If you were a part of the Aussie rock music culture during the late 70’s and early 80’s, then you’d be hard-pressed not to have missed Cold Chisel – from Adelaide.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Cold Chisel
ALBUM: East
LABEL: WEA Australia
SERIAL: 600064
YEAR: 1980
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Australia
LINEUP: Jimmy Barnes – vocals * Ian Moss – guitar, vocals * Phil Small – bass * Steve Prestwich – drums * Don Walker – keyboards, organ
Guest: Joe Camilerri (a.k.a Jo Jo Zep) – saxophone ‘My Baby’
TRACK LISTING: 01 Standing On The Outside * 02 Never Before * 03 Choirgirl * 04 Rising Sun * 05 My Baby * 06 Tomorrow * 07 Cheap Wine * 08 Best Kept Lies * 09 Ita * 10 Star Hotel * 11 Four Walls * 12 My Turn To Cry * 13 Pay Day In A Pub (2000 bonus) * 14 Hand In My Pocket 2000 bonus) * 15 The Party’s Over (2000 bonus)
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
If you were a part of the Aussie rock music culture during the late 70’s and early 80’s, then you’d be hard-pressed not to have missed Cold Chisel – from Adelaide.
With two hard wearing albums already in the can from these hardened pub rockers (1978’s s/t and 1979’s ‘Breakfast At Sweethearts’), things would go up a notch for Cold Chisel’s third album: ‘East’.
It’s since become a veritable classic in the history of Down Under styled rock, with many of these songs rock staples on Australian Classic Rock radio stations to this day.
Not exactly designed for the typical Aussie bogan, audiences could choose between the bar-room belters provided by Jimmy Barnes, or the blues/soul oriented material from guitarist Ian Moss.
The two would provide the perfect foil for the band’s widening audience. Nonetheless, ‘East’ reads like a photo-album for many Australians during the sunny heyday of 1980.
The Songs
Where does one start with an album as revered as this?
The galloping romp that is ‘Standing On The Outside’ would be great mid-days entertainment at the Melbourne Cup, should the boys be enticed to do it. Daryl Braithwaite has been known to attend the races during the Melbourne Spring Carnival, he was last seen at 2018’s WS Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley.
This track is an absolute Chisel classic and no doubt it’s been blasted at many Australian parties and get togethers over the last 33 years! So too the melodic melter ‘Choir Girl’ which is like a national anthem in some parts of Australia!
‘Rising Sun’ is Chisel at their boogiefied best, telling the tale of a guy who appears to have lost his girlfriend to a Japanese relocation. It surely is a funtime romp with some barroom piano provided by Don Walker.
‘My Baby’ as a song doesn’t require any introduction to the masses, a hugely popular song which is sung by Ian Moss with a fairly simple arrangement that defies belief. It’s that good.
Chisel pick up the pace with the rampant ‘Tomorrow’, it’s followed by the immensely popular ‘Cheap Wine’. I saw Ian Moss play an acoustic set a couple of weeks back at the Mandurah Crabfest Festival, and this song was a highlight of his set, the audience participation was excellent!
‘Best Kept Lies’ has a cool reggae vibe, again Moss handling the lead vocal to great effect.
‘Ita’ is a classic case of groupie adoration (or sarcasm), the song a sarcastic dedication to Ita Buttrose, the publishing magnate for Australian Womens Weekly and an Aussie icon in her own right (see article). Many years later Buttrose admitted she was a fan, even though her original comments about Chisel were less than complimentary.. lol!
Another standout track among many is the classic Aussie track ‘Star Hotel’, a topical tale about the riots which took place there. You cannot mention 1980 Australia pop culture without reference to this song.
‘Four Walls’ is a prison lament and refers to the 1970 and 1974 Bathurst Gaol riots, while the closer ‘My Turn To Cry’ is similar in delivery to ‘Star Hotel’, a fun time rollick!
In Summary
1980 would be the year of the Chisel, the band picking up all sorts of awards such as best album, most popular award etc, though success was never on the cards in the bigger markets such as the USA.
The first single ‘Choir Girl’ was recorded and released in late 1979, at least 6 months ahead of the album, the remaining tracks followed being recorded in March-April 1980.
In later years, both ‘East’ and 1982’s ‘Circus Animals’ would easily make it into the top 100 Australian albums of all time, though ‘Circus Animals’ rated higher at #4, ‘East’ at #21).
The 2000 CD reissue of this included three bonus tracks, and should be a compulsory addition to your collection for all things Australiana!
Cold Chisel on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
