Only Want You For Your Body
Encyclopedia
Only Want You For Your Body is the third album for Australian proto-metal
band Buffalo
, recorded and originally released in 1974 on the Vertigo
label. A far more structured and polished release than the previous album Volcanic Rock
, Only Want You For Your Body was conversely a much harder and heavier release. Buffalo had abandoned the progressive
and psychedelic
elements of their style, in favour of a more straightforward, modernistic approach to heavy metal. On the basis of this album, Buffalo were perhaps one of the earliest acts to develop heavy metal music away from its blues-rock
origins – with some passing similarities to future metal acts later in the decade, such as those in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
scene. The album even bizarrely contains a precursor to the death growl
on the outro to the track "What's Going On".
Buffalo courted controversy again with their album artwork – the cover depicting a half-naked obese woman tied to a torture rack. Adding further fuel to accusations of misogyny
was the shift in lyrical emphasis towards sex, in particular the tracks "I'm a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser" and "Kings Cross Ladies". This also marked a shift towards street-level oriented lyrics – an approach that would be later adopted by compatriot hard rock
acts including AC/DC
, The Angels
and Rose Tattoo
.
The album was remastered and reissued in November 2005 by Australian record label Aztec Music on CD
with additional tracks.
* Bonus tracks on the 2005 Aztec Music reissue
Peter Wells - bass
John Baxter - guitar
Jimmy Economou - drums
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Buffalo
Buffalo (band)
Buffalo was an early heavy metal band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1971. The band left a legacy with Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and alternative rock movements. The band had evolved from the Brisbane blues-rock outfit Head, which was originally formed in 1968 by Dave Tice and Peter Wells...
, recorded and originally released in 1974 on the Vertigo
Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records today is a UK-based record label operated by Universal Music UK.-History:Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the late 1960s for its record sub-label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI with Harvest Records and Decca Records with Deram...
label. A far more structured and polished release than the previous album Volcanic Rock
Volcanic Rock (album)
Volcanic Rock is the second album for Australian proto-heavy metal band Buffalo, recorded and originally released in 1973 on the Vertigo label. The album was stylistically a much harder, heavier and rawer release than its predecessor – marking a move away from the band's previous progressive rock...
, Only Want You For Your Body was conversely a much harder and heavier release. Buffalo had abandoned the progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
elements of their style, in favour of a more straightforward, modernistic approach to heavy metal. On the basis of this album, Buffalo were perhaps one of the earliest acts to develop heavy metal music away from its blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
origins – with some passing similarities to future metal acts later in the decade, such as those in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
scene. The album even bizarrely contains a precursor to the death growl
Death growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
on the outro to the track "What's Going On".
Buffalo courted controversy again with their album artwork – the cover depicting a half-naked obese woman tied to a torture rack. Adding further fuel to accusations of misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
was the shift in lyrical emphasis towards sex, in particular the tracks "I'm a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser" and "Kings Cross Ladies". This also marked a shift towards street-level oriented lyrics – an approach that would be later adopted by compatriot hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
acts including AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, The Angels
The Angels (Australian band)
The Angels are a hard rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1970. The band later relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success until well into the 1990s. For the purposes of international release, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The...
and Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life"...
.
The album was remastered and reissued in November 2005 by Australian record label Aztec Music on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
with additional tracks.
Track listing
All tracks written by Dave Tice and John Baxter, unless noted- I'm a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser
- I'm Coming On (Alvin LeeAlvin LeeAlvin Lee is an English rock guitarist and singer. He began playing guitar at the age of 13, and with Leo Lyons formed the core of the band Ten Years After in 1960...
) - (Ten Years AfterTen Years AfterTen Years After is an English blues-rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, Ten Years After scored eight Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart...
cover) - Dune Messiah
- Stay With Me
- What's Going On
- Kings Cross Ladies
- United Nations
- What's Going On (single version)*
- United Nations (live at Hordern PavilionHordern PavilionThe Hordern Pavilion is a building located in Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the grounds of the old Sydney Showground. "The Hordern", as it is affectionally known by Sydneysiders, has been an architecturally and socially significant Sydney landmark since its construction in 1924...
, Sydney, April 1974 - recorded for ABC-TVABC1ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
program GTKGTK (TV show)GTK was an Australian popular music TV series produced and broadcast by ABC Television.-History:The series title was an abbreviation of the phrase "Get To Know"...
)*
* Bonus tracks on the 2005 Aztec Music reissue
Line up
Dave Tice - lead vocalsPeter Wells - bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
John Baxter - guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
Jimmy Economou - drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....