East was the first real studio album Cold Chisel put together, and the production values reflect it. Prior to East the approach was to write songs while on tour and bash them out over a few sessions in the studio. All but three songs on East were written in the studio and the band spent a much greater amount of time perfecting them. The result is a far more polished effort than Breakfast at Sweethearts but in some people's opinions losing a little of what made Chisel "Chisel" in the process. The contributions from five different songwriters can leave the album feeling a little disjointed at times.
At any rate, East is destined to remain a mainstay of "Best Australian Rock Album" lists for many years to come.
Known mostly for their hard, uncompromising rock style, East also manages to showcase their ability to write songs that capture a more soulful tone. The songwriting on the album is a tour-de-force of talent, with tracks written by all five members recorded.
"Standing On The Outside" kicks the album off with Chisel's trademark frenetic pace. A tale of an average working man pondering setting himself up for life by pulling a quick armed robbery, the song starts quick and ends furiously with Don Walker's piano and Ian Moss's guitar work vying for superiority.
The Ian Moss track "Never Before" shows off his virtuoso guitar work as well as his exceptional songwriting talents.
"Choirgirl" is a haunting look at attitudes to abortion in the late seventies and early eighties.
"Rising Sun" is classic Barnsey set to a rollicking twelve-bar blues progression. Jimmy penned it shortly after his girlfriend (now wife) moved to Japan as a result of her father accepting a diplomatic posting.
The simple, catchy pop style of Phil Small's contribution to the album (aside from his sterling bass work) "My Baby" make for an almost surreal interlude in the album. Sandwiched between Jimmy's boisterousness and Don Walker's solemnity it provided the perfect mainstream single to use as a first foray into the US markets.
For a guy who never served time, Don Walker wrote about it a fair bit. The second of three songs penned by Walker on the album with a crime/prison theme "Tomorrow" tells the story of a guy "three days out of Parramatta jail" not quite legitimately. It captures the swirling emotions of being on the run from the law.
"Cheap Wine" remains one of Cold Chisel's most recognised songs. A song about leaving it all behind, it was a not-so-subtle dig at the materialism that was starting to take hold in the early eighties.
"Best Kept Lies" is Steve Prestwich's songwriting contribution to the album and presents an almost psychedelic feel which contrasts strongly with the standard Moss/Barnes/Walker fare.
Don Walker effortly switches from serious to seriously cheeky with "Ita", a good-natured tribute to etiquette guru and magazine publisher Ita Butrose.
"Star Hotel" is a menacing look at discontented youth. For whom drinking and violence were "all they had".
Don Walker paints a bleak picture of prison life with "Four Walls". The song reaches a crescendo of sarcastic defiance before switching seamlessly into depressed acceptance.
The upbeat tempo of "My Turn To Cry" sits at odds with the lyrics. A song of a lover lost it brings to a hesitant conclusion. As the final song on the album it tends to leave the listener waiting for more.
East was the first real studio album Cold Chisel put together, and the production values reflect it. Prior to East the approach was to write songs while on tour and bash them out over a few sessions in the studio. All but three songs on East were written in the studio and the band spent a much greater amount of time perfecting them. The result is a far more polished effort than Breakfast at Sweethearts but in some people's opinions losing a little of what made Chisel "Chisel" in the process. The contributions from five different songwriters can leave the album feeling a little disjointed at times.
At any rate, East is destined to remain a mainstay of "Best Australian Rock Album" lists for many years to come.