Skyhooks - Horror Movie (1975)

Music from Australia and New Zealand in the year 1975:

Skyhooks' (performing on Countdown) the hit single 'Horror Movie' (March, 1975) taken from the 1974 album 'Living In The Seventies'.

Note: This was Skyhooks' second single, racing to # 1on the Australian singles chart. The band would make # 1 again, in 1990 with 'Jukebox In Siberia'. According to wikipedia, this song is a popular Halloween song in the United States, and appears on the compilation album 'Elvira Presents Haunted Hits'... chills!

Band Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Track: Horror Movie
Album: Ego Is Not A Dirty Word
Composed by: Greg Macainsh
Produced by: Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool - Mondo Rock)
Label: Mushroom
Chart Position: # 1 (Australia)
Release Date: March, 1975
Footage Information: Countdown (ABC-TV)
Links:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyhooks
- http://www.skyhooks-music.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_M...)

Line-up:

Greg Macainsh -- Bass
[ Spare Parts (1966-1968) -- Sound Pump (1968) -- Reuben Tice (1969-1970) -- Reuben Tice (1970-1971) -- Claptrap (1971) -- Frame (Claptrap with name change 1971-1973) -- Skyhooks (1973-1980) -- Skyhooks reunions ]

Bob Starkie (aka "Bongo Starr") -- Guitar, Backing Vocals
[ Mary Jane Union -- Skyhooks (1973-1980) -- Skyhooks reunions ]

Graeme "Shirley" Strachan -- Lead Vocals
[ Frame (1972-1973) -- Skyhooks (1973-1978) -- solo artist (1976-1980) -- Skyhooks reunions ]

Imants "Freddie" Strauks (aka "Freddie Kaboodleschnitzer) -- Drums
[ Spare Parts (1966-1968) -- Claptrap (1971) -- Frame (Claptrap with name change 1971-1973) -- Skyhooks (1973-1980) -- The Sports (1980-1982) -- Skyhooks reunions ]

Red Symons -- Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
[ Scumbag -- Skyhooks (1973-1976) -- solo artist (1977) -- Skyhooks reunions and television work )

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NZOZ NZOZ1975 1975 Australia Mid Seventies 1970's 1970s 70's 70s

Musical Terms: Glam, Rock, Pop, Aussie, Old Australian Band

• Category

  Music

[Camillo Rota]

the abcs of death brought me here

[Hannah124200]

best aussie band ever

[nzoz1975]

fuck Hannah, she's a cunt

Sorry, I know I shouldn't say it, but some people ....

AC/DC and Skyhooks were friendly rivals back in those days and yes, in hind site, AC/DC are the best band to come out of Australia as far as consistency, identity, longevity and commercial measures are concerned.

[shadow341524]

what about AC/DC?

[nzoz1975]

and to add to this, some MTV staffers flew to Australia to watch Donnie Sutherland do his job on SOUNDS. After a few days of asking questions and note taking, the staffers returned to the US and launched MTV. What just happened to be the first video to play on MTV?

Ex-Sounds employee Russell Mulcahy and his 'Video Killed The Radio Star' video (by Buggles).

[nzoz1975]

everybody gives kudos to Countdown for playing music videos in the mid 70's. However, SOUNDS (with Donnie Sutherland) was the first program to play music videos (as well as having bands perform live in studio - unlike the aforementioned) exclusively. SOUNDS also employed a teenage Russell Mulcahy and assigned him to make mini-films for popular tunes, when a video was not at hand. This practice led to Mulcahy to making 'Video Killed The Radio Star', 'Hungry Like A Wolf' and eventually movies.

[pyrmontbridge]

Actually big acts like Bowie, Blondie, Meatloaf made videos for Countdown because travel was more difficult then. Countdown actually broke acts like Abba, Meatloaf, The Knack internationally via initial music videos. English and American shows like Top of the Pops and the Midnight Special only broadcast live performances as far as I know, not tailor-made music videos.

[scoldedcat]

I'm trying to find the Skyhooks clip where Shirley is wearing the pants with the big red hand on the crotch. Anyone know which song it was ?

[BlueSoulJim]

bass player in cowboy hat and suit look more like 80s New Romantic than Glam Rocker! he look like glam-rock androgynous version of Hank Williams!

[BlueSoulJim]

wish Bowie, Roxy Music, etc had known this!

[pyrmontbridge]

Australia was making music videos (filmclips as we called them then) almost a decade before the rest of the world and the MTV generation. This was due to the TV show Countdown.

[Scott Young]

Don`t get me wrong. Love Skyhooks, but time has proven that ac/dc were the better Aussie band. Long live Aussie music.