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What’s up Sorry Staters?
How do I even start? I feel overwhelmed by all the choices of new releases to listen to this week. I’ll take a total left turn:
I know what you’re all thinking, “Here we go again. Jeff’s gonna rant about ANOTHER new wave record and convince us that we should care about it.” Yeah, so what? Cease rolling your eyes, please! I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The other night I was jamming “Kiss Me Deadly” by Lita Ford at like 2am and just loving it… But that’s besides the point. I’ll get back to being interested in hardcore again eventually (I hope haha).
Every now and then, I decide to raid our bargain bin new arrivals to try and find cheap records to check out. Recently, Sorry State purchased a collection that was chock full of new wave type stuff. Some pricier stuff like The Smiths and Echo & The Bunnymen, but then tons of cheaper stuff like Culture Club, Thompson Twins, The Motels, etc. One of the records in this stack of stuff we deemed appropriate for the bargain bin was Desperate, the first album by Divinyls. Now, I’m sure most people are familiar with the mega-hit “I Touch Myself” and don’t know much about the band beyond that song. Personally, I always thought of Divinyls as more or less a “one hit wonder”-type band. Do you wanna know how that infamous Divinyls song first came onto my radar? There was a Wayne’s World skit on Saturday live where Wayne and Garth count down their all-time Top 10 babes haha. After Garth’s Mom wins the top 3 spot, Wayne reveals that number 2 on the list is Kim Basinger. The two proceed to sing “I don’t want anybody else, when I think about Kim Basinger, I touch myself!” This memory is cemented into my young brain, but at the time, I had no idea this was a real song, let alone who sang it.
All that aside, did you know that the Divinyls’ mega-hit wasn’t released until their 4th studio album in 1991? And not only that, but that they had records released as far back as 10 years prior? Welp, neither did I. I think they were quite renowned and loved in Australia even as far back as 1982. I fear overemphasizing how great I think this first Divinyls album is, but I’ve been listening to it obsessively. I have a tendency toward feeling excited about dusting off an undiscovered gem. Then I wear out it out, listening to it repeatedly until I can’t stand it anymore. Jah bless me, I think that’s what I’m going through as we speak. For all intents and purposes, I think of “I Touch Myself” as a totally corny novelty song.
So whatever, let’s talk about Desperate! I’m pretty sure the track listing for the US pressing of this album that I have is different from the original Australian release. It must be that they re-worked the record to be front-loaded with bangers, because I swear the A-side of this record is damn-near perfect. Sure, it’s still pop, but the songs have so much more grit and it’s so much more rockin’ than what I had previously associated with this band. For 1982, Desperate has beautiful, clear and powerful sounding production.
Divinyls open the record with a ripper “Boys In Town,” an octane-fueled, driving, fast hi-hat banger with this stressful, anxious rock’n’roll tension. It’s got punk elements, but even without an obvious big radio-friendly chorus, it’s so damn catchy. “Only Lonely” has all these lush, arpeggiated guitar riffs that remind me of (and totally precedes) the UK indie/brit-pop sound. Kinda like something off of Creation Records. The vocal performance has this sassy, almost retro 60s feel to it. The 3rd song “Science Fiction” makes a jarring shift in tone, being the most notably quirky, overtly new wave sounding song. Chrissy hits these eccentric falsetto notes. Between her performance, wiggly synth sounds, and awkward herky-jerky rhythms, this track sounds not unlike Missing Persons or something in that vein. “Siren” breaks into an up-tempo, lighthearted feel, making a nice blend of male and female call-and-response vocals. The sentiment is totally teenage dream type scenario with “never let you go” type lyrics. Super just repetitive and catchy. Any use of elementary counting or the alphabet always cracks me up. At one point, both singers sing in unison: “I’ll never A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T YOU go!” Very clever haha. Then the closing track on the B-side, “Elsie,” is the slow and dramatic number. Kinda sad actually, the refrain being, “Life can be lonely, life can be oh so sad.”
What strikes me more than anything is how damn charismatic and captivating Chrissy Amphlett’s voice is. Funny enough, being named Chrissy, I feel like she does kinda resemble Chrissy Hinde a bit with those bangs. But not so much in her vibe or the way she sings. Amphlett’s approach is raspy, full of attitude, and like the title says, desperate. Before hearing this record, her demeanor in my mind was more sort of sultry and playful, but now she comes across as more frantic, intense and full of rage. Apparently, Chrissy was directly influenced by the antics of a native Australian, Angus Young of AC/DC. That’s part of the reason why she wore a schoolgirl’s outfit. There’s live footage of her going wild, moving her body like she’s possessed. She would like smear lipstick all over herself and drench herself in water, pouting her lips and holding that lightsaber glowing mic stand with fists clenched and elbows up. So badass.
Did I really need to go through and review each song on the A-side of this record to try and convince you it’s any good? Probably not. I dunno man, I’m way into it. Maybe one day I’ll get to the B-side, but for now I just keep lifting the needle and playing the A-side over and over. I probably should take a Xanax or something.
Just watch this video and tell me it doesn’t rip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnOXYcO4zjg
Anyway, thanks for indulging me. As always, thanks for reading.
‘Til next week,
-Jeff