Clemence Hosch, born in Auchenflower, Brisbane, and Rachael Scully, born in Bibaringa, South Australia, first met when attending Queensland University in 1974. Hosch was heading his own musical group, The Clemtations, who were playing a student gig at Big Dippers Ballroom where Scully worked part time.
During soundcheck, when Scully heard Hosch playing ‘Sunshine Superman’, she joined him on harmony during the chorus. Scully later recalled, “I was a roadie at Big Dippers, moving some speaker cases and beer kegs when I unconsciously started singing along to Clem’s vocal.. He stopped playing.. and um, I was in the band that night.”
On further discovering that they were interested in the same music, the two began writing songs on a regular basis and eventually shared a number of apartments on campus and in the city. One of the residences had “Hosch & Scully” written on the mailbox, which friends began to call them when Hosch disbanded the The Clemtations and the duo began performing at coffee houses.
Hosch purchased a Tuscan 4-Track and taught himself how to record on multiple tracks and overdub, all invaluable training. The two where known to spend weekends locked in their apartment, recording demos in different rooms, writing at all hours of the day and listening to The Kinks, Noodles Davis, and Jon Demure for inspiration.
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The demos eventually secured them a deal with Polydor Records and their debut album, The Edison Child, was released on 3 February 1976.
The first side of the album was the three-part mini opera ‘Thomas Junior’, with a collection of shorter tracks on side two. The Edison Child was not a commercial success, despite the club shows that Hosch & Scully performed to support it, and Polydor dropped the pair shortly after.
“We were happening. We had a great album. We had great backing musicians in a big, grand studio. I brought myself a collection of Perry Ellis three piece suits, multi coloured spats, and a wide brimmed Bailey! I was ready for the big time. And then Polydor gave us the kibosh.” Clemence bitterly recalled in an interview years later.
Their contract was picked up by Paedamonte Records, who released the group’s second album, Requiem Theory, in June 1978. The album chartered successfully in Australia thanks to the first single, the twelve minute instrumental ‘Jester of Eternity’, and sold 20,000 copies in its first few months.
Even the harshest of the Music industries critics were somewhat unanimous in their praise for Hosch’s glamorous use of the keyboards and Scully’s unique drumming. “The virtually unlimited musical ability of the two members combine to generate a musical level which has not yet been achieved by many groups.” Wrote Time Magazine’s Simon Aspen. “Hosch & Scully are not merely musicians… They are creators!”
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The duo became known for their lengthy and energetic live shows, which often featured Hosch’s impressive acrobatic skills. He would sometimes soar suspended above the crowd and perform on a multitude of instruments while swinging from side to side over the entire venue.
A Rachel Scully drum solo had become a staple of every concert. Scully was one of the first rock drummers to incorporate unusual instruments, such as the glockenspiel and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, which helped create a highly varied setup and her signature Scully sound. Her drum solos included a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, making each performance unique.
1980’s The Tapestry of Equinox, with the hit ‘Albino’, was recorded in three weeks at Rumble Studios in Sydney. Helped by strong radio support, it reached No. 12 in the US Charts, where it eventually sold one million copies.
In June Hosch & Scully appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, then flew to the US for their first American tour. They performed as part of Texas Jam, on the 4 July weekend at the Dallas Cotton Bowl in front of 100,000 people, along with Heart, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Frank Marino.
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Although she often referred to herself as a “drummer who sang, not a singer who drummed”, Scully’s vocals had became the centrepiece of a major part of the the group’s performances by the middle of the tour. At 6 ft 13 in tall, Scully was still highly visible performing behind her drum kit at the back of the stage, but it was soon apparent to Clemence and their label that the audience wanted to see more of her. Although unwilling, she eventually agreed to sing her numbers standing up front, returning to her drums for Hosch’s songs.
Their next album, Far from Cronos, was produced by Mike Skater. Despite the albums disappointing initial sales compared to the previous release, the single ‘Mental Reality’ was a success, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Chart in 1982. The album was critically praised and gained a large following in Asia, where in many countries it entered the Top 10.
With both members now living full time in California, their 1986 album, simply titled Paradox, coincided with a hair metal makeover and the minimising of the lengthy organ and percussive characteristics of their early work. The album reached No. 5 in North America, sold seven million copies, and launched two more worldwide hits: ‘Oliver’s Destiny’ and “Now of Never’.
