Like, Wow! It’s been 40 years (!) since Hoodoo Gurus released their debut album, Stoneage Romeos, and to celebrate, the band are releasing an extremely limited, vinyl collector’s set on Friday, 17 May 2024 and available for pre-order now from here.
Since forming in 1981, Hoodoo Gurus boast 10 x ARIA Top 20 albums, 9 x ARIA Top 40 singles and a host of multi-platinum albums – they’re mainstays on the live scene, and influential to a new generation of artists that have arrived after them.
Few other artists have toured as comprehensively, achieved such an enduring reputation over successive generations, enjoyed such loyalty from fans and maintained such high currency for their work – both within Australia and abroad.
Originally released in March 1984, Stoneage Romeos featured the hits Leilani, Tojo, My Girl and I Want You Back, and reached #29 on the Australian Album Chart. The album went on to win Best Debut Album at the 1984 Countdown Awards and has consistently appeared on almost every Top 50 Australian album list.
The 40th Anniversary edition is sure to whip up a frenzy with fans and will include the original album reissued as a picture disc as well as some seriously collectible additions.
Also included in the special edition package are:
1984: Live at the Chevron (12” vinyl) featuring the band’s 1984 performance at the Chevron Hotel in Sydney which marked a pivotal moment in their early career. Originally recorded and broadcast by the ABC, this iconic concert is being released for the first time, with reimagined art as a Zoetrope vinyl which will turn the turntable into a mesmerizing portal where the prehistoric characters come to life. Collectors, take note: this concert recording will not be made available on any streaming platforms so this will be your only chance to own this rare artefact!
Hayride to Hell (7”), a track originally slated for inclusion on Stoneage Romeos, but held back because of its country feel (how much diversity can one album have?!). Hayride To Hell has an intriguing history with the accompanying Part 2 being recorded during a London radio session for John Peel’s show in 1987. Significantly, the single cover displays an illustration by Reg Mombassa, marking the debut of his distinctive artwork on the band’s record sleeves. This single will also only be available exclusively as a part of this limited edition reissue.
Poster (A2) featuring a striking Sandy Edwards image complemented by Debbie Baer’s hand-drawn elements, this poster is a replica of the band’s first poster (when they were still called le Hoodoo Gurus) and is vivid depiction of Sydney’s creative energy in the early eighties. On the reverse, Australian music journalist Toby Creswell explores the band’s origin and their whirlwind rise from a NYE party to the creation of their debut album, Stoneage Romeos, complemented by some early Tom Takacs photos of the band.
Postcard / Mini Poster was originally crafted by Dave Faulkner for a double bill the band played with The Scientists in 1982. The artwork features an anatomical Dalek image sourced from an old Doctor Who Annual Dave discovered in an op shop (he was, and still is, intrigued by the unexpected details revealed in the Dalek’s cross-section).
Dave Faulkner said, “When we were in the studio making ‘Stoneage Romeos’ we felt like kids in a candy shop, throwing all manner of instruments and “ear-ticklers” into the mix as we attempted to squeeze all our musical influences on to one album. It got a bit unhinged at times but producer/engineer Alan Thorne kept a cool head and a steady hand. Together, we captured something special and it still sounds great to me.”
Hoodoo Gurus evocative and relatable lyricism, peerless song writing, with a hint of punk attitude – placed in a distinctively Australian context have provided a careful balance of critical success and enduring mainstream appeal for 40 years. The enduring importance of the Hoodoo Gurus is reflected in sell-out tours, the status tracks from the Gurus’ catalogue as indisputable staples of radio, being name-checked in ‘best-ever album’ countdowns, even having songs played at weddings and funerals, these are just some of the barometers of the strong legacy Hoodoo Gurus enjoy.
The influence of the Hoodoo Gurus songs is felt beyond Australia’s boundaries and often name checked as vitally influential to a variety of other artists. You can hear the legacy of Hoodoo Gurus in anyone from You Am I and Spiderbait, through to Violent Soho and beyond. International artists who have publicly namechecked Hoodoo Gurus include Steve Van Zandt, Manic Street Preachers, Courtney Love and many more.
Through to their chart-topping successes throughout the ’80s and ’90s, their international triumphs and countless sold-out local tours, from their 1998-2003 break-up through to their latest album, Chariot of the Gods, Hoodoo Gurus have been and remain one of the most popular and successful musical acts Australia has ever produced.
The 40th Anniversary vinyl Stoneage Romeos set is released on Big Time Recordings thought Universal Music Australia on Friday, 17 May 2024 and is available for pre-order from here.
