PAISLEY VISIONS: LISTEN-IN REVIEWS

THE EPICENTRE OF JANGLE - 12 STRING JANGLERS, FUZZ AND FARFISA COMBOS, PROTEST SINGERS AND FOLK ROCKERS.

THE STANDELLS – ’Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White’/’Why Did You Hurt Me’ (Tower 257) June 1966

The Standells hit the big time with ’Dirty Water’ and followed that memorable rock n’ roll raunch with the equally hip ’Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White’ in the Summer of ’66.

But it’s the unheralded and forgotten ’Why Did You Hurt Me’ on the flip that gets my blog action and entry into this years 2011 Los Angeles select 50. The song was recorded at Kearnie Barton’s Audio Recording Studios in Seattle (also used by The Sonics) during April 1966 while The Standells were on the road touring outside L.A. on the back of the smash ’Dirty Water’.

’Why Did You Hurt Me’ is a gritty performance and could easily have been a single in it’s own right. Dig that combo organ, probably a Vox Continental played by Larry Tamblyn and the snotty punk vocals. It’s certainly one of my favourite Standells cuts.

CAL RAYE – ”I Cry” / ”Can I” (Runay Records RY-101) 1967

Most of Cal Raye’s solo material is crooner, MOR pop and falls outside my radar but the garage raga rock winner ’I Cry’ is certainly worthy of investigation. Cal Raye a.k.a. Jerry Raye signed to DeVille Records after this release on the obscure Runay label and ’I Cry’ was re-released with a different flip side ’The Devil Is A Woman (You Tell Such Lovely Lies)’

Cal Raye hooked up with a local L.A. folk rock group called Fenwyck and their most famous recording is ’Mindrocker’ which has seen several compilation appearances over the years. Other songs from that merge are quite stunning such as ’I’m Spinning’, ’Away’ and ’State Of Mind’.

With it’s flipped out eastern fuzz guitar leads ’I Cry’ could have been a contender but remains in the undiscovered shadows.

THE GENTLE SOUL – ’Tell Me Love’/’You Move Me’ (Columbia 4-43952) rec January 1967

Pamela Pollard and Rick Stanley had been playing clubs together on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip for about a year before Byrds producer Terry Melcher got them into the studio, first to record Pamela Pollard’s ’You Move Me’ in September 1966 followed by a session in January 1967 to lay down the Rick Stanley original ’Tell Me Love’.

The name of the group came about when Riley Wyldflower was smoking joints in their Hollywood apartment and blowing the hash smoke into the face of their cat. Riley said the cat didn’t mind because he was a gentle soul….hence The Gentle Soul.

This debut 45 by The Gentle Soul is not on their studio album from mid 1968 and as such is a recommended single to track down. But not only for that reason! ’Tell Me More’ is quite simply ’blissful’ with it’s ornate production by Melcher and beautiful arrangement by Jack Nitzsche, the song really soars with layers of perfect harmonies and baroque psych touches……GLORIOUS….

At this point in time, The Gentle Soul were a four piece including guitarist Riley Wyldflower who would go on to release an obscure 45 ’The Smog Song’/’Electric California’ on Beacon Records. I’ve only ever heard ’The Smog Song’ which is hippie blues.

Drummer Sandy Konikoff played in several Buffalo, NY groups before linking up with The Gentle Soul including The Ravens and The Hawks who backed Bob Dylan during Feb/March 1966.

THE FIRE ESCAPE – ’Love Special Delivery’/’Blood Beat’ (GNP Crescendo 384) January 1967

’Love Special Delivery’ or as it’s billed on the front of The Fire Escape ’Psychotic Reactions’ album,’L.S.D’ is a fierce garage psych assault with fuzz and a totally wired mid song rave-up in the best tradition of The Yardbirds.

Of course ’Love Special Delivery’ is a cover of Thee Midniters song and here The Fire Escape do the original recording justice and add to it with that certain Sunset Strip vibe.
Not a great deal is known about The Fire Escape. They were most likely a studio outfit put together by producers Larry Goldberg and Hank Levine. They even have the flip ’Blood Beat’ and ’Journey’s End’, on the album credited to themselves.

According to the liners on the back of the album Hollywood whiz-kid Michael Lloyd arranged musical proceedings adding weight to my theory that The Fire Escape, as a group, did not exist.

MERRELL & the XILES – ’Tomorrow’s Girl’/’When I Get Home’ (Glenn 426) April 1967

This was The Exiles final 45 in the Spring of 1967 after which Merrell Fankhauser would disband the group and return as Fapardokly with a new line-up.
Merrell & the Exiles or as shown on this label as Xiles enjoyed some degree of local popularity, even performing on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and ’Tomorrow’s Girl’ certainly entertains with it’s raga rock rhythms, fuzz and lyrics about a girl with a fondness of hash.

”She is a girl who has everybody’s needs
While she sits and smokes her $20 weed”

’Tomorrow’s Girl’ and the flip ’When I Get Home’ were recorded at Audio Arts Studio, Hollywood during March 1967 with the following line-up:

Merrell Fankhauser (vocals/guitar)
Mark Thompson (organ)
Larry Willey (bass)
Randy Wimer (drums)

GENE VINCENT – ’Born To Be A Rolling Stone’ (Everest Records CBR 1006) rec April 1967

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.

THE BYRDS – ’My Back Pages’/’Renaissance Fair’ (CBS 2648) May 1967

Forty four years ago, The Byrds released one of their finest ever singles. The top side being the impressive version of Dylan’s ’My Back Pages’ backed with the staggering psychedelic jewel ’Renaissance Fair’.

It’s safe to say that The Byrds have been my favourite group for almost 30 years ever since I bought my first Byrds LP titled ’The Byrds – the original singles 1967-1969’ from Boots in Sunderland sometime in 1982. I remember being hugely disappointed with the country side which I just didn’t get. To me the songs sounded like background music I’d heard on some episodes of Dallas, probably when the Ewing’s hosted the ’Oil Baron’s Ball’

But I was completely in awe of the psych side. Listening to this side with songs of the calibre of ’Have You Seen Her Face’, ’Lady Friend’, ’Goin’ Back’ and ’Change Is Now’ quite simply CHANGED MY LIFE.
At 16 years of age I had found my musical heroes and I set out on a mission to own everything they ever recorded.

’Renaissance Fair’ was one such song on that album that made my head spin with it’s glorious sound and mystical words. I could only imagine what The Byrds looked like because no photo of them was on either side of the cover.

Renaissance Fair was the name of one of the very first Love-Ins in Los Angeles and this is Crosby’s vivid account of this medieval type festival of music. His song describes the event in a dream like sequence, focusing on the individual senses of hearing, smell and sight to convey his sensation of wonderment.

Anyone who has ever experienced an acid trip will no doubt know where Crosby is coming from.

It was a hit in USA (released March 1967) but sank without trace in the UK.

I think that maybe I’m dreaming.

I smell cinnamon and spices
I hear music everywhere
All around kaleidoscope of colour
I think that maybe I’m dreaming.

Maids pass gracefully in laughter
Wine coloured flowers in their hair
Flags call from lands I’ve never been to
I think that maybe I’m dreaming.

Sun splash on a soda of prism
Bright jewels on the ladies flashing
Eyes catch on a shiny prism

Hear ye the crying of the vendors
Fruit for sale wax candles for to burn
Fires flare soon it will be night fall
I think that maybe I’m dreaming.

THE TURTLES – ’It Ain’t Me Babe’/’Almost There’ (Pye International 7N.25320) September 1965

As everyone knows The Turtles are the undisputed kings of sunshine/harmony pop music but do not discount their folk rock period of 1965/66 and in particular the ferocious Kinks inspired garage rocker of ’Almost There’ written and sung by Howard Kaylan.

The Turtles didn’t have the cool, beautiful people image of say The Byrds or Love but they had the cutting ’now sound’ of ’65 alright. ’It Ain’t Me Babe’ transforms the Dylan original for the Sunset Strip crowd and I’m sure most of the kids back then would have been hip to the punky ’Almost There’ – fantastic double-sider to seek out and enjoy!

Pictured is my copy of the UK release and as you can imagine it\’s a tough 45 to find, set your sights on the USA White Whale release which is easier to locate but now getting quite sought after.

THE FANTASTIC ZOO – ’Light Show’/’Silent Movies’ (Double Shot 109) February 1967

The Fogcutters, a popular group from Denver, Colorado, cut some singles that did some action locally then sometime in 1966 the group relocated to Los Angeles or perhaps only members Don Cameron and Eric Karl and renamed themselves The Fantastic Zoo.

What is known is that veteran L.A. producers Hal Winn and Joseph Hooven produced all of The Fogcutters sides. Perhaps they persuaded the group to sign for their newly formed Hollywood label Double Shot.

The first Fantastic Zoo record released in December 1966, was the small L.A. hit and novelty ’Midnight Snack’, although the far superior side is the psychedelic folk of ’This Calls For A Celebration’ on the flip.

By now the small independent record label had a huge national hit on their roster with ’Psychotic Reaction’ by The Count Five so I’m sure Hooven and Winn were focusing all of their efforts on this. However, the second and final Fantastic Zoo 45, the ultra trippy, ’Light Show’ was released in early February 1967 but appears to have sank.

For every 500 copies of ’Silent Movies’ you’ll be lucky to find a copy of ’Light Show’ – it’s a very scarce record to locate suggesting few copies were manufactured.

Eric Karl wound up in Bodine who recorded an album for MGM. He wrote the majority of the songs on that long player.
Hopefully someone will get in touch about The Fogcutters and The Fantastic Zoo as they appear to have an intriguing history.

JEFFERSON LEE – ’Book Of Love’/’Sorcerella’ (Original Sound OS-88) July 1969

In the late 60s Jefferson Lee was an up and coming producer from Atlanta who signed to Hollywood label Original Sound and released two sought after singles. The Monotones cover, ’Book Of Love’ was the first from the Summer of ’69 but it’s the fuzz driven and Music Machine influenced flip ’Sorcerella’ that wins out.

The intense fuzztone bass is just insane and the weird lyrics add to the songs overall creepiness. I didn’t know much about Jefferson Lee so did a little digging. It turns out that he exclusively managed and produced Joe South in the late 60s early 70s.

discography:

’Book Of Love’/’Sorcerella’ (Original Sound OS-88) July 1969
’Bubble Gum Music’/’Pancake Trees’ (Original Sound OS-93) May 1970

THE LYRICS – ’So What!!’/’They Can’t Hurt Me’ (Era Records 3153) November 1965

Almost three years ago I exchanged emails with Ray Clearwater who wrote, sang and played harmonica on both songs on The Lyrics debut 45 released on Era Records. At the time Ray was a member of The Lyrics he was known as Christopher Gaylord.

My full interview with Ray can be found elsewhere on my site. The double exclamation marks in the title of ’So What!!’ was the deciding factor allowing this side to get the nod and become my Number One, LA Select of 2011.

ADRIAN LLOYD – ’Lorna’/’Got A Little Woman’ (Charger CRG-112) 1965

According to the liners of Back From The Grave – Volume 8, Adrian Lloyd was from England but relocated to Los Angeles. He then joined a surf/instrumental group called The Rumblers as their prime evil drummer, before forming his own combo Adrian and the Sunsets.

It’s not known if The Sunsets backed Adrian Lloyd on this incredible two sider released on Charger Records in 1965. ’Lorna’ is a terrifying listening experience due completely to Lloyd’s carnal screams over a crunchin’ Bo Diddley beat with surf guitar. An absolute amazing performance.

The more sedate but equally appealing flip ’Got A Little Woman’ is moody and intense, again with a surf twang. Lloyd’s vocals are full of edge and attitude. This guy is fucked off about something.

Few original copies of this record exist so it was with good fortune that I managed to buy a bootleg copy a few years ago when they were doing the rounds on eBay. Copies have since dried up.

THE GLASS FAMILY – ’House Of Glass’ (Warner Bros WS 1776) early 1969

’House Of Glass’ is the stone cold killer psychedelic lead off track from The Glass Family.

This superb piece of lysergia would have made a fabulous single but it was overlooked in favour of ’Guess I’ll Let You Go’/’Agorn (Elements Of Complex Variables)’ two other great songs that were taken from this overlooked album and released as a single, no doubt to promote it.
The music for the album ”Electric Band” was recorded late 1968 and released early 1969.

All cuts recorded at American Recording Studios in Studio City, California and produced by Richard Podolor, who has cropped up a couple of times on my site after working with other outfits.

THE DIRTY SHAMES – ’Makin’ Love’/’I Don’t Care’ (Impression 112) August 1966

Los Angeles group The Dirty Shames released this great two sider on the collectable Impression Records label out of Hollywood then disappeared. Not a great deal is known about them other than the fact that they recorded a version of ’Makin’ Love’, originally made by The Sloths.

The Sloths also recorded for Impression Records and it’s believed that this is how The Dirty Shames knew about the song and decided to record it themselves. ’Makin’ Love’ is an ’R&B’ howler with harp and a crunching fuzz break. Not a hint of the folk rock sound Los Angeles was famous for during the period mid 1965 to the end of ’66.

THE DOVERS – ’The Third Eye’/’Your Love’ (Miramar 123) April 1966

The Dovers were the legendary folk rock group from Santa Barbara that released four singles on the small Hollywood label Miramar without causing much of a stir, then were gone. That was until Pebbles #2 featured their first single, the outstanding ’She’s Gone’ and The Dovers were vogue at last.

’The Third Eye’ under the spotlight, was The Dovers third single on Miramar and although no credits are displayed on the label I’m confident that it was written by leader Tim Granada, the group’s singer/songwriter and rhythm guitarist. Like their earlier 45 releases it was probably recorded at Gold Star Studios.

This exquisite, eastern tinged 12 string killer is one of the earliest excursions into psychedelia, and seemingly recounts an acid experience. According to the liners of The Dovers retrospective LP on Misty Lane, in early 1966 The Dovers underwent some line-up changes and group members started to experiment with LSD.

Tim Granada’s haunting vocals deliver the lines,

”Unlocked by the key and now I am free” as well as ”No wings for my flight, I drift through the night”

THE PREACHERS – ’Stay Out Of My World’/’Who Do You Love’/’Hey Joe’ (Sundazed SEP 191) 2009

’Stay Out Of My World’ first appeared in October 1965 on (Moonglow 5006) and is a tough record to track down but thankfully Sundazed re-issued the cut on 45 a couple of years ago complete with a fabulous picture sleeve. There’s no reason why readers of my blog should be without their own copy.

The Preachers got together in early 1964 and played the local bars in Manhattan Beach, moving on to be a resident band at the Casbah Club in Canoga Park. They quickly became very popular in the San Fernando Valley before eventually performing regularly on the Sunset Strip by mid 1965.

The original lead vocalist Richard Fortunato was replaced by John English who wrote the lyrics of ’Stay Out Of My World’, the folk punker under the spotlight. John had no music to his words so organist Rudy Garza came up with that groovy organ riff to bring the whole thing together. Listening to his organ runs, I can’t help but think of the riff Ray Manzarek used for ’Soul Kitchen’.

Richard Fortunato and bassist Zeke Jim Camarillo went onto The Vejtables, Fortunato then joined W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band with Preachers drummer Steve Lagana. Lead guitarist Hal Tennant may have been with The Bees at some point.

THE LYRICS – ’Can’t See You Any More’/’Wake Up To My Voice’ (Feather 1968) February 1968

By the powers of the internet I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging emails with two members of The Lyrics over the years and exclusive interviews with Dan Garcia and Ray Clearwater (previously known as Christopher Gaylord) can be found on my site. Dan sent me a load of Lyrics photos and ephemera some of which I’ve posted today for the first time on ’Flower Bomb Songs’.

The Lyrics hailed from the San Diego area but spent much of their existence recording and gigging in Los Angeles, often supporting The Doors.

This amazing and hard to find garage psych record was probably cut at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood where they had previously recorded the earlier 45 ’Mr Man’ / ’Wait’ released on GNP Crescendo. They also used the same production team of Harlan Peacock and Don Ralke.

The A-Side appears to have been The Doors influenced ’Can’t See You Any More’ written by lead guitarist Bill Garcia . The flip might be recognisable to some because it was compiled on Highs In The Mid Sixties Volume 3. The sound quality on this comp is atrocious mainly because a beat up copy of the disc was used that has clicks and pops all over it.

’Can’t See You Any More’ was listed as a ’Hit Bound Sound’ on the Santa Barbara Radio KIST music list, week ending 10th February 1968.
’Wake Up To My Voice’ written by singer Craig Carll is a magical example of garage psychedelia. It’s been a firm favourite of mine ever since I first heard it in the mid 80s and is clearly a classic of it’s genre.

Related trivia:
Don Ralke produced and arranged many records during the great 66/67 period. As well as being employed by The Lyrics he also worked with Ty Wagner of ’I’m A No Count’ and ’Slander’ fame as well as arranging the vocals on songs by The Sunrays. He also wrote several songs recorded by William Shatner on his ’The Transformed Man’ LP from 1968.

THE TURTLES – ’Outside Chance’/’We’ll Meet Again’ (White Whale 234) August 1966

Yet another blog entry for The Turtles, I love this group! and surely ’Outside Chance’ had the class and pop charm to be a big hit but the record somehow bought a ticket to nowheresville and sank without trace making it one of the most sought after Turtles 45s to collect.

’Outside Chance’ was written by Warren Zevon who at this point in time was a White Whale label stablemate and part of duo Lyme & Cybelle. Here, The Turtles offer up a folk punk version with tough 12 string guitar and an electric piano break.
The song was covered by Sounds Like Us.

THE ELECTRIC PRUNES – ’Everybody Knows You’re In Love’/’You’ve Never Had It Better’ (Reprise RS 20652) February 1968

Recorded in late 1967 at American Recording Co studios in Hollywood, the flip of this record ’You’ve Never Had It Better’ catches The Electric Prunes in a raunchy mood. The song is in complete contrast to the plug side ’Everybody Knows You’re Not In Love’ which is a soft pop number written by Lowe and Tulin.

But it’s the psychedelic rocker ’You’ve Never Had It Better’ that gets my nod and entry in my L.A. Select list. Check out the pulsating buzzsaw-fuzztone opening riff, straight away you know you’re in for a heavy ride – settle down and take that fuzz trip.

THE RISING SONS – ’I Got A Little’ (Sundazed) recorded December 1965

Somehow, The Rising Sons never made it as a hit group outside of Los Angeles although on the Sunset Strip they became one of the legendary groups with memorable performances of potent R&B and country blues.

The good people at Sundazed Records released a stunning vinyl only release of material recorded by The Rising Sons during 1965/66, all of the cuts never saw the light of day in the 60s apart from the sides used as their only single ’Candy Man’ and ’The Devil’s Got My Woman’.

’I Got A Little’ is a group original written by Jessie Lee Kincaid and is a rush of uptempo blues with jangle guitar that works real well. Short and sweet medication.

After their demise in mid 1966, Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder became famous in their solo careers and drummer Kevin Kelley joined The Byrds.

During 2011 and 2012 I selected and reviewed my personal selection of 100 favourite sonic jewels from Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. Over time I will re-post the articles on ‘Yellow Paper Suns’.

