Buffalo

Originating in Sydney, Australia, the 1970s hard rock group Buffalo achieved their strongest commercial traction during the late 1980s across markets such as France and Germany, largely through releases on the sought-after Vertigo label. As the first Australian act signed to that imprint, Buffalo stood among the heaviest outfits of their era alongside Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and Blackfeather. Their opening full-length, Dead Forever..., moved more than 25,000 copies before Volcanic Rock arrived in July 1973 and Only Want You for Your Body followed in June 1974. The band’s provocative record sleeves adhered to heavy-metal norms, as did some of their flamboyant song titles, among them “I’m a Skirtlifter, Not a Shirt Raiser.” Slide guitarist Norm Roue came aboard in mid-1974, but the dismissal of guitarist John Baxter soon triggered the group’s decline. Karl Taylor’s arrival preceded the March 1976 release of Mother’s Choice, after Phonogram rejected the earlier working titles Songs for the Frustrated Housewife, deemed too sexual, and Thieves, Punks, Rip-offs and Liars, considered too inflammatory. By the time the album appeared, both Roue and Taylor had already exited. Chris Turner joined next, with Colin Stead serving a brief stint, while bassist Peter Wells departed to form the highly successful Rose Tattoo and was succeeded by Ross Simms. Buffalo subsequently supported Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow on their Australian tour in November 1976. When Average Rock’n’Roller surfaced in July 1977, the band had already disbanded.