“The Fortnightly Freakout”
Published by Melbourne-based Southdown Press (the Murdoch-owned publishers of TV Week and New Idea), the fortnightly Australian pop music magazine Spunky! was launched in May 1976 with Freddie Mercury from Queen on the first front cover.
That first edition also included Mick Jagger, Elton John, Suzi Quatro, Skyhooks, John Paul Young, Renee Geyer and Ayers Rock.
The first edition contained colour posters of ABBA and David Essex.
All that for 60 cents (although the price had gone up to 75 cents by issue 21).
The posters given away with Spunky! – which they dubbed ‘Posteramas’ – were larger than usual at 22¼” x 15¼”.
The magazine featured a comic strip called “Ram Roady” and lots of competitions (“Win JPY albums and belt buckles”, “Win Ted Mulry’s gear”, “Win signed records”) and special offers (“Necklets of your favourite group”), but was relatively short-lived and was gone by the end of 1977.
Issues
01 – Cover: Freddie Mercury; Posteramas: ABBA/David Essex
02 – Cover: Bay City Rollers; Posteramas: Skyhooks/Queen
03 – Cover: ABBA; Posteramas: John Paul Young/Daryl Braithwaite
04 – Cover: Daryl Braithwaite; Posteramas: Fonzie/Kenny
05 – Cover: John Paul Young; Posteramas: Rolling Stones/Slade
06 – Cover: Elton John; Posteramas: Captain & Tennille/AC/DC
07 – Cover: Skyhooks; Posteramas: ABBA/Ted Mulry
09 – Cover: Hush; Posteramas: Rod Stewart/Stylus
10 – Cover: David Essex; Posteramas: Hush/Sweet
11 – Cover: Starsky & Hutch; Posteramas: ABBA/Starsky & Hutch
12 – Cover: Mark Holden; Posteramas: Daryl Braithwaite/David Bowie
13 – Cover: Supernaut/LRB; Posteramas: Supernaut/Mark Holden
14 – Cover: Shirley Strachan; Posteramas: Skyhooks/Avalanche
16 – Cover: ABBA; Posteramas: Christmas Greetings/Shirley Strachan
17 – Cover: Bay City Rollers; Posteramas: Bay City Rollers/King Kong
18 – Cover: Sherbet; Posteramas: Status Quo/Sherbet
19 – Cover: George Harrison; Posteramas: Rod Stewart/Split Enz
21 – Cover: Queen; Posteramas: The Eagles/David Essex
22 – Cover: ABBA; Posteramas: ABBA/AC/DC
24 – Cover: Happy 100th Countdown; Posteramas: Alice Cooper/Hush
27 – Cover: John Paul Young; Posteramas: Shaun Cassidy/John Paul Young
28 – Cover: Daryl Braithwaite; Posteramas: Bryan Ferry/Smokie
31 – Cover: AC/DC; Posteramas: Donny & Marie/Bay City Rollers
37 – Cover: Elvis Presley; Posteramas: Elvis Presley/The Ferrets
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