Review Summary: Good ol' fashioned Aussie Rock 'n' Roll, only with more talent than AC/DC
Australia, a country most known to outsiders as “Crocodile Dundee” land, a place where we either live in Sydney or in the outback, a place where everything is out to kill you, where we ride Kangaroos to work and school and the owner of Mel Gibson. (please note: those last two aren’t true, Mel Gibson was born in New York)
Out of the darkness of the pop-filled 80’s came one of Australia’s most underrated and underappreciated bands of all time, the Baby Animals
At the time, Baby Animals were:
• Suze DeMarchi - Guitar, Vocals
• Dave Leslie - Guitar
• Eddie Parise - Bass
• Frank Celenza – Drums
Baby Animal’s self-titled debut album debuted at number six on the ARIA Album Charts in 1991 and spent six weeks at number one, eventually going eight times platinum and becoming the highest-selling debut Australian rock album of all time (until the release of Jet's album, Get Born 12 years later). In October 2010, Baby Animals was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.
This held the record for good reasons too, released in a time when the future of Rock and Roll was uncertain, this album really paved the way for some aspiring young Australian Rock artists and really showed what Australia could offer, apart from 3 chord riff progressions that we seem to be known for (AC/DC).
The album has clean production; with the focus being on Frank’s pounding drums and Suze’s powerful vocals. The blues riffing style of Dave is unique and welcome, in a time when every guitarist just wanted to shred it up and become the next Dimebag Darrell. Eddie’s bass playing is suitable and doesn’t detract at all from the overall listening pleasure of the album.
The album starts off with the fast paced, exciting “Rush You” and then onto the most known song “Early Warning”. After a speedy beginning, the band bring it back with the emotional “Painless” and “Make It End”. It goes on like this (fast song, slow song) for a while until my personal favourite song on the album “Ain’t Gonna Get”, a song about Suze not just sleeping with any man. It’s a bombastic and high octane song, which is a great ending to a great album.
Overall, I would highly suggest this album to anyone who loves hard rock. It’s catchy, well produced and all round good listening.
Recommended songs:
Rush You
Early Warning
Painless
One Word
Working For The Enemy
Ain't Gonna Get
