Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox musical artist

Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1973. Their classic lineup (1974–1977) comprised Graeme "Shirley" Strachan (vocals), Greg Macainsh (bass and backing vocals), Red Symons (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Bob "Bongo" Starkie (guitar and backing vocals), and Imants "Freddie" Strauks (drums).

Known for their flamboyant costumes and makeup,<ref name="MABio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> their music addressed a variety of issues including drugs, sex, and the gay scene while frequently referencing Australian places and culture. Evolving from a series of groups with Macainsh and Strauks in the late 1960s and early 1970s, they rose to national prominence when their debut album Living in the 70's (1974), which was initially a moderate success upon release, gained unprecedented popularity the following year, aided by the nascent ABC music show Countdown; the album topped the Australian Kent Music Report chart for a record-breaking 16 weeks and sold over 200,000 copies, becoming the best-selling Australian album at the time. Their second album Ego Is Not a Dirty Word (1975) topped the Kent Music Report for 11 weeks.

Symons and Strachan left in 1977 and 1978 respectively and became media personalities; Symons was replaced with Bob Spencer and Strachan was replaced with Tony Williams, before they disbanded in 1980. The classic lineup reunited four times in the ensuing years, with reunions in 1990 and 1994 producing new material, including the number-one song "Jukebox in Siberia" in 1990. Strachan died in a helicopter crash in 2001; original lead singer Steve Hill, who left and was replaced by Strachan, died in 2005, and original guitarist Peter Starkie died in 2020.

Music historian Ian McFarlane stated that the band "made an enormous impact on Australian social life".<ref name="McF">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> In 1992, the group was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. In 2011, the Skyhooks album Living in the 70's was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry.<ref>National Film and Sound Archive: 'Living in the 70s' on the Sounds of Australia registry</ref>

HistoryEdit

1966–1974: Early years and formationEdit

Greg Macainsh and Imants "Freddie" Strauks both attended Norwood High School in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood and formed Spare Parts in 1966 with Macainsh on bass guitar and Strauks on lead vocals.<ref name="ARDb">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Jeff">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="SpencerSpare">Spencer et al, (2007) Spare PartsTemplate:Dead link entry.</ref> Spare Parts was followed by Sound Pump in 1968,<ref name="SpencerSound">Spencer et al, (2007) Sound PumpTemplate:Dead link entry.</ref> Macainsh formed Reuben Tice in Eltham, with Tony Williams on vocals.<ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="SpencerReuben">Spencer et al, (2007) Reuben TiceTemplate:Dead link entry.</ref> By 1970 Macainsh was back with Strauks, now on drums, first in Claptrap<ref name="SpencerClaptrap">Spencer et al, (2007) ClaptrapTemplate:Dead link entry.</ref> and by 1971 in Frame which had Graeme "Shirley" Strachan as lead vocalist.<ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="SpencerFrame">Spencer et al, (2007) FrameTemplate:Dead link entry.</ref> Frame also included Pat O'Brien on guitar and Cynthio Ooms on guitar.<ref name="SpencerFrame"/> Strachan had befriended Strauks earlier—he sang with Strauks on the way to parties—and was asked to join Claptrap which was renamed as Frame.<ref name="JenB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Strachan stayed in Frame for about 18 months but left for a career in carpentry and a hobby of surfing in Phillip Island.<ref name="JenB"/>

File:Red Symons.jpg
Skyhooks guitarist Red Symons, who replaced founder Peter Inglis in August 1973. (1973–1977, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994, pictured in 2011)

Skyhooks formed in March 1973 in Melbourne with Steve Hill on vocals (ex-Lillee), Peter Inglis<ref name="APRA Does">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'</ref> on guitar (The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band), Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, Peter Starkie on guitar and backing vocals (Lipp & the Double Dekker Brothers) and Strauks on drums and backing vocals.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/> The name, Skyhooks, came from a fictional organisation in the 1956 film Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. Their first gig was on 16 April 1973 at St Jude's Church hall in Carlton.<ref name="Jeff"/> At a later gig, former Daddy Cool frontman, Ross Wilson was playing in his group Mighty Kong with Skyhooks as a support act. Wilson was impressed with the fledgling band and signed Macainsh to a publishing deal.<ref name="McF"/> In August, Bob "Bongo" Starkie (Mary Jane Union) on guitar replaced his older brother Peter (later in Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons) and Inglis was replaced by Red Symons on guitar, vocals and keyboards.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/> The two new members added a touch of theatre and humour to the band's visual presence.<ref name="McF"/> By late 1973, Wilson had convinced Michael Gudinski to sign the band to his booking agency, Australian Entertainment Exchange, and eventually to Gudinski's label, Mushroom Records.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/>

