Cold Chisel -

Cold Chisel was an Australian rock band that debuted with a 1978 album on Atlantic, followed by the 1979–84 WEA albums Breakfast at Sweethearts, East, Circus Animals, and Twentieth Century. They scored national hits with “Choirgirl,” “Cheap Wine,” “You Got Nothing I Want,” “Forever Now,” and “Saturday Night.” Singer Jimmy Barnes and guitarist Ian Moss launched prolific solo careers.

Members: Don Walker (keyboards), Jimmy Barnes (vocals, guitar), Ian Moss (guitar, vocals), Steve Prestwich (drums, 1973-2011), Phil Small (bass, 1975-present)

Background

Cold Chisel formed in late 1973 in Adelaide when bassist Les Kaczmarek assembled a band with drummer Steve Prestwich, guitarist Ian Moss, keyboardist Don Walker, and singer Jimmy Barnes. The group adopted the Cold Chisel name during January 1974 rehearsals.

Barnes was born James Dixon Swan on April 28, 1956, in Glasgow. His family emigrated to South Australia during his childhood and settled in Elizabeth, where he adopted the Barnes surname from his stepfather. He began a South Australian Railways foundry apprenticeship before following his older brother John Swan into the Adelaide band circuit.

Prestwich was born on March 5, 1954, in Liverpool. His drummer–singer father gave him lessons from age nine, and Prestwich played his first engagement at eleven. In 1970, he joined a Merseyside folk-rock group but emigrated the following year to Adelaide, where he formed the band Ice.

Moss was born on March 20, 1955, in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. He moved from childhood piano lessons to guitar at eleven and played in the local groups Seen and Hot Ice before his 1972 relocation to Adelaide. Moss entered the new band after answering a shop-window advertisement for a guitarist.

Don Walker was born on November 29, 1951, in Ayr, Queensland, and spent his early childhood on a Burdekin River sugarcane property. He completed an honours science degree at the University of New England before moving to Adelaide.

Kaczmarek left during 1975 and Cold Chisel hired bassist Phil Small (b. August 2, 1954; Adelaide), who played in the earlier bands Planet and Palladium.

In 1976, Cold Chisel moved through Melbourne to Sydney and secured hotel work while Walker developed original songs for the stage repertoire. The following autumn, WEA signed the group.

Cold Chisel

Cold Chisel released their self-titled debut album in April 1978 on Atlantic.

The album contains eight originals by Walker. Barnes sings six tracks while Moss takes lead on “One Long Day” and “Rosaline.” Select tracks feature harmonica player Dave Blight, guitarist Peter Walker, saxophonists Joe Camilleri and Wilbur Wilde, and backing vocalists Janice Slater and Carol Stubbley.

“Juliet” charges through a hard-sung barroom rush with rough-edged lead breaks. “Khe Sanh” cruises on piano arpeggios and harmonica replies as Barnes holds the travelogue in a battered, plainspoken line. “Home and Broken Hearted” rollicks through roadhouse boogie, tightened harmony replies, and a bright solo break. “One Long Day” slows from a sly intro into a Moss-led first half, then hands Barnes a more muted turn as the song sinks into late-shift fatigue.

“Northbound” kicks forward after its terse preface, with Walker’s compact figures preceding Barnes’s entry. “Rosaline” lingers on a restrained rhythmic bed under Moss’s smoother lead line. “Daskarzine” grinds through organ-driven bar grit and jagged lead bursts. “Just How Many Times” crawls through last-call blues inflections, with Barnes softening his delivery before Moss extends a serpentine solo.

A1. “Juliet” (2:43) – Walker, Barnes
A2. “Khe Sanh” (4:14)
A3. “Home and Broken Hearted” (3:25)
A4. “One Long Day” (7:23)

B1. “Northbound” (3:14)
B2. “Rosaline” (4:47)
B3. “Daskarzine” (5:09)
B4. “Just How Many Times” (5:13)

Sessions occurred from January through April 1978 at Trafalgar Studios in Sydney with producer Peter Walker. Beaumont created the sleeve artwork from a concept by Walker. The front cover places Micki Braithwaite in the foreground figure.

