Led by the creative prowess of vocalist Dave Faulkner, who alongside drummer James Baker played in the punk outfit the Victims, the Hoodoo Gurus lineup was completed by guitarists Roddy Radalj and Kimble Rendall. Drawing influences from across American pop culture, Hoodoo Gurus combined three guitars playing punk, rock, and garage instrumentation with pop melodies. The band’s debut single, “Leilani”, was released on Phantom Records in 1982 and paved for the way for their first performance on the kids’ TV program “Simon Townsend’s Wonder World”. Shorty after the performance members Rendall and Radalj parted way and were replaced by Clyde Bramley and Brad Shepherd, respectively.
Composed of Faulkner, Baker, Bramley, and Shepherd, Hoodoo Gurus released their debut full-length album “Stoneage Romeos” in 1984. Spawning the singles “I Want You Back”, “In the Echo Chamber”, and “I Was a Kamikaze Pilot”, the record became an instant hit on American college radio, with the band becoming internationally recognisable. Following the release James Baker was fired from the group and replaced by Mark Kingsmill who played on the Hoodoo Gurus first U.S tour in 1984. The band’s second album, “Mars Needs Guitars!”, built on the success of their debut, epitomised by their smash hit single “Bittersweet”.
Following the release of Hoodoo Gurus’ third studio album “Blow Your Cool” in 1987, guitarist Bramley left the band, and was replaced by Divinyl Rick Grossman for 1989’s “Magnum Cum Louder”. The record spawned the radio singles “Come Anytime”, “Another World”, and “Baby Can Dance”, and paved the way for 1991’s full-length “Kinky”. Three years later the band issued their rockiest album to date “Crank”, followed by “Blue Cave” in 1996, after which Hoodoo Gurus disbanded. The compilation “Ampology” proved a worthy collection of the group’s output, however following a pseudo-reunion as the Persian Rugs, Hoodoo Gurus returned to embark on a successful Australian tour. The album “Mach Schau” arrived shortly after leading the group to sign with Sony Music Australia, and release their ninth studio album “Purity of Essence” in 2010.
Despite the strange name, Hoodoo Gurus surprised me by making me enjoy their music. I'm not a huge fan of rock bands but they managed to do it well. The group is from Australia and formed back in 1981. They first became well noticed around the 1980's with their three albums 'Mars Needs Guitars', 'Magnum Cum Louder' and 'Blow Your Cool', again some interesting names to say the least but I quite enjoyed listening to some of their songs. They were well known on the rock scene especially when they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007, which stated that they were one of the most 'inventive, lyrically smart and exciting' bands from Australia. Quite a feat for any band, especially a rock band. I have a lot of admiration for this band and how they are not only imaginative with their lyrics but also with their live performances. The atmosphere they manage to create shows they have some real showmanship, they did it well with the insane guitar riffs, the coloured lighting, the adoring fans going wild, their enthusiasm that was infectious, which in turn made it impossible to stand still. The group has done a lot during their career and it was a pleasure to witness that in a live performance. I would recommend all rock fans to give them a listen.
ehubb93
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