Breakfast at Sweethearts

Last updated

Breakfast at Sweethearts
Breakfast at Sweethearts.jpg
Studio album by
Cold Chisel
ReleasedFebruary 1979
RecordedJuly 1978 - January 1979
StudioAlbert Studios, Sydney
Genre Pub rock
Length36:23
Label Atlantic
Producer Richard Batchens
Cold Chisel chronology
You're Thirteen, You're Beautiful, and You're Mine
(1978)		Breakfast at Sweethearts
(1979)		 East
(1980)
Singles from Breakfast at Sweethearts
  1. "Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)"
    Released: September 1978
  2. "Breakfast at Sweethearts"
    Released: March 1979
  3. "Shipping Steel"
    Released: July 1979

Breakfast at Sweethearts is the second studio album by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel, released in February 1979. It spent 32 weeks in the national charts, reaching a peak of number 4. [1]

Contents

Album details

"Sweethearts" was a cafè in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, but has since been demolished. It was located where the present-day McDonald's is now, in the middle of Kings Cross. [2] The song "Plaza" refers to Sydney's Plaza Hotel, where Don Walker was living in Kings Cross at the time. [2] Walker later said, "As a whole set of songs, it painted a picture of a certain time and a certain place which is very close to my heart. And in many ways that set of songs is quite personal to me rather than any of the other guys because they all moved out of the Cross within three weeks. It was a good time of my life." [3] Author Louis Nowra described the song "Breakfast at Sweethearts" as, "the most immediately identifiable song about the Cross." [4]

The first single, "Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)" preceded the album by some months, and was recorded when demos were being done for the album. Reaching number 65 on the national charts, the single is markedly different from the later album version. [5]

The recording took place over a period of more than 6 months. Don Walker said, "It was a very bad low point for the band. We were constantly touring and when we got a weekend off we were thrown into the studio and expected to be creative." [5] Barnes said, "There are really great songs on that record, but it wasn't the most enjoyable recording process. We wanted to go into Studio One at Alberts, where AC/DC and The Angels were doing great records. We booked, but couldn't get in, so we ended up in Studio Three, which was a new studio and didn't have the same atmosphere." [6] Elsewhere, he said, "Breakfast at Sweethearts stunk, and you can spell that f-u-c-k-e-d." [7]

Although reviews were generally positive [5] and some of the songs were later live staples, the members of Cold Chisel were unhappy with the sound of Breakfast at Sweethearts and the production methods of Richard Batchens. Batchens would later admit that this was an unhappy period of his life, and the band felt he was overly critical and the recording suffered from lack of spontaneity. [5] Batchens was used at the behest of the record company that wanted a known producer, and Batchens had recently produced Richard Clapton's fourth studio album, Goodbye Tiger , which the band admired. Walker said, "he made it quite clear to me that they weren't as good as Richard Clapton's songs." Barnes added, "We went into the studio with him and it was absolutely disastrous - we were in a shit room with this bad tempered cunt. But don't quote me. Don't say he was bad tempered." [8]

Reception

At the 1979 TV Week /Countdown Music Awards, Breakfast at Sweethearts was nominated for Best Australian Album, and won for Best Australian Record Cover Design. [9] The cover photo was taken in the heritage-listed Marble Bar in the Sydney Hilton. [10]

AllMusic said, "the songs on this album may comprise the best set of any of the band's non-compilation studio discs," but notes, "it is a masterpiece tainted by a poor recording job." The reviewer notes, "Don Walker's songwriting -- and his storycrafting around local references -- could engage a listener underwater." The album is given a score of four stars from a possible five. [11]

Reviewed in Roadrunner at the time of release, it was said, "If you're into good, driving rock, it's as good an album as you'll get anywhere in the world," though it was noted that some of the songs were, "a bit too samey." [12] Juke Magazine noted the album was not, "just a collection of songs. It exudes a conceptual aura at street level, cleverly indigenous. The main vehicle for this is Don Walker's lyrics." [13] Rip It Up was less positive, describing Barnes singing as, "white boy sings the blues and gets laryngitis" and the lyrics as "predictably sexist" but, "what saves their ass is the tunes". [14]

The third single from the album, "Shipping Steel", was described as, "Gutsy Australian hard rock and the best thing Chisel have done since the marvelous "Khe Sanh". Will pick up airplay, and why not?" [15]

Track listing

All songs written by Don Walker, except as noted

Side one

  1. "Conversations" - 4:34
  2. "Merry-Go-Round" - 3:44
  3. "Dresden" (Walker, Ian Moss) - 3:58
  4. "Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)" (Jim Barnes, Walker) - 2:51
  5. "Plaza" - 2:09

Side two

  1. "Shipping Steel" - 3:24
  2. "I'm Gonna Roll Ya" - 3:28
  3. "Showtime" - 3:44
  4. "Breakfast at Sweethearts" - 4:11
  5. "The Door" - 4:20

