PSYCHEDELIC PUNK 45 ON A BOSS LABEL

THE PURPLE UNDERGROUND – ”Count Back” / ”Soon” (Boss 010) August 1967

My turntable spin today is this psychedelic punk 45 by The Purple Underground. Wow man, this is intense! Check out ”Count Back” and the weird FX, treated vocals, whispered in parts, pounding bass and backwards outro. A bit like Love’s ”Seven And Seven Is”. I reckon they must have been influenced by Love with this.

Everything is kool, even the label name of ”Boss” Florida group, record released August 1967 and one to add to your psych boxes, recent sales have been $200+ though!

The flip ”Soon” is an intense weeper where the guy has lost his girl to another, awkward beat, way-out organ and more studio trickery towards the end.

STRANGE RHYTHMS AND FUZZTONES

THE PURPLE GANG – ’BRING YOUR OWN SELF DOWN’/ ’ONE OF THE BUNCH’ (MGM K13607) OCT 1966

Some groups take their name then base their whole image around that name. Take North Hollywood’s Purple Gang for instance. Someone decided that it would be cool or different or way out for all of the band members to wear purple shirts with puffy sleeves. Bass player Marty Tryon even came up with the concept of wearing a purple glove on one hand for added purpleness. So the image is corny, what of the music?

Both sides on this disc are real growers, the strange rhythms and fuzztones will slowly absorb into your mind. Sadly, The Purple Gang only released two singles before the players drifted off to other projects. The first to go was rhythm guitarist Mark Landon.

He joined The Music Machine and took the single glove idea with him. Bass player Marty Tryon joined The Lamp Of Childhood and also worked with W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band. Alan Wisdom (lead guitar) and Harry Garfield (farfisa) eventually moved on to a later line-up of The Music Machine whilst singer Bob Corff stayed with MGM Records and released a single under the name of The Ark.

COMMENTS:

Too bad the drummer (me) never gets mentioned. Although it wasn’t all my fault. The engineer (Bones Howe) wanted to mute my drums to the point where I felt I was beating on tubs full of rice.

I sure wish the band would have held out for a while longer. Everybody jumped ship, just because we didn’t produce a hit single out of the gate. We were up against solid competition, but I think we could have made some headway, had we stuck with it. – Chris Roberts (drummer-Purple Gang) (20/01/14)

originally posted on 12/06/10 – L.A. Sounds #38

A HOLY ALLIANCE OF THE ASSOCIATION AND THE LEFT BANKE

I’ve had an obscure psych 45 by Proof Of The Puddin’ for some time and it’s recently stirred up some interest when I compiled both sides on a couple of freebie comps. Keith Bickerton liked the 45 so much he did some research on the group and here are his findings.

The group came from Columbus, Indiana, but had moved to Boston when they signed with RCA Victor and they were still known as The Shakers then. They released their lone 45 in September 1967, and the A side “Flying High” was written by Harry Palmer who would later lead the group Ford Theatre (he wrote most of their material including their most well known song “Jefferson Airplane”).

“Color Wheel” was written by George Goehring who plays the harpsichord, the group did not play on this side, but just provided the vocals. The group did record other self written material, but the tapes have been lost.

Harry Palmer was not a member of the group, just a friend, and the line up was:

Ross Hubler lead guitar
Dave Groves bass
Tirk Wilder guitar
Mike Moody drums
Ken Rider guitar

All members sang and it was Mike Moody on lead vocals on “Flying High”.

I do not think that anyone in the group made any more records, Ross Hubler passed away recently.

I recently received news that Ken Ridler died 22/09/15.

UPDATE FROM A READER ON 18/07/12

The members of this band were high school classmates at Columbus High School in Columbus, Indiana. Tirk Wilder and Dave Groves graduated in 1962, Ross Hubler and Mike Moody in 1965.

In high school they played with a succession of other musicians as the Fabulous XLs. Ken Rider, who graduated from CHS in 1963, was not with the band in Boston, but he did play with the others in many different bands over the years. RCA offered them a contract in 1967, and like many young rockers in those days, they signed and ended up with little control over their careers.

They were housed in a luxury apartment in Boston, and the story is that they worked constantly but there never seemed to be any money. They often had little food in their luxury apartment and were reduced to eating day-old doughnuts thrown out by a nearby shop. The single recording session was unusual in that Flying High was recorded in one take.

The band did the vocal arrangements for Color Wheel themselves the night before the session. Eventually there was some sort of contract dispute, and RCA dropped them. They were so broke they barely made it home to Indiana. Afterward Ross and Mike relocated to San Francisco, where they played at various venues including Fillmore West.

All five continued to perform as professional musicians, although Dave became a surveyor and Ross a master carpenter. Tirk is best known as a songwriter, having written the theme for Walker, Texas Ranger. He currently lives in Nashville, TN. Ross passed away in 2005. Dave, Ken and Mike are living in Indiana, where they still play together from time to time.

originally posted on 04/08/11

24 HOURS FROM TULSA

It seems that poor old Gene Pitney has had his day in the sun. No one appears to be that interested in his music anymore. Apart from one or two of his 45s I’ve got no idea what his early sixties records sound like. But I’m about to find out because I bought three Pitney’s and found another one mistakenly hidden away in one of the covers.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Gene Pitney has won many gold discs, yet it’s ironical to recall that this all-time international singing Superstar once found record company doors closed to him because he sounded “just another singer”.

Happily Gene proved the so-called experts wrong and in doing so exercised another of his talents, that of a songwriter. For his first single “I Want To Love My Life Away” was written and sung by Gene and, quite apart from producing the finished product, he also played drums, piano and guitar. When the single was released the charts found a new name and popular music had discovered a talent that wasn’t merely restricted to the current pop climate.

The business awareness that Gene has always brought to his career means that he hasn’t only been providing first class entertainment for his fans but has also secured himself a high place on the international entertainment scene.

His own efforts helped bring about the enduring British fan success when “24 Hours From Tulsa” broke in the UK and Gene stayed on to promote it actively. Similar success stories followed in Italy, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand and certainly where there has been a market Gene has followed it up by recording in the language of the nation.

This collection, which takes its title from his fourth Golden Disc, written by Bacharach and David, is undoubtedly a favourite with all Pitney fans. But then so are tracks like “It Hurts To Be In Love”, “True Love Never Runs Smooth” and the many other Pitney classics that make this a musical portrait of someone who isn’t just another singer, because there isn’t another singer who can make songs like these sound quite so good.

charity shop purchase @ £1.50

Inside the cover of the Pitney album was another one which had been filed away in error. So this one is a freebie. It turned out to be a later pressing of the Hallmark collection on Pickwick Records, released during 1984.

SACCHARINE SWEET MUSIC ALMOST GIVES ME A THROMBOEMBALISM

So this is my introduction to Burt Bacharach who I previously had never listened to. It was a couple of quid from a local charity shop, a month ago. It’s also in very good shape so I decided to add it to my haul.

Give me primitive garage punk over this slop any day of the week. I’m still at a loss who would have been buying records like this in 1967. Was it aimed at the easy-listening, squaresville bloke who thought wearing cuban heeled Beatle boots and a psychedelic shirt outrageous?

I can picture in my mind’s eye thousands of fellas playing this record to their girlfriend back in the mists of time. It’s Valentine’s Day today, and that sappy-fuelled occasion seems very apt .

The middle-aged stamp-collector types would have been serving their Dollybird aphrodisiacs, served up on a plate laden with possibly pig’s trotters and boiled whelks. Drenching all that down with a bottle of chilled Dandelion & Burdock. There would have been no resistance . . . You have scored! turn the record over and play Side two.

BACK COVER LINERS:

If you love not tall pines which touch the beginnings of the sky. If you have never yearned to leap in a mailbox, nor longed to join the street urchins in a game of tag.

If you have not sighed and smiled beyond your mind as sleep creeps out of the abstract and carries you into its endless night.

If violins and cellos harpsichord and piano trumpets, flutes and sounds of rippling scales have never lightened your spirit.

If Alfie did not become so much a name, more a lonely island of song in a sea of human sadness. If cool water too long out of reach has never quenched your thirst. If love comes second or you come first. If you have never walked without a destination nor flown without a sense of marvel.

If you have known neither pain nor sorrow nor wept for the joy of release. If a baby is not a person until it knows your name. If your heart has not leapt nor your senses quivered as the conductor’s baton taps the music stand.

If you have not stared at a pretty girl in a vacuum in time across a crowded room and prayed she knew. If you believe that the essence of a man and his music can adequately be caught and conveyed within an album liner note . . . then it is likely that the entertainment of music between these covers is not for you and, though it is sad, you should walk on by.

Burt Bacharach, shy, young, handsome, courteous, New Yorker son of a journalist, married to an actress, is more relevantly, a fiery complex ingredient in the exciting cauldron of the musical sixties.

Put down by no one, whether peers or followers, put on by nothing, whether fame or wealth, put off by neither pressure nor competitor, Bacharach is a very special man.

He bestrides, like Gulliver, the warring worlds of the Establishments’ Academy Award system – from whom he has wrought two Oscar nominations for “Alfie” & “What’s New Pussycat” – and the contemporary Top Forty scene where the buying power lies in the hands of the very young.

It is effortless to praise him because he has done so much, so widely and so well. Marlene Dietrich doted on him as her arranger and conductor, adores him as a man.

From Hollywood to New York, across Europe and the British Isles in military camps and in brutally sophisticated nightclubs, he built upon his formal training as a pianist by adding technique and style and charm.

As a songwriter, he decided to create tunes people could hum, and by now, few singers anywhere in the world haven’t sung them.

On this album, his first for A&M Records with whom he has a close and vastly rewarding relationship, he has written, arranged, assembled all eleven songs, conducted the orchestra and produced the entire album, and because he knows there is nothing you can do that can’t be done, he has played piano on all of the tracks and sung on one of them.

This one is called “A House Is Not A Home” and it is something else.

So is Burt Bacharach

charity shop purchase @ £2

FAME OPENED THE VAULTS FOR PREVIOUSLY IGNORED SNOOZEVILLE BALLADRY

This album was yet another Glen Campbell relic found recently in a charity shop during my excursions to Low Fell and Gateshead. It appeared that someone had donated all of their Campbell collection, more likely the collector had died and his / her relatives de-cluttered the house and the records were the first to go!

It’s a sixteen track long-player of early recordings by Glen Campbell and is probably for completists only. The songs are all from his early days with Capitol Records, most of which may or may not have been released at the time during 1963 / 1964.

The instrumentals “Blowin’ In The Wind”, “Five Hundred Miles”, “The Ballad Of Jed Clampett” and “This Land Is Your Land” are worthy additions to any archive. These all demonstrate Campbell’s guitar plucking skills which indeed led him to become one of the most sought after session musicians in Hollywood.

The rest of the material is squaresville ballads with a cringe-worthy female choir. These types of songs are the very reason why the music industry needed Beat groups from England. On hearing the Beatles for the first time all of the heavy-weight Titan record labels must have been shitting themselves with fear. Where do we go from here?

I can hear the cries from the record label meeting rooms: “Bin all of those “Dad” records – we need to get with the youth explosion.”

charity shop purchase @ £2

COUNTRY MUSIC IS A STYLE WHICH HAS REAL MEANING, WHICH RELATES TO EVERYDAY LIFE, TELLING OF ITS JOYS AND SORROWS.

Which was good news for me because I was in a period of wanting to fill gaps in my archive with vintage release easy-listening and country albums. And at £2 each what was there to lose?

This is a collection of numbers from the early seventies, two tracks are culled from the late sixties. The worldwide hit “Wichita Lineman” is here along with “Love Is A Lonesome River” from 1967.

BACK COVER LINERS:

From being a mere minority interest, country music has now entered the mainstream of pop music and much of the credit must go to Glen Campbell, the easy-mannered singer / songwriter who has smashed the barriers with his string of hit records and top-rating TV shows.

It’s the story-telling quality of country lyrics that Campbell loves and, while he writes fine songs himself, he’s not afraid to cast round for good material elsewhere.

If he hears a strong song, he’ll record it, and that’s how he picked up on Jim Webb‘s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” and shot to fame, following through quickly with the haunting “Wichita Lineman”.

Songs like “Funny Kind Of Monday”, “Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling”, “Love Is A Lonesome River” and “Once More With Feeling” are all stamped with an innate country sound, and yet Campbell is a city man too, having grown up in the milieu of the Los Angeles and Hollywood entertainment business as a session-musician and bit-part actor before his big breakthrough . . . . why, he even played with the Beach Boys at one time!

Perhaps all that helps explain just why it has been Campbell who has most successfully bridged the previously yawning gulf between country and pop music and drawn the two closer together – to everyone’s benefit.

Country music is a style which has real meaning, which relates to everyday life, telling of its joys and sorrows, its pleasures and its calamities. By giving it a pop appeal, Glen Campbell has enriched the music scene, making further room at the pop charts for songs which have something worthwhile to say.

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HIS CONFIDENCE AND YOUTHFUL HANDSOMENESS HELP PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE EMPATHY WITH AN AUDIENCE. FOR THE TWELVE-STRING GUITAR OF GLEN CAMPBELL IS BUT ONE FACET OF THIS AMAZING YOUNG MAN.

This record was a find from a charity shop in Low Fell a month ago. There were numerous Glen Campbell albums on the rack, most of them numbered – this one is from the same series but titled “plays twelve-string” which leads me to believe that they were all from the an LP box-set. They were probably released some time in the seventies.

Today Glen Campbell is one of the world’s outstanding purveyors of the twelve-string art. He combines the sensitivity of a great artist with the delightful improvisations of a performer who knows his instrument as he knows himself.

He brings to his interpretations an affinity for all musical forms. For he is, in fact, equally at home in the realms of Folk, Pop, country, Jazz and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

In the course of a week he often used to find himself as a guitarist on recording sessions for Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Rose Maddox, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, The Limeliters and others.

Glen’s Arkansas boyhood gave him an innate love of Country music. His ability to perform it is evident here. His natural ‘feel’ for the music is displayed in his performances of traditionally inspired “Lonesome Twelve”, and Glen Campbell’s own composition “Bull Durham” and the evergreen “Ballad Of Jed Clampett”.

A truly amazing staccato unison of Glen’s twelve-string guitar and Roy Clark‘s five-string banjo (three finger style) is heard in the performance of “Jed Clampett”. Roy’s banjo is also heard on “Lonesome Twelve” and the South African folk ballad “Wimoweh”.

Contemporary folk songs such as “Puff (The Magic Dragon)”, “Green Green” and “This Land Is Your Land” are given unique interpretations in this collection. Drummer Earl Palmer injects latin bongo into glen’s reading of “La Bamba”. This instrumental version of “500 Miles Away From Home” is as poignant as the lyrics to that fine song.

Two of folk-writer Bob Dylan‘s compositions are also here: the ever popular “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “Walkin’ Down The Line”. Glen’s voice is heard briefly on the latter.

Glen Campbell first gained fame as an instrumentalist (and this collection will perpetuate that fame) but since then he has gained greater renown as a vocalist of rare interpretive ability. He can provide a lyric with humour or pathos, warmth and sincerity, as required.

His confidence and youthful handsomeness help provide an immediate empathy with an audience. For the twelve-string guitar of Glen Campbell is but one facet of this amazing young man.

charity shop purchase @ £2

AN INTRODUCTION INTO CAMPBELL’S EARLY RECORDINGS

This record was a find from a charity shop in Low Fell a month ago. There were numerous Glen Campbell albums on the rack, most of them numbered – this one is No. 6, which leads me to believe that they were all from the same box-set. They were probably released some time in the seventies.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Although “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” confirmed Glen Campbell’s standing as an artist of national importance, it was John Hartford’s “Gentle On My Mind” which provided the real turning point in his career.

It was recorded – and became a best-seller in 1967, seven years after Glen had first sought his fortunes in Hollywood.

Six years earlier “Turn Around, Look At Me”, recorded for the minor ‘Crest’ label, had brought him a seven-year recording contract with Capitol Records, and soon after his initial release, “Too Late To Worry – Too Blue To Cry”, made its mark in the charts. However, although his vocal ability was impressive, it was still his virtuoso plectrum guitar work that was in greatest demand.

His role as ‘named’ recording artist continued but didn’t quite match his initial success for several years. It was a case of finding the right material – and that was still to come. In the meantime – while filling in with local bands including the Beach Boys – his career as a session musician blossomed.

Working in the studios, as a backup musician to some of the world’s great stars, inevitably paid dividends. He was there behind such entertainers as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and the Mamas and the Papas . . . earning upwards of £30,000 annually.

The routine was hectic. One year he worked 586 recording sessions, sometimes doing as many as three or four sessions a day, each lasting around three hours.

Then in 1967, came “Gentle On My Mind”. Glen recalls:

I found that song one day just listening to my radio, driving up Laurel Canyon in Hollywood. Somebody had made a record of it just with a rhythm track and verse. That’s all, and I thought it would be a great song, putting some strings in and filling it out.

It was supposed to be part of an album that I had hoped to make but they released it as a single. That was the big turning point for me.”

Glen Campbell

It was around this time that Glen Campbell first became known to British audiences; hitherto he was known only to a few ardent country fans. In fact it is often said in U.S. publications that Britain discovered him before his fellow countrymen!

It was at a Las Vegas nightclub that Jeffrey S. Kruger, managing director of Britain’s Ember Records, first spotted Glen and realised that he possessed all the ingredients of a budding superstar. An agreement was reached with Capitol for Ember to release his material on this side of the Atlantic and – within a few weeks of the signing “Gentle On My Mind” broke into the American charts.

The remainder of the story is well-known; success quickly followed success until in February 1968 the music industry honoured its ‘overnight’ discovery. The Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences bestowed four Grammies on Glen Campbell – two each for his outstanding work on “Gentle On My Mind” and “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”.

A week later he received three more awards from the Academy of Country and Western Music for “Gentle On My Mind”. On that occasion he was awarded Best Single, Best Album, and Top Male Vocalist. Later that year he received the ultimate accolade when Nashville’s Country Music Association voted him Entertainer of The Year.

In the summer of 1968 Glen was chosen as the seasonal replacement for the Smothers Brothers’ television show, a debut that led his own network series. Then came the important movie contract with Paramount Pictures that led to his starring roles in “True Grit” and “Norwood”.

And, of course, there were public appearances galore, beckoning him from the glamour of Las Vegas’ nightclub strip to sell-out crowds at New York’s Carnegie Hall and enthusiastic welcomes all over the world.

Most important, though, success brought many more hits, all of which you can enjoy in this collection.

More about love with John Hartford‘s “Gentle On My Mind” taking pride of place as the song that launched Glen on his phenomenal rise to stardom. Also included is a latter-day recording of “Turn Around, Look At Me” – the number that brought Glen a Capitol Records contract – and several of his personal favourites, all given his own impeccably stylish approach.

Bob Lind‘s “Elusive Butterfly”, Donovan‘s “Catch The Wind”, Roy Orbison‘s “Crying” and the Italian “You’re My World”, also a hit for Cilla Black in 1964, are all on this album.

charity shop purchase @ £2

AN INTRODUCTION INTO CAMPBELL’S EARLY RECORDINGS

This record was a find from a charity shop in Low Fell a month ago. There were numerous Glen Campbell albums on the rack, most of them numbered – this one is No. 5, which leads me to believe that they were all from the same box-set. They were probably released some time in the seventies.

There’s a version of Dorsey Burnette’s “Hey Little One” on Side two of the disc, I was quite surprised to hear this moody number by Glen Campbell. I’m more familiar with the song from renditions by mid-sixties garage groups The Mersey Men and The Shandells.

BACK COVER LINERS:

“By The Time I Get To Phoenix” – a plaintive love song of the sixties, a day in the death of love. “She’ll find the note I left hanging on her door; she’ll laugh when she reads the part that says I’m leaving ’cause I left that girl so many times before.”

That song was more than just a sensitive tale of a love affair that had ended, or another set of beautiful lyrics from one of the most important writers of the decade, Jimmy Webb.

“By The Time I Get To Phoenix” catapulted Glen Campbell – part-time and full-time sessionman – into lasting commercial success. It was the launching pad for a super-star and, before the sixties were over, was to help create a music business phenomenon.

The song, and the performance, reaped their reward. “Phoenix” went straight to the top of the American national charts and brought Glen a number of Grammy Awards from Hollywood’s National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. It also opened up concert appearances, nightclub work, television and the cinema to the new star.

Contrary to popular believe, however, Glen Campbell was not an overnight success and the groundwork for his rise to stardom was both long and arduous.

Glen’s musical roots were ‘country’ and can be traced back to the earliest days. Born on 22nd April, 1936, on the outskirts of Delight, Arkansas, Glen was the seventh son of a seventh son in a farm family of eight boys and four girls. Because his parents were musical his apprenticeship began practically immediately.

By the age of four he was ‘picking’ on a five-dollar guitar purchased by his father, Wesley Campbell, from a Sears Roebuck mail order catalogue. In two years he had progressed from entertaining the family to singing and strumming on local radio stations, his audiences stretching across Arkansas and two neighbouring states.

It was during his early teens that Glen Campbell joined his first band, a western group centred in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and led by his uncle, Dick Bills. The outfit, the Sandia Mountain Boys, featured Glen as singer and lead guitarist and, throughout his high-school years, he found regular guitar work touring the United States’ southwest region playing dates at what he affectionately describes as ‘dancin’ and fightin’ clubs’.

Although basically a country band, the group soon adjusted itself to playing anything the customers requested . . . country, jazz, or whatever.

Later he formed his own band and found a regular home base at the Hitching Post in Albuquerque. It was here that he first met Billie Nunley, later to play an important role in his life as Mrs. Glen Campbell.

Although the band continued to attract the crowds, it was Glen’s skill as a guitar-picker that attracted the most acclaim. His friends advised him to seek his fortune on the West Coast where country musicians were in constant demand.

Eventually, in 1960, the Campbells packed their belongings in their ’57 Chevrolet and, armed with a nest-egg of three hundred dollars, set off for Hollywood. Success, however, wasn’t instant and while Glen found employment with The Champs and a combo named The Gee-Cee’s – Billie helped supplement the family income by working in a neighbourhood bank.

The disappointment was short lived. In 1961 Glen recorded “Turn Around, Look At Me” for a small label and this led to a contract with Capitol Records. Although he didn’t read music, he also found that his instrumental talent was in great demand and that there was a sizeable income to be had as a session musician.

The path to regular recording work had opened up; true fame was only a few years away.

THE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM:-

The album commences, naturally, with Jimmy Webb‘s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” – one of the great love songs of the sixties – and continues with other notable titles from the decade’s best known writers.

There’s Paul Simon‘s “Homeward Bound” and John D Loudermilk‘s “I Wanna Live”, while the Ernest Tubb / Johnny Bond composition “Tomorrow Never Comes” and Bill Anderson‘s “Bad Seed” show that Glen Campbell never strayed far from his country roots.

His presentation altered only slightly as his popularity spread far beyond the confines of pure country. Overall this is an album about love and loneliness and Glen displays his mark as a writer with “Back In The Race”, co-written with Vic Dana and now accepted as a country standard.

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‘SCUSE ME WHILE I MAKE MY WAY TO THE NEAREST RECORD DECK!

I’m not clued up on the Walker Brothers recordings, they were a piece of aural action missing from my archives. So it was a no-brainer accepting this record into my collection when I found it in a nearby record shop for £10.

It’s a double album, compiling twenty eight songs from their repertoire, taking in the hits, random B-Sides and the odd album track. A very good introduction to the Walker Brothers, especially if you want to experience their music on vinyl.

INNER COVER LINERS:

The Walker Brothers had it all. The mods of the mid sixties found them as acceptable as The Who and Cathy McGowen’s pelmet and curtains hairstyle, while the older generation didn’t take long to latch on to the fact that lead-singer Scott was really Ohio’s new wave answer to Frank Sinatra.

So everybody found some facet of the Walkers that appealed to them. And the group became big – so big, that at one point they rivalled the Beatles in Britain. Then, forsaken brotherly love, they opted to become individuals – at which time they blew it.

But, of course, they weren’t really brothers, just three American musicians who’d realised that their homeland pop scene had gone stale. Which convinced them that they ought to emulate such other acts as Jimi Hendrix and P.J. Proby and use Britain as a springboard to success.

THE EARLY YEARS

Even before they set out on their Atlantic crossing the threesome had the wheel of fortune spin somewhat in their direction. Scott, the good-looking six-footer, born Scott Noel Engel, had been bassist with The Routers when they’d cut their “Let’s Go” hit – and he’d also laid down a few tracks with John Stewart.

At an earlier age he’d won the juvenile lead in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Pipe Dream”, and, apart from the fact that he was expelled from school somewhere along the way, he’d always looked like the guy most likely to succeed.

John Walker, who’d been christened John Maus (pronounced ‘Moss’), had also been around. Like Scott he’d done the child-actor bit, appearing in a show called “Hello Mom” opposite incendiary blonde Betty Hutton. More importantly, he also became pretty proficient on sax and guitar.

Gary Leeds, the last of the red-hot Walkers and perhaps the least charismatic, could also point to some pedigree – for hadn’t he once played drums with Elvis and hadn’t he also thumped skins for Proby in that innovatory trouser-splitter’s ‘Jet Powers’ era?

Eventually the talented threesome, who’d been students together in California, got together and began making records, as the Walker Brothers, for the Smash label.

Whether Gary had much part in this recording debut is debatable (in an interview, given many years later, Scott mentions that only he and John Maus took part – and it’s true that Gary’s recording career as a Walker Brother was somewhat hampered by a previous contract to another company – which meant that he never touched a drumstick on any Walker session) but with Nik Venet and Jack Nitsche producing they re-made the Everly Brothers “Love Her”, which Nitsche envisaged in a Phil Spector-like setting.

Though Gary’s contribution to the Walker recorded output may have been negligible, it was he who suggested that they make Britain their base for world domination. He’d toured here with Proby and felt that the Walker Brothers could thrive in such an environment. Scott readily agreed to come simply because he was a film freak and thought he stood more chance of meeting Ingmar Bergman if he crossed to Europe.

John, who was married, took more time making up his mind, but he went along with the others’ plans and so the trio arrived in London in 1965. At first, things didn’t exactly pan out too well.

The gigs were few and far between , which meant that Gary’s father had to rush in financial support, and their first record release “Do The Jerk” / “Pretty Girls Everywhere”, made in the States with the help of ace jazzman Shorty Rogers, fizzled gently and then moved on to that great Valhalla where all great misses go.

Three months later, in June ’65, “Love Her” was released in Britain – a move which resulted in a top twenty entry . . . if only for one week.

HITTING THE BIG TIME

But the British public was catching on fast: the Walkers began to get mobbed in true pop star tradition. And when they made their first appearance on ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ they were practically torn apart. “I thought it was great”, said Scott at the time.

One man who dug the Walkers was Philips Records’ John Franz, a man best best known for his hit-making productions with Peters and Lee. When Scott, John and Gary set about recreating what they called their refined Spector sound, in a British studio it was Franz that they turned to. When Scott indulged in a self-interview, sometime in 1974, he recalled:

“The big asset of having John Franz was that he could read charts very well and had this tremendous ear. If we needed more cello or there was a slight oboe part missing somewhere, he’d hear it. He was a valuable man to have around because we used to cut four sides in a three-hour session, so things had to be thought out fast.”

Scott Walker

First of the three-hour session sides to break was “Make It Easy On Yourself”, a Bacharach and David ballad. It established Scott as a moody sex symbol, eventually making No. 1 in the charts and retaining a place in the top thirty until a follow-up could be scheduled.

This proved to be “My Ship Is Coming In”, another in “Make It Easy” mould. Released in November ’65 it took but a couple of weeks to reach the top twenty where it perched itself at No. 3.

Could the Walkers provide four hits in a row? The Animals’ Eric Burden hoped not. When “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” was played on the Juke Box Jury panel in February 1966, Burden, who was a member, proclaimed “What can you expect from Americans? This sort of thing makes me sick!”

But few people suffered from this particular ailment. Again the Walkers found themselves on top of the heap, though they reported: “The Stones don’t like us.”

At the very time “Sun” was shining brightly at No. 1, the group were well on their way to becoming solo recording acts. Gary appeared on ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ during February 1966 promoting a single that Scott had produced for him, while both John and Scott announced that they were planning individual ventures for later that year.

“We are going to do solo records but continue to appear as the Walker Brothers,” they told the NME.

And, for a while, the scheme seemed to be working well. The Walkers’ next couple of singles “(Baby) You Don’t Have To Tell Me” and “Another Tear Falls”, the latter another Bacharach creation, both reached the top twenty – and Gary’s individual effort also sold well, establishing him as the first Walker Brother to make it in his own right.

Then the threesome set out on a huge tour with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, plus the Troggs, taking in over thirty towns. They got mobbed everywhere they went and it was claimed that they even had to pull out of a gig at Blackpool North Pier because they considered that safety precautions would be too difficult to set up.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Before the year ended they were asked to play a Royal Gala performance before the Duke of Edinburgh and, in the words of a song they’d recorded for an EP that year it looked as if “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”. But it wasn’t. The Royal Show was really the beginning of the end.

“We were getting draggy at the time of the Gala”, claimed John. Perhaps their public felt the same way too, for the next Walker Brothers’ single, “Stay With Me”, issued in January ’67, flopped badly. And by the time that “Walking In The Rain” came out, in May of that year, it was all over.

The Walkers had announced that breaking up wasn’t so hard to do after a concert at the Tooting Granada, just a couple of weeks prior to what was to be their final single release, the final straw being Scott’s late arrival at one date, where John and Gary went on without him.

“I’ve known Scott for four years and now I can’t even talk to him anymore”, said John, at the end. It was a sad conclusion to what had been a musically rewarding partnership.

But during the two years that heralded the meteoric rise of the Walker Brothers, Scott, John and Gary put together some of the greatest sounds to come out of British Pop during that era. And here are the best of them – all the hit singles plus a few that should have made it but didn’t.

The titles for Smash are included, plus the Walkers’ versions of Dylan‘s “Love Minus Zero”, Chris Kenner‘s “Land Of 1,000 Dances”, Curtis Mayfield‘s “People Get Ready” and other fine songs by Randy Newman, Goffin and King, Bob Crewe and Ben E. King.

All of which means that the only thing that’ll give me more pleasure than writing about this great compilation is playing it.

‘Scuse me while I make my way to the nearest record deck!

Sound & Vision purchase @ £10

IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT YOU CAN BUY A RECORD OF GREAT HITS WHICH WERE ALL IN THE TOP TEN

One look at the cover and the casual record buyer would probably think that this was a folk album created by a slim blond haired hippie. She is wearing the standard cut-off, hip huggin’ jeans. The trouser legs were probably used to make a couple of massive spliffs.

The body painting of psychedelic flowers is faithfully recreated 1967 style, the flora extending to her plastic acoustic guitar. The drum in the foreground is no doubt used to hide her big bags of cannabis resin.

But isn’t this is a Tom Jones inspired album? Of course it is! But topless blond-haired hippie lasses sold records back in 1971 didn’t they?

I’m no fan of Tom Jones, I’ve experienced a few of his albums recently after rescuing them from junk-bins in charity shops. I’m indifferent to his melodramatic, over-produced ‘shouty-shouty’ squaresville records.

That being said, I bought this LP purely for the cover and wanted to know if songs like “It’s Not Unusual”, “Detroit City” and “Delilah” would sound listenable by another vocalist.

I’m delighted to find out that Danny Street accepted the challenge and completely surpassed Sir Thomas Jones of the Valleys with his ten interpretations of these well known songs.

Danny’s vocals are assured and powerful enough to carry off the ‘belters’ with aplomb. He may not be able to raise the dead like megaphone howler Tom Jones but for me that’s a huge bonus.

The backing from the Alan Caddy Orchestra is first-rate. He really knew his onions or perhaps more importantly in this case, his Welsh leeks.

Danny Street and Alan Caddy are now deceased but they can be restful in peace knowing that on this record, they teamed up to create a worthy challenge to those Tom Jones originals.

BACK COVER LINERS:

It is not often that you can buy a record of great hits which were all in the Top Ten and all recorded and made famous by one singer in a short space of his career.

We have captured on this record the greatest hits made famous by Tom Jones sung by a different, brilliant singer and orchestrally played in a style which may give you great difficulty in realising that these are not the original recordings by Tom Jones himself and his backing orchestras.

charity shop purchase @ £2

HERMAN’S HERMITS SWING INTO ANOTHER ENTERTAINING PROGRAMME ON THIS, THEIR SECOND APPEARANCE ON MUSIC FOR PLEASURE

This was a charity shop find in Newcastle last month, I bought it because of the two quid price tag and the photo of the boys on the front cover, reflecting the changing times in the late sixties for a teeny-bopper band.

Their barnets are much longer and the clothes are not as straight as the were during their hit records phase. Not only that, some of the members have facial hair and look like they’re probably dabbling with mind-expanding drugs. Could there be at least one tripper on this?

Side one rolls along with some of their hits from 1965, all radio friendly songs that would have had all the young lasses wishing they were Dollybirds. There is a pleasant enough version of “Saturday’s Child” and a rockin’ (for the Hermits) cover of “Jezabel”.

I’m sure Herman’s Hermits had it in them to drop some fuzztoned guitar into the mix but producer Mickie Most probably ignored any requests from the group to get more way-out with their music.

Over on Side two there are a couple of interesting pop nuggets from their 1966 recorded LP “There’s A Kind Of Hush All Over The World”.

Both “Gaslight Street” and “Rattler” demonstrated that the Hermits were moving into a much more sophisticated pop territory. “Rattler” is especially impressive and is quite Hollies-esque in construction.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Herman’s Hermits swing into another entertaining programme on this, their second appearance on Music For Pleasure with their 1965 hit “A Must To Avoid”. It is followed by “Silhouettes” which was their second million seller for the group, also in 1965.

Also included is “My Sentimental Friend” a later hit for them, plus two songs from their film “Mrs Brown’ You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” – “It’s Nice To Be Out In The Morning” and “Lemon And Lime”.

Producer Mickie Most has come up with 12 cracking performances for Herman’s Hermits. Go on treat yourselves! This album is a must buy!

NOW HEAR THIS – HERE’S OUR LATEST “TOP OF THE POPS”, TAILOR-MADE AS USUAL TO SUIT THE NEEDS OF ALL OUR POP FANS.

I’ll put this one down to ‘lesson learned’ because imagine my surprise when I got around to making a post for this record only to find an imposter within the cover!

I bought it a few weeks ago from a local charity shop for a couple of quid but failed to check the condition of the vinyl. If only I’d have taken that step I’d have realised that the wrong record had been matched with the cover.

Instead of “Top Of The Pops – Volume 29” I’m lumbered with the St. Winifred’s School Choir “And The Children Sing” on the Music For Pleasure label, released 1979.

I realised my mistake ten seconds into side one of the record. Instead of a version of “Blockbuster” I had to unpleasantly withstand a hideous cats choir of kids squawking away to a version of “Top Of The World”.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Pop Fans. You’ve done it. A million thanks and congratulations to all of you who helped us push our latest edition of “Top of the Pops” (Volume 28 – SHM. 810) to an all time high. It was easily our best – selling number in a fantastic series that has hit the top selling headlines right from the start.

… NOW HEAR THIS … HERE’S our latest “Top of the Pops”, tailor-made as usual to suit the needs of all our Pop fans. You’ve got 12 high-stepping songs; you’ve got the finest session musicians & vocalists in the land singing and playing their hearts out to give you, the pop fans, what you want. And what do you want? You want sounds that are as good as, if not better than, the sounds of the originals made famous by the big names in Pop show business; and you want value for money. We’re trying all the time to achieve this. If we haven’t, write and tell us, and we’ll try even harder next time.

If you like our record then we want you to have a ball. Get rocking to the music; and when you’ve got your breath back ring all you other friends and let them know how much you’ve enjoyed our album.

Side 1

Blockbuster – originally a hit for The Sweet
Daniel – originally a hit for Elton John
Me And Mrs Jones – originally a hit for Billy Paul
Part Of The Union – originally a hit for The Strawbs
Superstition – originally a hit for Stevie Wonder
Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah!) – originally a hit for Gary Glitter

Side 2

Paper Plane – originally a hit for Status Quo
Looking Thru The Eyes Of Love – originally a hit for The Partridge Family
Sylvia – originally a hit for Focus
Roll Over Beethoven – originally a hit for The Electric Light Orchestra
Doctor My Eyes – originally a hit for The Jackson 5
Reelin’ And Rockin’ – originally a hit for Chuck Berry

charity shop purchase @ £2

NOW HEAR THIS – HERE’S OUR LATEST “TOP OF THE POPS”, TAILOR-MADE AS USUAL TO SUIT THE NEEDS OF ALL OUR POP FANS.

I’ll put this one down to ‘lesson learned’ because imagine my surprise when I got around to making a post for this record only to find an imposter within the cover!

BACK COVER LINERS:

OUR FABULOUS VOCALISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS MAKE SOUNDS THAT WILL SEND YOU ROCKETING INTO OUTER SPACE.

I’m back on more familiar territory with this sixties ‘Top Of The Pops’ release and for me personally, a much more comfortable listening experience.

The versions are all consistently good to excellent, even though some of the hits suffer from what I call cringe-wimp factor. The kind of material that would have had the ageing mothers and grandmothers having a knees-up down their Local, while slopping glasses of sherry down their throats.

There are no out-and-out rockers on this set so I’ll have to make do with “Hello World”, originally by The Tremeloes. It’s a decent remake and was probably their last ever hit record.

The version of The Hollies “Sorry Suzanne” is skilfully refashioned with those three part harmonies intact, a solid backbeat and distinguished lead guitar. Definitely a keeper this one!

I only recently discovered The Bee Gees heavily orchestrated number “First Of May”, it was a single released from their double album “Odessa”. I hope to find the latter in a charity shop one day!

BACK COVER LINERS:

Ravers! Here’s our fourth and greatest Pop Album. Bend back your ears and listen to a dozen of today’s hottest numbers, all furiously scrambling for the Top Spot. Like “Boom, Bang-a-Bang”. Like “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. Like “Sorry Suzanne”.

Specially recorded in London by Hallmark Records, our fabulous vocalists and instrumentalists make sounds that will send you rocketing into Outer Space. So, groovies, grab this L.P., rush back to your Pads, and move, move, move to the hot, sweet sounds of this album.

