stoneage romeos

The Hoodoo Gurus plundered retro trash culture to create the effervescent new wave garage cowpunk and psychedelic surf rock freakyness of this volcanic debut.  Guitarists Dave Faulkner, Roddy Radalj (aka Roddy Ray'Da), and Kimble Rendall met at a New Year's Eve party and became Le Hoodoo Gurus with drummer James Baker.  Baker had been in The Victims with Faulkner and in The Scientists with Radalj.  Rendall had played with XL Capris in Sydney. 

Faulkner looks back:    “I’d say the Cramps and the Fleshtones were the ones that really gave me the desire to do the Hoodoo Gurus. Not that I knew it at the time, of course. But back in Australia a year later, I was seeing the legacy of Radio Birdman and all the so-called ‘Detroit bands.’ There was also this sort of homemade art-rock scene—I called them the suitcase synthesizer bands. But not much in between. And I just wanted to have something a bit more brash, more pop I guess. In the case of the Hoodoo Gurus, in the early days, the songs had a lot of jokey themes and titles. But I mean, ‘a wop bop a lu bop, a wop bam boom!’ had this exuberance; it didn’t necessarily have to make sense, and it’s still just as exciting and direct today.”

After releasing their debut single 'Leilani' on Phantom Records, Rendall left to pursue a career as a film director and was replaced by Clyde Bramley.  Not happy with the state of affairs in the band, Radalj left soon after to be replaced by Brad Shepherd, Bramley's flatmate who had played with him in The Hitmen and Super K.  

'Stoneage Romeos' was recorded with producer/engineer Alan Thorne at Trafalgar Studios in Sydney and featured  James Baker on drums;  Clyde Bramley on bass and vocals;  Dave Faulkner on guitar, lead vocals, and keyboards; and Brad Shepherd on lead guitar, vocals, harmonica, and percussion;  with Michael Farmer providing additional percussion.  

'Stoneage Romeos' was an instant hit in Australia, going to number twenty-nine on the album chart.  The album won 'Best Debut Album' at the 1984 Countdown Awards and was certified gold.  In the US, it was released on A&M with a completely different album cover and tracklist.  Many US fans preferred the original cover by Yanni Stumbles and bought it as an import.  'Stoneage Romeos' spent seven weeks at the top of the US alternative/college album chart.  







http://www.hoodoogurus.net/








Faulkner says:  "'Leilani' was the only record released by the first line-up of the band, then know as le Hoodoo Gurus, for the independent label Phantom Records. Back then the members were: myself, Rod Radaji and Kimble Rendall on guitars and James Baker on drums. Astute listeners will note the absence of bass guitar in the band, an accident of fate which later inspired a song about a fatal accident ('Arthur'). It was only when Kimble and Rod quit a year later that we were able to remedy that "oversight". 'Leilani' was based on an old 50's movie, 'Bird Of Paradise' starring Jeff Chandler (my least-favourite actor at the time, though that title is now held by George Clooney). This primitive recording somehow received extensive alternative airplay, whatever that may be, and even became popular in a few clubs, so allowing us to break out of the inner-Sydney musical ghetto we inhabited."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUWMWBbEhJA



My Girl
"Owing to a flippant suggestion by Kimble, who had returned to film-making, we made the song's video a story about a dog trainer and his champion greyhound. To this day people insist the song was "written about a dog". Oh, well. The truth is, it was meant to be part of a never-made home movie, a tribute to 60's beach movies entitled 'Gidget Goes Ape'. While the Gurus were out on tour the record's producer, Alan Thorne, added keyboards and session-singer backing vocals which horrified us (and our record company loved, of course!). Alan did a great job producing the rest of our fist album, 'Stoneage Romeos' and we enjoyed working with him (which we did many times), but those backing vocals still make my skin crawl."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syFijAzk6Qw



Tojo (Never Made It To Darwin)  "marks the true beginning of the Hoodoo Gurus "sound". Brad Shepherd and Clyde Bramley had joined the band, Clyde excellently providing some much-needed bass guitar and in Brad we finally had a real guitarist (no offence intended to Kimble and Rod but to my knowledge none of us has ever been asked to do any session work). 'Tojo..' was an "answer song" to an Australian hit of a few years earlier, 'Santa Never Made it Into Darwin' which had been release to raise money for the victims of Cyclone Tracy which had almost destroyed Darwin on Christmas Eve, 1975. During World War II the Japanese army invaded New Guinea but failed to reach Australia thanks to the heroic resistance however Darwin was bombed heavily and often. This is the only song I've written about which my father (a returned serviceman) has ever had anything nice to say."




I Want You Back
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb1nk_hoodoo-gurus-i-want-you-back_music

Hoodoo Gurus - I Want You Back by soulpatrol
http://vimeo.com/40571869
Hoodoo Gurus "Gold Watch" Track-By-Track - #5 "I Want You Back” from Dan on Vimeo.





(Let's All) Turn On

Shake Some Action, Psychotic Reaction,
No Satisfaction, Sky Pilot, Sky Saxon.
That's what I like.
Blitzkrieg Bop to the Jailhouse Rock
Stop Stop Stop At The Hop do the Bluejean Bop.
That's what I like.
Better get off my cloud 'cos two's a crowd,
Better get off the phone - there's nobody home.
I'm gonna work it on out, I'm gonna Twist & Shout.
I'm gonna Ride A White Swan and Get it on,
Let's all turn on!
Born To Lose those Summertime Blues
In Blue Suede Shoes, Le Hoodoo Gurus.
That's what I like.
Waiting for My Man, baby, Can The Can,
I Wanna Hold Your Hand, remember Sam The Sham?
That's what I like!
When You Walk in The Room, Sunny Afternoon,
A-Wop-Bop A-Loo-Bop, A-Lop-Bam-Boom
That's what I like.
I like Sugar, Sugar, Talk, Talk, Money, Honey, Boardwalk
Who wears Short Shorts? (We wear Short Shorts!)
That's what I like!
Turn on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTmfQVXgqXw






'Stoneage Romeos'
full album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ_9IFLhKXQ


01 - I Want You Back - 3:12
02 - Tojo - 3:23
03 - Leilani (Faulkner, James Baker, Roddy Radalj, Kimble Rendall) - 5:36
04 - Arthur (Faulkner, Radalj) - 3:10
05 - Dig It Up - 3:36
06 - (Let's All) Turn On (Baker, Darcy Condon, Faulkner, Radalj) - 3:04
07 - Death Ship (Faulkner, Radalj, Alan Sharples) - 2:37
08 - In The Echo Chamber - 3:44
09 - Zanzibar - 3:25
10 - I Was A Kamikaze Pilot - 3:12
11 - My Girl - 2:40


bonus tracks: 

"Leilani, Pt. 2" - 3:58
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-LMKahxSjU


"Be My Guru" (Baker, Faulkner) - 2:40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nax1CT5Rzkg


"Hoodoo You Love" (live)(Baker, Faulkner) - 2:07 
(recorded by Triple J at the Trade Union Club in Sydney in 1983)
http://www.musicline.de/de/player_flash/0805772802926/0/11/50/product