This Tromsø/Norway act started as The Arctic in spring 1964. They headed to Stockholm/Sweden to pursue a professional career and it was there where they met the businessman Sten Ekroth, who became their manager. Ekroth's idea was to make the band as big as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and it was him who came out with the name "Pussycats". Their first single "Ebb Tide/Cadillac" sold nearly 25,000 copies. Their follow-up "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia/Donna" did not sell nearly as much, but at least it was not a week without the Pussycats was featured in the press. Their career was marked by scandal stories, often arranged by their manager. Their debut-album Pssst! Pssst! was hailed as a masterpiece in the press, and from a historical perspective, the LP is considered to be a milestone. No other Norwegian artists had until 1966 been able to make a rock LP of such convincing quality, both in terms of sound, performance and song material. The album was also one of the '60s greatest successes in Norway and stayed ten weeks on top of the charts, which was a Norwegian record. During a publicity tour in the summer of 1966, the Pussycats' second LP was recorded in Hamburg. Mrrr... Mrrr... was a bold mix of catchy pop songs and more experimental tunes and received ovations in the press and sold well again. Prior to the release of Mrrr... Mrrr... Ekroth quit his job and Totto Johannessen took over the management. More singles followed and they developed now a more polished Pop sound with less success. "Vanya Maria/Death Is Coming" was their last release as The Pussycats and perhaps their only record with hints of Psychedelia. Another 45 "Sjøreisa/Mors Minner" came out under the pseudonym Sailors but didn't make much impression. Soon after the band quit but in 1971 Trond Graff and Sverre Kjelsberg reformed the group with new members. Their only output was the album "Touch Wood" in 1973 which moves towards Progressive and Jazz.
The Pussycats Story (PolyGram 847502-2 / 1990) includes all their singles and the best tracks of their two albums.
Tracklist: - Ebb Tide - Cadillac - Donna - Gonna Send You Back To Georgia - Boom Boom - Gone, Gone, Gone - Danny - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - The Last Time - Just A Little Teardrop - Let Me Stay With You - Purdy Patsy - Baby Baby - Don't Love Me - Love Me Tonight - Why Have We To Wait - Song - They Say... - Regrets - I'm Going Home - The Craftsman - True True Lovin' - Travellin' - A Night Of Life - Rain - Call Me - Vanja Maria - Death Is Coming Personnel: Trond "Eddy" Graff (lead gtr, vcls, organ) [ABCDEFGHI] Ottar "Jimmy" Aasegg (rhythm gtr, vcls) [ABCDEFGH] Sverre "Teddy" Kjelsberg (bs, lead vcls) [ABCDEFGHI] Ingemar "Reddy" Stjerndahl (keyb'ds, vcls) [AC] Friedel "Freddy" Brandt (drms) [ABCDEFGH] Dennis Wilhelmsson (keyb'ds, vcls) [B] Christian Reim (keyb'ds) [D] John Erik Holtan (keyb'ds) [E] (Arild Boman (keyb'ds) [F]) Janne Løseth (lead gtr, vcls) [G] Per Christian Hansen (gtr) [H] Bjørn Henriksen (gtr) [I] Bror Dahl (sax) [I] Knut T. Johannessen (drms) [I] Band origin: Tromsø (Norway)
Rock; Christianity; guitars; church... in the 21st century these words don't seem odd together. But, in 1961 rock meant "devil music" and church meant "boring". The Pilgrims changed all that. Raise among the world-war bombsites of southeast London, the five "Pilgrims" were part of the first generation to be called "teenagers". The swinging sixties had started and it was not cool to be Christian. These full-blooded teenagers with a love for rock music became christians but opted not to conform. They put faith and rock together and changed christian music for good. The Pilgrims were the first wholly electric Christian rock group and shocked the churches of their day. Later bands broke through into mainstream recording, radio and TV, but The Pilgrims were breaking traditions and taboos. After playing at a church service attended by Princess Margaret the group were condemned on national radio by a Countess (no less!). But The Pilgrims didn't want upper class approval; they spoke to their own generation in a language they understood. The group played in churches, to be sure, but their favourite audiences were in beat clubs and dives where nobody was pretending to be holy. When you listen to The Pilgrims you can sense the rawness and enthusiasm of a newfound faith; nut the music is polished and professional. They put heart and soul into their playing and wanted to be the best. At a 1966 concert in a 2,500-seat auditorium opposite Westminster Abbey they were feted as "not only the best, but also the LOUDEST Christian group". [..] taken from the liner notes
The Pilgrims have all my sympathy. Except for the lyrics you would'nt believe that they came from the Christian environment. The music leans towards early UK R&B/Beat but with a sound that is closer to american garage bands. Not every track on this CD (LRL 001 / 2004) is a winner but songs like "Hey You", "Thank You Lord" or "There's Something In Your Life" will satisfy every garage-head and lovers of raw and wild Beat. On this occasion I would like to recommend you the highly enjoyable UK Xian Beat compilation on the excellentRoots And Traces: Spurensicherungblogspot.
