Playing with a Different Sex
Encyclopedia
Playing with a Different Sex (1981) was the first album of British
post-punk
band Au Pairs
. In its review, Allmusic described the album as "one of the great, and perhaps forgotten, post-punk records." The album peaked at #33 in Britain and launched the single "It's Obvious", which reached #37 on the Club Play Singles charts in America in 1981. Originally released on LP by independent record-label Human Recordings, the album was re-released in 2000 on CD by RPM Records, a subsidiary of label Cherry Red
. The 2000 release includes an additional eight tracks, consisting of singles, remixes and previously unreleased songs.
is explored in "Repetition" ("I guess the bruises won't show / if she wears long sleeves"), and the possessiveness underlying an open relationship
is pilloried in "We're So Cool" ("you must admit / I'm prepared to share / at off-peak times")
Allegations of rape and torture of Irish
women imprisoned in the city of Armagh
in Northern Ireland
are the core content of the song "Armagh", which challenges the notion that "civilized nations" do not torture. "We don't torture, we don't torture / American hostages in Iran" the lyrics say, following which the song turns to the situation in Ireland: "There are 32 women in Armagh jail / political prisoners here at home", before describing alleged incidents of abuse. The song led to limited distribution of the album in Ireland, when Northern Irish record distributors refused to carry it.
The song "Come Again" refers to the social pressure to "achieve orgasmic equality"; a 1982 profile in Mother Jones
notes that the song depicts sex "as a dreary ritual in which partners as joyless as lab rats press bars and nose buttons in the hopes of an orgasm as dry and quantifiable as kibble." The song, directed at "those who changed the game" and "brought in new rules", asks "is it real? Are you feeling it?", before turning into a dialog between the female lead singer and male back up who is evidently attempting to satisfy her: "Am I doing it right?" he asks, and the woman reassures him, "You're not selfish / You're trying hard to please me - please, please me / Is your finger aching? / I can feel you hesitating." The song was banned from the BBC
, who feared parental backlash.
performances, and included in the extended reissue of the first album, was described by Fact Magazine as a "masterpiece of feminist rock" with an almost unparalleled "power and pathos."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band Au Pairs
Au Pairs (band)
The Au Pairs were a British post-punk band that formed in Birmingham in 1979. Music historian Gillian G. Gaar noted in her history of women in rock that the band mingled male and female musicians in a revolutionary collaborative way, as part of its outspoken explorations of sexual...
. In its review, Allmusic described the album as "one of the great, and perhaps forgotten, post-punk records." The album peaked at #33 in Britain and launched the single "It's Obvious", which reached #37 on the Club Play Singles charts in America in 1981. Originally released on LP by independent record-label Human Recordings, the album was re-released in 2000 on CD by RPM Records, a subsidiary of label Cherry Red
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
. The 2000 release includes an additional eight tracks, consisting of singles, remixes and previously unreleased songs.
Themes
Many of the songs on the album deal with sexual politics. Domestic violenceDomestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
is explored in "Repetition" ("I guess the bruises won't show / if she wears long sleeves"), and the possessiveness underlying an open relationship
Open relationship
An open relationship is an interpersonal relationship in which the parties want to be together but agree to a form of a non-monogamous relationship. This means that they agree that a romantic or sexual relationship with another person is accepted, permitted, or tolerated...
is pilloried in "We're So Cool" ("you must admit / I'm prepared to share / at off-peak times")
Allegations of rape and torture of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
women imprisoned in the city of Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
are the core content of the song "Armagh", which challenges the notion that "civilized nations" do not torture. "We don't torture, we don't torture / American hostages in Iran" the lyrics say, following which the song turns to the situation in Ireland: "There are 32 women in Armagh jail / political prisoners here at home", before describing alleged incidents of abuse. The song led to limited distribution of the album in Ireland, when Northern Irish record distributors refused to carry it.
The song "Come Again" refers to the social pressure to "achieve orgasmic equality"; a 1982 profile in Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
notes that the song depicts sex "as a dreary ritual in which partners as joyless as lab rats press bars and nose buttons in the hopes of an orgasm as dry and quantifiable as kibble." The song, directed at "those who changed the game" and "brought in new rules", asks "is it real? Are you feeling it?", before turning into a dialog between the female lead singer and male back up who is evidently attempting to satisfy her: "Am I doing it right?" he asks, and the woman reassures him, "You're not selfish / You're trying hard to please me - please, please me / Is your finger aching? / I can feel you hesitating." The song was banned from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, who feared parental backlash.
Critical response
Describing the album in The Rough Guide to Rock (2003), Owen James referred to the bands mix of humor and righteous anger, stating "They don't make them like this anymore." In 2002's She's a Rebel: the History of Women in Rock & Roll, Gillian Gaar suggested that "the taut rhythms and aggressive lyrics of Different Sex make it a classic example of how the influence of punk could steer rock into exciting new areas." The song "Diet", originally released on Equal But Different (1994), a compilation of 20 of the band's BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
performances, and included in the extended reissue of the first album, was described by Fact Magazine as a "masterpiece of feminist rock" with an almost unparalleled "power and pathos."
Track listing
Except where otherwise noted, all tracks composed by Paul Foad, Peter Hammond, Jane Munro and Lesley Woods.- "We're So Cool" – 3:29
- "Love Song" – 2:51
- "Set-Up" – 3:21
- "RepetitionRepetition (song)"Repetition" is a song written by David Bowie in 1979 for the album Lodger. In the song Bowie explores domestic violence from the abuser's point of view, sung in a deliberately unemotional tone that served to highlight the lyric and the unnatural slur of the bass guitar.Musicians on this song:*...
" (David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
) – 3:34 - "Headache for Michelle" – 6:39
- "Come Again" – 3:54
- "Armagh" – 3:37
- "Unfinished Business" – 3:29
- "Dear John" – 2:57
- "It's Obvious" – 6:19
Reissue
All tracks composed by Paul Foad, Peter Hammond, Jane Munro and Lesley Woods.- "You" – 2:52
- "Domestic Departure" – 2:22
- "Kerb Crawler" – 2:47
- "Diet" – 4:19
- "It's Obvious (Single Version)" – 5:47
- "Inconvenience (12" Version)" – 2:56
- "Pretty Boys" – 3:40
- "Headache for Michelle (Remix)" – 6:38
Performance
- Jane Munro – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Lesley Woods – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Paul Foad – guitar, vocals
- Peter Hammond – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Eve ArnoldEve ArnoldEve Arnold, FRPS is an American photojournalist. She joined Magnum Photos agency in 1951, and became a full member in 1957....
– cover photo - The Au Pairs – producer
- Mark Stratford – compilation
- Ken Thomas – producer, engineer