Side 1

Boom Bang-A-Bang Originally a hit for Lulu
Good Times Originally a hit for Cliff Richard
Gentle On My Mind Originally a hit for Dean Martin
Maria Elena Originally a hit for Gene Pitney
Hello World Originally a hit for The Tremeloes
I Heard It Through The Grapevine Originally a hit for Marvin Gaye

Side 2

Sorry Suzanne Originally a hit for The Hollies
Surround Yourself With Sorrow Originally a hit for Cilla Black
Where Do You Go To Originally a hit for Peter Sarstedt
First Of May Originally a hit for The Bee Gees
If I Can Dream Originally a hit for Elvis Presley
Monsieur Dupont Originally a hit for Sandie Shaw

charity shop purchase @ £2

PLEASE REMEMBER HALLMARK “TOP OF THE POPS” IS CONSISTENTLY BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING L.P. RECORD.

I’m back on the ‘Top of The Pops’ budget album roll after an absence of around three weeks. It was during my purge of the charity shops in Low Fell, just outside of Gateshead, that I found this release for £2.

The previous owner had scribbled his name – Brian Wilson, 7th August 1971 – on the back cover in pencil. According to a trusted website the album was released in July of that year, meaning young Brian had probably used up the rest of his pocket-money buying this soon after the release!

Kicking off side one is an acceptable version of “Get It On”, the T Rex Glam blockbuster. The musicianship, vocals and heavy production is all there but perhaps not the energy of the original. It appears that young Brian was a bit on the careless side playing this track because there’s a manky scratch mid-way through.

More hits follow with varying degrees of success, I don’t really need to hear “River Deep, Mountain High” at any time, never mind remakes.

I’ve never heard “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo” in the past but a check on 45cat indicates that Lobo had a top five hit with it in the summer of ’71. A radio friendly ditty, nothing else.

“Don’t Let It Die” is another song I’ve never heard before, it was a number two hit record by Hurricane Smith. Not sure how because it’s drabness is poisonous.

Smith was an engineer for the Beatles up to 1965. From 1967 he produced early Pink Floyd records and worked with the Pretty Things. So he was submerged in aural greatness. Shame his own hit sucks.

Over on side two the ‘Top Of The Pops’ session players tackle “Co-Co”. originally a hit for Sweet. This came along before their Glam Rock stompers and is a dreadful calypso inspired slab of ghastly waste. Written by duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.

The drums sound wrong on the version of “Street Fighting Man” and as a version it’s quite lacklustre but I’m using it as my example piece for this set. No where near the standard of the Rolling Stones although the lead guitarist is getting a dirty sound from his weapon of choice.

The energetic version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is perhaps the strongest take on this collection. The backing is powerful, a decent pace throughout – with a drummer really giving his arms a work-out and a singer straining every vocal chord to get that Roger Daltrey mimicry.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Top Of The Pops albums, Nos. SHM 735 and 740 both hit the No. 1 spot on the “Record Retailer” National L.P. charts, topping such fabulous super stars as the Rolling Stones, and Simon & Garfunkel.

We’re so thrilled we want to climb the highest mountain and shout the good news to all the world.

Thanks again, you lovely Pop fans, for making possible this wonderful double.

On this album we feel we’ve made the best ever selection. So help us to complete a fabulous hat trick by rocketing this issue to No.1

charity shop purchase @ £2

A RETROSPECTIVE ALBUM OF THE IVY LEAGUE’S MOST SUCCESSFUL PERIOD

This album from the Ivy league on budget label Marble Arch gave fans quick access to their early singles and three numbers from a rare EP called “Our Love Is Slipping Away” – which doesn’t appear for sale that frequently nowadays.

There is nothing on here that’s without merit, but as always, some cuts do appeal to me more than others.

Their break-through hit “Tossing And Turning” is masterful harmony beat, the moody “That’s Why I’m Crying” is an impressive vocal lament and the EP track “Make Love” is a cool up-tempo mod-beat number and is an indication that the Ivy league had it in them to really tear it up – complete with use of maracas, compact organ and wild guitar tones.

The Ivy League were originally a three piece vocal group consisting of John Carter, Ken Lewis and Perry Ford. They enjoyed moderate success with their early singles but by 1967 it was all over for the initial line-up.

Carter and Lewis left and created flower-power rip-off combo the Flowerpot Men who had a smash “Let’s Go To San Francisco” – even though they all looked incredibly corny dressed-up like camp psychedelic peacocks, their music is without reproach.

Sound And Vision purchase @ £6

PUNK ERA COMPILATION OF DUO’S FINEST MID-SIXTIES RECORDS

Here’s an unlikely “Best Of” compilation by Peter And Gordon, released on the EMI label, the same label who were all over the Sex Pistols during the same year this album was released. Only to drop the Pistols soon after signing them.

I doubt Peter And Gordon even knew about this record, they were both doing their own thing. Peter was producing American artists whilst Gordon was probably sitting in his garden being idle and sipping on G&T’s.

I was a recent convert to Peter And Gordon’s music a couple of years ago when I first heard their version of “I Go To Pieces” which is a Beat ballad masterpiece. I have since dug deep into their repertoire and they come highly recommended. Virtually forgotten nowadays but in 1977 perhaps EMI though they could still shift some units.

BACK COVER LINERS:

During the swinging sixties, any kind of affiliation with the Beatles was a passport to success, and additionally would get you into any party you might want to attend.

So when it was discovered that Peter Asher was the brother of Paul McCartney‘s longtime girlfriend, and that the first record he had made with his friend Gordon Waller was an unrecorded Lennon / McCartney composition, there was nowhere else the record could go but to number one.

It was called “World Without Love,” and for the nineteen year old Peter and eighteen year old Gordon, was a remarkable debut, topping the British charts in May 1964 and the American charts one month later.

When they were eventually familiar faces of the pop culture, it became clear that they had it made – Peter was a well spoken mild mannered intellectual type, whose appeal was to parents as much as to teenies, while Gordon was a rather raunchier individual, a well presented sex symbol.

Their follow up, again written by John and Paul, again dented the charts, although not quite as dramatically, going to about number ten on both sides of the pond, and was called “Nobody I Know.”

After that, the boys had to start looking for their own material, which meant that there was a gap in their occupation of the hit parade here, although not in America, where both “I Don’t Want To See You Again” and “I Go To Pieces” were top twenty hits during the winter of 1964/65.

After that, it was the British record buyers who again became interested in the duo, resulting in three consecutive big hits, all covers of notable American records. The first, and biggest, which also hit in America, was a respectful version of Buddy Holly‘s “True Love Ways”, a song which came out of the same sessions as Buddy’s ‘death’ hits, “Raining In My Heart” and “It Doesn’t Matter”.

That was followed up by a slight change of words to Phil Spector‘s 1958 chart topper with the Teddy Bears, “To Know Him Is To Love Him”. As those were lyrics which hardly suited a male duo, they were changed to “To Know You Is To Love You”, and July 1965 saw Peter and Gordon back in the top five.

The end of that year saw their retread of Barbara Lewis‘ “Baby I’m Yours” in the twenty, but that was to be the last year when the boys were able to chart with any consistency.

At that point Paul McCartney came back into the Peter and Gordon picture. He was still attached to Jane Asher, and used her brother and his partner to test out a theory which was circulating at the time.

It had been unkindly mentioned that the record buying public were like sheep as far as Beatle songs went, and would buy anything by anybody if the songwriting credit was to Lennon and McCartney.

Paul wanted to prove that he was able to write a song under another name which would be a hit, and Peter and Gordon were willing accomplices. “Woman” came out in early 1966, written by one Bernard Webb, and after it made the chart, Paul confessed that he and Mr Webb were one of the same. Point proved.

Unfortunately Peter And Gordon were getting very close to the end of their run of hits. After “Lady Godiva”, a novelty song, and “Knight In Rusty Armour”, they detected that their popularity had waned to the point where there was no future in carrying on as they were.

Gordon Waller made a few records for another record company, but none was very successful, and it seems that he has been away from the spotlight for some time now.

Peter Asher, on the other hand, has become, if anything, more successful in the last eight years. He decided to give up performing himself, and instead started working for the Beatles, as producer and A&R man.

One of the first people he found was James Taylor, and after working on Taylor’s first under appreciated solo album, Peter threw in his lot with his discovery, and continues to manage him to this day, having in the meantime produced several of Taylor’s more successful LPs.

More recently, Peter Asher as a producer has become highly rated, working with Linda Ronstadt, whom he also manages, Andrew Gold, John Stewart and Kate Taylor.

It’s a far cry from those early days of pop stardom more than ten years ago, but there can be no doubt at all that songs like “World Without Love” and “Nobody I Know” have reserved a place in the sixties hall of fame for Peter Asher and Gordon Waller.

Sound And Vision purchase @ £6

POLYDOR LABEL SAMPLER OF THEIR UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE

I bought this record on a whim earlier this month. I’d previously never seen it although I was familiar with several of the acts compiled such as Taste, John Mayall and of course ex-Cream members Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. I was oblivious of the kind of music I was letting myself in for though.

I had a guess that it was gonna be late 60s blues rock created by geezers with messy hair and unkempt beards, long enough to drape into a bowl of soup. I was kind of correct with my assumption.

There are some blues numbers on this, the mostly instro “Nashville 9 – New York 1” by Area Code 615 contains some apt Hammond-B3 noodling, not dissimilar to late period Spencer Davis Group.

The opener “Black Velvet” from Gass is also a pleasant laid-back blues with hammond number. I figured straight away that they were going for the Fleetwood Mac sound. I had no idea that the guitarist was Peter Green. He had joined Gass soon after quitting his former band.

It was necessary to research the Savage Rose who I’d never had the misfortune of ever hearing. They were a popular group of drop-out’s from Denmark. The singer made me very uncomfortable, sounding like a weird high-pitched pixie. The song just drags on too. Not a lot except ear-canal torture going on here.

Over on Side two John Mayall shows his class with the relaxed blues of “Saw Mill Gulch Road.” Refined with an extensive use of slide guitar and woodwind, probably flute. This is GREAT!

Ten Wheel Drive are way too funk-noisy for my taste, the brass and trumpets and whatever else they’re throwing in the mix is over-bearing. Then there’s a catawauling Janis Joplin wannabee howling away like she’s just had both of her arms lopped off with a pair of solid steel secateurs. I blame the drummer.

Taste started off impressive with “Morning Sun” – it was dynamic, forceful and driving progressive rock but then they had to go all jazzy and clunky mid-way through their arrangement. This could have been an all out heavy rocker.

Sound And Vision purchase @ £6

ENTER A WORLD OF CAPTIVATING MUSIC IN THIS EXCITING SERIES

These ‘World Of Hits’ LPs released at the end of the sixties are ideal entry points for the curious novice or in the case of myself, someone who has literally everything I ever want, but buy the product anyway!

The tracks are all hit records with a wide range of sound and appeal but will be of interest to anyone who has ever dipped their toes into the never ending sea swell of Beat and Psychedelic records.

This third album in the series showcases some acts that didn’t really hit the big time in Britain, although all of them were popular acts and sold many records. The opening mod fueled beat action of The Small Faces ‘What’cha Gonna Do About It’ is of course revelatory. Full of angst and power. It’s strange hearing this number in stereo though!

I love the slightly off-beat charm of blond-bombshell Twinkle. ‘Terry’ isn’t all that great and it’s rather cornball motorbike crash lyrics are a bit on the embarrassing side of things, but the young lass wrote the song herself and was still in her teens. So I can’t be that hard on her.

Savoy Brown‘s ‘Train To Nowhere’ is my definition of ‘hippie-blues’ – I love this kind of simple but completely encapsulating laid-back music. The guitarist was probably too stoned to bother himself with an obligatory extra long tedious guitar-break, and it’s all the better without one.

You can catch it if you want to ride
Don’t you worry if it pass you by
You can catch it if you want to ride
Don’t you worry if it pass you by

Savoy Brown

Over on Side two we have one of my favourite performers and I’m talking about Cat Stevens. His early Deram singles are all sensational. This one caused controversy at the time because of the gun-reference lyrics.

I have over a thousand music press / magazines from the ’60s and it’s my intention one day to focus on the hundreds of singles during that exciting period of the music scene, adding vintage press reviews and features.

Lesser-known groups The Cryin’ Shames and Timebox get some much needed exposure, The Moody Blues go Parisian baroque psychedelic and The Flirtations bang heavy with their soul pounder ‘Nothing But A Heartache’, which is magnificent.

This budget Decca / Deram labels sampler is worth every penny of the £6 I paid for it a few weeks ago. Why bother spending over twenty quid for inferior modern day reissue records when there are choice records like this one found in bargain bins in most record shops for a fraction of the price?

Sound And Vision purchase @ £6

THEIR SECOND FULL-LENGTH COLLABORATION

I bought this album from a shop in Chester-le-Street called ‘Sound And Vision’ – I’ve mentioned this establishment several times before. If you’re in the area, call in. I guarantee that you will find something of interest.

This was Nancy and Lee’s second and last? album together but it’s not that great despite the hype of some online reviews I’ve read. It’s no where near as strong as their first collaboration with only a few stand-out songs.

The production, mixing and instrumentation is as good as it gets but without memorable or distinctive material I’m sure this would have been left unsold on record racks, finally hitting the $1 bargain bins a few months after it’s release.

The music can be described as soft country rock, some of the tracks made huge with orchestral arrangements. The song structures are playful with those alternating vocals / narrations between the pair, most notable on the loungy “Tippy Toes” – Lee growling like a freaky Johnny Cash and Nancy sounding as pensive as ever.

Most interesting number for me is the slow and meandering “Arkansas Coal (Suite)” which, as the title suggests, is a suite with different song segments and shifts in tempo. There is flute and background shimmer on this, don’t know what it is but it’s a strange sound that I dig. I’ve heard it before on “Amoeba Trip” by H.P. Lovecraft.

Over on Side two the closing couple tracks are perhaps my favourite with the mid-tempo country tambourine bash of “Big Red Balloon” quite a humourous story-song. The made-up-on-the-spot closer “Got It Together Again” is great fun.

Nancy, are we through?
Can I go back to Sweden?

Lee Hazlewood

My copy is the Germany issue with an altered track list and title. The album is perhaps better known as “Again” – curiously the record label number is the same – LSP 4645

The album was recorded at Poppi Recording Studios, Hollywood.

Sound And Vision purchase @ £6

BUDGET LABEL RELEASE ROUNDING UP MOSTLY B-SIDES FROM THE EARLY SEVENTIES

Here’s another obscure Bee Gees compilation I was fortunate to find for a couple of quid in a Birtley charity shop earlier this month.

When I was flicking through the box of records they had for sale this one jumped out mainly because I had never seen the Gibb brothers wearing this type of clobber – tie-dye shirts!

I was also unfamiliar with most of the tracks so it was a no-brainer rescuing it from a lonely demise.

After some research I’ve realised that the majority of the material presented on this album are B-sides of singles that had limited success in Britain during the period 1972 – 1974.

To tempt the casual listener there are a sprinkling of better known numbers such as “Gotta Get A Message To You” and “World” which were big sellers back in the late sixties.

It’s the first time I’ve heard their early seventies era music (before the Disco period) and it mostly follows the path of their successful period – intricate pop tunes with those distinctive harmonies but this time ’round smothered in orchestration and not echo and mellotron.

“Road To Alaska” is their venture into country rock territory and for the time it was released (mid-1972) it fits the criteria. It’s a decent mid tempo blast with some rock and roll guitar leads, not the usual soft Bee Gees balladry I’m used to.

“I’ll Kiss Your Memory”, written by Barry is another country inspired number, a slow-paced weeper ballad with strings. I can almost see a gaggle of hillbillies supping their moonshine and drowning their sorrows with this one.

The weird-out track is the very strange “Paper Mache, Cabbages And Kings” described as ‘manic’ by Lightspots blogger. It could have been a left-over piece of whimsical nonsense or genius from their late sixties acid days. Either way, it’s creepy and can be found on the B-side of “Alive”, released during November 1972.

charity shop purchase @ £2

A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE BEE GEES ALBUMS ‘HORIZONTAL’ AND ‘IDEA’

I had no idea that this Bee Gees compilation existed on Polydor until I found it in a bargain bin of records at a local second-hand charity shop in Birtley.

I have all of the Bee Gees material from the sixties, I’m full of admiration for their creativity and psych-tinged music from that whimsical period in their career. All of the material on this compilation merges two of their successful albums.

There are five songs from the album “Horizontal” and a total of seven from “Idea” – quite why this was released a few years after those is a mystery. Surely they would have still been available in record stores. It could have been for contractual reasons of course.

I’ll focus my attention to one song in particular, Vince Melourney’s mid-tempo bluesy “Such A Shame” notable for it’s rather splendid harmonica bursts. This number sounds like something the Kinks would have written. A good song, well produced and performed by the Bee Gees.

charity shop purchase @ £2

ENTER A WORLD OF CAPTIVATING MUSIC IN THIS EXCITING SERIES

The tracks are all hit records with a wide range of sound and appeal but will be of interest to anyone who has ever dipped their toes into the never ending sea swell of Beat and Psychedelic records.

The earliest hit on this compilation is The Tornados 1962 space-age instro “Telstar”, written and produced by the ever-so-handy-with-a-gun Joe Meek. It still sounds wonderful and unique in another century!

The hits continue right up to March 1968 with the harmony baroque pop of “I Can’t Let Maggie Go” from Honeybus. There’s even time to promote a nowhere-nearsville ‘hit’ with The Attack‘s “Hi-Ho Silver Lining” from March 1967.

My stand-out cut though is The Alan Price Set with their moody top ten organ jazz swinger “I Put A Spell On You” from March 1966.

charity shop purchase @ £1.50

CLASSY DERAM COMPILATION FEATURING THE FLIRTATIONS, CLYDE MCPHATTER, THE INCROWD AND THE FANTASTICS

I passed on this album a few times when I found it in a Sunderland charity shop in November 2021. I checked the vinyl which wasn’t in the best shape, it was mangled with numerous scratches. Some of them were deep.

But, as usual, I had second thoughts and vowed to take it home with me if it was still redundant in a box of records. Sure enough, earlier this month the record was still filed away next to a pile of junk. It was £1, there wasn’t really anything to lose. It was also a Deram label original!

The album features four soul acts signed to Deram, all of them had varying degrees of success but nothing was released to get them to the next level.

All of the tracks compiled were singles from the period 1968 to mid 1971. However, there are three songs listed that were not released as a 45 and are available only on this LP. The songs in question are:

“I Hear A Symphony” by Clyde McPhatter
“Love Ain’t Love” by The Incrowd
“Thank You Darling” by The Incrowd

This is a really enjoyable set of well produced, radio friendly, soul nuggets from the late sixties and is recommended. I’m not exactly a fountain of knowledge when it comes to soul music but have taken up the challenge to find out more and hopefully pick up other ‘soul power’ items in the future.

There are many stand-out cuts on evidence here and one can only wonder why the singles weren’t giant hits. Look no further than the pounding soul of “Nothing But A Heartache” by The Flirtations, which comes on strong with it’s heavy hitting beat, rattling tambourine and three girls with big hair, wearing flared red parachutes, belting out their powerful vocals.

Released in Britain during November 1968 to an ignorant public. I’ve read elsewhere that it was favourably reviewed in the music press and received extensive airtime but it inexplicably failed to chart.

Since then of course the record has became one of those long-lost northern soul classics with a very high price-tag for an original Deram single. Fortunately it was reissued as a ‘Record Store Day 2021’ 45 backed with “Need Your Loving”

charity shop purchase @ £1

20 GOLDEN HIT SONGS OF THE 50S

The front cover picture shows a rebellious lookin’ Ted dancin’ with his girl – rock and roll style. My guess is that the record label paid these two individuals money to pose for the photographs. They appear to be REAL and living that lifestyle oblivious to whatever was seen as “IN” during 1973 – when this album was released.

Made-up clowns dressed to look the part stick out like a sore thumb. Fakes are relatively easy to spot, but this couple of rebels look the real deal. No doubt poached from a local Rock and Roll Revival Hop.

Sadly most of the rock and roll cover versions of the selected 50s classics here are weak, some even appalling. There just isn’t the heart or soul in the numbers to the same degree of the originators. Simply going through the motions isn’t good enough on a recording.

On Side One “Bye Bye Love” isn’t too bad, the vocals are high pitched though. It must be impossible to recreate the Everly Brothers‘ harmonizing. The singer on this version probably needed his vocals double-tracked.

There’s some hot and pulsating lead guitar on “Move It” and especially on the Jerry Lee Lewis cracker “Great Balls Of Fire” but like most everything on this album, the vocalists are performing in a perfunctory way, without any enthusiasm or commitment.

charity shop purchase @ £1

SALUTING COMPOSERS WHOSE COLLECTIVE SPELLS VERY DIFFERENT FORMS OF SUSPENSE

There’s something very unique about a new Hitchcock movie. The director’s name is of almost equal box-office importance as the heaviest of big stars, and his very individual guidance and execution of so many suspense thrillers is almost a one hundred per cent guarantee of high-tension entertainment.

This collection of themes invites you to encounter once more a dozen of those big-screen spine chillers by which a wide selection of directors have literally kept millions on the edge of their seats.

Alfred Hitchcock, it would seem, is a perfectionist and his musical requirements are given the same close scrutiny as his scripts. From his latest production FRENZY comes Ron Goodwin’s main theme which is gently moulded into different moods with a gentle but definite persuasion.

This is just one of twelve varied movies represented here by their respective brand of musical stature and whilst they emanate from different sources, they share the common bond of intrigue.

The name Dimitri Tiomkin is always linked primarily with expansive themes of grandeur and one of his finest, that for the 1954 production THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY is included.

In complete contrast is Isaac Hayes’ Oscar-winning musical mould to the contemporary thriller SHAFT which is joined here by two other 1971 emergents namely THE FRENCH CONNECTION (scored by jazz trumpeter Don Ellis) and the latest link in the successful Bond chain, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER which naturally bore the unmistakable trademark of John Barry.

Quincy Jones has to be one of the most prolific composers in the cinema today and this album features one of his milestones. IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT written for the Norman Jewison success of 1968.

When Alfred Newman died last year, the world lost an irreplaceable talent and a large part of Hollywood’s musical heritage; his last work was for the film of the Arthur Hailey story, AIRPORT.

Richard Strauss is not a composer one would normally associate with movie themes, but his name appears because his Op.30. Also Sprach Zarathustra formed the theme music of Stanley Kubrick’s futuristic and thought-provoking epic 2001 – A SPACE ODYSSEY.

Finally, this album salutes other composers from outside Britain and America whose collective work spells very different forms of suspense.

One of the triumphs of British cinema in the post-war years was Carol Reed’s THE THIRD MAN; shot in 1949 with Orson Welles heading the cast, the setting of Graeme Greene’s thriller in war-torn Vienna was epitomised for all time by the eerie mood of the ever-prevailing zither theme dedicated to the story’s central character and played by its Hungarian composer, Anton Karas.

Six years later, Jules Dassin stunned the world with a stylish and influential robbery drama RIFIFI which, along with its score, went on to take a permanent place in the annals of French movie history.

Dassin is also recognised for his two successes that were both set in Greece (Never On A Sunday and Phaedra), although Michael Cacoyannis – himself Greek by birth – left his own mark with Zorba the Greek and more recently, the extraordinarily executed political thriller Z; all four of these pictures were scored by the heroic Mikis Theodorakis, and here we present his theme from Z.

To come right up to date, one need mention little more than the title of THE GODFATHER, Francis Ford Coppola’s film of the Mario Puzo novel has already grossed millions of dollars and won acclaim from hosts to critics.

Nino Rota – known primarily for his scoring of Franco Zefferelli’s Romeo and Juliet wrote their music and it is the main theme that makes up this package of memorable suspense movie themes.

charity shop purchase @ £2

SELF TAUGHT BOYS CONSISTING OF FIVE ENERGETIC, AMBITIOUS GUYS WHO PLAY EVERYTHING FROM R&B TO THE MERSEY SOUND

DANNY AND THE COUNTS – ’You Need Love’/’Ode To The Wind’ (Coronado Records 136) August 1966

On 7th August 2010, I was contacted by a reader with a link to a blog called ’El Paso’s Musicians – Past And Present’. They said that this particular site had a picture of Danny and the Counts so I naturally investigated.

I therefore decided to update my 30th July 2007 Danny And The Counts blog entry with said picture and an MP3 of the classic ’Ode To The Wind’……thanks again to the reader who turned up the link.

Crank up the volume, take a hit from your favourite funny cigarette and listen to the exceptional psychedelic folk rock of ’Ode To The Wind’. It’s imbued with a melancholic air, cool fuzz guitar and flower punk vocals. The only thing that let’s it down is the average production. It sounds too muddy. It’s still an almighty song though.

The other side is completely different. ’You Need Love’ is a fuzz punk pounder and a sound so typical of Texan garage bands of 66/67. Again the production is not the best I’ve ever heard.

Danny and the Counts hailed from El Paso, Texas. Both songs were written by Danny Parra and have been compiled on an old Eva comp from the 80s called Texas Punk From The 60s Vol 2.

’You Need Love’ was covered brilliantly by The Royal Nonesuch. Their 45 was covered in my blog way back.

The article from the KELP newspaper pointed out that our heroes were self taught boys consisting of five energetic, ambitious guys who play everything from R’n’B to the Mersey sound.

line-up:
Danny Parra (lead guitar/lead vocals)
Eric Huereque (bass/background vocals)
Javier Valenzuela (rhythm guitar)
’Little’ Joe (drums)
Joe (Bozo) Martinez (tambourine)

discography:

’You Need Love’/’Ode To The Wind’ (Coronado Records 136) 8/1966

’For Your Love’/’It’s All Over Now’ (Frog Death 4) 196?

SUPERSTEREO WILL BRING OUT THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR PLAYING EQUIPMENT

Looking at the front cover of this album details the tracks and genres I was letting myself in for. Film soundtracks, jazz interludes and some smushy orchestrated ballads. To be honest, the way-out cover sold it and for £1 it was always coming home with me from that charity shop I found it in.

Superstereo Sensation albums were released from around 1967 onwards and were probably aimed at individuals who were in at least their thirties (and over-the-hill) with decent HI-FI equipment. Teenagers and twenty somethings wouldn’t go anywhere near this kind of release in ’67.

I bought this because I was interested to hear the John Barry number “You Only Live Twice” in superstereo. Wow, what a difference! The music on this track does indeed sound superstereo sensational.

All of the other cuts are not my scene but do you know? I’d gladly pay a couple of quid for these if I get at least one song / instrumental worthy of a “Yellow Paper Suns” entry – and that’s what my charity shop excursions are all about!

The SUPERSTEREO albums bring to you a new concept in stereo recording. For, until now, most stereo has been of the ‘gimmick’ type exploiting the techniques of stereo whilst not fully realising the true musical value of the performance.

Now, CBS Records are proud to present the recordings you really wanted. The lush sounds of big, famous orchestras and the exciting rhythms of instrumental groups – flawlessly recorded.

Spectacular records, but records that faultlessly retain the superb artistry and dramatic arrangements the artists intended. Superstereo will bring out the full potential of your playing equipment.

You will thrill to the sensational sound of Superstereo.

charity shop purchase @ £1

A DARK AND BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE OF LONELINESS

This album was a two quid purchase from a charity shop in Birtley last week. The cover shot of Duane Eddy wearing his hillbilly jacket and carrying a guitar in a jaunty manner made my mind up. Buy the record!

I thought this would be Duane in folk-rock mode but in reality it’s kinda cornball schmaltz with what appears to be a female backing choir ruining almost every number. Duane’s guitar is twangin’ away upfront but it’s as if he was playing his instrument(s) after the backing tracks had already been recorded.

Take away the unnecessary orchestration and backing choir and the album wouldn’t be bad. As it stands I’m finding it terribly difficult to focus on one particular cut from the set to make an audio file.

BACK COVER LINERS:

This is a strange and beautiful album. its story is deeper than the blues. This is a lonely guitar wailing its heart out against a deep-purple choral-orchestrated background that is a melancholy masterpiece of arrangement and orchestration.

Duane Eddy, one of the country’s top pop guitarists whose frenetic beat has been the pipes of the Pied Piper to a whole generation of fans, plays in a style so simple and affecting that it literally touches the heart.

In a way, this is a new Duane Eddy, but that great twangy guitar sound is still here, richly subdued but still as satisfying and penetrating as always. The masterful arrangements are by the great West Coast arranger-conductor Marty Paich.

The repertoire cuts across every type of popular music – from folk and blues to country, to straight pops, TV themes and the music of movies. But all done with a difference. The chorus is not used in a conventional manner, but phantom-like seems to appear and reappear when the mood of the music summons it.

Duane’s guitar is incredibly, deceptively simple in the technique he employs, but if there was ever a deep-down feeling of loneliness and heart, here it is.

A wonderful album for your melancholy moods – a dark and beautiful landscape of loneliness.

TRIO DRESSED IN ALL BLACK BEAT GEAR AND DARK SHADES GO JAZZ LOUNGE

I bought this record for fifty pence from a Salvation Army charity shop in Newcastle the other day. I’ve seen it many times at fairs and on dealer lists but never bothered to invest, but today I was in the mood to try my luck. I had no idea what the Peddlers sounded like.

Dressed all in black with shortish hair for 1967, one guy wearing dark shades. One would think this was a Beat / R&B group from 1965. Could The Peddlers be undiscovered ravers in the mould of fellow all-black-wearing The Sorrows from Coventry?

The answer is no of course, and that I did know!

The numbers on this are delivered in slow paced jazz meanderings with lounge style ‘mouth-full-of-marbles’ vocals. Most of the tracks utilize organ but the player never goes wild, he just keeps it steady. So too does the drummer.

The record is wrecked to be honest. It doesn’t jump or anything but it looks like a previous owner has been flinging it at his cat. There are even a couple of indentations. Could he have stood on this back in the sixties while wearing Carnaby Street cuban heeled Beatle boots?

When I was in the shop checking this album out, knowing that it was wrecked, but at fifty pence was willing to take the risk, I reckoned that the track “Empty Club Blues” would have something about it. Indeed it does, it’s one of the most appealing cuts on here.

Side two mines similar territory with the mid-tempo, organ swinger “Ain’t No Big Thing” one of the stand-out’s. This number sounds like an unholy mix of Georgie Fame meets The Artwoods.

“Sneaking Up On You” is a blues charmer and recalls mid sixties era John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. The lounge-swing vocal style and over-use of orchestration ruins it for me though.

“Pentathlon” is an instrumental and typical background music for those ’60s espionage TV programmes and films.

charity shop purchase @ 50 pence

THE RECONDITIONED HITS OF EARLY 1973

The long list of English budget label releases continues with this one on Flag Records, a subsidiary of Boulevard, and pressed by Allied Records Ltd. This is my first ever Flag find in a charity shop!

This release has a lot of recreations I’ve found on other budget labels, such as “Blockbuster”, “20th Century Boy” and “Cum On Feel The Noize” – it will be a hoot to remaster all of these covers and play ’em side by side.

The version of “20th Century Boy” on this compilation is not as wild as the one on “12 Tops” that I posted yesterday. The drums are less in your face, there is a heavy use of hand-claps and background female voices. Still a decent attempt though.

The most interesting number on here is the semi-hit “California Saga”, released by the Beach Boys during February 1973. It only just crept into the top forty, perhaps Flag Records thought it would have done much better than it did.

Fantastic cover of a ’60s model clarting about in what appears to be a bubble. Her tight-fitting silvery jump-suit has a couple of front pockets, just in case she needs to nip to the local corner shop for some spuds.

Also, special mention for the gold lettering on black background record label. This of course looks ace. Top marks to the designer.

BACK COVER LINERS:

The Beach Boys are back, along with our own superstars like Slade, T Rex, Faces etc! The charts are looking wide open again, with a mixture of sounds and styles, something to appeal to all tastes.

On the issue of FLAG, there are the hits of all these stars, plus more greats, all performed so close to the original that you’ll have to listen carefully to know the difference!

We hope you enjoy our latest album in this series – we are pretty certain you will if you love the music of TODAY.

charity shop purchase @ £1

THE SOLID GOLD SOUND OF TODAY’S 12 TOPS HITS

This “12 Tops” album has an almost identical track list to ‘Top Of The Pops – Volume 30’ which I reviewed last week. Go here for more details. The remakes are all different though so clearly the stereo gold award label probably used different studios and musicians to lay down their versions of chart hits.

The guy ‘singing’ Slade‘s “Cum On Feel The Noize” is almost at breaking point with his pebble-dashed throat shouty shouty. Full marks for trying to capture Noddy Holder’s wild screams but I suspect that he may have done permanent damage to his larynx.

The Who‘s “Pinball Wizard” gets the treatment but it’s a disappointment – the male / female vocal interchange doesn’t work and I’m not keen on the interference of brass either. Back to the drawing board with this number.

“20th Century Boy” is a very good version complete with a dirty lead guitar and military drum action. The percussion sounds just like I like ’em to sound. Nothing synthetic about analogue drums – just a hairy bloke with thick arms pounding away and keeping a primitive beat like he’s the Boss.

Side two flashed by me without anything in particular being noteworthy, mostly soul ballads and orchestrated pop numbers which have never been my scene. A special mention for the version of “Baby I Love You” which appears to have been recorded inside a fish bowl in a vain attempt to get that unique Phil Spector wall-of-sound power.

All in all though this is still a worthy compilation of “12 Tops” – worth my two quid outlay for the T Rex copy of “20th Century Boy”.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Top of the Pops sounds while they are hot on the BBC Charts. The original hit sounds that are selling millions. Look for an exciting new album of up-to-date hits each month. Build the most exciting collection of pop tunes in your neighbourhood.

charity shop purchase @ £2

WHEN WESTERN ADVENTURES WERE THE STAPLE DIET OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMING

I’ve noticed several ‘Western’ themed albums in the junk and unwanted bins in charity shops since I started my excursions last summer. It seems that many an old Cowboy lovin’ North Eastern hick enjoyed listening to his favourite theme tunes from the many TV Westerns.

For whatever reason, probably because of death by natural causes or a public shoot-out at the local saloon, Cowboy lovin’ North Eastern hick LPs have made their final journey to the bargain bins in second-hand establishments.

I’m not complaining, I dig these slabs of gun-slingin’ inspired numbers. Better still they’re usually no more than a couple of quid.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Not so very long ago, Western adventures were the staple diet of television programming. The late fifties through to the mid-sixties were perhaps the golden days and this album takes us back via the musical themes of many favourites and also introduces us to a few that were unknown in Britain at that time.

Maverick was the series that really launched James Garner; he played Bret whilst Jack Kelly co-starred as Bart with Roger Moore as Beau. The Cartwright family of Bonanza fame seem to have been with us for ages; in fact they first hit the trail in 1959 with the original team led by Lorne Green as Ben, Pernell Roberts as Adam, Michael Landon as Little Joe plus the late Dan Blocker as Hoss.

A later addition to television’s western family sagas was The High Chaparral starring Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell.

Do you remember the Sherman ranch in Laramie? John Smith was on hand as Slim Sherman with Robert Fuller as his friend Jess Harper. Wagon Train ran for quite a few seasons and overcame the loss of one of its original stars Ward Bond in 1960; Ward portrayed Wagonmaster Seth Adams and was replaced by John McIntire as Chris Hale.

Leading the action during the long run of the series was of course Robert Horton as Flint McCullough. And it was Robert Horton who later starred as A Man Called Shenandoah.

Clint Eastwood brought the character Rowdy Yates to the fore in Rawhide, Nick Adams was tagged The Rebel. Henry Fonda became The Deputy whilst Barry Sullivan starred as The Tall Man.

Paladin was played by Richard Boone in the memorable Have Gun Will Travel programme. Tony Young was Gunslinger, John Russell was Law Man and his pre-detective days, Gene Barry starred as Bat Masterson.

This is a brief run-down of the stars involved in the western shows represented on this record. This background and the illustrations below are provided as an additional souvenir of those Wild West days of yesteryear and now to complete the picture, listen to the evocative signature tunes.

charity shop purchase @ £1.50

ARRANGED AND CONDUCTED BY GARY SHERMAN

Gene Pitney! You’re all aware of this popular entertainer from the early sixties surely? Well, I’m not. The only record of Gene’s I’ve ever bought was his long forgotten and totally ignored “Animal Crackers (In Cellophane Boxes)” single from 1967 – a psychedelic-tinged weird trip-out.

This album catches Gene Pitney, perhaps at the height of his fame, recording squaresville balladry with his distinctive vocal delivery. All decent and professional if you’re into that kind of bag. I’m just pleased I only paid a quid for it!

BACK COVER LINERS:

In the exciting, but extremely demanding world of show business, there are very few people who reach the top rung of the ladder of success. One of the people who achieved these heights, and held a consistency of hits over the past years, is Gene Pitney.

Gene is one of the rare talents to be able to sustain through a period of many fads and changing likes in the music world. Some of his biggest hits have been “Mecca”, “Love My Life Away”, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, “Only Love Can Break A Heart”, “Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa” and “Town Without Pity”. The latter song was the theme from the Kirk Douglas movie of the same name, which Gene performed at the Academy Award presentations.

Songwriting has played an important part in Gene’s career. His earlier efforts as a recording artist were written by him, and he has received two B.M.I. writing awards for “He’s A Rebel” by the Crystals, and “Hello Mary Lou” by Rick Nelson.

Gene has also written hits for Steve Lawrence, Roy Orbison, Tommy Edwards, June Valli, and many others.In the past few years Gene has been acclaimed throughout the world as a top International recording artist.

A constant top ten seller in such countries as England, Italy, France, Australia, South America, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong.Gene records in Spanish, Italian, French and German as well as English. His travels involve some 100,000 miles a year, and really keep Gene on the move.

charity shop purchase @ £1

20 ORIGINAL HITS

Such is the abundance of charity shop records I’m buying at this moment in time, it’s taken me almost two months to get around to this album from Roy Orbison.

By the end of the eighties Roy was on the comeback trail with new studio albums, performing gigs with Bruce Springsteen, and being inducted into a couple of ‘meaningless’ “Hall Of Fame” back-slapping events.

