13. ‘Kathy’s Kisses‘ vs ‘Sugar Coated Bitter Truth‘
This is the big decider. Whoever wins this point comes out as the winner in our first Album Attack. Both final tracks vary a bit from what came before them. ‘Sugar Coated Bitter Truth’ is 4 minutes long, contrasting with the 2 to 3 minute songs on the rest of the album. ‘Kathy’s Kisses’ is a bit more of a rock song than the industrial noise of the songs before it, in fact it bears a closer resemblance to some of Cave’s later work with the Bad Seeds and Grinderman than any Birthday Party song. The disjointed piano and horns play a Tom Waits-esque strut before they stop momentarily for Howard’s guitar. The final choice, in the end, wasn’t too hard to make. ‘Sugar Coated Bitter Truth’ is fine as a closer, but looking at it as a singular track, it’s disappointing compared to songs like ‘Feed The Mantaray’ and ‘The Hunter’, whereas ‘Kathy’s Kisses’ is a great song that stands on its own two feet
Birthday Party 7-6 Slaves
Overall winner: Prayers On Fire
So, there we have it. By a narrow margin, Prayers on Fire just beats Are You Satisfied?. However, when you listen to the album in its own right, rather than comparing tracks, The Birthday Party sound a lot more tight, mature and well-drilled, probably due to their constant gigging and experience in recording as The Boys Next Door in their native Australia. Yet, some may prefer the raw, animalistic energy exerted by Slaves over the subtle aggression and loathing of The Birthday Party, and that’s cool. This is all opinion, not the pure fact. I really enjoyed listening to both albums, but I just feel ‘Prayers on Fire’ is slightly stronger. So, that’s our first Album Attack. Hope you enjoyed reading!
Words by Gabriel Rutherford