era. Taking their cues from these Aussie bands, along with the American hard rock of
. They exploded out of the gates in 1982 with a series of records (released in Australia only) fueled by high-speed guitars, wah-wah-strangulated solos, and cartoonish, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
Playing initially for crowds of hard rock-loving surfers, it didn't take long for
the Rifles to develop a following. Outside of the continent, however, they were virtually unknown. That changed in 1985 with the release of
Quintessentially Yours, a lengthy EP that was a collection of tracks from earlier albums. Although
the Rifles didn't receive the attention of many lesser American and English bands, the releases kept coming, and they were all excellent. What didn't help was a seeming disinterest the band had in touring America. But when you're an Australian band, it's easy to see why: it's expensive, it takes forever to get there, and why bother when the records aren't getting the kind of reception they deserve? As a result,
the Rifles last toured America in 1987.
As they continued recording and maturing,
the Rifles were unafraid to take risks with their tried-and-true loud-and-fast sound. Soon, acoustic guitars entered the mix, tempos slowed, pianos tinkled in the background, and vocal harmonies were added. None of this increased technical skill and studio experimentation diluted the band's strengths (i.e., feral power); in fact, it may well have made
the Rifles a better and more interesting band. Another development was the increased politicization and social consciousness of their material. No longer were they simply sarcastic funny boys. Rather, they were addressing serious political, environmental, and social issues, thanks to
Lovelock's sharp, insightful lyrics, all without any condescension or simplistic rhetoric.
In 1989,
Rifles albums were suddenly no longer available in American release, a fact that didn't help the band in its quest to develop an international following. As a result, their great album
Blind Ear was available (when you could find it) only as a high-priced Aussie import. Also, there were signs that
the Rifles were nearing the end:
Steedman and
Morris were playing around Sydney with other musicians and producing new bands;
Lovelock released a solo album (
It's a Wig, Wig, Wig, World) with members of
the Church; and the time between
Rifles releases seemed to grow longer. Another dispiriting sign was the 1992 release of Heaven on a Stick, which, despite a wonderful title, sounded tired and tossed off.
Fortunately, all this speculation turned out to be wrong, and in late 1994
the Rifles stormed back with
Spaceman in a Satin Suit, an exhilarating return to form. A nonstop barrage of power, volume, and sharp songwriting, it shreds virtually every effort by the '90s generation of guitar-based alterna-rock careerists, and is easily the band's best record since
Blind Ear. They may be a grizzled bunch of punk rockers, but there's nothing
the Celibate Rifles couldn't teach young rock bands.
–
John Dougan, Rovi