_Cold Chisel - All For You (29/11/2011)
_
Cold Chisel have got
to be one of Australia’s most iconic rock bands. With a career spanning over
more than three decades, their embodiment of the Australia way of life has been
a main factor in their continuing success, earning them the respect and loyalty
of their fans.
The band have been regaining popularity recently, making this the opportune time to release their ‘Best Of’ album titled ‘All For You’, which coincides with their latest tour, ‘Light the Nitro’. The recent loss of drummer and friend Steve Prestwich to a brain tumour in January, has led to the addition of former Divinyls and Catfish drummer Charley Drayton to the thirty day tour.
For this release the band made a wise move to include their supporters as much as possible, by allowing them to vote on the track listing for the album on their site. More than 10,000 people voted over five days, resulting in a solid set of Cold Chisel’s best work. Although it was a given that popular tracks such as ‘Khe Sanh’, ‘Flame Trees’ and ‘Cheap Wine’, would appear on the list, some well loved and lesser played tunes such as ‘Shipping Steel’ and ‘Yakuza Girls’ also made the cut, pleasantly surprising the band.
Cold Chisel fans were also invited to write comments on their selections, some of which were included in the liner notes for the album. Reading their heartfelt and honest words really brings home the connection that a lot of people have with the band and the impact their music has had on so many lives. There are stories about how Cold Chisel’s music has cemented friendships; brought lovers together, kept families going through hard times and helped mourn the loss of loved ones.
Two new tracks have been added onto the album; the first track aptly named ‘All For You’ appears in the album title and is a classic rock ballad. Simple piano chords in the intro are overlaid with a humming blues lick that gives way to Jimmy Barnes’s powerful coarse voice as he sings “It’s all for you there are songs in the world, I’m singing softly as I drive. It’s all for you, cause you’re the only girl and I’m young again and it feels so good to be alive”.
The second new release ‘HQ454 Monroe’ picks up the pace with its raucous rockabilly influences. It’s a cheeky take on a man’s love for his Chevy Monroe, no truer spoken than in the lyrics “When you said I had to chose between, this muscle car and you my queen, there was only one way that could ever go”. The bluesy pounding of the keys mixed with the two toned drumbeat make this the perfect track for swinging a partner around. The title for the ‘Light the Nitro’ tour is pulled from the lyrics on this track.
This ‘Best Of’ compilation will definitely please Cold Chisel fans and is a good starting point for those who have never experienced their music before. The album artwork includes paintings and photography from the earlier stages of their career and depicts them as they were, five young lads from Adelaide. Since then the band have gone from strength to strength and with this release, has allowed their audience in on the experience of what makes them such a great band and what will continue to make their music relevant for generations to come.
Nazia Hafiz
The band have been regaining popularity recently, making this the opportune time to release their ‘Best Of’ album titled ‘All For You’, which coincides with their latest tour, ‘Light the Nitro’. The recent loss of drummer and friend Steve Prestwich to a brain tumour in January, has led to the addition of former Divinyls and Catfish drummer Charley Drayton to the thirty day tour.
For this release the band made a wise move to include their supporters as much as possible, by allowing them to vote on the track listing for the album on their site. More than 10,000 people voted over five days, resulting in a solid set of Cold Chisel’s best work. Although it was a given that popular tracks such as ‘Khe Sanh’, ‘Flame Trees’ and ‘Cheap Wine’, would appear on the list, some well loved and lesser played tunes such as ‘Shipping Steel’ and ‘Yakuza Girls’ also made the cut, pleasantly surprising the band.
Cold Chisel fans were also invited to write comments on their selections, some of which were included in the liner notes for the album. Reading their heartfelt and honest words really brings home the connection that a lot of people have with the band and the impact their music has had on so many lives. There are stories about how Cold Chisel’s music has cemented friendships; brought lovers together, kept families going through hard times and helped mourn the loss of loved ones.
Two new tracks have been added onto the album; the first track aptly named ‘All For You’ appears in the album title and is a classic rock ballad. Simple piano chords in the intro are overlaid with a humming blues lick that gives way to Jimmy Barnes’s powerful coarse voice as he sings “It’s all for you there are songs in the world, I’m singing softly as I drive. It’s all for you, cause you’re the only girl and I’m young again and it feels so good to be alive”.
The second new release ‘HQ454 Monroe’ picks up the pace with its raucous rockabilly influences. It’s a cheeky take on a man’s love for his Chevy Monroe, no truer spoken than in the lyrics “When you said I had to chose between, this muscle car and you my queen, there was only one way that could ever go”. The bluesy pounding of the keys mixed with the two toned drumbeat make this the perfect track for swinging a partner around. The title for the ‘Light the Nitro’ tour is pulled from the lyrics on this track.
This ‘Best Of’ compilation will definitely please Cold Chisel fans and is a good starting point for those who have never experienced their music before. The album artwork includes paintings and photography from the earlier stages of their career and depicts them as they were, five young lads from Adelaide. Since then the band have gone from strength to strength and with this release, has allowed their audience in on the experience of what makes them such a great band and what will continue to make their music relevant for generations to come.
Nazia Hafiz