Skyhooks gained a cult following around Melbourne including university intelligentsia and pub rockers,<ref name="Jeff"/> but a poorly received show at the January 1974 Sunbury Pop Festival saw the group booed off stage.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Two tracks from their live set, "Hey What's the Matter?" and "Love on the Radio" appeared on Mushroom's Highlights of Sunbury '74.<ref name="McF"/> After seeing his performance on TV, Hill phoned Macainsh and resigned.<ref name="Jeff"/> To replace Hill, in March, Macainsh recruited occasional singer, surfer and carpenter Strachan from his Frame era.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="JenB"/> Strachan had been dubbed "Shirley" by fellow surfers due to his curly blond hair a la Shirley Temple.<ref name="JenB"/>

1974–1975: Living in the 70'sEdit

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For Skyhooks, the replacement of Hill by Strachan was a pivotal moment, as Strachan had remarkable vocal skills, and a magnetic stage and screen presence.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Alongside Macainsh's lyrics, another facet of the group was the twin-guitar sound of Starkie and Symons.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Adopting elements of glam rock in their presentation, and lyrics that presented frank depictions of the social life of young Australia in the 1970s, the band shocked conservative middle Australia with their outrageous (for the time) costumes, make-up, lyrics, and on-stage activities.<ref name="McF"/> A 1.2-metre (4 ft) high mushroom-shaped phallus was confiscated by Adelaide police after a performance.<ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="Jenkins">Jenkins (1994).</ref> Six of the ten tracks on their debut album, Living in the 70's, were banned by the Federation of Australian Commercial Broadcasters for their sex and drug references:<ref name="McF"/> "Toorak Cowboy", "Whatever Happened to the Revolution?", "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed", "Hey What's the Matter", "Motorcycle Bitch" and "Smut".<ref name="Jeff"/> Much of the group's success derived from its distinctive repertoire, mostly penned by bass guitarist Macainsh,<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> with an occasional additional song from Symons—who wrote "Smut" and performed its lead vocals.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="APRA Smut">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> Although Skyhooks were not the first Australian rock band to write songs in a local setting—rather than ditties about love or songs about New York City or other foreign lands—they were the first to become commercially successful doing so.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Skyhooks songs addressed teenage issues including buying drugs ("Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)"), suburban sex ("Balwyn Calling"), the gay scene ("Toorak Cowboy") and loss of girlfriends ("Somewhere in Sydney") by namechecking Australian locales.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Radio personality, Billy Pinnell described the importance of their lyrics in tackling Australia's cultural cringe:

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

Billy Pinnell, quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia p. 104{{#if:|{{#if:|}}

}}

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The first Skyhooks single, "Living in the 70's", was released in August 1974,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks">Spencer et al, (2007) Skyhooks Template:Webarchive entry.</ref> ahead of the album, and peaked at No. 28 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Charts.<ref name="Kent">Template:Cite book NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.</ref> The album, Living in the 70's initially charted only in Melbourne upon its release on 7 October 1974. It went on to spend 16 weeks at the top of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Charts from February to June 1975.<ref name="Kent"/> The album was produced by Wilson,<ref name="ARDb"/> and became the best selling Australian album, to that time,<ref name="McF"/> with 226,000 copies sold in Australia.<ref name="Eliezer">Template:Cite book</ref>

Skyhooks returned to the Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1975. They were declared the best performers by Rolling Stone Australia and The Age reviewers, and Gudinski now took over their management.<ref name="Sunbury75">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The second single, "Horror Movie", reached No. 1 for two weeks in March.<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> The band's success was credited by Gudinski with saving his struggling Mushroom Records and enabled it to develop into the most successful Australian label of its time.<ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="JenB"/><ref name="Eliezer"/>

The success of the album was also due to support by a new pop music television show Countdown on national public broadcaster ABC Television, rather than promotion by commercial radio.<ref name="Jeff"/> "Horror Movie" was the first song played on the first colour transmission of Countdown in early 1975.<ref name="Jeff"/> Despite the radio ban, the ABC's newly established 24-hour rock music station Double Jay chose the album's fifth track, the provocatively titled "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed", as its first ever broadcast on 19 January.