Here is that list:

01 LYRICS – ‘So What!!’ (Era Records 3153) 11/65
02 ADRIAN LLOYD – ‘Lorna’ (Charger CRG-112) 1965
03 GLASS FAMILY – ‘House Of Glass’ (Warner Bros WS 1776) late 1968
04 DIRTY SHAMES – ‘Makin’ Love’ (Impression 112) 8/66
05 DOVERS – ‘The Third Eye’ (Miramar 123) 4/66
06 PREACHERS – ‘Stay Out Of My World’ (Sundazed SEP 191) recorded 1965
07 LYRICS – ‘Can’t See You Any More’ (Feather 1968) 2/68
08 TURTLES – ‘Outside Chance’ (White Whale 234) 8/66
09 ELECTRIC PRUNES – ‘You’ve Never Had It Better’ (Reprise RS 20652) 2/68
10 RISING SONS – ‘I Got A Little’ (Sundazed) recorded 12/65
11 STANDELLS – ‘Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White’ (Tower 257) 6/66
12 CAL RAYE – ‘I Cry’ (Runay Records RY-101) 1966
13 GENTLE SOUL – ‘Tell Me Love’ (Columbia 4-43952) rec 1/67
14 FIRE ESCAPE – ‘Love Special Delivery’ (GNP Crescendo 384) 1/67
15 MERRELL & the XILES – ‘Tomorrow’s Girl’ (Glenn 426) 4/67
16 GENE VINCENT – ‘Born To Be A Rolling Stone’ (Everest Records CBR 1006) recorded 4/67
17 BYRDS – ‘My Back Pages’ (CBS 2648) 5/67
18 TURTLES – ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ (Pye International 7N.25320) 9/65
19 FANTASTIC ZOO – ‘Light Show’ (Double Shot 109) 2/67
20 JEFFERSON LEE – ‘Book Of Love’ (Original Sound OS-88) 7/69
21 POOR – ‘Feelin’ Down’ (Decca 32318) 5/68
22 PEPPERMINT TROLLEY COMPANY – ‘Spinnin’ Whirlin’ ‘Round’ (Acta 45-835) 1969
23 ZODIAC – ‘Aries – The Fire-Fighter’ (Elektra EKL 4009) 5/67
24 MODERN FOLK QUINTET – ‘Night Time Girl’ (Dunhill D-4025) 4/66
25 BEACH BOYS – ‘Cabin Essence’ (Brother Records) recorded 1967
26 THINGS TO COME – ‘Hello’ (Warner Bros 7228) 9/68
27 GIANT SUNFLOWER – ‘February Sunshine’ (Take 6 -1000) 5/67
28 RIPTIDES – ‘Last Wave Of The Day’ (Tower DT-5083) 1967
29 VENTURES – ‘Ginza Lights’ (Liberty LBY 1323) 6/66
30 KALEIDOSCOPE – ‘Keep Your Mind Open’ (Epic BN 26304) 6/67
31 JAN & DEAN – ‘Folk City’ (Liberty F-55849) 12/65
32 M.F.Q. – ‘If All You Think’ (Warner Brothers 5481) 11/64
33 MAMAS & the PAPAS – ‘Strange Young Girls’ (RCA Victor RD-7834) 9/66
34 ARROWS – ‘Apache ’65’/ (Sidewalk Records 1) 2/65
35 ROSE GARDEN – ‘Next Plane To London’ (Atco 45-6510) 8/67
36 SHINDOGS – ‘Yes, I’m Going Home’ (Viva V.601) 6/66
37 MONKEES – ‘Words’ (first version) 10/66
38 DARIUS – ‘Sweet Mama’ (Chartmaker CSG 1102) 1969
39 RICHARD TWICE – ‘Generation ’70 (Philips PHS-600-332) 1970
40 BOSTON TEA PARTY – ‘Words’ (Challenge 59368) 6/67
41 THE BUSHMEN – ‘What I Have I’ll Give To You’ (Dimension D-1049) 6/65
42 PACIFIC OCEAN – ’16 Tons’ (VMC Records V 738) 2/69
43 MAGNUM OPUS – ‘Up From The Sea’ (VMC Records V 737) late 1968
44 OCTOBER COUNTRY – ‘My Girl Friend Is A Witch’ (Epic 5-10320) 4/68
45 EDDIE HODGES – ‘Love Minus Zero’ (Aurora 156) 10/65
46 BYRDS – ‘The World Turns All Around Her’ (Columbia PC 9254) recorded 8/65
47 DEVONS – ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’ (Decca 31822) 8/65
48 TOADS – ‘Leaving It All Behind’ (Decca 318470) 9/65
49 TANGENTS – ‘Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go?’ (Impression Records 111) 4/66
50 TIME OF YOUR LIFE – ‘Ode To A Bad Dream’ (Ionic Records 101) 9/66
51 BYRDS – ‘I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better’ (CBS 201796) 8/65
52 LOVE – ‘7 And 7 Is’ (Elektra EK-45605) 7/66
53 DOVERS – ‘People Ask Me Why’ (Reprise 0439) 11/65
54 STANDELLS – ‘Mr Nobody’ (Tower 282) 9/66
55 BONNIWELL’S MUSIC MACHINE – ‘The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly’ (Warner Bros 1732) 1967
56 SEEDS – ‘Up In Her Room’ (GNP Crescendo 383) 1/67
57 HUMAN EXPRESSION – ‘Optical Sound’ (Accent AC 1226) 9/67
58 SONS OF ADAM – ‘Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day’ (Decca 31887) 12/65
59 BEES – ‘Leave Me Be’ (Mirwood 5503) 1965
60 ELECTRIC PRUNES – ‘Are You Lovin’ Me More (But Enjoying It Less)’ (Reprise 0564) 4/67
61 BOBBY FULLER FOUR – ‘I Fought The Law’ (Mustang) 10/65
62 FLOWER POT – ‘Black Moto’ (Vault V-935) 1967
63 W.C. FIELDS MEMORIAL ESB – ‘I’m Not Your Stepping Stone’ (Mercury 72578) 6/66
64 GREEN BEANS – ‘(Don’t Give Me No) Friction’ (Mercury 72504) 10/65
65 CARETAKERS OF DECEPTION – ‘Cuttin’ Grass’ (Sanctus SS-12) 1967
66 HARD TIMES – ‘Fortune Teller’ (World Pacific 77851) 11/66
67 DOORS – ‘The Crystal Ship’ (Elektra EK-45615) 5/67
68 LEAVES – ‘Girl From The East’ (Mira 222) 5/66
69 PALACE GUARD – ‘All Night Long’ (Orange Empire Records OE-331) 8/65
70 SOMEBODY’S CHYLDREN – ‘I’m Going Back To New York City’ (Uptown 727) 4/66
71 MIDNITERS – ‘Never Knew I Had It So Bad’ (Whittier 504) 1/67
72 SEAN AND THE BRANDYWINES – ‘Codine’ (Decca 31910) 1966
73 CLEAR LIGHT – ‘She’s Ready To Be Free’ (Elektra EK-45622) 9/67
74 KNACK – ‘Time Waits For No One’ (Capitol 5774) 2/67
75 RUMORS – ‘Without Her’ (Gemcor 5002) 7/65
76 EAST SIDE KIDS – ‘Close Your Mind’ (Orange Empire Records OE-500) 1967
77 ASHES – ‘Is There Anything I Can Do’ (Vault V-924) 1966
78 ROOSTERS – ‘One Of These Days’ (PSA 1151) 4/1966
79 DAVID – ‘I’m Not Alone’ (VMN V716) 1967
80 BOBBY JAMESON – ‘Vietnam’ (Tower DT-5083) 1967
81 PETER FONDA – ‘Catch The Wind’ (Chisa CH004) 3/67
82 SONNY & CHER – ‘It’s Gonna Rain’ (Atlantic AT4035) 7/65
83 NO-NA-MEE’S – ‘Gotta Hold On’ (Era 3153) 11/65
84 STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK – ‘Paxton’s Back Street Carnival’ (UNI 55093) 11/68
85 GIRLS – ‘Chico’s Girl’ (Capitol 5675) 1965
86 AVENGERS – ‘I Told You So’ (Star-Burst 128) 3/66
87 FLOWER CHILDREN – ‘Mini-Skirt Blues’ (Castil Records 101) 3/67
88 PURPLE GANG – ‘One Of The Bunch’ (MGM K13607) 10/66
89 GYPSY TRIPS – ‘Ain’t It Hard’ (World Pacific 77809) 11/65
90 OPUS 1 – ‘Back Seat ’38 Dodge (Mustang 3017) 5/66
91 SMOKE RINGS – ‘Love’s The Thing’ (Prospect 101) 1966
92 HIS MAJESTY’S COACHMEN – ‘I Don’t Want To See You’ (Gemini G-1004) 8/66
93 ASSOCIATION – ‘Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies’ (Valiant V-755) 11/66
94 SIN SHAY SHUNS – ‘All My Lonely Waiting’ (Venett V-108) 1966
95 BECKETT QUINTET – ‘(It’s All Over Now) Baby Blue’ (Gemcor 5003) 10/65
96 L.A. TEENS – ‘Saturday’s Child’ (Decca 31813) 7/65
97 MONKEES – ‘The Girl I Knew Somewhere’ (RCA Victor 66-1004) 3/67
98 PREMIERS – ‘Get On This Plane’ (Faro 624) 11/66
99 TURTLES – ‘She’ll Come Back’ (Decca DL 4751) 5/66
100 TERRY RANDALL – ‘S.O.S’ (Valiant V-756) 12/66

FROM THE LOWLANDS 1966-1971

When I found out about this LP release from Record Store Day 2021 I knew that I wouldn’t rest until I had a copy in my possession. I have never bothered with RSD in the past because I prefer original pressings but I made an exception with this one because of the mighty Toreros.

So that’s the background – I didn’t get caught up in the hype of RSD and I did not fill my boots at any of the North East shops taking part. I would have to be patient and hope that copies were still available.

When I ventured out to the shops last year for the first time since lock-down during March 2020 it was May 2021. Over a year had passed – no records bought for a very long time and unbeknown to me – my Vitamin D levels were blitzed with lack of sun.

Newcastle didn’t have any copies of ‘Behind The Dykes #2’ – I looked in all four shops that took part in the RSD event. My only hope left was online or Sunderland. I really can’t be arsed with postage costs nowadays, so I made the short journey on the bus to ‘Hot Rats’ in Sunderland.

And guess what? Yeah, they had one copy left!

So what’s this record all about?

Behind The Dykes 2 – More Beat, Blues And Psychedelic Nuggets From The Lowlands 1966 – 1971 is the follow-up to the hugely successful first edition that was released on RSD2020. The concept is the same: Much sought after Dutch beat and psych rarities on 2LP coloured vinyl, with amazing artwork, track-by-track liner notes and band photos.

All songs on volume 2 have been newly transferred and remastered from the original master tapes, some in their original mono versions, including 2 newly unearthed and previously unreleased gems.

Behind The Dykes 2 – More Beat, Blues And Psychedelic Nuggets From The Lowlands 1966 – 1971 is the follow-up to the hugely successful first edition that was released on RSD2020. It was picked up and released by many RSD territories, resulting in social media posts from Amsterdam and London to Nashville, Canada, Massachusetts, Sweden, Ohio, Boston, Illinois, Bratislava, Los Angeles, Portugal, Australia and many more, all using the hashtag #behindthedykes.

Besides that, the album was No.1 in the Dutch compilation chart the week after its release, making it the best sold RSD release of Drop 2. And that same week it entered the US Billboard compilation chart at no.5, after being tipped by Rolling Stones Magazine as one of their favourite RSD2020 releases to look out for. So more than enough reasons for a second volume, to be released on RSD 2021.

The concept is the same: Much sought after Dutch beat and psych rarities on 2LP coloured vinyl, with amazing artwork, track-by-track liner notes and band photos. All songs on volume 2 have been newly transferred and remastered from the original master tapes, some in their original mono versions, including 2 newly unearthed and previously unreleased gems.

Behind The Dykes 2 – More Beat, Blues And Psychedelic Nuggets From The Lowlands 1966 – 1971 is available as a limited edition of 3000 individually numbered copies on pink vinyl (LP1) and light green vinyl (LP2) coloured vinyl.

THE TOREROS – “Come” (Decca AT 10 221) 1966

The Toreros from Hilversum start straight out of high school. First named Peter and his Dynamites, later Peter Welch and the Flying Arrows.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows are their big influences in these early days. The band makes a name for themselves playing at dances in the wider Hilversum area and they record their first single for RCA in 1963.

The line-up now consists of brothers Hans and Jan Hollestelle, Martin Bijlard, Ruud Kleijn, and Peter Welch. Over three years, various singers join and leave the band, until Martin Stevens joins. His arrival gives the band a much more rough sound.

After releasing six singles for RCA, the band moves to Decca. Bijlard and Kleijn leave and are replaced by Hans Thijssen and Jan Cressent, both formerly in The Spectacles.

The three singles The Toreros release on Decca are their most experimental ones of which “Come” has become an authentic collector’s nugget.

The Hollestelle brothers establish a new band, The Empty Vessels, releasing only one single. Since then, both brothers have become highly in-demand session musicians.

DEL PUTS HIS STAMP ON SOME WELL-KNOWN BEAT NUMBERS

Del Shannon is a daring young man. In his last LP appearance for the label, Del took on a collection of classics by the late Hank Williams and performed them in an authentic country style. In a sense, he challenged the original versions and did himself proud!

Here, Del is up to some more derring-do. Among his selections are some of the rock ‘n’ roll hits by artists other than Del Shannon. His renditions are not attempts to clothe the numbers in some musical form other than rock ‘n’ roll.

Because the numbers are fine examples of the rock ‘n’ roll idiom, Del treats them in their original spirit. With the songs and their original hit interpretations still fresh in the minds of disc fans, Del dares to put his own stamp on them.

The interesting conclusion one draws from listening to these sides is that Del would have had the hit singles versions of these songs if they were the first renditions on the market!

Del, of course, needn’t frustrate himself with might have been. He is one of today’s top singing favourites in his own right. For a good many years, he has created some of the greatest hit sounds.

He writes most most of his material and has a writer’s respect for fine material other than his own. Added to this is the confidence that stems from ability and the talent to express it.

The sound of Del Shannon has already extended its exciting sphere of influence over disc fans in other countries, through records released abroad and appearances all over the world.

But, no matter how many other facets of the entertainment world call upon Del’s services, one hopes he’ll always have time to step into the recording studios and produce sessions like these.

There’s a great deal of pleasure to be had from Del in good old disc form. You, too, can be as happy as the fella who had the swingin’ time counting up the exact number of seconds that serves as the title of this album. listen to how quickly they’ll slip by!

THE GARAGE GROUPS OF KANSAS CITY

This week the weather hasn’t been that great with plenty of rain. This means that my lawn maintenance care has been put on hold until the sun bursts through the clouds.

The delay of course means that I’ve been able to catch up on dozens of albums I’ve bought over the past couple of years but never had the spare time to play them!

I bought “Lows In The Mid-Sixties” last summer in ‘Hot Rats’, the only independent record shop left in Sunderland.

It seemed like many years since I last acquired a ’60s garage compilation, so this one was coming home with me.

I was totally oblivious of this LP, released in 2015 on the little known Numbero label. They were clearly inspired by the early ’80s compilations ‘Highs In The Mid Sixties’ – even the colour scheme, fonts and plonking a picture of a teenbeat combo on the front to tease the buyer into buying the item . . . . it worked on me!

Having the title ‘Volume 54’ is a piss-take. There are no previous 53 volumes. This compilation is a one-off.

There are fourteen tracks on here, all featuring inventive and wild groups from the Kansas City music scene. A lot of the numbers are garage band fodder such as “I Can Only Give You Everything”, “In The Midnight Hour”, “Hey Joe” and “The Last Time”.

In amongst these crunchy and workman-like cover versions is a pounding “La Do Da Da”, complete with some crude and vicious guitar work. There is also a totally bizarre “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” by The Montaris.

I’m making The Montaris thee stars of this set for having the brazen boldness to tackle this mind-blower from The Yardbirds.

Here’s what the liners said about The Montaris:

While no evidence turned up to support Farfisa tickler Chris Slatinsky’s claim that the band was named after a computer on Star Trek, the quintet’s rippling version of Love’s “7 And 7 Is” is confirmation that The Montaris were Plattsburg’s first proto-punk band.

Helmed by singer Dave Tinnen and filled out by guitarist Tommy Barnett, bassist Lowell Hartrell, and drummer John Mabry, all The Montaris were doing hard time at Plattsburg High.

Skip Tinnen had big dreams for his son, and paid for the July, 1967, Cavern session on Spec. With no originals prepared, The Montaris set down serviceable versions of The Yardbirds’ “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” and Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour,” alongside Every Mother’s Son’s “Come On Down To My Boat” – which held down #3 on the Billboard charts when Cavern reels rolled.

Dave Tinnen selected the tracks, and the other Montaris did their level best to keep up with his frenetic pace. But while they managed to follow Tinnen in the studio, the rest of the group was a few years younger, and upon his leaving for college in the fall of ’68, The Montaris fell out of time.

THE STORY OF THE GARAGE-BAND CLASSIC "LOUIE LOUIE"

In any discussion of garage-band classics, several titles invariably turn up, “Talk Talk” by The Music Machine, The Seeds‘ “Pushin’ Too hard”, The Blues Magoos‘ “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet”; each has its proponents, but one performance undoubtedly outstrips them as the seminal piece; The Kingmen‘s version of “Louie Louie”.

Originally cut in the mid-1950s by its composer Richard Berry, the song became a sizeable R&B hit before seemingly disappearing from contention for a while, its resurrection came via the grungy dance bands working out of America’s North-West coast, a region boasting a unique style of music centred on cities such as Portland and Seattle.

Bands like The Wailers, The Galaxies, The Frantics and The Sonics worked out a sound based on storming instrumentals, exaggerated Little Richard riffs, pounding rhythms and honking saxophones – something like “Louie Louie” was a natural for such treatment. However, The Kingsmen were not the first band from the area to try the song for size, even if their overnight ‘success’ was some six years in coming.

The mainstays of the early line-up were Jack Ely on guitar and vocals and a drummer, Lynn Easton. They met in Portland, Oregon while members of respective teenage combos, both of which were sponsored by local newspapers.

When the guitarist in Easton’s group, The Journal Juniors pulled out of a date, Lynn’s mother contacted Ely and asked him to stand in. This he did, and over an ensuing after-gig coke, the two youths made plans to work as a duo.

For six months they played PTA meetings and country club affairs before deciding to expand their number by adding a lead guitarist, Mike Mitchell, a school friend of Easton. In September1958, the trio then added bassist, Bob Nordby, poaching him from a rival band, and had decided that a permanent name was necessary.

Around the same time, another Portland group, The Kingsmen, had broken up and Lynn’s parents arranged with the old band’s leader for their son’s group to appropriate the name.

Over the next four years and into the early 1960s, The ‘new’ Kingsmen built up their reputation playing a mixture of R&B and Ventures-styled instrumentals. In 1962, they demoed a version of “Peter Gunn” in a local studio, with a handful of copies being pressed up on disc.

But their most decisive step was the arrival of a fifth member when organist Don Gallucci came in from yet another ‘rival’ band, Gentlemen Jim (Dunlop) and the Horsemen.

Residencies and more extensive touring followed, with The Kingsmen often playing double-headers alongside Northwest contemporaries such as Paul Revere and the Raiders, and it was during one such jaunt that they discovered the song that would catapult them into infamy.

Flicking through the selections in the Pipal Club’s jukebox, they came across “Louie Louie” as performed by The Wailers, the areas hottest attraction. They themselves were currently evolving out of their bar band / instrumental phase and into something with a rougher, raunchy edge.

They’d added a new member, Rockin’ Robin Roberts, who’d already recorded a version of “Louie Louie” on Etiquette Records, and brought it into his new group, who then proceeded to cut their blast at it on Liberty.

The Kingsmen, in turn, now quickly learned the song and featured it heavily, where it drew a positive response. In March 1963 they went into a Portland studio and cut their arrangement of it, reportedly shelling out a mammoth $44 in the process, then released it through Jerry Dennon’s local indie label, Jerden.

It was a minor regional hit, but The Kingsmen were actually beaten out by Paul Revere and the Raiders, who recorded the same song for Columbia the following day. Both versions, however, died soon afterwards.

In the meantime a ruccous had erupted within The Kingsmen’s ranks. Lynn Easton wanted to move out from behind the drums to play saxophone and sing, suggesting too that Jack should switch places.

When Ely objected, Easton said he had little choice and casually mentioned that the name, “The Kingsmen”, belonged solely to him, that when it was registered his parents had only put his name down on the forms.

According to Robert Dalley’s informative piece in Goldmine No. 57 which has helped provide much essential background information here, Ely and Bob Norby simply walked out, unable to accept this new situation, leaving Lynn, Mitchell and Gallucci behind.

It’s interesting to note, however, that one their second U.K. e.p., “Mojo Workout”, The Kingsmen’s bio credits Easton as the group’s sole founder, and claims that Mitchell and Gary Abbott (drums) were its earliest members. Don Gallucci and bassist Norm Sundholm are then noted as later additions.

Whatever the full story, Abbot and Sundholm, were certainly part of the next Kingsmen line-up. They arrived in time to see “Louie Louie” belatedly start its national profile when an R&B station across the U.S.A., in Boston, picked up on the disc.

They played it heavily, possibly thinking that the group performing it was black, other stations began to feature it and on 09/11/63, the single entered the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100, ultimately rising to No. 2.

By this time the Jerden deal had been picked up by Wand which in turn was distributed in Britain by Pye International. The new label then demanded an album and ‘The Kingsmen In Person’ duly although just how ‘live’ all the cuts were is debatable.

The version of “Louie Louie” on it is surely Jack Ely’s original with applause overdubbed to make it fit the context. Indeed, its felt that the ‘new’ group could never recapture the fire of that first take, and Jack would compound the argument by going out in direct competition to his erstwhile partners, fronting Jack Ely and the Kingsmen.

It took a court order to restrain him, one which finally took away his right to use his old name, but which also won him the right to be credited as vocalist on every subsequent “Louie Louie” re-release.

He then altered his own group’s name to Jack Ely and the Courtmen, and signed a deal with Bang out of which two singles appeared. Their debut, “Louie Louie ’66” (what else?) was backed by “David’s Mood”, another Northwest standard, originally cut by Dave Lewis, but also heavily featured by The Kingsmen.

“Ride Baby Ride”, however, showed his moving away from the immediate past, but the draft then put an end to Jack’s serious musical career, although he would retain something of an on-off interest throughout the 1970s.
(Brian Hogg)

IMMACULATE RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE

If you’re like me and seek out every record The Turtles ever released during their time as a recording group or are tempted to purchase every re-issue and “Best Of” LP since their demise, you will NEED this one”

The Turtles’ great lost album from 1966 featuring all original MONO mixes, nine of them exclusive to this album, remastered from the original tapes by Bill Inglot. Originally only issued in the US for Record Store Day 2017, Demon Records is proud to release this album in the UK for the first time.

What would have been the Turtles’ third album features the hits “Can I Get To Know You Better” (written by P.F Sloan and Steve Barri) and the self-penned “Grim Reaper Of Love”, along with two B-sides, a track issued in 1967 and seven songs that remained unreleased until 1970. The songwriting credits also include Goffin & King, Peter Asher, Bread’s David Gates and a pre-fame Warren Zevon.

The sound is full and vibrant, literally bursting out of my speakers. Every tambourine flash and subtle background fuzz guitar can be heard, pleasuring my ears – akin to dripping Manuka honey into them from a spoon.

All of the tracks presented here are magnificent, some are even perfect. It’s difficult to fault The Turtles.

Their bouncy fast-paced, hand-clapping version of “Wrong From The Start”, originally by Peter and Gordon is sublime. A truly great record.

The front cover photo of The Turtles is a still from The Hollywood Palace – 1oth December 1966.

THE TURTLES – ’Outside Chance’/ ’We’ll Meet Again’ (White Whale 234) August 1966

The song was covered by Sounds Like Us.
Gotta dig the genius lines,

”You can try to please me, but it won’t be easy,
Stone walls surround me, I’m surprised that you even found me.”

THE TURTLES – ’She’ll Come Back’ (Decca DL 4751) May 1966

I’ve featured the marvellous Turtles on my site a couple of times before archives and they are without question one of the best ever groups from USA and in particular Los Angeles (you may have noticed that I’m gonna focus my attention for a while on L.A. bands or those from neighbouring parts of Southern California).

Here’s a long lost piece of brilliance called ’She’ll Come Back’ written by singer Howard Kaylan. It’s an essential raga folk rock gem with sombre jangle, a sound that some call ’moody’ but I just call ’class’. You’ll find it hidden away on the soundtrack of the film ”Out Of Sight”, a rather low budget beach movie.

”Don’t you worry my friend,
She’ll come back in the end”

ARIZONA SHERIFF TUSSLES WITH PIMPS, CROOKS, HIPPIES AND COPS

“Coogan’s Bluff” is a retelling of one of the oldest American themes: the unspoiled country boy comes to the big city and tests his frontier values against corruption of civilization. This time the hero is a strong, silent deputy sheriff from Arizona, dispatched to New York City to extradite a killer. He runs afoul of big-city criminals and gets tangled up in laws which say an Arizona deputy can’t act like a New York cop — not in New York, anyway.

