Thought I needed some Australian content. After all, this is the country that blessed us with The Hoodoo Gurus, The Vines, TISM, and Jet (oh and ACDC anybody?). The Sharp definitely deserve to be part of the conversation.
Their 1993 hit "Scratch My Back" is catchier than a cocklebur storm at a Velcro convention. It curls toes more forcefully than advanced rigor mortis, and remains a prime suspect in the Strasbourg Dancing Plaugue of 1518 investigations (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_plague_of_1518). Channeling 60's British Invasion vibes, it would not have sounded out of place in the early 2000's garage rock revival either, when other bands with "The" in their names (The Vines, The Hives, The Caesars, The Strokes, etc...) made a brief but forceful climb up the charts. So perhaps they were just too early...or too late? Regardless, they did make a splash in their homeland, even spawning a well-known parody sketch, titled "Skivvies Are Back," ("skivvies" in Australian parlance= "turtlenecks" in Canadian) on The Late Show (a popular satirical Australian TV program of the era). Honestly, in hindsight the sketch seems mostly like an excuse to rock out to the song and look cool (the actors donning The Sharp's trademark white "skivvies"/ black pants and jacket combo).
"This song is not profound" sing the comics in the sketch segment. While the original song's lyrics (and by extension the parody's) may not be profound in the traditional sense, I believe profundity comes in many shapes and sizes. For example, there is something profound in the experience of enjoying an infectious, perfectly executed, generation defying 3 minute rock song. Are the lyrics merely perfunctory sexual innuendo? Not when sung with this much conviction!
Other album highlights include "Train of Thought" and "Closer".
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