1975–1976: Ego Is Not a Dirty WordEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Skyhooks' 1975 national tour promoting Living in the 70's finished at Melbourne's Festival Hall with their ANZAC Day (25 April) performance.<ref name="Jeff"/> They were supported by comedy singer Bob Hudson, heavy rockers AC/DC and New Zealand band Split Enz.<ref name="Jenkins" /> Strachan then took two weeks off and considered leaving the band, but he returned – newly married – and they continued recording the follow-up album, Ego Is Not a Dirty Word.<ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="JenB"/> Initially, they were locked out of the recording studio until their manager, Gudinski, sent down the money still owed for recording the first album.<ref name="Eliezer"/> Ego Is Not a Dirty Word spent 11 weeks at the top of the Australian album chart from 21 July 1975,<ref name="Kent"/> and sold 210,000 copies.<ref name="Eliezer"/> with the single, "Ego Is Not a Dirty Word" issued in April ahead of the album,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> peaking at No. 2.<ref name="Kent"/> The next single, "All My Friends Are Getting Married" reached No. 2 in July,<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> and was followed by "Million Dollar Riff" at No. 6 in October.<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> Macainsh's then girlfriend, Jenny Brown,<ref name="Jeff"/> described the band in her 1975 book, Skyhooks : Million Dollar Riff.<ref name="Brown">Template:Cite book Note: Brown was later known as Jenny Hunter Brown and then as Jen Jewel Brown.</ref> A live version of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" from a December performance was released as a single in March 1976 and reached No. 26.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/>

With Australian commercial success achieved, Skyhooks turned to the US market. Gudinski announced a $1.5 million deal with Mercury Records/Phonogram Records,<ref name="McF"/> which released a modified international version of Ego Is Not a Dirty Word with "Horror Movie" and "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed" from their first Australian album replacing two tracks.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="Jeff"/> A US tour followed in March–April 1976, but critics described them as imitators of Kiss due to the similarity of Symons' make-up and stage act to that of Gene Simmons,<ref name="Howl">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> and despite limited success in Boston, Massachusetts and Jacksonville, Florida they failed to make inroads into the general US market.<ref name="McF"/>

After completing their 1976 US tour, the band remained in San Francisco and recorded their third album with Wilson producing, Straight in a Gay Gay World, which was released in August 1976 and peaked at No. 3 on the Australian album charts.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> In July, upon return to Australia they launched The Brats Are Back Tour with a single, "This Is My City",<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> which peaked at number 32.<ref name="Kent"/> "Blue Jeans" followed in August and peaked at No. 12 on the singles chart.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> By October, Strachan provided his debut solo single, "Every Little Bit Hurts" (a cover of Brenda Holloway's 1964 hit).

1977–1981: Later years to break-upEdit

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File:Rose Tattoo - Werner Rennen 2018 28.jpg
Symons' replacement Bob Spencer joined in early 1977 (1977–1980, pictured in 2018)

In February 1977, Symons left the band and was replaced on guitar by Bob Spencer from the band Finch.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/> With Symons' departure the band dropped the glam rock look and used a more straight forward hard rock approach.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> During that year Skyhooks toured nationally three times, while their first single with Spencer, "Party to End All Parties", entered the top 30 in May.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> Strachan released his second solo single, a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears", which reached the top 20 in July.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/> Meanwhile, Mushroom released a singles anthology, The Skyhooks Tapes, which entered the top 50 in September.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> The band's mass popularity had declined although they still kept their live performances exciting and irreverent.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/>

In January 1978 they toured New Zealand and performed at the Nambassa festival. In February their next single, "Women in Uniform",<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> was issued and peaked at No. 8, while its album Guilty Until Proven Insane followed in March and reached No. 7.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> The album was produced by Americans Eddie Leonetti and Jack Douglas.<ref name="ARDb"/> The second single from the album, "Meglomania" released in May,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> peaked at number 93.<ref name="Kent"/> Strachan told band members he intended to leave—but it was not officially announced for six months—he continued regular shows until his final gig with Skyhooks on 29 July 1978.<ref name="Howl"/> Strachan released further solo singles, "Mr Summer" in October and "Nothing but the Best" in January 1979,<ref name="McF"/> but neither charted in the top 50.<ref name="Kent"/> Strachan's replacement in Skyhooks, on lead vocals, was Tony Williams (ex-Reuben Tice with Macainsh).<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/>

