Breakfast At Sweethearts (Remastered)

iTunes Review

Having quickly established themselves as a major act on the Australian circuit, Cold Chisel crashed into the local charts in a big way with their second release, Breakfast at Sweethearts. It showcases keyboard player Don Walker’s songwriting strength — engaging vignettes rife with local references, as well as classic, no-nonsense arrangements. As with the group’s 1978 debut, Chisel were still experimenting with their sound in the studio, but the sheer quality of the songs and musicianship on offer makes this a must-have from the band’s catalogue. Breakfast at Sweethearts contains a number of the band’s live favourites: blue collar anthem “Shipping Steel”, the languid, reggae-tinged title track, and their blazing show-stopper “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)”. “Breakfast at Sweethearts” was issued as a single, its early morning evocation of Kings Cross still as potent as ever. The remainder of the album proves just as effective, crowned by the powerful closing track “The Door”, with a mounting sense of paranoia that grabs the listener by the throat.