Tracklist: - Hey You! - Thank You Lord - Heaven's The Place For Me • Version 2 - There's Someone In Your Life - I Didn't Care - Think It Over • Version 2 - Wait And See - Do You Believe In God? - Heard It All Before - Any Time Of The Day - Who's Your Lord? - I Know I'm Going To Heaven - He Wants You - I Don't Need You - What Are You Doing With Your Life? - Think Of God's Love - I Praise The Lord - Don't You Think It's Time - Heaven's The Place For Me • Version 1 - I Found A Special Friend - Think It Over • Version 1 Personnel: Derrick Phillips (rhythm gtr, vcls) [ABC] Don Sanders (lead gtr, bs) [ABCD] Ian Wilkie (drms, vcls) [ABCD] John Hubbard (bs, vcls) [AB] Chris King (vcls) [A] Tony Goodman (vcls, lead gtr, hrmnca) [BCD] Band origin: London
Discographie: 45's: 1. Heaven's The Place For Me/Think Of God's Love (Herald 2416) 1964
The Wild Cherries started as a R&B combo in 1964. In their early days they often shared the gigs with The Purple Hearts. After a radical line-up change only founding member Les Gilbert remained and took over the keyboards. Lead guitarist Lobby Loyde (aka Barry Lyde) came from the Purple Hearts and as a five piece they released their first two singles in 1967. With new bass player John Phillips two more 45's followed a year later. The band went through a series of personnel changes and at the end of 1969 they finally call it quits. Lobby Loyde reformed the band as a power trio in 1971 but after a lone single the band finally falling apart. Half A Cow Records, who was responsible for the great Purple Hearts release "Benzedrine Beat", put out a complete discography (except the '71 recordings) of the Wild Cherries material (Half A Cow HAC 113 / 2007). Sad to say that "That's Life" didn't live up to my expectations. It is said that they were an adventurous and breathtaking live-band but on their recordings it seems that they couldn't unlock the handbrake. The strangely titled debut "Krome Plated Yabby" is not bad but nothing exceptional. The follow-up "That's Life" is far better and like its predecessor very much in the Cream style. The A-side of their third single "Gotta Stop Lying" is the best song to my ears and not unlike british psych-influenced Freak Beat. The 16 unreleased tracks, nine of them live, are more thrilling than their official releases. Especially their version of "Tobacco Road" is rough-as-guts and the live-version of "Without You" lives up for the name "Wild" Cherries. The CD comes with a 36 booklet and extensive liner notes.
