Customer Reviews

East

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

East is a terrific album, but it is all too often called the best this and the quintessential that. It's about time listeners listened for themselves instead of so called critics doing it for them. Don't get me wrong, East is great, But Circus Animals is a much tighter, stronger album. If you are wondering what my credibility is, I have none, except for being fan for over fifteen years, going backstage at the most recent concert, talking to the band myself, and discussing Circus Animals with Ian Moss(Lead Guitar). Nothing against you hardcore East Fans, I'm Just A hardcore Circus Animals Fan.

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 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.

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

Cold Chisel are the quintessental Australian rock band of the 1980's and East was the "must have" album of the period and continues to be a prerequiste for any Australian music collection. I have been travelling for the last eight years and it is always within easy reach.

I had this album (and only this album) in the cassette player of my car for 2 years straight and played it constantly. This is the quintessential Australian rock album. From ballads like Choir Girl to ball-tearers like Star Hotel. Do yourself a favour and get some good Aussie Chisel on your stereo. Buy all the others too. You won't be disappointed.

As far as Australian albums go, East is one of the best- but if it is compared to the other five Cold Chisel studio albums, East is complete rubbish. Yes, the songs are suitable for radio: about three or four minutes long, structured in a very orthodox manner, standard choruses recurring in each song, and the album has been produced to bring us high-quality listening. Unfortunately, this is Cold Chisel at their most boring and predictable, and therefore- contrary to popular belief- East is not classic Cold Chisel. The individual songs work well on radio (as mentioned above), but the album does not work well as a unit. Cold Chisel's first real team-effort in song-writing leaves East very poor as a unit. Standing On The Outside, Rising Sun, My Turn To Cry, Cheap Wine, Star Hotel: All at the same intensity and pace. If it wasn't for the relief with classics Four Walls and Choir Girl, this album would be worth Two Stars. For a real "together" Australian album, listen to Circus Animals, released by Cold Chisel with two years experience on from East- The album which should have been named Boring

This is yet another album released by the highly overrated Australian band Cold Chisel. In the track "Standing On The Outside" it is suggested to the listener that if they are short of cash then the solution is to rob a TAB (Aussie Betting Outlet) which glorifies a life of crime.It seems that Mr. Don Walker likes writing songs about so called "Beautiful Losers" but I feel there is nothing "Glorious" about drinking Cheap Wine on a beach all day with regrets about what you did yesterday .Perhaps the success that this band enjoyed was partly due to the fact that the listeners could all relate to the losers depicted in Mr. Wanker's songs. Misery just LOVES company!