(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)
The Sydney-based Celibate Rifles spearheaded Australian punk rock with the EP But Jacques The Fish (1982), a work that retained the sarcastically clownish inflections of the Sex Pistols: Let's Get Married, 24 Hours, and Tubular Green are worthy of the best British slam dances, while Kent's Theme adds a touch of Western epic.
Sideroxylon (Hot, 1983) considerably toned down that punk impetus, settling midway between bold and epic party-style garage rock (Killing Time, Where Do I Go, and especially God Squad) and heartfelt street ballads ā la Replacements (This Week). The single Pretty Pictures, essentially a power ballad, and the single Merry Xmas Blues, essentially a novelty, are all preparatory works for their mature phase.
Within a few years, however, the Rifles rebuilt their sound and career in the realm of punk-metal. On Celibate Rifles (1984), the fusion of Radio Birdman and the Ramones reaches an optimal level: the deep, sinister register of singer Damien Lovelock and the creative barrage of guitarists Dave Morris and Kent Steadman (alternating riffs that are at times Hendrixian and at times folk-martial) fuel a soundwild on tracks like Wild Desire and Kiss Me Deadlywhose roots actually stretch back to the origins of rock and roll. Subtle (and somewhat verbose) touches in Thank You America and Darlinghurst Confidential add a hint of personality.
The intensity of that work was doubled the following year with the single Sometimes and the album The Turgid Miasma Of Existence (Hot, 1986). Bill Bonney Regrets, No Sign, and Conflict Of Instinct (worthy of Devo) live up to their most furious moments.
Mina Mina Mina (1986) is an anthology of their early years.
Roman Beach Party (What Goes On, 1987) had already lost much of that verve, although Wonderful Life and the instrumental Frank Hyde retain their charm. Perhaps better is the EP Dancing Barefoot, with the punchy The More Things Change and Junk.
By the time of Blind Ear (Hot, 1989), their sound had matured: whether sinking its teeth into hard rock (the single Johnny) or indulging in power ballads (Wonderful Life and Electravision Mantra), the band displayed an adult sensibility. Glam touches (O Salvation) and folk elements (Sean O'Farrell) reveal a certain restlessness within the ranks.
(Original English text by Piero Scaruffi)
Platters Du Jour (Hot, 1990) collects their singles.
Sofa (1993) is a career retrospective.
They returned with
Heaven On A Stick (Hot, 1992), a failed album but still boasting
Light Of Life in autenthic Radio Birdman style.
Spaceman In A Satin Suit (Hot, 1994) was even less exciting, despite
Spirits and City Of Hope. The Celibate Rifles were rapidly
becoming a grunge band, and in that genre their album was actually better than
the average.
Their saga continued, mostly unaltered, with
A Mid-stream of Consciousness (2002) and Beyond Respect (2005),
with You Won't Love Me.
By blending the Ramones and the Fleshtones, the Celibate Rifles arrived at a well-articulated form of garage rock, constituting the natural link between the Radio Birdman generation and that of the Birthday Party.
Damien Lovelock died in 2019.