Perhaps his ‘break-through’ once again as a chart success was getting together with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynn and Tom Petty to form the Traveling Wilburys.

So it made sense to cash-in on his new found fame by releasing as many “Best Of” and “Greatest Hits” LP compilations as possible. The old adage ‘make hay while the sun shines’ springs to mind.

This “Legendary” retrospective is rather shoddy – there are twenty songs but no liner notes or inner sleeve containing anything worthwhile such as vintage photos, reviews or even an up to date interview with Roy.

The music of course speaks for itself, all the hits are here. Some of them are not my scene but there’s still plenty to admire from one of the greats.

These recordings are an essential part of pop music history. Fourteen of these tracks entered the British Top Twenty and three of them went to the coveted No. 1 position.

Roy Orbison was one of those artistes who also wrote his own songs. His ability to sing and express stories of lost love, adolescence and teen innocence was – and still is – a part of our lives.

Dream a while, when listening to these songs, and you’ll know what I mean.

DANCE TO THE MUSIC, THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING

Budget label Music For Pleasure outdid themselves with this release from 1975, gathering together hits from the sixties, many of which weren’t released at the time budget label remake compilations became all the rage around the end of 1967 and into 1968.

By the mid seventies these types of cheap records had more or less peaked with many of the titles dropped. Record companies had made their money and moved on.

MFP kept at it though and their “Golden Hit Songs” comprises twenty reincarnations of huge sellers from the sixties. It’s a mixed bag of greatness and sheer unabridged embarrassment.

The cover shows a bunch of late teens wearing their cornball flares and hippie beads, head scarves and scarecrow hats. They’re holding Fender guitars supplied by Fender Soundhouse in London.

There are some notable triumphs, from the killer fuzz leads and organ bursts on “Dance To The Music”, originally by Sly and the Family Stone. A quite tender and primitive “Mr Tambourine Man” is also decent. The singer attempts his very best Roger McGuinn impersonation.

“I Got You Babe” is at least level with Sonny & Cher‘s version and the gritty guitar solo on “Hang On Sloopy” deserves some praise. The best guttural screams on a record I’ve heard for years adorn “Mony Mony”.

The studio musicians also captured the essence and groove of the Monkees “I’m A Believer” – which is note perfect, the vocalist is second best to Micky Dolenz though.

This only cost me a bin lid and was well worth the money.

charity shop purchase £1

GLAM ROCK ERA REVISITED WITH VERSIONS OF HITS ORIGINALLY PERFORMED BY SLADE, GARY GLITTER AND T-REX

There’s a very good recreation of Slade‘s “Cum On Feel The Noize” which must have been a difficult job especially for the vocalist. How on earth can anyone else sing with the same power and unique style of Noddy Holder. But whoever the session guy was on this ‘Top Of The Pops’ version nailed it. Great use of hand-claps near the end of the number!

The rest of side one is squaresville pop until we get to the closer “Hello! Hello! I’m Back Again” – in almost one year of raking around charity shops for unloved records I’ve never found any Gary Glitter releases!! What’s that all about? It appears that any Glitter donations are immediately thrown in the bin.

Over on side two the studio professionals have a go at capturing the dirty crunch rawness of the lead guitar and battering drum action of “20th Century Boy” and they succeed. The vocalist even sounds like Marc Bolan, possibly even better than the tiny electric warrior.

BACK COVER LINERS:

So we’re coming up to our 5th anniversary.

Fifth anniversary of what? You may well ask. Well, just about five years ago we unleashed our first “Top of the Pops” on an unsuspecting public and – we’re happy to say – history was made.

Thanks to you good folk who appreciate good Pop music at a reasonable price, that historic volume 1 of “Top of the Pops” was a smash hit and so were all the subsequent volumes.

What’s more we’ve had four Number Ones in the L.P. charts and this of course means we outsold all the biggest international names in Show Business with those runaway best-sellers. Knowledgeable pop fans don’t consistently buy a series of albums on such an enormous scale unless they are well and truly satisfied, so here we are with this, our 30th volume.

Just look at the 12 fabulous tracks we’ve chosen for you! We’re the market leaders in our field because we’re not here to make a fast buck. We’re here for good; to satisfy a genuine requirement of pop people all over the world.

So get moving to these tunes, have fun and let’s all make a little more history by making volume 30 the biggest hit of the decade.

“TOP OF THE POPS” is consistently Britain’s best-selling L.P. record.

Side 1

Cum On Feel The Noize Originally a hit for Slade
Get Down Originally a hit for Gilbert O’Sullivan
Tie A Yellow Ribbon Originally a hit for Dawn
Love Train Originally a hit for The O’Jays
Tweedle Dee Originally a hit for Little Jimmy Osmond
Hello! Hello! I’m Back Again Originally a hit for Gary Glitter

Side 2

20th Century Boy Originally a hit for T. Rex
I’m A Clown Originally a hit for David Cassidy
Good Grief Christina Originally a hit for Chicory Tip
The Twelfth Of Never Originally a hit for Donny Osmond
Power To All Our Friends Originally a hit for Cliff Richard
Duelling Banjos Originally a hit from the ‘Deliverance’ Soundtrack

charity shop purchase @ £1

THE WHOLE WORLD IS A SPECIAL PATH WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE. SUNNY WOODS AND COLOURED LEAVES (DISRAELI)

Ten years ago I reviewed all four singles Disraeli released during their short life-span as a recording group. Today I remastered those singles and created an audio mix available to download on Spreaker or listen to the audio player below.

DISRAELI – ’Tomorrow’s Day’ / ’Humidity 105’ (Mantra Records DL-002) 1967

The toughest Disraeli 45 to locate is their first from 1967. It took me several years to find a copy and I probably paid a little too much for it as it wasn’t in the best condition. However, as it was the last piece in my Disraeli jigsaw, I needed to own it.

Both sides of their debut disc are stunning loner folk-rock. The production isn’t the best that you’ll ever hear but that has never concerned me in the past. It’s all to do with the feel and vibe of the songs for me and both ’Tomorrow’s Day’ and ’Humidity 105’ have that special quality.

As far as I know both songs have yet to be compiled, surely an indication of the disc’s obscurity.

DISRAELI – ’What Will The New Day Bring?’ / ’Spinnin’ Round’ (Mantra Records M-113) 1968

Disraeli are one of those rare American groups that got to release four singles but still remain virtually unknown outside the small band of pop psych fans scattered around the world. I’d never heard of them until their brilliant folk psych number ’What Will The New Day Bring?’ was compiled on one of those ’Fading Yellow’ collections. The picture sleeve was also utilized on that release showing Disraeli in fetching red jackets, not unlike the one’s The Kinks used to wear in 1964.

I decided that I needed to track down their records after hearing the previously mentioned ’What Will The New Day Bring?’. With a name like Disraeli searching for their records isn’t an easy task, especially on eBay. Go ahead and try it. You’ll have to wade through thousands of Cream records – then you’ll be disappointed that no Disraeli 45s are listed. They’re very hard to find!

It’s thought that Disraeli got their name from Benjamin Disraeli, who was Prime Minister of Britain during Queen Victoria’s reign. This may be true but I suspect Cream’s album ’Disraeli Gears’ may also have been a factor, as Disraeli do have an ’English’ sound running throughout their recordings.

I believe that an earlier 45 was released on Mantra Records before this one. According to Garage Hangover, the record was ’Tomorrow’s Day’ / ’Humidity’. I’ve been on the look out for this for some years but have never even seen a copy offered for sale.

’Spinnin’ Round’ is not as immediate as the top side but it’s still a little gem just waiting to be discovered. Both sides were produced by Richard Keefer who also worked with Sound Vendor and United Travel Service.

DISRAELI – ’Say You Love Me’ / ’I’ve Seen Her One Time’ (Mantra Records M-114) 1968

Next up for Disraeli was a double sided mid period Beatles sounding 45 that is way out of style for 1968. ’Say You Love Me’ is pure pop but the lyrics are a bit too soppy for my liking. The record was again housed in a picture sleeve and the group shot shows Disraeli as clean cut boys with neat haircuts, buttoned jackets and shirts.

The whole world was going day-glo by the day but all Disraeli wanted to do was sing catchy pop songs and forget about freaking out or dropping some mind bombs. The flip ’I’ve Seen Her One Time’ is another pop gem with some excellent Association style vocal harmonies.

I’ve read elsewhere that Disraeli were a very popular group in their home town Astoria, Oregon. Too bad no one else knew about them because they were great.

DISRAELI – ’The Lonely One’ / ’You Can’t Do That’ (Mantra Records M-115) 196?

The final Disraeli single once again had noted producer Richard Keefer at the helm and this time around the music had a pleasant enough late 60s hippie vibe going on. I can’t help but notice a strong Crosby, Stills & Nash influence especially the wavering vocals on ’The Lonely One’. Not much in the way of harmonies this time but much more of a rockin’ beat and louder guitars.

The flip ’You Can’t Do That’ is The Beatles song and it is a bit of a disappointment due to the annoying constant tapping of what sounds like a cow bell or something. Don’t know why Richard Keefer allowed this to happen. Decent guitar break though.

The Disraeli recording line-up was probably:

Steven Mathre (lead vocals)
Al Nelson (vocals)
Thomas Strangland (guitar)
Roger Everett (guitar/vocals)
Steve Kernes (bass)
Gene Faust (drums)

IT’S POPERIFIC! IT’S SINGSATIONAL! IT’S TOP OF THE POPS VOLUME 49

I wasn’t holding out much hope for this volume featuring hit records from the last months of 1975. I’ve got no idea what was going on back then having only a passing interest in music at that time.

I had a cheap transistor radio and tuned into Radio One but my interest was football and Subbuteo when I was a kid.

There are a couple of songs I can remember, Hot Chocolate‘s “You Sexy Thing” and “The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine” – there is also “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Don’t get me started on Queen, they’re dreadful in my opinion. I have never understood all of that over-the-top operatic singing of Freddie Mercury and flashy pompous rock approach – not my scene at all. Give me raw primitive garage punk noise.

This cover version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” was cut in a day – from start to finish – Queen took three weeks apparently! I’ll take this fine version over the original – excellent vocals by Tony Rivers.

Top tune of the set though is “Money Honey”, a hit for the Bay City Rollers. A great rocker with a memorable beat. Action packed teen persuader!

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It’s Poperific! It’s Singsational! It’s TOP OF THE POPS Volume 49 . . . What else?

Once again those groovy gentlemen (and ladies) at Pickwick have got together another great volume of the World’s most popular L.P., packed with the swingiest, singiest twelve chart-embracing hits.

Wanta know how they select up-to-the-minute music? Well, sitting on the desk in the King of Pickwick’s office is a giant Crystal-ball that tells all – helped a little by the Pickwick people, of course. Yes, Pickwick can foresee the Music scene, present and future, even before the charts do, sometimes!

Side 1

Money Honey Originally a hit for The Bay City Rollers
Bohemian Rhapsody Originally a hit for Queen
If I Could Originally a hit for David Essex
This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) Originally a hit for Rod Stewart
Na Na Is The Saddest Word Originally a hit for The Stylistics
The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine Originally a hit for Laurel And Hardy With The Avalon Boys

Side 2

In For A Penny Originally a hit for Slade
Let It Be Originally a hit for Leo Sayer
All Around My Hat Originally a hit for Steeleye Span
Show Me You’re A Woman Originally a hit for Mud
Art For Art’s Sake Originally a hit for 10CC
You Sexy Thing Originally a hit for Hot Chocolate

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A RECORD FOR THE ’70S KIDS TO PLAY WHILE THEY’RE GUZZLIN’ DOWN A CAN OF PEPSI

Soft drinks firm Pepsi, tempt the kids into spending their pocket money on cans of their cola with a non stop party record made by renowned session guitarist Denny Wright.

Denny, who died in 1992, was name checked by Paul McCartney as a guitarist he admired during the early days of the Beatles.

I’ve got no insight into this release other than it appears to be a cash-in record to promote their ‘lipsmackinthirstquenchin’ drink – I must say that the musicianship and overall production is first rate. Side one has a few decent efforts, “Can The Can”, “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Love Is Blue” but everything on side two apart from “Sounds Of Silence” is beyond squaresville.

Most of the tracks are instrumentals but on some there is vocal backing from Margo Newman, Irene Chanter and Doreen Chanter. I’m presuming that the latter two girls are related, probably sisters.

Margo Newman is perhaps better known as Margo Quantrell and was a member of all-girl group The Breakaways in the sixties.

It’s one of those semi-embarrassing records that your parents hid away in the sideboard and slapped it on the turntable a couple of times a year, probably during a visit from the local Jehovah’s Witnesses.

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THE SOUND YOUR EYES CAN FOLLOW

What will they think of next to exploit Beatles music? Back in 1970 it was the StereoAction Orchestra, created and directed by Cyril Ornadel.

I found this in a local charity shop for £1. It was worth the money just to be able to have a listen to this, I didn’t know what to expect. I must admit I thought it would be a compilation of remakes by studio hacks playing this material to pay their bills.

All of the numbers are orchestrated instrumental passages, mostly strings and brass inversion but with the occasional burst of fuzz guitar and hammond organ groove.

It’s the kind of non-thinking – easy style creations to play in the background when the vicar calls ’round for a cup of tea and a slice of Battenberg cake.

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The StereoAction Orchestra was especially created by Cyril Ornadel to bring a new dimension to stereophonic recordings.

In the ’70s it’s no longer enough for the stereo enthusiast to hear his music played in the conventional stereo form, the music must move.

The StereoAction Orchestra has been arranged and recorded by Cyril Ornadel so that the music moves constantly. Together with producer Geoffrey Heath they have treated the results with the latest “moving screen process” used for the first time on this series of records.

What can one say about the Beatles . . . The most prolific songwriters of this decade. From their phenomenal output StereoAction Orchestra has taken what have now become Beatles classics: “Yesterday”, “Michelle” and “Hard Day’s Night” to name but a few. Beatles fans, stereo addicts, lovers of the best in contemporary music will love this album.

YOUR TWELVE TOPS OF THE MONTH

Scantily clad lasses on the front cover of budget re-make albums can only mean one thing. Yes, we’re being transported back to the early ’70s for a collection of hit records that were dominating the chart during the last few months of 1972.

This must have been one of the very best covers around and I’m sure it lured many a frisky teenager to dig into his pockets for the money to buy it. I wonder who the model was parading around in hot pants with her long hair draped around the back of her royal blue, long sleeved shirt – virtually unbuttoned of course!

All of the numbers are decent recreations of the originals and as usual there are a few stronger cuts that elevate them above the others. Gary Glitter‘s Glam pounder “Do You Wanna Touch Me?” and Status Quo‘s proto-pub rocker “Paper Plane” emerge victorious.

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Today’s Top Of The Pops while they are hot on the BBC Charts. The original hit sounds that are selling millions. Look for an exciting new album of up-to-date hits each month. Build the most exciting collection of pop tunes in your neighbourhood.

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THE EARLY YEARS OF A GREAT SINGER, AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL TEEN IDOLS

I found this copy of Del Shannon “The Best Of” in my local British Heart Foundation charity shop for £2 last November. It’s taken me two months to get it onto my turntable.

It all seems a little strange listening to these songs in stereo, all of the Beatles Beat era numbers were recorded in mono surely? Perhaps they’ve all been re-processed in stereo although there’s no indication on the cover or label to suggest that has been done.

“The Best Of” rounds up most of Del’s singles released in Britain during the period 1962 to 1965. “Keep Searchin'” and “Stranger In Town”, both original compositions demonstrate a tougher sound to come culminating with his hard drivin’ rocker “Move It On Over” from the back end of 1965.

The compilation was first released on Dot Records in 1967, the Contour re-issue dates from mid 1973. Check out the stereo version of “Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow The Sun)”

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Of all the hitmakers to emerge over the past decade Del Shannon has probably the most distinctive voice. On this Contour album all the big ones like “Hats Off To Larry”, “Runaway” and “Little Town Flirt” are featured.

An album to listen to, and be reminded of, those early years of a great singer, and one of the original teen idols.

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GENE VINCENT’S CHALLENGE RECORDINGS FROM 1966 – 1967

I’ve bought Gene’s challenge recordings a few times over the years and even focused on one of the numbers “Born To Be A Rolling Stone” way back in September 2011. I’ve re-posted that particular entry below!

This compilation on the Masters label, operating out of Holland, was released in 1983 and probably was missed by most collectors that were not aware that Gene Vincent got himself ‘wired’ and up-to-date during the mid sixties with a set of potent, hard driving rock tunes.

This set adds two songs not on the Everest Records release from 1984, “Words And Music” and “Am I That Easy To Forget” are given their opportunity to impress. And of course they do!

This is very much an essential record for anyone with a passing interest in American garage rock and Gene Vincent alike. Highly recommended.

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GENE VINCENT – ’Born To Be A Rolling Stone’ (Everest Records CBR 1006)

Every garage fanatic will know Gene’s hard rockin’ 60s swinger ’Bird Doggin’ but several other cuts from his Challenge years are worthy of investigation, including the folk rock jewel ’Born To Be A Rolling Stone’.

By the mid 60s Gene Vincent was in his early 30s, no longer hip and without a record contract. Enter Challenge Records, who signed him up to record some sessions at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, backed by The Champs and other notorious session men including Larry Knetchel and David Gates as an arranger and backing singer.

Sadly all three single releases on Challenge Records sank and a proposed album in America was never released. However, Gene Vincent always had a loyal following in England and France where the album did find a release on London Records.

10 songs from the Challenge sessions were re-issued in 1984 on Everest Records.

FRANK SHEEN SINGS ‘SMASH HITS’ CASH STYLE

A record finding excursion in Chester-le-Street last month produced this obscure Johnny Cash tribute album, his well-known numbers re-imagined by Frank Sheen. There’s not a lot of information online about Frank other than the fact that he was a British singer-songwriter. He wrote “Newspaper Man” recorded by John Smith & the New Sound in 1968.

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It was back in 1955 that a somewhat shy ex-G.I. called John Cash from Dyess, Arkansas, stepped into the Sun record studio in Memphis to cut his first record for Sam Philips. “Hey Porter” and “Cry, Cry, Cry” were cut and released, and the rest is history.

In this tribute by Frank Sheen, many of Cash’s greatest songs are featured with the original treatments, as far as possible. Remember the ‘Tijuana’ sound of “Ring Of Fire”, faithfully reproduced here as the opening track, followed in contrast by the hit from 1959, “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town”, a stark and moving song.

Carl Perkins wrote the gospel-tinged hand-clapping song “Daddy Sang Bass”, which features some fine chorus work behind Frank’s vocals. Finishing off Side One, we have again contrast in time from “Man In Black”, one of Cash’s most recent offerings, to “I Walk The Line”, Cash’s first million-seller with Sun records back in 1956.

It was back in the ’20s that Vernon Dalhart had the first million-seller of “Wreck Of The Old ’97”. Much later, in 1957, Johnny Cash wrote some new words and here Frank Sheen puts the whole lot together, complete with authentic Western train whistle roaring through the instrumental passages.

Ira Hayes puts over a poignant plea for the Indians; “I Got Stripes” is vintage Cash from 1959 and full of guts. ‘Robin Hoods’ of crime have always been with us, and Cash’s tribute to Ned Kelly, the famous Australian bush-ranger, immortalises one of the most notorious.

“Folsom Prison Blues” was the song that took Cash from being a top Country star to international stardom, and the brilliant “Boy Named Sue”, penned by Shel Silverstein, confirmed the status.

Many people have sung Johnny Cash songs, but here is a quite outstanding tribute to the ‘man in black’. Take a listen, and I’m quite sure you won’t be disappointed.

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BUDDY HOLLY NUMBERS SUNG BY TERRY FARLAN

I don’t have any Buddy Holly records but I know all about him and most of the well known songs he wrote covered by other artists. It goes without saying that I wasn’t going to leave this LP in the charity shop. For one whole English pound it was coming home with me.

This copy is actually a re-issue from 1975 housed in an alternative front cover. The original release from 1969 has (I believe) a picture of singer Terry Farlan and his guitar adorning the cover.

I’ve had a quick look around the internet and have not been able to trace any worthwhile information about Mr Farlan. It doesn’t appear that he released any other recordings? Perhaps he was a paid session singer but did such a great job interpreting Buddy Holly’s songs they gave him a name-check on the cover and record label.

These are well produced, excellently reignited numbers and consequently a very successful compilation of rock and roll standards. It was well worth my £1 outlay.

FLOWER POWER FOLK ROCK OUTFIT FROM GOSHEN, INDIANA

This entry is a random update from 19/05/09. I’ve just delved into a box of 45s and this one by These Vizitors was my choice for experimentation through a new sound restoration program I bought the other day. It’s called ‘Sound Forge Audio Lab 4‘

THESE VIZITORS – ’Happy Man’ / ’For Mary’s Sake’ (Capitol P-2163) May 1968

Flower power folk rock outfit from Goshen, Indiana who enjoyed a strong local following. They signed to Capitol and travelled to New York City to record some songs at their studios.

The upbeat flower pop tune ’Happy Man’ recalls Mamas and the Papas or The Sunshine Company. It’s got that male/female vocals and folk rock backbeat that many bands had during the mid 60s, although by May 1968 this sound was probably last years news.

The flip ’For Mary’s Sake’ follows the same trip but the guitar sound is a little more experimental and the vocal arrangements are rather good. Both songs are credited to Richard Curtis and Michael Curtis.

Some unreleased These Vizitors recordings surfaced on u-spaces compilations Psychedelic Archaeology. ’Rippling Road’ can be found on Volume 6, whilst ’Reacher Teacher’ turned up on Vol 7.

STEPPING BACK IN TIME, BUDGET STYLE

One look at this album and I got the impression that it was one of those cheap and cheerful Woolworths knock-off’s, usually in racks of records next to the pick and mix counter. It’s an item I’ve never seen before after all my years of collecting!

After some research I’ve found out that the Polystar label were a Germany based company releasing mostly budget style compilation LPs. This rather low-priced and ugly album dates from 1980.

TRACKLIST

The Herd – “I Don’t Want Our Loving To Die”
Esther & Abi Ofarim – “Cinderella Rockafella”
Jet Harris And Tony Meehan – “Diamonds”
The Merseybeats – “Wishin’ And Hopin'”
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – “Legend Of Xanadu”
Carole King – “It Might As Well Rain Until September”
The Tornados – “Telstar”
The Mindbenders – “Groovy Kind Of Love”
The Shangri-Las – “Leader Of The Pack”
The Zombies – “She’s Not There”
Thunderclap Newman – “Something In The Air”
Los Bravos – “Black Is Black”
Bobby Hebb – “Sunny”
Cat Stevens – “Matthew And Son”
The Small Faces – “All Or Nothing”
The Walker Brothers – “Take It Easy On Yourself”
Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity – “This Wheel’s On Fire”
Brian Poole & the Tremeloes – “Do You Love Me”
The Pretty Things – “Don’t Bring Me Down”
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Purple Haze”

I’m not quite sure who this compilation would be aimed at in 1980? There had been something of a mod revival in Britain the year before and some of the groups were still going strong, so maybe this was a cash-in “Sixties” LP with young mod-types in mind.

The tracklist is all over the place and appears to have been put together by the Polystar office junior, there is little thought about the flow or genre of the numbers compiled. Psychedelic rock followed by an early sixties beat number, then straight into R&B and so on. I’m not complaining about the songs though, just the shoddy miss-match.

It’s interesting that the label decided to go for The Pretty Things ‘head busting’ R&B raver “Don’t Bring Me Down” – it must have been amazing discovering this outfit for the first time in another decade. And I know this to be true because it happened to me!

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BLONDE-HAIRED LASS JUMPS ON A SUZUKI AND GOES FOR A THRILL RIDE

Here’s one of those “Hot Hits” albums that I’ve started to admire after buying a few from bargain bins in charity shops. This one was a quid from a shop in Houghton.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that the rebellious blonde-haired mischief maker has only one button on her shirt fastened, revealing part of her left nork. At least she knows about the importance of motorbike safety. Let’s look at the evidence.

Plastic crash helmet with flimsy visor
Gardening gloves
Thin leather jeans
Stylish Knee-length boots in red leather and high platform
Unbuttoned denim shirt

TRACKLIST:

“Hell Raiser”
“Brother Louie”
“No More Mr Nice Guy”
“Giving It All Away”
“See My Baby Jive”
“Drive-In Saturday”
“Broken Down Angel”
“You Want It, You Got It”
“And I Love You So”
“Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)”
“One+One Is One”
“Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”

Actually the music is the important thing on this disc isn’t it? All the hits from the first few months of 1973 are present and correct, all recorded and performed with faithful aplomb.

I can’t fault any of the material here – they’re mostly good songs anyway. But the overall winner of the set is “Hell Raiser” given a frantic run-out and although not as powerful as the original version by The Sweet it’s still decent.

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NEWLY RECORDED IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – THEIR ALL-TIME GREATEST HITS

I have many Everly Brothers records – albums, singles and CDs but I’ve never really bothered with any “Best Of” or for that matter their material recorded before 1964. This album is their re-recordings made in 1971 of all of their early teen friendly hits from the late fifties and early sixties.

By the late sixties and early seventies I don’t think the Everly Brothers meant anything more than the ‘old-timers’ gig circuit. They hadn’t had a hit record for years. The kids just weren’t interested in old acts like the Everly’s anymore.

This is probably the reason behind Warner Bros placing a promo photo on the front of the album cover. It no doubt fooled a lot of people into buying this thinking they were going to get the old hits they knew and loved. Technically, the did as re-recordings. It was probably deemed too risky to use a 1971 photo of the brothers – they just weren’t happening.

It’s a record I found in a local charity shop, it was in a box along with one by the Beach Boys – which I wrote about last month. Quite a lucky find because both records were in lovely condition. A well taken-care of record is always a bonus.

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Like a lit up juke box stuffed with nothing but hits . . . This album does what it says in its title. It bests. “The Very Best of The Everly Brothers” has to be quite an occasion.

It certainly was when it was recorded. When Don and Phil returned home – to Nashville, where the whole pop country sound begins – it was a Saturday-type occasion.

Seemed like every important country musician in the state turned out. Made Don and Phil welcome in town and, when the twosome hit the recording studio, blew nearly every fuse in twelve counties.

It was (and is) a wild one, all right.

What comes out, when men like producer Wesley Rose and song writer Boudleaux Bryant (who wrote five of the hits in here) back in charge of the “sound” of the Everly’s, is deluxe music making.

Sometimes hits can get stale. But not these. These have grown bigger, just like all of us. That compelling dance beat gets even harder to turn off. It needs no arguing. It’s just what the title says: it’s The Very Best.

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A POPULARITY THAT WON’T BE FORGOTTEN ESPECIALLY IF YOU GIVE THIS ALBUM A SPIN ON YOUR TURNTABLE

I found this record for a quid from a charity shop in Houghton, released during May 1972 – the month my beloved Leeds Utd beat Arsenal in the Centenary F.A. Cup. Of course I had no idea about Manfred Mann until a decade or so later.

Budget label Music For Pleasure decided that the racks in Woolworths deserved a Manfred Mann “Greatest Hits” LP. When the twenty-something married wives went out to get their bottles of ‘Sheen’, after they had raided the pick ‘n’ mix bins full of sweets, they could then call in at the record department and relive their teenage youth with the Manfred Mann. Sounds a good deal to me.

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Manfred Mann first became popular in 1964 with their recording “5-4-3-2-1”. With lead singer Paul Jones this was soon followed by their first million seller “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”.

Their second million seller was also a 1964 opus, “Sha La La”, a delightful rock-rhythmic beat version of the song that was successful for the Shirelles.

With tours all over the world they became more and more successful and of course further hits followed, including “Pretty Flamingo”, “If You Gotta Go, Go Now” and “Oh No! Not My Baby.”

All the songs on this LP come from the period 1964-1966 and they ably demonstrate just how good this group was and why they deserved their fantastic popularity. A popularity that won’t be forgotten specially if you give this album a spin on your turntables.

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RICH AND FULFILLING, IT HAS BEEN DESIGNED FOR YOU TO ENJOY, SO SIT BACK AND RELAX TO THE SOUND OF STRINGS FOR PLEASURE

During the last few years Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel have established themselves as remarkable musicians. They have frequently appeared high in our charts with such hits as “Homeward Bound”, “I Am A Rock” and “Scarborough Fair”.

Since the tremendous success of ‘The Graduate‘ for which they sang the celebrated tune “Mrs Robinson”, and various other melodies including “The Sound Of Silence”, their recordings have been still more in demand.

Their most recent hit record was “Bridge Over Troubled Water” which topped our charts for several weeks. Julie Felix had great success with “El Condor Pasa” which appeared as one of the tracks on Simon and Garfunkel’s LP ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water”.

We have collected these well known melodies together with others from Simon and Garfunkel’s repertoire and they are played magnificently by excellent musicians.

Tastefully arranged by Victor Graham, the tunes of this popular duo lend themselves so well to the sound of strings creating what is surely a most pleasant and interesting recording.

The complete satisfaction that can be gained from listening to this record is indeed proof in itself that the melodies and strings blend in a way so complete as to make this an album ideal for any occasion.

The orchestra, drawn from a wide range of musical talent and experience, combines on this record producing a new and exciting sound which explores each melody to its best advantage.

Rich and fulfilling, it has been designed for you to enjoy, so sit back and relax to the sound of Strings For Pleasure

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FROM TV AND THE FILMS IN BRILLIANT STEREOPHONIC SOUND

Fumbling around in a box full of charity shop records I find this album with a picture of a slim Sheriff proudly wearing his badge. Not only that, the skinny cowboy-booted law-maker has a gun in both hands. I get the hunch that this bloke is not to be messed with.

The asking price of a bin lid made this an easy decision for me. The gun-toting rebel-hater was coming home with me today. Western themes in full stereophonic sound!! If my Colt 45 wasn’t at the Gun Centre having it’s annual servicing I would have shot some bullets through the shop window in excitement.

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These familiar and haunting musical themes have enhanced the action and performance to the great westerns that have entertained T.V. and Cinema audiences the world over.

In many countries the spoken dialogue has been changed – but the music always remains the same. It is music to portray the vast and lonely expanses of the American West. At times it speaks of action between “The good guys and the bad”, the music of the Frontier in its day of pioneering and awesome beauty.

These songs have been specially written for the wide screen stereo recording by Derek Cox and Leo Muller. The Cinema Sound Stage Orchestra, in thrilling audio dimension, paints a rich picture of Favourite Western Themes.

12 OF THE BIGGEST SMASH HITS FOR SOME OF THE FINEST SOLO AND GROUP STARS ON THE POP SCENE, FAITHFULLY REPRODUCED FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT SO THAT YOU WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE FROM THE ORIGINALS

This album simply titled “Smash Hits” on the budget Music For Pleasure label could be the very first ‘remake-the-hits’ collections, released during the summer of 1967 with a MONO pressing.

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The secret of hit-parade success is a difficult thing to analyse, especially in these days when the Top Ten presents such a wide variety of sounds and styles.

Sometimes the name of a big artist is enough to ensure a chart-buster but more and more the public is judging records on their individual merit; the habit of blindly following a certain artist, buying all his or her releases, good or bad, is thankfully dying.

Nowadays the charts are wide open for enterprising new artists and new sounds and the established artists have to really justify their position at the top. They can no longer afford to be complacent repeating old formats.

All this has made pop music vibrate with great freshness and excitement. It is justified to contend that pop is progressing faster than any other music form of the day.

Leading all the progression are of course the fabulous Beatles. They have come a long way from the mop-head image of 1963. Their music is now generally accepted as a valid art form; star jazzmen and renowned classical musicians are numbered among their most avid fans.

No collection of smash hits could be complete without at least one Beatles’ number and we have got two – “All You Need Is Love”, which they carried to number one, and “When I’m Sixty-Four” from the landmark ‘Sgt Pepper’ album (this latter number has been recorded by several other artists including British trad man Kenny Ball).

Mention of the Beatles inevitably leads to mention – and often feverish argument – about the Monkees. There now seems little doubt that the American group will be around for some time to come, whether or not they really do play on their records. “Alternate Title” is their latest smash hit.

ALTERNATE TITLE

Micky Dolenz wrote this number for the Monkees during one of his visits to England in 1967, it may have been his first visit? The original song title was “Randy Scouse Git”. Micky heard the words spoken on British Comedy TV programme “Til Death Us Do Part”. – the squares in the music industry thought the number was great apart from the title so it was renamed and given it’s alternate title.

The ‘Flower Power’ movement is also surrounded with controversy but it has certainly led to some interesting sounds including the chart-topping “San Francisco” which made a solo star of moustache-sporting Scott McKenzie, previously known as a clean-shaven member of The Journeymen group.

Girl singers have been getting a fair share of the hits recently and Sandie Shaw‘s “Puppet On A String” – winner of the Eurovision Song Contest – was one of the biggest. Lulu has been on the scene for quite some time but she had a quiet spell after her hit “Shout”.

Recently, however, things have been going well for her and “Let’s Pretend” has taken her back to the top and the film ‘To Sir With Love’, in which she has a star role, has won further acclaim for her.

Vikki Carr too has waited a long while for a smash hit but “It Must Be Him” has brought her just reward for all those years of hard work.

“Don’t Sleep In The Subway” is the latest in a long line of hits for Petula Clark, France’s favourite Briton.

Cliff Richard has long been established at the top. The teenage rock ‘n’ roller of the ‘Fifties has now developed into a talented all-round entertainer and his sweet ballad “The Day I Met Marie” has appeal for all age groups.

Welshman Tom Jones is a man of immense talents with a superb voice. He can make something really memorable of all kinds of songs – ballads, blues, rock numbers or country and western favourites – and “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” is the latest of his hits.

But perhaps the outstanding hit of the year has been a number by a group which split up. Of course, it’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale”, the soulful slowie with its church-like organ backing and poetical words. We are glad the Procul Harum got together again because we can do with more of their magic.

Finally, in contrasting style, a number redolent of the 1920s, the title song from Julie Andrew‘s latest film, ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’.

These then are 12 of the biggest smash hits for some of the finest solo and group stars on the pop scene, faithfully reproduced for your enjoyment so that you will find it difficult to tell the difference from the originals.

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A NEW COLLECTION OF SONGS FEATURING THE VOICE AND GUITAR OF BOB DYLAN WITH KENNY BUTTREY, CHARLES MCCOY, PETE DRAKE, NORMAN BLAKE, CHARLES DANIELS AND BOB WILSON. AND WITH GUEST ARTIST JOHNNY CASH

Well, here it is. The first Bob Dylan record I’ve ever bought. I’ve always had a hatred for his (none) vocals which has created my personal aversion to his music for decades.

Playing this record and collection of songs by Dylan for the very first time I realise I have been wrong all of this time. His vocal style and presentation had improved from those early folk records where his singing could scare an angry Rhino from ten yards.

On this late ’60s material his vocals could almost be described as a deep croon but sometimes with curious soft tones. Check out his country ‘lost-love’ number “One More Night”

I was so mistaken when I thought that she’d be true
I had no idea what a woman in love would do!

I probably foolishly bought the record because it’s absolutely battered with scratches and it pops away like a clicking beetle. The vinyl trenches are deep and sometimes the clicks are loud. But it’s an original 1969 CBS copy and was only £5 from a charity shop. No big deal really.

I’ve heard some of these songs before, recorded by other groups. “Girl From The North Country” by the Blue Things and “Lay Lady Lay” by the Byrds. The latter has never been a favourite though. Dylan’s version is superior despite the ‘clicky’ drumming – what’s that all about? Is it a cow-bell?

Someone could have been hammering away at a half empty paint tin accidentally left in the studio by the painter & decorator man.

Dylan’s version of “Girl From The North Country” shines with the deep bass-baritone voice of Johnny Cash but perhaps the real triumph on side one is the calming lament “I Threw It All Away” – a song written by Dylan in 1968 and released as a single after the album was released.

Side two sounds more country-fied than the first side. These type of songs just don’t have much appeal to me but that being said I can still appreciate the quality of the songs. No real stand out track although I do think the guitar picking on “Country Pie” is top-drawer.

charity shop purchase @ £5

INCLUDING: “NOTHING BUT A HOUSEPARTY”, “PEGGY SUE” AND “RAG DOLL”

BACK COVER LINERS

The Tremeloes have always been Crown Princes of Mainstream Pop. They probably always will be. It all started when they were fronted by Brian Poole, having already paid their dues listening to, and effectively playing all the right riffs and intonations from Buddy Holly through to the then obscure Tamla Motown rhythm-and-blues (nobody called it ‘soul’ in those days).

It all came bubbling out of them at the same time as the Merseybeat Invasion, and Brian and the Tremeloes were one of the few Southern groups who came up with the right mixture of funk and imagination to race them up the charts.

After a lot of very big hits with Brian, things slumped, the band split with Brian and slept for a short time before coming up with “Here Comes My Baby”, a good-time bit of whimsy that swung them back on to the charts.

Their next was “Silence Is Golden” – the first number one for the British CBS label but not for the Trems. Many hits followed, all clever, well-played, well-sung and produced and all riding the contemporary pop crest.

During those periods when pop fashions get too left-field, the Trems have had to struggle for hits. ‘British R & B’, bubble-gum, heavy acid rock and teeny-bopper-fodder have never been good vehicles for them.

But when the definitive History Of Rock & Roll has been written, the Tremeloes will have many, many records engraved on the Roll Of Honour. This album shows them on some of their favourite tunes associated with other artists – from Buddy Holly through the Hollywood Argyles to the Four Tops – and it also gives you four of their own biggest hits. Four unbeatable milestones.

“NOTHING BUT A HOUSEPARTY”

My choice cut of this album is the late ’60s hard-edged raver “Nothing But A Houseparty”, released by the Tremeloes in July 1968. The number was first recorded by The Show Stoppers and then John Smith & the New Sound in 1967.

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DUANE EDDY & THE REBELS PRODUCED BY LESTER SILL AND LEE HAZLEWOOD

BACK COVER LINERS:

A studio filled with technicians and recording equipment . . . Musicians tuning their instruments adding to the already throbbing hum of activity . . . This is a recording session and these are the men and machines that make up the nucleus of a thriving industry.