As Coogan, Clint Eastwood is well cast. In his series of Italian Westerns (“A Fistful of Dollars,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” etc.), he renewed a tradition recent American Westerns had lost track of: The hero should be a man of few words and many actions. So while Hollywood cowboys were debating capital punishment, Eastwood was spitting and smoking his cigarillo and sneering and gunning people down and getting off a line of dialogue, say, every five minutes.

He plays essentially the same character in “Coogan’s Bluff.” This is Coogan’s first visit to the city, and there are a lot of things he doesn’t know, but he does know his own mind. A cab driver charges him 50 cents for “luggage” consisting of an attaché case. The fare comes to $2.95. “How many stores are there in this town named Bloomingdale’s?” Eastwood asks. “One,” the cabbie says. “Well,” says Eastwood, “We passed it twice.” “It’s still $2.95, including the luggage,” the cabbie insists. “OK,” says Eastwood. “Here’s $3, including the tip.”

Once safely established, Eastwood goes to pick up his prisoner and gets tangled in a legal hassle with the sheriff (Lee J. Cobb), a romantic complication with a social worker (Susan Clark), a double crossing from a hippie (Tisha Sterling), and a showdown with a mean killer (Don Stroud). These involvements are played off against one another for an hour and that’s the movie.

Don Siegel, who directed, is thoroughly at home in this sort of movie. He encourages Eastwood’s laconic, slit-eyed hostility, plays up Lee J. Cobb’s frustrated humanism, and has a lot of fun with a motorcycle chase up and down the steps and around the sidewalks of a park.

Hollywood used to produce these hard-action cop movies with relative ease, but recently the private eye and cop stuff has been bungled by unsure hands (see Gordon Douglas’ uneven direction of “Lady in Cement,” for example). Siegel knows what he wants and gets it.

Roger Ebert, 05/12/68

RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE AND FIRST TIME ON VINYL

I bought this album by The Telescopes last year during my very brief flirtation with so-called shoegaze. The photo was taken on the day I purchased the album along with a My Bloody Valentine CD.

The latter was sold on eBay after a few listens because it was awful. Read my review here.

Instead of writing my own critique I’ve decided to copy and paste a review of “Altered Perception” from the now defunct website ‘Drowned In Sound’.

How would you assess something as being inspirational or truly inspired?

Surely they both take on different meanings as one sets the scene for the future while the other has delved into the past and redesigned its imprint to create something entirely original in its own right.

Very rarely, if ever, do you find an artist who has managed to traverse the two dimensions.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to The Telescopes.

The Telescopes are the brainchild of Stephen Lawrie and Jo Doran. Formed in 1986 in Burton-On-Trent and initially a five piece, their earliest live performances drew comparisons with the likes of The Stooges, The Jesus And Mary Chain and The Velvet Underground, right down to Doran and fellow guitarist Dave Fitzgerald’s insistence on facing their amps rather than the audience while a gnarled hail of feedback and distortion erupted all around them.

With the inevitable swarm of record labels chasing their every move, The Telescopes put out their first three singles and debut album ‘Taste’ on the Cheree label.

Nevertheless, bad luck seemed to follow the band from this point onwards as Cheree’s subsequent closure saw the band sign to What Goes On, only for them to see another label go bankrupt months later. Eventually they ended up at their spiritual home, Creation Records, and after three well received singles and the release of their second eponymously-titled album, everything seemed to be coming up roses.

Sadly, a couple of blokes going by the name of Gallagher were lurking in the shadows with other ideas, and this coinciding with the already phenomenal expenditure of My Bloody Valentine’s still-born follow-up to ‘Loveless’ meant a cull was inevitable – of which the Telescopes were one of its many victims.

‘Altered Perception’ could be seen as Lawrie and Doran’s way of setting the record straight. Having spent several years trying to gain full control to the rights of their back catalogue, this album collects 15 of their most intricate workings from their first two albums with the odd rarity and b-side thrown in for good measure.

Opener ‘The Perfect Needle’ mixes tremelo, heavy distortion and an obtrusive violin as Lawrie opines “…and it hurts too much to be where you are” in a melancholic drawl that pre-dates the likes of The Verve by a good four years. ‘Sadness Pale’ and ‘Violence’ meanwhile are psychedelic dirge-like entities that resonate within their own quagmires similar to the early workings of Spacemen 3 or even Mudhoney before lumberjackitis and the Kurt trappings of fame dragged them into the pot marked “also-rans”.

What set the Telescopes apart from their contemporaries at the time such as Ride, Slowdive and the Boo Radleys, and still does today, is that they were never too afraid to take a risk. With the word “conform” seemingly absent from Lawrie and Doran’s vocabulary, they bent the rules a little with their second album and fuzz pedals and feedback disappeared faster than you can say ‘And’ – the closing track on here, incidentally.

‘You Set My Soul’ sounds like Primal Scream engaging in a freeform jazz jam with John Lee Hooker and Daevid Allen while ‘All A Dreams’ is ethereal, winsome psychedelic pop at its best – ‘Pet Sounds’ made by its respective owners, if you must.

‘Altered Perception’ offers a remarkable insight into how a band defined their own legendary status by simply changing everything about their sound just as the pigeons were about to slip them into any of their aforementioned holes, whether that be the ones marked “shoegazing”, “psyche-rock”, “baggy” or “indie pop”.

As a history lesson in the development of sounds that your A&R man will tell you are just WRONG for this record, boys, ‘Altered Perception’ is up there with ‘Psycho Candy’, ‘Loveless’ and ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’.

If you’re just curious and want to know where the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Mogwai and yes, Radiohead got many of their ideas from, then you simply have to own this album.

EXCLUSIVE RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE OF EVERYTHING BY THIS OBSCURE AUSTRALIAN GROUP

I bought this record from ‘Reflex Records’ in Newcastle last year. I was actually quite amazed to find it! I usually take little notice of ‘Record Store Day’, so little did I know that this item was released as an exclusive in 2020.

Demon Records have made a decent effort on this, the white and black patterned vinyl is heavy and the cover sleeve is a thick card.

Unfortunately there are no liners about The Valentines or their recordings from 1967 to 1970 which is a shame. I have heard of the group before and was aware of some tracks via a couple of CDs, “Peculiar Hole In The Sky” and “Clarion Call”.

They’re probably only known outside of the home country Australia because of lead singer Bon Scott, who found wider fame and glory fronting heavy rock group AC/DC in the late ’70s.

The Valentines were a popular act in Australia and had some hits and supported visiting bands from Britain. But unlike their contemporaries The Bee Gees, The Easybeats and The Twilights, they never left Oz. Possibly preferring to stay at home and fill their boots with Fosters lager and cuddle Koalas.

All of the material is good chart worthy pop music although their cover versions are hit and miss, but they’re decent I suppose.

Their faithful but timid “I Can’t Dance With You”, originally by The Small Faces, is saved by a groovy organ break. A version of The Soft Machine’s “Love Makes Sweet Music” is a surprise.

The best cut for me though is the imperious psych number “Peculiar Hole In The Sky”, written by George Young / Harry Vanda. Maybe not as GREAT as The Easybeats version, but damn close!

The 1969/70 period material sounds like the over-the-top commercial pop that was ‘old-hat’ in England a year earlier.

The bubblegum throwaways like “Nick Nack Paddy Whack” and “My Old Man’s A Groovy Old Man” sound like mediocre Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich numbers.

Things get much more interesting with the reflective and acoustic guitar lilt of “Juliette” – their final single from January 1970.

A WORTHWHILE EXPERIENCE, A JOURNEY IN SOUND BEST EXPLAINED AND ENJOYED BY JUST RELAXING AND LISTENING

I’m catching up on everything I’ve bought over the past couple of years. Records that have been hanging around on the shelves all forlorn and unloved.

This reissue Nucleus LP is something I’ve never heard before until today. I remember buying this item in ‘Hot Rats’, Sunderland last May.

I decided to give it a chance after reading the brief description on the back cover.

I’ve seen the Nucleus album before but never bought it until now. I have no idea what Nucleus sound like but I’m guessing my ears will be sore with West Coast influenced psychedelia. They were from Canada and those Canadians were seemingly crazy about fuzz pedals so I’ll be a bit disappointed if they don’t create a fuzztoned mess on at least one number.

Any time that I play an album I also simultaneously research the group and was surprised to learn that the group previously recorded as The Lords Of London.

I have some of their Apex label singles, The Lords Of London recorded a kind of pop psych music, with an emphasis on the teenage market. They were popular and had hit records in Canada.

By 1968 though things were getting somewhat heavy and loose, and so were The Lords Of London.

For reasons unknown they changed their name to Nucleus and signed to Mainstream Records. They recorded their one and only album for them at A&R studios, NYC, during the end of 1968 but delays meant that the record wasn’t released until April 1969.

Nucleus is not an immediate hit to the mind, it does take several plays to get on their wavelength. The songs are long jams of heavy psych rock, there are some interesting psychedelic studio trickery and the lead guitar is fuelled by acid. The roaring organ sound reminds me of things Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf are noted for.

All songs were written by Greg Fitzpatrick and are not for teenyboppers – they’re for the underground heads.

SWEET 3RD ALBUM OF ROCK 'N' ROLL TRASH CAN HONEY

The Courettes have featured several times on my blog, check out the archives. I reviewed their single “Want You! Like A Cigarette” back in October 2021. That number, as well as the B-side “Night Time (The Boy Of Mine)” are represented here on side one of this, their third LP.

The first side is an action packed sonic feast for your ears with the primitive fuzz attack of their earlier recordings kind of smoothed out and made much more commercial and, dare I say, soul-tinged pop inspired all-be-it still hard-edged with added twelve-string guitar, mellotron, handclaps and castanets.

“Back In Mono” is an album bursting with creativity and ideas. It’s also one of those rare records that doesn’t have any tracks that don’t attain the grade of worthiness.

The recent singles “Want You! Like A Cigarette” and “R.I.N.G.O” are not even the best songs in my opinion (and they’re both great!). I can’t stop playing the hauntingly supreme “Until You’re Mine.” – infesting your world with Courettes music can only reap rewards.

Side two opens with the reverb and fuzz blast of “Hop The Twig”, yet another single – released during April 2021. This is followed by “Misfits & Freaks”, a teen-garage raver inspired by the American girl-group sound of the mid sixties.

The scream-fest rocker “Edge Of My Nerves” livens things up a little after a couple of slowish numbers. “Won’t Let You Go” is another fast paced explosion, throwing sound wave fuzz bombs outta the speakers, a possibly ‘live in the studio’ take, it certainly sounds raw.

The Courettes are an exciting rock ‘n’ roll group on record, probably thee most exciting and entertaining duo making music today.

Buy their records and hope that they make many more in the future!

The photos below were taken at a Courettes gig in Zaragosa, Italy on 3rd April 2022.

ANTHEMIC TEEN-GARAGE BLASTS IN MONO

The Mystreated are no strangers on my blog and here they are again with an album on Twist Records, recorded using vintage ’60s instruments and recording facilities at Toe-Rag Studio, London.

The numbers were all mixed in MONO and are all group originals. Their sound is garage-punk, inspired by those American mid-sixties groups compiled on millions of cheapskate LPs.

Fuzzy jangling guitars, darting bass, reflective and personal words are all melded together with clattering ’66 freakbeat-style drum action.

The Mystreated even dip their pointed-heeled-boots into the sea of psychedelia with the sitar-drenched “Looking Right Through”, which was also released as a single, but as a different version.

All in all though it’s a desirable album comprising authentic teen-garage with plenty of primitive folk-punk attacks to get your blood boiling and your rage brewing.

In a perfect world we would have had The Mystreated on ‘Top Of The Pops’ instead of the routinely boring and self-important Blur and Oasis during the Summer of 1994.

“All elements polluted, Brainwashing through television, Planetary vibrations blocked by radio waves, Denial of natural law, Material wealth overriding the starving Soul, Oncoming famine, Convenience about to disappear, A conspiracy so big it’s out of control, Chiron conjunct Pluto in 1999, Chaos on the way, Thoughts create . . . and the System does not allow you to be human, Freedom is illegal in this democracy . . .”
(The Lord of Ruin)

THE CURTAIN FALLS ON MONTPELLIER'S BEST EVER BAND

The album “To Fall Down” turned out to be the last ever record released by Les Grys-Grys. The decision by leader and principle songwriter, Almir Phelge, to split up his group came as a shock to everyone who cared deeply about their untamed music.

At the time of his announcement on Les Grys-Grys Facebook page during July 2021, the album had not been released! (see below)

“To Fall Down” has now become a fitting epitaph to their unfortunate demise. The ten songs making up the album are ALL essential blasts of unhinged rhythm & blues punk gold.

The opener “I’m Going Back” starts with thirty-odd seconds of power-house feedback and controlled aggression. The listener simply must strap themselves into their Eero Aarnio 1960s Ball Chair because the journey is gonna be a wild and dangerous one.

Most of the songs were written by Almir Phelge with only three cover versions. Their vicious “Milk Cow Blues” came out as a well-received single, The Throb’s “Turn My Head” is given reverential treatment and the other number “I’m Going Back” was written by R. Morrison but I’m not familiar with this.

THIS IS THE END:

Almir in the house. Where to start this message – Grey Grey band is no more. Last fall our guitarist Vince decided to leave the band to focus on his personal projects.

New guitarist found, the new formula, which would have been the group’s 3rd formation, seemed promising but it quickly became obvious that the work was going to be rough to get back to the past level. We had to change the set and adapt our style to the newcomer.

We hadn’t played together for a year, since Covid started. The band was a blast, one in Paris, one in Montpellier, one in Barcelona, me recently in Valencia… After two weeks of rehearsals I realized I don’t have the strength to start over. Way too much weight.

As bad as I want this fucking band, which is my first and only band, to keep playing this music that is my whole life, and after all we’ve been through together, the band AND our audience, this time it’s clear – I don’t have any more force to start this project again.

MODERN DAY PSYCHEDELIC SINGLE WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED

I have a handful of singles by Fogbound but have never heard their one and only LP, released in 2017. Everything I’ve heard by them ticks all boxes.

But who are Fogbound?

Fogbound are a psychedelic band from A Coruña, Spain. They have developed a late ’60s sound, mainly inspired by underground groups from the English psychedelic scene circa 1966-68.

“Edward Devine” was first released as a track on their debut album then again some months later on a 45 backed with “Unhappy Wedding Couple”, which is only available on this disc.

Hearing this record for the first time today has made my mind up that I need to track down a copy of the album. “Edward Devine” perfectly encapsulates that creative and mesmerizing psychedelia from a long-lost time and place, when chaps wore Chelsea made Dandy gear and sported Edwardian-style ‘tashes.

It’s fast and groovy, with flowing hammond organ, busy drums and inventive vocal harmonizing. There is also some heavy flanging and reverb. Parts of the number remind me of their first single “Whispering Corridors”, especially as the song nears it’s end.

The other side “Unhappy Wedding Couple” ploughs familiar Fogbound sonics but the hammond is more pronounced and could possibly indicate that the group will be introducing progressive rock experimentation into their great sound on future releases.

NEW GARAGE PUNK COMBO ON OUTRO

I finally obtained a copy of the first single by the latest garage punk hoodlums on the impressive Outro record label. The 45 was released during January 2022 but it’s taken a couple of months for this potent disc to circulate in the UK and through the hands of some of my trusted English record dealers.

I believe that The Wyld Gooms are based in Los Angeles – this place appears to have become the epicentre for possessed cavemen over the past couple of years. I certainly recognise a few of the members from other outfits such as The Premonitions and The Violet Mindfield.

Wearing Sun-glasses during the night time, worshipping vintage Vox instruments and banging the drums with dinosaur leg bones is all the rage with bands on the Outro label. The Wyld Gooms are their newest protégés.

Both sides of their single are group originals, bass player / vocalist, Mickey Briks also performed recording duties.

The top side, “You Did Me Wrong” is a high-speed, wild garage punk raver with fuzz, screams, paint-peeling farfisa organ and pissed-off words. In other words E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L.

The flip, “Doesn’t Matter To Me” owes a great deal to some of those early-eighties cabbalistic garage classics from the first ‘Pebbles’ / ‘Back From The Grave’ inspired revival.

I’m hoping that The Wyld Gooms don’t call it quits before they release more records like this one.

LOS ANGELES BASED GROUP THINGS TO COME WITH TWO SINGLES ON WARNER BROS

I’ve had both of the Things To Come psychedelic singles for a decade or more but have never focused on them until now. The group were originally located in Long Beach but relocated to Hollywood in 1967 and signed to Warner Bros.

Their first single was with a different lead vocalist, Steve Runolfsson – and with a more primitive beat punk style, inspired by Northern Ireland combo Them.

Dave Hassinger was on board for their new single “Come Alive” / “Dancer”, recorded at American Recording Studio, Los Angeles in January 1968.

“Come Alive” is a heavy psychedelic drone full of atmospherics and acid-soaked guitar. The other side “Dancer” is a forceful Cream inspired rocker.

The final Things To Come single had ex-Byrds cape-wearer David Crosby in the hot seat twiddling the knobs and pressing buttons. I’m not sure the reasons why Dave Hassinger wasn’t the producer – perhaps he was too busy with Electric Prunes work.

“Hello” is another psychedelic rock gem, with slow-paced languid acid leads and soft harmonizing making this number a head swirler. The flip, “Good Day” follows a similar scene and reminds me of The Buffalo Springfield.

What a shame an aborted album never reaped any more recordings. Things To Come were a special group with unbounded talent.

Line Up:
Bryan Garofalo (vocals, bass)
Larry Robinson (rhythm guitar)
Michael Migliaro (lead guitar)
Russ Ward (drums)

Warner Bros discography:
“Come Alive” / “Dancer” (7164) February 1968
“Hello” / “Good Day” (7228) September 1968

Over the decades Things To Come have been appeared on many compilations.
“Come Alive” on Psychedelic Unknowns – Volume 11
“Dancer” on Garage Zone – Volume 3
“Hello” on Soft Sounds For Gentle People – Volume 5
“Good Day” has never turned up on anything as far as I know!

BUBBLEGUM PSYCH NUMBER – CRITICIZING A GIRLFRIEND

THE SWEET ACIDS – ’THAT CREATURE’ / ’GONNA LIVE ANOTHER DAY OR TWO’ (UNIQUE RECORDS 1940) MARCH 1969

Weird and wonderful put down song from The Sweet Acids, a band name that has a very nice ring to it. ’That Creature’ has a rather unique sound, being a mix of pop, psych with hints of bubblegum.

There probably wasn’t many of these 45s pressed and the small local label Unique Records were based in Carrollton, Georgia. So maybe these Sweet Acids hailed from these parts? Who knows. Cool record though where ever they came from.

The flip ’Gonna Live Another Day Or Two’ is a big let down following the greatness of the top side. It’s too much soul for me.

(updated from 2008)

RACINE, WI, HOME OF THE SULTANS FIVE

All the information you could ever want / need about this obscure group from USA can be found on “Garage Hangover”, so head on over there if you dig this kind of almost inept ’60s garage racket.

The other side “Tonight Is The Night” is probably the go to track on this single but I wanted to highlight the lo-fi, farfisa heavy and scratchy guitar ballad of “With You”, which hasn’t had much attention.

The vocals are quite whiney and insipid and so is the lyrical content. Thousands of late teens and early twenty something’s seemingly wrote about a girl of their dreams. What was wrong with these guys? Stop being so wimpy and lovelorn.

According to “Teenbeat Mayhem”, the Sultans Five record on Raynard was a re-release from 1965, although “Tonight Is The Night” and “With You” were both updated recordings from those that appeared on their former record label.

MIKE DEASY GOES PSYCHEDELIC

THE FLOWER POT – ’BLACK MOTO’ / ’MR. ZIG ZAG MAN’ (VAULT V-935) 1967

Songwriter and session man on many L.A records, Mike Deasy cut loose on his own with two 45s billed as The Flower Pot on Vault Records. You’ll also find releases by Friar Tuck and The Ceyleib People with heavy Mike Deasy involvement including his usual array of session cohorts a.k.a ’The Wrecking Crew’.

The flip of the record ’Black Moto’ is an LSD infused eastern raga drone heavily influenced by the more psychedelic and experimental efforts by Donovan. Quite what it all means, I don’t know. I’ll leave it up to the listener.

’Mr Zig Zag Man’ is a pleasant psychedelic pop song.

THE FLOWER POT – “WANTIN’ AIN’T GETTIN'” / “GENTLE PEOPLE” (VAULT V-937) 1967

The final Flower Pot single “Wantin’ Ain’t Gettin'” is probably familiar to some because it was later recorded by revered Los Angeles group The Association. Their version is slicker and has their unmatched harmonies padding out this sitar-fest of a song.

The B-side “Gentle People” is less intense and is a calming ballad of sorts. Both songs still retain a very strong Donovan influence.

TWO SINGLES FROM FORD THEATRE REVIEWED

FORD THEATRE – ”THEME FOR THE MASSES” / ”FROM A BACK DOOR WINDOW (THE SEARCH)” (ABC 45-11118) 1968

These two songs were chosen by ABC to promote Ford Theatre’s debut album ”Trilogy For The Masses” and I’m presuming that they’re edited to fit on a single, in particular ”From A Back Door Window (The Search)” which fades out just as the heavy psychedelic keyboards start rumbling. I really must make an effort to buy the album!

I’m not quite sure where this single originates from, it’s a European release but the blue label holds no clues. I’m sure I bought this from a Belgian record dealer some years ago. It’s quite a rarity with the picture sleeve and doesn’t appear to be that well known.

FORD THEATRE – ”I’VE GOT THE FEVER” / ”JEFFERSON AIRPLANE” (ABC 45-11227) JULY 1969

Another outing on my scene for Ford Theatre, a psychedelic rock band from Milford, Mass.

Both sides were part of their recommended concept album ”Time Changes”, with my pick being ”Jefferson Airplane”, a soothing psychedelic interlude that sucks the listener into it’s web of way-out sounds. I doubt that the song has anything to do with West Coast band The Jefferson Airplane.

AN APPRECIATION FOR LOVABLE MOP-TOP RICHARD STARKEY

“R.I.N.G.O” was released as an album taster from the acclaimed “Back In Mono” – a record I’ve had on the shelf for several months but still need to get around and enjoy it.

Well, what can I say about “R.I.N.G.O” ?? My word – The Courettes just get better and better with each single they’ve released. Although I do think that the time is now right to broaden their horizons a little bit and perhaps add more instruments into their mixes.

