''Divinyls'' (stylised as ''diVINYLS'') is the fourth studio album by Australian band

Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uni ...

, released on 29 January 1991 by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

. The album was the band's most successful, peaking at number 5 in Australia and number 15 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. It also contains the band's biggest-selling single, "

I Touch Myself "I Touch Myself" is a song recorded by the Australian rock band Divinyls and written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg with Christine Amphlett and Mark McEntee of the Divinyls. It was released in November 1990 as the lead single from their f ...

", which reached number one in Australia, number 4 in the US and number 10 in the UK.

Background and recording

It was the only album recorded by the band with the

label after a recording contract with Chrysalis Records in the UK was terminated. Virgin told manager Andrew McManus they were keen to sign the band—by then comprising just singer

Chrissy Amphlett Christine Joy Amphlett (; 25 October 1959 – 21 April 2013) was an Australian singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the frontwoman of the rock band Divinyls. She was notable for her brash, overtly sexual persona and subversive hu ...

and guitarist

Mark McEntee Mark McEntee ( ; born 16 July 1955) is an Australian musician, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the Australian rock band, Divinyls. Early life McEntee was born in Perth, Western Australia, and went to Christ Church Grammar Sc ...

—because they saw Amphlett as "the next Madonna". Amphlett and McEntee moved to an apartment in Paris where they wrote " Love School", " Make Out Alright" and "Lay Your Body Down", before transferring to Los Angeles, where the remainder of the album was written, partly in collaboration with songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The album was recorded at Jackson Browne's Groove Masters Studio in Santa Monica, with backing provided by bassist Randy Jackson, keyboardist

Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin ...

of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and drummer Charley Drayton, who later married Amphlett in 1999.

Promotion

Director Michael Bay filmed a video for "I Touch Myself" in a nunnery in Pasadena. The clip was nominated for an

MTV award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

but in their home country was banned from television.

Critical reception

Jim Farber from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' gave praise to the album's instrumentation and lyrical hooks for giving the band more grit and attention to listeners than the "murky production" found on '' Temperamental''. He also highlighted Chrissy Amphlett's vocal performance as another step up from the previous album, calling it "the most sexually charged voice from a rock female" since Chrissie Hynde. Alex Henderson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

found the record to be "respectable and generally appealing", praising its new wave-influenced tracks for having a sense of edge and melody to them. He added that the band's debut effort '' Desperate'' was a better starting point for new listeners but said that this contained more strengths to warrant more attention.

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocals and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

– guitars and backing vocals *

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and organ * Randy Jackson – bass * Charley Drayton – drums and harmonica * Brian McLeod – percussions * Scott Crago – drums *

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various film and television soundtracks. He is best known for his 1967 album ''Song Cycle'' and for his collaborations with ...

– string arrangement ("Love School")

Production

* Produced By Chrissy Amphlett, Mark McEntee & David Tickle * Recorded by David Tickle and Robert Salcedo, except "Cafe Interlude" (recorded by Jean LeRoc) * Mixed by Rob Jacobs, Robert Salcedo and Brian Scheuble * Mastered By Doug Sax * Tracks 1, 3-8 and 10 published by EMI Songs Ltd. Track 2 published by Billy Steinberg Music/Denise Barry Music/EMI Songs Ltd. Track 11 published by Billy Steinberg Music/Denise Barry Music.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

"Make Out Alright"

"Make Out Alright" is a song by Australian rock duo

, released as the third single from their self-titled fourth album in 1991. "Make Out Alright" peaked at No. 105 in Australia.

Track listing

Australian CD single # "Make Out Alright" - 4:38 # "Need a Lover" - 4:50 Australian 12"/Europe CD single">"Divinyls Discography"
/ref> # "Make Out Alright" - 4:38 # "I Touch Myself" (Live) # "Need a Lover" - 4:50

References

{{Authority control 1990 albums Divinyls albums Virgin Records albums