Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in March 1973 by mainstays Greg Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks on drums. They were soon joined by Bob "Bongo" Starkie on guitar and backing vocals, and Red Symons on guitar, vocals and keyboards; and Steve Hill lead vocalist, Graeme "Shirley" Strachan became lead vocalist in March 1974. Described as a glam rock band, because of flamboyant costumes and make-up, Skyhooks addressed issues including buying drugs in "Carlton ", sex and commitment in "Balwyn Calling", the gay scene in "Toorak Cowboy" and loss of girlfriends in "Somewhere in Sydney" by namechecking Australian locales. According to music historian, Ian McFarlane "[Skyhooks] made an enormous impact on Australian social life".
Graeme Ronald Strachan, professionally billed and known as "Shirley" Strachan or Shirl, was an Australian singer, songwriter, radio and television presenter, and carpenter. He was the lead singer of the rock group Skyhooks. While still a member of Skyhooks he had solo singles, which charted on the Kent Music Report, with a cover recording of Brenda Holloway's "Every Little Bit Hurts" and a remake of The Miracles "Tracks of My Tears". After leaving Skyhooks in July 1978 he concentrated on his solo career. He was the host of children's TV program Shirl's Neighbourhood (1979–83), From 1993 he appeared on home renovation TV program, Our House, as a carpenter and co-host. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993, Skyhooks were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Strachan died in August 2001 in a self-piloted helicopter accident.
"Women in Uniform" is a 1978 song by the Australian band Skyhooks; it was written by the band's bass guitar player, Greg Macainsh. It was released in February 1978 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Guilty Until Proven Insane and peaked at number 8 in Australian and number 73 in the UK.
The Rose is the soundtrack to the feature film of the same name starring Bette Midler which was released in 1979.
Living in the 70's is the debut album by Melbourne band Skyhooks. Released in October 1974 on the Mushroom Records label, the album achieved relatively little success until early 1975. It spent 16 weeks at the top of the Australian album charts from late February 1975, and became the highest-selling album by an Australian act in Australia until that time, with sales of over 200,000. In October 2010, it was listed at No. 9 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums. The album's eponymous track was ranked number 72 as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time ranking.
Ego Is Not a Dirty Word is the second studio album released by Australian pop rock band, Skyhooks, in July 1975. The album was the follow-up to their highly successful debut album, Living in the 70's (1974). As with the former album, it was also produced by Ross Wilson.
The Party Boys was an Australian rock supergroup with a floating membership commencing in 1982. Created by Mondo Rock's bass guitarist, Paul Christie with founding member Kevin Borich as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from their other projects, the group had temporary members from acts such as Status Quo, the Angels, Sherbet, Skyhooks, Rose Tattoo, the Choirboys, Australian Crawl, Divinyls, Models, Dragon and Swanee plus international stars including Joe Walsh, Eric Burdon, Alan Lancaster and Graham Bonnet. In March 1983 their debut album, Live at Several 21sts, peaked at No. 9 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. In June 1987 they had a number-one hit on the related Singles Chart with a cover version of John Kongos' hit, "He's Gonna Step On You Again". It also peaked at No. 10 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
David Hirschfelder is an Australian musician, film score composer and performer. As a musician he has been a member of Little River Band and John Farnham Band. He has composed film scores for many films, including Strictly Ballroom, Australia, The Railway Man, The Water Diviner and The Dressmaker. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his scores for Shine and Elizabeth.
Straight in a Gay Gay World was the third studio album by Australian rock band, Skyhooks. The album was released in August 1976. With the exception of "Million Dollar Riff", it was recorded at The Record Plant in Sausalito, California, after the band's first tour of the United States earlier in the same year. The title and songs are a sort of view the band had on their experience in the States. The album was produced by former Daddy Cool leader Ross Wilson. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian charts.
Guilty Until Proven Insane is the fourth studio album released by Skyhooks on 13 March 1978. It was the first album to feature Bob Spencer, who replaced guitarist Red Symons in early 1977. Spencer had played in Sydney rock band Finch and would later become a member of The Angels.
The Lost Album/The Collection is a double-disc album by Australian glam rock band Skyhooks, released in 1999.
Gregory John Macainsh is an Australian former musician and songwriter. He provided bass guitar and backing vocals for pop rockers, Skyhooks from 1973 to 1980 and subsequently for various reformations. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, "Macainsh's biting, provocative songs were the perfect expression of adolescent obsessions and frustrations. With those songs, the band made an enormous impact on Australian social life." Macainsh became an intellectual property lawyer.
"Jukebox in Siberia" is a song by the Australian group, Skyhooks, released in October 1990 as the lead single from the group's compilation album, The Latest and Greatest (November). It was the group's first new recording in almost a decade, and featured the classic line-up of the band. The song was written by their bass guitarist, Greg Macainsh; his lyrics consider Russia under the rule of Gorbachev in the era of glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("restructuring").
"Ego Is Not a Dirty Word" is a song by Australian band Skyhooks, released in April 1975 as the lead single from the band's second studio album of the same name. It was written by the group's bass guitarist, Greg Macainsh and was produced by Ross Wilson. The song peaked at number two in Australia.
Live in the 80's is a live album by Australian rock band Skyhooks. It was released by Mushroom Records in November 1983 in Australia and was certified gold.
Live! Be in It is the first live album by Australian rock band Skyhooks. It was released by Mushroom Records on cassette and vinyl in December 1978 in Australia and on CD in 1991. The live recordings are taken from various concerts around Melbourne from December 1975 to July 1978.
The Best of Skyhooks is the second compilation album released in December 1979 by Australian band Skyhooks, following The Skyhooks Tapes in 1977. The album was released after lead singer Graeme Strachan left in late 1978. The album peaked at number 9 in Australia.
"Don't Waste My Time" is a song by Australian hard rock band the Angels, released in October 1986 as the second single from their eighth studio album Howling. The song peaked at number 40 on the Kent Music Report and number 38 on the Recorded Music NZ chart.
Goodbye Tiger is the fourth studio album by Australian rock music singer-songwriter, Richard Clapton. It was released in August 1977 via Infinity Records/Festival Records and was produced by Richard Batchens. It peaked at No. 11 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. In October 2010 it was listed at No. 15 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.
"Blue Jeans" is a song by Australian band Skyhooks, released in August 1976 as the third and final single from the band's third studio album, Straight in a Gay Gay World. The song peaked at number 12 in Australia and at number three in New Zealand.