Tracklist: - Krome Plated Yabby - Everything I Do Is Wrong - That's Life - Try Me (I'm Not as Bad as You Think) - Gotta Stop Lying - Time Killer - I Don't Care - Theme for a Merry-Go-Round - Without You - Coming Home Baby - Tobacco Road - Worried Blues - You Don't Love Me - Get Out of My Life - Bye Bye Bird - Without You [version 2] • live - I'm Your Kingpin • live - Mad Man Blues • live - Tobacco Road • live - Parchman Farm • live - Smokestack Lightning • live - My Generation • live - Ain't Got You • live - Baby Please Don't Go • live Personnel: John Bastow (vcls, hrmnca) [AB] Malcolm McGee (lead gtr, vcls) [AB] Rob Lovett (rhythm gtr, vcls) [AB] Les Gilbert (bs, organ) [ABCD] Geoff Hales (drms) [A] Kevin Murphy (drms) [B] Danny Robinson (vcls) [CD] Lobby Loyde (lead gtr) [CDEG] Peter Eddy (bs) [C] Keith Barber (drms) [CD] John Phillips (bs) [D] Matt Taylor (vcls) [E] Barry Sullivan (lead gtr, rhythm gtr, bs) [EF] Steve Pristash (bs) [EF] Barry Harvey (drms) [E] Brian Wilson (lead vcls) [F] Tim Piper (gtr) [F] Teddy Toi (bs) [G] Johnny Dick (drms) [G] Band origin: Melbourne (Victoria/Australia)
Discographie: 45's: 1. (C) Krome Plated Yabby/Everything I Do Is Wrong (Festival FK 1879) 1967 2. (C) That's Life/Try Me (Festival FK 2052) 1967 3. (D) Gotta Stop Lying/Time Killer (Festival FK 2258) 1968 4. (D) I Don't Care/Theme For A Merry Go Round (Festival FK 2535) 1968 5. (G) I Am The Sea (Stop Killing Me)/Daily Planet (Havoc H 1006) 1971
E.P.'s: 1. (C) Krome Plated Yabby (Festival FX 11422) 1967
From Chicago/Illinois, the Saturday's Children were a pleasant pop group, clearly influenced by The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" era. They released three singles on the Dunwich label and the unreleased "A Man With Money" appeared later on the retrospective compilation Early Chicago in 1971. These eight tracks are from the Sundazed double E.P. (Sundazed SEP-2 126 / 1997) and contains all their material.
Tracklist: - You Don't Know Better - Born On Saturday - I Hardly Know Her - Leave That Baby Alone - A Man With Money - Tomorrow Is Her Name - Christmas Sounds - Deck Five Personnel: Ron Holder (gtr, vcls) Dave Carter (gtr) Jeff Boyan (bs, vcls) Rick Goettler (organ) George Paluch (drms) Band origin: Chicago (Illinois/US)
Discographie: 45's: 1. You Don't Know Better/Born On Saturday (Dunwich 139) 1966 2. Deck Five/Christmas Sounds (Dunwich 144) 1966 3. Leave That Baby Alone/I Hardly Know Her (Dunwich 156) 1967
An influential band from Canterbury/Kent that underwent a fluctuate line-up and served as a stepping stone for most of the members to the better known Soft Machine and Caravan. The Wilde Flowers never made an official release up to 1994 as Voiceprint put out a collection of demos from 1965-69 (Voiceprint VP 123 CD). The majority of the tracks were recorded 65/66 and although the instrumentation is in the typical Beatsound, Robert Wyatt's and Kevin Ayers' vocal treatments had already that special Canterbury-style (it's up to you if you like it or not). I must admit that this release is more an artefact and rather of historical interest. There are a few notable songs, though: "Those Words They Say" and "Time After Time" get the full Beat treatment, "Impotence" has all the indications for the later Soft Machine adventures while the best and one of their earliest songs "He's Bad For You" is a haunting R&B ballad that would had fitted perfectly on a Captain Beefheart setlist.
Tracklist: - Impotence (1969) - Those Words They Say (1966) - Memories (1966) - Don't Try To Change Me (1965) - Parchman Farm (1965) - Almost Grown (1965) - She's Gone (1965) - Slow Walkin' Talk (1965) - He's Bad For You (1965) - It's What I Feel [A Certain Kind] (1965) - Memories [Instrumental] (1965) - Never Leave Me (1966) - Time After Time (1966) - Just Where I Want (1966) - No Game When You Lose (1966) - Impotence (1966) - Why Do You Care (1968) - The Pieman Cometh (1968) - Summer Spirit (1968) - She Love To Hurt (1969) - The Big Show (1969) - Memories (1969) Personnel: Graham Flight (vcls) [A] Brian Hopper (gtr, sax) [ABCDE] Hugh Hopper (bs) [ABCD] Richard Sinclair (gtr) [AB] Robert Wyatt (drms) [ABC] Kevin Ayers (vcls) [B] Richard Coughlan (drms) [CDE] Pye Hastings (gtr, sax) [CDE] Dave Lawrence (bs, vcls) [CDE] Dave Sinclair (keyb'ds) [E] Band origin: Canterbury (Kent/UK)
Often misspelt as "The World Is Love" this CD (Collectables COL-0683 / 1997) centres around Dallas resident Jon Williams and his involvement in three great garage/acid punk bands, Penthouse 5, By Fives and The WordD. It contains all the singles (except for the By Fives B-Side) and alternate versions as well as unreleased material, which is equally good. The WordD got another airing on the latest Cicadelic release "It's A Happening! - Texas Girls Of The 60's" that is strongly recommended.
