“In ’78 we [Cold Chisel] rocked,” quipped an energetic Jimmy Barnes during a recent chat with Tone Deaf.
“In 2013, we roll.”
The ever-ferocious frontman couldn’t have summed up Live Tapes Volume One: Live At The Hordern Pavilion, April 18, 2012 – the band’s first live release since Ringside a decade ago – more succinctly.
Now, in their fourth decade of operation, the band have eased into a style that prefers clarity and accentuation over balls-to-the-wall ferocity. There’s subtlety to their live form, from the smoky bump n’ grind of ‘Yakuza Girls’ to the mid-tempo stylings of new(ish) cut ‘Everybody’.
When you listen to this record against some of their previous live records, such as The Barking Spiders Live (1983) and even Swingshift (1981), you’ll be doing double takes all night long.
Still, for those that fear Chisel are tapping the brakes too much, rest assured glass-raisers such as ‘Cheap Wine’, ‘Merry-Go-Round’, and ‘Standing On The Outside’ will have diehards shouting hoarse by night’s end.
It should be noted that the LP lacks a number of album cuts that makes Chisel perhaps the finest (and most misunderstood) Australian outfit of the past half century, such as ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Just How Many Times’, and ‘Rosaline’.
This is countered by the presence of newer material – ‘Dead And Laid To Rest’ and ‘No Plans’ both top the list – and the fact Barnes has indicated that there’ll be plenty of B-sides and album cuts for upcoming Live Tapes releases. Delicious.
Having drip-fed fans during the ‘90s and ‘00s, this record marks the first of an avalanche of upcoming releases. So, if you’re a diehard Chisel follower, now might be the time to dust off a bottle of vodka in anticipation.
Watch ‘Merry-Go-Round’ here:
