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  • 2 days ago
Berserk Warriors was written by Peter O’Doherty and appeared on the 1981 album Cats & Dogs by Mental As Anything.

Music video directed by Tony Stevens.

Mental As Anything were a legendary band from Sydney, Australia. The members met at art school, and each was a visual artist as well as a musician. Guitarist Reg Mombassa also became widely known in Australia for his iconic artwork for the surfwear brand Mambo. Even if the band is unfamiliar to you, their reach was remarkable: Elton John bought their artwork in the 1980s, and Elvis Costello produced one of their singles.

The band’s creative and commercial peak stretched across the entire 1980s, when they were a dominant presence on the Australian charts. If you’re from the Northern Hemisphere, you may know their song “Live It Up”, which featured in the film Crocodile Dundee.

The Mentals were a little New Wave, mostly Pop Rock, and always full of flair, humour, and charm. They had a rare gift for writing catchy songs, delivering them both live and on record with fine musicianship and a style that was entirely their own.

In 2026, a brilliant documentary about the band was released called Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story. It is well worth your time and makes a terrific entry point into the colourful world of Mental As Anything.

The Mentals were:

Martin Plaza — lead vocals, guitar
Wayne DeLisle — drums
Reg Mombassa — guitar, vocals
Greedy Smith — lead vocals, keyboards, harmonica
Peter O’Doherty — bass guitar, vocals

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🎵
Music
Transcript
00:16The owner's just a viking
00:20He is very handy with a sword
00:23He does nothing better
00:27Than to cut the slash right
00:29Girl has four words
00:31Mutilation, jubilation
00:36Friendly muscle
00:38In a torso
00:48Anna's a good viking
00:51She is very handy with a spear
00:55She won't wear silk stockings
00:57All her painted garments are her spear
01:02In the fjords
01:04You can hear them
01:06Hearing horns blow
01:09The viking love show
01:12The owner has better earth and leisure
01:18They have each other for their pleasure
01:38The owner's on his long ship
01:38The owner's on his long ship
01:39The owner's on his long ship
01:54He had to afford it out today
01:57He says it is the one who knew
02:00Vikings should miss their work and play
02:04All that's wrong there
02:06For them to share
02:09So much blunder
02:11Cut asunder
02:14Now we're young and I miss each other
02:21It's all a battlefield
02:24Not as lovers
02:39Those viking love to fight and play
02:45Fighting birds and warriors
02:48Fighting birds and warriors
02:49Hey hey
02:52Oh the viking love to fight and play
03:06All that viking love to fight and play
03:10Fighting birds and warriors
03:20Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
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