Tracklist: - Bad Girl - Don't Mess Around With My Dream - In His Shadow - I Saw You Walking • by The By Fives - Keep On Walking (unreleased version) • by WordD - You're Gonna Make Me • by WordD - You're Gonna Make Me - Vertigo Blue Sometime (previously unreleased version) - It's All My Own Bizarre Dream (prev. unreleased version) - La, La, La (previously unreleased version) - Twelve String Jangle (previoulsy unreleased) - You're Always Around (previously unreleased) - You're Always Around • by The WordD - Today Is Just Tomorrow's Yesterday (demo) • by WordD - Today Is Just Tomorrow's Yesterday (4 track) • by WordD - The Years Have Passed (backing track) - It's All My Own Bizarre Dream (demo) - Don't Mess Around With My Dream (demo) • by Ron Price - Vertigo Blue Sometime (pbacking track) - Today Is Just Tomorrow's Yesterday (early rehearsals) Personnel [Penthouse 5]: Rob Graham (vcls) [A] Justin Brown (lead gtr) [A] Steve Wood (gtr, keyb'ds, vcls) [AB] Bill Looney (bs) [AB] Mark Porter (drms) [A] Jon Williams (lead vcls, keyb'ds, hrmnca) [B] Richard Keathley (lead gtr, vcls) [B] Mike Echart (drms) [B] (Becky Durr (lead vcls) [B] Band origin: Dallas (Texas)
Discographie: 45's: 1. (A) Bad Girl/In His Shadow (Solar 7665-4211) 1966 2. (A) You're Gonna Make Me/ Don't Mess Around With My Dream (Hawk 1-1-67) 1967
[2. as Penthouse]
Personnel [The WordD]: Genie Geer (lead vcls) Jon Williams (lead vcls, keyb'ds, hrmnca) Richard Keathley (lead gtr) Pat Whitefield (bs) Bob Johnson (drms) Band origin: Dallas (Texas)
Discographie: 45's: 1. You're Always Around/You're Gonna Make Me (Caprice 609V-4983) 1966
Personnel incl. [By Fives]: Jon Williams (lead vcls)
Band origin: Dallas (Texas)
Discographie: 45's: 1. I Saw You Walking/That's How Strong My Love Is (Tomi 106) 1966
I've picked up the latest proposal from the comments section and continue with new posts. The older files will be restored from time to time (there are still more than 200 left).
Las Antorchas were formed by five college students and originated out of Mexico City. They released only one E.P. on Orfeon but had enough material for a longplayer. They split around 68/69 but after a line-up change they continued simply named as Antorcha. Under that moniker they recorded five singles and an album, released 1976. VAM Records collects all their known material as Las Antorchas on one CD (VAM/Orfeon Video Vox CMS-205« / 2006). The organ is sometimes horribly off-key and the vocals don't make a big impression. The worst track is their cover of "Hello, Goodbye" (Hola Adios), one of the few Fab Four songs I rather dislike. However they have a few good cover versions and strangely enough this collection works as a whole. Not to forget the excellent "Dime", a really great acid-punk track but not representative for their sound. Conclusion: they were not as good as Los Ovnis/Apocalipsis etc. but better than Tijuana Five or Los Belmonts (if that helps in any way). The CD comes with liners and VAM also released their subsequent material as Antorcha, but more about them in my next post.