Williams' first single for Skyhooks, "Over the Border", a political song about the state of the Queensland Police Force at the time, reached the top 40 in April 1979,<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> and their fifth studio album, Hot for the Orient, was released in May 1980,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> but failed to enter the top 50.<ref name="Kent"/>

From 1975 to 1977, Skyhooks were—alongside Sherbet—the most commercially successful group in Australia, but over the next few years, Skyhooks rapidly faded from the public eye with the departure of key members, and in 1980 the band announced its break-up in controversial circumstances. Ian "Molly" Meldrum, usually a supporter of Skyhooks, savaged Hot for the Orient on his "Humdrum" segment of Countdown—viewers demanded that the band appear on a following show to defend it.<ref name="Jeff"/> Poor reception of the album both by the public and reviewers led the band to take out a page-sized ad in the local music press declaring "Why Don't You All Get Fu**ed" (title of one of their songs) and they played their last performance on 8 June, not in their hometown of Melbourne, but in the mining town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/>

1982–1999: Reformations and later releasesEdit

In December 1982, Mushroom released a medley of Skyhooks songs as "Hooked on Hooks" which peaked at No. 21.<ref name="Kent"/> Demands for the "classic" line-up of the band—Macainsh, Bob Starkie, Strachan, Strauks and Symons—to reform were successful and on 23 April 1983, they started the Living in the 80's Tour.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> Support acts for the first concert included The Church, Mental as Anything, The Party Boys, The Sunnyboys, and Midnight Oil—who acknowledged, "Hooks were the only Australian band they would let top the bill above them".<ref name="McF"/><ref name="RageBio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This tour was released on LP as Live in the 80's.

A one-off reunion concert took place in October 1984, and in 1990 the band finally recorded new material, including "Jukebox in Siberia", released in September,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> which peaked at the top of the ARIA Singles Charts for two weeks.<ref name="AusCharts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In November, The Latest and Greatest, a compilation album, was released, which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Charts.<ref name="AusCharts"/> The tracks were taken from Skyhooks' first four studio albums along with two recent singles, "Jukebox In Siberia" and the uncharted "Tall Timber".<ref name="AusCharts"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/>

In 1992, Skyhooks were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame,<ref name="ARIAList">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> while their manager, Gudunski, and record label, Mushroom Records, received a 'Special Achievement Award'.<ref name="ARIA1992">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Producer of their first three albums, Wilson, had been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 as an individual and again as a member of Daddy Cool in 2006.<ref name="ARIAHoF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The final release of new Skyhooks material came in June 1999 when a twin-CD, Skyhooks: The Collection, was issued.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> Disc one contained a greatest hits package, very similar to "The Latest and Greatest", with additional tracks. Disc two is referred to by fans as "The Lost Album", with previously unreleased songs from their 1990 and 1994 recording sessions.

After SkyhooksEdit

Strachan and Symons each went on to successful careers in Australian media including radio and television. Symons worked as a breakfast presenter on ABC radio and wrote humorous newspaper columns after being on the TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday as a house band member and judge of the Red Faces segment. Starkie played locally with different bands including Ol' Skydaddys,<ref name="ARDb"/> and Ram Band. Strauks was drummer for Melbourne rock band The Sports, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, folk band The Bushwackers and the Ol' Skydaddys.<ref name="ARDb"/> Macainsh played with John Farnham on his Whispering Jack Tour and with Dave Warner's from the Suburbs,<ref name="ARDb"/> in 1988 he put together and managed a successful AC/DC tribute band called Back in Black who went on to support Skyhooks on their comeback tour. He was a board member of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) (1997–2000) and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) (2001–2006),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> and is an intellectual property lawyer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Strachan was killed in an air crash on 29 August 2001, when the helicopter he was learning to fly solo crashed into Mount Archer near Kilcoy, northwest of Brisbane. A memorial concert was held on 11 September 2001 at the Palais Theatre, tributes were paid and some remaining members—Strauks, Macainsh, Starkie, Symons and Spencer—performed with guest vocalists Daryl Braithwaite and Wilson. It is the only time Symons and his replacement, Spencer performed together on stage. Braithwaite performed "All My Friends Are Getting Married" with the band while Wilson sang the rare Skyhooks track "Warm Wind in the City".

The 30th anniversary of the release of the Living in the 70's album was commemorated in 2004, with different incarnations of the band performing. Absent were Strachan, Hill and Inglis. Vocals were performed by Wilson, Williams and Bob Starkie. The original line-up of Skyhooks, including Hill, reformed in 2005 at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney for a one-off gig, a benefit for Hill, who had been diagnosed with liver cancer. The line-up of Inglis, Peter Starkie, Strauks and Macainsh joined him onstage. Hill died six weeks later. In November 2009, the "Skyhooks Tour Archive", displayed on the band's website, listed 925 live shows.

Macainsh, Starkie and Strauks appeared as Skyhooks at the 2009 Helpmann Awards in Sydney. They performed "Women in Uniform" with Australian rock icon Jimmy Barnes providing vocals. Red Symons was also slated to perform with the band, but was replaced by Diesel after withdrawing a few days before the show.

Original guitarist Peter Starkie died of complications after a fall, in mid-September 2020, aged 72.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MembersEdit

Classic lineup<ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/><ref>{{#invoke
citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>

  • Greg Macainsh – bass, backing vocals (1973–1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994)
  • Imants "Freddie" Strauks (aka "Freddie Kaboodleschnitzer") – drums, backing vocals, percussion (1973–1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994)
  • Bob Starkie (aka "Bongo Starr") – guitar, backing and lead vocals (1973–1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994)
  • Red Symons – guitar, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1973–1977, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994)
  • Graeme "Shirley" Strachan – lead vocals (1974–1978, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994; died 2001)
Other members<ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/>
  • Steve Hill – lead vocals (1973–1974; died 2005)
  • Peter Inglis – guitar (1973)
  • Peter Starkie – guitar, backing vocals (1973; died 2020)
  • Bob Spencer – guitar, backing vocals (1977–1980)
  • Tony Williams – lead vocals (1978–1980)

TimelineEdit

<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:80 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/03/1973 till:31/12/1994 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1974 ScaleMinor = increment:2 start:1975

Colors =

id:Vocals       value:red        legend:Lead_Vocals
id:Vocals2      value:pink       legend:Backing_Vocals
id:Guitar       value:green      legend:Guitar
id:Keyboards      value:purple     legend:Keyboards
id:Bass         value:blue       legend:Bass
id:Drums        value:orange     legend:Drums,_percussion
id:lines        value:black      legend:Studio_albums

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  bar:Steve    text:"Steve Hill"
  bar:Graeme    text:"Graeme Strachan"
  bar:Tony    text:"Tony Williams"
  bar:PeterI    text:"Peter Inglis"
  bar:PeterS    text:"Peter Starkie"
  bar:BobSt       text:"Bob Starkie"
  bar:Red       text:"Red Symons"
  bar:BobSp       text:"Bob Spencer"
  bar:Greg      text:"Greg Macainsh"
  bar:Imants    text:"Imants Strauks"

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bar:Steve   from:start      till:15/03/1974 color:vocals
bar:PeterI   from:start     till:15/08/1973 color:guitar
bar:PeterS   from:start     till:15/08/1973 color:guitar
bar:PeterS   from:start     till:15/08/1973 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:Greg   from:start      till:08/06/1980 color:bass
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bar:Imants from:start      till:08/06/1980 color:drums
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bar:Graeme from:01/03/1974 till:29/07/1978 color:vocals
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bar:Greg   from:23/04/1983 till:31/12/1984 color:bass
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bar:Imants from:23/04/1983 till:31/12/1984 color:drums
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bar:BobSt    from:23/04/1983 till:31/12/1984 color:guitar
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bar:Red    from:23/04/1983 till:31/12/1984 color:guitar
bar:Red    from:23/04/1983 till:31/12/1984 color:keyboards width:7
bar:Red    from:23/04/1983 till:31/12/1984 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:Graeme from:23/04/1983 till:31/12/1984 color:vocals
bar:Greg   from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:bass
bar:Greg   from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:Imants from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:drums
bar:Imants from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:BobSt    from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:guitar
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bar:Red    from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:guitar
bar:Red    from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:keyboards width:7
bar:Red    from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:Graeme from:01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color:vocals
bar:Greg   from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:bass
bar:Greg   from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:Imants from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:drums
bar:Imants from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:BobSt    from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:guitar
bar:BobSt    from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:Red    from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:guitar
bar:Red    from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:keyboards width:7
bar:Red    from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:vocals2 width:3
bar:Graeme from:01/01/1994 till:31/12/1994 color:vocals