But men and machines are not enough. There is something needed to add that all important spark: someone to lend that vital something necessary to make all this come to life: to give a vivid quality to what might otherwise be just another recording session. That someone, in this case, is a handsome, twenty year old, six footer named Duane Eddy and that something is his ‘twangy’ guitar.

We are in Phoenix, Arizona, Duane’s home town, waiting to record his first album, “Have ‘Twangy’ Guitar Will Travel”. For the prelude to all of this, we must go back to March of 1958 and the office of Jamie Records in Philadelphia where Lester Sill and Lee Hazlewood (independent record producers from the west coast) are in conference with Harry Finfer, Prexy of Jamie.

The subject of their conversation is a young guitar player and his recording of “Moovin’ ‘N Groovin'”. The answer is an enthusiastic “yes” and so the Duane Eddy sound makes its bow before the American public with significant success.

The winning team of Hazlewood and Sill produce Duane’s follow up to “Moovin’ ‘N Groovin'” and this time the name of Duane Eddy girdles the globe on the wings of an astonishingly original sound bearing the title of “Rebel Rouser”. “Rebel” is not only a smash hit in the U.S. and England but also becomes a number one instrumental in Europe.

With this it is apparent that the Duane Eddy star is in its ascendency. The star becomes a meteor when, appearing on the Dick Clark Show, Duane plays an encore.

The following day Jamie Records is flooded with calls asking about the encore number. There are over 150,000 advance orders for a record that has not yet been produced. Duane flies to Phoenix to record “Ramrod”, which becomes an immediate success.

In three tries he scores three hits. Can it be done again? “Cannon Ball” provides the answer to that question by exploding upon the record scene with all the force its namesake warrants.

In just four releases Duane Eddy accounts for more than two millions of record sales.

On personal appearance tours Duane plays to capacity houses. The Brooklyn Paramount draws throngs of Duane Eddy fans. The world famous Hollywood Bowl hosts a capacity crowd the night Duane headlines Dick Clark’s “Rock and Roll at the Hollywood Bowl”.

Now in the midst of an overpacked schedule of theatre dates and personal appearances Duane looks forward to a motion picture and the recording of his first LP. This brings us up to date . . . Here is Duane . . . There is the “Stand By” light . . . and here is the album.

charity shop purchase @ 50 pence

THE SEARCHERS SECOND ALBUM REISSUED IN 1967

Here’s another one of my 50 pence second-hand shop finds from November and an excellent one it is too. Budget label Marble Arch released this during ’67 when the Searchers were no longer in the spotlight and hadn’t had a hit record for years.

“Sugar And Spice” is presented here in a mono reissue on thick and heavy vinyl. The sleeve cover has been updated with the then current line-up. Gone was Tony Jackson and Chris Curtis.

The original issue of the album “Sugar And Spice” was released on Pye Records, October 1963. It was a top five smash. The Searchers were considered one of the best Merseybeat acts, along with The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

I have no idea why two tracks, “Unhappy Girls” and “Cherry Stones” were left off this mono reissue. There is certainly enough space on the long-player to stick with the six numbers per side.

All of the material is solid and the purist English Beat music of the decade. The guitars shimmer, background harmonies add body and drama to the songs. The drums sound like DRUMS. Producer Tony Hatch certainly got the Searchers to sound modern and valid in 1963. No wonder they were a hit with their updated versions of Buddy Holly, Coasters and Chiffons obscurities.

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A CAREFUL SELECTION OF SOME OF THE MANY MARVELLOUS SONGS RECORDED AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR CAREER

There are numerous Shadows compilations, many on the budget label Music For Pleasure. This was one of the first, released during the summer of 1970. Featured are numbers recorded throughout their career from the early ’60s to 1967 when they recreated Manfred Mann’s hit “Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James.”

BACK COVER LINERS:

Back in the beginning of the sixties, a young group of musicians were generating a huge amount of excitement with a new sound.

They were the “Shadows”. Today in 1970 the Shadows are one of the few groups who have stood the test of time, and despite a number of personnel changes the intrinsic freshness and beauty of the Shadows’ earlier music has never been lost, mostly due to the technique and undisputed genius of Hank Marvin the leader of the original group.

Having witnessed a number of live performances by the Shadows at several stages of their career, one element of their act has always shone through to justify the unique position they hold in the entertainment world; namely their complete and utter professionalism.

This not only applies to the musical ability they display on every occasion but also to their tremendous projection and ability to communicate with an audience. The Shadows however, do not stop at this. They are able, in a way which is sometimes nothing short of incredible, to capture the flow and movement of their live musical ability on record, sincerely and aesthetically.

The result of this is the first Music For Pleasure album by the Shadows with a careful selection of some of their many marvellous songs recorded at different stages of their career.

Instrumental numbers such as “Walkin'”, “Little B” and “What A Lovely Tune” show only one aspect of their talent and one only has to listen to “All My Sorrows” to see that they are also a very talented vocal group.

This LP is the sound of the Shadows, the group who were pioneers in the field of amplified music and who, incidentally were the first people to introduce the electric bass guitar as we know it today.

This LP is a statement in itself – a look back into the past at the music of one of the greatest collection of musicians ever and a symbol of hope for the future. Music and musical ideas are continually changing but the sound of the Shadows will certainly never die.

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THE ‘TOP OF THE POPS’ BUDGET LABEL REMAKES ENTER THE SYNTH-POP AGE

I was pleased when I discovered this item in one of the bargain bins in a charity shop but was then hit by dejection when I realised the songs were from 1980/81. I swiftly glanced at the track list and bought it purely for the cover of XTC‘s “Sgt Rock” – My curiosity got the better of me.

There are two John Lennon hits recreated, “Imagine” and “Woman” which were both quickly released after his murder in December 1980.

“Vienna” is without doubt the worst cover I’ve heard so far on these cheapo LPs. It’s nothing short of shameful, everything about this version is disconcerting. The tin-pot Rolf Harris stylophone-like synth noises, the vocal delivery, the slow pace of the song. Nothing works.

Spandau Ballet‘s “The Freeze” is also a contender for a cringeworthy award. The singer sounds like he couldn’t be arsed doing this number, and I don’t blame him. I hope he still got the union rates for laying down his vocals and not a bag of Pot Noodles. He probably had a wife and kids to feed.

The whole of side one is very poor indeed apart from Dire Strait‘s “Romeo & Juliet” and “Return Of The Los Palmas 7” which are acceptable. But it appears that the label were no longer paying professional musicians to deliver their sets. They probably got a local school band and some pub singers.

Side two begins with a decent enough jaunt through Blondie‘s number “Rapture” which is fine if you dig that kind of disco rap conglomeration. It’s not my scene though. The quirky remake of Adam and the Ants single “Young Parisians” is good too. Could the album be picking up a bit after the torture of side one?

I’ve always had a strong aversion to anything Phil Collins related so “In The Air Tonight” was never going to register with me. Plenty of echo on this version. Next up is “Gangster Of The Groove”, which again isn’t something I would ever go for but I can’t criticise because it sounds perfectly acceptable as funk fueled rhythm pop.

John Lennon will be turning in his grave with these dumb cover versions of “Imagine” and “Woman” – the singer doesn’t even attempt to mimic him in any way and I thought that was the requirement for these ‘Top of The Pops’ remakes.

The Boomtown Rats number comes off sounding like a power pop band. Was that the intention because I can’t remember how the original version grooves along?

I wonder if Andy Partridge ever heard this recreation of “Sgt Rock” because although the vocals are not in the same league as his own I think the studio group have pleasantly captured the quirkiness of his number. Good guitar and the drums definitely sound better on this than on the original. No gated-drums here – a bonus!

TRACKS:

Side 1

Vienna originally a hit for Ultravox
A Little In Love originally a hit for Cliff Richard
Romeo And Juliet originally a hit for Dire Straits
I Surrender originally a hit for Rainbow
The Freeze originally a hit for Spandau Ballet
Imagine originally a hit for John Lennon
Return Of The Los Palmas 7 originally a hit for Madness
Don’t Stop The Music originally a hit for Yarbrough and Peoples

Side 2

Rapture originally a hit for Blondie
Young Parisians originally a hit for Adam and The Ants
In The Air Tonight originally a hit for Phil Collins
Gangsters Of The Groove originally a hit for Heatwave
Woman originally a hit for John Lennon
The Elephant’s Graveyard (Guilty) originally a hit for The Boomtown Rats
Turn Me On, Turn Me Off originally a hit for Honey Bane
Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me) originally a hit for XTC

charity shop purchase @ £2

THE BEACH BOYS DEMONSTRATE THEIR PERFECT SURF POP SOUNDS IN MONO

I bought this Beach Boys from a charity shop in Houghton last week. What a majestic find for £2. It was hiding in a box of records surrounded mainly by Perry Como and Frank Sinatra LPs.

It just goes to show that my local town (born and bred Houghton) must have had a few hip people living there during the ’60s. It wasn’t only Teddy Boys and NCB Pit workers.

The album is full of their hit singles, some B-sides and an occasional EP track, all from the period 1962 to 1966. Arguably their most successful period. Better still the record is a 1966 original release in MONO and plays perfectly.

charity shop purchase @ £2

THREE AFRO-HEADED SOUL CHICKS DRAPED IN TIGHT-FITTING FUNKADELIC GEAR, LOUNGING ON A WAY-OUT LOOKING AMERICAN CAR. ALL CAUGHT ON CAMERA USING A FISH-EYE LENS.

I left this album behind in ‘The Children’s Society’, Birtley one Friday earlier this month. For the rest of the day I regretted not picking it up for £2 so went back the next day and bought it! I’ve never bought any Supremes music in the past. I have a hunch that this studio group performing their songs will be better than the originals. I’ve never been that struck on the squawky vocals of Diana Ross.

These recordings are excellently produced, the vocals and instrumentation are true to the originals. Music For Pleasure have really come up trumps with this package. From the glossy cover photo to the thick and heavy vinyl. And of course the concept. Top marks – recommended LP. Who knows, I may even have to source some original Supremes records now!

BACK COVER LINERS:

Maybe we’ve used the wrong title, for a start. Maybe we should have said: “Salute to Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier.” For they were the writers, composers, producers who actually put the Supremes on the map, with such fabulous songs as “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Baby Love” and “Stop! In The Name Of Love”

Seven of the 12 million-sellers re-created on this album emerged from this unique trio – those above, plus “Reflections”, “In And Out Of Love”, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and “The Happening”.

In fact, these are the songs still most closely identified with the Supremes; these are the songs that put them in the millionaire class.

But the incredible thing about the Supremes is that, take away the original back-room boys, take away their lead singer Diana Ross, and replace her with the curiously-named Cindy Birdsong, and you still get hits!

Witness “Stoned Love”, a top five hit only a few months ago. Maybe, after all, we should have made this a salute to Berry Gordy Jnr, who, as founder and boss of Motown Records, thought up the whole concept in the first place, and kept it going so miraculously for so long.

If Mr Gordy Jnr. ever gets to read these sleeve notes, we’d like to say, here and now, that if Cindy Birdsong, Mary Wilson and Jean Terrell (the present Supremes) ever decide to give up singing and take up chicken farming, we’ve got a really great trip ready and able to take their place!

Just listen to them now on this album, as they excitingly re-create twelve of the Supremes greatest hits.

charity shop purchase @ £2

JOHNNY CASH WITH HIS BIBLE AND GUITAR IN HAND

A few years ago I wouldn’t have even given Johnny Cash records a second glance but here I am not only playing one of his ancient records from 1959 but I’m actually diggin’ it. Not the subject and sentiment of his songs I may add, but the fact that it’s just him singing with limited backing. An almost ‘unplugged’ session. His vocals carry them through to the other side.

As the title of the album suggests, all of the material on this LP is of a religious nature, mostly written by Johnny himself. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” is the only number I’ve heard before mainly because it’s usually sung loudly at England’s rugby union matches.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Hymns and country and western singing might seem at first glance to be a long way apart, but in fact, once you get down to analysing both they become pretty nigh inseparable, especially when the name of Johnny cash is associated with them both.

On this album great hymns and great singing come together because Cash not only sings them in his own inimitable style, but also because he’s had a hand in composing many of the titles. Cash is someone who knows what life is all about, and he’s lived it on many levels and in many strained circumstances.

He’s experienced the lonely sound that the clanging of a cell door behind you makes and, because of his deep and abiding love of helping those in trouble, he’s returned to the stoney confines of prison to entertain the inmates with those songs that mean much to prisoners wherever they may be.

But this album isn’t concerned with confinement; it’s more concerned with great hymns that also need great singing to bring out the richness of their message, the messages that come across strong on “I Saw A Man”, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, “I Call Him” and many others that make up this collection.

To sing them in a way that appeals to everyone, we present Johnny Cash, a man who really can bring a religious message and some fine singing to a truly great programme of hymns.

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A COLLECTION OF INSTRUMENTALS FROM 1967 TO 1980

This album set me back £2 from a second-hand shop a few weeks ago and it’s in great shape, probably never been played. It’s the 1983 re-issue version of a collection of Shadows recordings mostly from the seventies.

To be fair, the Shadows were well past their prime when this album came out but there was obviously a demand for their material. So much so that this was repressed a few times. I’m not sure why because the seventies tracks are tripe.

Don’t get me started on the horrendous disco-fused thud-thud-thud mutilation of the opener “Black Is Black”. What on earth were they thinking? Everything is WRONG! The uptempo drum beat, the synth noises and the unforgivable bleep-bleep tom effect / noise from a drum machine. AWFUL.

The Shadows even destroy the classic “Midnight Cowboy”, attempted in 1969 but should have been left in the can. Will anything be worthy on side one? “God Only Knows” – is my question as well as a Beach Boys song they have also murdered in 1975. It starts off sounding like the ‘Steptoe And Son’ theme tune then gets worse. At least they have a go at some background harmonies.

The reverb heavy and tiresomely slow “Stardust” from 1967 was my last hope but it failed to register with me. Considering that the world was going day-glo and way-out in ’67, it’s strange that all the Shadows seemingly wanted to do was snuggle up next to an open fire and play their grandad friendly instrumentals.

When I listen to any album I always play the record all the way through twice. This means I’m going to have to endure these sonic mishaps all over again. When did it all go wrong Hank Marvin?

I can only hope and pray that the Shadows were trying to invent a time machine in 1980 so they could travel back to the pre-Beatles beat era – a period in time when they were recording some masterpieces.

Surely they didn’t rate this material? Everything on “Another String Of Hot Hits” was arranged and produced by the Shadows themselves so they couldn’t even blame someone else with the overall creative and technical control of the entire recording projects.

Can it all get better?

Side two starts off with their version of “Walk Don’t Run” which is a ‘shadow’ of the original but still a decent effort. I can believe in this recording apart from the ‘modern’ drum sound. It appears that the Shadows enjoyed recreating The Ventures classic in 1977.

Nothing much else appeals to my senses, the tunes are just not beaty enough for my particular taste. “The Most Beautiful Girl” is abysmal, the Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” gets their instro treatment but fails to muster up any of my interest.

The plaintive “Trains And Boats And Planes” recorded in 1967 is much better than anything else out of the fourteen track selection. The drums and percussion sound like they should. And is that a Bouzouki being played by Hank? A good tune executed with the skill and the assurance I expect from the Shadows.

“Something” has a decent arrangement and can be considered a success but the next number “Superstar” had me cringing behind my pint of cider. It all sounds just too mechanical, the synthetic drums are a mistake but those electric things were newfangled and commonly used in the late seventies by disco outfits and groups using electronic musical instruments.

charity shop purchase @ £2

PRODUCED BY MICKIE MOST – A MICKIE MOST PRODUCTION

Well here it is folks! My first ever Lulu record after decades of collecting, I go way back to the late ’70s for my first LP. It was The Jam “Setting Sons” in 1979, probably bought using a combination of my paperboy wages and birthday money.

I’ve not really bothered with any of the British female singers in the past, it’s a whole new playground for me. This album appears to be a collection of Lulu singles and perhaps album tracks. I’ve heard a few of them in the past, such as “Love Loves To Love Love” and “To Sir With Love”

All in all a very decent listening experience, so much so that I’ll be looking out for more Lulu discs in charity shops in the future. “I’m A Tiger”, written by Marty Wilde & Ronnie Scott is a stand-out.

One of the most interesting numbers on this collection is “Me The Peaceful Heart”, written by Tony Hazzard. The latter wrote “Ha Ha Said The Clown” and “Fox On The Run” for Manfred Mann. It is also thought that Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones played on the track before they formed Led Zeppelin.

BACK COVER LINERS:

In a few short years Lulu, that pint-sized bundle of energy from Scotland has emerged as one of the brightest stars on the pop scene today. Not only on the pop scene, with T.V. series to her credit as well as acting in films she has spread her talent and ability to the fields of all round entertainment.

Only a couple of years back she represented Great Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest and emerged victorious. The song that she sang “Boom Bang-A-Bang” is included on the LP together with “March” one of the other contenders for the Great Britain entry for the contest.

“To Sir With Love” was a smash hit in the States and as sung by Lulu was a great theme for a fine film (in which she gave a very good performance).

Lulu has been in the charts so many times one loses count but some of her hits are included on this LP. Just think of songs like “I’m A Tiger”, “Let’s Pretend”, and “The Boat That I Row”

This LP contains twelve great numbers all produced by Mickie Most. It shows us Lulu in a variety of moods but whether she is singing a wistful ballad or belting out a swinging number – this is the most of Lulu.

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THE CONTOUR LABEL, BASED IN MAYFAIR IN LONDON, WITH THEIR BUDGET SOUND-A-LIKE SOUNDS

As with all of these budget label cash-in releases some of the numbers simply don’t work as good as the original versions, “See My Baby Jive” for instance has absolutely zero atmosphere and is a very bland copy. Wizzard have no fears of competition here.

Same with the Sweet‘s “Hell Raiser”. This version lacks anything but hell raising dynamite. Something to put on at the old age pensioners Christmas Party. They’ll probably still go mental. The old dears will twist and shout, the fellas will no doubt kick their piss-pots over.

However, there are a few strikingly good interpretations such as “Giving It All Away”, “Drive-In Saturday” and Alice Cooper‘s “No More Mr Nice Guy” has it’s moments.

Interestingly, “Giving It All Away” was Roger Daltrey‘s debut solo single, it was co-written by a then unknown Leo Sayer. The latter also recorded his own version.

Contour Records didn’t spend that many years on their “16 Chart Hits” compilations, only lasting from 1972 – 1975. I can only assume that they weren’t the ‘cash cow’ that they thought they would be. More information about the label and other releases can be found here.

tracks:
Drive-In Saturday / Brother Louie / Amanda / Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree / Hey Mama / Broken Down Angel / God Gave Rock And Roll To You / Giving It All Away / See My Baby Jive / Pyjamarama / My Love / Hell Raiser / Bad Weather / Tweedle Dee / No More Mr Nice Guy / Could It Be I’m Falling In Love

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LONDON WEEKEND TELEVISION SHOW ENTERTAIN THE TEENAGE KIDS WITH AN ALBUM FEATURING PRESENTER SALLY JAMES

Saturday Scene was a mid-seventies music and cartoon TV programme that I can’t remember ever watching and I didn’t even know this LP existed until I found it for sale in a local second-hand shop a few weeks ago. At 50 pence it was always coming home with me.

There are two songs on this performed by presenter Sally James and a couple by a group called Love Together, they were probably the ‘house’ band. All songs were written by producer Mike Smith

A message from Sally James

Hello everyone, I am Sally James, a lucky girl who has been interviewing lots of exciting pop personalities over the last year for my programme Saturday Scene. Because this show is only seen in London I have talked to some of the most exciting stars for you all on this album.

They are lovely guys and I hope you learn a little more about your particular favourite. Enjoy yourselves.

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THE GLITTER BAND RELEASE THEIR DEBUT ALBUM DURING THE SUMMER OF 1974

This group of six air-punching, bouffant lovin’ beef cakes were Gary Glitter’s backing band when he was having his glory years as a pop star. But they were a recording act in their own right and had a deal with Bell Records, releasing several hit singles and albums during the mid-seventies. It all started during the summer of ’74 with “Hey!”

There are a few choice cover versions given the Glam-Stomp ‘N’ Roll treatment, especially the vibrant opener “Tell Him”, a hit for The Exciters in 1962. Another version was doing the rounds during this time, check out the successful remake from a band named Hello.

The Everly Brothers number “All I Have To Do Is Dream” is sweetly polished with restraint stomp and thud and can be classed as a Glitter Band ballad. They end side one with the football terrace chant of the bovver-boy rocker “Rock On”. Plenty of pounding drums and sax on this, enough potency and farmyard shouting to wake the dead.

Best track though is “Angel Face” – they also reprise the song as the album closer on side two. So the listener gets two bites of this particular Glam cherry, enough to send cavemen WILD with excitement. “Angel Face” was a top five hit for the Glitter Band in 1974. A very good start lads!

Side two kicks off with “Just For You”, a top ten single and another band original with double-drum and hand-clap thud. This is the template throughout the thirteen tracks and the sound doesn’t deviate. Sam Cooke‘s “Twisting The Night Away” gets similar backbeat action but with the addition of a squalling sax break.

Actually, that’s the thing I’ve noticed here – the lead guitar is mostly buried in the mix but the sax and drums are a marching cavalcade of loudness.

Another two covers rear their heads, the Glitter Band introduce updated Glam versions of “Sealed With A Kiss” and Spencer Davis Group‘s classic mod mover “Gimme Some Loving”. The latter has been completely deconstructed and we’re left with incessant drum thumping which launches into the reprise of “Angel Face”.

A good party album to blast away on the turntable when entertaining the local delinquents and juvenile law-breakers. Something that would have sounded great and created a whole lot of excessive excitement at 1974 Christmas school discos.

Misc Notes:

John, Gerry and Harvey are now deceased.
Producer: Mike Leander

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ALWAYS TOP OF THE POPS! – SWITCHED-ON PEOPLE ARE SWITCHING TO THE SUN

“Soaraway Party Pops” – I believe this 24-track album, released in connection with The Sun newspaper was their one and only venture into the album market. Budget label LPs featuring remakes of the hits of the day were selling quicker than George Best football boots.

It was only a matter of time before a national newspaper wanted some of the action and “Soaraway Party Pops” was The Sun’s entry point. According to the record label this album was produced by Special Products, a division of Pickwick International.

the songs

First of all there are twenty four tracks crammed onto two sides of a 33 rpm, I thought about the quality before playing this thinking that it was way too many and surely the music would suffer as a result.

There is no deterioration folks! Everything sounds as it should. The songs on here are seemingly catering for the square 1970s dad and the thirty something mother who probably listened to this while ironing her smalls all day before sidling her way into the kitchen to muster up a plate of meat and two veg for hubby’s tea.

It’s mostly all easy-listening, some of the remakes are simple instrumentals. The label seemingly couldn’t be arsed to employ a professional vocalist on tracks like “Rose Garden”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “My Sweet Lord” and “Rocket Man”.

There’s “Coz I Luv You” with vocals intact and it doesn’t sound too bad. There’s not much difference between the cover and the originals of “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep” and “The Pushbike Song” – they’re very basic constructions.

Side two follows a similar course with cover versions of T Rex, Rolling Stones and George Harrison songs. Most of the rest are geriatric friendly instrumentals and the type of songs they’d be singing at local Old Age Care Homes in 1973 . . . bless their hearts.

back cover notes

Britain’s Brightest Daily Paper – Whatever your taste in pops, The Sun is the paper that keeps you in touch. Bubblegum and beat, blues and ballads, rock and roll, R&B, C&W – they’re all part of the scene in the soaraway Sun.

Fans rave about The Sun’s pullout pop wall-charts and features like Pop Zodiac and Popalphabet. Plus super poster offers and contests with hundreds of LP prizes.

Above all don’t miss The Sun’s Monday disc column. It sizzles – in a paper that sizzles everyday and every way. A PAPER FOR ALL THE FAMILY

charity shop purchase @ £1

TWELVE MORE MUSIC FOR PLEASURE ‘HOT HITS’ FROM 1973

Adventurous cover photo of a desirably slim brunette dressed in a diver’s rubber jacket, her zip undone down to her navel, revealing just enough of her charms. There’s ample temptation for teenage boys to cough up their pocket money to buy this album from Woolworth’s.

There’s the added thrill that this rubber-clad mermaid will probably hack your head off with the razor-sharp knife strapped to her right thigh. The message is quite clear boys. Look and listen to your album but keep your sticky fingers on your clackers.

the songs

“Blockbuster” is a very weak effort, the singer is all over the place on this. Even the backing has lost out to mediocrity. The Sweet have no worries. “You’re So Vain” is good and probably the best remake on side one. “Dreidal” comes away with honours too.

Side two doesn’t really come to life for me personally, the songs are just not happening. A couple of old numbers remade in 1972/73, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” and “Roll Over Beethoven” should have been left in the sixties. I have no idea what the originals sound like but I’m not at all fussed to find out.

When I looked at the track list before playing this album I had a hunch that “Wishing Well” would work and it doesn’t disappoint. The most essential cover version of the whole set. Excellent backing, drum action and lead guitar frills. The vocalist is decent enough for that Free factor.

Side 1

Blockbuster – originally by The Sweet
You’re So Vain – originally by Carly Simon
Always On My Mind – originally by Elvis Presley
Relay – originally by The Who
Dreidel – originally by Don McLean
The Jean Genie – originally by David Bowie

Side 2

Me And Mrs Jones – originally by Billy Paul
C Moon – originally by Wings
Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone – originally by The Temptations
Ball Park Incident – originally by Wizzard
Roll Over Beethoven – originally by The Electric Light Orchestra
Wishing Well – originally by Free

charity shop purchase @ £1

TWELVE MORE MUSIC FOR PLEASURE ‘HOT HITS’ FROM 1972

The next few albums under the spotlight are from the year 1972, so oil your skateboard wheels, sharpen your Leeds United pen-knife and let’s all go on a teenage rampage, cos gonk heads may have to roll.

These budget label ‘Hot Hits‘ comps cost £1 from a charity shop in Chester-le-Street. I have no idea what they’re going to sound like. I’ve heard a couple of the originals before but most are new.

the songs

Rod Stewart and the Osmonds feature strongly on this ‘Hot Hits’, the latter’s version of “Crazy Horses” is given the budget label remake. It’s obvious to me that they didn’t quite have the money or studio time to recreate the loud and somewhat bombastic approach of the original.

The screaming horses sound like someone in the studio was screeching away on a bicycle pump to make that high pitched sound that made the song the hit it was.

“Getting A Drag” and “Gudbuy T’Jane” are the most interesting cuts. Let’s just say on The Slade re-hash the singer is no Noddy Holder but the backing track is strong, especially the drumming. Long live the simple and effective hand clap accompaniment.

It’s the first time I’ve ever heard most of the songs on side two so I have absolutely no preconceptions. Oh dear, what on earth was Rod Stewart recording this type of country balladry for?

The closest he’s probably been to mounting a horse and riding passed an outcrop of cacti could have been during one of his Horticultural Cowboy mash-up dreams with a visit to a Dobbies Garden Centre.

Side two is full of rubbish songs and there was nothing the Music For Pleasure studio musicians could do with these, especially “I Don’t Believe In Miracles” – Colin Blunstone‘s usual wimpish vocal delivery most likely makes his original even worse than this copy.

Side 1

Getting A Drag – originally by Lynsey De Paul
Rock Me Baby – originally by David Cassidy
Crazy Horses – originally by The Osmonds
Angel – originally by Rod Stewart
I’m Stone In Love With You – originally by The Stylistics
Gudbuy T’Jane – originally by Slade

Side 2

What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me) – originally by Rod Stewart
Crocodile Rock – originally by Elton John
Why – originally by Donny Osmond
I Don’t Believe In Miracles – originally by Colin Blunstone
Lookin’ Through The Windows – originally by The Jackson 5
Stay With Me – originally by Blue Mink

charity shop purchase @ £1

TWELVE MORE MUSIC FOR PLEASURE ‘HOT HITS’ FROM 1972

the songs

Side one opens with a slow, grinding Glam Rock raver, “Children Of The Revolution” orders the youth of ’72 to kick down doors with your platform boots, raid your mother’s wardrobe for sparkly gear and nick a bottle of cider from your local Offy. It’s time to get heavy.

All of the other tracks on this side are mostly gentle ballad type movers. “Back Stabbers” has a good sentiment and “Mouldy Old Dough” could only ever come from England. All of this music makes me want to zoom back in time.

“You’re A Lady” is unbelievably corny and turgid. Why on earth did people pay good money for this record to make it a hit? I’ve never heard of Peter Skellern so decided to educate myself. Young Peter was still in his twenties when he wrote and recorded this piece of crap. It also made it to #3 in the UK charts.

The disgraced Gary Glitter doesn’t get a look in nowadays, he was ‘cancelled’ years ago. During the past year of looking in the bargain bins of charity shops I’ve never once seen a Gary Glitter record! and he sold millions of records back in his prime. It appears that any Glitter records donated to the shops are thrown in the bin, never to be seen again.

Fear not Mr Glitter, your reworked number “I Didn’t Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock ‘N’ Roll)” has been remastered and uploaded on my site.

Side 1

Children Of The Revolution – originally by T Rex
Mouldy Old Dough – originally by Lieutenant Pigeon
Goodbye To Love – originally by The Carpenters
Backstabbers – originally by The O’Jays
Too Young – originally by Donny Osmond
Donna – originally by 10CC

Side 2

Burning Love – originally by Elvis Presley
You’re A Lady – originally by Peter Skellern
Wig-Wam Bam – originally by The Sweet
The Guitar Man – originally by Bread
I Didn’t Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock ‘N’ Roll) – originally by Gary Glitter
How Can I Be Sure – originally by David Cassidy

charity shop purchase @ £1

HOT HITS – “VOLUME 13” (MUSIC FOR PLEASURE MFP 50041) AUGUST 1972

The next few albums under the spotlight are from the year 1972, so polish your clackers, jump onto your Raleigh Chopper and tighten the belt on your Kung-Fu pyjamas, cos we’re probably in for a tricky ride.

This album was released very soon after Hot Hits 12, and appears to have been shoe-horned in to tie in with the Olympic Games, held in Munich during August and September.

The photographs were taken in the Olympic Stadium and the sleeve also includes an advertisement for BEA airline on the back, which flies “To the Munich Olympics”.

Cover model is Hella Rutz who appeared in Playboy magazine around the same period in time. I haven’t been able to find any other information although it’s possible that she also pulled pints at the Munich Beer Festival.

the songs

I quite like “Automatically Sunshine” on this album, a laid-back tune with good vocals. The cover version of Hawkwind‘s “Silver Machine” is also interesting complete with weird sound effects and wah wah guitar. I bet the studio guys enjoyed putting this number down onto tape.

The vocalist employed to recreate Alice Cooper‘s singing doesn’t quite get it right coming across too gruff and a bit comical during the opening few versus. However, he appears to get into his stride as the song progresses. Good backing with some tasty lead guitar.

“Seaside Shuffle” is like a weird mix of the Wurzels and Mungo Jerry, a song about chasing the girls and getting pissed at the beach. I rate the version of “The Slider”, an obscure T Rex album cut. Considerable amount of time and effort has gone into this, a good arrangement. Same with “10538 Overture” – overall, a very good budget label release of remakes.

Side 1

Automatically Sunshine – originally by The Supremes
Where Is The Love – originally by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
Popcorn – originally by Hot Butter
Silver Machine – originally by Hawkwind
My Guy – originally by Mary Wells
School’s Out – originally by Alice Cooper

Side 2

Seaside Shuffle – originally by Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs
The Loco-Motion – originally by Little Eva
The Slider – originally by T Rex
10538 Overture – originally by The Electric Light Orchestra
Samson And Delilah – originally by Middle Of The Road
You Wear It Well – originally by Rod Stewart

charity shop purchase @ £1

HOT HITS – “VOLUME 11” (MUSIC FOR PLEASURE MFP 5270) MAY 1972

The next few albums under the spotlight are from the year 1972, so polish your clackers, jump onto your Raleigh Chopper and strap yourself into your dungarees, cos we’re probably in for a tricky ride.

The cover model is Caroline Munroe, later to star in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Before that she was in a few low-budget films, more often than not, she went down the shops for her liver and onions dressed to impress as a Medieval bow and arrow go go Goddess.

There are a few cornball numbers on this that have a maximum cringe factor. I have no idea what Tom Jones was thinking when recording “The Young New Mexican Puppeteer”, same comical reaction for “Come What May” – both dreadful songs.

The Marmalade hit “Radancer” is faithfully recreated, good backing and vocals. Easily the best cut on side one. Over on the other side there’s a really good version of “Back Off Boogaloo” – lovin’ the gritty guitar sound on this and it’s got to be said that the vocalist is far superior than Ringo.

The version of “Heart Of Gold” is also very solid, top marks for even attempting this number. “Debora” is slightly better than the original, the fake Bolan voice is still too annoying for me to take though.

The praise nowadays for Marc Bolan on all of these TV docs etc is overwhelming. OK, he was good at sticking stars on his cheeks and wearing a feather boa but let’s be honest – he sounded like a *bleat* lost sheep *bleat* *bleat*.

Side 1

The Young New Mexican Puppeteer – originally by Tom Jones
Sweet Talkin’ Guy – originally by The Chiffons
A Thing Called Love – originally by Johnny Cash & The Evangel Temple Choir
Radancer – originally by Marmalade
Come What May – originally by Vicky Leandros
Stir It Up – originally by Johnny Nash

Side 2

Crying Laughing Loving Lying – originally by Labi Siffre
Back Off Boogaloo – originally by Ringo Starr
Heart Of Gold – originally by Neil Young
I Am What I Am – originally by Greyhound
Amazing Grace – originally by The Pipes & Drums & Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Debora – originally by Tyrannosaurus Rex

charity shop purchase @ £1

THE MOURNING AFTER – THESE SEVEN RECORDINGS PREDATE THOSE ON THE MYSTIC BEAT ALBUM.

I’ve had this tape of unreleased demos in my archives for decades so I thought it was time to unleash them onto my website in all of their untamed glory. Some years back on Facebook I asked leader Chris Blackburn about these ancient and forgotten recordings. Long-time associate and friend of the band Marek Pryjomko, also provided details.

Chris: “That’s jogged me memory Col. Yep that was our first time in the studio (Sheffield) basically just trying to get demo’s down to send around for gigs etc.

No internet in those days just letters and Jiffy bags. The tracks from it were used on those very early tapes that you designed the artwork for. After Captain Sensible produced the LP in the pic. he also re mixed the tracks on the audio tape a few years later. So there’s also an alternative version somewhere.

The end comment was Kev being Kev – type of thaang he’d say when we were in the boozer.”

She’ll Be Gone
Waiting On You
Doin’ Me in
Nothin’ But Trouble
Ain’t Like You
On My Mind
I Want Your Love

Marek Pryjomko: The master tape from this session (recorded at Priority Studios, West Street, Sheffield) was also sent to Captain Sensible who remixed the tracks from the master tape at his home studio. They have never been heard or issued yet. This was prior to the recordings for the first album for Deltic Records in Barnet.

The reason Priority studios was used was because they remastered the Live recordings from Take Two which was issued as a live cassette and also featured a track on the Homar UK Sheffield Cd in 1989 (Homar 6601)

“She’ll Be Gone” – this track Live at Take Two Sheffield recorded and produced straight from the desk by Mike Tym. Later Richard Hawley and Pulp live engineer as well as studio engineer for them and many others.

THE MOURNING AFTER – SHEFFIELD GIG 1988

The Mourning After are still around and releasing records on various independent record labels. There has been several line-up changes and many years of hiatus in between polishing their belt buckles, smoking cigarettes, and in the case of bassist Scott Cardwell – growing a lumberjack beard.

Back in 1988 they were playing mainly North East and South Yorkshire pub dives, creating their unholy racket in front of devoted followers, mods and fellow garage punk outsider types. It was real music fashioned from real instruments, usually vintage gear.

It was wild, ragged and noisy, but always enjoyable and exhilarating. When singer Chris Blackburn expelled one of his aggressive screams he sounded like a threatened jackal, lurching himself to attack, possibly to rip your throat out.

I’ve remastered my old TDK D60 demo tape, the one keyboard player Kev Teasdale handed to me back in the day, probably late 1988. Using some Magix Audio software and iZotope RX7 I’ve refreshed the tape recording, boosted the highs and increased the gain by 4db.

Waiting On You
I Want Your Love
She’s Gonna Get It
Out For The Count
I Don’t Know
Pauline
Drivin’ Me Insane
She’ll Be Gone
It’s Gonna Be Alright

SOUNDS LIKE HITS – “NO. 6” (FONTANA SFL 13149) APRIL 1969

I bought this album last month from Scope charity shop in Chester-le-Street. It was only a quid so doesn’t really owe me anything. Cover and the vinyl is in great condition which is always a bonus. But what about the music?

“Get Back” and “Pinball Wizard” are weak and not very convincing, although they’re interesting to hear. These recreations demonstrate just how much power runs deep in the original versions.

The stand-out number on side one is “Nowhere To Run”, originally a miss in the charts for Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. This is a powerful cut, beautifully played. The femme vocalist has real potency in her performance. I guess I need to find some original Martha Reeves records. Duly noted!

Side two showcases a decent enough version of “Ragamuffin Man”, and a memorable little bubblegum pop number called “Michael And The Slipper Tree”. I’ve never heard this one before so had to rake around the internet for some details. It turns out to be an original single by The Equals.

back cover liners:

More great songs from the charts! The best and most popular numbers have been grabbed from the current hit parade and with brilliant accuracy are re-recorded using Rediffusion International Music’s own artists.

So accurate are these covers that its practically impossible to tell the difference from the originals. Here are twelve current hit paraders on one album. You can’t get better value.

charity shop purchase @ £1

SOUNDS LIKE HITS – “NO. 5” (FONTANA SFL 13124) FEBRUARY 1969

All in all a strong collection of cover versions – the only numbers that don’t really do much for me are “Monsieur Dupont”, a painful novelty song recorded by Sandie Shaw and “Where Do You Go To”, I’m also not keen on the original by Peter Sarstedt. All personal taste of course.

The Move and both Bee Gees remakes stand out but my winner is “One Road”, an obscure top twenty hit for The Love Affair at the start of 1969.

