When it comes unadulterated '70’s macho rock, no one can really top Australia’s Buffalo.

Formed by former blues vocalist Dave Tice in Sydney in the summer of 1971, the band bellowed out both a burly, proto-metal sound and an intentionally misogynist ambiance across the five albums they recorded for the highly collectible and lauded imprint, Vertigo. Their third album, ‘Only Want You for Your Body’ – which was released in June 1974 with a cover image of an overweight, scantily clad woman on a torture table and song titles such as ‘I’m a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser’ – truly defines their horny ‘n’ hairy vibe.

The aforementioned ‘I’m A Skirt Lifter, Not A Shirt Raiser’ opens up the album with a raucous, good time explosion. The band is locked into a driving rhythm courtesy of Jimmy Economou while Tice delivers his gravely vocals with all the grace of a Sherman tank. After that, the record loses paces a bit with a run though Ten Years After ‘I’m Coming Down’, and the track ‘Dune Messiah’, a heavy, Black Sabbath-at-a-snail’s-pace tune that although crushing, brings the pace down a little bit.

But after that, the record is back up and practically running out to the corner store to pick up another case of suds. John Baxter delivers some seriously hammeringly hard guitar on tracks such as ‘What’s Going On’ and ‘Kings Cross Ladies,’ and it makes you wonder if some of those New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands might have had a copy of this record hidden away in their record collections and unconsciously bit a riff or two from the man. It’s one to ponder for sure.

‘Only Want You for Your Body’ remains one of those special pieces of the '70’s hard rock puzzle; one that is equally obscure as it is seminal. The Aztec label out of the band’s native country did a full re-issue campaign of their releases a few years ago and the complete package of every single one of them is truly a labor of love to behold. Do yourself a favor and pick up their re-issue of ‘Only Want You for Your Body’. If you’re a fan of things hard, heavy and loud as hell, you won’t regret it.

Listen to 'I’m a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser'

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