Atlantic lifted “Khe Sanh” as a May 1978 single (b/w “Just How Many Times”). The song reached No. 41 on the Kent Music Report, while Cold Chisel reached No. 31 on the Kent Music Report.

Breakfast at Sweethearts

Cold Chisel released their second studio album, Breakfast at Sweethearts, in February 1979 on Atlantic.

Breakfast at Sweethearts contains ten titles by Walker, who co-wrote one song apiece with Moss (“Dresden”) and Barnes (“Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)”). The album retains the five-piece lineup with Blight on harmonica and adds slide guitarist Tony Faehse to “Shipping Steel.”

“Conversations” stomps through a hard-sung shove and no-frills band drive. “Merry-Go-Round” barrels through Barnes’s shouted weekend-release lines and tenacious room pressure. “Dresden” widens into a scenic reading, with broad lyric images above ringing lead lines. “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)” bolts through a hard live-set finish, its shout-heavy contour carrying the performance. “Plaza” slows to delicate piano and Moss’s lead turn, with the words tied to a Kings Cross hotel room.

“Shipping Steel” thuds through a hard-driving worker’s lament, with a slide figure cutting across the band line. “I’m Gonna Roll Ya” rattles as an old-style rocker built for high-volume room impact. “Showtime” coils around work-band stage imagery and a serpentine sung path. “Breakfast at Sweethearts” lopes on a languid offbeat while Barnes eases into the Kings Cross morning scene. “The Door” mounts through paranoid voice pressure and hard room impact.

A1. “Conversations” (4:34)
A2. “Merry-Go-Round” (3:44)
A3. “Dresden” (3:58) – Walker, Moss
A4. “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)” (2:51) – Barnes, Walker
A5. “Plaza” (2:09)

B1. “Shipping Steel” (3:24)
B2. “I’m Gonna Roll Ya” (3:28)
B3. “Showtime” (3:44)
B4. “Breakfast at Sweethearts” (4:11)
B5. “The Door” (4:20)

Sessions occurred from July 1978 through January 1979 at Albert Studios in Sydney with producer Richard Batchens, a Festival/Infinity soundman with recent credits on Richard Clapton (Goodbye Tiger) and Cold Chisel’s “Khe Sanh” single.

Breakfast at Sweethearts appeared in a sleeve with art direction by Ken Smith. The cover photograph shows Cold Chisel inside the Marble Bar at the Sydney Hilton.

Elektra issued “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)” as a September 1978 single (b/w “Georgia on My Mind”). “Breakfast at Sweethearts” followed in February 1979 (b/w “Plaza”), and WEA issued “Shipping Steel” in May 1979 (b/w “Showtime”). The first two singles peaked just outside the Kent Top 60.

Breakfast at Sweethearts reached No. 4 on the Kent Music Report.

East

Cold Chisel released their third studio album, East, in June 1980 on WEA.

East contains seven Walker originals and select contributions by Barnes, Moss, Small, and Prestwich. Moss sings “My Baby” “Best Kept Lies,” and his own “Never Before.” Joe Camilleri adds saxophone to “My Baby.”

“Standing on the Outside” charges through an uptempo rush, with Walker’s piano figures under Barnes’s high-note release. “Never Before” smolders around Moss’s lead turn and a mid-song break. “Choirgirl” slows the band line as Barnes and Moss hold a bruised two-voice blend. “Rising Sun” races through high-speed barroom motion and rolling Walker figures. “My Baby” swerves into Moss’s smoother lead and Joe Camilleri’s saxophone solo. “Tomorrow” grinds through a guitar-fronted room scene while the lyric fixes on dead television weather and paid company.

“Cheap Wine” chops through the band line with Walker’s part sharing the front. “Best Kept Lies” lopes on keyboard-driven jabs and a two-voice handoff. “Ita” turns a media satire into a brisk sung aside. “Star Hotel” hammers through rolling band thunder and riot-song force. “Four Walls” sinks into a prisoner’s lament without hardening the lead voice. “My Turn to Cry” drives through uptempo room release and Barnes’s rougher cry.

