On the chopping block today is the 2005 album of covers from the Hoodoo Guru's 1984 breakthrough debut. Unfortunately, I don't have a reference point for these covers, since I'm not familiar with the original album. So, for better or worse, these songs will be judged on their own merits.
Luckily, that's not a demanding task for songs like Turn On by The Wrights and I Was A Kamikaze Pilot by Grinspoon, since both follow the proved recipe of infectious, bouncy pop-rock.
While I quite like The Spazzys and Even, for I Want You Back and Arthur respectively, it feels like they're struggling with material to work with. I Want You Back's chorus and Arthur's main riff are great highlights, but otherwise they're pretty lacklustre songs. Even worse is Spiderbait's My Girl which has no memorable hooks and quickly becomes a case of flogging a dead horse.
Surprisingly for an album comprising various bands, there's quite a strong trend throughout regarding the audio quality. Unfortunately it's the messy and harsh treble sounds, usually in the form of excessive distortion on the guitars (although thankfully the Grinspoon song is an exception).
Ok, I'll stop whingeing now! Death Ship by Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males, Zinzibar by The Blackeyed Susans and My Girl Part 2 by Spiderbait are all completely left-field, but they work really well here as quirky interludes.
I really hope that Dallas Crane's Dig It Up isn't about necrophilia! Because otherwise it's a superb effort of grunty riff-rock.
Finally... Leilana by The Living End. The jungle drums, the slapping bassline, the soaring guitar, the epic story about love and volcanic sacrifice- this song is actually the sole reason I bought the album. It all comes together perfectly, making for one of my all-time favourite songs. The groove sets the scene of tropical island voodoo perfectly, I could listen to it for hours on end.
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