But back to “R.I.N.G.O” – this is a pure pop 45, a very commercial mid-sixties sound, full of inspiration and laden with inspired pop hooks galore. I’m quite sure that this kind of record would have been a smash-hit in 1964.

What a shame it’s 2022 otherwise The Courettes could have been famous and eating at the poshest restaurants and swanking at the Chelsea “IN” Clubs.

I do hope that Ringo gets to hear this tribute to him. We all love the chirpy little fellow who is forever making peace signs. And this number is a fitting song of praise.

By the way, The Courettes use vintage instruments and have somehow acquired a purist bucketful of teen spirit – even though Martin and Flavia are probably kickin’ on a bit, they still sound raw, fresh and exciting.

Their use of fuzz is controlled and the vocals are clear, composed and unpretentious. Production is incredibly good and the mix is sensational. We all must cherish The Courettes and hope that they still have some records left in them.

ENGLISH GARAGE BAND FROM THE NINETIES CLIMB A BIG ROCK FORMATION

Not many groups sounded like The Mystreated back in the early to mid nineties, they were certainly a treasure to behold for those lucky enough to have bought their records or seen them live in a smoke-filled pub.

Like most of the really great obscure bands though, hardly anyone bothered to tune into their folk-rock inspired music outside the in-the-know garage fraternity. I doubt that they would have caused any kind of buzz beyond their home location in the south of England.

“This Is” is a six track mini-album on the much admired Twist record label. According to the back cover all of the numbers were recorded in MONO at Toe Rag studio on the 6th of January, 1996.

Everything is beautifully done of course, the guitars screech and jangle, the drums weave creative shapes around the vocals and sometimes off-key harmonies.

The folk-punk guitar break on “Set In Stone” is probably the best thirty seconds ever recorded in the ’90s – there is also subtle fuzz tones on this blast of Blue Things inspired greatness.

A record long overdue a renaissance. Seek it out and play it loud. FEEL the music.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

TOM JONES – “Delilah”
A popular girl these days – first Grapefruit and now Tom Jones with refrains in her honour. Actually, I do think Tom just might have a hit with this, but I don’t like it.

It’s the sort of thing Frankie Laine used to do in the early fifties with lots of big, big singing and emotional effect on a song that just isn’t worth it.

Isn’t it about time Tom gave us something with a bit more real bite? Why is he wasting his amazing voice when he could be the best blues singer ever produced in Britain?

CAT STEVENS – “Lovely Cities”
Cat’s been having a quiet time recently, but make way for the fireworks with “Lovely Cities”. It’s a typical Cat Stevens song, with a galloping rhythm, exciting melody and, in particular, a great production job and musical arrangement by Noel Walker and Lew Warburton respectively.

The massed instruments echo the vocal and there’s a dramatic quality about the whole thing – with a few bars of Whistling Jack Smith bit at the end!

Anyway, bound to be a big one.

JUDY COLLINS – “Wildflowers” (LP)
For the nineteenth time this week, words aren’t enough. “Wildflowers” includes so many ideas, so many moods, so much stimulation that I’d need a few hundred pages to put down all I think.

All I can say is that the very beautiful Judy has left all the musical categories, folk, pop, classical, way behind with an album of pure Music with a big M. And to think that she started out as one of the American trad folk brigade! The change is a big one – and her wonderful voice has found its true home at last.

LOVE – “Forever Changes” (LP)
As expected, another brilliant record from Love. “Forever Changes” confirms their position as top dogs – one hundred per cent pedigree – of the American group scene, and it must bring home the message to Britain that Love are up on the celestial level of The Cream, The Beatles and the rest of the holy men.

The strange voice of Arthur Lee sounds very much like his stablemate Tim Buckley but more powerful. The subtle interaction of guitars, strings, percussion, the emotional songs, with shades of Spain as in “Alone Again or”, or the fiery acid-rock of “A House Is Not A Motel” make “Forever Changes” pop music in its most rewarding form.

THE HUMAN INSTINCT – “Renaissance Fair”
Their second single, it features superb guitar work as the main theme, very effective harmony vocals and a surprise break in the middle where the guitar is swept up in the string section.

A fine record which will please nearly everybody.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

BOB DYLAN – “John Wesley Harding” (LP)
The eighteen month wait is over, with the appearance of the first new Dylan since “Blonde On Blonde”. Well, he’s a very changed man. During his recuperation after an accident, he’s had a total re-think and “John Wesley Harding” is mostly country-style stuff with a more open and direct manner.

For the first time ever, he sings more or less straight – Hank Williams’ influence coming through strongly. The songs are musically well up to scratch and all normal length. None of the marathon masterpieces like “Desolation Row” and “Sad Eyed Lady” which may disappoint a lot of people.

In fact, I think general reaction at first will be anti-Harding: for a kick-off, Dylan is actually smiling on the LP cover: but give it a few weeks and we’ll all be happily raving about the new Dylan message.

As the man says: “If you can’t bring good news, then don’t bring any at all.” A new pop philosophy is born!

TEN YEARS AFTER – “Portable People”
Yet another British blues group as good as anything from the States. Ten Years After’s first single is indeed a goodie – in honour of the portable people who are forever zooming from place to place.

It has an hypnotic guitar riff by mainspring and guitar king Alvin Lee running through, behind very nice singing. The chanting in the background adds a lot to the atmosphere, and it’s a success in every way.

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART and His MAGIC BAND – “Safe As Milk” (LP)
Safe as milk, yes certainly . . . Milk spiked with electric nightshade. I didn’t think too much of “Yellow Brick Road” when it came out as a single, but as part of this LP, it fits in perfectly and I am converted.

“Safe As Milk” is a witches’ brew of rock and roll cum freakout, done with great style by the incredible Magic Band. The gravelly, howling vocals are enough to break most minds weaned on what’s in the charts at present.

On a few of the songs you get a delicate, tuneful intro – but only for a couple of bars. Then comes the earthquake. It’s impossible to hear most of the words, but the odd snatches I did get were very intriguing.

However, it’s the sheer sound that counts – and it really does count! Make sure you’ve got some tranquillizers handy when you listen to “Safe As Milk”.

THE PRETTY THINGS – “Talking About The Good Times”
Four lovely minutes with the new style Pretty Things – but it’s a pity they didn’t release this before The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields”.

It would have been hailed as a masterpiece. even so, it could still make it – weird Indian sounds, thundering drums, involved harmonies, false ending, slowed down strings, all combining to make a very nice record.

FLEETWOOD MAC (LP)
All the promise of their first single, “I Believe My Time Ain’t Long” is fulfilled on this, the first LP for the Blue Horizon label. This is a blues LP by a British group that you don’t have to be a ninety year old Louisiana sharecropper to deliver the goods.

Listen particularly to “My Heart Beat Like A Hammer”, an original by guitarist Jeremy Spencer – words aren’t enough to describe the sledgehammer emotion it generates.

Fleetwood Mac’s first album is going to become a classic.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

JOHN MAYALL – “Jenny”
This single, written, produced and performed by the magnificent John Mayall, is in my opinion the best thing he’s ever done.

It’s a slow, very deep blues song. Over a perfectly uncluttered backing, the Mayall voice is less raucous than usual, speaking volumes with every word. Has a mellow yet piercing guitar, softly changing chords, heart-felt piano, half-heard chanting build up into a cathedral atmosphere.

No drums to obstruct the flow of the pure distilled essence of music. Rarely have I heard a record with such electrifying effects.

THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL – “Money”
No, not the old Barrett Strong hit beaten up by every pop group since Noah’s Ark. This is a new song by lead singer, John Sebastian, and it’s all to do with the bewildering ins and outs of that lovely / repugnant folding green stuff at the root of all evil / good (depending on how much your overdraft is).

However, I digress. “Money” is a very nice change from the diabolical “She Is Still A Mystery” which got the bitter end it so richly deserved. This is an easy, relaxed side with lots of good-timey banjo, great words and percussion.

All great fun and who cares if it is only about thirty seconds long?

ALBERT KING – “Cold Feet”
This saga of Albert’s chick and her frigid feet is really just a show-case for fireworks on Mr. King’s talking guitar.

If John Mayall is the heads of the blues coin, “Cold Feet” is the gutty, raw tails. A slow, funked-up beat with Albert half-speaking the words.

But there’s nothing to compete with the biting guitar. I personally enjoyed it but not really in today’s trendy pop twenty style, alas.

THE PYRAMIDS – “Wedding At Peyton Place”
This hasn’t very much connection with the interminably boring Peyton Place that thrills us all on the goggle. It’s a huge, jokey party record from the Pyramids, six lovely fellows originally from Jamaica who gave us “Train Tour To Rainbow City” – the best ska record within living memory.

Lead singer Roy Barrington acts as master of ceremonies at the wedding of the year – Alison Mackenzie gets spliced to Zackie Poo. Guests at this monster binge include John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Jimi Hendrix. A lovely record!

SHARON TANDY – “The Fool On The Hill”
Cover jobs on the Beatles’ songs are getting a bit rare these days. Sharon Tandy takes on the task with “Fool On The Hill”, sung by Paul on “Magical Mystery Tour”, and it’s a fine effort.

The arrangement is much the same, if a little less freaky, and Sharon’s crystal voice blends well with the brass chorus and the hop-skip beat. However, too many people have the Beatles’ record for a second time around success for Sharon.

And isn’t it strange how you tend to take the quality of Lennon / McCartney songs for granted when they do them? It comes out even more when someone else has a go.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE BONZO DOG DOO DAH BAND – “Gorilla” (LP)
You can’t really judge a funny record until you’ve had it for a couple of months – so, a little belatedly, I’m overjoyed to report that after “The Laughing Policeman”, “Gorilla” is the funniest thing on record.

I’ve tried very hard, but I just can’t be bored with it. The one that always breaks me up on “Gorilla” is “Intro And Outro” – but they’re all gems.

And there’s even some serious (well, almost serious) music in the shape of “Music For The Head Ballet”, which illustrates that as well as fantastic comic creativity, The Bonzo’s are supremely good instrumentally too.

I can’t recommend this enough – so just go out and get it, immediately.

BOBBI LYNN – “Earthquake”
Stateside have put out a number of soul things this week, the one by new girl Bobbi Lynn being the best of a good bunch.

She sounds like a cross between Lulu and the incredibly lovely Diana Ross – what more could anybody wish for? There’s a driving, stomping beat with a great arrangement featuring piano that’s one minute crashing out with full round chords and the next minute cool and witty.

The song itself isn’t so very different from a lot of Detroit products – Earthquake, Heat Wave, what’s the odds – it’s the fantastic vocal performance by Bobbi and the overall production that sets the single out of the ordinary.

TIM BUCKLEY – “Once I Was”
Tim’s a very big name in America, and dramatically growing in popularity here. “Once I Was” might well be the one to get him into the charts – beautiful ringing guitar chords, melancholy mouth-organ – and his delicate, high-pitched voice rising above it all, sometimes breaking out in powerful outbursts.

This is a fine song written by him, from which Tim gets every possible ounce of feeling – with a lot of credit to recording director Jerry Yester.

Every sound fits perfectly into place, with an easy, rolling backing hand-in-hand with lyrics of loneliness and despair. It really is amazing how the Elektra label never fail to come up with mind-blowing sounds.

CANNED HEAT (LP)
You might call Canned Heat the American answer to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – they are all dedicated to the blues and really know what they’re on about. Great, exciting music results from their re-working of a number of old blues classics, including such world-beaters as “Dust My Broom”, “Help Me” and “Goin’ Down Slow”.

The don’t just copy the masters, either – Canned Heat aren’t afraid to branch out into their own personal interpretations while still respecting the old tradition.

Instrumentally very nice all through, but I have one or two doubts about the singing, which doesn’t really have the strength to drive the message home, but the guitar work more or less makes up for that.

All in all, a very good record, and a must for blues addicts.

TOM RUSH – “No Regrets”
Following his highly-successful recent visit to our green and pleasant land, behold a terrific new single by hero Tom Rush. “No Regrets” was written by Tom – no connection with the Edith Piaf classic – but this sad, personal masterpiece gets over similar emotions with at least as much effect.

Piaf fans savage Intro’s record reviewer – but this Tom Rush record has class that would stand out in any company. Tom’s deep, mournful voice blending with his twelve-string guitar sweeps over and through you, with sensitive piano and lonely flute all building up the atmosphere set by the lyrics.

Quite an overwhelming experience listening to it – a true blue beauty.

H.P. LOVECRAFT (LP)
These wonderful American groups that nobody here has ever heard of keep on cropping up. Here’s another one to add to the collection – H.P. Lovecraft, named after an author who used to write science fiction stories about the earth being taken over by alien beings.

They’re a group out of the same mould as Country Joe and the Fish, The Doors, The Jefferson Airplane and all the rest, making thoughtful, stimulating music.

I was particularly struck by the unusual arrangements and the beautiful harmony singing – lots of good strong voices and lots of great ideas to use them. And the sleeve is a work of art on its own!

“FREAKY MUSIC? YOU CAN KEEP IT,” SAY THE HERD

With every hit record comes a blaze of publicity proclaiming that the group or singer concerned is the best thing that ever happened to the charts. Every pop writer personally forecasts bigger things and strings of hits.

This is what happened to The Herd when their record “From The Underworld” made the charts last September.

The Herd themselves didn’t pretend to be way-out, a phenomenon, or so “in” there was no possibility of their ever being “out”, in order to attract large overdoses of publicity.

And inevitably there were undertones that the boys were just one-hit wonders.

Perhaps their modesty paid off, because their next release, “Paradise Lost”, was a very good record and also made the national charts. Now, their image seems to be established – a group who set out to entertain and make good commercial records that give pleasure and in turn, sell.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE HERD – “Paradise Lost” (LP)
This record includes the Herd’s two big hits which we all know and love – “Paradise Lost” and “From The Underworld” – but what an eye-opener! There’s more to them than most people ever dreamed of.

Invention, musicianship, atmosphere, humour, maturity – that’s the stuff the Herd are made of. One track in particular lets on the extra-ordinary depth of the group.

Called “Impressions Of Oliver”, it could have walked out of the doors of Ronnie Scott’s club – an instrumental composition by Bown / Frampton with all the touches of great pop / jazz.

Andy and Pete come out with some amazing organ and guitar work, with a lot of support from Reg Tinsley’s arrangement, and their huge potential for future progress hits you right between the ears. Absolute knockout!

PRINCE BUSTER And The ALL STARS – “Train To Girls’ Town”
This one (on the Fab label) is a beautiful tongue-in-cheek travelogue from Buster, all-time boss of the blue beat who recently had Al Capone in the British charts.

But – we’ve heard it all before. This is very similar to The Pyramids’ “Train Tour To Rainbow City” – exactly the same vocal style, the same happy backchat from the group, the same train rhythm.

Prince Buster has had loads of original hits in Jamaica – it’s a drag he didn’t keep up the originality by doling out a measly rehash this time.

ALAN PRICE SET – “Don’t Stop The Carnival”
This joyous single is a drastic change of course by Alan and company after their last release, “Shame”. Why wasn’t it a huge hit I’ll never be able to understand – but “Don’t Stop The Carnival” should be a different tale altogether.

It’s a happy-go-lucky piece of Caribbean sunshine complete with fairground organ, crooning saxophones, infectious rhythm and some fine singing, as always, from the man himself.

His West Indian accent should put Lance Percival out of business for keeps! A great group like the Set just can’t miss out twice in a row – “Don’t Stop The Carnival” is bound to go straight into the charts.

MARVIN GAYE – “You”
Old Marvin hasn’t been doing too well in the British charts recently, possibly because of his run-of-the-mill material. However, “You” is about the best thing he’s done since he burst on to the scene with “Witness”.

“You” is the raw pulse of the Detroit sound at its best, and you can almost feel the straining lungs and pouring sweat as Marvin gives all he has. An exciting sound.

LOVE – “Alone Again Or”
Anybody who doesn’t go mad over this superb record will be either deaf or six feet under. Groups on the Elektra label are always worth listening to, and Love must be the best of all of them.

Even the Beatles know it – all you need is love and their latest single “Alone Again Or” is a shining example of just how much you can do in pop with genius at the wheel.

It’s right in every possible way – combining a depth of feeling more or less unknown in pop with a wonderful song that sings its way straight to the heart of things.

It builds up into climaxes, falls away into fragile, moving quietness with marvellous guitar work, and if I had my way would go on for a couple of hours. Real greatness.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

GORDON WALLER – “Rosecrans Boulevard”
The tall, dark half of Peter and Gordon has made a beauty here. Fantastic lyrics about love / cars / Manhattan / Los Angeles sung intelligently and with a lot of feeling by Gordon are echoed by piano and twelve-string guitar.

All in all, a very fascinating single. I hope it gets Gordon back into the charts at high speed.

THE ENCHANTED FOREST – “You’re Never Gonna Get My Lovin'”
Fine sentiments from The Enchanted Forest, a group I’ve not heard before. It’s a fine sound and I think a lot of people are going to like it – a very full and intriguing sound in the same mould as “Good Vibrations” – only done by girls.

At least I think they’re girls, but I’ve been wrong before and carry the marks to prove it. Lots of sighs and angelic harmonies, and although a certain DJ thinks they’re “atrocious” I think they might have a hit on their hands.

LONG JOHN BALDRY – “Let The Heartaches Begin” (LP)
No doubt about it now, the Long John Baldry transformation is complete. The smoothie dark brown cover marks the demise of the LJB, bluesman extraordinary.

He’s now a class singer with a huge following of all shapes and sizes after “Heartaches” and this LP should win him many more fans.

It’s made up of a mixture of established songs – like a fantastic version of “Stay With Me Baby” and the old Ray Charles smash “I Can’t Stop Loving You” – and five newies from the composers of “Let The Heartaches Begin”, Tony Macaulay and John McLeod.

All extremely well done. The backings are just right, and the Baldry voice every now and then betrays the great influence the old blues days have had. There’s more conviction and feeling from John than you’ll get from practically any of the balladeers of the current fashionable crowd.

Long may he continue to turn out records like this.

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART and his MAGIC BAND – “Yellow Brick Road”
Everyone’s going around muttering that Captain Beefheart is one of the greatest things ever to hit pop. In the light of all this raving, “Yellow Brick Road” comes as something of a disappointment.

It’s a fast-moving number with a fair bit of punch and a lovely intro – which I won’t tell you about; hear it for yourself – but the Magic Band do seem to be a little short on magic here.

There’s some very nice guitar like a friendly hornet buzzing around looking for a victim – but the Beefheart voice doesn’t come over too beefily. And there is a 5s. prize for the first reader to send me all the words, which are just a little too transcendental for Cloth Ears to catch.

The other side “Abba Zaba”, is considerably better.

THE FOUNDATIONS – “Back On My Feet Again”
Here’s the follow up to the Foundations’ first big hit, the record that surprised all of us, “Baby Now That I’ve Found You” – and they’ve fallen into the trap of making it an identical twin to its illustrious predecessor.

It’s a good enough song (yet another from Macaulay / McLeod) but the rhythm’s the same, the treatment’s the same, the sound’s the same – and this is rather sad because it’s bound to discourage a lot of people, and the Foundations are a good enough group to stay around for some time yet.

All three W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band‘s singles have been remastered, mixed and presented on my Spreaker account. Over the years I’ve reviewed each single and they’re re-written here for information purposes.

THE W.C. FIELDS MEMORIAL ELECTRIC STRING BAND – ’I’M NOT YOUR STEPPING STONE’/ ’ROUND WORLD’ (MERCURY 72578) JUNE 1966

I’ve given ’Flower Bomb Songs’ exposure to the groups other releases in the past so check out the archives for more information. This was their debut 45 and is a rockin’ early version of ’Stepping Stone’ produced by the erstwhile Norm Ratner who’s name crops up on many Los Angeles recordings.

The flip ’Round World’ is a folk rock gem.

This release was a Billboard spotlight release in a June 1966 edition.

W.C. FIELDS MEMORIAL ELECTRIC STRING BAND – ’HIPPY ELEVATOR OPERATOR’ / ’DON’T LOSE THE GIRL’ (HBR-507) OCTOBER 1966

This was the first 45 of two by the strangely named W.C. Fields Electric String Band, although they did release a magical psychedelic record under the moniker of the easier to say ESB.

It took me a few years to get my copy of this cool one. It never seemed to show up on lists or on eBay but I’ve noticed it cropping up a couple of times recently so try and grab a copy if you can.

This band from L.A had talent of that there is no doubt. Two members Robert Zinner and George Caldwell had been in The Bees previously. I wrote about their 45 on Mirwood last year (check out the archives) Richard Fortunato joined from The Vejtables. So, as you can see, this band had pedigree.

’Hippy Elevator Operator’ has a simple primitive beat, quite repetitive but I sure dig the lyrics. Back in ’66 Los Angeles this particular ’hippy’ was a swingin’ young chick into narcotics. Check out the opening verse:

’Her Daddy’s money was no good
A trip or two now when she could.
She left his place without a dime,
And got a job with lot’s of time.
She’s a hippy elevator operator’

Caldwell – Zinner

The flip ’Don’t Lose The Girl’ is a moody slice of psychedelic punk.

HBR put out some great records and for my money this one is in the top 5.

ESB – ’MUSHROOM PEOPLE’/ ’LET ME TOUCH YOU’ (IN ARTS RECORDS 102) 1967

This group of hipsters from Hollywood went from having one of the longest names in pop (ie) The W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band to probably the shortest ESB.

The band were formed out of the ashes of two local acts that promised much but went to nowheresville. George Caldwell and Robert Zinner were in The Bees. Richard Fortunato and Steve Lagana were in The Preachers. Bass player Patrick Burke may have been in a later line up of The Preachers.

’Mushroom People’ is in effect their third release but one of the first on the newly formed Hollywood label In Arts Records who also had The Good Time Singers and Smart & Cole Inc on their books.

The song is pretty cool with the odd ’mary jane’ lyrical reference indicating pot of course. It’s a strange psychedelic affair, starting out all mellow and hip then suddenly bursting into a faster rhythm, culminating in a Who like wig out.

’Let Me Touch You’ is a slow and brooding acid raga psych nugget. It’s such a beautiful sound in my mind. Like a mix of ”Younger Than Yesterday” era Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. Dig that trippy ”In Arts” record label. A feast for your eyes and mind.

”I can make you feel like raindrops falling to the ground.”

