# Hoodoo Gurus!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756 "2008-09-15T23:11:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/1 "2008-09-15T23:11:11Z")
In the Thread for [most influential Australian Band](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=483284) I couldn’t justify nominating [Hoodoo Gurus](http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=HOODOO%7CGURUS&sql=11:wifpxqe5ldae~T0) in the face of other nominees with far greater international success. Just as well, since I personally have always dug the Hoodoo Gurus such that I much prefer giving them their own Thread rather than allow them to get lost in a broader themed Thread. My own familiarity with them (me in the U.S.) was due mostly to my own efforts of seeking out their albums, with only a little bit of help from college radio introducing me to them playing “Come Anytime” from the album _Magna Cum Louder_. The next album, _Kinky_, had the single [Miss Freelove '69](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_UCks8O0FA&feature=related)- which I actually think I saw on MTV once or twice. Really great superfun songs! I only got to see them live once, House of Blues in New Orleans about 12 or so years ago. Killer show, but I had a hard time finding anyone to go with me because I was the only one of my group of friends who knew who they were. ---
**Author:** ![usar\_jag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@usar\_jag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usar_jag)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/2 "2008-09-16T05:25:49Z")
It’s nice to know that the \*\*Hoodoo Gurus \*\*are not forgottten. I started listening to them when _Mars Needs Guitars!_ came out. They are one of my all-time favorite college bands, along with **The Young Fresh Fellows**. It just doesn’t get much better than the tunes: I Was a Kamikaze Pilot, Leilani, Like Wow-Wipeout, and Miss Freelove '69 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/3 "2008-09-16T05:31:29Z")
[That’s My Team](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbNWemR_lKs) ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/4 "2008-09-16T06:24:54Z")
I actually only just saw them live about a week-and-a-half ago. It was a fantastic night all 'round, but they still sound just as good. Had a chat with Rick Grossman (bass) after the show–really nice, interesting guy. He had a lot of nice things to say about Neil Finn in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/5 "2008-09-16T07:35:29Z")
I was deep into the band scene in Australia when they were just starting out. Saw them live many many times. Great band! I’m so pleased that other people around the world know of them. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/6 "2008-09-16T07:38:36Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > [That’s My Team](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbNWemR_lKs) Wow! Those lyrics are so forced and utterly horrendous. My opinion of the band is high enough to remain intact, but wow that’s bad. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/7 "2008-09-16T18:45:33Z")
In honor of this thread, I’ve gone to the Hoodoo Gurus section on my iPod and put it on Shuffle. Now playing: “Poison Pen”. I’ve got four albums: Kinky, Magnum cum Louder, Mars Needs Guitars, and Stoneage Romeos. Am I missing anything good? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/8 "2008-09-16T20:00:05Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > In honor of this thread, I’ve gone to the Hoodoo Gurus section on my iPod and put it on Shuffle. Now playing: “Poison Pen”. > > I’ve got four albums: Kinky, Magnum cum Louder, Mars Needs Guitars, and Stoneage Romeos. Am I missing anything good? _Blow Your Cool_ is good, too. Beyond that, nothing worth writing home about in their later work, IMO. But those first 2 albums (_Stoneage Romeos, Mars Needs Guitars_) are especially awesome. Saw them way the hell back in the 80s at some tiny club, and they were a great, fun live band. Saw them again on the _Kinky_ tour at another tiny club, and they were equally great. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/9 "2008-09-16T20:32:43Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > I’ve got four albums: Kinky, Magnum cum Louder, Mars Needs Guitars, and Stoneage Romeos. Am I missing anything good? The awesomeness is pretty consistent through their first five albums- of the first five, you’re only missing _Blow Your Cool!_. I’ll echo **woodstockbirdybird** ’s recommendation while adding a little more gusto: if you like the four albums that you already know, you oughta consider _Blow Your Cool!_ a “must have”. Some of there best songs are on this record. In a contribution that I had my rebellious early-teen “If it’s Popular it must SUCK” mind spinning with confusion, there are background vocals provided by none other than 80s Chart Toppers, The Bangles. Stressing out my early-teen rebel mind even more was that fact that I _liked_ this collaboration! All involved seemed to have enjoyed the experience and Bangles lead guitarist Vicki Peterson continued to guest on Gurus records over the years to come. Albums #6 and #7, _Crank_ (1994) and _Blue Cave_ (1996), both have good songs but they aren’t nearly as good as the earlier records. Album #8, _Mach Schau_ (2004), was so under the radar (the American release anyway), that despite being a longtime fan I wasn’t even aware of it until a few months ago. The two songs from that album that I’ve found on YouTube are pretty good, but I haven’t found anything else. ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/10 "2008-09-16T22:26:11Z")
Random, slightly-Hoodoo Gurus-related tale. Wipeout was the song of a week I had surfing a [reef break](http://www.mensgetaway.com/assets/images/Gleesons_Landing.jpg) way back when. Turned out, there was a Great White lurking. Like wow. So, um, I always thing of that when I hear the song. Hoodoo Gurus rocked. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/11 "2008-09-16T22:31:16Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Some of there best songs are on this record. In a contribution that I had my rebellious early-teen “If it’s Popular it must SUCK” mind spinning with confusion, there are background vocals provided by none other than 80s Chart Toppers, The Bangles. Stressing out my early-teen rebel mind even more was that fact that I _liked_ this collaboration! All involved seemed to have enjoyed the experience and Bangles lead guitarist Vicki Peterson continued to guest on Gurus records over the years to come. You just reminded me that I’ve seen them live. They opened for the Bangles during an American tour in the mid-eighties–I’d say 1986, IIRC. The show was at the Warfield in San Francisco. I nearly got my ass kicked by a 6 foot-8 inch dude in a mohawk who thought it would be funny to mess with some little suburban preppy. In retrospect, I remember what I was wearing, and I richly deserved the ass-kicking. But hey, it was the mid-eighties. I also remember that show for another reason: Prince showed up in the middle of the Bangles set in a lemon-yellow suit to sing “Manic Monday”. I think he was smitten with the lead singer, who ended up marrying the guy who directed the “Austen Powers” movies. ---
**Author:** ![First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/First_Amongst_Daves)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoodoo-gurus/463756/12 "2008-09-17T06:40:09Z")
Prince wrote Manic Monday, from memory. I heard rumours back in the day of, lets say, lewd behaviour between the two bands on their North American tour which would have made Prince’s appearance interesting… I saw them live on campus at the University of Western Australia 3 or 4 times in the late 80s. Great band live. Oddly I have never bought any of their albums.