Album of the week -- Hoodoo Gurus, Mars Needs Guitars (1985)

I don't even know the story behind getting this album. I think my best friend from childhood, Vernay Reber, was involved as she turned me on to a lot of great music like Violent Femmes. All I know is I got this tape (the real tape and not a dub) in the fall of 1986 and must have played it a thousand times because I learned every song on guitar. It wasn't hard because, like the Femmes, the songs on this album are easy to play.

Also like the Femmes, these guys take simple chords and lyrics and create their own sound. My virgin ears had never heard anything like "Mars Needs Guitars" although I am sure Auburn's excellent college station WEGL was playing it. My favorite on this album will always be "Bittersweet" and I started playing it at band practice one time last year and was impressed that Mark and Gary, two of the guys in the band, knew the song and also loved the album. "Death Defying," "Hayride to Hell" and "Like Wow-Wipeout" are also excellent tracks.

I was so obsessed with this album at 15 that I used to draw it over and over in my sketchbook. I didn't know anything about the band and still don't know that much except that they are from Australia and they made many other albums. The one that followed this is "Blow your Cool" and there were a couple of good songs on that album, but nothing compared to this one. From start to finish it is a unified collection of songs that don't seem right not played in sequence from start to finish. Even the songs that were not considered singles off the album are great in the way that I never wanted to skip any song while listening to this album. "Mars Needs Guitars" has elements of rock-a-billy and kitsch and sound like an amalgam of The B-52's, Stray Cats, Violents Femmes and Guadalcanal Diary without really sounding too much like any one of these bands.

I have recently been thinking about Hoodoo Gurus because of the Godsend known and XM Radio. On some of their true alternative stations called Lucy and Fred, there is a DJ that must love these guys because I hear them a few times a week and it is a nice reminder. Like Let's Active, Hoodoo Gurus songs are timeless beautiful pop, not overproduced and not minimal either. There is a lot of '80's music that I don't like to admit listening to and loving, but Hoodoo Gurus will never fall under that category.

(Images from www.allmusic.com)