In 1999, EastWest released a remastered version of the album with three bonus tracks:

  1. "It Ain't Wrong" - 3:13 (from the 1994 compilation album Teenage Love )
  2. "Mona and The Preacher" - 4:00 (also from the 1994 compilation album Teenage Love)
  3. "Metho Blues" - 4:35

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1979)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [16] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [17] 15

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [18] Platinum50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Chisel</span> Australian rock band

Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes on lead vocals and, in 1975, Phil Small became their bass guitarist. The group disbanded in late 1983 but subsequently reformed several times. Musicologist Ian McFarlane wrote that they became "one of Australia's best-loved groups" as well as "one of the best live bands", fusing "a combination of rockabilly, hard rock and rough-house soul'n'blues that was defiantly Australian in outlook."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khe Sanh (song)</span> 1978 single by Cold Chisel

"Khe Sanh" is the debut single by Australian rock band Cold Chisel, released in May 1978 as a 45 rpm single, and named after the district capital of Hướng Hóa District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam. Written by pianist Don Walker, "Khe Sanh" concerns an Australian Vietnam veteran dealing with his return to civilian life. According to Toby Creswell's liner notes for the band's 1991 compilation album Chisel, the song is also a story of restless youth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flame Trees</span> 1984 song by Cold Chisel

"Flame Trees" is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel from their 1984 album Twentieth Century. One of their best known songs, it was written by drummer Steve Prestwich and keyboardist Don Walker. On its release it reached No. 26 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart. It resurfaced in August 2011 due to download sales, peaking at No. 54 on the ARIA chart.

<i>Cold Chisel</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Cold Chisel

Cold Chisel is the debut album of Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. Released in April 1978, it spent 23 weeks in the Australian charts, peaking at number 38.

<i>Youre Thirteen, Youre Beautiful, and Youre Mine</i> 1978 EP (Live) by Cold Chisel

You're Thirteen, You're Beautiful, and You're Mine is a live EP by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel, recorded at the Regent Theatre in Sydney in October 1978, and released in November. After a long period of unavailability, the EP was re-released as a bonus disc with the second pressing of the compilation album Chisel (1991). The EP was later made available digitally, as well as reissued on disc in 2011.

<i>East</i> (Cold Chisel album) 1980 studio album by Cold Chisel

East is the third studio album by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel, released in June 1980. The album peaked at No. 2 and spent 63 weeks on the national chart. It was the biggest-selling Australian album release of the year. It was the only Cold Chisel album to chart in America, reaching 171 on the Billboard 200. It also reached number 32 on the New Zealand charts.

<i>Circus Animals</i> 1982 studio album by Cold Chisel

Circus Animals is the fourth studio album by Australian band Cold Chisel, released on 8 March 1982. It was recorded and mixed at Paradise Studios and EMI Studios 301, Sydney, between September and December 1981. It reached number one on the Australian charts, remaining in the charts for 40 weeks, and also topped the New Zealand charts. The working title for the album was "Tunnel Cunts".

<i>Swingshift</i> 1981 live album by Cold Chisel

Swingshift is a live album released by Australian band Cold Chisel in 1981. It was their first album to reach No. 1 on the Australian chart, debuting there in its first week. It peaked at number 9 in New Zealand. A press release said the title referred to, "the midnight to dawn shift that the staff in asylums dread: the hours when the crazies go crazy."

<i>Twentieth Century</i> (Cold Chisel album) 1984 studio album by Cold Chisel

Twentieth Century is the fifth and final studio album by Australian band Cold Chisel until the group reformed in 1998. The album was written and recorded over various sessions during the period of the band's break-up and during breaks in their final tour. It was released in early 1984 and peaked at No. 1 on the Australian albums chart, their third consecutive album to do so. It charted for a total of 46 weeks.

<i>The Barking Spiders Live: 1983</i> 1984 live album by Cold Chisel

The Barking Spiders Live: 1983 is a live album by Australian rock band Cold Chisel. It was recorded during the final performances of their Last Stand tour in 1983, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The name of the album derives from a name the band used occasionally when playing warm-up shows before tours. Don Walker states a "barking spider" is "Scottish slang for a fart."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday Night (Cold Chisel song)</span> 1984 single by Cold Chisel

"Saturday Night" is a 1984 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel, the second released from the album Twentieth Century and the first to be issued after the band's official break-up. The vocals are shared between Ian Moss and Jimmy Barnes. It just missed out on becoming the band's third Top 10 single, stalling at number 11 on the Australian chart for two weeks, but it remains one of Cold Chisel's highest charting songs.