LineData =

at:28/10/1974 color:black layer:back
at:01/07/1975 color:black layer:back
at:01/10/1976 color:black layer:back
at:13/03/1978 color:black layer:back
at:01/06/1980 color:black layer:back
at:28/10/1974 color:black layer:back

</timeline>

DiscographyEdit

Studio albumsEdit

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications/Sales
(sales thresholds)
AUS
KMR
<ref name="Kent"/>
1974 Living in the 70's
  • Label: Mushroom Records (T35299)
1
  • AUS: 4× Platinum<ref name="A QUICK 'HOOK HISTORY">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (200,000+)<ref name="Billboard">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

1975 Ego Is Not a Dirty Word
  • Label: Mushroom Records (T35575)
1
  • AUS: 250,000<ref name="A QUICK 'HOOK HISTORY"/><ref name="Billboard"/>
1976 Straight in a Gay Gay World
  • Label: Mushroom Records (T35982)
1
  • AUS: Platinum<ref name="A QUICK 'HOOK HISTORY"/> (100,000)
1978 Guilty Until Proven Insane
  • Label: Mushroom Records
1
1980 Hot for the Orient
  • Label: Mushroom Records
64
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Compilation albumsEdit

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications/Sales
(sales thresholds)
AUS
KMR
<ref name="Kent"/>
ARIA<ref name="AusCharts"/>
1977 The Skyhooks Tapes
  • Label: Mushroom Records (L36288)
49
1979 The Best of Skyhooks
  • Label: Mushroom Records (L37094)
9
1990 The Latest and Greatest
  • Label: Mushroom Records (93339)
4
  • AUS: Platinum<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (70,000)

1994 Singles and B sides
  • Label: Mushroom Records (D80984)
1999 The Lost Album
  • Label: Mushroom Records (MUSH33153.2)
36
2015 Hits'n'Riffs 32
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Video albumsEdit

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
AUS
DVD
<ref name="AusCharts"/>
2002 Right There on Your DVD
  • Label: Mushroom Records (335818)
25

Live albumsEdit

Year Title Peak chart positions
AUS
KMR
<ref name="Kent"/>
1978 Live! Be in It
  • Label: Mushroom Records
84
1983 Live in the 80's
  • Label: Mushroom Records
19

Box setsEdit

Year Title Peak chart positions
AUS
ARIA<ref name="AusCharts"/>
1982 The Skyhooks Box
  • 9 record box set: Eight LPs and one 12" single ("Hooked on 'Hooks")
1982 Bonus Album No. 1, Singles And B Sides
  • Compilation of non-album tracks
1982 Bonus Album No. 2, Demos And Dialogue
  • Compilation of demo tracks
1982 Skyhooks Roadcase
  • 6-CD box set with booklet included.
2015 Don't You Believe What You've Seen or You've Heard
  • 3-disc set, celebrating 40 years of Skyhooks.
40

SinglesEdit

Template:Singles discography

Awards and nominationsEdit

ARIA Music AwardsEdit

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Skyhooks inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:Awards table |- | 1992 | Skyhooks | ARIA Hall of Fame | Template:Yes2

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Australian Record AwardsEdit

Template:Awards table |- | 1975<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Ego Is Not a Dirty Word | Group Album of the Year | Template:Won |}

King of Pop AwardsEdit

The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers of TV Week. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.<ref name="Top40TV">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:Awards table |- | rowspan="3" |1975 | "Horror Movie" | Australian Record of the Year | Template:Won |- | Ego is not a Dirty Word | Most Popular Australian Album | Template:Won |- | Greg Macainsh (Skyhooks) | Best Australian Songwriter | Template:Won |- |1976 | Straight in a Gay Gay World | Best Cover Design | Template:Won |- |1978 | "Hotel Hell" by Skyhooks on Nightmoves | Best Australian TV Performer | Template:Won |-

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  • Note: wins only

See alsoEdit

Template:Portal

ReferencesEdit

Template:Refbegin

General

|CitationClass=web }}

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.

Specific

Template:Refend

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Skyhooks

Template:Authority control