Desperate (Divinyls album)

Last updated

Desperate
DivinylsDesperate.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 1983
Recorded1981–1982
Genre Rock, new wave, pub rock
Length30:38 (Australian release)
33:25 (international release)
Label Chrysalis
Producer Mark Opitz
Divinyls chronology
Monkey Grip
(1982)
Desperate
(1983)
What a Life!
(1985)
Singles from Desperate
  1. "Boys in Town"
    Released: September 1981
  2. "Science Fiction"
    Released: November 1982
  3. "Siren (Never Let You Go)"
    Released: April 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Village Voice A− [2]

Desperate is the debut studio album and second overall album by Australian rock band Divinyls, released in 1983 by Chrysalis Records. The album contains the hits "Boys in Town", "Science Fiction" and "Siren (Never Let You Go)".

Contents

Background

Divinyls formed in 1980, founded by Mark McEntee and fronted by lead singer Chrissy Amphlett. After scoring several gigs, they were discovered by Australian director Ken Cameron. This led to Divinyls providing the entire soundtrack for his film Monkey Grip (1982). Amphlett was also given a supporting role in the film, playing a temperamental rock singer loosely based on herself, fronting a band played by other Divinyls members. In the film, the band performed their debut single "Boys in Town", as well as other songs "Only Lonely", "Elsie", "Only You", "Girlfriends" and "Gonna Get You", the latter being the first appearance of them in the film. The soundtrack Music from Monkey Grip was acknowledged as a Divinyls album, and when released in 1982, it made the top twenty-five of the Australian Albums Chart.

"Boys in Town" was a success in Australia where it made the top ten, peaking at number eight in 1981. The next year, "Science Fiction" was released and was also a success, peaking at number thirteen. When Desperate was released, it climbed the albums chart and eventually peaked at number five. In addition, it proved to be among the top twenty most successful albums of 1983, ranking in at number seventeen according to the Kent Music Report end of year chart.

The track listing of Desperate differed between the Australian release and the international version. Because Divinyls had already released the Monkey Grip soundtrack, which contained the songs performed in the film, in particular the single "Boys in Town", they were not included on the original Australian release of Desperate. This meant that "Science Fiction" was released as the official lead single. On the international release of Desperate, some of the songs from the Monkey Grip soundtrack were included as official album tracks, such as "Boys in Town", "Only Lonely", "Only You" and "Elsie".

The majority of the songs on Desperate were written by Amphlett and/or McEntee except "Siren (Never Let You Go)", which was written by band member Bjarne Ohlin, and "I'll Make You Happy", which was a cover of the original 1966 song by The Easybeats.

Caroline Records [3] announced that a remastered CD version of the international version of Desperate album was released on 5 February 2008. In 2020, Rubellan Remasters released a remastered CD version of Desperate that compiled all the songs from both versions. [4]

"Ring Me Up" was used in the teen comedy film Sixteen Candles (1984).

Track listing (Australian release)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'll Make You Happy" Stevie Wright, George Young 3:21
2."Science Fiction" Christina Amphlett, Mark McEntee 3:32
3."Casual Encounter"Amphlett, McEntee3:05
4."Victoria"McEntee3:22
5."Siren (Never Let You Go)"Bjarne Ohlin2:28
6."Motion"Amphlett, McEntee3:16
7."Ring Me Up"Amphlett, McEntee3:07
8."Take a Chance"Amphlett, McEntee3:23
9."Sahara Rock"Amphlett, McEntee2:35
10."Don't You Go Walking"McEntee6:09

Track listing (International release)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Boys in Town" Christina Amphlett, Mark McEntee 2:50
2."Only Lonely"Amphlett, McEntee3:15
3."Science Fiction"Amphlett, McEntee3:32
4."Siren (Never Let You Go)"Bjarne Ohlin2:28
5."Elsie"Amphlett, McEntee6:42
6."Only You"Amphlett, McEntee2:48
7."Ring Me Up"Amphlett, McEntee3:07
8."Victoria"McEntee3:19
9."Take a Chance"Amphlett, McEntee3:23
10."I'll Make You Happy" Stevie Wright, George Young 3:21

Charts

Weekly Charts

Chart (1983)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)5

End of year charts

End of Year Chart (1983)Position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart [5] 17

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [6] Platinum100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Technical

Related Research Articles

Divinyls Australian rock band

Divinyls were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uniform and fishnet stockings, and she often used an illuminated neon tube as a prop for displaying aggression towards both band members and the audience. Originally a five-piece, the band underwent numerous line-up changes, with Amphlett and McEntee remaining as core members, before its dissolution in 1996.

