Search - Divinyls :: What a Life

Power-Punk-Pop at it's Best!

Christopher Knight | Frisco, CA USA | 08/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Australia has produced some fine bands (Bon Scott's AC/DC) & some absolute rubbish (Men at Work), but none can compare to Christina Amphlett, "The Wonder From Down Under" & her band Divinyls. This is the best of their releases, a truly amazing experiment in powerful, energetic Punk/Pop that has never been duplicated - & judging by the state of music these days - never will!!

This is one of my favorite albums of ALL TIME! "What A Life!" is one of those rare examples of a record that kicks ass from opening note to glorious conclusion; every song, every chord, every lyric intelligently crafted by talented musicians who know how to get a point across to the listener without being pretentious or overbearing. Amphlett's delivery is caustic yet invigorating, raw yet poignant, sweet & sexy yet sinister all at once - a feat only a rare few can attain. Each tune has its own unique identity, yet they blend together seamlessly as if parts of a "concept" album. The instruments accent each other perfectly, & when combined with Amphlett's power they resemble a hard-rocking blues band more than a punk outfit (a la Patti Smith or Concrete Blonde). This record must be listened to in its entirety to get the full impact - cherry-picking is for 80 IQ & under lame-oids!

MTV & VH-1 classify Divinyls as "One-hit Wonders", which shows how much they know about music! Trust me - this band is HOT!! I highly recommend EVERY DIVINYLS RECORD, but this is the best of the best! Do yourself a favor & add "What A Life!" to your collection - you'll never watch music television again!!"

Excellent!!! forgotten eighties treasure

Stephen B. O'Blenis | 12/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"God I miss the eighties! when are we going to have another creative explosion, from the looks of things that's not going to happen. I loved this band the first time I saw them on MTV, and I miss them. When is America going to wake up and smell the roses instead of wallowing headfirst in the dingleberries of current music. Stop pipe dreaming...Guitar driven and fun! classic alternative rock album, not really a bad song on it...give it a try at least for nostalgic interest and remember... they did it before Nirvana or Hole or any other imitator that's followed."