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MARTY WILDE – “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”
How many readers remember the heyday of the Marty Wilde / Cliff Richard / Billy Fury rock ‘n’ roll era in England? It was long ago, and the new Marty is a changed man.

A cover version of Glen Campbell’s American hit, it’s a slowish, well-produced sound and, even if it doesn’t come crashing into the top twenty, it lets us know that Marty is alive and in better form than ever. A polished, attractive performance.

HANK B. MARVIN – “London’s Not Too Far”
Hank, spectacle man of The Shadows, goes solo with his own composition. It’s a tuneful, understated sound, the story of a girl who leaves home to go to London in search of the pop star she loves.

And it turns out in the last line that she’s only five years old. Hank hasn’t got a remarkable voice – but he puts over the strange story very effectively.

It’s distinctive enough to make chart progress, with the added attraction of the rest of The Shadows on the other side with a goodie called “Running Out Of World”.

THE YOUNG RASCALS – “It’s Wonderful”
And so says all of me! This is a turbulent, brain-warping single with a bagful of strange, happy and disturbing noises round a first-rate bluesy song.

These noises include croaks, Boys’ Brigade drumming, whistling, a stampede, screams, kazoo outbursts, and you’d be forgiven for thinking the barnyard had invaded the studio.

It’s nothing if not original and imaginative, and the singing (yes, they sing too!) is among the best from an American group. This is a daring sort of record – but the experiment is a huge success. Great stuff!

THE KINKS – “Live At Kelvin Hall” (LP)
I suppose somebody must buy these live LPs, but it sure enough ain’t me. All you get is a barrage of screams and general uproar with perhaps one word in ten managing to fight its way through the chaos to your poor, struggling ears.

Perhaps the idea behind it is to sacrifice quality for excitement and spontaneity – but plastic grooves just can’t convey the electric atmosphere of a live performance.

So, I’m sorry to report that this LP is a crude substitute for the real Kinks. Some glimmerings of light do come through – on the beaty numbers like “I’m On An Island” and “You Really Got Me”.

But we all know that the beauty of the Kinks is the subtlety and expressiveness of Ray’s voice on songs like “Waterloo Sunset” over a precise, controlled backing. So why bother to release this LP?

GENO WASHINGTON and The RAM JAM BAND – “Shake A Tail Feather Baby” (LP)
This is the third LP from Geno and The Ram Jam Band. The mixture is very much as before with two sides of songs from Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, and any other soul brother you can think of, given the Geno treatment.

His band must be one of the most exciting in England, and the kingpin Geno just radiates joy and exuberance with his powerful athletic voice above a solid beef backing – with some very tasteful piano as a contrast.

Great music for a rave-up with infectious good spirits all the way. So on with those tail feathers, ladies, and shake the night away!

KALEIDOSCOPE – “A Dream For Julie” / “Please Excuse My Face”
This is another good one from the West London progressives, Kaleidoscope. Above a buoyant rhythm, lead singer Peter Daltry puts tons of feeling into the odd, but evocative lyrics about Julie, strawberry monkeys and life.

Also very nice is the guitar work from Eddie Pumer, the co-writer of the song. Perhaps even better than the “A” side is “Please Excuse My Face”, a track from their LP. Again, lyrics which say something, and some beautiful, classical style guitar. This is a group busting out all over with talent and originality.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

PETER, PAUL AND MARY – “Too Much Of Nothing”
Everybody knocks Peter, Paul and Mary – they’ve sold out to commercialism! Not ethical! Safe as milk! So scream the fools’ chorus.

Be that as it may, the time I saw them live they were tremendous, and even the purists were yelling for encores with the best of them at the end.

They have something to say, and this single, a new Dylan composition, is their best ever. It’s a very personal, melancholy song made up of two contrasting styles. Half the time it’s brash and beaty, rather like the Mamas and The Papas at their best with bitter lyrics of disillusionment and despair.

Then there is the soft, plaintive chorus sung in moving harmony. Everyone I’ve played this record to raves about it. But when you come to think about it people just don’t seem to buy progressive works of art on singles.

So I suppose that “Too Much Of Nothing” will be another wonderful record seized by John Peel and rejected by the mass of record buyers. I hope I’m wrong.

THE BACHELORS – “If Ever I Would Leave You”
I’m told that this is the outstanding song from Camelot. So no doubt The Bachelors will pick up the gravy yet again with a nice unremarkable bit of musical candyfloss.

They’ve obviously been put off going progressive for ever by the lack of success of “3 O’Clock Flamingo Street”, which was very sad indeed. “If Ever I Would Leave You” is a shade quieter than the usual Bachelors, but nevertheless full rein is given to the eyes-heavenward, dig-the-Irish-charm bit.

You can hear all the words and you couldn’t get nicer music to soothe the fevered brows of the old school. Probably a medium-sized hit, but not, I’m afraid with your very own friendly record reviewer.

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK – “Am I That Easy To Forget?”
“Am I That Easy To Forget?” the man asks. No mate, not with a name like that! However, the record . . . About twenty times as groovy as “The Last Waltz”, but even so, how can it be anything but a huge hit?

The melody has considerably more to it and Engelbert seems to have started to move away from the corny rent-a-tune schmaltz of his other records. The orchestration by Les Reed is more subtle, despite the efforts of a heavenly choir to turn the whole shebang into a singalong gala night.

There’s some very tasteful jazzy piano a la Sounds Orchestral popping up in a couple of places, and Engelbert’s voice seems to have come to life a bit. This record is quite an improvement all round.

THE WILDWEEDS – “It Was Fun While It Lasted”
This I like very much. It’s slightly sophisticated soul music with sweeping strings and controlled, urgent singing above and insistent beat.

There’s none of the frantic “Come on, children!” sort of melodramatics. As a result, it’s the music and nothing more that generates the excitement – and there’s plenty.

I shouldn’t think anyone in Britain, apart from the record company, has heard of The Wildweeds, but this single will alter the situation. The Wildweeds are pretty wild, but nobody could accuse them of being weedy!

THE BEACH BOYS – “Darlin'”
“Wild Honey”, the last release from the ex-Kings of Surf, bombed completely. “Darlin'” is a sort of watered-down “Wild Honey”, part two, with a touch of soul.

Although it’s a fine record, it’ll probably get just about as much chart success as its predecessor. It’s too simple and uncomplicated. A nice overall sound is vital, but you have to have more than that to show a clean pair of heels to Des O’Connor and Engelbert.

What happened to the creative magic of Brian Wilson that gave us such a string of goodies ranging from “I Get Around” to “Good Vibrations”? Don’t get me wrong, “Darlin'” isn’t a bad record but The Beach Boys aren’t showing us their true colours on it. Give us something new, Brian.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE SPECER DAVIS GROUP – “Mr Second Class”
“Time Seller” amazed us by not selling in bulk, and people started saying the usual boring rubbish about Spencer being nowhere without the genius Steve Winwood.

We know that’s a load of rubbish now – and “Mr Second Class” should convince all infidels that the Spencer Davis Group lives and raves better than ever. This lovely, powerful production, kicks off with huge rolling piano and organ roar; biting, insistent guitar, and then in comes the electrifying singing.

The song builds up and up into a compulsive, mesmerizing climax. Lost without Steve? Never!

CROCHETED DOUGHNUT RING – “Havana Anna”
This is either going to be a mammoth hit with everybody you meet compulsively humming the tune, or a big resounding flop.

It’s one of those records only the cloth-ear brigade could ignore. I personally love this group for its strange thudding beat, unintelligible words, violent abandon, and the sound of waves breaking on the beach – or am I round the bend?

Anyway, play the disc as loud as your brain will stand and have a ball trying to figure out what it all means.

THE WHO – “Sell Out” (LP)
Yes, definitely a sell-out! This is without doubt at all the best thing The Who have ever produced – as usual coming up with something nobody else has done and totally sensational.

The theme Sell Out is dreaded commercialism – the songs are interspersed with down memory-lane Big L jingles. The amazing cover depicts R. Daltrey languishing in a bath of Beanz, P. Townshend transforming his armpits into charmpits, K. Moon laying into a crimson teenage spot, J. Beefcake Entwistle looking huge.

The songs have horror titles like “Odorono”, “Medac” and all stations west. However, Sell Out isn’t all bad adverts – “I Can See for Miles” (why wasn’t this number one?) is included along with others – all terrific, particularly “Sunrise”: this is a piece of poetry with a great acoustic guitar backing, completely different from anything they’ve done before.

This track alone should guarantee eternal glory for The Who – and all you can say is “perfection”.

MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL – “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You”
This isn’t a bad record – but it’s the old complaint. Why are Tamla Motown putting out so many records all practically the same?

Marvin Gaye (not forgetting Tammi Terrell) is capable of greatness – remember “Can I Get A Witness” – how stupid to waste him on this sort of record when he could be storming the walls with decent material.

COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH – “Electric Music For Mind And Body”
I wasn’t too struck on this at first, but now it’s had time to sink in, it’s easy to see why this group is going down so well in America.

It’s a progressive, well-thought out sound from San Francisco with moments of great beauty and sheer electricity. The oddball lyrics a la Dylan are half spoken, half sung by Country Joe McDonald himself.

The best tracks “Martha Lorraine” – a driving, blues-based number and “Section 43”, an instrumental which burns and glows on its way through all the colours of the rainbow. By the way, the sleeve notes dedicate this album to Mr and Mrs Martin Dimbatt – don’t worry and listen to it all the same . . . feed your mind as well as your body.

PUT ME AMONG THE GIRLS (AND LEAVE THE REST TO ME)

Opening on January 4 is Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush, a film from the book of the same name by Hunter Davies. With a line-up of young actresses, and Barry Evans, as Jamie, in the main part, it shows a boy’s struggle in his last year at school to make out with girls.

Looking back at our own early experiences, can’t we all sympathize with the predicament of this seventeen year old would-be Romeo, and, by the way, pick up some startling revelations of a boy’s view of girls?

Below, a foretaste of this in quotes from the book and in stills from the United Artists’ film.

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THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE – “Axis: Bold As Love” (LP)
After playing this a few times you realize that Hendrix is next in line for immortality. At first I thought that Axis was just a load of undisciplined electric noise: but after a while the anarchy falls into place, giving lyrical beauty and raw power.

Wild talking guitar, wild talking drums and wild talking bass all speak volumes. The guitar spits, sings, wails, urged on by Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell – and above it all yet right at the heart, a philosophical Jimi tells the stories.

If you don’t already have Axis, get it; if you have it – buy one for your friends. If they have it sit back and blow your mind. You are happy.

DAVE CLARK FIVE – “Everybody Knows” (LP)
You get your thirty-odd bob’s worth on this one O.K. – no less than sixteen tracks, including the big hit plus previous singles “Tabatha Twitchit” and “You Got What It Takes”.

Produced by Dave himself, nobody could accuse this of being progressive – it’s good simple pop with no pretentions. Everybody Knows is a well-balanced mixture of the familiar bashing DC5 beat, ballads, minor freak-out, and a C&W track “Sitting Here Baby.”

Bound to be lapped up by the droves of hard-core pop fans. Thumbs down however, for the corny lyrics.

EVERY MOTHER’S SON – “Pony With A Golden Man”
A beautiful madrigal-type beginning equally fine olde-worlde chorus, and a soft lead voice make this story of a boy and his golden-maned pony into a quiet commercial poem.

Medium-paced and very relaxing – except for a very strange bit in the middle. Weird, way out of tune tootings (is it a voice? is it a trumpet? is it Superman?) go against the grain of the song.

I’ve probably failed to grasp some deep significance – but despite that, it’s a very good record to unwind to after a tiring day at the workhouse.

THE SYMBOLS – “The Best Part Of Breaking Up”
Out of the wilds of Romford come The Symbols, a fave rave group in Denmark with telly, radio and all the gear. They aren’t a big name here, but “Breaking Up” may well change that.

It’s an old Phil Spector song (big hit across the pond a few years ago) done by the group in late ’50s rock and roll cum Beach Boys’ style. Pounding beat, great harmony singing, and altogether a very impressive piece of black plastic.

COUNT BASIE – “Green Onions” / “Hang On Sloopy”
Bet nobody expected to see Count Basie in this column. But, for the five hundredth time this decade, big bands are coming back.

You might think it a bit off that an oldie hero like Basie should lower himself to pop – but it isn’t like that at all. Great beefy orchestrations, and both sides swing like . . . well, more than plenty of so-called pop discs. This is a fine big sound.

JOHN WALKER – “If You Go Away” (LP)
The superb cover photo is guaranteed to set practically every female heart in Britain fluttering. John sings like never before, putting loads of feeling and quality into the songs, which are mostly night-clubby ballads.

With support from the sensitive Reg Guest backings, John looks all set to enter the realm of high-class semi-jazz singers. Yes, a great leap forward for John.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE ORIGINAL AFRICANS – “Mr Full Stop” / “Sting Me”
Here’s a record that’s a must for every turned-on party. Super cool West Indian magic to dance the night away to – both sides feature the great ska beat in a new disguise which rejoices under the name, “Full Stop”.

This is a new dance in the wake of the Rock-steady which just might catch on – a great happy sound with a lot happening musically and a fine sardonic vocal telling you how to do the dance.

If this is a hit – and it could well be – it’ll be a breath of fresh air for the top twenty.

THE ASSOCIATION – “Inside Out”
Yet another of those American groups who turn out good records, get hit after hit in their own country but don’t mean a thing in merrie England. It’s a sad thing – some of the stuff on this LP is good indeed – particularly “Windy” which was a big U.S. hit.

The Association produce a clean-cut typically un-British sound. This set is made up of unforced harmony singing full of lyricism, a touch of the freak-outs, a sniff of good old rock and roll, and even a sitar creeps in one one track.

They seem to know what they’re doing and this is a nice album well worth a listen. And it has a good cover too.

TOM PAXTON – “Jennifer’s Rabbit” / “The Marvellous Toy”
Children’s records are usually the biggest drag since Danny la Rue, but this one by Tom Paxton isn’t like that at all. It’s about animals – rabbit, turtle, kangaroo and monkeys – and is full of quiet charm and softness.

And it isn’t soppy or sentimental in the least. The flipside “The Marvellous Toy” is in the same mood, this time about a toy that makes strange noises! It’s a beautifully produced record with class sticking out a mile; a children’s record that won’t be bought by just children.

TEN YEARS AFTER (LP)
People have been saying a lot of nice things about Ten Years After, a blues group currently going down beautifully in the clubs. Listening to this LP you get an idea why. It’s honest, unpretentious blues all along the line.

The lead guitar of Alvin Lee is very good indeed – dazzling intricate solos one minute and long wailing breaks the next. Mind you, there’s nothing revolutionary about this group – they’re very much part of the tradition set by John Mayall, the old Yardbirds and others.

But within that framework, they’re extremely good all round. Judge for yourself with a nine minute version of the Sonny Boy Williamson classic “Help Me.” It’s a moody, overpowering experience. The best of the lot, a shattering “I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes.”

BOBBIE GENTRY – “Okolona River Bottom Band”
Far and away the best of a pretty chronic set of singles this week is this follow-up to the fantastic “Ode To Billie Joe” by the extremely gorgeous Bobbie Gentry.

Totally different to the haunting mystery of “Billie Joe”, this is a full-blooded torrent of sensuality in the Deep South, with a strong brassy backing and a violent beat.

Bobbie’s breathy, tough voice just oozes with sexiness – and it looks as if she’ll be a big name for some time to come. Anyway, “Okolona River Bottom Band” should have no trouble at all in making the charts; it’s a real scorcher.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

KALEIDOSCOPE – “Tangerine Dream”
This is it! Kaleidoscope have presented us with a masterpiece for the first LP. Their fantastic single “Flight From Ashiya” didn’t make it, but ‘Tangerine Dream’ will set that to rights – quality like this just can’t go unnoticed.

Every track would make a better single than ninety per cent of the present top thirty. The words that come to mind are all played out – words like creative, fabulous (in the true sense), dream-weaving, moving poetry.

The group have made their own completely original scene, with the name Kaleidoscope providing the key to it all. The sounds on this record are shifting colours settling for a moment into a beautiful stained-glass pattern, then shifting again into a fresh and still more beautiful pattern.

All wondrous stuff – and certainly not too far out for mere mortals. It is important music – as singer Peter Daltrey says on the lovely sleeve notes, the collective subject of their songs is simple – the life and people. What, more could anybody want?

FRANÇOISE HARDY – “On Se Quitte Toujours”
This is typical Françoise – pure voice, romantic backing, nothing overdone and altogether very pleasant. There’s nobody quite like her on the English scene – but though this is a most enjoyable, easy-on-the-ear record so beloved of the late-night DJ’s, it probably won’t do very well.

For a start, it’s in French, and what’s the last record sung in French that you can remember getting into the charts? It’s a shame – but the only way that records like this will get anywhere over here is to have records set for O Level French!

PROCOL HARUM LP
A good album but a bit of a let-down after the two singles – it’s too much the same all the way through – slow and mysterious. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t get off the ground, though.

Two tracks are terrific – “Cerdes (outside the gates of)” and “Repent Walpurgis”. These are the long ones that close each side. “Cerdes” being an atmospheric semi-blues sound picture, and “Walpurgis” a beautiful organ-based tune which meanders and swells into a crescendo that gets you right in the stomach.

Robin Trower’s guitar is superb all down the line – but I’m beginning to get my doubts about Gary Brooker’s voice. He hasn’t sounded the same since “A Whiter Shade”; also Keith Reid’s words aren’t so good when you sit down and listen.

They sound nice – but do they mean anything? The trouble with the Harum seems to be that they hit on one very individual style which gave them a massive hit, but haven’t bothered to develop it.

They aren’t pulling out all the creative stops – and the end product doesn’t justify the air of pretentiousness they put out. But it’s not a bad LP really – just that they could have done much more with it.

PETER COOK and DUDLEY MOORE – “Bedazzled”
Dud and Pete get their satirical paws on psychedelphia. It had to happen one day! This song – if song is the right word – was written by Mr Cook and Mr Moore for the film of the same name, and it’s got all the super trendy sounds.

Great organic beat – really – and they make a big thing of the “Itchycoo Park”-style fading, like you used to get listening to Luxembourg on the short wave.

Above a girl chorus, all of whom are dying with passion for him, Pete recites some lovely lines telling them to leave him alone: lines like:

“I’m self-contained” and “you fill me with inertia”.

What a larf – and it’s actually a very fine sound. Top twenty, I should think.

MAMAS And PAPAS – “Glad To Be Unhappy”
This just isn’t on the same plane as “Creeque Alley” and “Monday Monday”, the reason being the song itself.

It’s non-descript and isn’t their scene – maybe for one track of an album. O.K., but certainly not a single. Especially when it only lasts one minute forty seconds.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE HERD – “Paradise Lost”
Fasten your safety belts and open your earholes for what has to be a top ten shot from The Herd. Steaming full-speed ahead in the wake of “From The Underworld”, “Paradise Lost” starts off by hitting you full in the face with a blast of burlesque show / strip tease music.

Then the mood changes and we’re back to the pop-classical sound featured on their first hit. Great noises – and lead singer Peter Frampton throws himself into the fray with vocal guns blazing.

From which you’ll guess that this single isn’t in the dark, moody vein of “Underworld”; but you can bet your last devalued halfpenny it’ll go booming up the charts just the same!

THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL – “She’s Still A Mystery”
It surely is a small mystery why a great group like The Spoonful suddenly dropped out of chart favour after such hits as “Daydream” and “Summer In The City”. Still, that’s the way it is, and I don’t see this single winning back the missing millions.

It’s nowhere near as good as previous stuff. Written by lead singer John Sebastian, it seems to have become bogged down in the muddy arrangement. The heavy backing just doesn’t get off the ground, and the record gets smothered in its own sound.

The Spoonful are at their best with either powerful beat or whimsical tunefulness. This falls between the two and misses out all along the way. A pity.

THE AYNSLEY DUNBAR RETALIATION – “Warning”
It’s another field day for blues addicts. And yet again it comes from a group headed by a refugee from the John Mayall band. This time, it’s drummer Aynsley Dunbar.

“Warning” is just what the title suggests: a hard, brooding song with a stop beat and menacing singing from Vic Brox (who used to have one of the best groups in England himself a couple of years ago).

Lead guitarist John Morshead is impressive with his neat, wailing riffs, and all told, Retaliation have made a more than impressive record which should blow many minds.

THE JEFFERSON AIRPLANE – “Ballad Of You And Me And Pooniel
This wondrous single should attract a horde of Airplane worshippers. It’s a driving up-tempo number with a great beat, biting bottleneck guitar (where the guitarist puts a metal tube on little finger of his left hand and instead of conventional fingering, slides it on the strings – like “Little Red Rooster”).

But the outstanding feature of this single is the singing – a glorious tapestry of sound with exciting, intertwining harmonies. The only thing to fault is the feedback; they overdo it somewhat.

However, it’s still a fine record and should increase The Airplane’s reputation as one of the best groups in the business.

GEORGIE FAME – “Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde”
What a record! It’s the epic of Bonnie and Clyde put into a chunky song, full to the brim with wry, tragi-comic lyrics and played in a style that’s a mixture of Country and Western, Dixieland and beat.

Not forgetting the rattle of machine guns, police sirens and screeching cars! Like the film, this record has an original flavour.

Bonnie and Clyde have reached folk-hero proportions now; Georgie Fame is singing and playing with no holds barred, and sounds as if he’s really enjoying it. Adds up to what must be one of Georgie’s biggest hits.

MEET THE SPECTACULAR MISS FONDA BORN IN THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF HOLLYWOOD – THE BEAUTIFUL STAR WITH THE STORMY STREAK

Jane Fonda is an excellent example of a poor little rich girl. In the limelight from the word go, first as a daughter of her father, then as wife of her husband, her actual film performances tend to pass unnoticed.

Thousands of words are written about her private life; few about her deft way with comedy. Are things changing? The stills from her latest film, “Barbarella”, show a new, super-shiny heroine Fonda. Indications are that Jane is going to come over big.

Up to now thirty year old Jane has had a stormy life which has been a series of violent changes. Her mother, Henry Fonda’s second wife, committed suicide when Jane was only twelve.

Jane was staying with her grandmother at the time and was told her mother had had a heart attack. “Then,” she said, “about a year later, the way children always find out everything, some kid at school handed me a movie magazine that told what really happened.” She doesn’t comment on the effect it had on her, but she had five years of regular psycho-analysis.