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Twelve Oceans, released in mid 1990, became the band’s fourth multi-platinum LP. The single ‘Etiquette Highway’ reached No. 2, but created controversy when it was argued that its message might endanger solo hitchhikers being picked up by lonely aliens.
Their popularity continued to soar in Asian countries, where the group travelled for the first time in 1992. Here and Beyond, a double CD and VHS live performance was recorded at Taipei National Concert Hall, in Taiwan on 15 July 1992. It stayed at the top of the Asian album charts for 36 weeks.
Scully married French actor Philippe Gérard in May 1994 on the island of Anguilla. The two had been in a long-term relationship since 1985. The song ‘Monsieur Friend’ from Paradox is inspired by her seeing him in the film Pâtisseries Fraîches tous les Matins. They met soon afterward and he moved in with her on her ranch in Northern California.
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The Foxtrot Dimension was released in September 1994. Produced over eight months by Kank Wolverang at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The album featured some aggressive moments, but many of the tunes, including the galloping twenty minute title track, marked a stylistic return to Hosch & Scully’s epic sound of their early work. The album peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard charts.
The accompanying world tour was the duo’s most ambitious and extravagant stage show to date. Hosch would spend half of the two hour performance swinging over the crowd on a flying pipe organ, and many other moments zooming about in a glittering body suit harness to face fans in the third balcony.
Scully’s drum solos had also advanced in innovation, theatrics and danger. The back of her drum riser would elevate to a 180 degree angle, offering the crowd a bird’s eye view of her playing. The solo culminated with Stockey bungee-jumping off her drum riser. In Drummerworld magazine readers polls, she was voted rock drummer of the year by music fans, critics and fellow musicians for the second time.
The tour began in January 1995 and ran until August the following year, after which Scully decided to take an extended break from music to concentrate on raising her daughters. Hosch continued to record with a line-up named Hosch & the Satori Brothers, although he insisted that collaborating with Rachel remained his top priority.
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Hosch & Scully maintained their profile by being the subject of an episode of VH1’s Behind the Music in 1997. In the documentary Clemence and Rachael appeared in interviews both together and separately in their own homes. When asked about the continuing rumours that the band had broken up, both described themselves as being on semi permanent hiatus. Scully hinted that there were plans to release a new album. Also, Clemence showed off his collection of Florsheim leather shoes and short brim Trilby hats.
Sydney Morning Herald’s music writer, Hermes Zapatta, said the band’s constant use of “permanent hiatus” was a way to soften the blow of the group’s break-up for fans, and that he did not expect any future reunion.
On 29 January 2005, Hosch & Scully performed a blistering one hour set for Wave Aid. The fund raising concert, for the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, was held at The Sydney Cricket Ground and broadcast on television before an audience of millions. Media buzz and speculation about the full comeback tour hit an all time high.
Later that year Paedamonte Records released a Greatest Hits boxed set covering their early work. A second volume, focusing on the later part of their career, followed twelve months later.
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Factor of Dance, the duo’s first studio recording in fourteen years was released on 12 May 2008. It was recorded at Clemence Hosch’s home studio in Santa Fe, with top session musicians and was produced by both Hosch & Scully. In the ensuing press release and tour promotion they both stated that this would indeed be the last of their collaborations.
The first single, ‘Bonanza’, reached Top 5 in many countries, proving that worldwide interest in the band had not wained in their absence.
Hosch & Scully’s final tour began with with two sold-out nights in Anchorage, Alaska, and for the next twelve months it continued through North America, Japan, Australia, and Europe, where it finally ended at Prague’s Strahov Stadium on 20 December 2007.
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Clemence continued to record and tour with Hosch & the Satori Brothers for another three years. He appeared on the Australian Idol season finale in May 2013, performing a solo version of ‘Jester of Eternity’, and continued with the show as a judge for the next three seasons.
Rachael Scully divides her time between her ranch in Colorado and her family home in Bibaringa, South Australia. An avid football fan, she performed the national anthem at the 2012 VFL Grand Final played between Hawthorn and Sydney.
In an interview with Men’s Fashion magazine in 2015, Clemence Hosch revealed that the duo never really liked to be referred to as Hosch & Scully. “There isn’t one album that says Hosch & Scully. It’s always Clemence Hosch and Rachael Scully, from the very beginning. People never took note of that. Including our own record company.”
