Teenage Love

Adelaide pub-rockers Cold Chisel were moving at such a fast clip through their first decade, from 1973 to 1983, it’s inevitable some songs were undeservedly forgotten in the rush. Yet even the band’s members were stunned by the quality of the demos, alternate versions, and outtakes that manager Rod Willis and keyboardist and songwriter Don Walker discovered during a trawl of old tapes in the early ’90s. Recorded between 1976 and 1983, the 16 tracks on the 1994 compilation Teenage Love more than match the bravado of the better-known songs that made the cut for the band’s albums. A lusty rocker that was one of the first songs written by singer Jimmy Barnes and demoed for 1980’s East, “Hands Out of My Pocket” launches the collection with a show of fury that was typical of their live shows through the era. Likewise, “Teenage Love Affair” and “Drinkin In Port Lincoln” compensate for their bare-bones production quality with the band’s hard-charging performances and Barnes’ full-bore vocals.