Straight in a Gay Gay World


Straight in a Gay Gay World was the third studio album released by Australian rock band, Skyhooks. The album was released on 23 August 1976. With the exception of "Million Dollar Riff", it was recorded at The Record Plant in Sausalito, California, after the band's first tour of the United States earlier in the same year. The title and songs are a sort of view the band had on their experience in the States. Like the band's first two albums, Living in the 70's and Ego Is Not a Dirty Word, Straight in a Gay Gay World was produced by former Daddy Cool leader Ross Wilson. The album was released by Mushroom Records. It peaked at #3 on Australian charts.
"Million Dollar Riff" was released as a single in late 1975 before Skyhooks toured the States and reached #6 in Australia. Two further singles were lifted from this album, "This Is My City" / "Somewhere In Sydney" and "Blue Jeans" / "Mumbo Jumbo", both in 1976. These peaked at #32 and #12 respectively on Australian charts.
"Million Dollar Riff" contains musical quotes and lyrical allusions to other hit songs. It includes the guitar riffs from Skyhooks' own #1 hit "Horror Movie", plus the worldwide hits "Satisfaction", "Smoke on the Water", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Day Tripper", "Gloria", and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode". It also includes lyrical allusions to Berry's "Little Queenie", and Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang".

Reception

Reviewed In Australian music magazine RAM at the time of release, it was called, "methedrine power rock. It's jingle-jangley and crazy-tempered with guitar that shrill jackhammer like giant mosquitoes - dive-bombing into rhythms that are playing epileptic leap-frog around your stereo speakers." The song "Crazy Heart" was complimented for being "sweetly mellow" compared to the rest of the album.

Track listing

Charts

Personnel