Living In The 70's

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One of the most sure-footed debut albums in all of Australian rock, Skyhooks’ 1974 classic added a distinct larrikin streak to the strutting sexual flamboyance of English glam rock. Curly-locked singer Graeme “Shirley” Strachan had a robustly theatrical voice that could have fronted Queen or AC/DC in a pinch, and the Chaplin-worthy faces he pulled onstage (especially for TV’s popular <i>Countdown</i>) were a snug fit with the Melbourne band’s frisky riffs, carnival-esque costumes, and suggestive lyrics. Skyhooks doubled down on their strong local following by enlisting Ross Wilson from Melbourne heroes Daddy Cool as producer, and then calling out specific suburbs on the kind of checkered postcards that became bassist and predominate songwriter Greg Macainsh’s signature. Observe the lusty “Ballwyn Calling,” the drugs-scoring cautionary tale “Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo),” and the fashion-victim satire “Toorak Cowboy.” Other turns prove more muscled and menacing (“Horror Movie”), while the opening title track succeeded as an easy anthem for an addled era, and “You Just Like Me ’Cos I’m Good in Bed” ranked top amongst the handful of tracks banned from commercial radio at the time. Even though Skyhooks would essentially be finished by the end of the decade they’re saluting here, these songs retain their incisive commentary and fun-house flair today. In fact, this combination of punchy immediacy and smirking subtext remains tough to beat in any decade.

via Apple Music