Purity of Essence (Hoodoo Gurus album)

Purity of Essence
Studio album by
Hoodoo Gurus
Released12 March 2010
RecordedNovember–December 2009
GenreRock
Length61:09
LabelSony
ProducerHoodoo Gurus, Charles Fisher
Hoodoo Gurus chronology
Mach Schau
(2004) 		Purity of Essence
(2010) 		Gold Watch: 20 Golden Greats
(2012)
Singles from Purity of Essence
  1. "Crackin' Up"
    Released: 15 December 2009
  2. "I Hope You're Happy"
    Released: 5 March 2010
  3. "What's in It for Me?"
    Released: 2010
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
The Australian(Positive)[2]
The Age(Positive)[3]

Purity of Essence is the ninth studio album by Australian group Hoodoo Gurus. It was released on 12 March 2010 and peaked at No. 16 on the ARIA Charts.

The album was co-produced by the band with Charles Fisher, who produced two of the band's previous albums, Mars Needs Guitars! and Blue Cave. The album was mixed by Ed Stasium, who previously worked with the Hoodoo Gurus on the Kinky and Crank.

Background

Hoodoo Gurus were formed in 1981 in Sydney, their eighth studio album, Mach Schau, was released in 2004.[4] They were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame on 18 July 2007.[5] This was followed by a national tour of Australia called 'Clash of the Titans' with The Stems and Radio Birdman.[6] According to Hoodoo Gurus frontman, Dave Faulkner, there were tentative plans to release a new album in 2009, although little material had been written by July 2008.[7]

In March 2009, Hoodoo Gurus signed a new recording contract with Sony Music Australia, the deal includes the band's back catalogue as well as a new album, the band's ninth studio album.[8][9] The album was originally scheduled for release in September 2009 but they were not happy with the final mix.[10]

We weren't really satisfied with the studio we were in and a whole lot of things, so we had to pull the plug on that and then rethink. We just had to eat the expense, you know, we had to give them a week's cancellation (fee).

— Dave Faulkner[10]

Hoodoo Gurus then sent their songs off to Durango, Colorado, where Ed Stasium, who worked on the band's previous albums Kinky and Crank, worked with Faulkner. Faulkner flew to the US after Hoodoo Gurus performed in Japan,[11] their first performances there in over 20 years.[10]

In August 2009 it was revealed that guitarist Brad Shepherd had been diagnosed with cancer and was recovering from recent surgery.[12] It was his second cancer diagnosis, having had a melanoma removed five years earlier.[12]

The first single from their new album, "Crackin' Up", was released in December 2009[13] and received some airplay on Australian radio stations.[14] The album, Purity of Essence, was released on 12 March 2010 in Australia and internationally on 11 May.[15]

A limited edition of the album was also released which included a bonus DVD containing four live tracks, part of the "Max Sessions in the Sand", recorded at the St Kilda Festival on 10 February 2008.

Track listing

Purity of Essence
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crackin' Up"Dave Faulkner[16]3:55
2."A Few Home Truths"Faulkner[16]3:32
3."Are You Sleeping?"Faulkner[16]4:35
4."Burnt Orange"Faulkner[16]3:01
5."I Hope You're Happy"Faulkner[16]3:43
6."Ashamed of Me"Faulkner[16]3:55
7."What's in It for Me?"Faulkner[16]3:23
8."Over Nothing"Faulkner[16]5:01
9."You've Got Another Thing Coming"Brad Shepherd[16]2:57
10."Only in America"Faulkner[16]4:44
11."Somebody, Take Me Home"Faulkner, Shepherd[16]3:04
12."Let Me In"Faulkner, Shepherd[16]3:24
13."Evening Shade"Faulkner[16]3:39
14."Why So Sad?"Faulkner[16]4:26
15."1968"Faulkner, Shepherd[16]2:37
16."The Stars Look Down"Faulkner[16]5:33
Total length:61:09
Bonus DVD - Live from St Kilda
No.TitleLength
1."Bittersweet" (Music Video) 
2."Come Anytime" (Music Video) 
3."1000 Miles Away" (Video) 
4."I was a Kamikaze Pilot" (Video) 

Personnel

Credited to:[17]

Hoodoo Gurus members

Additional musicians

  • Andy Bickers – saxophone (tracks 4, 10)
  • Erina Clark – backing vocals (tracks 5, 10)
  • Ian Cooper – viola (track 8)
  • Garrett Costigan – pedal steel guitar (tracks 11, 16)
  • Anthony Kable – trombone (tracks 4, 10)
  • Adrian Keating – violin (track 8)
  • Stewart Kirwan – trumpet (tracks 4, 10)
  • Sophie Serafino – violin (track 8)
  • Prinnie Stevens – backing vocals (tracks 5, 10)

Production details

  • Engineer – Tim Whitten
    • Engineer assistants – Jason Lea
  • Mastering – Greg Calbi at Sterling Sonic, New York
    • Mastering (additional) - Don Bartley (track 1) at Benchmark Mastering, Sydney
  • Mixers – Ed Stasium at Kozytone Studio, Durango, Colorado
  • Producers – Hoodoo Gurus, Charles Fisher
  • Artwork - DK Sony
    • Design and layout – Doug Bartlett
    • Artists – David Bowers, Nick Morris
  • Photography – Tony Mott
  • Recording studio – Electric Avenue Studios, Camperdown, NSW

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 16

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog
Australia 12 March 2010 Sony Music CD, Digital download 88697645112
Limited Edition CD (with bonus DVD) 88697670902
United States 11 May 2010 CD 881626927724
Worldwide
Brazil 7 Dec 2010 Som Livre CD 1755-2[19]

References

  1. ^ Deming, Mark. "Purity of Essence > Review". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  2. ^ Cuthbertson, Ian (6 March 2010). "This week's music reviews – Rock – Purity of Essence – Hoodoo Gurus – Sony". The Australian. News Limited (News Corporation). Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  3. ^ Donovan, Patrick (12 March 2010). "Perennial party pumpers are back on song". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  4. ^ ""Hoodoo Gurus sign a deal with Capitol ... new album in 2004"". EMI Sydney. 17 November 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  5. ^ "ARIA Presents the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 6 May 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  6. ^ Mccabe, Kathy (12 September 2007). "Rockin' Dinosaurs". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
  7. ^ Smith, Craig (6 July 2008). "Interview with Dave Faulkner of Hoodoo Gurus". Webcuts Music. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  8. ^ "Australian icons Hoodoo Gurus sign to Sony Music Australia". Sony Music Australia. 22 April 2009. Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  9. ^ Elizier, Christie (28 April 2009). "Hoodoo Gurus sign to Sony Music". The Music.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  10. ^ a b c Collins, Simon (25 September 2009). "Gurus head west". The West Australian. West Australian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  11. ^ "Hoodoo Gurus live in Japan 2009". Super-Deluxe.com. 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  12. ^ a b McCabe, Kathy (25 August 2009). "Hoodoo Gurus guitarist fighting cancer". The Daily Telegraph. News Corporation. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  13. ^ "Crackin' Up - Hoodoo Gurus". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  14. ^ "Hear The Hoodoo Gurus' New Song First". Triple M. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  15. ^ Haug, Ian. "Hoodoo Guru's Brad Shepherd interviewed by Powderfinger's Ian Haug". Australian Musician magazine. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  17. ^ "Purity of Essence > Credits". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  18. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Hoodoo Gurus – Purity of Essence". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Hoodoo Gurus - Purity Of Essence - Saraiva.com.br". Livraria Saraiva. Retrieved 6 December 2010.