A1. “Standing on the Outside” (2:53)
A2. “Never Before” (4:09) – Moss
A3. “Choirgirl” (3:14)
A4. “Rising Sun” (3:26) – Barnes
A5. “My Baby” (4:02) – Small
A6. “Tomorrow” (3:33)

B1. “Cheap Wine” (3:24)
B2. “Best Kept Lies” (3:48) – Prestwich
B3. “Ita” (3:33)
B4. “Star Hotel” (4:10)
B5. “Four Walls” (2:23)
B6. “My Turn to Cry” (3:31) – Barnes

Sessions occurred in March and April 1980 at Paradise Studios in Sydney with producer–engineer Mark Opitz and second engineer Neil Rawle. Opitz had produced “Choirgirl,” which WEA issued ahead of the album.

Ken Smith directed the sleeve from a concept by Walker and Philip Mortlock. Greg Noakes photographed Barnes in a bathtub at Roger Langford’s Elizabeth Bay apartment for the Jacques-Louis David reference on the front cover.

“Choirgirl” first appeared in November 1979 as an advance single (b/w “Conversations”), which reached No. 14 on the Kent Music Report. “Cheap Wine” followed in May 1980 (b/w “Rising Sun”) and reached No. 8 on the KMR. In August 1980, “My Baby” became the third single (b/w “Misfits”) and peaked at No. 40.

The first Australian East pressing included a bonus single with “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” a Bob Dylan cover backed with “The Party’s Over,” a Walker exclusive.

East reached No. 2 on the Kent Music Report, No. 32 in New Zealand, and No. 171 on the Billboard 200.

Swingshift

Cold Chisel released the double live album Swingshift in March 1981 on WEA.

Swingshift documents the 1980 Youth in Asia tour with performances from Sydney Capitol Theatre and Melbourne Palais Theatre. The set draws from the first three studio albums and includes covers of Bob Dylan, Jesse Stone, and John Fogerty. Harmonica player Dave Blight and saxophonist Billy Rogers augment the five-piece lineup.

A1. “Conversations” (4:51) – Walker
A2. “Shipping Steel” (4:12) – Walker
A3. “Breakfast at Sweethearts” (3:55) – Walker
A4. “Rising Sun” (3:15) – Barnes
A5. “Choirgirl” (3:31) – Walker

B1. “Khe Sanh” (2:51) – Walker
B2. “My Turn to Cry” (3:03) – Barnes
B3. “Four Walls” (2:36) – Walker
B4. “One Long Day” (9:48) – Walker

C1. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (6:18) – Dylan
C2. “My Baby” (4:14) – Small
C3. “Star Hotel” (4:09) – Walker
C4. “Don’t Let Go” (4:20) – Stone

D1. “Long as I Can See the Light” (4:45) – Fogerty
D2. “The Party’s Over” (3:56) – Walker
D3. “Cheap Wine” (3:59) – Walker
D4. “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)” (5:56) – Walker, Barnes

Cold Chisel recorded Swingshift on the Youth in Asia tour with mobile facilities from ECV and Armstrong. Opitz produced and mixed the album with assistant Neil Rawle.

Ken Smith handled art direction for the sleeve. The cover image comes from a video still shot at Manly Vale during April 1980, with sleeve work by Mortlock.

Swingshift reached No. 1 on the Kent Music Report and No. 9 in New Zealand.

Circus Animals

Cold Chisel released their fourth studio album, Circus Animals, in March 1982 on WEA.

Circus Animals contains five Walker originals and two cuts each by Moss and Prestwich, plus the charting Barnes-penned opener “You Got Nothing I Want.” Moss sings “Bow River,” “Houndog,” and “When the War Is Over.” Walker adds synthesizer to his piano-and-organ setup.

“You Got Nothing I Want” tears through defiant room force, with Barnes in full rasp over boogie-woogie piano and rough Moss chords. “Bow River” strides from a sparse atmospheric opening into Moss’s full-voiced band workout. “Forever Now” sways on spare offbeat parts before the shared sung phrase lands harder. “Taipan” stalks through tom-driven patterns and Barnes’s eerie delivery, then breaks into gang replies. “Houndog” grinds through road-song riffing and a full-volume Barnes delivery before a spacious middle turn.

