Artist · chart history
Skyhooks
Band Melbourne Australia Active 1973–1994 Australian rock band
Skyhooks formed in 1973 in Melbourne, Australia and was active until 1994. Skyhooks has 2 chart appearances on 1 radio countdown from 1 station on RockLists, spanning 2018. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Horror Movie”, which appears on 1 list with a best position of #47. The station that charted Skyhooks most often is Triple M (Australia (national network)), with 2 appearances.
Skyhooks were Melbourne's glam rock provocateurs, formed in 1973 and out to hold a funhouse mirror up to Australia. The classic lineup had Graeme "Shirley" Strachan singing, Greg Macainsh on bass and backing vocals, Red Symons on guitar and vocals, Bob "Bongo" Starkie on guitar and Freddie Strauks on drums, and they took the stage in outrageous costumes and makeup to sing about drugs, sex and the gay scene, name-checking Australian places as they went.
Their 1974 debut, Living in the 70's, on Mushroom Records, started slowly, then exploded the following year with a push from the new ABC show Countdown: it held the top of the Kent Music Report for a record 16 weeks, moved more than 200,000 copies and became the best-selling Australian album up to that point. "Horror Movie" and the title track are the sound of a band having far too much fun being a bad influence. Ego Is Not a Dirty Word topped the same chart for 11 weeks in 1975.
Symons left in 1977 and Strachan in 1978, Bob Spencer and Tony Williams stepped in, and the band folded in 1980. Reunions followed, including "Jukebox in Siberia", a number one in 1990. ARIA inducted them into its Hall of Fame in 1992, and Strachan died in a helicopter crash in 2001.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Skyhooks on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horror Movie | 1 | #47 | – | – | |
| 2 | Living In The 70s | 1 | #72 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 47 | Horror Movie | Triple M Ozzest 100 (2018) |
| 2018 | 72 | Living In The 70s | Triple M Ozzest 100 (2018) |
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