THIS VERY TALENTED GROUP OF TEENAGERS HAILED FROM NEW JERSEY AND RELEASED THREE SINGLES ON RECORD LABEL TOMORROW.

The following Myddle Class record reviews were written back in 2009. Following my mix of their three singles I have reposted them accordingly.

THE MYDDLE CLASS – ’GATES OF EDEN’ / ’FREE AS THE WIND’ (TOMORROW 45-7501) NOV 1965

This very talented group of teenagers hailed from New Jersey and released three singles on Tomorrow, all of which sold in decent quantities locally but outside of their home territory bombed.

Even today The Myddle Class are something of a mystery. Hardly any of their songs have been compiled and several demos remain in the vaults, although these tapes or CDRs do surface in private trades.

’Gates Of Eden’ / ’Free As The Wind’ was The Myddle Class debut and really should have done better than it ultimately did. When many bands were electrifying Bob Dylan songs and having huge hits, The Myddle Class chose his sombre ’Gates Of Eden’ and made it into a folk rock gem but attracted little attention.

’Free As The Wind’ is high class 60s pop with these memorable lines:

’You never miss the water in the well
’Till the well runs dry.
And I never missed my baby
Until she said goodbye.
Now she’s free as the wind.

Bob Dylan

’Free As The Wind’ was the top side and charted at number 12 in Albany, New York during mid March 1966. Both sides were produced by the song writing team of Goffin & King.

THE MYDDLE CLASS – ’DON’T LET ME SLEEP TOO LONG’ / ’I HAPPEN TO LOVE YOU’ (BUDDAH RECORDS BDA 150) 1966

The second Myddle Class 45 paired ’Don’t Let Me Sleep Too Long’ with ’I Happen To Love You’. The former song, even though credited to all five Myddle Class band members was actually a song made more famous by The Blues Project (Al Kooper is credited as the songwriter but the title of the song is ’Wake Me-Shake Me’)

It was originally released on Tomorrow 7503 but re-issued on Buddah Records a couple of years later.

It’s been written that The Myddle Class picked up on this song after gigging with The Blues Project. It should be noted that Al Kooper and The Blues Project are credited as arrangers on the label of the Buddah release – whatever the matter, this song is a killer and needs to be heard!

As a footnote ’Don’t Let Me Sleep Too Long’ charted in the top 20 in San Bernardino, California during November 1966.

The flip ’I Happen To Love You’ is a Goffin & King song. It’s more famous as being an Electric Prunes offering but The Myddle Class were the first band to record it.

Both songs were produced by Gerry Goffin – file under essential double-sider.

THE MYDDLE CLASS – ’WIND CHIME LAUGHTER’ / ’DON’T LOOK BACK’ (TOMORROW T-912) 1967

The trilogy of Myddle Class 45s ended with a great cover of The Temptations song from ’65 ’Don’t Look Back’. This slightly countryfied and uptempo version is way ahead of the slow and yawn inducing original. Too bad it wasn’t the hit that The Myddle Class deserved.

The flip was the sunshyne classic ’Wind Chime Laughter’ which sounds like a more introspective Association. A taste of the pure pop music The Myddle Class were capable of.

line-up:
Danny Mansolino (keyboards), Dave Palmer (vocals), Rick Phillip (lead guitar), Charlie Larkey (bass), Mike Rosa (drums)

ROBIN REALLY DOESN’T WORRY ABOUT THE RUMOURS THAT THE BEATLES WRITE THEIR SONGS UNDER THE BEE GEES NAME

Lead singer Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, pushes back the cushion and settles comfortably into the settee. He lights a cigarette and politely offers them round, with the natural ease and warmth of any successful twenty-five year old with the world under his feet. Except that Robin happens to be only seventeen.

By the average standards of a seventeen year old, Robin hasn’t done too badly. He’s worth about £70,000, with the prospect of more; has been across the world twice and has a fabulous collection of instruments gathered from nine countries. Apart from that, he and the rest of the boys are among the top groups in the world.

“It hasn’t been a bad run to reach where we are now,” he says “A very slow walk would be nearer the mark.”

The slow walk began when Robin and twin Maurice, were seven. Brother Barry was ten. “In the Christmas of that year, Barry got a Spanish guitar, and the three of us just kind of started singing together.” That was in Manchester.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE ORANGE BICYCLE – “Laura’s Garden”
This is a nice one. A warm, rich sound with smooth double bass, friendly piano, more than a touch of Swingle Singers’ harmonizing, all moving calmly towards a finale of massed tremolo violins.

What you might call centrally-heated envelope music, if you’ll forgive the expression.

THE BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD – “Rock ‘N’ Roll Woman”
John Brown’s been raving about The Buffalo Springfield from his penthouse on top of the Statue of Liberty for at least fifteen light years. I’m now converted, although so many West Coast progressive groups seem to have spent more time thinking of wild names than learning to play their instruments.

This group is twenty-two carat stuff. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Woman” is intelligent, inventive and a complete gas from start to overpowering finish with great fuzzy guitar and unfuzzy singing in between.

This is the stuff to fight the big deal gloomy scene with!

THE BEATLES – “Hello Goodbye” / “I Am The Walrus”
The A-side “Hello, Goodbye” is, of course, brilliant, with a particularly rumbustious Polynesian-style ending. And I do believe I heard a mouth organ – shades of “Love Me Do”.

But compared with “I Am The Walrus”, it’s no more than what we have come to expect from The Beatles. “Walrus”, I think, is the best thing they’ve ever done, both musically and poetically.

There’s so much in it, you could listen to it solidly for a month and still not get everything out of it. John Lennon rips out bitter, ironic images from the tragic farce of modern life: everyone doing, getting hung up on, being defeated by illogicalities and trivialities.

At least, that’s what this shattering record means to me. I could write a book, it’s so unbelievably full. How on earth, or heaven, for that matter, do The Beatles manage to mean so much? And how does Lennon get so much precise, powerful meaningfulness from his voice?

And how can you possibly convey the experience of listening to genius? And how can you accept that some people won’t get a thing out of this record? Ask the walrus. He knows all about it.

DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES – “In And Out Of Love”
Oh, girls, what have you gone and done? If anyone had told me a week ago that Diana Ross and companions were capable of turning out a rhubarb record, I would have respectively directed them to the nearest free brain surgeon.

But horrors! That is what has come to pass. “In And Out Of Love” is terrible because of the boing-boing-tinkle backing sounds, because the previously infallible Holland-Dozier-Holland team have written the most soul-less song ever and, most tragic of all, even Diana gets drowned in the noise and sounds like a pale imitation of her former fantastic self.

And after their last fantastic record too.

MIKE SAMMES SINGERS – “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
Tin Pan Alley insists it’s time we had yet another Christmas, so I thought it would be nice to review a Merry Christmas record. Happy New Year!

24 HOURS ON THE ROAD WITH A POP GROUP

That there is little real money in the pop world except for a favoured few, we’ve already revealed in INTRO.

Now we can show you the other part of the same story – that the work is enough to make strong men blanch at the thought. We went out with a London-based group to see what a typical day might bring.

So we arranged to meet the St Valentine’s Day Massacre (until recently known as The Artwoods) at the crack of dawn as the van was rounding up the group.

From then on, it was non-stop activity right through the day, filming a television show – over and over again, in the pouring rain before deciding to abandon the set and start the whole thing again, indoors.

Then, a 111-mile dash to the University of Warwick for an evening date, play until 1 a.m.; a half-hour drive to find the hotel and fall into bed exhausted at 2 a.m.

This was a repeat of the previous day’s schedule and was to be duplicated on the following two days. Naturally, they don’t always have a TV date but they might well have to travel about four times the distance to appear at a concert.

Glamorous? Occasionally. Money? Sometimes. Hard work? Always. Take a look at our pictures. Could you stand the pace?

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

CILLA BLACK – “I Only Live To Love You”
That’s the sort of thing I like to hear girls say: but I can’t say this is the sort of music I like to hear them sing. Our Cilla has abandoned the teenage scene and disappeared into the twilight zone of mums, dads, budgies and Sunday Plight at the Palladium.

And this should keep them happy. It is a waltz. A simple song that’s going to be murdered by brassy Berthas at pub concerts throughout the country for the next eighteen months.

Still, let us not mock. Cilla has chosen her audience and knows what to feed them: and perhaps one day she’ll return to the fold.

THE PLATTERS – “Sweet, Sweet Lovin'”
I can remember raving about The Platters when I was a nasty little boy of nine, way back in the dark ages of rock and roll. But the years haven’t taken their toll – they still sound great.

“Sweet, Sweet Lovin'” is as good as anything else on the soul scene these days. It’s go, go, go right from the rocking piano intro, punching new blood into what’s now a pretty tired fashion.

Listen to that excitement which brought them success all those centuries ago. This group knows how to come across with the real McCoy – whoever he is.

BILLIE DAVIS – “Angel Of The Morning”
She’s been out of it a long time, too. But Billie’s back now and as long as she makes beautiful records like this, she’s my angel of morning, noon and night.

It must get her back in the charts. The song is nothing less than a little masterpiece about boy leaving girl. Quiet, powerful lyrics which aren’t sickly in the least, above at first, a tender, gentle backing.

Then the flood gates of emotion burst and Billie sings out her soul on the crest of a surging, over-whelming crescendo. Altogether a tremendous song, brilliant arrangement (by Mike Vickers, late of Manfred Mann) and some of the most moving singing ever.

My words just aren’t enough. Hear the record and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

CREAM – “Disraeli Gears”
It’s usually only singles in the column, but once in a while comes an LP which is a pop landmark. This is one of them. Jack, Eric and Ginger show us how far ahead they are of the rest when it comes to sheer creation.

On “Disraeli Gears”, they give free rein to all their technical brilliance in a set made up of fire, dreams, earthquake, poetry and one of the most appallingly funny traditional airs ever recorded.

This wonder album should have come out months ago – a curse upon the hang-ups which made us wait.

PAUL JONES – “Sons And Lovers”
Paul of the 500 horse-power voice goes to town on a pure five horse-power song. I regret to announce that “Sons And Lovers” won’t make me want to hear it again.

Paul Jones has done so much better than this in the past – a great singer like himself deserves a better fate than I hear he’ll get with “Sons And Lovers.”

SCOTT WALKER – THE STAR WHO WALKS ALONE

He’s really very approachable, Scott Walker. All that mean, moody and magnificent image stuff that gives you the idea he’d smash you in the face as soon as look at you isn’t true. He’s intent, serious, yes and he talks about himself almost in the third person as if Scott Walker was someone else.

Of French – German origin, his real name is Engel. He will tell you Walker is a horribly nervous person, will never listen to anyone else’s point of view in case it destroys his own arguments; goes and gets drunk and feels better for it afterwards.

In this schizophrenic manner, Scott will discuss almost anything about himself. Objectively. Coldly.

Even the way he lives shows a sort of contrariness. Scott has chosen to ensconce himself in the basement of an elegant terrace house in North London. With the curtains drawn, day and night. It seems like part of his withdrawn image.

“In fact,” said Scott, “the street is right outside, and if I don’t close the curtains, people keep peering in all the time.”

It was said matter-of-factly, not neurotically. Scott’s room depicts how self-sufficient he is. Within reach of where he sits in a high-backed, shielded chair are his telephone, its receiver cracked in half, his hi-fi record-player, his fat books stacked three feet high, his miniature tape recorder and a guitar that’s slung on the bed.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE ALAN PRICE SET – “Shame”
This is a brilliant record. Repeat. This is a brilliant record . . . A huge, tragic sound rolling down and down, with the incredible Set putting all their heart and soul into a song that comes thudding into your mind.

And rising above everything the magnificent voice, piano and organ of Alan Price. He wrote this song, all about the wasted lives of two people in dead-end jobs, and the emotional power of it is something fantastic.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that ‘Shame’ is getting pretty close to raw genius.

DON FARDON – “The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation”
No reservations at all in recommending this. It’s one of the songs off the John D. Loudermilk LP that’s just come out, and as you might have deduced, it’s a protest.

These original inhabitants of the U.S. have been cheated into becoming no more than second-class citizens for the tourists to gawp at. This single is a proud, ominous thunder-cloud of a song.

THE MINDBENDERS – “Schoolgirl”
Hearken unto the woeful tale of the schoolgirl with seven G.C.E.s who was loved and left by the nasty student Casanova. That’s what it’s all about – and I’d say it’s the best ever from the Mindbenders.

Wah-wah a la Hendrix, heavenly harmonies, an orchestra that swings like Pete Townshend’s right arm. I think it’s great. I think five or six million will agree.

CLIFF RICHARD – “All My Love”
Thumbs down – this latest single from Cliff isn’t a rubber patch on ‘Marie’. It’s a lilting load of Mediterranean eyewash that even he can’t bring to life.

THE PEDDLERS – “You’re The Reason I’m Living”
No hit for the Peddlers yet – but this group are bursting at the seams with sheer talent. The lead singer, Roy Phillips, has got the art of sounding like Ray Charles down to perfection – and class like this will always win through.

THE FLOWERPOT MEN – “A Walk In The Sky”
This follow-up to the dreary ‘Let’s Go To San Francisco’ is a far, far better thing altogether. It’s got more power, more originality, and seems to have left all the bandwagons to trundle on their way.

And my crystal ball says that this could very easily go skywards.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

JIM REEVES – “I Heard A Heart Break Last Night”
Well, you all know by now exactly what to expect from the late Jim Reeves. and you won’t be disappointed by this – it’ll be yet another Reeves C&W hit, much to nobody’s surprise.

Not my cup of tea, I’m afraid. I think I’ll just sleep this one out, if you don’t mind.

THE CREATION – “Life Is Just Beginning”
On this showing, Creation will soon be able to take their place in the sky alongside The Beatles, Who, Traffic and Cream. They’ve done some good stuff in the past – but this one beats the lot.

It starts with a string quartet – then in from the distance come the chanting voices and shimmering tambourine. Suddenly you find yourself involved in a beautifully imaginative production with violins one moment, thudding bass the next, and the compelling, almost angelic voices of the group coming out on top of it all.

A great record – and bound for glory very soon I think.

ELVIS PRESLEY – “You Don’t Know Me”
How are the mighty fallen! Old Elvis just seems to get more and more colourless with every record. This one is a remake of Ray Charles’ hit song of a few years ago, and it simply isn’t in the same class.

Where’s all the fire we once knew and loved? Where’s all the originality, the excitement, from the man who once outraged every solid decent citizen in the western world with his anguished voice, frenzied hip twitch and curling lip?

If he will insist on bringing out horrible records like this, it’s time Elvis set sail to the Falkland Islands. Or Afghanistan. Or anywhere in the world he likes as long as it means I won’t have to cringe through any more of his treacly output of lousy films and records.

FLEETWOOD MAC – “I Believe My Time Ain’t Long”
The Mac, led by ex-blues breaker Pete Green, have amassed a multitude of worshippers over recent months. And no wonder – they play real blues.

This single, the first on CBS’s Blue Horizon label, is a sliding, searing bottleneck blues in the style of the late Elmore James, played for keeps with a pounding beat from bass and drums and a great vocal performance.

The “B” side, “Ramblin’ Pony” hangs on the same tune as the Cream’s ‘Rolling and Tumblin’ and I’d call it sheer brilliance.

A restraint and very moving song that has the emotional strength of a musical sledgehammer.

THE SONGWRITERS: NO.3 RAY DAVIES OF THE KINKS

By normal pop standards, Ray Davies works incredibly slowly. He’s a worrier, a compulsive changer and, even though most hits are churned out in a few hours, he might spend months on a single song.

Having had the original idea, he’ll reject and return to it and reject it again until the whole thing has been made completely unrecognizable and then, just when he’s showing signs of being satisfied, he’ll decide to start all over again.

Usually his songs only get turned into records because a new single has become long overdue and everyone around him is hysterical.

The reason for all this agonizing is that he refuses to freewheel. Where other writers will take one tiny phrase and make it stretch into a whole song, Ray works exactly the other way round. He makes every line important, cutting out all irrelevances and cramming as much as possible into every song.

FRANÇOISE HARDY MOVING FAST

With her sad, haunting songs and guitar playing Françoise Hardy has become a kind of female Bob Dylan. A cult has grown around her in which every aspect of her private life is worshipped, such as the accident when her Lancia car was smashed in on both sides and she immediately went out and bought another.

And her passion for fast cars makes her entirely suited to her starring role in ‘Grand Prix’, which will be on release from November 12.

Françoise plays opposite Antonio Sabato, a wild Sicilian racing driver who falls madly in love with her at a beach discotheque. It is her first part in a Hollywood movie. Other stars are James Garner, Eva Marie Saint and Yves Montand.

She is as physically haunting as her voice, and it took director John Frankenheimer only one look at her when he saw her at the Savoy, London, after a cabaret appearance, to decide that she had the exact look he wanted for the role. He didn’t even know who she was.

AN ENTERTAINER

But as well as launching into a film career, Françoise is still busy singing. We hear that she’ll be back in London for a couple of weeks to record tracks for a new record. She always records in London because she feels that the musicians are better and the musical directors more sympathetic.

“Since the film, she’s been mainly concentrating on singing,” said her London manager. “She’s developed into an entertainer and has become more established than the normal pop artist. she has just made four television spectaculars for the Continent and has her own guests.

“Recently she’s been doing the annual round of the galas and had been travelling all over the place. In April or May next year she may make another film with Frankenheimer in America. She’s been reading lots of scripts. I don’t know what she’ll be doing really. You see, she changes her mind. One moment she loves something and the next she’s sick of it.”

During her five years of success, since ‘Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles’ made her known to the world, twenty-three year old Françoise has inspired the deepest devotion in the hearts of love-sick young men. But they have often been astounded to discover that underneath there’s amazing temperament. She can spark like a firework.

There was the case of a desperate young man who waited several hours to see her at her hotel last year after a long journey from the country. When finally he managed to see her and informed her that he wanted to start a fan club, she told him, with an impatient flick of her chestnut mane, that she was far too busy. The young man left, wounded but still worshipful of Françoise Hardy.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RAMSEY LEWIS – “Dancing In The Streets”
It’s way past two in the morning and nearly all the guests have gone home from the party. There are still a few couples on their feet dancing. Now is the time to put this Ramsey Lewis version of the old Martha and the Vandellas’ classic on the record player.

It’s the ultimate in funky soul music for the early hours – totally different in every way from any other version of the song you may have heard (such as The Who’s). You can’t really call it blues, you can’t call it pop, you can’t call it jazz; it’s just the groovy sound of Ramsey Lewis.

Incidentally, the record company have put out ‘Dancing In The Streets’ as the “B” side: the “A” side is a dreary version of ‘Girl Talk.’

THE TREMELOES – “Be Mine”
I don’t go a bundle on this one, which is something of a let-down after ‘Even The Bad Times Are Good.’ It’s the English version of an Italian song ‘Mi Seguirai’ and is a slow, boring ballad.

The group don’t play badly, it’s simply that the song itself is a dead loss. Maybe in Milan they rave over this romantic corn, but I can’t see it being anything like as big as The Tremeloes’ previous hits in jolly old swinging Britain.

MOSES & JOSHUA DILLARD – “My Elusive Dreams”
What a glorious pair of names! The record is pretty fine too. It’s an irresponsible rock / blues song with a rhythm that would make a statue twitch.

It’s jangly, beefy, soulful, exuberant, and you can’t help getting Messrs. Dillard belt out a soul dialogue to each other, and it’s the stuff to drive everybody wild at the clubs. Sock it to ’em Moses and Joshua!

THE BACHELORS – “Three O’Clock Flamingo Street”
Well, I’ll be a Monkee’s uncle. At last the impossible has happened. The Bachelors, every mother’s favourite sons, have come across with a truly great progressive record.

‘Three O’Clock Flamingo Street’ is none of your expected sentimental syrup. It’s a fast moving city poem set to music, very much in the style of Simon and Garfunkel. I hope and pray (and expect) that it’ll be a big hit and keep the Bachelors on the real music scene, well away from the cloying style of old.

JULIE FELIX – “The Magic Of The Playground”
Julie is one product of the folk boom of a couple of years ago who has successfully broadened her appeal without “going commercial” and selling out to Tin Pan Alley.

On this single her strong, sincere voice sounds better than ever before with a beautiful song of love in the city. I hope it’ll get the success it deserves.

THE SONGWRITERS: NO.2 ROY WOOD OF THE MOVE

Pop is fast splitting up into two entirely separate industries, one catering for the mass teen market and the other aimed at a new audience, much sharper and more knowledgeable than pop fans have ever been before.

The first industry churns out conveyor-belt pulp, so much popcorn; and the second tries to make its music good, tries to come up with something that has a point beyond next week’s chart.

This is a pretty major difference and hardly anyone bridges the gap enough to break big in both markets. One of the very few groups that have managed it is The Move.

The Move came south from Birmingham just over a year ago, all keen and flash, claiming to be everything creative and progressive in British pop. They had a very brash manager called Tony Secunda and in fact they sounded quite convincing.

NEW POP RELIGION

According to their promotion handouts, they were going to hit us, shatter us, knock us down and jump all over us. No compromise, no commercial hang-ups – this was genius at work, true artistry and The move came on like some new pop religion.

NEWCASTLE: GOOD AND GETTING BETTER

Think of Newcastle and you think of shipyards, football, working men’s clubs – the Andy Capp country. This is a big part of the picture still in 1967, but behind the scenes a quiet revolution is taking place among Newcastle’s young people.

“Everyone knows everyone here. you make lots of friends. And the climate’s getting better for mini skirts,” says Valerie Ann Domoney, twenty, who arrived in Newcastle six years ago.

It has been a hard fight to break down the rock-hard walls of northern conservatism in social habits. Behind the growing acceptability of mini skirts and the fact that youth has a right to enjoy itself is the University of Newcastle.

Almost as if by accident, it is managing to educate a group much wider than its undergraduates.

Then there’s Arcadia, a steep hill of shops of every kind but more particularly some eight or ten boutiques – such as Paraphernalia, Pot, Fig Leaf and Target – even an exchange shop where, for 5s. you can swap your old gear for someone else’s.

