Rare Shirley Strachan Recording Uncovered

Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup writes about Graeme “Shirley” Strachan in his new book, No Secrets, which was published this week.

The Angels and GANGgajang drummer played with the Skyhooks singer in the Aussie supergroup The Party Boys.

“When The Party Boys played a large outdoor concert in remote Queensland, we were airlifted in by helicopter,” Buzz recalls. “‘I’m going to learn how to fly one of these things,’ Shirl yelled in my ear during the trip.

“He did learn how to fly a helicopter, but it ultimately cost him his life.”

Shirley Strachan died when the helicopter he was flying crashed into Mount Archer in Queensland on August 29, 2001. He was 49.

Skyhooks bass player and songwriter, Greg Macainsh, said: “Shirl would have died with absolutely no regrets and wouldn’t have blamed anyone. He had a great time living his life.”

To mark the anniversary of Shirl’s passing, Skyhooks archivist Peter Green has posted a “cheeky tribute” to the singer. 

“We’ve dug deep into the Skyhooks archives and found something that even the band members probably wouldn’t remember.”

Green recently discovered a worn cassette tape containing “an absolute surprise” – the band rehearsing songs they planned to feature on their third album, Straight In A Gay Gay World, which they recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito in the US in 1976.

“The song is I’m Normal, a fun Skyhooks moment,” Green reveals. “We’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves. Shirl is in fine form, having some fun midway into the song with producer Ross Wilson.” 

When the album was released, Macainsh explained: “I’m Normal is about a guy who’s dissatisfied with the sexual revolution, so he’s going back to holding hands and making out, like he used to when he was young.

“Degeneracy seems to be the norm … of course, some of the guys in the band are pretty degenerate.”

“Mark Goulding has done an exceptional job restoring what we thought was a lost cause,” Peter Green says. “The sound is amazing.”

Buzz Bidstrup will never forget working with Shirl. “He was an amazing singer with an incredible vocal range,” Buzz writes in No Secrets. “But his on-stage presence and ability to have the crowd in the palm of his hand from the moment he walked on stage made him the second-best frontman I’ve ever worked with, after Doc Neeson. Jimmy Barnes takes out third.”

“Losing Shirl was such a sad moment for the band and music fans,” Peter Green notes, “so today’s unearthed moment is a bit of Shirl fun to cheer us all up, with tongue-in-cheek lyrics by Greg Macainsh.”