Cold Chisel - East (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

A great album - now it sounds great, too!

M. Doering | Alsdorf, NRW Germany | 10/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, we have seen a lot of "enhanced" CDs in the 90s. Nearly all the classic rock albums have been remastered to get another buck from the fans and sometimes it was even worth it. And this is definetly the case with Cold Chisel's East! The quality of the recording definetly increased and three bonus tracks (outtakes from the recording sessions) have been added to the CD. There is even multimedia material for your computer! Cold Chisel is one of Australia's rock classics and "East" is one of their best recordings. This "enhanced" version is worth every cent!"

Australian classic

David McKinlay | Melbourne, Vic. AUSTRALIA | 12/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The release of East, their third album, is when Cold Chisel moved from being Australia's best pub band and became a legend. The largely autobiographical or topical nature of many of the songs, especially Standing on the Outside, Star Hotel, Rising Sun, the tongue-in-cheek Ita (on the Australian release), and the sheer depth and variety of material on this album placed Chisel in the top rank in Australia.

That they never received recognition overseas, especially in the USA, was an indictment of the recording industry - a situation which lent itself to the writing of 'You've got nothing I Want' for the Circus Animals album. Still, they were all ours, and they were magnificent.

I played some of East while writing this review and was again reminded why I loved this band then, and why they still excite me now.

I can still remember rushing out to by the LP of East on the day of release, which included a bonus single (included on the remastered CD) for the first few thousand copies. Cold Chisel engendered such devotion. On East you can hear why.

There is something terribly wrong if East is not in your collection."

Cold chisels' album east

daniel glasgow | phoenix, arizona | 05/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"some say boring, some say the highlite of their career, for someone who matured in the eighties and listened, "not heard", what was being played in the eighties, east is, as well as was, a rockin' album that deserves classic rock status. i had the privilege of living in canberra from 1978 to 1981, and had my record collection stolen in 1985 after being back in the states for 4 years. the only album i truly wished to replace was east. thank god for the net and amazon.com , for now i can replace my east album. d.g.5/21/00"

Finest in the land

Christopher J. Benz | Melbourne, Australia | 02/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cold Chisel began as Australia's biggest 'pub band' and swiftly became our most impressive stadium rock outfit. The years since they admirably called it quits in 1983 have only solidified their likely status as Australia's finest band ever. As with all great acts, the reason for this, despite appearances, does not rest with one individual. Most visible is the iconic, charismatic frontman, JIMMY BARNES who also carved out a lucrative, but artistically less impressive solo career. In the days of Chisel, he could belt out R&B flavoured rock vocals with a shrewd and powerful authenticity. He was the perfect ambassador for the songwriting of DON WALKER who assumed the lion's share of composing for the group. As the band's true enigma, he has redefined pop songcraft into a kind of amalgam of Tom Waits and The Rolling Stones - blues infused tales of losers, sharks, hookers, tv-evangelists, ex-crims or just regular punters cruising the streets on a Saturday night. WALKER could also bash out hit after hit if he wanted to, attested to on just this album with "Cheap Wine", "Ita", "Standing on the Outside", "Choir Girl", "Star Hotel" and so on. Chisel also boasted a second vocalist and guitar virtuoso who could've easily fronted any other group in IAN MOSS, the boy from Alice Springs who could work his way around his guitar better than anyone else in the country. His vocals are on display here with "Never Before", "Best Kept Lies" and "My Baby", yet another hit, this time penned by the inventive and reclusive bass player PHIL SMALL. Apparently, the success of this song lead to Small becoming so self conscious, he never submitted a finished song to the group again. Finally, the band also boasts one of Australia's most accomplished drummers and also, yet again, another great songwriter in STEVEN PRESTWICH. Steve wrote "Best Kept Lies" for this album but really hit his straps on the next LP "Circus Animals" where he penned two magnificent tunes in "When the War is Over" and "Forever Now".

This album, for sheer pop fluidity, is probably Chisel's best and it would rank as one of Australia's ten best ever albums.

If you are new to the band and interested, this is not a bad place to start although you will also certainly enjoy "Chisel" - the greatest hits collection. "East" is a masterpiece, although the other albums aren't far behind and there are plenty more hits than you will find on this CD. Not the least of these of course is the Walker composition Khe Sahn which is laying claims to being our new virtual national anthem.

Chisel are so well known they're like oxygen in Australia. If you are from the US and have never been exposed to their infectious and intelligent blend of rock, blues, reggae and classic Australian lyricism, you're in for a serious treat."

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