Customer Reviews

Living in the 70's

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Greg Macainsh is definitely the driving force behind this seminal rock band. As much as I thought this band was a rock band in Australia, I have been surprised that if played here in the US, the Band is classified as "Southern Rock"( not as in its from Australia, but that it sounds like it is from the Southern US States).
Greg's material has been very ably interpreted by the late Graham "Shirley" Strachan who has been the only singer to be incredibly popular with this band, even with the return of the band in the 90s at two distinct periods.
LIVING IN THE 70s is the best example of this bands work outside of the double CD compilation of the band( which includes 90s material, and the so called "Lost Album).
The music of this 70s disc is catchy, cheeky, in your face, and very much a breakthrough for the period, and it still has the same freshness as it did when it was first released, which is a testament to Greg's writing, and Shirley's top of the line singing.
The one song not written by Macainsh is "SMUT", and even by todays standards, it is a little risque, but only a little. Red Symons I think only ever had one song accepted by SKYHOOKS when he was in the band, and it benefits greatly by Shirleys vocals, however it is a rarity for someone who is mostly known on Australian TV for a pouting sneer on the now Defunct saturday Show which was Headed by an icon of Australian Show Business Daryl Sommers( If I recall Correctly)... anyways, Ossie Ostrich still sells well :-)

I was probably one of the few U.S. Skyhooks fans, based on the U.S. issue of this album, which contained a heady mix of songs off both "Ego" and the Aussie version of "Living." Sadly Skyhooks got lost in the endless 'glam rock' hype, where everyone who could smear eyeshadow and a gimmicky costume vied in acting "outrageous" to get their 15 minutes of fame.

Skyhooks, though not completely innocent, had the raucous energy of Slade with substantial lyrics that were proto-Punk in sensibility. Here, the title song alone, with it's chorus, "I'm living the 70s/ Eating fake food under plastic trees/ My face gets dirty just walking around/And I need another pill just to calm me down" is a classic. Another - title escapes me - had a line "One night in Dayton/I thought I saw the Star of Bethlehem/But it was just the light on the Holiday Inn." Should have been MUCH bigger here than they were.

Skyhooks are Australin music legends and this is their first album and it's considered a classic in Australia. When it was intially released, six tracks were banned from radio play which helped sales, a truly unique band with a unique sound and a singer with a unique voice.Greg Macainish wrote great songs and Red Symons pulled out some intrestings sounds from his guitar. Mushroom have done a great job with the remastering one can only hope they will remaster the rest of the Skyhooks back catologue. A CLASSIC

I had first heard Skyhooks 6mths before they became famous in Sydney Road, Melbourne Australia in a 2nd rate hall for kids to have a night out. They hadn't got all geared up at that time. After 6 mths they had their first no. 1. The reason they were popular was firstly they sang about the area, which was a part of everyone's scene so they could relate to the streets of Carlton at night, which still goes on now. The news on TV was becoming more vivid, before this it was a rare occasion to hear about a murder, but times were changing, they sang about this and the push of advertising to give you all you wanted which basically was love and to be accepted, of course that is just the norm now. They were the first band in Australia not to be airy-fairy and sang about issues (drugs, the opposite sex) in a straightforward way and some in an amusing manner. Since then I have been into most types of music from Vangelis to Hard Core Tech. I took a path down memory lane last night and heard all their songs I must admit some are very country sounding, which I hate country so they were a little difficult to hear, but most of them still sound good. I'm going to give a CD to my 24 yr son to hear (who goes to Carlton) let you know what he thinks of it.

Austrailan band from the 70's.
Got CD for one song but found
others that I liked.

This album was hugely popular when it was released for some reason unknown to me. This band had two guitarists yet their sound was so thin that I have heard banjos on country music albums producing a fatter sound. Many of the tracks on this album were bannd by most Radio Stations which to me seemed to be a very clever marketing ploy to get the Public to buy this album. Thankfully soon after this album Skyhooks feel into music obscurity when the Music Buying Public FINALLY realized that they were a bunch of 'Pretentious Wankers" as they allude to in the song "Smut " and as they say in Australia.I give this album 5 stars because the best thing about it is the album cover.