Twentieth Century by Cold Chisel

Twentieth Century, Cold Chisel's fifth studio album, came out in 1984 as a parting shot. The Adelaide pub rockers had already called it quits late in 1983, and the record was pieced together from sessions squeezed in around the break-up and the gaps in their farewell tour. Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Don Walker, Phil Small and Steve Prestwich wouldn't make another album together until they reformed in 1998.

For a band coming apart, it doesn't sound like a wake. The songs still carry that sweaty mix of hard rock, rockabilly and soul, with their eyes on working-class Australian lives, and "Flame Trees" is the keeper, a slow, aching tune that has worn well. Fans sent the album to number one on the Australian chart, the band's third chart-topper in a row, and it stuck around for 46 weeks.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.