Stoneage Romeos

Stoneage Romeos is the debut album by Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus. Released on 9 March 1984 by Big Time Records in Australia,[5] the album's release saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live performances. With radio and television support for their third single "My Girl" (1983), complete with a film clip about a greyhound of the same name, the band's following grew. The album's other singles were "Leilani" (1982), "Tojo" (1983), and "I Want You Back" (1984).

Stoneage Romeos
Studio album by Hoodoo Gurus
Released	9 March 1984
Recorded	1983
Studio	Trafalgar Studio
Genre	Rock
Length	37:23
Label	Big Time, A&M
Producer	Alan Thorne
Hoodoo Gurus chronology
Stoneage Romeos (1984) Mars Needs Guitars! (1985)
Alternative cover
US cover
Singles from Stoneage Romeos
"Leilani" Released: October 1982 "Tojo" Released: June 1983 "My Girl" Released: October 1983 "I Want You Back" Released: March 1984

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
PopMatters	8/10[2]
Uncut	[3]
The Village Voice	B+[4]

A&M Records released the album in the United States on 7 September 1984. Later in July 1985 the band took the honours in the "Best Debut Album" category at the 1984 Countdown Awards.[6]

Stoneage Romeos was re-released by Arcadia Records on 1 October 2002, with two additional tracks, "Hoodoo You Love" and "Be My Guru". EMI also re-released the album on 24 October 2005 with three bonus tracks, "Leilani Pt. 2", "Be My Guru" and "Hoodoo You Love", a fold-out poster and liner notes by Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall of Frenzal Rhomb. In October 2010, the album was listed in the top 30 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.[7]

Release

The title Stoneage Romeos is taken from a Three Stooges short film. The Australian LP, designed by Yanni Stumbles, sported a cartoonish nod to the 1966 caveman flick One Million Years B.C., all menacing dinosaurs and Day-Glo colors,[8] whilst in America, consumers got a stylized sleeve featuring arty renditions of the giant reptiles. On the change of covers, the band's frontman Dave Faulkner would later recall:

Bad coffeetable art, very anonymous and boring. On the U.S. tour fans are bringing up the Australian copies for us to sign—they were all getting them on import! Yet at the end of the tour, A&M says to us, ‘Oh well, we don't really think the cover will affect sales at all.’ Like, when they’re right, they’re right, and when they’re wrong, they’re still right.[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dave Faulkner, except where noted[10].

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"(Let's All) Turn On"	James Baker, Darcy Condon, Faulkner, Roddy Radalj	3:04
2.	"I Want You Back"		3:12
3.	"Arthur"	Faulkner, Radalj	3:10
4.	"Death Ship"	Faulkner, Radalj, Alan Sharples	2:37
5.	"Dig It Up"		3:36
6.	"My Girl"		2:40
7.	"Zanzibar"		3:25
8.	"Leilani"	Faulkner, Baker, Radalj, Kimble Rendall	5:36
9.	"Tojo"		3:23
10.	"In the Echo Chamber"		3:44
11.	"I Was a Kamikaze Pilot"		3:12

2002 re-release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Hoodoo You Love" aka "Who Do You Love"	Ellas McDaniel	2:09
13.	"Be My Guru"	Baker, Faulkner	2:40

2005 re-release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Leilani, Pt. 2"		3:58
13.	"Be My Guru"	Baker, Faulkner	2:40
14.	"Hoodoo You Love" (recorded live by Triple J at the Trade Union Club in Sydney in 1983)	Bo Diddley	2:07

US release

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Want You Back"	3:12
2.	"Tojo"	3:23
3.	"Leilani"	5:36
4.	"Arthur"	3:10
5.	"Dig It Up"	3:36

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"(Let's All) Turn On"	3:04
2.	"Death Ship"	2:37
3.	"In The Echo Chamber"	3:44
4.	"Zanzibar"	3:25
5.	"I Was A Kamikaze Pilot"	3:12
6.	"My Girl"	2:40