BACK COVER LINERS:

This album in the ‘Sounds Like Hits’ series is an excellent collection of the cover versions of titles which have been dominating the charts over the past six weeks.

“Blackberry Way” was recorded by The Move weeks before Christmas and after it’s release The Move threatened to split up if it failed. It made the number one position.

At last Glen Campbell has gained the recognition due to him. His recording of “Wichita Lineman” will no doubt be held up as one of the best sounds of pop for many years to come.

Following her failure with “Those Were The Days”, Sandie Shaw returns to the charts with “Monsieur Dupont” which is her first hit of 1969.

“Half As Nice” is a second number one record for The Amen Corner and if they continue with this high standard there will be a lot more.

The Bee Gees creative ability is confirmed by the number of artists who record their material and by the number of hits they have enjoyed themselves. “First Of May” is their seventh hit.

Four years ago “Dancing In The Street” was a hit for Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Today it is another hit and only the great sounds of pop can do that.

Peter Sarstedt wrote “Where Do You Go To?” over a year ago and obviously it’s potential was hopelessly underrated – it’s currently top of the charts.

“Surround Yourself With Sorrow” is perhaps an unlikely title for a song by Cilla Black, as she is currently enjoying a popularity as never before – deservedly so too.

The Love Affair have finally quietened their noisy critics with their latest hit “One Road”, because no group has three hits in a row if completely devoid of talent.

Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations came together to record “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” and when two groups of such outstanding ability fuse chart success is a formality.

Joe South is undoubtedly one of the most underrated singer composers around at the moment. His talents have been richly rewarded with a big hit “Games People Play”.

“To Love Somebody” is yet another hit penned by the Gibb brothers of the Bee Gees and yet another hit for Nina Simone.

charity shop purchase @ £1

NOT THE 9 O’CLOCK NEWS – “TAKEN FROM THE BBC TELEVISION SERIES TRANSMITTED 1979/80” (BBC RECORDS REB 400) OCTOBER 1980

This is a brilliant comedy record, complete with many of my favourite and never-can-be-beaten sketches, taken from the BBC TV series. I was only fifteen years old when this anarchic new wave comedy arrived on the scene. All the kids watched this, even the squares – probably all of our teachers at the School Comp too.

Back in the distant past when Britain could still be considered “Great” – when even BBC produced comedy shows lampooned religion, even Islamic religion, jobless blacks, our Royal Family, homosexual Christians, taking the piss out of the obese and murdering Ayatollah’s. I can’t imagine many of these sketches being allowed nowadays.

It quickly became a trailblazing smash hit, running for four series and making stars of Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson and Griff Rhys-Jones. Among the many famous, and much-loved, sketches included on the LP is David Bloody Attenborough (aka Gerald the Gorilla), Points of View and General Synod’s “Life of Python”.

SKETCHES ON THIS RECORD:

Death Of A Princess (An Apology) / Phone Call

David Attenborough! David Bloody Attenborough!

Confrontation Song

Airline Safety / Kennedy

National Wealth Beds

Simultaneous Translation / Pot Meals

General Synod’s “Life Of Python”

There’s A Man (In Iran) That I Can’t Resist (Much Revered Kinda Weird) Got This Chick In A (Twist):The Ayatollah Song

Closedown

Points Of View

The Bleeding Bloody Esther Bloody Effing Bloody Rantzen Woman

Stout Life

Gob On You / Judge

Gay Christian

Final Demands

Bouncing Song / American Express

Oh! Bosanquet!

I Believe

charity shop purchase @ £5

THE KINKS – “GOLDEN HOUR OF THE KINKS” (GOLDEN HOUR GH-501) OCTOBER 1971

I didn’t really need to buy any more Kinks records, I have everything they released in the ’60s, mostly on their original pressings. Several CD collections too. But just look at the cover! I bought this from a Washington charity shop simply based on the cover artwork.

This Kinks collection is from 1971, despite the garish psychedelic cover! Someone in Golden Hour’s graphic design department must have still been a Dandy from the Chelsea-Set, dropping his acid at the weekend and drawing his visions Monday to Friday.

There are faults to the vinyl though. There appears to have been something pressed hard on to the surface of the record (possibly a small bead) which has made an indentation. Although the stylus doesn’t jump, there’s clearly some playback problem for a few revolutions.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Every new year brings forth a fresh crop of pop groups. They arrive on the scene, make – if they’re lucky a mark or two on the charts – and then depart. It certainly isn’t often that they possess the kind of durability that has graced the career of The Kinks.

For here is one group who have proved, beyond any shadow of a doubt their ability to please record buyers and concert audiences alike.

Hit records, sell-out concerts . . . the Kinks have seen it all and what’s more their hit records have been scored on songs that can be listened to long after chart positions have been forgotten. Such is the reputation of a group more than blessed with great talent.

The Kinks are all fine instrumentalists and with the creative force of Ray Davies’ writing to give lyrics a rare perception and music a solid commercial appeal, they’ve written many times over and secured their place forever, in the history book of contemporary pop.

For all who love the best in pop music “The Kinks Greatest Hits” provides much more than just a catalogue of their greatest hits. It also gives an overall insight into the kind of musical talent that many groups would dearly love to possess, but never will.

Side 1
1. Days		stereo mix (2:52), recorded May 1968 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
2. Wonderboy		stereo mix (2:47), recorded Mar 1968 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
3. Autumn Almanac		simulated stereo (3:10), recorded Sep 1967 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
4. Waterloo Sunset		stereo mix (3:17), recorded Apr 1967 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
5. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion		simulated stereo (2:59), recorded 7 Feb, 1966 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
6. Dead End Street		simulated stereo (3:20), recorded probably 22 Oct, 1966 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
7. Set Me Free		simulated stereo (2:10), recorded 14 Apr, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 1), London
8. Sunny Afternoon		simulated stereo (3:31), recorded 13 May, 1966 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
9. Till The End Of The Day		UK simulated stereo (2:18), recorded 25-30 Oct, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
10. Sitting On My Sofa		simulated stereo (3:03), recorded 29, 30 Dec, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

Side 2
1. Victoria		stereo mix (3:38), recorded May-Jun 1969 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
2. A Well Respected Man		simulated stereo (2:38), recorded probably 6 Aug, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
3. You Really Got Me		simulated stereo (2:13), recorded mid-Jul 1964 at IBC Studios, London
4. All Day And All Of The Night		simulated stereo (2:20), recorded 24 Sep, 1964 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
5. Tired Of Waiting For You		simulated stereo (2:30), recorded 17, 18, 24, 25 Aug 1964 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London, with additional guitar overdub at IBC Studios, London in 29 Dec 1964
6. See My Friends		simulated stereo (2:44), recorded 3 May, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 1), London
7. Louie Louie		simulated stereo (2:57), recorded 18 Oct, 1964 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
8. Animal Farm		stereo mix (3:00), recorded Apr 1968 at Pye Studios (No. 1), London
9. Shangri-la		stereo mix (5:18), recorded May-Jun 1969 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
10. Where Have All The Good Times Gone		UK simulated stereo (2:48), recorded 25-30 Oct, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

charity shop purchase @ £4

OF ALL FILMS, WESTERNS HAVE ALWAYS REACHED THE WIDEST AUDIENCES, NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES BUT AMONG CINEMA-GOERS OF EVERY NATIONALITY

I bought this record from a charity shop in Chester-le-Street a couple of weeks ago for the princely sum of one whole English pound. Can’t go wrong with a price like that can you? Sadly it appears that the previous owner must have been having their own Cowboys and Indians shoot-out over this record because there are two bad scratches on side one, making the LP jump a few times.

So, I need an upgrade because one of the damaged tracks is “A Fistful Of Dollars” – Geoff Love and his Orchestra have done an amazing job on that track especially. I could be wrong but I think I can here some kind of prehistoric synthesiser on this. could it be a Moog?

UPDATE:

Since my initial post in December 2021 I have located a cleaner copy of this album and have created an audio music file of “A Fistful of Dollars”

BACK COVER LINERS:

Of all films, westerns have always reached the widest audiences, not only in the United States but among cinema-goers of every nationality. How is it that films that deal with the doings of a small number of men during a short period of American history have managed to capture the imagination of cinema-goers all over the globe?

Perhaps it’s because everything in a western is big – the heroes are twice as heroic, the villains twice as evil, and they play out their struggle against the backdrop of the most spectacular country in the world, the parched deserts, rolling prairies and towering mountains of the American West.

Add to this the kind of action that follows when armed men are fighting for their survival in a lawless society, and you have some of the ingredients that make a Western compulsive viewing. Film composers were not slow in taking up the challenge of writing for westerns, and they have developed a style of music that expresses the romance of the West even better than the action on the screen.

With a sweep of the strings they can conjure up the limitless horizons of the Big Country, and with triumphant brass welcome the return of the victorious hero (or, when necessary, summon the US Cavalry).

Who can listen to High Noon without seeing Gary Cooper once again, facing his fate alone in the main street, or hear the theme from Gunfight At The OK Corral without almost smelling the gunsmoke as Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas fight it out with their desperate foes?

On this album Geoff Love and his Orchestra have collected together twelve of the most memorable western themes ever written. The classics such as Shane and High Noon are here, together with more recent blockbusters such as The Magnificent Seven or the Cinerama epic How The West as Won.

But, as if to show how international the Western really is, the most popular Westerns of recent years have come from Italy – they’ve stuck faithfully to a formula of blood and violence that has been drawing the crowds ever since the days of the gladiators, but they’ve also been distinguished by theme tunes (A Fistful Of Dollars, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly) that have reached the top in hit parades all over the world.

Here’s an LP that brings you all the romance and adventure of the Wild West, in film themes that will take you back to your most exciting moments in the cinema.

Put it on the record player, and dream of those wide-open spaces, that blazing sun, and the men and women who made lives for themselves in the untamed land.

charity shop purchase @ £1

SURFIN’ USA – “VARIOUS” (PICKWICK STARTRAX SHM 974) MARCH 1979

Did surf music ever go away? I’m not sure but it did have a kind of resurgence in Britain in the late ’70s into the early ’80s with groups like The Barracudas and The Surfin’ Lungs. This album is a neat introduction to American outfits Jan & Dean, The Beach Boys, The Hondells, The Surfaris and The Chantays.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Surf music began as instrumental music, a direct outgrowth of the sax and guitar instrumentals of the late ’50s, and came to dominate teenage music in America between 1961 to 1965.

Initially just a surf sound not directly connected with surfing, it gradually. It evolved into an all embracing ‘summer’ music with the emphasis switching from the surf through to hot-rods, beaches and fun in general with California becoming the promised land. Surf music from being a local trend grew into an internationally popular sound.

Although the heydays of surf music as such were over by the late ’60s, it is still regarded as a classic form and has played a major role in the development of what is known today as West Coast Rock.

THE CHANTAYS, THE SURFARIS, THE HONDELLS

With the increasing popularity of the surf sound locally, thousands of Californian instrumental bands turned into surf bands. Between 1961 and 1962 the staccato guitar sound of Dick Dale provided a catalyst and he was soon imitated by a whole wave of surf groups including The Chantays, The Surfaris and later, in the hot-rod phase, by The Hondells with the classic “Little Honda”.

Bands such as these firmly established an audience for surf-related music but it took Jan & Dean and, in particular, Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys to give it a commercial cast to which the rest of the world could relate.

JAN & DEAN

Second only to the Beach Boys as America’s prime exponents of surf music, Jan & Dean had their first chart success together as Jan & Arnie in 1958. In 1962 they started singing about their favourite pastime – surfing.

Around this time a close association with the Beach Boys began when Brian Wilson introduced them to his composition “Surf City”. Jan & Dean recorded it and “Surf City”, which became a classic surf sound, opened up a vintage period for them.

A string of hits followed such as “Little Old Lady From Pasadena”, “Deadman’s Curve” and “Drag City”. The relationship between Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys developed and they often sang on each other’s hit records – indeed Brian Wilson reputedly sang the lead on “Deadman’s Curve”.

In 1966 a serious car accident left Jan seriously ill, both physically and mentally, and resulted eventually in the dissolution of the partnership. Nonetheless, the impact of Jan & Dean on Sixties pop in general and surf music in particular was considerable.

THE BEACH BOYS

Formed in California in 1961, the Beach Boys, masterminded by Brian Wilson, became America’s only real challenge to the Beatles and were the most prominent white American group of the early and middle ’60s. Variously known as Carl and the Passions and later Kenny and the Cadets, they became the Beach Boys for the release of what was to become their first big hit, “Surfin'”.

“Surfin’ Safari” followed in 1962 but it was “Surfer Girl” which really brought their strong vocal harmonies and cool, cruising falsetto to the fore. It became a sound which, although often imitated, was immediately identifiable with surf music generally and the Beach Boys in particular.

The role of Brian Wilson in the development of surf music cannot be understated. A brilliant composer, he, more than any other single person, placed surf music firmly in the public eye, writing the majority of the best surf songs and guiding the music through its transitional phases when the emphasis switched to hot-rods, beaches and summer fun in general.

Under the aegis of Wilson, the Beach Boys went from strength to strength and ensured the international popularity of the sound, absorbing and reflecting the emerging lifestyle of teenage California.

charity shop purchase @ £1

tracklist:

Jan & Dean	Little Deuce Coupe
The Beach Boys	Surfin’ Safari
Jan & Dean	I Get Around
Jan & Dean	Drag City
The Hondells	Little Honda
Jan & Dean	Fun, Fun, Fun
Jan & Dean	Ride The Wild Surf
The Beach Boys	Surfin’
Jan & Dean	Help Me Rhonda
The Beach Boys	Surfer Girl
Jan & Dean	Little Old Lady From Pasadena
The Chantays	Pipeline
Jan & Dean	Deadman’s Curve
The Surfaris	Wipe Out
Jan & Dean	Surf City

SPECTRUM – “THE LIGHT IS DARK ENOUGH” (RCA INTERNATIONAL INTS 1118) 1970

I have everything The Spectrum released in Britain now that I found “The Light Is Dark Enough” LP in a Chester-le-Street charity shop for £1. I must say that I was extremely surprised to see this one on a shelf with around a hundred or so albums. I wondered to myself “Who was hip enough to buy this in 1970?”

The music is typical late sixties UK pop, any psych touches turning more progressive with intricate instrumentation and the organ sound in particular. Listen to their ambitious experimenting on “Walrus And The Horse” for instance – impressive.

They tried their best with the Beatles turkey “Ob-La-Di” but of course, no combo could make a silk purse out of that sow’s ear.

“Glory” is a success, I like this tasteful soft rocker. It reminds me of the Stones’ “Can’t Always Get What You Want” for some reason? If you want bouncy pop with harmonies “Portobello Road” will fit the bill, the mock Motown on “Headin’ For A Heatwave” just makes the cut too.

All in all, a very good album created by a group who had the ability but for whatever reason failed to punch above the second division groups in Britain. Their success in Europe was probably bittersweet.

BACK COVER LINERS:

Formed in 1967, The Spectrum got off to a flying start with a number one hit in Spain, followed later the same year with another Spanish No. 1, “Heading For A Heatwave”, featured here.

Popular at home as well, all five members of the group are English, Tony Atkins – lead guitar, Tony Judd – bass guitar, Bill Chambers – organ, Colin Forsey – vocalist and Keith Forsey – drummer.

The Forsey brothers wrote three of the songs included on this album: “Nodnol”, “Mandy” and “Mr Jenkins Brand New Boots” and all members of the group sing harmony.

By the time “Ob-La-Di” was released in 1968, Bill Chambers had left the group to be replaced by Peter Wood on organ. The song was The Spectrum’s third No. 1 (Germany)

The Spectrum went through another change in the summer of 1969 when Tony Judd left, and Tony Atkins switched to bass guitar with Colin Forsey on rhythm guitar.

In addition to their list of hits, The Spectrum have also recorded tracks for two film and played a small screen role. They arranged and performed songs for an American TV series and appeared regularly on British, Spanish and German television as well as making the college and club circuit in England.

Listen to the most recent tracks of their album, “Glory” and “The Light Is Dark Enough” and you’ll know why The Spectrum have been labelled young, gifted and great!

charity shop purchase @ £1

JOSE FELICIANO – “FANTASTIC FELICIANO” (RCA INTERNATIONAL INTS 1058) 1970

Originally released in 1966: Oh dear, poor young Jose has fallen foul of the record industry on this release and the ultimate need to have hit records. He’s basically operating as a lounge singer with old-timers’ square backing of brass and strings. This swing heavy big band sound means that his acoustic guitar is buried deeper than a squirrel’s hazelnuts.

None of the hippie long-hairs who bought his 1968 break-through album containing “California Dreamin”, “Light My Fire” and all of those great and inspired Beatles cover versions will have gone any where near this.

As long as at least one track is worthy from all of these cheap (unknown to me) charity shop purchases I can be content in the knowledge that all was not lost. It was touch and go if any number would rear it’s head from this mire and I’m pleased to say that “Quit While You’re Ahead” has a certain charm, Jose is utilising a group sound on this with guitars and organ.

At last, it’s GO GO GO!

BACK COVER LINERS:

Sometimes an entertainer finds himself by the time-honoured, often painful process of trial and error. In the case of young Jose Feliciano, there has been much trial and little error.

Trying experience has led to a multi-coloured career for Jose. He has, in a way, fallen into areas he hadn’t intended for himself. Reviewers of his personal appearances and recordings have complained, in a sense, that he does too many things too well. How do you categorise a guy who can do everything?

‘Fantastic Feliciano’, then, in addition to being grooved for lovers of exciting pop music, should make it easy for niche-happy reviewers.

Here is Jose’s intensively appealing voice underscored by his first-rate guitar. The music finds him in a lover’s groove headed straight down soul road. It finally puts on record the sort of material he’s been doing in clubs to overwhelming receptions.

Jose does selections like “For Sentimental Reasons”, “I Wish You Love”, “To Each His Own”, and “I Miss You So”, backed occasionally by voices or strings and always by a lot of musicianship.

And just to show he hasn’t lost any of his versatility, there is a sprinkling of selections in a bright uptempo vein, which ideally gives the album balance. You can’t lose sight of the fact that Feliciano’s superb ballad side is showing, the side he seems destined to follow to the top.

At twenty, Jose Feliciano already displays a staggering amount of star qualities, all the more impressive because they aren’t based on fads but on rather solid accomplishments. You’ll be hearing more and more of this fine young talent.

charity shop purchase @ £1

JOSE FELICIANO – “SOULED” (RCA VICTOR RD 8008) NOVEMBER 1968

This was the follow-up to the wildly successful “Feliciano!”, released at the back end of 1968. No doubt the swift release was to cash-in on his new found popularity and with Christmas coming soon, it would mean more potential sales.

The album title “Souled” is relevant because Jose Feliciano appears to have deliberately changed his vocal delivery, attempting to add a deeper sense of feeling to the songs he’s covering. I’m not so sure this works on a full album’s worth of material. I got a bit lost-off and lost concentration.

I preferred his singing dynamics from his previous 1968 album. That being said, I appreciate this emotive singing more that I do the Tom “I’ve got dynamite in my balls” Jones, type of shouty shouty.

Some of Hollywood’s finest session musicians played on this including Milt Holland and Jim Gordon on percussion / drums. Strings and woodwind instruments were added by Jim Horn and arranged by Al Capps.

“Hitchcock Railway” gets into an interesting funky groove with it’s organ backing, even young Jose sounds pleased to be singing along in a faster tempo. It’s a shame no other numbers are in this style. This is my winner of the “Souled” set. The song was later recorded by Joe Cocker.

RECORDED IN RCA’S MUSIC CENTRE OF THE WORLD, HOLLYWOOD, CA

charity shop purchase @ £1

JOSE FELICIANO – “FELICIANO!” (RCA VICTOR SF 7946) AUGUST 1968

I found this album for £1 in ‘Books And Bread For Kenya‘, a charity shop in Chester-le-Street a few weeks ago. It’s in really good shape and worth every penny I spent, another one of those records I’ve bought from second-hand shops that looks barely played, if at all.

I’ve been aware of “Feliciano!” for many years but for some reason never indulged my curiosity, but for a bin lid I was prepared to take that chance. I assumed his music would be tedious acoustic instrumentals, played on a Spanish guitar.

Yes folks! just as I thought. I’ve been missing out on some really top drawer music for decades because of my failure to look past an album cover. Side One in particular is fabulous, the whole album is, but the first side is sensational.

“California Dreamin'” and “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” are transformed with Jose’s expressive singing voice. Both numbers are well chosen, the orchestrations are wonderful. “Light My Fire” was his big hit single in 1968 and previously the only track I’d ever heard from him. The Beatles covers are also inspired.

Side two veers into a more soulful direction with tunes like “Sunny” and “Nena Na Na” bringing the best out of Jose Feliciano’s poignant vocals. The acoustic instrumental of “Here, There And Everywhere” demonstrates his ability to create a meaningful interpretation of a Beatles number. Not just a copy, this is a masterful and skillfully played Feliciano fashioning.

Released	June 1968
Recorded	November 21, 1967 – January 1968
Studio	RCA’s Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California

BOBBY GOLDSBORO – “HELLO SUMMERTIME” (UNITED ARTISTS UAS 29691) SEPTEMBER 1974

Here’s another record I took a chance on from a charity shop in Sunderland last week. I know absolutely nothing about Bobby Goldsboro, I’ve never previously bought any of his records or listened to his music. I didn’t even know what his music would sound like.

I looked at the cover. He looked like he was in his thirties. Hmmn, that probably makes him a relic of the sixties. He wore his shirt outside his jeans and had a wide-brimmed hat atop his head, the hat had buckles around it like the one’s on Jim Morrison’s belt.

OK, what is the price? £1. What is the condition of the record? With a quick inspection I formed the opinion that it had received less that half a dozen plays. That’s fine, I’ll take a chance at £1. After all I’m really giving a donation to a charity.

Most of the numbers on the album are his singles from February 1965 with the release of “Little Things” right up to and including “Hello Summertime”, issued on United Artists in July 1974.

Bobby Goldsboro didn’t have that many big hits in Britain, nothing charted until “Honey” in the Spring of 1968. It reached #2 and is possibly one of the most cringe-worthy records I’ve heard. More palatable though is his self-penned “Little Things”, covered by Dave Berry.

“Voodoo Woman” is also a decent song although compared to the mid-sixties beat merchants from Britain in ’65 this can be filed under ‘soft-centred R&B’ and unlikely to have any long-haired, Beatle-booted kid going wild.

“Voodoo Woman” was also covered around the same time by Gary Lewis & The Playboys on their ‘Session With’ album (Liberty LST 7419).

BACK COVER LINERS:

This album covers a decade . . . to be precise, the ten years since “See The Funny Little Clown” was a top five smash in the States . . . included also are the three songs which have provided Bobby with huge success in Europe and particularly Britain namely “Honey”, “Summer (The First Time)” and the song that started life as a television and cinema advertisement for Coca-Cola namely “Hello Summertime”.

Another American critic describing a recent Goldsboro appearance remarked ‘those who came to see the entertainer were treated to 24-carat Goldsboro’.

24-carot indeed and each track on this set has played an integral part in contributing to his recorded wealth

In the States, Bobby Goldsboro who now hosts a highly popular syndicated television series, first arrived on the record charts in 1962 with a song called “Molly”. The tune enjoyed mild success, but his next hit, “See The Funny Little Clown”, catapulted him to the top of the charts where he has remained ever since.

Bobby’s musical career had its beginning at Auburn University in Alabama when he formed a group with fellow students. Because of his talents as a guitarist, he was later hired as a musician for Roy Orbison, the rock star who was then at his peak.

While with Orbison, Bobby found time to polish up another of his blossoming talents, song writing. His skills as a composer, singer and musician eventually brought him to the attention of United Artists Records, who signed him to a contract.

In 1968 Bobby recorded the biggest hit song of the year, “Honey”. The plaintive song, penned by Bobby Russell, topped the four million mark in record sales.

Bobby writes many of his own hits, often looking no further than his own family environment for inspiration. His two children prompted compositions like “Danny” and “Broomstick Cowboy”.

Several of Bobby’s songs wound up as hits for other artists, such as “With Pen In Hand”, a smash for Vikki Carr that has been recorded by more that 75 other singers.

charity shop purchase @ £1

GLEN CAMPBELL – “GREATEST HITS” (CAPITOL ST 21885) NOVEMBER 1971

I don’t know much about Glen Campbell other than he was a respected session musician in Hollywood during the mid-sixties, working with The Monkees, The Beach Boys and Sagittarius. Many others of course, but the three groups I’ve mentioned are regulars on my blog. Apparently Glen was an uncredited lead singer on the classic “My World Fell Down”.

Until I bought this album from Barnardo’s in Sunderland for £1 I’ve never had the need to research Glen Campbell’s history so I’m astonished at the amount of success he had in Britain before the mid seventies dross of “Rhinestone Cowboy”. It was that song that has put me off taking a chance on his records for decades.

This “Greatest Hits” collection is mainly focussed on his singles from the late sixties to the end of 1971. Most of them charted, and quite high in the charts too. His hit singles with their UK chart position in brackets:

“Wichita Lineman” – January 1969 (7)
“Galveston” – February 1969 (14)
“All I Have To Do Is Dream” – November (3)
“Try A Little Kindness” – January 1970 (45)
“Honey Come Back” – April 1970 (4)
“Everything A Man Could Ever Need” – August 1970 (32)
“It’s Only Make Believe” – November 1970 (4)
“Dream Baby” – March 1971 (39)

Simply put, this is the best £1 I’ve ever spent on a record. The condition of the vinyl is mint – it doesn’t look like it had ever been played! The music is great too, all of the numbers are highly commercial for that period in time. I’ll even forgive Capitol for the typo on the cover. A highly recommended LP for Glen Campbell novices. I’m now making it my duty to seek out these original 45s.

My choice is his orchestrated cover version of “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, made famous by the Everly Brothers. Glen is joined on this recording by Bobbie Gentry to blend the vocal harmonies.

charity shop purchase @ £1

TOP OF THE POPS – “VOLUME 19” (HALLMARK SHM 750) SEPTEMBER 1971

Another very strong contender in the “Top Of The Pops” cannon of remakes, all of the numbers expertly played and produced by professionals. The singer-songwriter was a popular chart entry in 1971 and their songs are well represented on here.

The versions of “Nathan Jones”, “I Believe (In Love)” and the drum action on “Back Street Luv” sounds wonderful. This is exactly how I like my drums and percussion to sound – real, lively and inventive.

The vinyl itself is heavyweight and plays without ANY crackle or pops. I can’t believe that the record only cost me 50 pence. It makes me wonder why I have spent so much money on inferior BRAND NEW records in the past. No one can manufacture records as good as they did in the sixties and early seventies that’s for sure.

Sleeve notes:

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. We asked you wonderful Pop Fans on our last “Top of the Pops” sleeve if you would help us make that record (SHM.745) into the third successive No.1. Well, you’ve done it! This must be a record! The “Record Retailer” gives that record Top Spot following the two earlier numbers, SHM.735 and SHM.740, both fantastic successes at No.1 when they were issued.

We’re tremendously grateful, and on this latest “Top of the Pops” we’ve pulled out all stops to give you the best value in the world for your money.

All of us at Hallmark Records – vocalists, instrumentalists, recording engineers, back room boys – have sweated blood to give you this fabulous album. We hope you all like it enough to make it – dare we say? – another No.1!

Side 1

What Are You Doing Sunday Originally a hit for Dawn
Bangla Desh Originally a hit for George Harrison
It’s Too Late Originally a hit for Carole King
Let Your Yeah Be Yeah Originally a hit for The Pioneers
You’ve Got A Friend Originally a hit for James Taylor
Nathan Jones Originally a hit for The Supremes

Side 2

I Believe (In Love) Originally a hit for Hot Chocolate
I’m Still Waiting Originally a hit for Diana Ross
Move On Up Originally a hit for Curtis Mayfield
Back Seat Of My Car Originally a hit for Paul McCartney
Hey Girl, Don’t Bother Me Originally a hit for The Tams
Back Street Luv Originally a hit for Curved Air

charity shop purchase @ 50 pence

TOP OF THE POPS – “VOLUME 23” (HALLMARK SHM 785) APRIL 1972

A great year was 1972! It was the year when I gave my life-long devotion to Leeds United. Coincidentally, this “Top Of The Pops” collection of remakes was released just a month before that glorious F.A. Cup Final win versus Arsenal at Wembley. The old and historic Wembley before it was flattened and rebuilt. “Clarke . . . . one – nil . . . “

Back to the album. There are some very good performances on this. I don’t dislike anything here to be honest with you. Even the soul numbers are a triumph, not that I know much about soul music. The remake of “Back off Boogaloo” is a success, it expertly retains that glam rock thud and echo of the original Ringo Starr hit.

My choice though is “Hold Your Head Up” – a smart run through of the recent Argent single. I can’t remember ever hearing the original.

Sleeve notes:

People, it is said, can become cynical, blasé, bored, even resentful, with constant success.

We’re different.

Our last Top of the Pops album (SHM 780) again hit the top spot in Britain’s L.P. Chart – our fifth No. 1 in the past twelve months! And we’re as thrilled with this as we were with our first success a year ago.

None of this success is possible without the help of all you Pop enthusiasts; and that’s why – because you are discriminating and want value for money – we go to enormous effort to select the best hits, the best vocalists, the best musicians for our public.

We are now Britain’s front runners with “Top of the Pops” and, with your magnificent help, we aim to stay in front for a long, long time. So we present this, our 23rd edition. We hope you like it!

Side 1

Beg, Steal Or Borrow Originally a hit for The New Seekers
Hold Your Head Up Originally a hit for Argent
Sacramento Originally a hit for Middle Of The Road
Without You Originally a hit for Nilsson
What Is Life Originally a hit for Olivia Newton-John
Sweet Talking Guy Originally a hit for The Chiffons

Side 2

Alone Again (Naturally) Originally a hit for Gilbert O’Sullivan
Floy Joy Originally a hit for The Supremes
Meet Me On The Corner Originally a hit for Lindisfarne
It’s One Of Those Nights Originally a hit for The Partridge Family
Back Off Boogaloo Originally a hit for Ringo Starr
Too Beautiful To Last Originally a hit for Engelbert Humperdinck

charity shop purchase @ £2

TOM JONES – “FROM THE HEART” (DECCA SKL 4814) SEPTEMBER 1966

I rescued Tom’s fourth album from a box of records in a charity shop in Sunderland. I had no idea what the Welsh wailer would be up to on this long-player but was prepared to take it home with me for the princely sum of £1.

For me the most interesting thing about the record is the front cover design, a photograph of Jones overlooking his hometown of Pontypridd. It was taken on Graig Mountain, on the path above Graig Terrace that leads to Upper Alma Terrace in Treforest.

I HAVE A VISION IN MY MIND OF TEENAGE TOM WANDERING THE STREETS OF PONTYPRIDD AND SHOWING OFF TO HIS SWEETHEART LINDA BY POSSIBLY SHADOW BOXING, KUNG-FU KICKING TRAFFIC CONES AND DOING THE SPLITS IN HIS CUBAN-HEELED BOOTS.

Jackie – 20/08/66

The music on the record is mostly swing and ballads sung in his crooner style all sweetened, made even more sugary with sweeping string arrangements – in other words – over produced. Not my scene at all. He was much better doing the thumping rhythm and blues numbers from his earlier days.

There are some songs on here that I’ve heard done by other artists such as “Georgia On My Mind”, “Kansas City” and “A Taste Of Honey”. Sadly Tom Jones’ versions are smothered in brass and strings to the point that they’re unrecognisable.

I was hoping that there would be at least one unholy banger on “From The Heart” but the Beat has been drained away to the point where my mind is wandering and I want to listen to something more interesting. Tom’s voice is also annoying the hell out of me. I can take one of his ’60s songs here and there but a full album!!? – No! – not for me.

“Kansas City” starts off promising with some bluesy hammond organ but quickly dies a death. “Someday” has some great swingin’ organ and is perhaps my go to track on this collection of songs.

charity shop purchase @ £1

“Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits”

THE TOP OF THE POPPERS – “SING & PLAY SIMON & GARFUNKEL’S GREATEST HITS” (HALLMARK SHM 783) 1972

Sleeve notes:
Following the outstanding success of our Hallmark L.P. “The Top of the Poppers present the Beatles’ Golden Hits,” our brilliant London-Based group of session musicians and singers, “The Top of the Poppers” present another selection of all-time hits made famous by, perhaps, the greatest duo in Pop music to-day, Simon & Garfunkel.

Their “Bridge over Troubled Water” will remain a classic of its kind for ever; for in this soulful, plaintive, haunting melody is the distilled essence of Man’s tribulations.

Great composers automatically attract attention wherever and whenever their music is performed and in the case of Simon and Garfunkel there can scarcely be a territory in the world that hasn’t heard one at least of their classics. And classics they are, rightfully taking their place in the musical library of the day as songs that are a reflection of our times and the creation of two finely-tuned musical minds.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel don’t write or appear together very much these days; like many teams they’ve separated in order to pursue other activities in show business. But their partnership, particularly during the late 1960’s gave us some superb songs and you’ll find most of them on this album.

“The Sound Of Silence”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “The Boxer”, “Cecilia” are songs that future generations of entertainers will sing with the same delight that the Top of the Poppers give them. They’ll sing them and enjoy singing them simply because they contain just about every ingredient needed for a performer to feel confident; the lyrics make sense and have a feel that is lasting and the melody has real strength.

If that’s what success in popular music is all about then Simon and Garfunkel capture it – and capture it truly. All that’s needed is an appreciative audience and you alone can provide that.

I am very impressed with the quality on show with this recreation of Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest hits. The music is played beautifully, the production and studio arrangements are exceptional and the blended vocal harmonies are wonderful.

I have learned a valuable lesson by buying this album from a charity shop the other day. I no longer have ANY need to be a music snob. I’m now full of admiration for the old guard of musicians and performers. At least I’ve discovered that there is a lot more to discover out there.

MY ’60S GARAGE PUNK BLINKERS HAVE BEEN REMOVED. OF COURSE, TO ME, THERE IS NOTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN HEARING TEENAGERS RICKENBACKER JANGLE THEIR WAY TO OBLIVION OR POUNDING THEIR SOULS WITH UNADULTERATED FUZZTONES.

However, I’m now at an age where discovery and some kind of open-minded approach / acknowledgment is a requirement. Hopefully, the charity shops I visit will still be a fruitful destination for cheap second-hand records.

I could have picked any track off this album to show-case, they’re all strong contenders but I’ll go for “Scarborough Fair” – no one can possibly fail to be full of admiration for this 1972 remake.

Side 1

The Sound Of Silence
New recording
The 59th St Bridge Song (Feelin Groovy)
New recording
I Am A Rock
New recording
Mrs Robinson
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Scarborough Fair
New recording

Side 2

Homeward Bound
New recording
El Condor Pasa
New recording
America
New recording
The Boxer
Bookends
New recording
Cecilia
New recording

charity shop purchase @ £1

HOT HITS – “VOLUME 4” (MUSIC FOR PLEASURE MFP 5192) FEBRUARY 1971

This LP wasn’t billed as “Volume 4” on the cover (simply ‘4’) but it is indeed the fourth release in MFP’s “Hot Hits” series of budget albums re-hashing chart hits using professional studio musicians, engineers and producers.

The cover shows a model dressed up in a red plastic mini-dress, feather boa and streamers. I can only imagine that this is what every young lass looked like at the village Christmas party in 1970.

I bought my copy from a charity shop on Friday for 50 pence, it was in a rack of unloved records that were surely destined for the shop skip because the majority of them were wrecked with torn covers and scratched vinyl. I salvaged two albums.

All of the numbers are faithful renditions of the originals, “My Sweet Lord” is decent because the vocalist doesn’t try to imitate George Harrison‘s singing. “Resurrection Shuffle” is a good funky work-out with brass. The rest on side one are middle of the road pop tunes.

I bought the album for the cover version of “Chestnut Mare”, a surprise hit for the country rock line-up of The Byrds. The remake is excellent with good vocals and the drums sound particularly pleasant. It’s quite funny listening to an English bloke singing about catching a horse in the wild west of America.

My pick of the album is awarded to the remake of The Tremeloes. I’ve always liked this group and their 1971 none-hit number “Right Wheel, Left Hammer, Sham” is given a good rockin’ work-out. I have no idea what the song is about though. Could it be concerning the trials and tribulations of a grease monkey in the local vehicle maintenance garage?

Side 1

My Sweet Lord – originally by George Harrison
The Resurrection Shuffle – originally by Ashton Gardner & Dyke
Rose Garden – originally by Lynn Anderson
Las Vegas – originally by Tony Christie
Stoney End – originally by Barbra Streisand
Who Put The Lights Out – originally by Dana

Side 2

Sweet Caroline – originally by Neil Diamond
(Where Do I Begin) Love Story – originally by Henry Mancini
Chestnut Mare – originally by The Byrds
It’s Impossible – originally by Perry Como
Right Wheel, Left Hammer, Sham – originally by The Tremeloes
Why – originally by Roger Whittaker

charity shop purchase @ 50 pence

HITS ’67 – “12 TOP HITS SUPERBLY RECORDED” (MUSIC FOR PLEASURE MFP 1089) APRIL 1967

CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE AND THE ORIGINAL SOUNDS?

Back cover liners:

This collection of top hits of 1967 has been carefully chosen. These numbers represent more than just chart-breaking songs; each of them is a pop landmark reflecting the sounds which people now want to hear, but they will live far beyond their reign in the charts for they all have a fresh sparkle about the.

In the last ten years the hit parade has gone through a progressive evolution. We are now past the days of banal moon-in-June slush and have recovered from the primitive three guitars and drums thump-and-bash. 1967 is the year when clever arrangements and exciting new sounds have produced a hit parade of tremendous contrasts.

Eastern sounds, classical music, free-form stylings, blues and folk music and a casting-back to the 1930s have all made their mark and still the purveyors of pop seek new horizons.

Of course, it all started with the Beatles, and their big hit “Penny Lane” was acknowledged as one of the cleverest conceptions in years. The tune is fascinating but so too are the lyrics which show Lennon and McCartney’s tremendous insight into everyday life in their native Liverpool and have a strangely melancholy air.