“Wild Colonial Boy” rides mixed acoustic-electric parts under a hard political text. “No Good for You” darts through a direct band line and backing-voice answers. “Numbers Fall” slinks from a synthetic entrance into low-toned night motion, with organ jabs adding volume. “When the War Is Over” settles into smooth harmony and long, held lead phrases. “Letter to Alan” rises from a restrained Barnes opening into ringing lines, angular soloing, and a bloodcurdling closing swell.

A1. “You Got Nothing I Want” (3:16) – Barnes
A2. “Bow River” (4:23) – Moss
A3. “Forever Now” (4:26) – Prestwich
A4. “Taipan” (3:55)
A5. “Houndog” (5:04)

B1. “Wild Colonial Boy” (4:52)
B2. “No Good for You” (3:16) – Moss
B3. “Numbers Fall” (4:46)
B4. “When the War Is Over” (4:25) – Prestwich
B5. “Letter to Alan” (5:57)

Sessions occurred from September through December 1981 at Paradise Studios and EMI Studios 301 in Sydney with Opitz and second engineer Dave Walsh. Cold Chisel co-produced the album with Opitz.

Ken Smith handled art direction for the sleeve, and Pamela Scott coordinated photography. Peter Levy photographed the cover at Lake Eyre, where a caravan sits behind the group on a flat expanse.

WEA issued “You Got Nothing I Want” as a December 1981 single (b/w “Numbers Fall”), which reached No. 12 on the Kent Music Report. “Forever Now” followed in March 1982 (b/w “Bow River”) and reached No. 4 Kent. “When the War Is Over” appeared in July 1982 (b/w “Wild Colonial Boy”) and peaked at No. 25 on the KMR.

Circus Animals reached No. 1 on the Kent Music Report and No. 1 in New Zealand. Between albums, Prestwich cleared for drummer Ray Arnott.

Twentieth Century

Cold Chisel released their fifth studio album, Twentieth Century, in April 1984 on WEA.

Twentieth Century introduces Arnott, who appears on ten cuts. Three tracks — “No Sense,” “Flame Trees,” and “The Game” — date from their final days with Prestwich. The album features harmonica player Dave Blight, saxophonist Billy Rogers, trumpeter John Hoffman, percussionist Buzz Bidstrup, and backing vocalists Venetta Fields and Megan Williams. Moss sings “Saturday Night” and “Janelle.”

“Build This Love” struts through a loud room drive with a disco-marked opening surface. “Twentieth Century” rattles as a full-tilt boogie kiss-off. “Ghost Town” darts through brisk harmonica-marked motion. “Saturday Night” simmers on Small’s bass line before Barnes turns the shared line into a harder boil. “Painted Doll” hustles through a short uptempo burst. “No Sense” darts through speed offbeat motion and acoustic accent marks.

“Flame Trees” slows to a piano-led farewell, with Barnes holding small-town memory and romantic regret in a plain aside. “Only One” blusters through a loud Barnes-led drive. “The Game” stretches Barnes toward near-falsetto cries. “Temptation” hammers through taut riffing and Barnes’s barked surge.

A1. “Build This Love” (4:01)
A2. “Twentieth Century” (2:17)
A3. “Ghost Town” (1:20)
A4. “Saturday Night” (4:26)
A5. “Painted Doll” (2:19)
A6. “No Sense” (3:10) – Barnes
A7. “Flame Trees” (4:24) – Prestwich, Walker

B1. “Only One” (3:41) – Barnes
B2. “Hold Me Tight” (1:42)
B3. “Sing to Me” (4:49)
B4. “The Game” (5:13) – Small, Walker
B5. “Janelle” (3:40)
B6. “Temptation” (3:23) – Barnes

Sessions occurred from September 1983 through January 1984 at Rhinoceros, Paradise, Studios 301, and Capitol Theatre in Sydney, with additional work at Richmond in Melbourne. The album credits engineers Tony Cohen, Peter Walker, David Walsh, Jon Lemon, and Mark Opitz, with second engineer Alan Wright.

