mother's choice

• Edition: Expanded edition with six bonus tracks
• Packaging: Gatefold sleeve

Mother's Choice is the fourth studio album by Buffalo, one of the pioneering groups of Australian heavy rock. Originally released by Vertigo in 1976, it captures the band during a period of considerable change, moving away from the dense, uncompromising heaviness of their earlier records towards a more direct mixture of hard rock, boogie and rhythm and blues.

Following the departure of founding guitarist John Baxter, Buffalo introduced guitarist and songwriter Karl Taylor alongside slide guitarist Norm Roue. The altered line-up brought a leaner, more song-oriented approach, while Dave Tice's commanding vocals, Peter Wells' muscular bass playing and Jimmy Economou's forceful drumming preserved the physical power associated with the group's earlier work.

“Long Time Gone” opens the album with tough guitar riffs and an immediate hard-rock drive, while “Honey Babe” and “Taste It Don't Waste It” combine blues-based songwriting with energetic ensemble playing. Chuck Berry's “Little Queenie” and Norm Roue's “Lucky” place the emphasis firmly on boogie rock, with Roue's expressive slide guitar providing one of the record's defining sounds.

The second half includes the extended instrumental workout “Essukay,” a powerful interpretation of “Sweet Little Sixteen” and the closing “Be Alright.” Although more accessible than Buffalo's celebrated early albums, Mother's Choice remains a substantial Australian hard-rock recording, filled with heavy rhythms, gritty vocals and vigorous guitar interplay.

This expanded Hifly Sound edition adds six bonus tracks, including “The Girl Can't Help It,” “On My Way,” “No Particular Place to Go,” “A Shot of Rhythm'N'Blues” and the early Buffalo favourite “Barbershop Rock.” Presented in a gatefold sleeve, it offers a broader view of the group's raw rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues influences.

Track listing:

Side A

1. Long Time Gone
2. Honey Babe
3. Taste It Don't Waste It
4. Little Queenie
5. Lucky
6. Essukay

Side B

1. Sweet Little Sixteen
2. Be Alright
3. Little Queenie
4. No Particular Place to Go
5. The Girl Can't Help It
6. A Shot of Rhythm'N'Blues
7. On My Way
8. Barbershop Rock