"My Baby" is a 1980 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel, the third released from the album East and the first of the band's singles not to be written by pianist Don Walker. This was the only track credited solely to bass player Phil Small on any of the band's albums apart from "Notion For You" on the 1994 rarities album Teenage Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Got Nothing I Want</span> 1981 single by Cold Chisel

"You Got Nothing I Want" is a 1981 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel, the first released from the album Circus Animals. One of the band's heaviest and most aggressive songs, it was written by singer Jimmy Barnes in response to the treatment they received at the hands of a record company executive during a U.S. tour earlier in the year. Don Walker said, "After we came back, Jim wrote 'You Got Nothing I Want' more or less as a personal tribute to Marty Schwartz." "You Got Nothing I Want" was also the first song on the album and representative of the different sound Cold Chisel was attempting on Circus Animals in a conscious effort to move away from the slick commercial pop rock of East. It spent 19 weeks in the national charts, peaking at number 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misfits (Cold Chisel song)</span> 1991 single by Cold Chisel

"Misfits" was a 1991 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel, issued to promote the compilation album Chisel. The single only reached number 61 in the national charts and was later dropped from subsequent Chisel re-issue packages. The song was written by organist Don Walker and was recorded during the sessions for the 1980 album East. "Misfits" was originally used as the B-side for that album's third single "My Baby".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choirgirl (song)</span> 1979 song written by Don Walker performed by Cold Chisel

"Choirgirl" is a song by Australian rock band Cold Chisel, released as the lead single from their third studio album East (1980) in November 1979. A ballad written by Don Walker with an R&B influenced melody, the song marked the first time the band had recorded with producer Mark Opitz. It peaked at No. 14 in Australia on the Kent Music Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Now (Cold Chisel song)</span> 1982 single by Cold Chisel

"Forever Now" is a song by Australian rock band Cold Chisel. The second single from the album Circus Animals, it was the first Cold Chisel single to be written by Steve Prestwich. The song reached number two in New Zealand and number four in Australia, becoming the band's highest chart placement. In the United States, the song was titled "Forever Now ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheap Wine (song)</span> 1980 single by Cold Chisel

"Cheap Wine" is a 1980 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel. The second single from the album East, it was released in May, a month before the album. It reached number 8 on the Australian charts, the band's first top-ten single, and would eventually remain the band's second highest chart performance. It has been described as, "one of Don's finest commercial songs."

"Goodbye " is a 1978 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel. Written by keyboardist Don Walker and vocalist Jimmy Barnes, it was released as a single in 1978, peaking at number 65 on the Australian charts. It appeared as a track on the 1979 album Breakfast at Sweethearts.

"Breakfast at Sweethearts" is a song from Australian rock band Cold Chisel. Written by keyboardist Don Walker, it was released as a single in 1979, peaking at number 63 on the Australian charts. It appeared as a track on the album of the same name.

<i>Radio Songs: A Best of Cold Chisel</i> 1985 greatest hits album by Cold Chisel

Radio Songs: A Best of Cold Chsiel is the second greatest hits collection by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel, and first compilation released in Australia. The album was released in 1985. It included tracks from their first five studio albums, Cold Chisel, Breakfast at Sweethearts, East, Circus Animals and Twentieth Century.

References

  1. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. p. 72. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  2. 1 2 Debbie Kruger (2 November 2005). "Songlines". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  3. ↑ Kruger, Debbie (2005). Songwriters Speak. Balmain, New South Wales: Limelight Press. p. 278. ISBN   0975708031.
  4. ↑ Louis Nowra (2013). Kings Cross: A Biography. NewSouth. ISBN   978-1742246550.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Michael Lawrence (1998). Showtime: The Cold Chisel Story. Belmont, Victoria: Michael Lawrence. p. 59. ISBN   1-86503-118-6.
  6. ↑ Mark Opitz (2012). Sophisto-Punk. North Sydney: Ebury Press. p. 78. ISBN   9781742757933.
  7. ↑ Anthony O'Grady (2001). Cold Chisel: The Pure Stuff. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. p. 52. ISBN   1-86508-196-5.
  8. ↑ Dan Lander (November 2015). "Meeting of the Minds". Rolling Stone Australia . No. 768. Paper Riot Pty Ltd. pp. 52–57.
  9. ↑ Angus Cameron, ed. (1985). The Australian Almanac. North Ryde, NSW: Angus & Robertson. ISBN   0-207-15108-3.
  10. ↑ "Marble Bar". Time Out (Sydney). Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  11. ↑ Adrian Zupp. "Breakfast at Sweethearts". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  12. ↑ Dorman, Clive (March 1979). "Albums". Roadrunner. Parkside, SA: 20.
  13. ↑ Jean Huntre (1979). "Breakfast at Sweethearts". Juke.
  14. ↑ John Malloy (1 June 1979). "Records". Rip It Up . No. 23.
  15. ↑ Robertson, Donald (July 1979). "45's". Roadrunner. Parkside, SA: 22.
  16. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 68. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  17. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 431. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  18. ↑ "New Faces to Watch" (PDF). Cash Box . 18 July 1981. p. 8. Retrieved 1 December 2021– via World Radio History.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.