Mars Needs Guitars!
| Mars Needs Guitars! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1985 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 33:35 | |||
| Label | Big Time, Chrysalis, Elektra | |||
| Producer | Charles Fisher, Hoodoo Gurus | |||
| Hoodoo Gurus chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Mars Needs Guitars! | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B−[2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
Mars Needs Guitars! is Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus' second album, released in August 1985.[4] The title is a reference to the 1967 science fiction film, Mars Needs Women. Singles from the album were "Bittersweet", "Like Wow – Wipeout", "Death Defying" and "Poison Pen". Mars Needs Guitars! reached No. 140 on the American Billboard 200 albums chart in 1986.
The title track, "Mars Needs Guitars" (also the B-side of "Bittersweet" single), was written by all five Gurus[5] and lead vocals were by Brad Shepherd. All other tracks were written[5] and featured lead vocals by Dave Faulkner. Hayride to Hell (1995) is a short film written and directed by former Gurus member Kimble Rendall.
In 2000, Dave Faulkner said "When we commenced the sessions for Mars Needs Guitars! we had a brand new drummer, Mark Kingsmill who altered our lives forever with his distinctive explosive style."[6]
In October 2010, it was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums, with their previous album, Stoneage Romeos at No. 28.[7]
Reception[edit]
Cash Box magazine said "Excellent dynamics and songwriting shine through on nearly every cut."[8]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Dave Faulkner, except where noted[5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bittersweet" | 3:44 | |
| 2. | "Poison Pen" | 4:09 | |
| 3. | "In the Wild" | 3:07 | |
| 4. | "Death Defying" | 3:21 | |
| 5. | "Like Wow – Wipeout" | 3:09 | |
| 6. | "Hayride to Hell" | 3:15 | |
| 7. | "Show Some Emotion" | 2:56 | |
| 8. | "Other Side of Paradise" | 3:31 | |
| 9. | "Mars Needs Guitars" | James Baker, Clyde Bramley, Faulkner, Mark Kingsmill, Brad Shepherd | 2:52 |
| 10. | "She" | 3:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Bring the Hoodoo Down" | 2:54 | |
| 12. | "Turkey Dinner" | 4:14 | |
| 13. | "Death Ship" (live) | Faulkner, Roddy Radalj, Alan Sharples | 2:42 |
| 14. | "In the Wild" (live) | 3:29 | |
| 15. | "Teenage Head" (live) | Cyril Jordan, Roy Loney | 3:02 |
Personnel[edit]
Credited to:[4]
Hoodoo Gurus[edit]
- Clyde Bramley – bass, backing vocals
- Dave Faulkner – lead vocals (except track 9), guitar, keyboards
- Mark Kingsmill – drums, cymbals
- Brad Shepherd – lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (track 9), harmonica (mouth harp)
Technical[edit]
- John Bee – engineer
- Richard Allan – illustrations
- Charles Fisher – producer (except track 11)
- Don Bartley – mastering (remastering)
- Hoodoo Gurus – producer (track 11)
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1985/86) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report)[9] | 5 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] | 18 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 47 |
| United States (Billboard 200)[12] | 140 |
Certifications[edit]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[13][14] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[edit]
- ^ "Mars Needs Guitars! - Hoodoo Gurus | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Mars Needs Guitars!". Robert Christgau.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 326.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
- ^ Faulkner, Dave (June 2000). "Pop and punishment". juliat. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
- ^ O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
- ^ "Album Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 9 November 1985. p. 10. Retrieved 8 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 141. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Mars Needs Guitars! – Stoneage Romeos". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mars Needs Guitars! – Stoneage Romeos". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Billboard Artist Chart History – Hoodoo Gurus". Billboard Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ Bell, Steve (18 May 2015). "How Hoodoo Gurus' Slump-Defying Second Album Became An Accidental Classic". theMusic.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ "Charles Fisher – Music Producer : Discography". Charles Fisher. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
