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FLASHBACK: Hole 'Celebrity Skin'

9 April 2012 | 9:00 am | Staff Writer

With all the scandals, you might forget that Courtney Love was in a band called Hole, whose album Celebrity Skin progressed beyond grudge.

Hindsight can be a wonderful thing. In the past, this ‘Flashback’ segment has been used to shine a light on a forgotten piece of music or onto something not properly appreciated in its own time. Why then, I hear you ask, would I focus on HOLE’s 1998 release Celebrity Skin, a critical and commercial success upon its release? I answer that question by posing my own: what do you think about when I say COURTNEY LOVE?

Time has not been particularly kind to Ms Love. Whether it’s her relationship troubles, comments about her mothering, conspiracy theories about her late husband's death (you know his name), or her many addictions, I think it's pretty fair to say that she's contributed her fair share to the late-night TV punch line industry. Casting a pretty heavy shadow over Love’s skill as the actor-singer-songwriter she so proudly touted herself as back in her brightest most shining moments in the mid-90s... oh, and Hole. Don’t forget Hole.

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In all honesty, Celebrity Skin, their 1998 album has one of my favourite of all album openings. In the first 10 seconds you know what you’re in for: hard rock riffs with Love’s punky attitude, yet easy on the ear and all very clean.

But of all the singles to come from Celebrity Skin, the one that is the most beautiful and heart wrenching at the same time would have to be their Grammy-nominated single ‘Malibu’. For many, this song totally encapsulates this album and everything it seeks to achieve. It moves beyond grunge but stays grounded in their beliefs.

Do yourself a favour, forget all the Hole drama, and just give that album a listen again, you’ll find it hard to turn off.

Words by Luke Letourneau.