Personnel

Credited to:[5][8][11][12]

• James Baker — drums
• Clyde Bramley – bass, vocals
• Dave Faulkner — guitar, lead vocals, keyboards
• Brad Shepherd — lead guitar, vocals, harmonica, percussion
• Michael Farmer – additional percussion
• Producer, Engineer – Alan Thorne
• Mastering – Bob, Carbone, Frank DeLuna
• Artwork (cover concept and design) — Yanni Stumbles
• Photography (pics) — Tom Takacs
• Other (the boss) — Stuart Thorne

Stoneage Cameos

In 2005, a tribute album was released by Shock Records named Stoneage Cameos, which included covers by major Australian rock artists.[13] The concept was put together by Jason 'Evo' Evans and Wally 'Meanie' Kempton (Even/The Meanies). The project was more to heritage list the Gurus and to stamp this great album into history: performances of Hoodoo Gurus' songs by current Australian artists on this tribute album were cited at their 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame induction.[14][15]

All the songs were recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne between March and June 2005, with the exception of "Tojo" and "I Was A Kamikaze Pilot", which were recorded at Big Jesus Burger Studios in Sydney in June 2005 and ""Be My Guru", which was recorded by Persian Rugs (containing three Gurus: Faulkner, Brad Shepherd and Mark Kingsmill; with bassist Kendall James) at the Milk Bar Studios in Sydney in November 2004. The album was produced by Andy Baldwin.

The CD was launched at the Meadows Greyhound Race Track in Broadmeadows, Victoria.[16] The feature race of the night (race 6) was called 'The Stoneage Cameo Plate'.

Cover of Stoneage Cameos

The track list is as follows:[13]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"(Let's All) Turn On"	The Wrights	3:16
2.	"I Want You Back"	The Spazzys	3:17
3.	"Arthur"	Even	3:18
4.	"Death Ship"	Dan Kelly	4:40
5.	"Dig It Up"	Dallas Crane	3:06
6.	"My Girl"	Spiderbait	2:28
7.	"Zanzibar"	The Blackeyed Susans	4:02
8.	"Leilani"	The Living End	4:21
9.	"Tojo"	You Am I	3:44
10.	"In The Echo Chamber"	Rocket Science	3:32
11.	"I Was A Kamikaze Pilot"	Grinspoon	3:16
12.	"Leilani Part 2"	The Sailors	3:23
13.	"Be My Guru"	Persian Rugs	2:52
14.	"Hoodoo You Love"	The Drones	2:47
15.	"My Girl Part 2"	Spiderbait	3:07

References

1. Deming, Mark. "Stoneage Romeos – Hoodoo Gurus". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
2. Raper, Dan (30 January 2007). "Hoodoo Gurus: Stoneage Romeos". PopMatters. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
3. "Hoodoo Gurus: Stoneage Romeos". Uncut: 76. Twenty-plus years on, everything from wacky Cramps rip 'Dig It Up' to chaotic call-to-arms 'Be My Guru' sound great.
4. Christgau, Robert (25 September 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
5. Holmgren, Magnus; Georgieff, Didier; Hartung, Stephan. "Hoodoo Gurus". Passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
6. "Countdown Magazine". ABC-TV. July 1985. Archived from the original on 8 November 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
7. O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
8. "Discogs entry Stoneage Romeos (Australian CD)". discogs.com. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
9. Harp Magazine (February 2007) Archived 14 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
10. "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
11. "Discogs entry Stoneage Romeos (Australian vinyl LP)". discogs.com. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
12. "Discogs entry Stoneage Romeos (US vinyl LP)". discogs.com. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
13. Holmgren, Magnus. "Stoneage Cameos". Australian Rock Database. (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
14. "ARIA Awards 2007: About Hall of Fame". ARIA Awards. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
15. Pope, Mark (7 May 2007). "ARIA presents the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
16. "Sticky Carpet". The Age. 19 August 2005.