A coffee bar, The Witches, is the centre of the swirling crowd of teenagers. for Newcastle’s young life is polarized between the University crowd and the Arcadia crowd and every shade between.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

JOHN MAYALL’S BLUESBREAKERS – “Suspicions”
Hot on the heels of the superb ‘Crusade’ album, make way for John Mayall’s first single for ages. It’s as great as you’d expect and is bound to win hordes of disciples for the cause of the blues.

It’s loud, brassy and raucous, and a bit less ethnic than the usual Mayall. But who really cares about authenticity when the music itself is as good as this? John’s magnificent voice tends to get drowned, but there’s some sparkling guitar work from Mick Taylor, a worthy follower in the giant footsteps of Eric Clapton and Peter Green.

JOHN WALKER – “If I Promise”
The name alone should be good for selling a few thousand copies of this, which is a reasonably pleasant, fast-moving ballad. John’s voice doesn’t exactly grate, but compared with his ex-brother Scott, he’s a bit watery.

He doesn’t get much feeling into this single. I’m sure he can do better than this. Let’s hope his next one has a bit more guts and bite.

JIMI HENDRIX & CURTIS KNIGHT – “Hush Now”
When I saw the label, London American, I took it for granted that this was early stuff dug out of the archives and released to cash in on the success of the hirsute Hendrix since he made it big in England.

Apparently not. Decca say that this was recorded when Jimi was recently in the States, with Curtis Knight singing. Sounds just like our Jimi to me.

“Hush Now” is a typical chunk of Hendrix meat, with wild electric guitar poetry and enigmatic lyrics. This may be too far out to be a hit – it’s all very fragmentary and hard to get hold of.

All the same, it’s the real stuff – and how does he get those sounds out of his guitar?

BRENDA LEE – “Where’s The Melody”
Did you know Caruso’s voice could shatter a wine glass? I’ll bet my favourite raver’s hat that Brenda Lee, the original little Miss Dynamite, would make short work of a pint mug!

Apart from that, her latest effort is a pretty ordinary soul thing with a touch of the blaring Herb Alpert’s. It won’t make the charts and I can’t help thinking how much better it would have been by someone like Aretha Franklin.

DONOVAN – “There Is A Mountain”
I’ve been itching to hear this for weeks. Why is it that we in Donovan’s home country get his records months after they’ve come out in the U.S.A?

This one was worth the wait. It’s a complete departure from Donovan the folk-rocker, and is a sort of riddle song with a pungent West Indian flavour.

It’s happy and infectiously rhythmic and should be yet another hit for everybody’s favourite minstrel. The flipside, “Sand And Foam”, comes off the ‘Sunshine Sunshine’ LP. One of his moving songs, it seems sad it’s just a B side when it would have been a certain hit on its own.

THE SONGWRITERS: NO.1 PETE TOWNSHEND OF THE WHO

At the centre of every successful group, there’s always a writer. He’s the one who’s responsible for this hits, the one who comes up with fresh ideas and who pushes the whole group in new directions.

He’s the one who matters more than all the others put together. In this series, three important writers talk to Nick Cohn about their work, their ideas, their influences, their future plans and everything else that interests them.

Pete Townshend is a talker. He’s sharp, imaginative and comes out with some very funny lines. He tends to shoot his mouth off but mostly talks sense and he’s never boring.

Most important of all, he’s got his own private progression and, at a time when most of the people in pop keep changing fads as often as they once changes their socks, he jumps on no bandwagon.

At the moment he is working away feverishly on the Who’s third album, which has been scheduled for months, but which never seems to get any closer to completion.

He already has about fifteen tracks in the can but he says that only half a dozen of them are any good and that it’ll need something extra if the whole record isn’t going to bomb.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE WHO – “I Can See For Miles”
Oh yes, yes, yes! Out of fire and thunder comes this shattering work of art by the Who. This is a typically brilliant musical H-bomb from the flaming pen of Pete Townshend – the absolute ultimate in hard, violent, blasting music for now.

Even with the volume control at medium, the sheer power of the sound is overwhelming. You wonder just how much the human mind can take without breaking into a million pieces.

It’s like being on your knees at the foot of some massive shuddering cliff which is going to come crashing down to destroy you any minute. Twisting, screaming guitar, unstoppable earthquake bass, menacingly explosive drums, wave upon wave of harsh but subtle harmonies punctuated with sarcastic “oh yeah’s.”

It all adds up to what hack pop writers used to call “mean, moody and magnificent.” Only in this case it’s the gospel truth.

THE TROGGS – “Love Is All Around”
As Intro pop columnist Peter Roche said the other week, groups like the Troggs are doing very nicely by playing it completely safe. Well, here we go again with yet another record which is about as simple and commercial as a soap powder ad.

It’s quieter than previous Troggs records, incorporates strings and was written by Reg Presley. Finish. What annoys me is that it seems to be a rehash of all the Bobby Vee-type sound rampant a few years ago, jumbled up with musical cliches of other Troggs records.

Afraid we’ve heard it all before. And the Troggs can continue to commute from Top Of The Pops to the bank with big rich grins all over their faces.

ROY ORBISON – “She”
Once more, with feeling – and it’s another unmistakable Orbison hit. Doesn’t do anything for me, but I can’t see what should stop this big, slow, dramatic number selling in thousands.

At least the man’s got style.

THE BEES – “Jesse James Rides Again”
First product of the new Columbia Blue Beat label is a real beauty from Jamaican group The Bees. Straight out of the Wild West (Indies, that is), the saga of “Jesse James Rides Again” is a relaxed yet uninhibited rhythm which I defy anybody with two feet to sit out.

Following the success of “The Guns Of Navarone” and “Train To Skaville”, the British ice must be to a certain extent broken, leaving the way clear for The Bees to lollop into our charts with their wonderful happy sound.

Flipside, “The Girl In My Dreams,” has got the same insistent shuffle beat, and should go down a bomb in the clubs. Looks like ska, blue beat or whatever you want to call it is coming back on the scene with a bang.

LOS BRAVOS – “Like Nobody Else”
Proving that you don’t have to come to London and wear a caftan to make good, honest rocking sounds is Spanish group Los Bravos.

“Like Nobody Else” could well have walked out of the early days of unsophisticated rock and roll – which is surprising when you discover that the song was written by B. R. and M. Gibb of the Bee Gees.

Be that as it may, this record belts along like an express train and is a huge improvement on their previous hits.

PAINTED-FACE BACHELOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ARTHUR BROWN WORLD

As with many other things in Arthur Brown’s life, there is doubt attached to his age – “I’m twenty-three from the knees upwards” – and to his exact location in London. He’s unlikely to remain in one part very long because of his allergy to landlords.

So anytime you see a character closely resembling Lucifer, followed closely by a huge collection of books, optical machinery and a cat responding to the word opium, don’t panic, or start throwing pennies, or say: “Look at him – he’s a nutter,” and pat him on the head.

Arthur Brown’s the exception rather than the rule. Originally from the fishing village of Whitby in Yorkshire, he has a pretty weird background. His father is an inventor – is responsible for the world’s first fully automatic toothbrush, and a pneumatic car – and his mother is a chemical analyzer of peanuts and cashew nuts. “She’s a kind of psycho-analyst, if you like.”

He left school at eighteen and took Law at King’s College, London, where he was thrown out a year later because he leapt about on the tables. After that he took a series of jobs, including shovelling manure on a sewer farm, and eventually went back to university at Reading.

Apart from other things, he’s now a Bachelor of Philosophy, as well as a leader of his very popular explosive group – The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown.

STAGE ANTICS WIN FANS

His trio is building up a huge following around the country with its stage antics. Like nothing short of being lowered on stage by crane, circumstances permitting that is.

Arthur was the first pop musician to paint his face like a devil and forget buttery love songs or ridiculous commercial lyrics.

He’s currently living in London’s West Kensington and is surrounded by his “fund of knowledge,” – which looks more like general paraphernalia, and which in turn surrounds his bed.

“Ah,” he said, “this bed holds many fond memories for me.”

He gave it an affectionate pat and then began a demonstration of how he makes up his face before a show. But just why does he make up?

“We sing about certain regions of an audience’s thinking life, you know, like fantasies. Take the theatre – nobody questions all the make-up. you’re acting a part. We’re trying to bring the dramatic part into pop. Take a song, its words and mood. You carry out the words and mood with lighting and effects like this make-up. I mean, if you were singing about devils, it wouldn’t be very effective if you wore a suit.”

THE SCENE MUST BE SET

“We must create an environment with our dress, mood and make-up.” Arthur may change dress several times during one performance. “That’s because we change environments. The scene must be set and upheld. We try and approach people on different levels. We combine feelies with audible tactibles.”
What? “Feeling the thing as well as experiencing it.”

His whitened nose stood out in stark contrast as he painted the tip black. “Now take love,” he said. “There’s a language being used in love songs that nobody would ever dream of saying. O.K., in opera you get pure love – like in Romeo and Juliette, great.

“In the past, love has always been idealistic, but now people are beginning to wonder why they like somebody, why they go out with them. In singing it should be the same. You should be able to sing about what you want, what you really feel. The way we do it is to involve the audience, otherwise it fails.”

Londoners were the first people to experience Arthur Brown when he began about five months ago. At that time, psychedelia was very popular in London, and Arthur’s music was immediately accepted.

HIS BIG OPPORTUNITY

His big opportunity came when he played the Fourteen Hour Technicolour Dream at London’s Alexandra Palace, where Pete Townshend of the Who spotted him and signed him up for the Track label. “I’ve never looked back since,” Arthur joked. Since then, his gigs haven’t just been limited to London. Reaction out of London was mixed.

“Our first job out of London was in Yorkshire. Someone had driven off with our public address system and I had to rely on leaping about during the performance. Everyone thought I was a nutter, but the girls got excited because we were different, and our music was exciting.

“That’s another thing. I often think about how girls see me. You know how they identify with the singer. The blokes think me horrific. I wonder how the girls identify with me?” A silence fell over the room as he suddenly began to think about the girls. “But I don’t worry about it. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to perform.”

Performing to Arthur Brown is his art. He feels he’s performing in a direction only his performing can help him to do. “I think that we could out-perform a lot of other bands on straight music, but that’s not enough. We have to act out our songs and connect between the songs and the performances, involving the audience before we can say we performed. eventually I would like to see myself as an artiste.”

THE ACT IS SYMBOLIC

Although on the surface his act may appear a little weird, he’s played the UFO once “I began the act by swinging in on a wire. Only some people couldn’t see the wire. It sounds ridiculous but some of them believed I was God! I just couldn’t dissuade them – they didn’t want to be dissuaded. All that night they followed me around saying: ‘He’s the Messiah, he’s the Messiah.’ It was incredible!

“Another time I walked off the stage and one of the audience came up to me and said: ‘I’m from another world. Give up all your commerciality. I can make you a prophet,’ and so on, you know.”

By the time he’d finished painting his face he looked like a ghoul. He went downstairs to the living room and confronted his girl friend. She immediately put on his record “Devil’s Grip” and began dancing with her girl friend.

“Go it, gells, go it,” he yelled and joined in. Minutes later they were joined by the cat which responds to the word opium, and a pet hamster.

Just part of Arthur Brown’s crazy world.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE FOUR TOPS – “You Keep Running Away”
It’s a crying shame that a great group like the Tops saw fit to put out this record which, although full of excitement and professionalism, is exactly the same old formula with the phenomenal lead voice, harmonies and backing, but with nowhere near as much impact as, say, “Reach Out”.

Of course, it’s certain to skyrocket into the charts, but I give “You Keep Running Away” a few weeks of glory, being played to death everywhere – and then everyone will forget it ever existed.

THE BLOSSOM TOES – “What On Earth” / “Mrs Murphy’s Budgerigar”
For the first time ever, here are two separate full-length tracks on one side of a single. So it’s congratulations to Blossom Toes and producer Giorgio Gomelsky for giving value for money. Sadly, the songs themselves are not as great as the idea behind them.

“What On Earth” is a what’s-life’s-all-about sort of thing, with a voice that sounds like Ray Davies taking the mick out of Ray Davies. “Mrs Murphy’s Budgerigar” is much more bouncy and light-weight.

Both songs are O.K. but they arn’t the kind that’ll cause riots in Scunthorpe. They seem to have drawn much too much on the Bee Gees and the Beatles without having much of a style of their own. Still, the label is the prettiest I’ve ever seen.

RUPERT’S PEOPLE – “A Prologue To A Magic World”
Good stuff here from Rupert’s People (bears?). Their “Prologue To A Magic World” captures a fairy-tale world of legends and make-believe right from the tinkling start, which is a take-off of can’t put a name to.

It goes on about a girl called Alice and a world where you don’t have to worry or hurry – just play croquet all day. You may well think it’s Alice In Wonderland all over again.

That’s about right, I’m a great fan of the actual Alice and more important, I’m a great fan of this record. It must be a fair-sized hit or I will eat my favourite toadstool.

JUDY CLAY – “You Can’t Run Away From Your Heart”
This is the first thing I’ve ever heard from Judy Clay and it had better not be the last. This record is totally wonderful. It’s got everything that’s greatest from the Memphis tradition of the best in blues.

It’s starts deceptively with a rocking guitar break, then slows down into a moody ballad, with this wonderful majestic voice of Miss Clay bursting in to sing of the troubles of love.

Bound to go down a bomb in the discotheques, top quality shows through on this disc in singing, production and arrangement.

LUCIEN ALEXANDER – “Baby You’ve Been On My Mind”
Folk-rock rides again. A few years ago Joan Baez made a fantastic recording of this song, one of Bob Dylan’s best.

This remake isn’t in the same class. he’s trying too hard to sound like King Dylan. The guitar sounds a bit out of tune and it’s all a bit too jazzed-up for me.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE – “White Rabbit”
Wonder group from the West Coast, Jefferson Airplane have come up with a beautiful single. It’s sung by Grace Slick (who also wrote it!) and what a great girl she is. The record opens with a quiet bolero beat, is joined by this wonderful Slick voice, and then builds up to a towering wall of climatic sound.

I bow down before it and pray that it will get the success it deserves – but the lyrics mention psychedelic type mushrooms so maybe the B.B.C. will ban it.

This wouldn’t be so funny with no pirates to give the possible victims of the chopper an airing. A great record.

DDDBM&T – “Zabadak”
Well, at last. Lovable Dave Dee and friends are shuffling in the right direction with zabadak (which their record company insist is spelled with a little Z). Anyway, it’s a bit better than their previous discs.

This record is somewhat Hawaiian influenced, as opposed to that gypsy epic “Okay”. It starts off with someone clapping a horse’s jaw (it happens every day), gently mingled with chanting. Then it breaks into some highly unintelligible words – which even I wouldn’t like to guess the meaning of – before a grade A corny violin break.

It’s a pleasant commercial sound and is bound to make the top ten.

THE ROYAL GUARDSMEN – “Wednesday”
Remember what a drag “Snoopy and the Red Baron” was? The only reason it got anywhere was because of a few young groovers who were under the impression it was different.

Well, the Royal Guardsmen have come up with another nice, nothing record, “Wednesday”. A worse drag is that this may be another surprise hit. “Ah, but it’s a nice record.” you say the first time round.

Maybe, but what is it? Unstable harmony, a predictable tune with uninspiring lyrics. Rather boring and yeccccchy. What more can you do but yawn?

PROCOL HARUM – “Homburg”
O.K. everybody – whip out your bread and take a trip down to the record shop – and don’t get trodden underfoot in the stampede. Procol Harum strike again with a brilliant single.

We’ve been waiting some time, but this shows they aren’t one hit flash in the pop pan. “Homburg” is fairly like “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” in general mood and tune, except it’s got about twice as much raw power.

It’s one gigantic crescendo from start to finish with piano, organ, and the voice of Gary Brooker all combining to give a blockbusting sound. Soon to be on the lips of everyone in Britain, “Homburg” just has no earthquake right up to number one in the charts.

STRAIGHT TALKING: ERIC UNBURDONED

Eric Burdon of the Animals, married Angie King for the sake of his future children. The wedding, at London’s Caxton Hall last month, was one of the hippest happenings of the year.

“I didn’t want to get married for the sake of being married. Two people should be able to choose to live together without fear of slurring the future family. I think society has bound itself to a set of outdated Christian ideals and I had already decided before we went through with the ceremony that I didn’t want anything to do with the church,” Eric Burdon told Intro.

Angie King, twenty, an Anglo-Indian model, agrees with Eric’s view on marriage but she says: “It’s very hard to bring up children if you’re not married. Times are changing and it will be easier in the future; the right time will come.

“Eric agreed to marry to help us bring up a family. I want as many children as I can manage; a large family. If we can’t have any we’ll adopt some; we’ll adopt a coloured baby.”

Eric said later of his wife: “She needs a baby to keep her occupied.”

COMPLAINTS

In their flat off London’s Piccadilly, Eric and Angie are planning their future. A new house is being built for them in St. John’s Wood, London, N.W.8, and Eric will be glad to move.

“My landlords have been complaining about the noise and they’ve been pestering me. They put up with it before, when I was single, but now I’ll be glad to get out.”

Eric, twenty-five, who quit Britain earlier this year to work in America because “audiences in the States are more appreciative of pop, more hip,” has returned to Britain to help turn on British fans.

“I haven’t changed my mind about British audiences – they have too much too often via the different forms of media, they’re blase and unappreciative – but I decided I was born British and if I didn’t like something it was up to me to do my bit to change it, to make it more like America in some ways.

“Now I’m back and settled in, I don’t know where to start, nobody seems to know what’s happening. Probably the greatest illustration of what I’m talking about is commercial radio; if this had happened in the States the kids wouldn’t have stood for it.”

Backed by the Animals (his new group of the old name, formed when Eric left the original Animals) Eric has projected himself more as a single artist that as an integrated group member from the days of “House Of The Rising Sun.”

POP ON A WORLD PLATFORM

With his group he has just completed a cabaret date in the North and now his deepest ambition is to put pop on a world platform. He has an idea to promote a pop tour of Asia with the Beatles and the Stones.

“Pop is universal; it can influence people of every race. We could do a better job than the United Nations if people would only give us a chance.

“To have any effect on the world, we must play the same games that the world is playing. We must use the same rules or we can’t win.”

To this end, Eric would like to make a film.

“With music we can only touch the sense of hearing. I want to put across a sort of visual sound, something people can see, as well as hear; something that’s utterly complete and total in itself. I’d like to do it for television or cinema.”

Like the Beatles and the Stones, Eric studies Eastern mysticism – and he’s learning from a London taxi-driver! “Don’t laugh. This guy really knows what he’s talking about. He’s an Indian and he’s happy; he has found some sort of contentment. I want to learn how myself, so he’s teaching me.”

Eric has drastically changed his outlook on life (he used to drink heavily and knows how to use his fists) so that he is able to come to terms with his material acquisitions.

“I feel that I want to enjoy living and not just the trappings and possessions of life.”

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

MANFRED MANN – “So Long Dad”
This track kicks off with a rocking bit of boogie from Manfred just like they did in the good old days. But the excitement ends there, and I’m afraid this record is just another production line pop sausage.

Mike D’Abo sings quite pleasantly, but he simply hasn’t got the power of the late lamented Paul Jones. The record, a wry sort of story about how a son has grown up to be a man, is far too watery.

Bound to get many plays on Family Favourites, it will probably do pretty well in the charts – all the same. I reckon Manfred Mann are slowly but surely sliding down the nick.

THE SUPREMES – “Reflections”
Well, O.K., it’s been out a few weeks but I’ve just got to rave about “Reflections” by Diana Ross and the other Supremes. Not only is Diana the most fantastic-looking bird, but she can sing rings round anyone you care to name.

On “Reflections” she brings the most searing emotion out of rather dull lyrics above a subdued Tamla backing complete with outer space bleeps and moans. Diana proves that you don’t have to bellow your head off to generate soul.

Another thing I like is the way the girls always turn out something new yet definitely the Supremes. Even “The Happening”, not one of their greatest, was miles ahead of most samey Tamla. “Reflections” is totally different again – and I can’t hear it often enough.

THE MOVE – “Flowers In The Rain”
Just can’t figure out why so many people rave about the Move – their records don’t seem all that good to me. They have even offered to play to U.S. troops in Vietnam for free – unbelievable.

Their “Flowers In The Rain” isn’t a terrible record but, on the other hand, it’s no mind-boggler either. The rhythm is solid and loud, so no doubt some boppers will do their small nuts to it at the local Palais de Danse. Good luck to them!

Predictably, the words tell us how great it is to sit in the rain watching the garden grow, which is fair enough by me but a bit hackneyed. Still, I’m told that potato power is the in thing to turn on to now, so maybe that’s what we’ll be hearing next from the Move.

KALEIDOSCOPE – “Flight From Ashiya”
Kaleidoscope, a new pink Freudian group from London. Their first single “Flight From Ashiya” is pretty damned supernatural, baby, and I love it. In fact I played it three thousand times on the trot as I mastered transcendental meditation with the rats in my attic.

You can practically smell the Ally Pally incense on this freaky, compelling record, with its pounding belly-rumble bass line, beautiful shimmering, attacking guitar work, and apostolic harmonies to blow all minds.

Definitely for tomorrow! Kaleidoscope write their own material and, if it’s all half as groovy as this, we’re in line for some wondrous works.

WILSON PICKETT – “Funky Broadway”
Still pumping out the same old song is Wilson Pickett with this one. A wonderful record for keeping the neighbours awake. Sorry, Wilson.

DAVY JONES – “Theme For A New Love”
God help us all. This year’s worst record is “Theme For A New Love” by Davy Jones, the maraca-shaker of the Monkees. It’s a recitation, no less, with Davy whining about every cliche ever heard. Totally revolting!

FOOTLOOSE JIMI PUTS DOWN ROOTS

Jimi Hendrix shares a flat near London’s Marble Arch with his ex-Animals manager Chas Chandler and wife. Chas’s part of the flat is beautifully furnished with decidedly English taste; Jimi’s room is like the back parlour of an oriental market shop.

Just as beautiful, it has a very low double bed with a Chinese bedspread and over it, hanging from the ceiling, Chinese drapes. Inscribed shawls are hung on the wall, and cushions with Chinese symbols on them are strewn about. There are also lots of instruments. The overall effect is very impressive. Absolute.

Jimi arrived here last September, having been spotted by Chas in New York’s Greenwich Village and asked if he’d like to come over. Before that, he led a nomadic existence; invalided out of the army when he was seventeen and wandering around the States, playing the guitar to live.

