Customer Reviews

Divinyls

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The artwork was superfluous-she looked better in a schoolgirl outfit on "What a Life!" Still, the raspy tone she gives of "Bless My Soul" is something worth raising a fist to, and the horn solo on the loud, funky "Lay your Body Down" is as good as anything by the Stones. Yeah, there's enough pointless sap here, but on the rockers these guys are animals. A diverse album that is unfairly slammed as a one hit wonder-the music has tang, Cristina has a real life personality that carries the album through the dull stuff. No, I don't "Touch Myself" when I hear that song-it's good to excercise (stylishly) to when you're in the mood to embarass the more stuck-up acquaintances. No, this is not a 5 star ablum as you'll find at least one loon say about any album this side of ELO II, but it FEELS good, at least (Note to Don Henley). P.S keep it in the bedroom

I was torn, but despite the fact that there are couple briliant songs on here, the whole CD doesn't quite come together well enough to give it 5 stars. I first heard the band when I Touch Myself came out, and I was surprised such an overt song would get airtime on mainstream, Canadian AM radio. The song is more than just a bubble gum pop song -- when you think about it, it's a very empowering song celebrating female sexuality, a subject that is usually considered taboo. I like Lay Your Body Down for the same reason. I'm On Your Side is one of my favorite ballads. Overall, however, even though the rest of the songs aren't bad, they aren't anything brilliant, either. A good, solid, standard rock album that you won't be disappointed in, though it likely won't warrant heavy rotation in your CD player, either.

this cd is great. i saw one of the vidoes on VH-1 about a month ago. The video for "i touch myself". i really liked the song so i went out and bought this cd. the whole cd is great. Chrissie Amphlet has such a powerful voice. she is also very beautiful. you just can't get enough of their music. it is so addicting. i say BUY this cd NOW. what are you waiting for? one of the best ever made. GO NOW

Length:: 1:16 Mins

By the time this album came out, gone were the days of Christina Amphlett wearing rat pins, frumpy schoolgirl outfits and a mass of seemingly unwashed hair. She was now a full-fledged sexpot, and wasn't afraid to show it.
That is why it was hard to dive into this album without expecting disappointment. The band worked so well before that this one, with all of its changes, had to be a step down, right? Not really.
While it's not as good as "Desperate," "What a Life" and "Temperamental," "diVINYLS" is a stellar collection of music. The songs are sleeker and sexier than before, really giving Christina a chance to show off her rocker babe charm.
"I Touch Myself," the one everybody knows, is a perfectly crafted pop song. It is disappointing, though, that this is the one they're known for as it is rather unrepresentative of their overall sound.
"If Love Was a Gun" is a beautiful slow song in which Christina goes from sounding fragile and on the verge of tears to like an enraged siren. "I hope there's an angel watching over you," she repeats with conviction, and you can't help but wonder whether she means it as a heartfelt prayer or a bitter warning.
"Follow Through" is a song that really grows on you -- at first it seems rather unexciting but after a few listens you start to feel it. It's got a mellow vibe that's complimented perfectly by Christina's pensive lyrics and subtle vocal delivery.
"Bless My Soul" is the closest thing to a real rocker here, and with its tongue-in-cheek rock-n'-roll-is-sin-lyrics, it is a lot of fun.
"Love School" and "Lay Your Body Down" are melodic, moody and sexy. If you never saw Ms. Amphlett as a temptress, take a listen to these.
"Make Out Alright" and "Bullet" are smooth mid-tempo numbers, while "Need a Lover" has a toe-tapping groove set to whimsical lyrics regarding Christina's search for romance through fairy-tale circumstances.
There is nothing here that has the urgency of "Boys in Town," the new wave melody of "Only Lonely," or the hard-hitting rock of "Temperamental," but it is nevertheless an essential Divinyls recording. The other albums are Christina straddling the line between holding your hand and spitting in your face. Here, she is giving you a nice big kiss.

Yet another sparkling gem, this self-titled album FINALLY brought the DiVinyls a portion of the acclaim and success in North America that all their albums should have received worldwide. Some have complained that the sound of this album is different from previous albums, ignoring the fact that "What A Life" was a bigger departure from "Desperate" than this is from "Temperamental" and that all the DiVinyls albums have a different sound from each other. Some have even called this a sell-out. Alright, I try never to tear down other people's opinions on albums or movies or whatever, even when they're trashing something I really love, but I have to take strong issue with this. First of all, the diVinyls NEVER sold out anything, and anybody who knows anything about all the ridiculous troubles they've had with various record labels for not going along with the trends du jour knows this. This is a band that during legal arguements with one record label that prevented them from profiting from any new material they put out for a few years, contributed new songs to film soundtracks and authorised the recording and selling of live "authorised bootleg" concert performances without receiving a cent so they could continue giving their fans at least some new material. And this is a band that has always exerted more say on record covers, music videos, and so on than most bands on overly controlling 'major' record labels. Second of all, at the time this album was recorded and released, most all that was getting major airplay on radio and tv was rap, grunge, and the 'modern' style of country. No disrespect whatsoever to any of those genres, but this album doesn't exactly fit those molds. Some hard rock was still getting major play, like AC/DC, KISS, Guns'N'Roses, and a few others, but this album actually sounds Less like any of those than "Temperamental", which was at least somewhat in that vein (and excellent). The fact is, the self-titled album was moving away from almost all major trends of its time, and the fact that "I Touch Myself" got significant airplay on this continent and "Make Out Alright" got a fair bit too is a minor miracle on par with Rammstein's "Du Hast" making it onto the mainstream airwaves in 1998.