Tracklist: - La Antorcha - Opus 14 Interior 12 - Tu Me Enseñaste - Dime - Tu Me Enseñaste (instrumental) - Shake - Un Poquito Más - Confesion - No Espero Ya Por Ti - Substitute - Anoche Fue - Nunca Te Amado Mas - No Lo Hagas - Sabia - Hola Adios - El Soldado - Canta Conmigo - Dime (instrumental) Personnel: Jorge Gonzalez (lead gtr, vcls) Fernando Mercado (gtr, vcls) Omar Cortes Gaviño (bs, vcls) Victor Manuel Motta Aviles (keyb'ds, rhythm gtr, vcls) Bernardo Minerva (drms, lead vcls) Band origin: Mexico City (Mexico)
Discographie: E.P.'s: 1. Un Poquito Más/No Lo Hagas/Anoche Fue/Shake (Orfeon EP-734) 1967
Pete Miller is yet another fascinating figure from the underexpiored recesses of the British '60s beat under-world. He released two tremendous, utterly twisted singles: "Baby I Got News For You" (as Miller) in 1965, and "Cold Turkey" as (Big Boy Pete) in 1968. Prior to this, he had been lead guitarist for Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers, whose output included several singles produced by Joe Meek. Judging by some of the quirky, inventive and just plain WEIRD sounds on this collection, Miller had been watching Meek closely during his Jaywalkers days, (though he'd have to have been doing so furtively as Joe was secretive to the point of paranoia about his sound techniques). In his home studio in Norwich -"sur-rounded by lava lamps and Hindi visuals" - Miller and his musician friends spent most of 1966-69 conjur-ing up bizarre feats of pop and psychedelia, utilizing some of the echo and compression techniques he'd observed at Meek's studio along with many of his own electronic innovations. Fourteen of these songs make their first public showing on Homage To Catatonia, amply displayed in a magnificent gatefold sleeve complete with lyrics and all-telling liner notes. Combine a razor-sharp studio instinct, simple but superior '60s recording technology, madcap psycho-pop songsmithing ala (maybe) Roy Wood/Jeff Lynne with p'raps a little Edward Lear-esque nonsensical wordplay thrown in, and you may - just may - have same idea what you'll find on songs like "Knit Me A Kiss" or "A Dog Called Doug"-but it still won't begin to explain the impossible-to-pigeonhole (and amazing) "I Am Seldom 21", "Chinaman" or 'The Procession." Miller's tapes truly are a very unique secret horde of English psychedelia, and, incredibly, several of these recordings pre-date even the Beatles "Revolver", let alone the subsequent psychedelic stampede. Perhaps the strangest but most strangely satisfying set since I Hear A New World. A grower. I recommended. (Mike Stax in "Ugly Things")
This album was released on the Tenth Planet label (Tenth Planet TP 026 / 1996). There's nothing much to say against his pop-psych tunes but he polished his old tapes a bit too much. So I've got the feeling that it sounds more like the '90s than the '60s. But I'm nagging and nagging and nagging... In fact it's a good album with some great songs like "Knit Me A Kiss", "Paranoia" or "The Procession". More info about his music on his website
Tracklist: - Sheer Lunacy - Crocogators - I Am Seldom Twenty One - Knit Me A Kiss - 1,500,000 Volts - Captain Of My Toy Balloon - John Celery - Paranoia - Chinaman - Music Created By Dust - A Dog Called Doug - The Procession - The Candleman - The Treacle Dance Personnel incl.: Peter Miller (gtr, bs, sitar, vcls) Origin: Norwich (Norfolk/UK)
Discographie: 45's: 1. Cold Turkey/My Love Is Like A Spaceship (Camp 602005) 1968
This group originated from Finspång/Sweden. Their only album from 1966 is a pleasant affair with nice vocal harmonies and melodies that were heavily influenced by the "Beatles-Revolver"-era. This CD (EMI 724385930225 / 1998) contains all their singles and the above mentioned album.