NEW TRAFFIC SOUND TAKES OFF – WHERE TO FROM THE COUNTRY COTTAGE?

It’s overgrown with weeds and more than a little remote. Will it stay that way and fade with time or be the birthplace of a big new sound?

Home of Stevie Winwood and the Traffic, with no heat, light and gas, nothing could be further from the glitter of the pop scene. But this cottage, tucked away in the Berkshire countryside, is the group’s think-in, play-in, creative retreat, where work comes first.

Why the journey into the wilderness? Security fears about pop espionage? No, says Stevie, one-time Birmingham boy and organist-vocalist with Spencer Davis until six months ago.

Stevie quit the Davis group last April and with James Capaldi, Dave Mason and Chris Wood (all four were friends at school) set to, developing a whole new concept of pop: “live” sound every bit as good as that made in a recording studio.

Rehearsals for the group’s British tour which begins on October 4 produced quiet and reflective stuff, an expression of their personalities, but gradually grew into a big, all-embracing sound.

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

GERRY MARSDEN – “Gilbert Green”
After hearing “Gilbert Green,” which Robin and Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees wrote for merry Gerry, you might well make the mistake of thinking it was by the Beatles.

The lyrics are very much in the biography-of-a-small-person vein like “Eleanor Rigby,” “Mr Kite,” and other Beatles heroes. The music too owes much to you know who.

There are slow minuettish bits, hard core pop bits, and a super-glossy piano finale crashing away just like they did in the slush movies of the fifties. This may sound awful, but on the contrary – this is a great record.

Gerry’s voice is dead right. It’s raw yet vaguely wistful at times, squeezing maximum meaning from the oddball words.

GEORGIE FAME – “Try My World”
Our revered mummies and daddies, bless their unmusical hearts, are always asking: “when is good music coming back?” Here’s good news for them, if nobody else, in the unlikely shape of Georgie Fame’s “Try My World.”

It’s a disastrous step for Georgie already on the path to becoming an all-round (i.e. all-square) entertainer and showbiz personality. Don’t be fooled by the dramatic specal cover. Not much drama to this disc with it’s boring arrangement and drab vocal of a blank song.

Against all hope I pray that Fame will either revert to his soulful ways of old, or find some other scene for his huge talent.

SAGITTARIUS – “My World Fell Down”
All devout ravers must zoom out and get “My World Fell Down” by a character called Sagittarius. A bit like “Good Vibrations” gone berserk, this record will immediately blossom out at the top of the charts everywhere, if there’s any musical justice.

TRAFFIC – “Hole In My Shoe”
Behold. o my beloved children and fear not, for, in case you hadn’t noticed. Traffic are with us. Who am I, a mere record reviewer, to pass judgement on “Hole In My Shoe”

I had my doubt whether they’d be able to follow up “Paper Sun” with anything half as good. O me of little faith!

This record shows Winwood isn’t the only genius – Hole is sung and composed by previously unknown (why?) David Mason. Traffic have enlisted a six year old B.P. (Beautiful Person) who speaks in “Hole in My Shoe.” Sheer poetry!

Let’s get down on our knees and give thanks for the best single in ages.

THE YOUTH OF TODAY ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR ANSWERS, FOR PROPER ANSWERS THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH CAN’T GIVE THEM, THEIR PARENTS CAN’T GIVE THEM, MATERIAL THINGS CAN’T GIVE THEM

STONES AND STRIPES!

Immediately on arrival in the States, The Rolling Stones held a Press Conference for High School girl magazine editors. Below, Mick Jagger answers some questions at the mike, and fans and cops crowd around The Stones when they were presented with bouquets and presents from their many U.S. admirers. Charlie Watts was given a cake for his 21st birthday.

STONES ROLL THROUGH THE U.S.A.

The shaggy-dog hairdos and way-out beat of The Rolling Stones have really captured those American fans. Even the tough American cops had a hard job to control the crowds at the Swing stadium in San Bernardino, near Hollywood, last Friday.

Some girls even broke the police cordon. One grabbed Mick Jagger and hugged him so tightly that three policemen had to prise him loose. Tension built up as The Stones played eleven numbers, and near the end of the show police threatened to stop the concert unless the girls stopped storming the stage.

The invasion ceased, but screams increased, as Mick Jagger, clutching four maraccas, weaved about, leapt in the air, and did his own crazy version of the Shake.

Pandemonium also broke out around the stage door. Police, aided by reinforcements, set up blockades while the bus was loaded with instruments. The Stones made a break for the coach, and struggled aboard past tearing, grasping hands and accompanied by frenzied screams.

Some fans even tried to pursue the coach in cars as it took off at high speed for Hollywood. Others ran along on foot.

The plushy Beverly Hilton Hotel in Hollywood is still recovering from having The Rolling Stones as residents. Business in the lobby halted as The Stones walked to and from the lifts.

Well dressed guests’ jaws sagged and their eyes bulged at the boys’ hairdos. Knots of young girls invaded the lobby and crowded around the lifts waiting for the boys to appear.

Leisure? The Stones did go to Malibu Beach to surf, but the water was too choppy, so they had to swim instead. And Mick Jagger bought two sharp jackets in Hollywood.

AND IT’S ALL HAPPENED IN THREE WEEKS!

Every so often in the disc world, a record is released which, straight from the start, races up the charts. That was certainly the case with “Hippy Hippy Shake,” the latest meteoric-rising single from The Swinging Blue Jeans.

Chatting to the boys in their dressing-room at a London television studio, I realised that just three weeks before, I interviewed Ray, Ralph, Norman and Les in the very same room.

But this time there was a big difference. Then, “Hippy Hippy Shake” wasn’t even in the charts. Now it’s at No. 2.

And it’s all happened in three weeks! From nowhere, the disc leapt into DISC’s charts at No. 25. From this launching pad, it scorched in one jump to No. 10 – and then rocketed on to third place behind Dave Clark and The Beatles.

Blue Jeans leader Ray Ennis took a quick sip of his tea – even pop stars like their afternoon refresher – and told me: “When we recorded “Hippy” I had a feeling that this one would be a hit. But none of us thought it would take off so fast. It’s moved so quickly it’s almost left us behind.

“Of course, it’s the biggest thing that’s happened to us and it’s great. But it certainly made some changes. We’ve noticed a few things even over the past three weeks.

“For instance, a lot more people recognise us and we get tremendous receptions. Now we find that people come and speak to us instead of the other way round.

“It’s a bit worrying, really. When we finished a show some times, the four of us go back to our hotel and sit and talk about things for hours.

“We realise it’s much harder in this business once you’ve had a big hit. When your discs are only minor hits, it’s not too bad. You can say: “Well, we’ll do better next time.” With a hit, though, you’ve really got to work hard to stay out in front – one slip and down you come.”

The Blue Jeans are giving some serious thought to their future recording plans – when they get the time to do it.

“We’ve got 10 acetates waiting for us to listen to at this moment.” said guitarist Ralph Ellis. “But so far, we haven’t had a chance to play them. That really is our next job.”

There’s one thing that the boys are determined not to change however successful they may be – that’s their addresses.

“We’re not moving from Liverpool,” said Ray. “We like it too much and we’ve got too many friends there. I don’t think it’s necessary either. We’re moving around the country all the time and doing TV shows all over the place, so we can just as easily base ourselves in Liverpool as London. Anyway, we can get to London by road in five hours, so there’s really no problem.”

The boys have added another impressive ‘first’ to their list – they are the first British group to appear in the revolutionary new “Circlorama” film process, a Russian invention at present featured in London’s West End.

This process really gets the viewer in the midst of the action – for he is in the centre of a circular cinema and the screen is all around him. The Blue Jeans recorded their spot before an audience of fans last Saturday.

“We’ve been wondering whether it will be shown in Russia,” said drummer Norman. “Just imagine taking the Merseyside sound behind the Iron Curtain,” said bass guitarist Les. “Liverpool to Leningrad in one jump!”

“NEEDLES AND PINS,” THEIR FIRST STAB AT PUTTING R&B ON A SINGLE, HAS MADE THE CHARTS WITH AN IMPACT

The Searchers can relax. their new year resolution to give the disc buying public a shot of rhythm and blues, Searchers style, has paid off.

“Needles And Pins,” their first stab at putting R&B on a single, has made the charts with an impact that looks like sending it high and mighty in the top 30.

“Wow,” muttered Chris Curtis, when I told him that it had made 18, “when we cut this disc, which was our first go at putting our real stage sound on record, we were prouder of it than anything else we’d done.

“We thought we might come in for a lot of criticism when it was issued. After all, people argued that the market still was not ready for rhythm and blues – especially way-out stuff. But we stuck to our guns and hoped for the best.

“When you’ve made a few records, you begin to criticise your own work. This year we resolved never to make a bad disc, and after we’d cut “Needles And Pins,” we decided that this was our best yet, and no future discs would drop below this standard.

“Now it’s made the charts, it makes us very happy to think that the chance we took is paying off.”

TV, RADIO

Despite nationwide TV and radio promotion on “Needles And Pins” which has obviously helped its early success, The Searchers themselves felt that the biggest test came when they played the number in a Liverpool dance hall last week.

“We hadn’t played a ballroom date in Liverpool for over six months,” admitted Chris. “We knew that if “Needles And Pins” went down well there, then we stood a good chance of having another hit on our hands.

“Making out well in Liverpool, if you’re a home town group, and in the face of so much competition up there, gives us added push to record sales.

“The number had been going down a bomb at other personal appearances, but we still felt Liverpool was a big test.”

In fact, regardless of new record releases, The Searchers find that any dance hall date in Liverpool is a little nerve racking!

“It’s a funny thing,” said Chris, “but put a foot wrong up there and you’re out of favour for good. For two days before we played the Locarno last Thursday we were living on our nerves!

“As local lads we knew just what extent the Liverpool crowd has been fed on groups, especially those playing rhythm and blues. Dance hall customer are very critical, but if they like your music, you can always be assured of an audience.

“I think our style of playing has changed an awful lot since we last appeared at home. We cooled down a bit when we started making discs and mixing rhythm and blues with a more commercial beat, and to a great extent we’re still playing in this style.

“However, now that “Needles And Pins” has made it, we can start getting back to our original form of playing. This is what we enjoy doing most.”

But Chris admits that even though they have cracked the rhythm and blues wall with “Needles And Pins,” there are still several radio and television programmes which are a little hesitant about letting them go out on a limb and play nothing but R&B.

Now firmly settled in their London flat, The Searchers had one remark to make about their new home.

“It’s great so far,” laughed Chris. “But last week I heard that the Brazilian Ambassador, who had the flat under ours, moved out! Don’t know whether it’s because he had to go, or because he couldn’t stand the sound of our rehearsing.”

INSIDE THE CAFF FIVE PAIRS OF MANFRED MANN EYES AND EARS ARE FOCUSSED ON THE TELLY

When you watch Manfred Mann loading their band van with their instruments and equipment, you really appreciate that old saying about trying to get a quart into a pint pot.

Manfred Mann, in case you don’t already know, is the name of the upcoming rhythm and blues group as well as the name of its spokesman.

I went out to Kilburn last Friday evening to meet them after a rehearsal at a church hall. I got there in time to witness the pantomime of loading up the van.

“We have got a system for this, you know,” Manfred assured me. “Trouble is, it’s so complicated that we always forget it!”

“The van’s a wee bit dirty, isn’t it?” I ventured , trying to peer through the mud and grime caking the rear window.

“It’s absolutely filthy,” agreed Manfred brightly. “We keep meaning to do something about it, but we never seem to get the time. Anyway, we don’t particularly want anyone to look through the windows and to be to see all our gear.”

“How did the rehearsal go?” I asked tall Paul Jones, the singer-compere-harmonica player and wit of the group.

“Quite splendidly,” he told me. “Only thing was we sounded like a load of rubbish.”

These random remarks give you a fair idea of the easy, light-hearted attitude towards life adopted by Manfred Mann. But they’re deadly serious about their music in actual fact, as I discovered later, and rising disc sales and popularity are causing the pop trade to take them very seriously and with great interest too.

TELLY TUNE

They finally loaded the van and set off for a Kilburn caff with the van tyres almost invisible beneath the combined weight of gear and four Manfred Mann. The fifth Manfred – Paul – took the easy way out by travelling with me.

Inside the caff five pairs of Manfred Mann eyes and ears focused on the telly. It was almost 6.15 and it was the first occasion that “Ready Steady Go” was to feature their “5-4-3-2-1” as its regular signature tune.

“That’s marvellous,” said Manfred when the tune and Keith Fordyce’s generous plug had finished. “The way they presented it, I mean. And only nine months ago we were practically nowhere.”

Manfred comes from South Africa and plays the organ and piano. He founded the group with drummer-vibist Mike Hugg. Paul Jones, bass guitarist Tom McGuinness, and Mike Vickers (guitar, alto-sax and flute) joined later.

MODERNISTS

“The two Mikes and I are modern jazz enthusiasts,” said Manfred, “And that’s what we started out to play. But you just can’t live by playing that alone, and we sort of gradually drifted into rhythm and blues, which Paul and Tom dig. Paul especially persuaded us into our present groove.”

“5-4-3-2-1” has all the makings of a hit about it, and Manfred Mann are worried!

“We don’t want to base our career on one or two hit records, and then vanish, Manfred explained.

“That happens to so many groups and artists. We’d sooner make a steady climb and keep going playing what we want to, the way we want to, than have records in the charts. If we can do that and have hits as well, we’ll be very happy.”

Manfred Mann – they write all their own material for recording – are constantly aiming for a rhythm and blues sound which is different.

“And that’s not easy,” declared Manfred feelingly. “Fortunately we play about ten instruments between us, and that helps.

ALL EQUAL

The group agree that the sound on a record is seldom the same as that heard on stage at a one-nighter. But they take the opposite view on the matter compared with most people.

“Certainly records sound different to live performances,” said Manfred. “We just wish we could get our records to sound more like our live performances!”

Manfred Mann were due for a one-nighter at seven that evening, and began to move back towards their van to pack themselves in amid the equipment.

I must make one thing clear before we leave,” said Manfred. “The group’s name and mine are the same, but there’s no leader. We’re all equal, we all have our say about everything, and that’s the way we want it to be.”

NEW SOUND WANTED FOR BLUE JEANS’ NEXT DISC

The Swinging Blue Jeans were rehearsing like mad in the final few minutes before their guest appearance on “Go Man Go”.

With only ten minutes to go before the red light blinked with a “stand-by” warning, they disappeared from the stage, changed into shiny blue mohair suits and prepared for battle.

Between numbers, they returned to their dressing room and commented on the current scene, before hopping back on stage.

Listening to a Rabin band version of “Needles And Pins,” Ray Ennis remarked, “This is going to be a very big one for The Searchers. I personally don’t think it’s as exciting as their first two hits, mark you, but I’m sure it’s number one stuff. However if they’d recorded this any earlier in their career, it probably wouldn’t have made it at all.”

“But we can be wrong.” said Norma Kuhike. “We all agreed that the first time we heard “24 Hours From Tulsa” it was terrible! None of us ever imagined a number like that getting into the charts.

“And now look at it – and think of us when we learned we were going out on the road with Gene Pitney!”

LIVELY

The Swinging Blue Jeans feature the Merseybeats‘ hit “I Think Of You” in their act. They like the number, but say they thought the record had been on release for too long to have any chart impact.

“The number itself is not unlike “Too Late Now,” said Les Braid. “It’s makes a quiet change, like “To Know Him Is To Love Him,” which is another ballad we sing.

“In fact, in about two records time, it could well be the type of material we will record as a single.”

“But the next record has to be lively,” chipped in Ralph Ellis. “Besides, I think that’s what the market wants at the moment, otherwise they wouldn’t be buying all these group sounds.

“We’ve created a lively, swingy atmosphere on “Hippy Hippy Shake.” We have to – and want to keep it up on our next release. It’s the one after that we have to worry about, as three in a row, all sounding the same could mean death to a group.”

The Swinging Blue Jeans also feel that it doesn’t matter where you come from if your records make the charts.

“Liverpool, Leicester, London. They’re all the same” said Ray. There is no Liverpool sound any more. Today it’s just the question of a sound being associated with a person or a group.

“Dave Clark produces his own discs and comes from Tottenham, but does that give him the ‘London sound?’ just because The Beatles happen to come from Liverpool, and started the whole thing off, suddenly we find every other group from the same place is given a tag.”

LOCAL LADS

But the Swinging Blue Jeans are proud of the Beatles’ success.

“Well they are local lads, as well as being personal friends” said Norman. “Course their success in France and America is completely overwhelming, and think of all the royalties John and Paul are earning as songwriters!”

Have things changed much for the boys since they themselves have been on the receiving end of a hit disc?

“Yes,” said Ray, “When “Too Late Now” made the charts, things started happening in a small way. Then “Hippy Hippy Shake” began to blow up a storm, and wham! We don’t know which way to turn!”

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

LISTEN-IN REVIEWS

THE EPICENTRE OF JANGLE - 12 STRING JANGLERS, FUZZ AND FARFISA COMBOS, PROTEST SINGERS AND FOLK ROCKERS.

FROM THE LOWLANDS 1966-1971

DEL PUTS HIS STAMP ON SOME WELL-KNOWN BEAT NUMBERS

THE GARAGE GROUPS OF KANSAS CITY

THE STORY OF THE GARAGE-BAND CLASSIC "LOUIE LOUIE"

IMMACULATE RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE

ARIZONA SHERIFF TUSSLES WITH PIMPS, CROOKS, HIPPIES AND COPS

RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE AND FIRST TIME ON VINYL

EXCLUSIVE RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE OF EVERYTHING BY THIS OBSCURE AUSTRALIAN GROUP

A WORTHWHILE EXPERIENCE, A JOURNEY IN SOUND BEST EXPLAINED AND ENJOYED BY JUST RELAXING AND LISTENING

SWEET 3RD ALBUM OF ROCK 'N' ROLL TRASH CAN HONEY

ANTHEMIC TEEN-GARAGE BLASTS IN MONO

THE CURTAIN FALLS ON MONTPELLIER'S BEST EVER BAND

THIS IS THE END:

MODERN DAY PSYCHEDELIC SINGLE WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED

NEW GARAGE PUNK COMBO ON OUTRO

LOS ANGELES BASED GROUP THINGS TO COME WITH TWO SINGLES ON WARNER BROS

BUBBLEGUM PSYCH NUMBER – CRITICIZING A GIRLFRIEND

THE SWEET ACIDS – ’THAT CREATURE’ / ’GONNA LIVE ANOTHER DAY OR TWO’ (UNIQUE RECORDS 1940) MARCH 1969

RACINE, WI, HOME OF THE SULTANS FIVE

THE FLOWER POT – ’BLACK MOTO’ / ’MR. ZIG ZAG MAN’ (VAULT V-935) 1967

THE FLOWER POT – “WANTIN’ AIN’T GETTIN'” / “GENTLE PEOPLE” (VAULT V-937) 1967

TWO SINGLES FROM FORD THEATRE REVIEWED

FORD THEATRE – ”THEME FOR THE MASSES” / ”FROM A BACK DOOR WINDOW (THE SEARCH)” (ABC 45-11118) 1968

FORD THEATRE – ”I’VE GOT THE FEVER” / ”JEFFERSON AIRPLANE” (ABC 45-11227) JULY 1969

AN APPRECIATION FOR LOVABLE MOP-TOP RICHARD STARKEY

ENGLISH GARAGE BAND FROM THE NINETIES CLIMB A BIG ROCK FORMATION

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

“FREAKY MUSIC? YOU CAN KEEP IT,” SAY THE HERD

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE W.C. FIELDS MEMORIAL ELECTRIC STRING BAND – ’I’M NOT YOUR STEPPING STONE’/ ’ROUND WORLD’ (MERCURY 72578) JUNE 1966

W.C. FIELDS MEMORIAL ELECTRIC STRING BAND – ’HIPPY ELEVATOR OPERATOR’ / ’DON’T LOSE THE GIRL’ (HBR-507) OCTOBER 1966

ESB – ’MUSHROOM PEOPLE’/ ’LET ME TOUCH YOU’ (IN ARTS RECORDS 102) 1967

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

PUT ME AMONG THE GIRLS (AND LEAVE THE REST TO ME)

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

MEET THE SPECTACULAR MISS FONDA BORN IN THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF HOLLYWOOD – THE BEAUTIFUL STAR WITH THE STORMY STREAK

THIS VERY TALENTED GROUP OF TEENAGERS HAILED FROM NEW JERSEY AND RELEASED THREE SINGLES ON RECORD LABEL TOMORROW.

THE MYDDLE CLASS – ’GATES OF EDEN’ / ’FREE AS THE WIND’ (TOMORROW 45-7501) NOV 1965

THE MYDDLE CLASS – ’DON’T LET ME SLEEP TOO LONG’ / ’I HAPPEN TO LOVE YOU’ (BUDDAH RECORDS BDA 150) 1966

THE MYDDLE CLASS – ’WIND CHIME LAUGHTER’ / ’DON’T LOOK BACK’ (TOMORROW T-912) 1967

ROBIN REALLY DOESN’T WORRY ABOUT THE RUMOURS THAT THE BEATLES WRITE THEIR SONGS UNDER THE BEE GEES NAME

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

24 HOURS ON THE ROAD WITH A POP GROUP

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

SCOTT WALKER – THE STAR WHO WALKS ALONE

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

FRANÇOISE HARDY MOVING FAST

AN ENTERTAINER

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE SONGWRITERS: NO.2 ROY WOOD OF THE MOVE

NEW POP RELIGION

NEWCASTLE: GOOD AND GETTING BETTER

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

THE SONGWRITERS: NO.1 PETE TOWNSHEND OF THE WHO

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

PAINTED-FACE BACHELOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ARTHUR BROWN WORLD

STAGE ANTICS WIN FANS

THE SCENE MUST BE SET

HIS BIG OPPORTUNITY

THE ACT IS SYMBOLIC

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

STRAIGHT TALKING: ERIC UNBURDONED

COMPLAINTS

POP ON A WORLD PLATFORM

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES

FOOTLOOSE JIMI PUTS DOWN ROOTS

NEW TRAFFIC SOUND TAKES OFF – WHERE TO FROM THE COUNTRY COTTAGE?

RICK SANDERS FROM INTRO MAGAZINE BLOWS HIS MIND ON THE LATEST RECORD RELEASES