Now that I've got that off my chest, I can concentrate on the album itself. It's a brilliant, stunningly sexy eminently classy and emotionally diverse masterpiece that gives huge credibility to the whole rock genre. "Make Out Alright" is the album's foreplay, as perfect an opener to set the tone as any album opener has ever been. "I Touch Myself" indeed has a double meaning (even if the critics were never able to see it), as much a spiritual rocker about how one gets to truly know one's own being by being in love with another, as it is a celebratory, non-self-concious, unashamed halleleujah to (...). "Lay Your Body Down" just soars with Christina Amphlett's trademark irresistable come-ons, generously garnished at the end with a dose of play-coyness. "Love School" is a slower and somewhat melancholy change of pace that still sizzles; "Bless My Soul It's Rock'n'Roll" is an energetic ride that is highlighted by Amphlett's vocal quirks and powerhouse singing throughout and Mark McEntee's exceptional lead guitar work. "If Love Was A Gun" is the saddest song on the album, but very powerful and touching in its theme of tender concern toward an ex-flame despite being the one left behind. "Need A Lover" returns the fun and the sexuality to the album with Christina's lusty lamentations to fairy godmothers, wizards and various other potential benefeactors to deliver to her a soulmate/bedmate. "Follow Through" makes use of an obscure instrument called a wah-tar to give the song its unique flavor, and is an inspirer in somewhat the same line as "Take A Chance" (off "Desperate"). This is followed, believe it or not, by a short piece called "Café Interlude" that is just accordion and background chatter and bustle in French, but actually fits in very well with the rest of the album! I guess it helps that I enjoy accordion music anyway; some rock fans probably don't and won't be as impressed as I was at its inclusion; I thought it was very innovative. "Bullet" follows - Chrissie's vocals are the highlight as with all DiVinyls songs but the unusual, extremely well-played drums by Charley Drayton are a close second, playing a more defining role than the guitars by McEntee, the fine bass work of Randy Jackson and the flawless hammond organ work by Benmont Tench. "I'm On Your Side", a very gentle, very powerful ballad, is simply one of the most beautiful expressions of love on any album, in terms of both velvet lyrics and soul-felt vocals, with outstanding acoustic guitar playing.

I can't help but close this writeup by expressing my deep appreciation for the CD's photo content, both on the cover and in the booklet. For those who can only see the front cover, the back cover and the interior pics of Chrissie are just as hot. The band's only other permanent member from day one, guitarist McEntee, is also in a couple of the liner photos; fine fellow, I'm sure, but his photos just don't have the same effect on me as the sight of Miss Amphlett decked out in Nothing But Net :)

That is the best way to describe the self-titled release from the Divinyls. With Christina Amphlett's sultry, powerful voice, and Mark McEntee's guitar work, this album really isn't that bad. We've all heard the song and seen the video that left little to the imagination, but the album is actually more than just that. I applaud the Divinyls for "I Touch Myself" because there is a tendency in this country to be too uptight. At the same time though, I like music, and don't want to waste my money on shock.

There are several pretty good songs on here that will make it worth your money. Personally, I like a female singer who can belt out tunes with raw tenderness, and Amphlett fits that bill. Her voice is a bit deeper, with a hint of her native Australian accent to flavor it. She's has a great growling tremolo that can be heard in the acappella opening of "Bless My Soul (It's Rock-N-Roll)". Amphlett alone doesn't make this band any good.

She has a well-rounded guitarist in McEntee behind her. He's a very solid guitarist that focuses mostly on rhythm with some brief exploits into soloing. Within each song he is good a varying the rhythm just a bit, sticking in an extra strum here and there, to keep it interesting. He lays down some cool grooves on "Lay Your Body Down", "Bullet", "Bless My Soul" and "Follow Through".

This album is good rock and roll from the pre-Seattle explosion. It is worth more than their infamous song, and is a good listen.

i touch myself is the best song i have heard all my life. the song is both naughty and nice. the divinyls have attitude and girl power. they show that girls can be cool and rule the charts.

I can not believe I found this CD. It is in mint condition. when I am 90 I will still be playing it.sharing the love of Jesus.

a friend gave me a copy of this audio tape when the album first came out, from the first listen i was entranced! now i'm going on 35 and not only do i still listen to it, but i know it backwards and forwards...it's original, sexy, dark without being depressing, entertaining, fun, fantastic lyrically AND musically. there's not much else out there like it, and even though "i touch myself" is a fun song, it's by far not the best on the album...

do yourself a favor, get this album!