The 1985 Listening Post - Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars

Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars!

#72

March 8 1985

Hoodoo Gurus

Mars Needs Guitars!

Genre: Rock

4.5 out of 5

Highlight:

Bittersweet

Poison Pen

In the Wild

Mars Needs Guitars

As good as Stoneage Romeos? Umm…almost. It’s quick, assertive, assured and a ton of fun. There’s a contained energy on “In the Wild” that seems like it might spiral out of control but it’s held together with tension as it comes to a head and gives a way to the moderate tempo’d Split Enz-esque “Death Defying”.

As I’m writing this I’m listening to the first side and it just doesn’t stop. It’s one great track after another. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mars-needs-guitars/298097113

The 1984 Listening Post - Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos

Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos

#50

March 

Hoodoo Gurus

Stoneage Romeos

4.75 out of 5

Highlights:
(Let’s All) Turn On

I Want You Back

Leilani

Tojo

I Was a Kamikaze Pilot

Just when I lament the serious lack of interesting or valuable music in the calendar year I’m triple shotted with excellence.

The purpose of the project in the beginning to fill in the gaps of my musical youth. What did I miss because a child’s/teen’s access is based on limited resources. So went the Gurus into the bin of “I knew the name but didn’t have a clue who they were” and Eric didn’t have their records. 

This is an example of using all the techniques of the 80s, melding it perfectly with the 60s Zombies sound and updating it for the 80s college set. If The Replacements sounded more like this I would have given them higher marks. These are the kind of songs I expected from The Flesh Tones but didn’t get. Nor the production, which betters the offerings by both those bands.

There’s even a hint of The Vapors on the excellent, “Tojo”. That thrills me. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stoneage-romeos/200970005