Tracklist: - Wondering - Nothing But Moan - Little Down-Hearted Arthur - Im Krankenhaus - Please Girl Put Me On Your List - Suit-Men Crowd - He's A Friend Of Mine - I Can't Catch Them - Mr. Great Blues - Restless Feeling One Hour After Dinner - The Taperecorder - The Leaves Of The Summer - Frosty Stars On A Window-Pane - Meet Mr. Edgar - Through My Door - Displeasing Message - One Way Ticket (To The Blues) - Take My Suzy - Wrong Side - Easy To Fool - Umbrella - Drizzle - Puzzled - I Can't Sleep - Only Love Personnel: Olle Nilsson (gtr, vcls) [A] Kenneth Larsson (gtr, vcls) [A] Conny Larsson (bs, vcls) [A] Thomas Palmkvist (drms) [A] Torgny Lind (drms) Curt Bergh (drms) Band origin: Finspång (Östergötland/Sweden)
Discographie: Albums: 1. 14 In A Bunch (Olga LPO 03) 1966
45's: 1. Wondering/Nothing But Moan (Olga SO 16) 1965 2. I Can't Catch Them/Through My Door (Olga SO 22) 1966 3. Displeasing Message/Little Down-Hearted Arthur (Olga SO 30) 1966 4. One Way Ticket/Take My Suzy (Olga SO 35) 1967 5. Im Krankenhaus/Meet Mr. Edgar (Olga SO 39) 1967 6. Wrong Side/Easy To Fool (Olga SO 42) 1967 7. Easy To Fool/Frosty Stars On A Window Pane (Olga SO 51) 1967 8. Through My Door/Meet Mr. Edgar (Olga OLE 002) 1968 9. Umbrella/Drizzle [Rain] (Olga OLE 006) 1968
This highly talented band from Marseille is definitely my favourite french group. They released five E.P.'s on the Riviera label and one as "Les Ambitieux" on Columbia. They also tried to get a foot on the british market and released one 45 under the moniker "Darwin's Theory" but "Daytime" (which was "Dis-Nous Dylan" with english lyrics) didn't make any impact there. This cool sixteen-track compilation (Belle Amie 0100 / 2000) contains their best work from 1965-68. From my personnal view "LSD 25", "Si Tu Reviens Chez Moi" and "Twiggy" are absolutely essential for every psych/freakbeat connoisseur.
Tracklist: - Cara-Lin - Hosanna - Dis-Moi - Je Te Veux - Prie! - Lsd 25 - Dis-Nous Dylan - Si Tu Reviens Chez Moi - Cette Fille-La - Trop Tard - Ces Mots - Oum Tse Oum Papa - Olivier - Longue, Longue Nuit D'Amor - Twiggy - Mets Du Sucre Dans Ton Café Personnel: Claude Olmos (lead gtr, back vcls) Francois "La Canard" Paoli (gtr, tambourine, back vcls) Jean Fredenucci (vcls, bs) Guy Matteoni (keybd's, vcls) Michel Donat (drms) Band origin: Marseille (France)
Discographie: 45's: 1. Cosa Mi Vieni A Dire/Quel Che Ho Fatto (Pathé AQ 1323) 1965 2. Daytime/Hosanna (Major Minor MM 50) 1966
[1. italian release] [2. as Darwin's Theory]
E.P.'s: 1. Danse, Danse Encore/Ces Mots/Dis-Moi/C'est Pas Vrai (Columbia ESRF 1662) 1965 2. Cara-Lin/Trop Tard/Oublie-Moi/Cette Fille-La (Riviera 231142) 1966 3. Dis-Nous Dylan/Hosanna/Si Tu Reviens Chez Moi/Prie! (Riviera 231181) 1966 4. Qu'as-Tu Katioucha/LSD 25/Je Te Veux/Olivier (Riviera 231212) 1967 5. Oum Tse Oum Papa/Anna/Longue, Longue Nuit D'amor/ 1.000.000 D'annees Avant Jesus Christ (Riviera 231265) 1967 6. Twiggy/Mets Du Sucre Dans Ton Café/Cinema Muet/ La Fabrique De Savon (Riviera 231321) 1968
This band operated out of Turin/Italy and was responsible for the fantastic "Le Insegne Pubblicitarie". This great piece of garage-psych could be best described as a mixture of the Elevators "Tried To Hide" and Famen's "Hurry" (if that helps). Their first EP (Musical Time MT 01 / 1966) contains the aforementioned "Le Insegne Pubblicitarie", the forgettable "Nadia" and "Il Treno", another fine acid-punker. On their second release (Moon GNP 79024 / 1967) they teamed up with singer Eligio Irato and did two covers, "We Shall Overcome (Trionferemo)" and "Come By Me (Vieni Qui Vicino)", not their best idea and to be honest absolutely out of question. They did better on their last 7-inch (Polydor 2060002 / 1969). "Katia" is a wonderful dreamy soft-psych song whilst "Felicità Vuol Dire" is a fine slice of late '60s Pop. Destination X Records released an album (Destination X TRR 33032 / 1998) with all their singles (except "We Shall Overcome") and ten unreleased songs from 1968. These demos can not really match with their best stuff but "Anche Se..." and "Alberi" are pretty worthwhile.
