The “she said/ she said” refrain from Hoodoo Gurus’ “I Want You Back” shows up almost verbatim in Nirvana’s “Breed.” While Hoodoo Gurus’ debut album, Stoneage Romeos, may seem an unlikely addition to Kurt Cobain’s wide range of influences, its inclusion speaks largely to the Gurus’ Australian rock syncing up nicely with the American indie rock and post-hardcore music of the time—e.g. The Wipers and The Meat Puppets—that provide the backbone of Nirvana’s breakthrough album, Nevermind. The band’s wide range of influences is listed quite neatly in Stoneage Romeos’ opening song, “(Let’s All) Turn On”: Psychotic Reaction, No Satisfaction, Blitzkrieg Bop, Jailhouse Rock, Ride A White Swan, Let’s Get It On. Aside from having the best musical taste, like, ever, Hoodoo Gurus mix their influences into an album’s worth of swaggering, up-tempo rock. Highlights include “Leilani,” with its stadium-sized drum stomp, and the Radio Birdman-indebted “I Was A Kamikaze Pilot” (endearingly pronounced with a hard “a”.)
-Marty Brown, 2007
Excited to see the new countdown go up!
Posted by: Squidhelmet | 2007.07.31 at 11:08
1983. Yes, I can get into this...I'm heading back now.
Posted by: Andydammit | 2007.07.31 at 21:52