Body Blow

Body Blow is the second studio album by New Zealand rock band the Headless Chickens. It was originally released in 1991, then rereleased for Australia in 1993 with a substantially reworked track list, losing "Crash Hot" and "Road Train" but gaining "Mr. Moon", "Juice", "Choppers" and some remixes.[1] Another Australian version followed in 1994 with the addition of a bonus disc containing six remixes.[2]

Body Blow
1991 album cover
Studio album by Headless Chickens
Released	1991, rereleased 1993
Genre	Rock, industrial
Label	Flying Nun Records
Producer	Rex Visible, Michael Koppelman
Headless Chickens chronology
Stunt Clown (1989) Body Blow (1991) Greedy (1997)
Alternative cover
1993 Australian version

Body Blow was the Headless Chickens most successful album, including three top-10 singles and achieving double platinum sales.[3] The album includes a cover of "Inside Track", originally recorded as "The Inside Track" by New Zealand new wave band Stridulators.[4][5]

Reviewed in Rolling Stone Australia, the first single, "Gaskrankinstation", was noted for its inability to be categorised. It was described as a "tragic saga of a callous fool trapped in a dumb job and a loveless marriage. The tempo builds inexorably with the sense of an impending catastrophe."[6]

On 29 March 2019, an extended version was reissued.[7]

Track listing

1991 version[8]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer	Length
1.	"Donde Esta La Pollo"	A Nevison/C Matthews/Headless Chickens	Rex Visible	3:46
2.	"Cruise Control"	C Matthews/M Lawry	Rex Visible	4:34
3.	"Crash Hot"		Rex Visible	2:39
4.	"Railway Surfing"	C Matthews	Rex Visible	4:31
5.	"Nose"	C Matthews	Rex Visible	4:22
6.	"Million Dollar Dream"	C Matthews/M Lawry/G Fell	Rex Visible	5:17
7.	"Gaskrankinstation"	C Matthews	Rex Visible	4:32
8.	"Body Blow"	Headless Chickens	Rex Visible	4:40
9.	"Road Train"		Rex Visible	4:40

1993 version[9]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer	Length
1.	"Choppers (Koppelman Mix)"	M Lawry/Headless Chickens	Michael Koppelman	3:34
2.	"Donde Esta La Pollo (Kentucky Freud Mix)"	A Nevison/C Matthews/Headless Chickens	Rex Visible	3:44
3.	"Mr. Moon"	C Matthews	Michael Koppelman	4:30
4.	"Gaskrankinstation"	C Matthews	Rex Visible	4:33
5.	"Body Blow"	Headless Chickens	Rex Visible	4:40
6.	"Juice"	F McDonald/M Tierney/P Casserly	Michael Koppelman	4:38
7.	"Cruise Control"	C Matthews/M Lawry	Rex Visible	4:33
8.	"Million $ Dream"	C Matthews/M Lawry/G Fell	Rex Visible	5:17
9.	"Inside Track"	C Burt/S Roach	Michael Koppelman	5:09
10.	"Railway Surfing ('93 Octane Mix)"	C Matthews	Rex Visible	4:30
11.	"Nose"	C Matthews	Rex Visible	4:24
12.	"Donde Esta La Pollo (Cock Rock Mix)"	A Nevison/C Matthews/Headless Chickens	Rex Visible	4:33
13.	"Choppers (Helibator Mix)"	M Lawry/Headless Chickens		4:11

Personnel

Headless Chickens

• Chris Matthews – vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Fiona McDonald – vocals, keyboards
• Grant Fell – bass, keyboards
• Michael Lawry – keyboards
• Anthony Nevison – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
• Bevan Sweeney – drums

Additional personnel

• Rex Visible – keyboards

Production

• Rex Visible – engineer, producer
• Michael Koppelman – engineer, producer
• Anthony Nevison – engineer
• Phil "Feel" Jones – engineer assistant

Chart positions

Album charts Chart Peak position New Zealand Albums Chart[10] 17 Australian Albums Chart[11] 45

Certifications Country Certification New Zealand[12] Platinum x2

Singles charts

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		NZ [3]	AUS [13]
1990	"Gaskrankinstation"/"Crash Hot"	28	—
1991	"Cruise Control"	6	26
1992	"Donde Esta La Pollo"	4	—
1992	"Juice"/"Choppers"	7	—
1993	"Mr. Moon"	22	93

References

1. "Headless Chickens". Flying Nun. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
2. "Headless Chickens - Body Blow". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
3. "Headless Chickens". NZ Charts.
4. "Headless Chickens - Inside Track". YouTube. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
5. "Stridulators – Queue / The Inside Track". Discogs. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
6. Demetrius, Mark (July 1990). "Honey Steel's Gold Ed Kuepper". Rolling Stone Australia. No. 446. Sydney, NSW: Tilmond Pty Ltd. p. 105.
7. "Headless Chickens and Flying Nun Records announce Body Blow reissue". Stuff Limited. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
8. "Headless Chickens – Body Blow (1991)". Discogs. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
9. "Headless Chickens – Body Blow (1993)". Discogs. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
10. "HEADLESS CHICKENS - BODY BLOW (ALBUM)". Charts NZ. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
11. "HEADLESS CHICKENS - BODY BLOW (ALBUM)". Australian Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
12. "The Headless Chickens". Stuff. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
13. "Headless Chickens". Australian Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2013.