Stoneage Romeos

College radio in the '80s played a vast expanse of music that was ignored by commercial radio stations, which preferred classic rock over the new names popping up on independent labels worldwide. Australia's Hoodoo Gurus could land a No. 1 hit on CMJ's college radio charts in 1984 and still make only a ripple among fans of Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, or Prince. Yet with both humor and pathos, Hoodoo Gurus' singer, Dave Faulkner, wrote the band's songs to stick in the brains of anyone who liked The Beatles, The Byrds, and new wave bands from Blondie to The dB's. "I Want You Back" was a (relatively) big smash that still captures the era beautifully, but "My Girl," the actual first single, also nails down a guileless innocence that's easy and alluring. Elements of garage rock can be heard in the opening stomp of "(Let's All) Turn On" and "In the Echo Chamber." A solid trace of rockabilly drives "Dig It Up." "Tojo" ratchets up the power in power pop. Even more incredibly, the band's next album, Mars Needs Women, would be as good, if not even better.