Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars!

The first time I got this album it was a gift from my old roommate Otto. For a goofy little nebbish he would occasionally surprise me with some left of field musical treasures. Although, I still think he was reaching a little when he brought home the new "Led Zeppelin" album by Kingdom Come and forced me to listen to "Get it On" over and over again. 

I'd not listened to Mars Needs Guitars in a long, long, long time. The first thing that I jumped out at me was how David Faulkner's vocals reminded me of his fellow countryman Peter Garrett from Midnight Oil. I think the reason this never occurred to me was at the time I didn't have any Midnight Oil until Diesel and Dust in 1987. I'm not saying it was all the time, but there were a couple of songs where it stood out. Not a bad thing, just a thing.

Even at the time this felt slightly out of step with what was going on in 1985. It seemed like everyone was using drum machines and synthesizers and having to add a credit for whoever programmed the Fairlight for their record. Here were a bunch of guys stripping it back and crafting a straight ahead rock record with a nod to the past but harnessing the energy of punk and obviously having fun while doing so.

I will admit this didn't get a lot of play when I first got it. I did pull "Hayride to Hell" with it's killer cowboy vibe to appear on numerous mix tapes for a year or two. It is probably still my favourite song on the album. Not to say the rest of the album wasn't worth listening to. There was always something engaging about the band, and I would pull it down from time to time and give it a listen. Over time I stopped playing my records, and then this one along with most of my collection went to vinyl heaven after sitting in water in my parent's crawl space. I blame myself for this, I should have put the boxes up off the floor, but no, nothing will ever happen if I just leave them on the concrete floor.

So here I am with a pretty decent copy that I paid more than a buck for. Sadly the jacket was beat up pretty badly, but everything was there, and the record played like a dream. Considering this is pushing forty years I have to remind myself this is old, despite feeling pretty crisp and fresh.

This is primarily due to the simple fact the band just plugged in, and played and kept their instruments sounding like, well, their instruments.  To that end let's give it up for the band:

The Hoodoo Gurus

Clyde Bramley - Bass & Vocals
David Faulkner - Guitar & Lead Vocals
Mark Kingsmill - Drums & Cymbals
Brad Shepherd - Guitar, Mouth Harp & Lead Vocals on "Mars Needs Guitars!"

You also have to love a band whose thank you section includes Tex Avery, Sammy Davis Jr., Chuck Barris and Barbara Eden (who never did show her belly button), along with dozens of other names who likely won't be mentioned in the same place again.

I do find myself in the same situation I was all those years ago. I have an album I enjoyed, and will always think of as an album I like - but I also know I won't be taking off the shelf all that often to give it a spin. So then why go to the trouble of finding it again, and buying it again if I'm not going to play it? Because I missed having it.