If the Beatles started it all, then it certainly continued with the controversial Monkees and their American hit “Little Bit Me – Little Bit You”.

Already twice a hit by different artists in the States, “Green, Green Grass Of Home” was revamped by Tom Jones and hit the top-ten all over again. “Memories Are Made Of This” was similarly updated by popular Irish star Val Doonican.

Another number which was revived to become a hit was “Release Me”, originally recorded by Little Esther Phillips and a British chartbuster for Engelbert Humperdink.

Paul Jones left the Manfred Mann group to forge a career of his own and he scored with “I’ve Been A Bad Bad Boy”. Similarly, Alan Price has stayed at the top since his break with the Animals and the amusing “Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear” revealed his superb piano playing.

“This Is My Song”, from the film “A Countess From Hong Kong”, produced a chart battle between Petula Clark and Harry Secombe while “Edelweiss”, which comes from the hit show ‘The Sound Of Music’, burst into the top-ten, sung by Vince Hill.

Georgie Fame took a Billy Stewart original ballad, “Sitting In The Park”, and made it a big British hit with his soulful vocal.

Whilst most of the sounds of 1967 are forward looking, there has also been some successful recapturing of the sounds of yesterday and The New Vaudeville Band‘s “Peekaboo” took this path to the top with its ‘Thirties approach.

Easily the most amusing titled number of the year has been “I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman”, and its unusual use of whistling made it a sure-fire hit for the mysterious Whistling Jack Smith.

The artists you will hear on this album are not those who featured on the original ’67 hits but you will find it difficult to tell the difference as you listen to this faithful presentation of the sounds which have captured the charts.

Side 1

Edelweiss – originally by Vince Hill
Penny Lane – originally by The Beatles
Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear – originally by The Alan Price Set
A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You – originally by The Monkees
Peek-A-Boo – originally by The New Vaudeville Band
Memories Are Made Of This – originally by Val Doonican

Side 2

Release Me – originally by Engelbert Humperdinck
I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman – originally by Whistling Jack Smith
This Is My Song – originally by Petula Clark
I’ve Been A Bad Bad Boy – originally by Paul Jones
Green, Green Grass Of Home – originally by Tom Jones
Sitting In The Park – originally by Georgie Fame

Over the years there has been discussions on various online music forums that David Bowie provided the vocals for the track “Penny Lane”. Bowie, himself denied any involvement. However the rumours persisted. Someone left a comment on one of the YouTube videos stating that it was The Riot Squad.

I haven’t found any evidence that The Riot Squad were the group who recorded the numbers “Penny Lane” and “Little Bit Me – Little Bit You” for this Music For Pleasure release but Bowie was a member of the group for a brief period. Perhaps this is why and how those rumours started?

charity shop purchase @ £1

RECORD COLLECTOR MAGAZINE UPDATE FROM 2013:

Between 1960 and 1967, Easy Beat was broadcast nationally every Sunday morning and was one of the earliest BBC programmes to feature pop music. Presented by Brian Matthew, Keith Fordyce, David Symonds and even, on several occasions, a young Val Doonican, it featured sessions by special guest artists recorded on a Wednesday evening in front of a studio audience at the Playhouse Theatre, Charing Cross.

As one of the house bands, Johnny Howard played behind all the top stars of the day, with Tony Steven singing backing vocals for Del Shannon, Petula Clark, Bobby Vee, Roger Miller and Dionne Warwick, and chatting with Ringo Starr and Gerry Marsden in between rehearsals.

In addition to the live work, Tony was constantly in demand as a session singer, his versatile voice echoing the smooth styles of Dean Martin, Anthony Newley and Tony Christie, with whom he remains a good friend. In December 1967, Columbia released his first solo single, “No Love Like Your Love” / “Try” (DB 8307).

It was early in 1967 that Tony recorded the session that has sparked the “is it David?”

Rumour – or “Bowiegate”, as Tony calls it. The album in question was Hits ’67 (MFP 1089), the first budget collection of cover versions issued on the MFP (Music for Pleasure) label, and Tony recorded two tracks, covering The Beatles’ Penny Lane and The Monkees’ A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You. It was never his intention to mimic anyone, he confirms, and he was not trying to imitate Paul McCartney, let alone David Bowie. It has often been noted that Bowie circa 1967 can sound like Anthony Newley and Tony can certainly take off Newley with ease – so maybe therein lies the answer to the vocal riddle.

Another interesting feature of this version of Penny Lane is the unusual trumpet track, as Tony explained: “Regarding the out-of-sync trumpet, it was not a piccolo trumpet, as some people have speculated. In fact, it was a normal trumpet played an octave or two down and then speeded up, like Pinky & Perky. It was inserted later – but it was the recording engineer who was responsible for it being a beat behind, I think. So blame the engineer, not the trumpet player!”

The man behind the album was Australian producer Bill Wellings, who had pioneered the idea of budget covers as early as 1962, when he created the series of EPs called Top Six. Six hits of the day on one EP, the early issues were recorded using session musicians at Pye studios and sold to retail outlets from the back of Bill’s car, although Pye took over the distribution themselves in 1964. The idea proved very popular, with Pye issuing more than 40 editions by 1967.

Wellings was looking to expand the idea and struck a deal with EMI, whose MFP label was specifically set up to sell budget-priced LPs. Consequently Hits ’67 was released in April that year. Interestingly, the Bowiegate Penny Lane also appeared on Top Six 38, but still without Tony being credited as the singer.

When the full-length albums came out, no singers or musicians were credited, setting the precedent for anonymity on every subsequent budget-priced album. Within a year, other labels such as Marble Arch, Hallmark and Top Of The Pops were all competing for a slice of the lucrative budget market.

The Top Of The Pops label began using top photographers to dress their sleeve designs with scantily-clad glamour models and the MFP Hits series began to look a little drab by comparison. In 1970, MFP fought back by rebranding their albums as Hot Hits, with glossy sleeves that echoed their main rival.

Back in Britain, Tony’s voice, if not his name, became known to millions of children when he recorded the theme song for Jamie & The Magic Torch, a popular animated television series that ran on ITV between 1976 and 1979. This provoked another case of mistaken identity, as Tony was not credited and the singer is often thought to be Tim Brooke-Taylor of The Goodies!

PINK FLOYD – “STOCKHOLM ’67” – GYLLENE CIRKELN, SWEDEN – SEPTEMBER 10, 1967

I bought this bootleg album in a deal from ‘Sound And Vision’ in Chester-le-Street last Friday. The shop owner told me that he bought three copies from a visiting record dealer. I’d never seen it before!

The quality of the sleeve is high, the card is thick, the cover is glossy and the vinyl is heavy. A decent fan-only effort and I wasn’t going to walk away without buying myself a copy.

Sadly, the vocals are buried in the mix to the point where they’re inaudible, but Pink Floyd is head music. The lack of vocals is no big deal. Everything else sounds great, it’s clear that the group were at their psychedelic and creative peak. Or at least Syd Barrett was.

Remember that their first album “Piper At The Gates Of Dawn” was released on the August 5th, 1967. Just over a month later they’re attempting to blow the minds of Swedish fans. A photo from the gig has surfaced recently and it shows the audience sitting down at tables. The latter are strewn with dinner plates and pint glasses.

I’VE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS 1967 PERFORMANCE FROM PINK FLOYD AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS POSTS ON THE INTERNET. I RE-POST SOME OF THE DISCUSSION FROM A STEVE HOFFMAN FORUM THREAD.

POST ABOUT THE GYLLENE CIRKELN TAPE FROM A MEMBER OF THE LAUGHING MADCAPS SYD BARRETT GROUP:

Here at last is the “review” of half the show from Stockholm 1967. I have found the notes I have of the songs. So now I’m sitting here with a dram of Bowmore – will probably be another one before I have finish this email.

The show took place at Gyllene Cirkeln, which lays almost in the heart of Stockholm. It’s still there but now it’s called just Cirkeln. It’s a restaurant, then and now also. It’s open for lunch these days. I have copies of two photos from this show, you can see them in
The Amazing Pudding issue 35.

One is when they play, you see that people just finish eating on that picture. The other one is for me the last group picture of Syd as a Pop Star. (if anyone of you remember our prime minster, Olof Palme, he was shot down 1986 on open street. His last walk from the cinema, was just outside Cirkeln.)

In the summer of 1967, sorry 1986 a friend of mine asked me if I was interested to join him when he should record some tracks for his groups new album. Of course did I join him, I know that their producer was the one how did tape the show in Stockholm 1967 with Pink Floyd.

He also had a jam session with a Swedish group called Hansson & Carlsson (some of you might have heard Hansson first solo album The Lord of the Rings from 1970). The
session is about 4 hours and they did do it together with the one and only Jimi Hendrix !

He did tape a lot of shows from Gyllene Cirkeln, I think one reason was that Hansson & Carlsson did play there often. So he did have his equipment there all the time. So the show is probably recorded the same way as the audience recording from Amsterdam 1969.

He did record the show with a Revox reel and it’s on two reels. It’s the first reel that I have heard two times. You can be sure that I did try to find the other reel but it was thousands of reels laying around in the studio. He though he probably had it at home.

He said that he had to sign some kind of paper before the show, to someone, probably their manager. He couldn’t remember.

So after a recording day in the studio, which ended up with me producing parts of one track on my friends record. He started to mix the Pink Floyd reel in the studio. If I hadn’t know it was a audience recording, it wasn’t hard to think it was a soundboard recording.

Unfortunately was the sound of Syd singing wasn’t good. I don’t know if it was because something was wrong with Syd’s microphone or if Syd didn’t feel like singing properly. (remember that they saw some Swedish people just finishing there dinner – also sitting still)

So here’s what they played:

“Reaction In G”
“Matilda Mother”
“Pow R Toch”
“Scream Thy Last Scream”
“Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun”
See Emily Play”
“Interstellar Overdrive”

I actually considered flying to Stockholm to hear this but couldn’t think of a way to explain it to the wife . See below for a few short comments from from fans that attended the event.

If you’ve voluntarily sat through the Copenhagen and Rotterdam tapes, you’ll go gaga for this one. I’d say it was an “A-” recording, definitely among the very best pre-1970 audience recordings I’ve heard, and quite possibly the best.

It was a solid, heavy rockin’ performance from start to finish, the biggest thrill for me was the only live recording ever of “See Emily Play”, simply for the uniqueness and surprise of it.

Nice improvisations all in all, I think it’s rather incredible that they played this good so early in their career. “Scream Thy Last Scream” contained the best guitar work of Syd’s I have ever heard. Proto-punk.

“Interstellar Overdrive” was magic. Not very long but extremely well played and focused.
“See Emily Play” had the sped-up piano/harpsichord part replaced by sort of a primitive stomping riff, and was a superb surprise.

Very low vocals unfortunately, but crystal clear instruments. A tricky song to play and Syd being an “intuitive” guitarist makes for some jerky changes in the song. But I love it! I think first Rick and then Syd played the bridge back to the riff. Syd through some very atonal notes, quite fitting I think.

The interesting thing is that Syd was very clearly NOT a basket case. I think this recording will stand testament to those who think that Syd was pushed out of the group in favor of a new direction.

DDDBM&T – “TOGETHER” (FONTANA SFL 13173) SEPTEMBER 1969

Back cover liners:

This album was recorded at Philips Studios, Marble Arch, and Lansdowne Studios, Holland Park. Album Produced for Fontana Records by Dave Dee, Ken Howard, Alan Blaikley and Steve Rowland. Cover design: Barry Saich.

When they asked me to write these notes, Dave said “Don’t get all nostalgic about it because this is our last LP together.” But it’s very difficult to avoid a bit of nostalgia in a situation like this. Their career together has been extremely successful all over the world and anyone can be forgiven for wanting it to go on.

Nevertheless, those of us who have been connected – nay, deeply involved – with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich for the past four years fully understand the motives which have brought about the split.

Even a very comfortable rut is still a rut! Dave desperately wants to broaden his talents and Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich seek to change their music and policy as a group.

All of us, Ken and Alan – Jack Baverstock – Harold, Dick and Jennie – Steve Rowland – Bob and Len – Arthur Howes, very much hope that the five very likely lads will succeed in their new and future careers. We’ve all enjoyed the music and the antics of DDDBM&T over the past few years and we couldn’t have wished to work with a better group of artistes.

this album which you’re about to hear, or have just heard, has been recorded and produced with the same care and enthusiasm as all their records. And what a string of successful records they’ve had.

As Disc’s Bob Farmer has observed: the Beatles are the only other group to have such a consistent stream of hit records. One track on the LP – “Mountains Of The Moon” – has everybody on it, and I mean everybody.

The studio was packed with people – all friends, some of whom have become well known themselves since their association with DDDBM&T and others who have remained quietly in the background, but all of whom have played a vital part in making the group the big name it’s been all over the world.

You’ll be seeing and hearing a lot of Dave Dee and DBM&T in the future. Good luck to them and all those loyal fans who have supported them up to now. (Brian Sommerville)

Two singles were released during 1969 and all four numbers are on their “Together” album. An ironic title for their last album because it was the final time they’d actually all be ‘together’. As a long-player the material holds up really well, all of the cuts are still of a high commercial content and chart worthy.

“Margareta Lidman” reminds me of the Bee Gees, especially the arrangement, tempo and vocal harmonies – a good number. So too is the last track on side two and Beatles inspired group composition “Mountains Of The Moon” which deviates into a sort of Beach Boys ramble as it closes out.

The heavier sound and pounding bass on “Love Is A Drum” is an indication of where DDDBM&T could have headed if they had decided to continue after this album. It’s one of their most serious and progressive songs – bang up-to-date and rubbing shoulders with those potent underground sounds of 1969.

The singles “Don Juan” and “Snake In The Grass” were only minor hits by their standards though. Each one climbing as high as #23, then plummeting back out of the charts very quickly. I doubt that they sold in high quantity.

singles:

“Don Juan” / “Margareta Lidman” (Fontana TF 1000) February 1969
“Snake In The Grass” / “Bora Bora” (Fontana TF 1020) May 1969

GLASS PRISM REVIEWED

THE SINGLE:

GLASS PRISM – ’THE RAVEN’/’ELDORADO’ (RCA 74-0205) AUGUST 1969

I don’t usually write about records from 1969 but I’ve had the set of released Glass Prism records for years and have always enjoyed listening to them when I fancy a change from my usual 1965-67 vinyl spinning at EXPO67 HQ.

Glass Prism have a surprisingly healthy presence on the internet, they even have their own website. I’ll post the address with my last Glass Prism posting within the next couple of days. It is from their official website that I have learned that they started life in the early/mid 60s as The El Caminos. They were essentially a Beatles ’tribute’ band but gained a healthy reputation in Berwick, PA.

It seems that the band name at this point in time was taken from a model of a popular Chevrolet car – the El Camino. By late 1968 they had secured a record deal with RCA Records and it was suggested that a much more hipper name for the group would be used – they decided on Glass Prism.

The early Glass Prism recordings were a musicalization of Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre poems. More about those later. Two tracks were taken from their debut RCA album ”Poe Through The Glass Prism” with the top side being ’The Raven’ – at four minutes long I’m thinking that this was risky, although having said that, the single was a local top 10 hit. The more immediate side for me is the punchy ’Eldorado’ – with it’s powerful and rather interesting bass runs.

THE ALBUMS:

GLASS PRISM – ’POE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS PRISM’ (RCA LSP 4201) AUGUST 1969

The first Glass Prism album was a collage of psychedelic rock to the words/poems of Edgar Allan Poe. One would naturally assume that this late 60s concept just wouldn’t work but not only does the marriage reap fine results, Glass Prism produce one of the most interesting psych albums of the late 60s. Surprisingly it’s a piece of work that is virtually ignored.

In my opinion the recording is best listened to in it’s entirety, from the opening song on side one ’The Raven’ to the closer on side two ’A Dream.’ Perhaps my favourite cut on the album is the flower psych dreaminess of ’A Dream Within A Dream’ with it’s lush instrumentation and Association style harmonies. It’s a song just waiting to be discovered and compiled.

All songs were produced by Gene Weiss at Les Paul’s studio in Mahway, New Jersey.

GLASS PRISM – ’ON JOY AND SORROW’ (RCA LSP-4270) 1970

The second Glass Prism LP is a little more progressive than their earlier recordings with the always present late 60s organ sound. If anything, ’On Joy And Sorrow’ is a much more melodic album with some memorable songs including ’She’s Too Much’, ’Extension 68’ and ’Maggie Don’t You Hear Me’.

Gene Weiss was once again selected as producer and work took place at RCA’s Studio C in New York City during early 1970. This album appears to have had little, if any promotion, no single was taken from it as a taster, so the release was probably only snapped up by eager fans in PA.

Soon after ’On Joy And Sorrow’ the group disbanded, although some members went onto form Shenandoah in 1971.ORIGINALLY POSTED 28/10/12

DDDBM&T – “IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE . . . ” (FONTANA TL 5388) DECEMBER 1966

I bought this Dee Dee & Co album from ‘Sound And Vision‘, a shop in Chester-le-Street last Friday. I have the CD stereo reissue on Repertoire but this original pressing on Fontana is the mono mix, so I needed it.

The album had no price on it so I obtained it in a job lot with another Dave Dee LP and a Pink Floyd bootleg, it essentially was free! More about those other records in another post.

DDDBM&T were predominately a singles group, their records were aimed at teens. They wanted chart action and for several years in the late ’60s that’s exactly what they enjoyed. Most of the numbers on here are commercial pop efforts, many of which were released as singles or were given an outing as B-side entertainment.

This is an ideal album to play when you’re not really wanting anything too complex to invade your head space, colourful background noise when you’re plotting something evil e.g. world domination. The tracks on this that weren’t used for singles (A or B-sides) are still of a high quality. “”Hands Off” for instance, is an infectious Easybeats style beat raver.

Their huge British hit is on this of course. “Bend It” sold upwards to a million copies, probably more. It’s a catchy number with frequent changes of tempo, and the Greek style instrumentation added something new and refreshing to the pop music scene.

Around the same period of time that “If Music Be The Food Of Love” was released, DDDBM&T put out the non-album “Save Me.”

ROCK ROCK ROCK – “VARIOUS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL REMAKES” (MUSIC FOR PLEASURE MFP 1273) 1968

Well what do we have here? I found this in my local Scope charity shop for £2 and for that much I wasn’t going to let it rot in a pile of Val Doonican albums. It’s not a genre I’m particular fond of but let’s just see and hear how those Music For Pleasure studio session players made of the rock and roll classics.

The cover photograph is a winner too, a sixties twenty-something swinger dressed in her finest psychedelic dress and a side-burned to the max fella in typical ’68 ‘man-gear’. This type of loose fitting clobber was all the rage with the new groups coming onto the scene like Amen Corner, Plastic Penny and The Herd – so bang up-to-date imagery, especially with the tripped-out photography.

BACK COVER LINERS:

In spite of the hysteria of the promoters, the much-publicised ‘Rock ‘n’ roll’ revival of 1968 made little impact on the charts; but the successful British tours of Bill Haley, Carl Perkins and Duane Eddy proved that, revival or no revival, for thousands of fans over here, Rock ‘n’ Roll has never died.

The qualities that made Rock great in 1958, its directness, simplicity and driving beat, have always had a place in the charts, and the Beatles with ‘Lady Madonna’ and the Stones with ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ lent strength to the argument that it was time for pop to return from the abstruse regions it has been inhabiting recently.

On this record the great originals of Rock ‘n’ Roll are given a fresh and exciting airing. SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL gave Bill Haley and his Comets their first million seller, in 1954, but its follow-up ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK was the disc that really started the Rock revolution moving, and its world sales since issue of fifteen million come second only to the world’s best seller ‘White Christmas’.

In 1955 the explosive sound of Little Richard hit the charts with a song which he helped to compose – TUTTI FRUTTI, and in 1956 came the first huge hit from Elvis Presley, HEARTBREAK HOTEL. Elvis has since won more gold discs than any other singer, and 1968 showed a return to the style of his earlier discs with ‘Guitar Man’.

Another hit of 1956 was the Rock classic BE-BOP-A-LULA, which introduced self-taught singer and songwriter Gene Vincent to the charts. Jerry Lee Lewis is still the greatest exponent of Rock ‘n’ roll piano – he was educated at the Bible Institute, Waxahatchie, Texas, taught himself piano, guitar, violin and accordion, and burst on the scene with WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’ GOIN’ ON.

Elvis was awarded his tenth gold disc for ALL SHOOK UP, and little Richard had a seventh million seller in 1957 with GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY.

JUDY IN DISGUISE is an up to the-minute hit which takes naturally to the Rock ‘n’ Roll treatment given it here.

Maybe you were among the first frenzied fans who danced in the aisles back in the ‘fifties, or perhaps you thought that pop music began with Kenn Dodd, but whether you’re a vintage rocker, a wide-eyed tennybopper, or a hardy flower child, you won’t be able to stop yourself moving as you ROCK ROCK ROCK to the twelve great beat-filled numbers on this LP. Try it at a party – its a rave-up!

charity shop purchase @ £2

PAUL MCCARTNEY AND WINGS – “BAND ON THE RUN” (APPLE PAS 100070 DECEMBER 1973

Well here it is! The first ever Paul McCartney record I’ve bought since he left the Beatles, not that I was old enough to buy records when the Beatles were making historic music. But, at fifty seven years of age, my first Macca record! What will I make of it?

I’ve educated myself because apart from the odd single here and there I’ve got no idea what he’s been up to since 1970. I know he married a one-legged bimbo who fleeced him, and I know that he’s now looking more like my Auntie Florrie when she was alive in the ’70s.

I didn’t even realise that this album was actually by Paul McCartney and Wings, I thought that they only ever went by the name of Wings! The things I learn every day about the music scene.

This was another one of my £2 finds from the local Scope charity shop last week. I must report back and tell you all that the vinyl is in excellent condition. Whoever owned it before me took very good care of it, it appears to have been played a couple of times. The inner sleeve with the lyrics is in amazing condition too. It’s also got a fold-out poster, full of Linda McCartney’s Polaroid photos taken during the recording sessions of the album.

ABOUT THE RECORD:

On 8th June in 1974, Wings started a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with Band On The Run. The album went on to become one of McCartney’s best sellers spending 124 weeks on the UK chart.

But on the run-up to and during recording – McCartney and his band were well and truly ‘on the run’.

The former Beatle was on a roll, his last album Red Rose Speedway had topped the U.S. charts and at last, after a shaky post Beatle start, the future looked good for McCartney and his new group Wings.

Armed with a batch of new songs written at his farm in Scotland, Paul contacted EMI to book the familiar surroundings of Abbey Road studios – only to be informed they were fully booked for the time McCartney had requested.

He asked EMI to send him a list of their international recording studios, resulting in the singer choosing between Rio de Janeiro and Lagos in Nigeria. Paul and Linda fancied a few weeks in Africa, so Lagos it was. The singer later stated the idea of lying on the beach all day and recording in the evening seemed like a great way to make a new album.

THEN THE PROBLEMS STARTED.

In late August 73, five days before departing for Africa – Wings’ guitarist Henry McCullough phoned Paul to announce he was quitting the group. Not so much of a problem as Paul can handle a few licks himself. But worst news was yet to come – on the day they were leaving and just three hours before the plane was due to take off – drummer Denny Seiwell also quit the band.

This left just the core of the band – Paul, Linda and Denny Laine – to venture to Lagos, along with former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick.

Upon arriving in Lagos, the band discovered a country, which was run by a military government, with corruption and disease running rampant. The studio, in the dangerous suburb of Apapa, was ramshackle and under-equipped.

The control desk was faulty and there was only one tape machine. Undeterred the trio started the sessions, working from late afternoons into the night. Paul would play the drums and lead guitar parts with Denny playing rhythm guitar and Linda adding keyboards.

Just as they thought nothing else could go wrong – taking a late night walk, Paul and Linda were robbed at knife-point. The assailants made away with all of their valuables and stole a bag containing a notebook full of handwritten lyrics and songs, and cassettes containing demos for songs to be recorded. They were lucky not to be physically attacked.

A few nights later as McCartney was laying down a vocal track he began gasping for air. Feeling unwell, he went outside for some fresh air – but once he was exposed to the blazing heat he fainted and collapsed to the ground. He was rushed to see a doctor – who informed Paul he had suffered a bronchial spasm brought on by too much smoking.

McCartney recovered and the sessions were completed over the following weeks. When released Band on the Run was met with glowing reviews and saw the album gradually inching its way up the charts.

By the spring of 1974, bolstered by the hits “Helen Wheels”, (named after the McCartney’s Land Rover, which they nicknamed “Hell on Wheels”), “Jet” and the title track “Band on the Run”, it reached #1 in the U.S. on three separate occasions.

Band On The Run contains some of McCartney’s best solo efforts. So let’s finish on a lighter note.

More recently Paul told the tale of how he came to write the song “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)”. Paul and Linda were holidaying in Montego Bay, Jamaica where he met Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen who were working on the film Papillon.

After a dinner with Hoffman, with McCartney playing around on guitar, Hoffman didn’t believe that McCartney could write a song “about anything”, so Hoffman pulled out a magazine where they saw the story of the death of Pablo Picasso and his famous last words, “Drink to me, drink to my health. You know I can’t drink anymore.” Paul rose to the challenge and wrote the song on the spot.

ABOUT THE LP COVER:

Now, depicting the actual band on the run, there were nine famous people, in prison uniform, breaking out of jail and intending to go – yes! – on the run. About to scale a wall to complete the breakout, however, the nine were framed in the harsh glare of a guard’s searchlight.

Three of these nine comprised the aforementioned Wings trio, the other six were celebrities, certainly recognisable to the British observer, two or three of them known also beyond the UK’s shores.

Sleeve wise, left to right, the Band trying to Run numbered:
Michael Parkinson (the journalist best known for his Saturday-night TV chat show)
Kenny Lynch (the singer, friend, occasional actor and TV joker) – died 18/12/19
James Coburn (the American actor – he happened to be in Britain at the time filming The Internecine Project) – died 18/11/02
Clement Freud (the gourmet, raconteur and wit who later went into politics) – died15/04/09
Christopher Lee (the actor best known for his Dracula movie roles) – died 07/06/15
John Conteh (the boxer from Liverpool who went on to become Light-Heavyweight champion of the World).

THE SHADOWS – “GREATEST HITS” (COLUMBIA SCX 1522) RE-ISSUE 1974

Another recent £2 purchase in Scope, my local charity shop. The Shadows are well represented in the bargain bins but this one appealed to me because most of the cuts are in stereo, although two tracks “F.B.I” and “The Boys” are mono recordings electronically reprocessed to give a stereo effect on HI-FI equipment.

BACK-COVER LINERS:

The Shadows’ story began long before their first Chart entry. It started when a young singer named Cliff Richard walked into London’s “Two I’s” coffee bar in search of a backing group – and came out with four young men who, in those days, chose to call themselves The Drifter. And as Cliff developed into one of Britain’s top attractions, so the group rose to fame with him.

In September, 1959, the boys elected to change their name to The Shadows, owing to confusion between themselves and an American group called The Drifters – confusion which was sparked off when Cliff’s “Living Doll” was released in the States.

Soon the Shadows were recording in their own right. Their first release, which enjoyed moderate sales, as “Feelin’ Fine” – and by mid-1960 four of their discs had been issued, of which the biggest seller was “Saturday Dance”. Then came the number which was to boost the Shadows into the top bracket of British recording artists – the forerunner of an unbroken string of releases, every one of which was to achieve hit parade honours.

APACHE was an unexpected and unheralded top table entry in July 1960. While on tour with singer-composer Jerry Lordan, the Shadows had asked him to write a number for them – and he duly came up with this, his first-ever instrumental composition.

At the recording session, Cliff Richard sat in as a bongo player. In August, it dethroned Cliff’s “Please Don’t tease” as Britain’s No. 1 hit, retaining this position for six weeks. Sales subsequently passed the million mark, and the Shadows were awarded a Gold Disc on “Thank Your Lucky Stars” the following April.

By now the boys were a huge attraction in their own right. The group – consisting of Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan – played its first bill-topping concerts (without Cliff) in September, and the following month were voted Britain’s top small group in NME Popularity Poll. The same poll voted “Apache” the best record of the year.

MAN OF MYSTERY, written by Michael Carr as the title number for an Edgar Wallace mystery film series, reached No. 6 spot towards the end of 1960. The Shadows had beensceptical about recording it, since it was a complete departure from the style they had created on “Apache” – with Hank Marvin playing the solo on the treble strings throughout.

With the success of this release, they came to realise the value of varying their style with every disc. At the time, however, they preferred the other side, namely:

THE STRANGER, which was released as a double-A coupling to “Man Of Mystery”, and secured Chart success in its own right.

F.B.I., released in February 1961, shortly before the Shadows accompanied Cliff Richard on their first South African tour, reached No. 4, and is still one of the Shadows’ most-requested stage presentations. It was coupled with a descriptive item of mood music, MIDNIGHT, written by Bruce and Hank.

THE FRIGHTENED CITY was released at a time when the Shadows were heading a touring one-nighter package, while Cliff Richard was making “The Young Ones”; between times, they were fitting in their own contribution to the movie. Written by their recording manager, Norrie Paramor, as the theme music to the British thriller of the same name, it entered the best-sellers in May, 1961, and reached No. 3 position.

KON-TIKI, dedicated to the raft which crossed the Pacific from Peru to the Pacific Islands (and which the boys actually saw in Oslo during their midsummer, 1960, Scandinavian visit), was another Michael Carr composition – remarkable that a writer of so many British song hits since pre-war days could adapt himself so admirably to teenage demands!

The disc (which climbed to No. 6) was released during the Shadows’ Blackpool summer season with Cliff, and coincided with Tony Meehan’s departure – to be replaced by Brian Bennett. The other side “36-24-36” was written by the Shadows themselves – the identity of the girl in question has never been disclosed, but the tune suggests plenty of wiggle as she walks!

THE SAVAGE and PEACE PIPE were both featured by the boys in “The Young Ones” movie. They were never actually intended for singles release – but owing to the boys’ out-of-town commitments preventing them from recording new material, they were issued in November, 1961.

Both numbers were written by Norrie Paramor, and “The Savage” reached No. 9 – just when the Shadows were opening in their first pantomime, “Dick Whittington”, without Cliff.

WONDERFUL LAND. Norrie Paramor, ever on the look-out for a new way of presenting his Artistes, added strings and horns to this side, which, incidentally, had been recorded almost a year before its release.

The boys were away on one of their long tours, but Cliff happened to be in London at that time and came along to the recording studio to hear “The Shadows with Strings” – he was tremendously enthusiastic about it and you know the result – No. 1 for 9 weeks.

It happily coincided with the Shadows’ triumphant bill-topping season at the Paris Olympia in March, 1962. It was coupled with STARS FELL ON STOCKTON, a number written by the boys while in the pantomime in that town. “No special significance in the title”, they explained. “We might just as well have called it “Moonlight in Wigan”.

GUITAR TANGO had been suggested to the Shadows six months before they actually recorded it, but they awaited a satisfactory arrangement before doing so. Strings and cornets were added – the cornet “sound” was the idea of Mike Conlin, Cliff’s Road Manager – again in the boy’s absence, this time while they were filming “Summer Holiday” in Greece.

A complete departure from their previous styles, it featured the Shadows on acoustic guitars, and climbed to No. 4. Jet Harris was still heard on this track, even though he had left the group in April, 1962, to be replaced by Brian ‘Licorice’ Locking.

THE BOYS, the title music from the Richard Todd-Jess Conrad film which was actually featured in the movie by the Shadows, was released in this country only on an E.P. It enjoyed outstanding success abroad, where it was released as a single – particularly in Australia, reaching No. 3 in that Continent.

DANCE ON enjoyed a three-week stay at No. 1 in January 1963 – coinciding with the opening of “Summer Holiday”, and the boys second South African tour with Cliff. In search of new material, Bruce Welch came across a demonstration disc which had been sent to him a year earlier by Norrie – it was “Dance On” composed by the Avons.

Surely there could not be a more appropriate title with which to end this tribute to the foot-tapping team which so deservedly wears the crown as Britain’s foremost small group!

charity shop purchase @ £2

YOU CAN ALL JOIN IN – “VARIOUS” (ISLAND IWPS 2) APRIL 1969

A recent £2 purchase in my local Scope charity shop. I must admit being supremely surprised to find this in a box of forlorn albums, rubbing shoulders with fodder such as Perry Como, Val Doonican and the Kids From Fame.

Whenever I see albums like this in charity shops my mind switches to it’s origin. Who bought this in 1969 and where are they now? The likelihood is that it’s from a house clearance after some old rocker / hippie type died.

It’s not a particularly rare record but at £2 I was never going to let it linger in pain amongst those square records. “You Can All Join In” is a wonderful collection of late ’60s (mostly) psychedelic rock from the Island label.

The front cover shows their artists gathering in a park somewhere. They all look bitterly cold and dressed for the weather. The album was released in April 1969 so I’m thinking that the photo dates from the Winter months of ’69.

Side one

“A Song for Jeffrey” (Ian Anderson) – Jethro Tull – (Alternative mix, original version from This Was) (ILPS 9085)
“Sunshine Help Me” (Gary Wright) – Spooky Tooth – (from It’s All About Spooky Tooth) (ILPS 9080)
“I’m a Mover” (Paul Rodgers, Andy Fraser) – Free – (from Tons of Sobs) (ILPS 9089)
“What’s That Sound”[4] (Stephen Stills) – Art – (from Supernatural Fairy Tales) (ILP 967)
“Pearly Queen” (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) – Tramline – (from Moves of Vegetable Centuries) (ILPS 9095)
“You Can All Join In” (Dave Mason) – Traffic – (from Traffic) (ILPS 9081T)

Side two

“Meet on the Ledge” (Richard Thompson) – Fairport Convention – (from What We Did on Our Holidays) (ILPS 9092)
“Rainbow Chaser” (Alex Spyropoulos, Patrick Campbell-Lyons) – Nirvana – (from All of Us) (ILPS 9087)
“Dusty” – (Martyn) – John Martyn – (from The Tumbler) (ILPS 9091)
“I’ll Go Girl” (Billy Ritchie, Ian Ellis, Harry Hughes) – Clouds – (from Scrapbook) (ILPS 9100)
“Somebody Help Me” (Jackie Edwards) – Spencer Davis Group – (from The Best of the Spencer Davis Group) (ILPS 9070)
“Gasoline Alley” (Mick Weaver) – Wynder K. Frog – (from Out of the Frying Pan) (ILPS 9082)

SOMEONE ELSE’S REVIEW RE-POSTED HERE. MY CHOICE FROM THE COLLECTION IS THE TRACK FROM FREE. THIS NUMBER HAS KILLER PSYCHEDELIC LEAD GUITAR PULSATING AWAY AND WEAVING ’ROUND PAUL RODGER’S WIRED VOCALS. THE DRUMS POUND LIKE INDUSTRIAL HAMMERS AND THE BASS IS VIBRANT AND LOUD. “I’M A MOVER” IS MY KINDA SCENE.

On a cold day, bleary-eyed following a wild party, the marketing men at Island cruelly assembled their stable’s finest in Hyde Park for a photo shoot that was to grace the cover of one of the earliest Progressive music compilations ever, following the success of CBS in this field with their two “Rock Machine” samplers.

A veritable deluge of Progressive music compilations was to follow – notably from CBS (despite the appalling cover featuring the then unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Rockbusters” is one hell of a great collection!), but also from the other “progressive” labels, such as Harvest and Vertigo, but also Decca, who had a string of “Progressive World of…” albums.

On the cover can clearly be seen all the artists that featured on this album – Ian Anderson unmistakable at the back, Sandy Denny at the front extreme right, the guys from Clouds in the middle near the front – I’m fairly sure that’s Billy Ritchie with the silly hat…

This album is absolutely packed with bands that made it (Tull, Free, Traffic), bands that should have made it (Nirvana, Clouds, Tramline), great bands that became greater bands (Art, Spencer Davis Group) and bands and musicians that were colossally influential on the development of Progressive Rock (that’ll be all of them);

Jethro Tull start the proceedings, with “A Song For Jeffrey”. A catchy little blues number augmented by Anderson’s trademark flute, this one is positively driven by the harmonica, with a strong Bluesbreakers feel. Anderson’s peculiarly processed vocals are a little uncomfortable, but convincingly delivered.

The intro is quite striking, with the flute/bass duet creating a unique Tull-style atmosphere. When the harmonica kicks in, it’s a bit of a culture shock, and when Anderson’s vocals hit, we know we’re listening to something a bit experimental – even if the experiment isn’t 100% successful. What is majorly successful is Anderson’s wizardly (but sadly short) flute solo. The rest of the piece comprises these sections alternating, with an interesting burn-out.

Spooky Tooth are up next, with the deliciously crunchy “Sunshine Help Me”, sounding remarkably like Traffic in places, thanks to the Jimmy Miller production.

This is a wondrously Prog-flavoured psychedelic song, powerfully driven by the Hammond, which contrasts nicely with the more delicate keyboard sound, and some of the most gut-wrenching soulful vocals around – on a par with the great Stevie Winwood and Chris Farlowe – not to mention some of the silliest falsetto you’ll ever hear.

Like Winwood, Spooky Tooth feature twice on this album – the second time is in their previous incarnation, Art.

The excitement doesn’t let up, with an offering from the mighty Free – to my jaded ears, a tad on the lugubrious side, but a strong head-nodder, if not a banger, with some superlative pre-Zeppelin riffing and soloing.

Art‘s cover of the Buffalo Springfield number transforms the opening riff into “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate, and for me at least, is a more exciting performance than the Free number, and a nice’n’heavy interpretation of a strong song, successfully combining the popular heavy blues and Northern Soul styles.

The excellent Tramline follow this with a less than excellent song; the Jim Capaldi (later of Traffic!) “Pearly Queen” is altogether average, and performed as if by session musicians – ie no feeling whatsoever. Still, it fits the overall sound and style of this album, and, as a weak number, isn’t too shabby at all.

Traffic themselves close side 1 with the song that gives this compilation its title. Sadly, this is a bit of a marketing gimmick, as the song itself is not one of Traffic’s best, with strong flavours of the Benny Hill theme tune, and super-cheesey lyrics.

