Calenture is the fourth studio album by The Triffids

The Triffids

The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...

, released in February 1987 which reached No. 32 on the Australian Album Charts. Calenture also reached No. 24 on the Swedish Album Charts in 1987.

The term calenture is described in the sleeve notes as:

'Tropical fever or delirium suffered by sailors after long periods away from land, who imagine the seas to be green fields and desire to leap into them.'

The recording sessions for Calenture began with American producer Craig Leon

Craig Leon

Craig Leon is an American born record producer, composer and arranger currently living in England. Leon was instrumental in launching the careers of many recording artists including The Ramones and Blondie...

 (appointed by Island Records). However, it became clear, at least to the band, that Leon (and Island Records) were primarily interested in David McComb and not the rest of the band members.

'In the tried and true way of all major labels at the time, they really wanted to sign Dave but got a troublesome band instead. It was probably Island's insistence that Alsy and Marty weren't up to it that caused the Craig Leon sessions to be the unmitigated disaster that they were. Now I could be wrong here, maybe Craig wanted them out, maybe both. We were pretty much forced to let a couple of session guys stand in -- no names because it wasn't their fault -- and we could tell straight away that this was applying a straightener to the normally unruly quiff that was the band. It was also sucking the essence of the band out. Anyway, it's a sorry little interlude that I should draw the curtain on. The sessions were scrapped and we were allowed to be the Triffids again.'

Island Records then brought in Lenny Kaye

Lenny Kaye

Lenny Kaye is an American guitarist, composer and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group.- Early life :...

 however Kaye felt that the Triffids and their material were impressive enough and that they didn't need his help. Eventually Gil Norton

Gil Norton

Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...

 (who worked on Born Sandy Devotional

Born Sandy Devotional

Born Sandy Devotional was an album by The Triffids, released in March 1986. The cover photo shows the now West Australian city of Mandurah back in 1961. All the songs on the album were written by David McComb...

 was brought back to re-record the album.

David McComb, in an interview with Paul Mathur (Rock Australia Magazine (RAM)) in February 1988, described Calenture as an "over-the-top record" and even called it the Triffids' "Heaven's Gate

Heaven's Gate (film)

Heaven's Gate is a 1980 American epic Western film based on the Johnson County War, a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming in the 1890s...

" .

In 2007 Domino Records released a remastered edition including 12 bonus tracks, mostly rehearsal demos of the original album's tracks.

Track listing

All songs written by David McComb, unless otherwise noted.

1. "Bury Me Deep in Love
   Bury Me Deep in Love
   Bury Me Deep In Love is a single released by The Triffids from their album Calenture. It was released in October, 1987 and reached No. 48 on the Australian Singles Charts. The single was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb...
   
   " - 4:04
2. "Kelly's Blues" - 4:34
3. "Trick of the Light
   Trick of the Light
   Trick of the Light is a single released by The Triffids from their album Calenture. It was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb. The B-Side "Love the Fever" was co-written by David McComb and Adam Peters and was produced by Adam Peters and was recorded in August 1986...
   
   " (David McComb, Graham Lee) - 3:50
4. "Hometown Farewell Kiss" - 4:33
5. "Unmade Love" - 4:01
6. "Open for You" (Jill Birt) - 3:05
7. "Holy Water" - 3:17
8. "Blinder By The Hour" - 4:24
9. "Vagabond Holes" - 3:57
10. "Jerdacuttup Man" (David McComb, James Paterson) - 4:59
11. "Calenture" - 1:10
12. "Save What You Can" (David McComb, James Paterson) - 4:30

2007 Reissue

Disc 1:

1. "Bury Me Deep in Love"
2. "Kelly's Blues"
3. "A Trick of the Light"
4. "Hometown Farewell Kiss"
5. "Unmade Love"
6. "Open for You"
7. "Holy Water"
8. "Blinder by the Hour"
9. "Vagabond Holes"
10. "Jerdacuttup Man"
11. "Calenture"
12. "Save What You Can"
13. "Baby Can I Walk You Home" (Bonus Track)
14. "Region Unknown" (Bonus Track)
15. "Love the Fever" (Bonus Track)
16. "Bad News Always Reminds Me of You" (Bonus Track)
17. "Everything You Touch Turns to Time" (Bonus Track)

Disc 2:

1. "Bury Me Deep in Love" [rehearsal Demo]
2. "Kelly's Blues" [rehearsal Demo]
3. "A Trick of the" Light [rehearsal Demo]
4. "Hometown Farewell Kiss" [rehearsal Demo]
5. "There Must Be a Curse on Me" [studio Demo]
6. "Open for You" [rehearsal Demo]
7. "Burned" [studio Demo]
8. "Blinder by the Hour" [rehearsal Demo]
9. "Vagabond Holes" [rehearsal Demo]
10. "Jerdacuttup Man" [rehearsal Demo]
11. "Save What You Can" [studio Demo]
12. "Calentura"

External links

• A Retrospective with Graham Lee and Rob McComb by Wilson Neate