Divinyls (album)

Divinyls (stylised as diVINYLS) is the fourth studio album by Australian band Divinyls, released on 29 January 1991 by Virgin Records. The album was the band's most successful,[1] peaking at number 5 in Australia and number 15 on the US Billboard 200. It also contains the band's biggest-selling single, "I Touch Myself", which reached number one in Australia, number 4 in the US and number 10 in the UK.

Divinyls
Studio album by
Divinyls
Released29 January 1991 (1991-01-29) (Australia)
21 April 1991 (Japan)
Recorded1990
StudioGroove Masters Studio, Santa Monica; "Cafe Interlude" recorded at Mega Studios (Paris)
GenrePop rock
Length47:41
LabelVirgin
ProducerChristina Amphlett, Mark McEntee, David Tickle
Divinyls chronology
Temperamental
(1988)		 Divinyls
(1991)		 Essential
(1991)
Singles from Divinyls
  1. "I Touch Myself"
    Released: 19 November 1990
  2. "Love School"
    Released: 21 April 1991
  3. "Make Out Alright"
    Released: 1991
  4. "I'm on Your Side"
    Released: 1991

Background and recording

It was the only album recorded by the band with the Virgin Records label after a recording contract with Chrysalis Records in the UK was terminated.[2] Virgin told manager Andrew McManus they were keen to sign the band—by then comprising just singer Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee—because they saw Amphlett as "the next Madonna".[2] Amphlett and McEntee moved to an apartment in Paris where they wrote "Love School", "Make Out Alright" and "Lay Your Body Down", before transferring to Los Angeles, where the remainder of the album was written, partly in collaboration with songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.[2]

The album was recorded at Jackson Browne's Groove Masters Studio in Santa Monica, with backing provided by bassist Randy Jackson, keyboardist Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and drummer Charley Drayton, who later married Amphlett in 1999.

Promotion

Director Michael Bay filmed a video for "I Touch Myself" in a nunnery in Pasadena. The clip was nominated for an MTV award but in their home country was banned from television.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Jim Farber from Rolling Stone gave praise to the album's instrumentation and lyrical hooks for giving the band more grit and attention to listeners than the "murky production" found on Temperamental. He also highlighted Chrissy Amphlett's vocal performance as another step up from the previous album, calling it "the most sexually charged voice from a rock female" since Chrissie Hynde.[4] Alex Henderson of AllMusic found the record to be "respectable and generally appealing", praising its new wave-influenced tracks for having a sense of edge and melody to them. He added that the band's debut effort Desperate was a better starting point for new listeners but said that this contained more strengths to warrant more attention.[3]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Make Out Alright"Christina Amphlett, Mark McEntee, Martyn Watson4:38
2."I Touch Myself"Amphlett, McEntee, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg3:46
3."Lay Your Body Down"Amphlett, McEntee4:51
4."Love School"Amphlett, McEntee5:23
5."Bless My Soul (It's Rock-n-Roll)"Amphlett, McEntee4:00
6."If Love Was a Gun"Amphlett, McEntee5:36
7."Need a Lover"Amphlett, McEntee4:50
8."Follow Through"Amphlett, McEntee4:44
9."Café Interlude" 0:41
10."Bullet"Amphlett, David Malloy, McEntee4:56
11."I'm on Your Side"Kelly, Steinberg4:16

Personnel

Production
  • Produced By Chrissy Amphlett, Mark McEntee & David Tickle
  • Recorded by David Tickle and Robert Salcedo, except "Cafe Interlude" (recorded by Jean LeRoc)
  • Mixed by Rob Jacobs, Robert Salcedo and Brian Scheuble
  • Mastered By Doug Sax
  • Tracks 1, 3-8 and 10 published by EMI Songs Ltd. Track 2 published by Billy Steinberg Music/Denise Barry Music/EMI Songs Ltd. Track 11 published by Billy Steinberg Music/Denise Barry Music.

Charts
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] 25
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 59
US Billboard 200[8] 15
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References
  1. McFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  2. Amphlett, Chrissy; Larry Writer (2005). Pleasure and Pain: My Life. Sydney: Hodder Australia. p. 336. ISBN 0-7336-1959-2.
  3. Henderson, Alex. "Divinyls - The Divinyls". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  4. Farber, Jim (7 March 1991). "Divinyls : Divinyls". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  5. "Australiancharts.com – Divinyls – Divinyls". Hung Medien.
  6. "Swedishcharts.com – Divinyls – Divinyls". Hung Medien.
  7. "Divinyls | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  8. "Divinyls Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
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