Ken Smith handled art direction for the sleeve. Eduardo Guelfenbein created the cover artwork and directed the videos for “Hold Me Tight” and “No Sense.”

WEA issued “Hold Me Tight” as an October 1983 single (b/w “No Sense”) and reached No. 14 on the Kent Music Report. “Saturday Night” followed in March 1984 (b/w “Painted Doll”) and reached No. 11 Kent.

“Twentieth Century” appeared in June 1984 (b/w “Only One”), followed in August by “Flame Trees,” a No. 26 hit backed with a live rendition of the Ike & Tina Turner classic “River Deep – Mountain High.”

Twentieth Century reached No. 1 on the Kent Music Report and No. 18 in New Zealand.

The Barking Spiders Live: 1983

Cold Chisel released the live album The Barking Spiders Live: 1983 in December 1984 on WEA.

The Barking Spiders Live: 1983 documents final-tour performances at Sydney Entertainment Centre under the group’s Barking Spiders pseudonym. The set draws mostly from East, Circus Animals, and Twentieth Century, with covers of Conway Twitty and Hoagy Carmichael–Stuart Gorrell material. Blight appears on harmonica, while Moss sings “Bow River” and “Georgia.”

A1. “Merry-Go-Round” (4:20) – Walker
A2. “You Got Nothing I Want” (3:41) – Barnes
A3. “No Sense” (3:10) – Barnes
A4. “Hold Me Tight” (1:51) – Walker
A5. “Tomorrow” (4:24) – Walker
A6. “Forever Now” (5:30) – Prestwich

B1. “Standing on the Outside” (2:59) – Walker
B2. “Bow River” (5:40) – Moss
B3. “It’s Only Make Believe” (2:56) – Nance, Twitty
B4. “Twentieth Century” (2:08) – Walker
B5. “Taipan” (6:00) – Walker
B6. “Georgia” (7:16) – Carmichael, Gorrell

Recordings occurred on October 25 and December 12 through December 15, 1983, at Sydney Entertainment Centre with producer Mark Opitz. Mortlock modeled the sleeve on a plain bootleg format and used a sticker to identify the record as a Cold Chisel live album.

The Barking Spiders Live: 1983 reached No. 14 on the Kent Music Report.

Jimmy Barnes Solo

Barnes launched his solo career with the In September 1984 Mushroom release Bodyswerve, which reached No. 1 in Australia and spawned the hit “No Second Prize.”

He followed with the December 1985 release For the Working Class Man, which paired new material with revised Bodyswerve titles and production credits for Mark Opitz, Jonathan Cain, Gary Gersh, and Chas Sandford. Mushroom issued “I’d Die to Be with You Tonight,” “Ride the Night Away,” and “Working Class Man” as singles. The video for “Working Class Man” gained moderate rotation on the US cable network MTV, where a VJ erroneously introduced Barnes as a “brand new artist.”

In 1987, Barnes released Freight Train Heart on Mushroom. The album continued his production link with Jonathan Cain and gave him another No. 1 Australian album. Barnes also teamed with INXS on “Good Times,” an Easybeats cover recorded for the Australian Made concert series and included on The Lost Boys soundtrack. The single reached No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100, his highest US singles placement. Mushroom issued Barnestorming in 1988 after the Freight Train Heart tour.

Postlude

In 1984, Steve Prestwich joined Little River Band. He recorded Playing to Win and No Reins with the group, which issued “When the War Is Over” as a 1986 single.

Don Walker resumed recording under the Catfish name. WEA issued Unlimited Address in October 1988, with Peter Walker as co-producer and guitarist, Dave Blight on harmonica, and Charlie Owen among the guitarists.

In January 1989, Ian Moss released “Tucker’s Daughter” on Mushroom. “Telephone Booth” followed in June, and Mushroom issued Matchbook in August. Walker wrote or co-wrote most of the album, which reached No. 1 in Australia.

Discography: