The Skyhooks Tapes

Last updated
The Skyhooks Tapes
The Skyhooks Tapes by Skyhooks.jpg
Compilation album by
ReleasedSeptember 1977
Recorded1974–1977 at TCS Studios, Melbourne; Armstrong's Studios, Melbourne; The Record Plant, Sausalito
Genre Pop rock, glam rock
Label Mushroom Records
Producer Ross Wilson
Skyhooks chronology
Straight in a Gay Gay World
(1976)
The Skyhooks Tapes
(1977)
Guilty Until Proven Insane
(1978)
Singles from The Skyhooks Tapes
  1. "Party to End All Parties"
    Released: April 1977

The Skyhooks Tapes is the first compilation album by Australian band Skyhooks, released in September 1977. The album features all the band's A- and B-side singles and peaked within the top 50 in Australia. [1]

A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for release together as a single work, but may be collected together as a greatest hits album or box set. If from several performers, there may be a theme, topic, time period, or genre which links the tracks, or they may have been intended for release as a single work—such as a tribute album. When the tracks are by the same recording artist, the album may be referred to as a retrospective album or an anthology.

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; Graeme "Shirley" Strachan became lead vocalist in March 1974. Described as a glam rock band, because of flamboyant costumes and make-up, Skyhooks addressed teenage issues including buying drugs "Carlton ", suburban sex "Balwyn Calling", the gay scene "Toorak Cowboy" and loss of girlfriends "Somewhere in Sydney" by namechecking Australian locales. According to music historian, Ian McFarlane "[Skyhooks] made an enormous impact on Australian social life".

Contents

Background

In February 1977, Red Symons left the band and was replaced on guitar by Bob Spencer. The band continued to tour nationally, promoting their three studio albums. In September, the band's first singles anthology was released. [2]

Red Symons Australian broadcaster and musician

Redmond Symons is an English-born Australian musician, and television and radio personality. He was the lead guitarist in the band Skyhooks, the snide judge of 'Red Faces', and a judge on talent search show Australia's Got Talent. He hosted ABC Radio Melbourne's breakfast show from 2003 until 2017.

Bob Spencer Australian guitarist

Bob Spencer is a guitarist who was in two significant Australian rock bands in the 1970s and 1980s, Skyhooks and The Angels.

Track listing

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."All My Friends Are Getting Married" Greg Macainsh  
2."Party to End All Parties"Macainsh 
3."Crazy Heart"Macainsh 
4."Ego Is Not a Dirty Word"Macainsh 
5."Hot Rod James"Macainsh 
6."Million Dollar Riff"Macainsh 
7."You're a Broken Gin Bottle Baby"Macainsh 
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let It Rock" (live) Chuck Berry  
2."Revolution" (US version)Macainsh 
3."Blue Jeans"Macainsh 
4."Living in the 70s"Macainsh 
5."You Just Like Me 'Cos I'm Good in Bed"Macainsh 
6."Forging Ahead" Red Symons  
7."Horror Movie"Macainsh 

Charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart [3] 49

Related Research Articles

<i>Bird Noises</i> 1980 EP by Midnight Oil

Bird Noises is the first extended play by Australian rock group, Midnight Oil, which was released on 24 November 1980 under the band's own independent label, Powderworks Records / Sprint Music. It was produced by Leszek Karski and manufactured and distributed by CBS/Columbia. Bird Noises reached the Top 30 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, the EP "continued the development heard on [their previous album], with 'No Time for Games' and 'I'm the Cure' being particularly impressive. [The EP] also boasted the anomalous, but delightful Shadows-like instrumental 'Wedding Cake Island'".

Tin Tin was a pop rock band, which first formed in Australia as The Kinetics in 1966. They relocated to the United Kingdom in 1969 and were renamed as Tin Tin, which comprised Steve Kipner, Steve Groves, John Vallins and Geoff Bridgford (drums). In 1970 they issued a single, "Toast and Marmalade for Tea", which was a No. 10 hit on the Go-Set National Singles Chart in June the following year. It reached No. 20 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100. Their next single, "Is That the Way?" (1971), peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Love at First Feel 1977 single by AC/DC

"Love at First Feel" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the second track of the international version of their album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in November 1976, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott. The international version was not released in the United States until April 1981.

Ol' 55 was an Australian band specialising in retro, 1950s-era Rock 'n' Roll. They formed as Fanis in 1972 in Sutherland, Sydney. Drummer Geoff Plummer was working with Glenn A. Baker at the NSW Department of Media and invited Baker to hear his part-time band, including Patrick "Meatballs" Drummond, Rockpile Jones and Jimmy Manzie. In 1975, Baker took on their management, renamed them as Ol' 55 for the Tom Waits song, and recruited front man Frankie J. Holden and, later in the year, saxophonist Wilbur Wilde.

<i>Living in the 70s</i> 1974 studio album by Skyhooks

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 240,000. In October 2010, it was listed at No. 9 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums.

<i>Ego Is Not a Dirty Word</i> 1975 album by Skyhooks

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.

<i>Straight in a Gay Gay World</i> 1976 studio album by Skyhooks

Straight in a Gay Gay World is the third studio album released by Australian rock band, Skyhooks. The album was released on 23 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. Like the band's first two albums, Living in the 70's and Ego Is Not a Dirty Word, Straight in a Gay Gay World was produced by former Daddy Cool leader Ross Wilson. The album was released by Mushroom Records. It peaked at #3 on Australian charts.

<i>Guilty Until Proven Insane</i> 1978 studio album by Skyhooks

Guilty Until Proven Insane is the fourth studio album released by Skyhooks on March 13, 1978. It was the first album that featured Bob Spencer, who replaced guitarist Red Symons in early 1977. Spencer originally played in Sydney rock band Finch and was later was a member of The Angels.

<i>Hot for the Orient</i> 1980 studio album by Skyhooks

Hot for the Orient is the fifth and final studio album from Australian glam rock band Skyhooks. This was the only album the band recorded without newly departed vocalist Graeme "Shirley" Strachan. Lead vocals are performed by Tony Williams. The album peaked at number 64 on the Australian charts; the band's first studio albums not to reach the Australian top ten. The band disbanded soon after. However, the band reformed in 1983 with their classic line-up of their early-mid-1970s success and began touring once again.

<i>The Whole Things Started</i> 1977 studio album by Air Supply

The Whole Thing's Started is the second studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, it was released in July 1977. The first single "Do What You Do" was released ahead of the album in June, "That's How the Whole Thing Started" followed in October and "Do It Again" appeared in February 1978. Neither the album nor the singles peaked into the Australian Kent Music Report Top 40 charts.

MEO 245 were an Australian new wave band which formed in 1978 in Hobart, Tasmania with Paul Brickhill on keyboards, guitar and vocals; Campbell Laird on drums; Paul Northam on guitar and vocals; and Mick Wilson on bass guitar. Wilson was replaced on bass guitar by Mark Kellet, who in turn was replaced by Anthony Moore. The group issued a sole studio album, Screen Memory, which reached the top 100 of the Kent Music Report Albums Chart.

Streetlife is the debut album by Australian rock group, Geeza. It was released in mid-1977 by Laser Records / RCA Records and was produced by Mario Millo. The first single, 'Run 'n' Hide', peaked at number 56 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, while the second single, 'Song to Warilla', failed to chart.

Hooked on Hooks 1982 single by Skyhooks

"Hooked on Hooks" is a 1982 song by the Australian band Skyhooks. It is a megamix of seven of their greatest hits. It peaked at number 21 in Australia.

<i>Live in the 80s</i> 1983 live album by Skyhooks

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.

<i>Live! Be in It</i> 1978 live album by Skyhooks

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.

<i>The Best of Skyhooks</i> 1979 compilation album by Skyhooks

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 following the departure of lead singer Graeme Strachan in late 1978. The album peaked at number 9 in Australia.

April Sun in Cuba 1977 song performed by Dragon

"April Sun in Cuba" is a song recorded by New Zealand group Dragon, released in October 1977. It is the first single to be released from Dragon's fourth studio album Running Free. "April Sun in Cuba" first charted on 7 November 1977, peaking at number 2 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart and staying on the chart for 22 weeks. It also reached number 9 on the New Zealand singles chart.

"Shadow Boxer" is the seventh single by Australian hard rock group The Angels, released in June 1979 from their third album, No Exit.

<i>Out of the Blue</i> (EP) 1979 EP by The Angels

Out of the Blue is a four-track extended play by Australian hard rock band, the Angels, released in November 1979. "Out of the Blue" peaked at number 29 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart.

References

  1. "Skyhooks - Discography". skyhooks-music.com. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Skyhooks'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on April 19, 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.