Only Want You for Your Body

Only Want You for Your Body is the third album for Australian proto-metal band Buffalo, recorded and originally released in 1974 on the Vertigo label. A far more structured and polished release than the previous album Volcanic Rock, Only Want You for Your Body was conversely a much harder and heavier release. Buffalo had abandoned the progressive and psychedelic elements of their style, in favour of a more straightforward, modernistic approach to heavy metal. On the basis of this album, Buffalo were perhaps one of the earliest acts to develop heavy metal music away from its blues-rock origins – with some passing similarities to future metal acts later in the decade, such as those in the new wave of British heavy metal scene. The album even bizarrely contains a precursor to the death growl on the outro to the track "What's Going On". Buffalo courted controversy again with their album artwork – the cover depicting a half-naked obese woman tied to a torture rack. Adding further fuel to accusations of misogyny was the shift in lyrical emphasis towards sex, in particular the tracks "I'm a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser" and "Kings Cross Ladies". This also marked a shift towards street-level oriented lyrics – an approach that would be later adopted by compatriot hard rock acts including AC/DC, The Angels and Rose Tattoo. The album was remastered and reissued in November 2005 by Australian record label Aztec Music on CD with additional tracks.