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<i>Monkey Grip</i> (soundtrack) 1982 soundtrack album by Divinyls

Monkey Grip is a soundtrack to the film of the same name, with songs provided by the Divinyls. The movie is an adaptation by director Ken Cameron of Helen Garner's novel Monkey Grip. The movie had little impact at the box office, taking only A$451,000. The soundtrack was released in May 1982 and peaked at #25 on the Australian Kent Music Report album chart. The soundtrack contains the band's first single, "Boys in Town", as well as "Only Lonely", "Elsie" and "Only You" – all of which are featured on the international version of the Divinyls' first studio album, Desperate. Monkey Grip also features two other songs "Gonna Get You" and "Girlfriends". Christina Amphlett also co-starred in the movie Monkey Grip, playing a temperamental rock singer loosely based on herself, fronting a band played by fellow Divinyls members.

<i>Make You Happy</i> (album) 1997 compilation album by Divinyls

Make You Happy is a compilation album by Australian rock band Divinyls, which was released on 21 October 1997. It consists of material spanning from 1981 to 1993 including the hits "Boys in Town", "Science Fiction", "Pleasure and Pain" and their number-one signature song "I Touch Myself". The album's name comes from "I'll Make You Happy", the B-side of "Science Fiction" and a cover version of the 1960s track by The Easybeats. Track 20, "Love in Motion", is a 1992 rerecording of Icehouse's 1981 single with Divinyls' Christina Amphlett featuring on co-lead vocals.

Richard Grossman (bassist) Australian rock musician (born 1959)

Richard Grossman is an Australian rock musician who has played bass guitar for two iconic bands: Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus. Hoodoo Gurus' status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame. For Grossman, this was his second Hall of Fame induction in a row; the 2006 award was for his stint with Divinyls. Often referred to as Rick Grossman, he has also performed with other Australian bands: Matt Finish, Ghostwriters, Persian Rugs, The Kelly Gang and Men at Work.

Mark McEntee is an Australian musician, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the Australian rock band, Divinyls.

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Science Fiction (song) 1982 single by Divinyls

"Science Fiction" is a song by Australian rock/new wave group Divinyls, which was the lead single from their first studio album Desperate. Released in December 1982, "Science Fiction", peaked at No. 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The B-side, "I'll Make You Happy" was a cover of The Easybeats 1966 hit.

Boys in Town 1981 single by Divinyls

"Boys in Town" is the debut single by Australian rock band Divinyls, released in 1981. The song was written in 1979 and was used on the soundtrack of the 1982 film Monkey Grip, along with several other Divinyls tracks written and recorded for the film, including the single's b-side "Only You". "Boys in Town" was also included on the international version of the Divinyls 1983 debut studio album, Desperate. The song became a success in Australia, entering the singles chart top ten and peaking at number eight.

Back to the Wall (song) 1988 single by Divinyls

"Back to the Wall" is a song by Australian rock group Divinyls. Released in February 1988 as the lead single from their third studio album Temperamental, the song made the top forty on the Australian singles chart.

Siren (Never Let You Go) 1983 single by Divinyls

"Siren " is a rock song by Australian band Divinyls. It was released in 1983 from their debut album Desperate and charted within the top fifty in Australia.

Good Die Young (Divinyls song) 1984 single by Divinyls

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Im on Your Side (song) 1991 single by Divinyls

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In My Life (Divinyls song) 1984 single by Divinyls

"In My Life" is rock song by Australian band Divinyls. It was released in 1984 from their second studio album What a Life! and charted within the top fifty on the Australian singles chart, peaking at number forty-seven.

Dont Wanna Do This 2007 single by Divinyls

"Don't Wanna Do This" is a song by Australian rock duo Divinyls. It was released in 2007 as their comeback single after an eleven-year-long hiatus, during which they unofficially disbanded.

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Christgau, Robert (29 March 1983). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  3. ":: welcome to caroline records ::". Carolinerecords.com. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  4. "RUBY13CD". RubellanRemasters.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 435. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Divinyls platinum record". MAAS. Retrieved 8 November 2020.