| Creatures of Leisure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1983 | |||
| Recorded | Albert Studios, Sydney, Australia | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 39:24 | |||
| Label | Regular Records | |||
| Producers | Russell Dunlop & Bruce Brown (2 tracks on international version produced by Mark Moffatt & Ricky Fataar) | |||
| Mental As Anything chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Creatures of Leisure | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   1 |
Creatures of Leisure is the fourth studio album released by Australian band, Mental As Anything. It was released in March 19832 and peaked at #8 on the Australian Album charts.3
Reception
AllMusic called it the Mentals' "best album to date" saying "it is a must have for pure pop fans, new wave fans, rock & roll fans, and Aussie rock fans" and noted similarities with Rockpile and Squeeze".4
Rip It Up said "Album number four and the cracks are beginning to show, just a little. Not that this is a bad record. It's just that it gets the slightest bit dull and workmanlike. I'm afraid the title of the first track sums it up: 'Spirit Got Lost'."5
Trouser Press said the album "reveals an overwhelmingly downcast band, singing wistful lyrics about romantic discord and a general lack of gumption. Even the music is depressed, playing in the same countryish style with barely a trace of enthusiasm. Without wallowing in self-pity or indulging in any overt declarations of misery, Creatures of Leisure is an enormously sad record."6
Track listing
Australian edition
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spirit Got Lost" | Reg Mombassa, Andrew 'Greedy' Smith7 | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Float Away" | Reg Mombassa7 | 2:43 |
| 3. | "Brain Brain" | Peter O'Doherty7 | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Bitter to Swallow" | Andrew Smith7 | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Close Again" | Peter O'Doherty7 | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Space to Let" | Martin Plaza7 | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Not Enough" (MC / CD only track not included on LP release) | Martin Plaza, Reg Mombassa7 | 2:52 |
| 8. | "Drinking of Her Lips" | Reg Mombassa7 | 3:28 |
| 9. | "Fiona" | Andrew Smith7 | 3:28 |
| 10. | "Nothing's Going Right Today" | Martin Plaza7 | 3:20 |
| 11. | "Red to Green" | Peter O'Doherty, Victoria Campbell7 | 3:25 |
| 12. | "Country in the Concrete" | Reg Mombassa7 | 3:25 |
| 13. | "Let's Not Get Sentimental" (Track timing includes unlisted track, below.) | Martin Plaza7 | 6:49 |
| 14. | "Business & Pleasure" (Unlisted track. A new recording of a track originally heard on Get Wet.) | Martin Plaza7 |
International Edition
The version of Creatures of Leisure released in North America dropped the tracks "Space to Let" and "Country in the Concrete", and added "Working for the Man" and "Seems Alright to Me". Additionally, "Nothing's Going Right Today" appeared in remixed form.
"Business & Pleasure", which was a completely unlisted track on the Australian release, was listed on the sleeve and on the label of the international edition, although it was not listed on the lyric sheet.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spirit Got Lost" | Reg Mombassa, Andrew 'Greedy' Smith7 | 2:56 |
| 2. | "Float Away" | Reg Mombassa7 | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Brain Brain" | Peter O'Doherty7 | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Bitter to Swallow" | Andrew Smith7 | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Close Again" | Peter O'Doherty7 | 2:54 |
| 6. | "Nothing's Going Right Today" (Remixed by Joe Raine) | Martin Plaza7 | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Not Enough" (MC only track not included on LP release) | Martin Plaza, Reg Mombassa7 | 2:52 |
| 8. | "Working for the Man" | Roy Orbison7 | 3:31 |
| 9. | "Fiona" | Andrew Smith7 | 3:25 |
| 10. | "Seems Alright to Me" | Martin Plaza7 | 3:28 |
| 11. | "Drinking of Her Lips" | Reg Mombassa7 | 2:50 |
| 12. | "Red to Green" | Peter O'Doherty, Victoria Campbell7 | 3:27 |
| 13. | "Let's Not Get Sentimental" | Martin Plaza7 | 4:30 |
| 14. | "Business & Pleasure" | Martin Plaza7 | 2:20 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Martin Plaza — lead vocals, guitar
- Greedy Smith — lead vocals, keyboards, harmonica
- Reg Mombassa — guitar, vocals
- Peter O'Doherty — bass, guitar, vocals
- Wayne de Lisle — drums
Recording details
- Bruce Brown — producer, engineer
- Russell Dunlop — producer, engineer
- David Hemming — assistant producer, assistant engineer
- Frank DeLuna — mastering
Additional credits on international edition
- Mark Moffatt — producer (tracks: 7 & 9)
- Ricky Fataar — producer (tracks: 7 & 9)
- Tim Kramer — engineer (tracks: 7 & 9)
- Joe Raine — remix (track 6)
Art work
- Martin Plaza — artwork
- Syd Shelton — cover design, photography
- Reg Mombassa — drawings
- Ken Smith — finished art
- Jon Watkins — finished art
- Melanie Nissen — finished art
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report)8 | 8 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)9 | 38 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia & New Zealand | March 1983 | Regular Records | Vinyl LP | RRLP1205 |
| Canada | 1983 | Solid Gold Records | Vinyl LP | SGR1018 |
| United States | 1983 | A&M Records | Vinyl LP | SP4946 |
| UK & Europe | 1983 | A&M Records | Vinyl LP | AMLH64946 |
| Japan | 1983 | A&M Records | Vinyl LP | AMP28094 |
| Australia | 1998 | Festival Records | CD | D20209 |
References
References
- Allmusic review
- Holmgren, Magnus; Johns, Shane; Warnqvist, Stefan. "Mental As Anything". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
- Stephen Schnee. "Creatures of Leisure". AllMusic.
- Robert Eyres (1 May 1983). "Briefs". Rip It Up. No. 70. p. 18 – via Papers Past.
- Fricke, David; Robbins, Ira. "Mental as Anything". Trouser Press. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- "APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Charts.nz – Mental as Anything – Creatures of Leisure". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2021.