Living in the 70's
Living in the 70's is the debut album by Melbourne band Skyhooks. Released in October 1974 on the Mushroom Records label, the album achieved relatively little success until early 1975. It spent 16 weeks at the top of the Australian album charts from late February 1975, and became the highest-selling album by an Australian act in Australia until that time, with sales of 240,000. In October 2010, it was listed at No. 9 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums.[2] The album's eponymous track was ranked number 72 as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time ranking.[3]
| Living in the 70's | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 October 1974 | |||
| Recorded | June 1974 | |||
| Studio | TCS Studios, Melbourne | |||
| Genre | Rock, glam rock | |||
| Length | 38:48 (original version) | |||
| Label | Mushroom Records | |||
| Producer | Ross Wilson | |||
| Skyhooks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Living in the 70's | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Details
The album was produced by former Daddy Cool lead singer Ross Wilson.
Two singles were lifted from the album: "Livin' in the 70's"/"You're a Broken Gin Bottle, Baby" and "Horror Movie"/"Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)". The latter spent 2 weeks at the top of the Australian singles chart in 1975. Six tracks from the album were banned on commercial radio in Australia; in defiance of this, however, the ABC's new youth station in Sydney, 2JJ, played the track "You Just Like Me 'Cos I'm Good in Bed" as their first ever song when they began broadcasting in January 1975.
"Broken Gin Bottle", the B-side of the original "Living in the 70's" single, was included as track 11 on the 2004 CD remaster.
In 2011 the album featured at number 75 on the Triple J Hottest 100 Albums of All Time.[4] In the same year, the album was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Livin' in the 70's" | Greg Macainsh | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Whatever Happened to the Revolution?" | Macainsh | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Balwyn Calling" | Macainsh | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Horror Movie" | Macainsh | 3:47 |
| 5. | "You Just Like Me 'Cos I'm Good in Bed" | Macainsh | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)" | Macainsh | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Toorak Cowboy" | Macainsh | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Smut" | Red Symons | 5:19 |
| 4. | "Hey, What's the Matter?" | Macainsh | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Motorcycle Bitch" | Macainsh | 3:56 |
Chart positions
Weekly charts
| Chart (1974/75) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[6] | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1975) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[6] | 1 |
Personnel
- Shirley Strachan - lead vocals (all but 8)
- Red Symons - guitar, backing and lead (8) vocals, mandolin
- Bob "Bongo" Starkie - guitar, backing vocals
- Greg Macainsh - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Imants Alfred "Freddie" Strauks - drums, backing vocals, percussion
References
- Allmusic Review
- O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
- "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- "Countdown - All 100 | Hottest 100 Australian Albums Of All Time | triple j". Abc.net.au. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- National Film and Sound Archive: 'Living in the 70s' on the Sounds of Australia registry
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 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.