Graffiti Crimes was the debut studio album by New Zealand new wave music group Mi-Sex, released in July 1979.[1] The album peaked at number six on the New Zealand albums chart and number 16 on the Australian Kent Music Report. The album was certified gold in New Zealand.[2]
| Graffiti Crimes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1979 | |||
| Recorded | April & May 1979 | |||
| Studio | Studios 301, Sydney, Australia | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 41:26 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Producer | Peter Dawkins | |||
| Mi-Sex chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Graffiti Crimes | ||||
| ||||
| Computer Games cover | ||||
_by_MiSex.jpg) International edition | ||||
The album was re-released in January 1980 following the success of the single "Computer Games," which peaked at number one in Australia in November 1979. "Computer Games" was added to the track listing on track 1, Side Two.
The album was titled Computer Games for the international release.
Kevin Stanton said it was his hand holding the policeman's notebook on the cover of the album and his girlfriend posing by the wall.[3]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
Luis Feliu of The Canberra Times felt, "The songs are all well rounded with a beginning, middle and end, and pulsating rhythms for the colourful lyrics to bounce off. Hardly any time wasted between cuts too, straight into the next song. Naturally, this sort of music has to be played at a gutsy volume level."[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Graffiti Crimes" | Kevin Stanton | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Wot Do You Want?" | Stanton, Don Martin, Murray Burns, Richard Hodgkinson, Steve Gilpin | 2:58 |
| 3. | "But You Don't Care" | Stanton, Burns | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Not Such a Bad Boy" | Stanton, Burns, Gilpin | 2:45 |
| 5. | "Stills" | Stanton, Gilpin | 5:56 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Computer Games" (not included on the original pressing) | Stanton, Burns, Gilpin | 4:00 |
| 2. | "21-20" | Stanton, Gilpin | 3:15 |
| 3. | "I Wanna Be with You" | Colin Bayley | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Camera Kazi" | Winch | 5:28 |
| 5. | "A Loser" | Martin, Stanton, Hodgkinson, Gilpin | 2:58 |
| 6. | "Inside You" | Stanton | 3:18 |
Personnel
edit- Steve Gilpin – lead vocals
- Kevin Stanton – guitars, backing vocals
- Murray Burns – keyboards, backing vocals, synthesizers
- Don Martin – bass, backing vocals
- Richard Hodgkinson – drums; rhythm guitars on "A Loser"[6]
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1979–80) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report) [7] | 16 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[8] | 6 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] | 87 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1980) | Rank |
|---|---|
| New Zealand [10] | 18 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Mi-Sex - Graffiti Crimes at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ "Gold and platinum New Zealand albums to 2013". Te Ara. Encyclopedia of NZ. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ "Mi-Sex". sergent. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Mi-Sex – Graffiti Crimes". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ^ Feliu, Luis (24 August 1979). "Power not Lost in Transfer". The Canberra Times. 53 (16, 040): 29. Retrieved 7 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/it/master/164622-Mi-Sex-Graffiti-Crimes
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 204. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Mi-Sex – GRAFFITI CRIMES". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0149b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2020 August 12.
- ^ "NZ END OF YEAR CHARTS 1980". nztop40. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 12 November 2021 – via Imgur.com.