The absence of Mr Winwood in the vocals and keyboard depts really hurts this number too, turning it into a C&W-flavoured square-dancing happy dirge, and making the rest of this collection sound more like Traffic than the band themselves do!

Side 2 kicks off with a folk-flavour, underlining the fact that this truly is one of the very first Prog Rock compilations – almost all the various influences are represented! Fairport Convention‘s “Meet on the Ledge”, with it’s anthemic chorus is not one of my favourites, but a sure crowd-pleaser, and a reasonably strong start to the second side.

In its’ favour is a strong bassline, the haunting vocals of Sandy Denny, and an interesting piano-driven instrumental arrangement. On the down side is an unbearably repetitve song and some over-loose drumming.

Fortunately, it’s onwards and upwards from here, with the original Nirvana‘s swirly psychedelic masterpiece “Rainbow Chaser”, which uses the phasing/flanging effect found in The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”, “Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold as Love”, “The Small Faces’ “Itchycoo Park and Status Quo’s “Pictures of Matchstick Men” throughout the song, mainly on the piano, to create the psychedelic swirling.

While this is an obvious case of “tarting up”, it has to be said that the song has exactly the right flavours of British psychedelia to put it on a level with Kaleidoscope and the Zombies – but not quite with Pink Floyd or the Beatles of that era.

John Martyn puts in a fine performance with “Dusty”, a fabulous folk-flavoured song with intertwining flute, reminiscent of later Jethro Tull, and dead-pan vocal delivery very similar in style to Roy Harper.

Next we have a track from The Clouds, another largely overlooked and forgotten-about band – and this sounds like it was added about 10 years after everything else on the album. It wasn’t, of course, but the quasi-classical piano opening and balladic delivery of the opening lines belie the swift and complex harmonic progression, packed with modulations and adventurous key relationships.

The strong chorus carries strong hints of the Righteous Brothers and songs from the early 1960s – but the immediately catchy opening stanzas hide the complexity of the following lines of the chorus; You simply forget that you’re listening to a song and get swept away into the music – or, more likely, it suddenly becomes background, as the rush of sonic information becomes a bit too much.

After the second chorus, advanced harmonic progressions are topped with Matt Bellamy-alike vocals, and this section begins to sound like something from “Origin of Symmetry”. The music completely changes direction, key and suddenly we’re back into the verse and chorus. The coda section is absolutely packed with exciting material to end the piece – there is so much happening in this song that it’s hardly surprising that the band got overlooked at the time and still get overlooked now.

It’s the personal, relationship-oriented lyrics and strong pop-oriented melody fragments that put this song right at the edge, into an unchartered realm of Progressive Pop rather than Progressive Rock – there’s simply not enough jazz, folk or blues for it to have made much of an impact on the emerging Prog Rock scene, but this is a piece that should be of great interest to any fan of Prog music. The trick is to listen past the catchy fragments of melody and follow the rest of it – if you can!

Steve Winwood puts in his final appearance on this album next in the monster groover “Someboy Help Me”, with his pre-Traffic fellows, the Spencer Davis Group. The distinctive (and progressive) sound of this group with the awesome fuzz guitar, fat bass – and of course, Mr Winwood’s glorious vox, is all over this catchy pop/rock song penned by the superb Jamaican singer/songwriter Jackie Edwards.

To wrap things up, we have the Booker T – alike sound of Wynder K Frog with an amusing version of “Gasoline Alley”, propelled by his Hammond B3. In all fairness, the great Wynder (AKA Mick Weaver, who co-incidentally replaced Winwood when he left Traffic – as well as playing with some of the greats, including Joe Cocker, Keef Hartley and Taj Mahal) has a far raunchier, dirtier sound than Booker T – it’s just that the overall style is remarkably similar… all very good, though!

TOP OF THE POPS – “VARIOUS” – VOLUME 62 (HALLMARK SHM 996) OCTOBER 1977

Never fear Pop Fans – your anxious waiting hasn’t been in vain, for here at last is the newest and swingin’-est Top of the Pops from Pickwick! I think, judging from your past reactions that we have come up with an absolutely flop proof recipe for sheer entertainment and listening pleasure so I am going to let you into a little secret and tell you how it’s done.

Recipe for Top of the Pops

INGREDIENTS:
Top of the Poppers
Latest chart busters
Talent and technical know how
Creativity and imagination

METHOD:
Combine the above ingredients and blend until mixture is the right consistency, making sure that the hits are taken red hot from the charts. Leave to set in recording studio for a few hours.

RESULT:
Dynamite!

Well, there you have it – the original tried and tested recipe guaranteed to work every time.

Happy listening!

Black Is Black (La Belle Epoque)
Rockin’ All Over The World (Status Quo)
You’re In My Heart (Rod Stewart)
Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (The Carpenters)
Heroes (David Bowie)
Star Wars Theme (Meco)
Black Betty (Ram Jam)
We Are The Champions (Queen)
I Remember Elvis Presley (Danny Mirror)
The Name Of The Game (Abba)
No More Heroes (The Stranglers)
Yes Sir I Can Boogie (Baccara)

charity shop purchase @ £2

TOP OF THE POPS – “VARIOUS” – VOLUME 26 (HALLMARK SHM 800) SEPTEMBER 1972

Well, here we are again, exploding on the pop scene for the twenty sixth time with our smash-hit series of “Top of the Pops“.

And once again, we’ve pulled out all the stops to give you what we believe is the hottest ever album of twelve high-steppers in the Pop charts. Remember, we’ve already grabbed a fistful of No.1 spots in the L.P. charts in our short “Top of the Pops” history, but we aim to make every issue unbeatable.

Look at the sleeve, look at the great tunes; listen to our record – and see how it grabs you!

tracklist:

Children Of The Revolution (T. Rex)
Sugar Me (Lynsey De Paul)
Standing In The Road (Blackfoot Sue)
Living In Harmony (Cliff Richard)
You Wear It Well (Rod Stewart)
Mama Weer All Crazee Now (Slade)
All The Young Dudes (Mott The Hoople)
Suzanne Beware Of The Devil (Dandy Livingstone)
Walk In The Night (Junior Walker And The All Stars)
Virginia Plain (Roxy Music)
Honky Cat (Elton John)
Wig-Wam Bam (The Sweet)

charity shop purchase @ £2

TOP OF THE POPS – “VARIOUS” – VOLUME 15 (HALLMARK SHM 725) JANUARY 1971

Thank you, Ravers; you sent our last issue of “Top of the Pops” (SHM 710) soaring high in the national L.P. Charts.

Well, you’ve written to us, telephoned us, screamed at us and cajoled us to move, move, move – but fast – with the release of our next issue, and here it is, hot off the press, sizzling with red hot, top-pop numbers straight out of the current charts.

All the tunes, made famous by Super Stars of the Pop World, have been faithfully recorded by us in London specially for you. Once again we are sure you, all of you – Hippies and Yippies and Skinheads; Schoolkids and switched-on Mums and Dads will help to make this fabulous album a high-stepper in the L.P. charts; for this L.P. will electrify you, send you way, way up in space!

Let’s try to make this No. 1 this time, O.K? Thanks a lot!

tracklist:

My Sweet Lord (George Harrison)
The Pushbike Song (The Mixtures)
Sunny Honey Girl (Cliff Richard)
No Matter What (Badfinger)
Grandad (Clive Dunn)
Candida (Dawn)
Baby Jump (Mungo Jerry)
She’s A Lady (Tom Jones)
Stoned Love (The Supremes)
Your Song (Elton John)
You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (Elvis Presley)
Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys (The Equals)

charity shop purchase @ £2

TOP OF THE POPS – “VARIOUS” – VOLUME 8 (HALLMARK CHM 660) NOVEMBER 1969

This is our eighth “Top of the Pops” Album bringing together, as usual, twelve hits of the day onto one LP, a presentation virtually impossible for the original (single) versions.

We get letters asking how it can happen that these Hallmark recordings can be as good as – and, indeed at times better than – their counterparts on the charts. Well, let us tell you for sure that it ain’t easy!

If there is a secret it has many parts – the care and attention paid to every bar of every number prior to sessions; the choice of vocalists and musicians; their skill and application at the fall of the baton; the use of the best studios and engineers; and the endless trouble taken in the Mixing Room where up to eight separate tracks are blended into a Stereo Master.

And this is how you come to enjoy endless hours of pleasure for as long as you like.

tracklist:

Wonderful World, Beautiful People (Jimmy Cliff)
Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley)
Sugar Sugar (The Archies)
Return Of Django (The Upsetters)
Love’s Been Good To Me (Frank Sinatra)
Something (The Beatles)
Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday (Stevie Wonder)
Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac)
(Call Me) Number One (The Tremeloes)
The Onion Song (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
The Liquidator (The Harry J All Stars)
What Does It Take (Junior Walker & the All Stars)

charity shop purchase @ £2

CHRYSALIS – “DEFINITION” (MGM SE 4547) 1968

This is another one of those CD Albums that I played a few times when I first got it, in this case some time in 2005, but then filed it away and forgot about it! At the time it didn’t really have an impact or create any pleasurable waves in my mind.

A quick search on the internet flags up numerous reviews, comments and YouTube uploads. All are very positive I must say. Someone even remarked that the album is as good as anything that the Jefferson Airplane released during the late sixties. That’s quite an acknowledgement and high praise indeed.

According to the liners of the CD re-issue on the Rev-Ola label, Chrysalis were a very well thought of underground hippie combo in New York, were friends with and played several gigs supporting the Mothers Of Invention. They even wanted Frank Zappa to produce their album on MGM but he declined. He always expressed warm approval though and championed their efforts mainly in recommendations.

The album as a whole is a decent listen, it’s definitely not an immediate admiration, it will take several sittings to get into their head-space and unique way they structure the songs. There’s not a lot of electric guitar I can hear, the bass playing is very good and intricate and the drums are quite splendid.

The songs are full of extremes, the lyrics are dense and meaningful but only once you hone-in on Spider Barbour’s vision. The majority of his compositions appear to be sung from the perspective of insects. “Baby Let Me Show You Where I Live”, is possibly a newly transformed butterfly singing to his about-to-fly prospective mate.

“Doctor Root’s Garden”, is probably about garden pests and the destruction of their being and habitat with the use of pesticides. There’s also a track filled with insect noises. It’s all very weird and original.

There is nothing on here that could be considered as single material and to be honest with you, there are no memorable tunes or stick-in-the-head melodies. Worth a listen though.

CIRCUS MAXIMUS – “CIRCUS MAXIMUS” (VANGUARD VMD 79260-2) NOVEMBER 1967

I’ve had this album on CD for many years and have recently spent a lot of time with it, playing the record in full from the opener “Travelin’ Around” to the closer “Wind”, an eight minute psychedelic jazz opus. This song was an underground radio hit in USA. Circus Maximus didn’t achieve much, if any acclaim in Britain though.

Most of the numbers are heavily based on the folk-rock template of jangling guitars – rattling tambourines shimmer in the background, the group harmonies are tight and thankfully, the songs are strong and memorable.

There are some raw rock ‘n’ roll numbers, the previously mentioned “Travelin’ Around” has a fast tempo and is a good lead off track and quite a perfect entry into the next tune, the polished Byrdsian “Lost Sea Shanty”, which wouldn’t have been out of place on the Byrds LP “Younger Than Yesterday”.

Presented in the centre ring of an electric circus,

Under a visual “big top” of flowing, multicoloured light.

Circus Maximus is the biggest circus,

The circus of the mind . . .

theatred in a tent of imagination.

Circus Maximus

Some tracks don’t quite make the grade for me personally, “Chess Game” is boring and goes no where fast and Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Fading Lady” is a slow folk ballad that doesn’t really escape from the starting blocks. It’s the weakest cut on the album.

“Short-Haired Fathers” is a garage raver with potent organ weaving it’s way around the fast-talkin’ words, it’s almost proto-type rapping. A hippie rapping about square dudes with crew cuts no doubt. Spark up the joint and pass it ’round.

Line-Up:

Jerry Jeff Walker (guitar, vocals)
Bob Bruno (12 string guitar, organ, piano, vocals)
David Scherstrom (drums)
Gary White (bass)
Peter Troutner (guitar, tambourine)

album recorded in August 1967

BOB BRUNO

I recall out takes from the front cover as well. I saw all of them but, like this obscure shot of Jerry, I forgot about them. On our second side, one of our rejected concepts was well drawn depiction of us all in togas, ala the Roman “Circus Maximus”. – Being seen in togas, that is short dresses forever didn’t appeal to us. though the artist was very talented.

Our front covers weren’t taken by Bob Simmons. I think it was the same man that did a very popular “Doors” front cover. His clear, close up exposure showed more pores on my face than I wanted but the world kept turning. Early morning shoots were torture for us in that era when we were up all night as I had been when the cover of our first “Circus” side was shot.

BACK IN 2007 I EXCHANGED SEVERAL EMAILS WITH THE BRYMERS DRUMMER DICK LEE.

He kindly sent me photographs of the various groups he was part of back in the sixties. At that time The Brymers were well represented on various blogs and websites so I didn’t feel that there was any need for me to promote his combo too.

Over the years though, these blogs have crashed and burned and that written material is no more. Blogs in general have died a death following the bombardment of Facebook and YouTube in particular.

I’ve steadfastly remained true to my principles of uncovering long-lost records and forgotten groups from the sixties decade. I also realise that many of these musicians and teens who were active forming bands and releasing demented garage punk discs back then are now very old men, several who I have been in contact over the years are now dead!

The time is now right share those images Dick Lee sent to me some fifteen years ago, back when I started blogging. It’s too late to interview Dick, he’s already provided his account of his involvement in the ’60s music scene to Lee Zimmerman. So I’m re-uploading that interview here, along with my unpublished pictures.

The Brymers (pronounced “Brimmers”) might have become a mere footnote in the annals of rock ‘n’ roll were it not for their sheer persistence. Granted, Brymers is hardly a name that immediately comes to mind when the roll call of great ‘60s hitmakers is mentioned, but to their credit, they did manage a significant hit in the form of The Standells-sounding “Sacrifice” and, to a lesser extent, a sweet Byrds/Beatles hybrid called “I Want To Tell You,” the flip side of a single recorded for Diplomacy Records.

Indeed, in terms of sound and style alone, they fit nicely on the shelf alongside The Kinks, The Byrds and the Stones, thanks to certain inherent components — fuzz guitar, wailing harmonica, seamless harmonies and a stately Hammond B3. They attracted attention early on in 1964 by shaving their heads as a publicity stunt, a somewhat extreme idea at a time when long hair was all the rage.

By 1968, the combination of endless touring and the lack of continued hits convinced them to disband, but nearly 40 years later the group reconvened, recording five albums, including 2013’s The Love From Our Soul, a disc that sounds as if it was borne straight out of the ‘60s. The Brymers’ music has become more visible in recent years, having been part of several successful films (including the biopic Jobs) and occasional network TV shows as well.

Goldmine recently caught up with drummer and Brymers archivist Dick Lee who was only too happy to share the band’s story.

Q1. For starters, did you have any idea at the time that your song “Sacrifice” would have such a long life and attract such a devout cult following?

DICK LEE: The Brymers were performing in Los Angeles in late 1966, and in October 1966 the group entered Harmony Studios and recorded a number of tracks. The “A” track was an original song written by our keyboard player Kenny Sinner titled “I Want To Tell You.” It’s a great song and features The Brymers’ classic four-piece harmony. During a 20-minute break Kenny wrote the B-side, “Sacrifice.”

We needed a big intro to the song, so Kenny took his old amp and put a 15-inch speaker in it. During the intro, Kenny turned his amp up to full volume and his guitar up to maximum volume. He then hit the first two notes. Everything began distorting and sparks were flying everywhere from the amp. The tape was running and caught the distortion. The engineer came running out of the control room yelling, “You fucking idiots are going to burn the studio down.” The intro was later spliced into ‘Sacrifice,” along with the driving fuzz guitar of Jim Mellick.

All of us started laughing and Kenny replied, “Now that is the effect I was looking for.” During the same session, the group recorded “Under My Thumb” with Diplomacy Records’ president Bill Silva’s daughter singing lead (April Silva). “I Want To Tell You” started climbing the charts, but we had no idea that it would be “Sacrifice” that would take on a life of its own.

Q2. How did you get word that so many people had come to appreciate it all these years later?

DL: We had no idea that “Sacrifice” had achieved the popularity it had for the past 40 years throughout the United States, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. I discovered that accidentally on a late September 2006 night while I was surfing the web. I wondered if The Brymers would show up on any web search, so I typed in The Brymers and began seeing various web pages associating The Brymers with a “B” side of one of our recordings, “Sacrifice.”

I accessed one website in The Netherlands and found that “Sacrifice” was on this internet radio playlist. Additional web surfing revealed that “Sacrifice” was on numerous other internet radio station playlists in Italy, Japan, Australia and the USA. I e-mailed the owner of one station in the Netherlands and received a reply back stating, “I have always been a fan of The Brymers and the song ‘Sacrifice’.”

The owner then referred me to an individual in Chicago whose web site specializes in ‘60s bands. The owner, Mike Dugo, wrote back and stated the same thing and asked if he could do an in-depth interview about The Brymers and all their recordings. Then a disc jockey from the Sacramento area contacted me and said, “Where have you guys been? We thought you were a black group from the Bay Area.”

After that, the owner of a ‘60’s Rock ‘n’ Roll magazine out of San Diego contacted me and mentioned that he had a national magazine and loved The Brymers music and wished to also do an in-depth article on the band, including its beginnings, travels and recordings.

Here again, I was astonished that anyone even knew of The Brymers. He referred me to another site and I mentioned that I was the drummer for The Brymers. For the next two weeks I began receiving e-mails from all over the United States, Europe, New Zealand and Australia inquiring about the band, its recording of “Sacrifice” and pictures of the group. One individual from Portland, Oregon wrote, “Are you just finding out about the band’s continued popularity? ‘Sacrifice’ has long been a favourite.” Another individual from New York wrote, “The Brymers’ ‘Sacrifice’ is a well known 45 to all garage fiends.

I was lucky enough to find a copy years ago.” A fan from Italy wrote, “Hello Dick! ‘Sacrifice’ has long been a favourite with its wailing harp and syncopated beat. I purchased a copy of it on a compilation CD a few years ago.” Robert from Australia, wrote, ‘The Brymers’ “Sacrifice” has always been a favorite of mine and my friends in Sydney.”

Consequently, the Brymers reunited with all its original members and began writing original tracks with that ‘60s sound. The group owns its own studio in central California where we record an album per year. (A few) years ago, one of the tracks, “Fit Me In,” charted in Europe.

Q3. What do you consider the band’s greatest successes while you were together? Was there any hint that you might be able to achieve the same heights as your contemporaries at the time?

DL: After the “I Want To Tell You” and “Sacrifice” recording session in 1966, our manager Mel Simas, Bill Silva, owner of Diplomacy Records, and Chuck Segal, the label’s A&R man, thought we had a hit. We began to perform at bigger venues and the cool clubs on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood.

The group filmed a segment for the ‘60s TV show Shindig but we later found out that the show had been cancelled before our segment was to air. In early 1967, Mercury Records wanted to buy both songs, but wanted us to re-record “I Want To Tell You” with lyrics that reflected the Vietnam War. So, we re-entered the studio, used the same melody, and re-recorded with new lyrics that we wrote. The song titled was changed to “Make Love Not War.” Note that it was now 1967 and “The Summer of Love.”

We loved performing in large venues with some of the great rock ‘n’ roll bands and solo entertainers (Chuck Berry, Paul Revere & the Raiders, The Animals, Cannibal & the Headhunters, The Coasters, The Isley Brothers, etc.).The Brymers were a working band.

We were booked into teen clubs and young adult clubs where we performed five nights a week for four to five hours. We also did concerts on the weekends. Needless to say, we became a very tight band. We would always perform all of our original material in front of these audiences and look for their response. We were so tight that once we got into the studio, we were able to record without having to do a lot of takes

Q4. Did you guys write your own material, aside from your covers?

DL: The Brymers recorded a number of covers in the ‘60s at the request of Diplomacy Records and our booking agent out of Hollywood. But almost all of our material was original. I happened to have all of our masters of material that was not released.

Q5. Tell us about your early origins and your influences at the time.

DL:The group was formed in high school by myself (drums), Mike Wagner (guitar) and Kenny Valentine (guitar). The Brymers started out as a surf band called The Challengers in 1963.We later morphed into “The de-Fenders” in 1964 and recorded a number of surf songs. One of our guitar players left the group and joined another band in town. The drummer for that group happened to be Steve Perry, later of Journey.

The Ventures influenced our surf music. As we transitioned into a band with good harmonies, groups such as The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, Chuck Berry, James Brown and Ike and Tina Turner heavily influenced our sound. We wanted to be able to put on a show like many of the black groups, so the label sent individuals to work with us to develop our professional show.

Diplomacy Records signed the group in 1965 and changed our name to The Brymers. The label packaged us as a boy band even though we had a female singer, Jeannie Sanders. They wanted a name that people might associate with the actor Yul Brynner. All of us got a great kick out of the idea. At first, a lot of people kept asking, “What is a Brimmer?”

Once, after a recording session in L.A., the label booked The Brymers into an exclusive hair salon in Hollywood. The stylists proceeded to shave our heads. There were teen magazine reporters, photographers and TV cameras there to capture the moment. Personally, we all thought it looked crazy, but we loved to play music so we did it. It took six to eight months for our hair to fully grow out again. At first, we were reluctant to have our heads shaved, but being young idiots we just laughed and said, “As long as someone else is paying for it.”

Q6. So why did you guys break up?

DL: We had been on the road for a number of years and many of the band members were getting married and having families, so we decided to call it quits.

Q7. What had each of the members done on their own up to your reformation in 2007?

DL: I began playing with Merrell Fankhauser in a band called Fapardokly in 1968 and we recorded an album called Fapardokly. Kenny Sinner went on to perform with numerous groups and artists including Emmylou Harris and Merle Haggard. Guitarist Jim Mellick started his own band called The Emeralds and performed throughout the California area. Bassist Bill Brumley also started his own group and performed throughout Colorado.

Q8. What gave you the idea to reform?

DL: A number of booking agents and labels began contacting me in 2007 and asking if we would ever consider performing again and recording. As a result, all the original members met up in 2007 and I asked them if they were interested. Everyone said yes and the rest is history.

Q9. Do you find fans who still remember you from back in the day, or has it been a matter of having to start again from scratch? How has the reaction to your comeback been overall?

DL: I am continuously amazed that individuals still want to hear The Brymers music. I receive requests from DJs all over the word for interviews. In the past four or five years, a number of movies and TV shows have featured our songs in their soundtracks. Most recently, the Jobs movie featured two of our tracks — “Sacrifice” and our cover of “House of the Rising Sun.”

Q10. Once you guys got back together, did it all seem to flow like it did in the old days?

DL: When The Brymers returned to the studio, the main goal was to find one outfitted with tube pre-amps so we could get that same old ‘60s sound. Now we have our own studio and it contains the tube pre-amps that we need to get the analogue fat sound like the ‘60s.

Q11. How do you view The Brymers’ legacy? To many, they were a footnote in ‘60s music history. Do you see it that way, or feel like they were something more?

DL: I don’t believe that any of the band members view the group with the word “legacy” in mind. We are a group of best friends who happen to be musicians and who travelled around a lot in the ‘60s. We have a music catalogue with over 130 recorded tracks, song placements in movies and TV, and we continue to perform.

We only care about two things — one, friendship and two, creating music. Hopefully someone might say, “Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

Q12. Do you see groups that you might have influenced along the way? If so, who? Which artists or bands are you interested in these days?

DL: A number of articles have mentioned that a certain group’s driving fuzz guitar and wailing harp are reminiscent of The Brymers sound on “Sacrifice.” It’s quite a very compliment and very cool.

Q13. So is the band a full time occupation at this point? Do you have other jobs?

DL: Some of the band members have day jobs, but for most the music is full-time.I spend a lot of my time on the business side when we’re not performing. I went back to school many years ago and got my master’s and doctorate.

Q14. Where do you play when you go out on tour? What’s the reception like?

DL: The Brymers travel all over. Recently, we performed in a concert hall in California where we last played in 1967. Hopefully, the individuals who show up will not have their oxygen tanks and walkers. Seriously though, it seems like a new generation has latched on to the sounds of the ‘60s. And, often individuals will come up and say that they saw us perform in 1967.

A funny incident occurred after a concert about a year ago. My adult son was present and had never seen The Brymers perform. After the concert, a number of individuals were asking all of us to sign albums and CDs. While doing so, I was talking with my son.

Then one young lady walked up and gave me a black marking pen and asked if I would sign her breast. I said sure, so she proceeded to expose everything. I forgot my son was standing there. I then looked at him and he was every color of red you could imagine. At one point I thought I saw his head do a 360 like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

interview by: Lee Zimmerman

DAVE BERRY – “PICTURE ME GONE” / “ANN” (DECCA F 12513) NOVEMBER 1966

I’m very cross about this. I know it’s not Dave Berry’s fault but I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a ham-fisted backing for a long time – and that girl chorus! SOMEONE must have been joking.

This was originally done by super Evie Sands. It is a good song and will give Dave Berry a big hit which is nice because he is a nice chap. The point is this: they have taken the original arrangement almost note for note but managed, through some devious reason, to lose all subtlety and feeling.

Honestly they could be singing a shopping list for all the realisation of the words. And that is a shame.
(Disc & Music Echo, 05/11/66)

The title implies a soulful ballad – but don’t be misled. It’s a snappy toe-tapper, with crisp punchy brass and an enthusiastically chanting girl group, plus a vigorous shake beat. Dave performs it well, in uncomplicated gimmick-free style – and is aided by the fact that, despite the relatively fast pace, it’s still pretty tuneful with a repetitive chorus you can join in.

Totally different to “Mama”, and won’t have the same appeal, but will probably register.
FLIP: The Cruisers joining Dave, both vocally and instrumentally, on this rhythmic ballad. Pleasant listening – sounds a bit like Cliff and the Shads.
(NME, 04/11/66)

Change of heart and tempo from the maudlin “Mama” – a fine performance by Dave over a backing chorus. He remains one of the most distinctive of stylists. And the lyrics are fine.
FLIP: a gentle ballad, sort of hymn to a girl.
(Record Mirror, 05/11/66)

MY BLOODY VALENTINE – “EP’S 1988 – 1991” (REWIG162D) MARCH 2021

EP’s 1988-1991 and rare tracks My Bloody Valentine’s four EPs, wherein many of their devoted fans’ favourite music lies. “You Made Me Realise” and “Feed Me With Your Kiss” both preceded the band’s debut album in 1988 in quick succession. In the gap between “Isn’t Anything” and “Loveless”, the band released two further EPs; Glider (1990) and Tremolo (1991).

MY THOUGHTS:

I came to My Bloody Valentine completely oblivious to their sound, although I did play their promo video for the track “You Made Me Realise” a few weeks ago. I have never previously bought any of their records and only recently conducted some online research and read about the band in music magazines I have in my archives.

Everything I’ve read about them is open-armed gushing. It seems that they’re rated highly in every music publication, fans around the world have frothed out of their mouths in admiration for My Bloody Valentine at every opportunity during their DIY YouTube videos.

It goes without saying that I became most interested and wanted to experience their sound for myself. That being said, I bought this 2CD set which compiles their rare and now expensive to buy singles / 12″ EP’s from the late eighties and nineties. What would I think? Would I get any sonic kicks?

WHITE NOISE

The resounding answer is NO. Almost everything on here is tuneless noise, buried in flange and tremelo. Waves and waves of battering, unpleasant indulgence on the fuzz and distortion pedals. They can be filed under a band who ‘write‘ songs but CAN’T write songs, if you know what I mean. They’re BEYOND over-rated in every way.

It’s difficult to hear any melodies or harmonies amongst the layered guitars and processed drum beats. The male vocals are flat, lifeless and awash with double-tracked groans. A band can be as noisy as they want but it seems that My Bloody Valentine have to do this in order to disguise their lack of any meaningful tunes. There is no soul here, the numbers are vacuous shells of nothingness.

This CD goes straight on the pile I’ve got to sell on eBay.

MAMAS AND THE PAPAS – “LOOK THROUGH MY WINDOW” / “ONCE WAS A TIME I THOUGHT” (RCA VICTOR 1551) NOVEMBER 1966

MAMAS AND THE PAPAS “Look Through My Window” – The fame and success of the Mamas And Papas is a strange thing. Their sound is one of super-high strings, of massed muzzy voices and the feeling that they are singing in a room full of cotton wool. Sometimes I get a huge urge to wish that one of them would suddenly go potty and scream right in the middle of the track.

Nevertheless, it is a hit sound and it is a new kind of music, progressive indeed in it’s way. The song does not hit you immediately. it creeps up on you with beautiful words by John Phillips and a few notes on the part of the chorus that are really great.

The whole thing, which of course will be a huge hit, has a held back frantic quality. I think I like it better than anything else they’ve released.
(Disc & Music Echo, 05/11/66)

GREAT – it’s got to be a hit! Once again we hear that distinctive and highly characteristic vocal blend, in which the girls alternate with the boys – then they get together in unison for the chorus. Starts rather plaintively, but soon develops into an infectious medium-pacer, with an extremely catchy tune.

Lush sweeping strings embellish the group’s vocal patterns – in fact, Lou Adler’s production is superb. Has a real spine-tingling effect on the listener.
FLIP: Here the group displays its vocal dexterity in a brief, almost unaccompanied, little ditty. Has a folk flavour, sort of sea-shanty-ish!
(NME, 04/11/66)

A thoroughly charming and cleverly recorded mid-tempo ballad, full of interesting lyrical phrases and aided by a super smooth string backing most of the way. Must be a sizeable hit for the polish and enthusiasm of the two boys and two girls. Flip rather faster and more urgent. Clever phrasing.
(Record Mirror, 05/11/66)

LOOP – “HEAVEN’S END” (REACTOR 01) FEBRUARY 2020

When I decided, a few months ago, to dig deeper into the so called late eighties Shoegaze and Dream Pop scene, a band called Loop were seemingly always mentioned as instigators and pioneers. They seemed to be the ideal combo for me to start my sonic education. I had previously never listened to Loop.

The “Heaven’s End” album I decided to buy first, was the recently re-issued 2CD set on the Reactor label. For some bizarre reason I decided to jump straight into the bonus CD which includes session recordings from 1987 and a John Peel radio session, transmitted on the 19th August 1987.

The first track is “Rocket USA”, a cover version of a song on Suicide’s first album from 1977, and the first thing I heard was an awful drum machine flooding the whole number with an incessant electronic beat. Now, I despise everything about hideous synthetic drum machine beats. This dreadful noise and even worse (if that is possible) gated drums, are the reason why I’ve almost obliterated everything ‘modern’ sounding that uses this god-awful audio processing technique, from my mind.

ROCKET USA

Back to “Rocket USA” – it’s lousy and is a wreck with THAT synthetic beat sample. Loop strangely thought it was a decent tune because they also recorded it for the August ’87 John Peel session. I was thinking to myself that I’d made an horrendous decision in buying “Heaven’s End” and in my mind I was already contemplating selling the CD on eBay. How much could I sell it for? Was the second track “Soundhead” just as bad?

“Soundhead”, at least has proper drumming and the production of the drums is fine, they’re not too loud, almost buried deep in the mix. This is how I like drums and percussion to sound. No need to blow the bloody car doors off, as Michael Caine would say.

By “Head On” I’m really starting to feel and ‘see’ the sound of their heavy drones of fuzz and wah wah guitar effects. This is so much better. It all sounds positively druggy, like a mind altering mantra of incessant and repetitive noise, but it’s cool noise.

By “Straight To Your Heart” I’m hooked. This number rips away for almost ten minutes. This is not some over-long hippie acid shit, this is REAL and ESSENTIAL. The group are ‘locked’ in tight and take-off above the clouds and I start to travel with them by thought. I can hardly make out any words in the vocals. Don’t think it matters at all though. These are essentially instrumental experiments. . . . . but then the last track, another version of “Rocket USA” kicks in and it destroys my tranquil thoughts completely. No need to play that ever again, it’s always going to suck!

HEAVEN’S END

With a minimum of blabber and smoke, Loop’s debut album, “Heaven’s End”, has just been released. It has made it into the best LPs of the year charts of at least two NME writers. It should be on yours.

An unashamedly psychedelic affair, in a particularly psychotic 1987 way, “Heaven’s End” – the termination of God’s kingdom rather than the celestial exit door – wears some of its influences on its sleeve: a still from Kubrick’s 2001 and a dedication to Arthur Lee of Love.

A mindcave of melodic distortion and wah-wah, sinister, nervy and jagged, “Heaven’s End” is paradise postponed through erosion. Punk and psychedelia corroded into a howling. If you can imagine hopping into a concrete mixer filled with jellyfish and switching the machine onto maximum rumble, that’s the effect of Loop: stinging, eveloping and loud.
(NME, 12/12/87)

THE MOCK TURTLES – “TURTLE SOUP” – EXPANDED 2CD SET (CHERRY RED) 2017

Formed in Middleton, north Manchester in 1985, The Mock Turtles evolved out of the band Judge Happiness to become key figures on the local Indie scene before eventually scoring chart success with the hits ‘Can You Dig It?’ and ‘And Then She Smiles’, at the height of the so-called Madchester scene at the dawn of the 1990s.

The band revolved around singer, songwriter and guitarist Martin Coogan (older brother of actor/comedian Steve), who blended his love of 70s glam and art rock (David Bowie, Be Bop Deluxe) with a nod towards the best in 60s music to create The Mock Turtles’ sound.

From 1987 to 1990, the band made five singles (the ‘Pomona’ EP, ‘Wicker Man’, ‘And Then She Smiles’, ‘Lay Me Down’ and ‘Magic Boomerang’) and an album, Turtle Soup, for Manchester’s Imaginary Records, as well as a compilation 87-90. None of these has ever been reissued. Turtle Soup has subsequently been cited as one of the finest Manchester albums of all time.

For this expanded reissue of Turtle Soup, which represents their complete Imaginary catalogue, all of the Mock Turtles’ non-album singles and B-sides are included, together with the many cover versions they recorded for Imaginary’s popular tribute albums (covering The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett, The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart and The Kinks).

In addition, Martin Coogan has unearthed no less than fourteen previously unissued Mock Turtles demos from his personal archive! Sleeve-notes are by Mark Hodkinson (The Guardian, etc.), who was the first-ever journalist to review the band back in the mid- 1980s.

The package boasts the original versions of ‘Can You Dig It?’ (which has remained popular via various TV ads) and ‘And Then She Smiles’ (a version of which is the theme tune to the popular TV series Stella).

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve always been aware of The Mock Turtles but they were one of those bands that I never bothered with at the time they were around, ultimately becoming trendy with their hit “Can You Dig It?” One of my friends even had “87-90” on CD and I remember borrowing and playing it a few times in the mid nineties but feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

Would I feel any different two decades on? I knew I always rated their cover version mash-up of the Byrds’ “Time Between” / “Why”, but have my impressions changed over time? Best find out with the Cherry Red 2CD retrospective!

After a couple of listens I’m still not ‘gone’ on their sound. There is jangle on a few numbers and decent drum action (for once – few bands recorded drums properly back then, too much reverb and/or gated) on the uptempo rockers “Kathy Come Home” and “Head Run Wild” but over-all the songs are just not strong enough or memorable for me to bother with repeated plays.

I’m aware that many people rate and openly gush about “Turtle Soup” on their websites. I also acknowledge that The Mock Turtles received positive and respectful press reviews at the time in Sounds, Melody Maker and NME.

Their cover version of “The Willow Song” is fairly decent and in some ways inspired. Special mention for the gentle pastoral folk number “Fionnuala”, which is beautiful and their best self-penned song. The delicate “Calm Before The Storm” is also a worthy treat.

But to be honest with you, by now, I was becoming restless with CD1 and just wanted to play (the real) Turtles 1969 LP “Turtle Soup” instead of this bowl of sounds crafted from the sonic cooking pot.

Some of the bonus material fails drastically such as “Johnny Seven” which goes all gated-drum and rinky-dink synth noise after a pleasant enough opening. I was about to throw the CD out of the window after hearing that train-wreck of a song but then I got waylaid by my cat scratching at my leg cos he wanted to be fed.

CD2 is mostly made up of recordings from 2003 and I believe even more recent than that, but they were mostly previously unreleased. I can honestly say I’ve never been as bored sitting through music before. I’m just not cut out to listening to ‘modern’ day tripe. A lot of these numbers sound like Suede and I fucking can’t stand Suede.

The cover of “Pale Blue Eyes” is atrocious, the drummer sounds like he’s tapping away on some empty bean tins, and that sax break. My ears can’t take any more!

THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP – “GIMME SOME LOVING” / “BLUES IN F” (FONTANA TF 762) OCTOBER 1966

Not, at first hearing, the most catchy of Spen’s releases, but it makes up for that by sheer persistence and drive. great organ break by Stevie who is also in excellently exciting vocal form.

A trifle form-less, but it’ll be an easy smash hit. Flip is just virtuoso organ playing to drum accompaniment.
(Record Mirror, 29/10/66)

I am absolutely delighted about this. It’s the first time I’ve been really excited by a single from them since the early days of “Every Little Bit”.

For too long we have suffered those ordinary singles that really seemed no part of the group at all (although obviously did them a lot of good commercially). Now they must feel the time is right to revert back to the real music of the group, and it’s great.

Lots and lots of instrumental excitement, with crisp guitar and drum combination and Stevie, well just being Stevie better than ever. They sound really happy for the first time for ages and I think it’s all splendid. Hurrah!
(Disc & Music Echo, 29/10/66)

OPAL – “HAPPY NIGHTMARE BABY” (SALLY GARDENS) 2019

I wrote about Opal’s “Early Recordings” CD yesterday and the sad story regarding their music reissue programme that was halted due to disputes with leader David Roback, who has since died.

Their only studio album before Kendra Smith left was “Happy Nightmare Baby”, released in small quantity back in 1987. I have a white label test pressing of the album which I’ll post another time. It’s such a shame that the Sally Garden re-issue is not going to reach a wider audience because it’s a truly sensational record and the remastering to digital is sonically impressive.

