Classic Australian Album Covers Quiz

Answer: "Living in the 70's" - Skyhooks

One of THE defining albums of Australian music to emerge in the seventies, Skyhooks took the local scene by storm with their 1974 debut album.

Featuring the unique high-pitched voice of Graeme "Shirley" Strachan and the clever everyday-life lyrics of bassist songwriter Greg Macainsh, Skyhooks were the sharp-edged alternative to the softer melodic sound offered by Sherbet, their rivals in the mid to late 70s period.

Two singles were lifted from the album, the title track and "Horror Movie". Six tracks were banned for commercial airplay, including "You Just Like Me 'Cos I'm Good in Bed", "Motorcycle Bitch" and "Smut".

Sadly, Shirley Strachan passed away in August 2001 after flying a helicopter into the side of a mountain in Queensland, not far from this author's home.

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/Skyhooks.jpg

Answer: "The Boys Light Up" - Australian Crawl

Distinctive if for no other reason than James Reyne's often unintelligible lyrics, Australian Crawl hit the local music scene in 1979 with the single "Beautiful People". To this day, if this author didn't have access to the lyrics of the song, he doubts if he could have certainly about the title of the song!

"The Boys Light Up" was released in 1980 and spawned a number of successful singles including the title track, "Downhearted", "Beautiful People" and "Indisposed", an autobiographical of James Reyne's run-in with a car in the centre of Melbourne. The live clip from the popular national music show of the era, "Countdown", shows Reyne performing with both arms in plaster! See for yourself at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5sg-xwmM_g

The noted Australian rock and pop historian, Glenn A. Baker, sums up Aussie Crawl succinctly: "Crawl songs seemed to eulogise hedonism, adventure and the great outdoors for an audience that couldn't be bothered with Midnight Oil's politics".

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/AusCrawl.jpg

Answer: "East" - Cold Chisel

Regarded as one of Australia's premier pub rock bands, Cold Chisel's "East" hit the charts in 1980. The album's cover picture bears a limited resemblance to the painting "The Death of Marat" by Jacques-Louis David.

Chisel's third album, "East" was the one that saw the band really hit the big time. Singles taken from the album were "Choir Girl", Cheap Wine" and "My Baby".

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/Chisel.jpg

Answer: "T.N.T" - AC/DC

Produced by Harry Vanda and George Young (formerly of The Easybeats), "T.N.T." was the band's second album, and has never been released in the same format outside of Australia, although the majority of the songs on the album subsequently found their way onto future international releases.

The album contains some memorable songs such as the title track, "High Voltage", Can I Sit Next To You Girl", "School Days" (a Chuck Berry cover), "The Jack" (a track with a none too obvious double entendre), and the classic "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)".

Of course, being their second album, it featured the lead singing of (the now late) Bon Scott. Call me a purist or call me mad, this author thinks that this is AC/DC at their best.

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/ACDC.jpg

Answer: "Red Sails In The Sunset"

"Red Sails In The Sunset" was Midnight Oil's fifth album release. A group unashamedly political in its lyrical approach, Midnight Oil had their roots in pub rock, similar to Cold Chisel. Other consistent themes in The Oils' music have been consumerism, war and the military, the environment and indigenous land rights.

The album cover of "Red Sails In The Sunset" depicts Sydney following nuclear attack. Interestingly, given the size of the craters that have emptied Sydney Harbour of its water, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge seem to have enjoyed miraculous escapes from the destruction!

In 2003 lead singer Peter Garrett was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to environment and the music industry. Garrett went onto a career in politics. In November 2007, he was appointed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the position of Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. His full title is The Honourable Peter Garrett, AM, MP, BA, LLB. He used to simply be that big baldy guy with the strange dancing style!

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/MidnightOil.jpg

Answer: "Howzat" - Sherbet

In the mid 70s, Sherbet and Skyhooks fans fought an intense battle, each believing their band to be better than the rival offering. As a comparison Sherbet were the sweet, well-behaved band, like the Beatles, whereas Skyhooks were the bad boy Rolling Stones equivalent. This latter observation was in part because Skyhooks' lyrics were generally less saccharine than Sherbet's, and the Hooks certainly had many more songs banned for radio airplay (they said 'bad' things). To my knowledge, Sherbet had no songs banned.

The album "Howzat", and especially the single of the same name, was a blockbuster in 1976. The single was catchy and cleverly made use of double entendre: "Howzat, you messed about, I caught you out, Howzat?". The lines could be applied to a game of cricket or a romance.

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/Sherbet.jpg

Answer: Gin

Not to be confused with the Sherbet single of the same name, this debut album by the Brisbane band Railroad Gin went places in...Brisbane! This was 1975, back in the days when radio and marketing were quite different - a hit in one city could see you sink without trace in another. Parochialism? In Australia? Surely not! Still, we had 'em here in Brisbane and that was all that mattered!

The single "A Matter Of Time" was the equal of anything produced in the country at the time, and features some notable flute work - there's something you don't hear a lot of in pop music. The album version of the song has an extended lead in and fade out with multiple string instruments, which is also quite appealing.

I have to say though - if you are a woman with a big nose surely you would recommend a cover that focused on something else...

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/RailroadGin.jpg

Answer: "True Colours" - Split Enz

Split Enz burst onto the scene with "True Colours" in 1980. One of the rare albums where each of the ten tracks was worth listening to again and again, it signaled the band's transformation into a somewhat more mainstream approach to their music.

The album cover - instantly recognisable for its set of geometric designs - was available in a number of different colour options. Also available was a laser-etched disk! This author purchased the standard blue, yellow, black and white cover. My disk was standard black plastic. I got ripped off!

And, yes, I know - Split Enz originally came from New Zealand. Please don't write and tell me this! I have included them in this Aussie album cover quiz because we loved them as our own.

Album and laser disk image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/SplitEnz.jpg

Answer: "Shabooh Shoobah" - INXS

The album that effectively brought INXS to prominence, the weakly titled "Shabooh Shoobah" - and who can even find out if the title meant something (or anything) - contained a couple of real gems. "The One Thing" and "Don't Change" were classic Aussie rock tracks of the types we enjoyed before INXS started taking themselves a little too seriously.

Does anyone have any idea what the album cover is all about? Personally, I find it somewhat disturbing.

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/INXS.jpg

Answer: "Spirit Of Place" - Goanna

Originally known as "The Goanna Band", the group released "Spirit Of Place" - their first album - in 1982. The theme and lyrics were similar to Midnight Oil, in that they focused on issues affecting indigenous Australians.

The album won the ARIA Best Album of the Year and the single "Solid Rock" won Best Single of the Year for 1982. "Solid Rock" was worldwide hit and is one of the few mainstream songs to feature a digeridoo.

Album image available for viewing at:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt82/FussBudgetVP/Goanna.jpg