Each and every track is hypnotic and mesmerising. They’re all slow-paced druggy rhythms, intense drones of noise, mysterious, almost dis-interested vocal delivery by Smith and of course we have the drowsy, psychedelic guitar leads from David Roback, all blended together superbly by a soft drum sound and percussion.

They’re not bothering to hide their influences. In fact they positively embrace and shout them into your head. There are numbers obviously inspired by Pink Floyd’s deep experimentations from their “Saucerful Of Secrets” phase, “Waiting For The Sun” era Doors and of course the rockier tracks “Rocket Machine” and “A Falling Star” recall T- Rex.

Some have said that they were possibly the first Shoegaze band and influenced the late ’80s scene in Britain. I’m not so sure about that, but they’re certainly creating a way-out, mind-altering state of sonic beauty on the album closer “Soul Giver”

OPAL – “EARLY RECORDINGS” (SALLY GARDENS) 2019

Opal were a band in the mid 1980s that were part of the Paisley Underground scene. Originally called Clay Allison, the band featured David Roback (ex Rain Parade), Kendra Smith (ex Dream Syndicate) and Keith Mitchell (ex Romans).

After one single, they released the remaining Clay Allison tracks under the band’s new name, Opal, on the 1984 “Fell from the Sun” EP. followed by “Northern Line” in 1985.

These EPs were later compiled and released as “Early Recordings”. Hope Sandoval joined the band shortly after and they became Mazzy Star. Which brings me to this CD release, a re-issue of the long out of print original records.

It seems that I’m fortunate to have found copies of “Early Recordings” and the next album “Happy Nightmare Baby” because the re-issue programme came to an abrupt halt last year following the untimely death of leader David Roback. Here is some information posted online by Pat Thomas.

RELEASE UPDATES:

The albums have been out of print since the early 1990s — and never available on streaming services — but according to Smith’s manager Pat Thomas, they will be available “imminently.”

At the time of his passing, Roback was working with Smith on finalizing the re-release of the albums, which will be available digitally and physically via Ingrooves Music Group, Thomas tells Variety. The group’s 1987 opus, “Happy Nightmare Baby,” will not include any bonus tracks, but a 1989 compilation of earlier material called, naturally enough, “Early Recordings,” will include five extra songs: “Hear the Wind Blow,” “I Called Erin,” “Don’t Stop the Train,” “Sailing Boats” and an alternate version of “Empty Bottles.” (Some of these songs appeared on a bootleg compilation called “Early Recordings Volume 2.”) Thomas did not give a more specific release date than “imminent.”
(December 2019)

“Thanks to David Roback, his management and the record company- these two releases are permanently cancelled. Yes, CDs were manufactured and a few copies were sold last November. Sadly the remainder will be destroyed. Kendra & I did everything we could to make this release happen.”
Pat Thomas, November 2020 (via Twitter)

THE BEACH BOYS – “GOOD VIBRATIONS” / “WENDY” (CAPITOL CL 15475) OCTOBER 1966

The Beach Boy “Good Vibrations” – What can you say about a work of art other than stating that it is? This record is a shattering experience. It is long, and split, like a classical piece, into separate movements. It is Brian Wilson’s reply to anybody who thinks of pop music as something flippant and thoughtless.

You can listen to it and find something new at every turn of the black plastic surface it is imprinted on. Please do.
(Record & Music Echo, 29/10/66)

One of the great records of the year. A brilliant Brian Wilson production with superb sound effects and a most dynamic vocal front line, arranged with deftness and absolute commercial appeal. But just hear it.

Flip is good but was out some two years ago, before the main Beach Boy Boom.
(Record Mirror, 29/10/66)

SPACEMEN 3 – FOR ALL THE FUCKED-UP CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD WE GIVE YOU SPACEMEN 3″ (SPACEAGE RECORDINGS) 2017

Think of late period Rolling Stones, after “Their Satanic Majesties Request” LP, then give some cheap instruments to amateurs laden with youthful exuberance, an exuberance that surpasses their mastery of such instruments, add some raw garage band potency, mix in some reverb and mid-paced blues backbeats, then smother the vocals in echo . . . . . and hear the fledgling sound of an infant Spacemen 3.

This collection of music was originally available on a demo cassette sold at gigs and an indie record shop in 1984/85. I’ve read elsewhere that bootleg vinyl LPs existed? but then the demo album was released by Sympathy For The Record Industry in 1995.

Today, is the first time I’ve ever listened to these psychedelic blues jams which are now officially available via Space Age Recordings, who have cleaned up the master-tapes and found some alternative mixes of “Things’ll Never Be The Same” and “Walkin’ With Jesus”.

“T.V. Catastrophe” is an acid drone and at just over seven minutes, it gives the listener the chance to open up their baccy tin, sprinkle around the Black Leb like it’s going out of style, wrap up the perfumed cigarette and get ready for the final couple of tracks, the previously mentioned alternative numbers.

I don’t recall any other contemporary groups sounding like this in 1984. Space-Age pioneers.

CD86 – “48 TRACKS FROM THE BIRTH OF INDIE-POP” (SANCTUARY) 2006

1984 was, like 1960 and 1975 before it, a black hole for pop music. The boom that had created New Pop (ABC, Human league, Soft Cell, and other post-punk subversives) had inadvertently borne us Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw and Paul Young. The totemic Rough Trade label had already crossed to the glossy side with The Smiths and Scritti Politti; Postcard was dead; Lloyd Cole, in these desperate times, looked a genuine contender.

The major labels must have felt they had lost the punk battle but won the rock war. Sanitisation was everywhere, embodied in the new compact disc format – clean and expensive. Chuck out your grubby vinyl and celebrate the brave new, pink and grey world. Recycle, repackage, double yer money.

A few persevered as all around was devoured by Phil Collins’ gated snare sound. The Nightingales, The Membranes and The Three Johns were gruff and tuneless, second cousins to The Fall one and all.

But people clung to them like debris on the ocean; they were the last remnants of what had been a thriving ever-mutating underground pop scene just three years previously.

Alan McGee was one of those who persevered. He had moved to London from Glasgow and started The Living Room – upstairs at The Adams Arms in Fitzrovia in 1983, putting on surviving punk-era heroes like Television Personalities, The Mekons, and Mark Perry’s ATV. Half poet, half dancing freak-show The legend! was one of the few regulars, and he soon became the first act on McGee’s fledgling Creation label.

Soon though, new acts appeared: from London came The Loft, The June Brides; from Scotland The Pastels, The Jasmine Minks. All shared a scratchiness, an air of solidarity, an ear for a great tune.

Relocating to Chalk Farm, in 1984 The Living Room became the hottest venue in town overnight when a quartet of East Kilbride miscreants called the Jesus And Mary Chain made their messy, deafeningly loud debut. The fire in their belly, unleashed that November on the “Upside Down” 45, kick-started a nationwide underground movement.

The sound was raw, the influences were Warhol’s Factory, Pebbles albums, The Byrds, Buzzcocks, Ronettes and Shangri-La’s. Creation led the way and by the mid ’80s we were in the midst of a true-pop, anti-rockist revolution. It was under-produced and under-nourished, but it felt vital. We needed it.

The following spring, the NME corralled the new sound on a cassette compilation called C86 and the emerging, hungry beat groups had themselves a tag.

C86 was DIY out of necessity. The mid eighties were the peak of Thatcher’s Britain. The 100% consumerist society she envisaged was only a reality for the chosen few: most were on the receiving end of the decline of heavy industry. No jobs, no cash, no choice but to do everything yourself within your means. The look of C86, then, was second-hand charm.

Johnnie Johnson of The Siddeleys aspired to look like Marlene Dietrich. Other girls opted for the Leslie Caren look in the L Shaped Room, kinda beatnik Audrey Hepburn. Boys sported the quiff – part Morrissey, part Albert Finney – or the fringe moptop pioneered by Edwyn Collins, taken to it’s pudding bowl extreme by Stephen Pastel.

The ultimate role model, for boys and girls, was Jesus And Mary Chain drummer Bobby Gillespie. Truly, it was an asexual scene. This goes some way to explaining how girls in groups were suddenly accepted without any conditions. Just three or four years earlier, a political stance was a necessity for groups like The Raincoats, Slits and Au Pairs to be taken seriously (or just a sexy French accent in the case of The Mo-dettes).

The likes of Dolly Mixture – a fabulous pop group with melodies to melt – were belittled and patronised horribly. They duly became a touchstone for C86 acts, musically and sartorially.

Of course the “scene”, like any scene, barely existed. Like squabbling Marxist factions, groups who had much in common built up petty rivalries. The June Brides and The Jasmine Minks were the biggest names at Alan McGee’s Living Room club and couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

Only when The Jesus And Mary Chain exploded and stole their two-headed crown did they realise they were basically soulmates. Some found The Wedding Present too macho, others considered The Pastels too fey.

Some groups on the NME compilation (The McKenzies, A Witness, Stump) were genuinely dire, but attitude over ability often won the day. This was a generation weened on punk ethics without the ‘year zero’ albatross. If they couldn’t capture that Phil Spector thunder in the confines of Alaska Studios, they were happy to try.

Politics may not have appeared high on the agenda of C86 groups, but they could afford to sing love songs when their existence and way of life – their way of distributing information through fanzines, and music through utilitarian cassettes, placcy-bagged 45s and (most ruthlessly DIY) flexi-discs – clearly stated their socialist creed.

Around the country a series of non-profiteering venues and promoters to feed this network: Paul Metcalfe at Lincoln’s In-Psychlopedia; Jeff Barrett at The Black Horse and later The Falcon in Camden Town; places like the grandly named Hull Adelphi which was no more than a hastily converted terraced house.

Some of the best 45s of the era were made by the more atypical acts, or one-or-two single wonders. Leeds group This Poison‘s rickety, relentless “Poised Over The Pause Button” (a nod to home-taping) and Meat Whiplash‘s head-cleaving “Don’t Slip Up”, the best of many Mary Chain clones, fit into the latter category.

Workers Revolutionary Party members McCarthy, described by Nicky Wire as the great lost group of all time, and fellow Barking-ites The Wolfhounds were both hard to pin down, and sounded all the stronger for it.

The classic sound was airy, ringing, and effervescent. Most would concur that Primal Scream‘s “Velocity Girl” takes the cake. But then there’s The Sea Urchins “Pristine Christine” which, at the time, seemed a couple of years out of ate. Now it chimes in with a claim to be the era’s definitive 45.

By the time it was released, at the tail end of ’87, a lot of the impetus was gone. What had seemed like something that could challenge the majors as punk had done ten years earlier, dissipated when these same majors signed up and de-balled some of the bigger names. The immediate future of pop turned out to be nothing to do with C86, or even guitars, but had been brewing in Detroit and Chicago’s bedrooms and nite clubs.

With 20 years distance, C86 feels like a great British DIY boom in the tradition of skiffle, or Merseybeat. Like it’s predecessors it was in the vanguard of a revolution rather than the revolution itself. For the longest time thereafter, C86 was almost a term of abuse, synonymous with tweeness and under-achievement. The fact that dance heroes like Andrew Weatherall and Paul Van Dyk had been camp followers, was irrelevant.

More obvious with the passing time is that, with the honourable exception of the Postcard label, it was the starting point for indie music. It lit the touch paper for The Stone Roses, then Oasis, and eventually all manner of million selling acts.

The sound – buffetted and no longer sounding like it was recorded in a garden shed – has become the mainstream. Back then it was the underground, it was socialism in practice, it was people shouting out loud to prove they were alive.
(Bob Stanley, September 2006)

Disc 1

“Velocity Girl” – Primal Scream
“The Sun, A Small Star” – The Servants
“Around And Around” – Hurrah!
“Why Does The Rain?” – The Loft
“Vibrato” – East Village
“Pristine Christine” – The Sea Urchins
“What Went Wrong This Time” – The Siddeleys
“Anorak City” – Another Sunny Day
“Get Out Of My Dream” – Clouds
“Golden Shower” – The Boy Hairdressers
“Ask Johnny Dee” – The Chesterfields
“He Blows In” – The Raw Herbs
“Paul McCartney” – Laugh
“You Didn’t Love Me Then” – The Hit Parade
“Like Frankie Lymon” – The Weather Prophets
“Sunday To Saturday” – The June Brides
“I Had An Excellent Dream” – The Dentists
“Everybody Knows the Monkey” – Mighty Mighty
“E102” – BMX Bandits
“Talulah Gosh” – Talulah Gosh
“Cut Me Deep” – The Jasmine Minks
“I’ll Still Be There” – Razorcuts
“Therese” – The Bodines
“Paradise Estate” – Television Personalities

Disc 2

“Upside Down” – The Jesus And Mary Chain
“Really Stupid” – The Primitives
“It Always Rains On Sunday” – The Groove Farm
“Black Country Chainsaw Massacre” – Pop Will Eat Itself
“Come Get Me” – 14 Iced Bears
“Sign On The Line” – Fizzbombs
“Anti-Midas Touch” – The Wolfhounds
“This Boy Can Wait” – The Wedding Present
“Bible of the Beats” – Age Of Chance
“Safety Net” – The Shop Assistants
“Just Too Bloody Stupid” – Close Lobsters
“Dukla Prague Away Kit” – Half Man Half Biscuit
“Don’t Slip Up” – Meat Whiplash
“I Could Be in Heaven” – The Flatmates
“If I Said” – The Darling Buds
“Poised Over the Pause Button” – This Poison
“Jack and Julian” – The Bachelor Pad
“On Tape” – The Pooh Sticks
“Flowers Are in The Sky” – Revolving Paint Dream
“Whole Wide World” – The Soup Dragons
“Frans Hals” – McCarthy
“Like An Angel” – The Mighty Lemon Drops
“Why Popstars Can’t Dance” – Big Flame
“Baby Honey” – The Pastels

THE ANIMALS – “IT’S MY LIFE” / “I’M GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD” (COLUMBIA DB 7741) OCTOBER 1965

The Animals “It’s My Life” – Written by Messrs. Atkins and d’Errico this has the Animals in an absolutely furious and aggressive mood. Reminds me of their last one except it doesn’t have such an immediate impact. I don’t like the intro too much and they seem to have concocted a strange new guitar sound.

But Eric, in his white socks, triumphs on words about getting on in the world and making pots of money, and it grows on you. Because they’re so clever and because I’m sure this sounds even better live it will be a smash.

Flip is Eric’s “I’m Going To Change The World”
(Disc & Music Echo, 22/10/65)

An eerie guitar sound introduces Eric Burdon who has a touch of the miseries again. He’s joined by a chorus, then the instruments take over again.

Medium paced offering and much better than anything the group has done of late. repetitive phrases run through the song and on occasions the voice is slightly drowned by the backing. Bit of an ordinary flip but it has odd bursts of frenzy.
(Record Mirror, 23/10/65)

THE HOLLIES – “STOP STOP STOP” / “IT’S YOU” (PARLOPHONE R 5508) OCTOBER 1966

The Hollies “Stop Stop Stop” – This is actually an extremely funny (ha, ha) record. A song about, of all things, a belly dancer’s admirer. There he sits every week watching her and getting into a dreadful state, then leaping around trying to grab hold of her, knocking everyone else’s table over and finishing the whole performance by getting forcibly evicted from the establishment.

It’s terribly well done with great banjo sounds and everyone very tongue-in-cheek. Of course, a big hit. It made me laugh, but I’m not personally knocked out by it and self-identification with the lyrics – unless of course you just happen to be a frustrated belly dancer – is a little hard.
(Disc & Music Echo, 08/10/66)

Banjo? bases and intro and the Hollies, on a self-penned song, move along at a very brisk pace. It’s a story-line song, with repetitive phrases and a truly distinctive vocal arrangement.

Holds the interest; shows their consistency; deserves to be a very big hit.
FLIP: is also by the boys and is also commercial but not so immediately distinctive.
(Record Mirror, 08/10/66)

MARTY WILDE – “ABERGAVENNY: THE PHILIPS POP YEARS 1966 – 1971” (TEENSVILLE RECORDS TV 1030) 2018

It’s fair to say that Marty Wilde had been left behind by the Beat Scene happening in Britain, his hits had dried up, Brylcreemed quiff’s were no longer in vogue and the early sixties rock and rollers were now deemed ancient squares.

It seems that Marty spent his time out of the limelight by buying a pair of John Lennon penny specs and growing his side-burns even longer and bushier that they were in his heyday. He was also writing interesting pop records for the more fashionable and current groups to record and have hits with. At least this way Marty would still roll around on his bed with his royalty cheques and buy more tubs of Brylcreem.

Teensville Records, a re-issue label from Australia, have resurrected “Abergavenny”, his album from 1968. There are some really excellent cuts on this including his versions of “Ice In The Sun” and “Jesamine” – which are not as strong as those efforts made by Status Quo and The Casuals, but they’re still a required listening experience.

Most of the other material on his album is probably aimed at the older-set with cheerful pop songs and brass heavy ballads. Nothing too deep, meaningful or tripped-out. It’s background music when you have a cup of tea and dip your digestives or read the latest edition of Record Collector magazine.

Teensville have filled up the rest of their release with Marty’s singles recorded for Philips and it’s a treat to hear some of those sides. I have a couple of these singles so knew about his “Abergavenny” single backed with “Alice In Blue” – both charming pop numbers but I previously had no idea about his Move inspired rocker “Shelley” from late 1969. This record is now on my radar!

“BLOW MY MIND!” CD (BIG BEAT RECORDS CDWIKD 350) SEPTEMBER 2021

Three of the quirkier imprints from Hollywood’s heyday in the mid-1960s were the record labels Doré, Era and Mira. Like most seasoned indie producers in that epoch, their owners Lew Bedell, Herb Newman and Randy Wood struggled to get to grips with the onslaught of rock’n’roll activity that followed in the wake of the British Invasion.

But amongst each company’s catalogue of R&B, pop schlock and novelty discs were a number of outstanding garage and proto-psych 45s that today are sought-after collectors’ items.

“Blow My Mind: The Doré-Era-Mira Punk & Psych Legacy” collects together the best of this venerated repertoire in a power-packed set that also constitutes the first official reissue for many oft-bootlegged titles. Cuts like ‘The Thief’, ‘Slander’ and ‘I’ll Blow My Mind’ would be expensive to acquire in their original, minutely-pressed incarnation. Here, with top-notch sound and extensive annotation, these totemic garage rock items shine brighter than ever.

There is the expected quota of attitude-laden classics such as ‘My Baby’s Barefoot’, ‘Just Wanna Be Myself’ and the incredibly snotty ‘So What!!’, along with less heralded gems by bands such as South Hampton Story, the Puddin’ Heads, Yesterday’s Tomorrow and the Search. An unexpected bonus is a superb unreleased cut by ‘Hey Joe’ hitmakers the Leaves, along with off-beat garage-psych titles by Simon T Stokes, the Outlaw Blues and the Wrench.

“Blow My Mind!” is the natural sequel to Big Beat’s recent, well-received collection “Lost Innocence” and is an essential purchase for the dedicated garage head.

MY THOUGHTS

This is an essential garage compilation for anyone’s collection, get your copy now before it goes out of print. I have several of the 45 here under examination but there are many cuts new to my brain-waves which sound stellar. I’m talking the unreleased Leaves number “Do Me A Favor” cut at the same sessions as their first album but never released at the time, not even worthy of a single B-side.

Other strong selections (unknown to me) are The South Hampton Story, John Winfield Jr (a previously unreleased swinger “She Touched My Soul”) and the off-kilter and plain weird “Cobwebs” by Simon T Stokes. Not sure what Simon was drinking before the recording session but it could have been human baby’s blood.

Over the years I’ve made contact with members of The Lyrics and The Search who are compiled on this set. I interviewed them via email and they’re available to read on my site, but they’re without a category and hidden deep within my archives. Use the search option for now! I intend to resurrect them all soon.

Tracklist:

My Baby’s Barefoot – The Syndicate
02. Do Me A Favor – The Leaves
03. Gotta Hold On – The No-Na-Mees
04. The Thief – The Motion
05. So What!! – The Lyrics
06. Leave Me Behind – The South Hampton Story
07. Big City Blues – Simon T Stokes
08. The Other Half – Yesterday’s Tomorrow
09. Worryin’ Kind – The Regents
10. She Touched My Soul – John Winfield Jr
11. Slander – Ty Wagner
12. Now You Say We’re Through – The Puddin’ Heads
13. They Can’t Hurt Me – The Lyrics
14. I’ll Blow My Mind – Spencer’s Van Dykes
15. I’m Gonna Dance – The Decades
16. The Day Is Hard – The Wrench
17. Climate – The Search
18. Just Wanna Be Myself – The No-Na-Mees
19. Non-Stop Blues – The Outlaw Blues
20. Shame – The Front Page & Her
21. Forget Me Girl – The Bees
22. She’s Gone – The Tormentors
23. It’s No Use – Basil & The Baroques
24. To Make A Lie – Unknown Artist
25. Cobwebs – Simon T Stokes

DONOVAN – “THERE IS A MOUNTAIN” / “SAND AND FOAM” (PYE 7N 17403) OCTOBER 1967

Donovan “There Is A Mountain” – Magic minstrel skips out of the mist and into the pool of warm sunlight to look beautiful again. Donovan is Donovan and he’s back with another graceful, enterprising song breathing with life and pulsating with natural, vital energy like an internal combustion engine tunefully chugging in his head.

A relaxed “live” studio recording, timing, lyrics – “caterpillar sheds his skin to find a butterfly within” – plus the cool, sighing sounds of flute, clopping bongos and congas, coupled with Don’s vocal expression gives this record the disturbing gentleness of both “Sunshine Superman” and “Mellow Yellow” and the power of a thousand exploding suns.
(Melody Maker, 21/10/67)

After what seems like an age – and where HAS he gone anyway? – Donovan pops up with this rather pretty jazz orientated record. It is “Mellow Yellow” with a west Indian influence, bongos, and warm, shuffling sound, hand-clapping, and his voice sounding like sand going through a timer.

It’s hard to tell, at this stage in things, whether it is commercial. Certainly it will offend nobody’s parents – and that’s the kind of thing that’s making the chart these days.

Actually the flip “Sand And Foam” has more moving beauty, sounding like the crystal-voiced Donovan of his youth, on a lively tale of Mexico. Let’s all go.
(Disc & Music Echo, 21/10/67)

Completely different from any previous Donovan single release, it’s a blend of South American bossa nova and west Indian calypso rhythm. set to a pulsating beat, employing conga drums and maracas, with a repetitive flute riff throughout, it’s a light-hearted song delivered in suitably happy style by this talented young performer.

It has a decidedly tropical feel, emphasised by the shouts of encouragement as Don wends his way merrily through the lyric, and great charm and atmosphere.

The tune is catchy, too – and all things considered, I reckon it’s very probable that the disc will emulate its U.S. success.
FLIP: The more serious side of Donovan. A folksy ballad, with a beautifully descriptive and highly evocative lyric. And just an acoustic guitar.
(NME, 21/10/67)

Tremendous, Latinish-calypso sort of beat and the utmost simplicity in the lyrics. But the bloke just lays it down the line and I defy anyone to remain static while hearing it. He is an original talent as far as I’m concerned. And he does keep changing.
FLIP: Slow, more subdued, good lyrics.
(Record Mirror, 21/10/67)

THE KINKS – “AUTUMN ALMANAC” / “MR PLEASANT” (PYE 7N 17400) OCTOBER 1967

The Kinks “Autumn Almanac” – Mr Ray Davies, prolific as ever, now surfaces with a saga of autumnal bliss. Of toasted buttered currant buns and the like. Ah me, I know what he means.

As a record it’s rather more meandering than we’re used to from The Kinks with Ray’s voice even further back than usual and a chorus of sighing ‘oh wah’ like leaves falling, in the background.

Parts of it remind me of the Beatles’ “When I’m 64,” and at one point people get very carried away going “yes yes yes” and thumping and yelling. It will need more than the customary two plays, but then everyone will knock their beer glasses together and go “oh yes it’s my autumn almanac!” – with feeling. Not a number one though.
(Disc & Music Echo, 14/10/67)

Ray Davies closely following the seasons again with an autumn song which may be a little under-powered to give the Kinks the kind of success they’ve been used to.

Full of boosting brass sounds, big, full and nicely floating harmonies but not enough energetic atoms to grab the attention. Should make the twenty but not the ten.

Is it time Ray stopped writing about grey, suburbanites going about their fairly unemotional daily business? Expansion – in the direction of Dave’s “Death Of A Clown” – showed great promise. It’s time for the Kinks to stop being “commercial” (horrible word), musically unimaginative, and get out of their bag.

One feels Ray works to a formula, not a feeling, and it’s becoming boring.
(Melody Maker, 21/10/67)

Brisk, catchy, well-worded, rather simple in construction – Ray singing gently but with moments of power on the title line. Must say he always comes up with something different in conception. Good gentle harmonies behind. This will be a substantial biggie.
FLIP: Almost George Formby-ish, a sort of greeting song. A bit odd.
(Record Mirror, 14/10/67)

THE TROGGS – “I CAN’T CONTROL MYSELF” / “GONNA MAKE YOU” (PAGE ONE POF 001) OCTOBER 1966

The Troggs “I Can’t Control Myself” – Yes! The Troggs have done it again. “Oh no,” yells Mr Presley at the beginning of this record. But oh yes, The Troggs have done it again. Another number one on the way.

The Troggs’ well developed signature – the ba bahs’ and the solid Presley sexiness are all apparent. A more mature and hideously evil sound on this song than they’ve managed before. Actually the lyrics – if you knew what I was thinking says old Reg your hair would curl – are rather splendid. Wowee.
(Disc & Music Echo, 01/10/66)

REG WILL HAVE TO MUMBLE

The hazards of being a top pop star can be far removed from the image of beer and skittles: ask anyone who’s ever had a hit and done the rounds of ballrooms, clubs and theatres. The Troggs are one of the latest groups to find how difficult things can be.

I spoke to Chris Britton in his hotel room at Wolverhampton just before he and the other Troggs went off for another concert on their tour with the Walker Brothers and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.

After three hit records, sales of well over eight million throughout the world and a vast fan-following, The Troggs have become part of the real pop biz scene. How, I asked Chris, were they getting on with the other members of the clan?

“We don’t get much of a chance to meet them,” he replied “We’re living in suitcases. We only see other people in studios or when we go down to the Cromwellian for an evening. We’ve got on well with the people we have met though.”

Chris added that the artistes on the tour were all getting along famously. Various members of various groups were wandering about in one another’s dressing rooms and everybody had made friends from the word “go”.

As “I Can’t Control Myself” shoots into the Record Mirror’s Top Ten and looks a likely challenge for the top spot, The Troggs have had to put up with a bit of undue criticism over the lyrics of the song. Were they content to continue recording songs written by Reg Presley?

“I don’t see any reason why not, as long as he keeps coming up with the songs we like.” Chris told me. “We hope to have another LP out before Christmas, but we’re not sure if we can make it. Reg is writing a lot of material but there’s not a lot of time, we’re a bit pushed.”

How about the partial ban that was imposed on the record? Now it has been completely lifted in this country it seems to have been taken up by the Australian Broadcasting Control Board. The Troggs are due for a tour their early in 1967.

“I don’t think it will affect the visit,” Chris replied. “I don’t really know what the ban is, ‘Newly Pressed’ and ‘Five O’Clock Club’ banned it first here, but we aren’t unduly worried. We were at the time.”

“The lyrics aren’t bad when you consider some of the other songs going round at the moment. Perhaps Reg pronounces his words too clearly. He’ll have to mumble on the next one.”
(Record Mirror, 22/10/66)

THE ROOSTERS “SHE SENDS ME” – HERE’S ONE OF MY ARCHIVED POSTS FROM JANUARY 2011

Readers of my blog will already know that I interviewed The Roosters lead singer Ray Mangigian in 2009 and Ray provided me with much needed information about his old band from the ’60s. Not much was known about The Roosters and the information that was available via other web pages or music guides was scant or just plain wrong.

During my email interview with Ray he mentioned that unreleased demos from 1965/66 existed. Bearing in mind that the original line-up of The Roosters released two sparkling folk rock 45s of the highest order (and my favourite ’60s genre by the way) my head started to spin. I hoped that one day these songs would see the light of day. Even better would be a Roosters retrospective with all of the known releases and demos. Now that would be a DREAM!!

Which brings me to my pleasant surprise yesterday when 12-string guitarist and songwriter Tim Ward from The Roosters contacted me by email. Tim sent me three MP3s of unreleased songs he wrote and were recorded by The Roosters at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood.

The songs are:

She Sends Me
Help Me Please
Deep Inside

All three have that exquisite L.A. folk rock jangle sound that I fell in love with the first time I heard The Byrds 30 years ago. According to Ray, The Roosters were big Byrds and Turtles fans and their own teenage jangle sound has more than stood the test of time.

Like I said all of the unreleased songs are worthy of a retrospective release and surely someone could do a Roosters collection in the same way that The Dovers finally got their reward. (Break-A-Way re-issue label did this some years later with my input).

I especially dig the loner moody folk rock of ’She Sends Me’ and almost twelve years later I’ve finally got around to creating a YouTube video.

URCHIN TO GO

The Sea Urchins hailed from West Bromich, in the West Midlands. They were active during the late 1980s to the very early ’90s at which point they disbanded but regrouped with some line-up changes to form Delta.

Sadly, I knew nothing of The Sea Urchins back then, they’re a recent discovery for me. I would have been their greatest fan had they been on my radar. The single “Pristine Christine” is the sweetest tune I’ve heard for decades and believe me when I say I’ve listened to many thousands of records.

The amount of records and CDs I own nowadays is so vast that I’ve superseded having a record collection. I now refer to it as my archive. Boxes and shelves filled to the brim with ’60s garage and psychedelia, ’70s punk rock and garage punk revival. . . . . . but back to The Sea Urchins.

The first thing I did when I discovered “Pristine Christine” on YouTube a few weeks ago was try and locate an original copy of the single. Imagine my grief when I realised that the 45 would set me back in the region of £300.
I simply don’t have the disposable funds to buy a record for that amount nowadays.

OK, an original pressing is out of reach! How about finding a copy of their releases on an album called “Stardust” on the important Sarah Records label? Well, that too has soared in value and I’d be lucky to buy a copy for less than £150. In fact all of their releases are akin to gold dust. They’re all important historical documents of this truly special group. One of the great lost and unknown English bands.

Their music is available on two insanely rare flexi-discs given away with Kvatch and Sha-La-La fanzines. A few singles were released on Sarah and one last attempt on Cheree in 1991 but by then the sparkle had gone and they were rehashing a decent but flat version of Badfinger’s “No Matter What” with more polished and mature tunes. . . . but to me, less interesting..

The material recorded and released by Sarah Records is delicate folk-rock with jangle guitar, subtle bass moves, splintered tambourine and exquisite drum action. The drummer provides James Roberts’ songs with the perfect backbeat, approaching his kit with a very light touch.

Singer / songwriter James Roberts reminds me of Blue Things leader Val Stecklein. He writes the same kind of beautiful songs, full of melody and grace. They’re moving numbers about love, rejection and turmoil. His forlorn and occasionally tortured vocal delivery is perfect for these shades of grey creations.

Discography:

“Cling Film” (Kvatch 001) flexi-disc 1987
“Summershine” (Sha La La 05) flexi-disc 1987
“Pristine Christine” / “Sullen Eyes” / “Everglades” (Sarah Records 1) 11/87
“Solace” / “Please Rain Fall” (Sarah Records 8) 1988
“Untitled” recorded 30/10/88 (Fierce Recordings) 1988
“A Morning Odyssey” / “Wild Grass Pictures” (Sarah records 33) 1990
“Please Don’t Cry” / “No Matter What” / “Time Is All I’ve Seen” (Cheree 15) 1991

Compilation:

“Stardust” LP (Sarah Records 609) 1992

tracklist:
“Cling Film”
“Summershine”
“You’re So Much”
“Pristine Christine”
“Sullen Eyes”
“Everglades”
“Solace”
“Please Rain Fall”
“A Morning Odyssey”
“Wild Grass Pictures”
“Day Into Day”

The Sea Urchins are fortunate enough to have some keen and loyal fans devoted enough to set-up a Facebook Group and it’s from the latter where the photos I’ve posted here were originally shared. I’ve provided a link at the beginning of my retrospective to The Sea Urchins fan-group.

Join up, there is plenty more information and delightful images from fanzines and such-like. Without their dedication images and cuttings would never be seen. So thanks to them.

There’s a rare demo-tape of The Sea Urchins recordings made before they were ever heard outside of the bedrooms. The same tape was likely sent to the NME, who wrote about the band in their “Thrills!” section on 31/05/86.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

LISTEN-IN REVIEWS

PSYCHEDELIC PUNK 45 ON A BOSS LABEL

THE PURPLE GANG – ’BRING YOUR OWN SELF DOWN’/ ’ONE OF THE BUNCH’ (MGM K13607) OCT 1966

COMMENTS:

A HOLY ALLIANCE OF THE ASSOCIATION AND THE LEFT BANKE

UPDATE FROM A READER ON 18/07/12

24 HOURS FROM TULSA

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SACCHARINE SWEET MUSIC ALMOST GIVES ME A THROMBOEMBALISM

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FAME OPENED THE VAULTS FOR PREVIOUSLY IGNORED SNOOZEVILLE BALLADRY

COUNTRY MUSIC IS A STYLE WHICH HAS REAL MEANING, WHICH RELATES TO EVERYDAY LIFE, TELLING OF ITS JOYS AND SORROWS.

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HIS CONFIDENCE AND YOUTHFUL HANDSOMENESS HELP PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE EMPATHY WITH AN AUDIENCE. FOR THE TWELVE-STRING GUITAR OF GLEN CAMPBELL IS BUT ONE FACET OF THIS AMAZING YOUNG MAN.

AN INTRODUCTION INTO CAMPBELL’S EARLY RECORDINGS

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AN INTRODUCTION INTO CAMPBELL’S EARLY RECORDINGS

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THE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM:-

‘SCUSE ME WHILE I MAKE MY WAY TO THE NEAREST RECORD DECK!

INNER COVER LINERS:

THE EARLY YEARS

HITTING THE BIG TIME

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT YOU CAN BUY A RECORD OF GREAT HITS WHICH WERE ALL IN THE TOP TEN

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HERMAN’S HERMITS SWING INTO ANOTHER ENTERTAINING PROGRAMME ON THIS, THEIR SECOND APPEARANCE ON MUSIC FOR PLEASURE

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NOW HEAR THIS – HERE’S OUR LATEST “TOP OF THE POPS”, TAILOR-MADE AS USUAL TO SUIT THE NEEDS OF ALL OUR POP FANS.

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NOW HEAR THIS – HERE’S OUR LATEST “TOP OF THE POPS”, TAILOR-MADE AS USUAL TO SUIT THE NEEDS OF ALL OUR POP FANS.

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OUR FABULOUS VOCALISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS MAKE SOUNDS THAT WILL SEND YOU ROCKETING INTO OUTER SPACE.

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PLEASE REMEMBER HALLMARK “TOP OF THE POPS” IS CONSISTENTLY BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING L.P. RECORD.

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A RETROSPECTIVE ALBUM OF THE IVY LEAGUE’S MOST SUCCESSFUL PERIOD

PUNK ERA COMPILATION OF DUO’S FINEST MID-SIXTIES RECORDS

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POLYDOR LABEL SAMPLER OF THEIR UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE

ENTER A WORLD OF CAPTIVATING MUSIC IN THIS EXCITING SERIES

THEIR SECOND FULL-LENGTH COLLABORATION

BUDGET LABEL RELEASE ROUNDING UP MOSTLY B-SIDES FROM THE EARLY SEVENTIES

A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE BEE GEES ALBUMS ‘HORIZONTAL’ AND ‘IDEA’

ENTER A WORLD OF CAPTIVATING MUSIC IN THIS EXCITING SERIES

CLASSY DERAM COMPILATION FEATURING THE FLIRTATIONS, CLYDE MCPHATTER, THE INCROWD AND THE FANTASTICS

20 GOLDEN HIT SONGS OF THE 50S

SALUTING COMPOSERS WHOSE COLLECTIVE SPELLS VERY DIFFERENT FORMS OF SUSPENSE

SELF TAUGHT BOYS CONSISTING OF FIVE ENERGETIC, AMBITIOUS GUYS WHO PLAY EVERYTHING FROM R&B TO THE MERSEY SOUND

SUPERSTEREO WILL BRING OUT THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR PLAYING EQUIPMENT

A DARK AND BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE OF LONELINESS

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TRIO DRESSED IN ALL BLACK BEAT GEAR AND DARK SHADES GO JAZZ LOUNGE

THE RECONDITIONED HITS OF EARLY 1973

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THE SOLID GOLD SOUND OF TODAY’S 12 TOPS HITS

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WHEN WESTERN ADVENTURES WERE THE STAPLE DIET OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMING

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ARRANGED AND CONDUCTED BY GARY SHERMAN

20 ORIGINAL HITS

DANCE TO THE MUSIC, THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING

GLAM ROCK ERA REVISITED WITH VERSIONS OF HITS ORIGINALLY PERFORMED BY SLADE, GARY GLITTER AND T-REX

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THE WHOLE WORLD IS A SPECIAL PATH WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE. SUNNY WOODS AND COLOURED LEAVES (DISRAELI)

DISRAELI – ’Tomorrow’s Day’ / ’Humidity 105’ (Mantra Records DL-002) 1967

DISRAELI – ’What Will The New Day Bring?’ / ’Spinnin’ Round’ (Mantra Records M-113) 1968

DISRAELI – ’Say You Love Me’ / ’I’ve Seen Her One Time’ (Mantra Records M-114) 1968

DISRAELI – ’The Lonely One’ / ’You Can’t Do That’ (Mantra Records M-115) 196?

IT’S POPERIFIC! IT’S SINGSATIONAL! IT’S TOP OF THE POPS VOLUME 49

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A RECORD FOR THE ’70S KIDS TO PLAY WHILE THEY’RE GUZZLIN’ DOWN A CAN OF PEPSI

THE SOUND YOUR EYES CAN FOLLOW

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YOUR TWELVE TOPS OF THE MONTH

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THE EARLY YEARS OF A GREAT SINGER, AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL TEEN IDOLS

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GENE VINCENT’S CHALLENGE RECORDINGS FROM 1966 – 1967