Tracklist: - Le Insegne Pubblicitarie - Nadia - Il Treno - Un Nuovo Giorno - L'Indossatrice - Specchi Di Ghiaccio - Crema - Katia (demo) - Un'Immagine - Anche Se... - Alberi - Ti Voglio - Il Trionfo Del Diavolo - Vieni Qui Vicino - Katia - Felicità Vuol Dire Personnel: Luigi Nagliero (lead gtr) Walter Nagliero (rhythm gtr) Spartaco Nagliero (vcls, bs) Gino Antone (organ, vcls) Gino Nagliero (drms) Band origin: Turin (Italy)
Discographie: 45's: 1. We Shall Overcome [Trionferemo]/Vieni Qui Vicino [Come By Here] (Moon GNP 79024) 1967 2. Katia/Felicità Vuol Dire (Polydor 2060002) 1969
E.P.'s: 1. Le Insegne Pubblicitarie/Nadia/Il Treno (Musical Time MT 01) 1966
This Northampton-based raw R&B group's 45s are now extremely rare and sought-after. They were originally known as The Cornflakes and also recorded a further 45 as Mal and The Primitives. Musically, comparable to the early Pretty Things, you won't need a second mortgage to get to hear these 45s. They're considered to be such definitive British R&B recordings that they've been heavily compiled and are well worth a spin. They also recorded four acetates for Pye; one of which was the superb Oh Mary, a grinding R&B number. Jimmy Page is also said to have helped out on their second 45, whilst Help Me was also recorded by The Rebounds. In 1965 Mal joined the band and they relocated to Italy as a quartet (at least according to the photo on their 1967 album). Aside from Mal, they comprised Jay Roberts (vcls, gtr) from the original line-up, Pick Withers (drms) and one other. Withers was later in Spring and Dire Straits. He stayed in Italy with The Primitives for three years. Line-up 'B' recorded two singles and the an album Blow-Up (Arc ) 1967. This R'n'B/soul-influenced album has been reissued in the nineties and the re-issue includes both sides of their debut Italian single Yeeeh!.../L'Ombra Di Nessuno (which is Dozier-Holland's Standing In The Shadow Of Love, with Italian lyrics) along with their follow-up Italian 45 Johnny No (Hoyt Axton's Thunder 'n Lightnin') and other cover versions like Stevie Winwood's Gimme Some Lovin', The Strangeloves' Cara Lin, Gina Gina (which is Holland-Doziers' Reach Out I'll Be There), Don Covay's Sookie Sookie, which was later covered by Steppenwolf, Charlie Rich's Mohair Sam and an original penned by Jay Roberts Mister Haertache (which is misspelt like this on the sleeve). (taken from "Tapestry Of Delights")
"Maladjusted" (Castle CMRCD 051 / 2001) contains their Pye/Piccadilly singles, a demo of "Oh Mary" (this track is reason enough to get that CD), their great french E.P. and the "Blow Up" album that was only released in Italy.
Tracklist: - Help Me
- Let Them Tell
- You Said
- How Do You Feel?
- Every Minute Of Every Day [Mal Ryder & The Primitives]
- Pretty Little Face [Mal Ryder & The Primitives]
- Forget It [Mal Ryder & The Spirits]
- Your Friend [Mal Ryder & The Spirits]
- Lonely Room [Mal Ryder]
- Tell Your Friend [Mal Ryder]
- Oh Mary [Demo]
- Oh Mary
- I Don't Feel Myself
- Mr. Heartache
- Tears In My Eyes
[Blow Up-LP / 1967]
- Gimme Some Loving
- L'ombra De Nessuno
- No Response
- Johnny No
- Cara-Lin
- Yeeeeeeh!
- Gira, Gira
- Every Minute Of Every Day
- Mister Heartache
- Ma Beata Te
- Sookie, Sookie
- Mohair Sam
- L'incidente
Personnel [The Primitives]: Jay Roberts [real name Jeffrey Farthing]
(vcls, gtr, bs) [AB]
Geoff Eaton (lead gtr) [A]
John E. Soul (gtr, hrmnca, keyb'ds) [A]
Roger James (bs) [A]
Mike Wilding (drms) [A]
Mal Ryder [real name Paul Bradley Couling]
(vcls, hrmnca) [B]
Dave Sumner (gtr) [B]
David "Pick" Withers (drms) [B]
Band origin: Northampton (Northamptonshire) → Italy
Discographie: Albums:
1. (B) Blow Up (Arc SA 22) 1967
[1. italian release]
45's:
1. (A) Help Me/Let Them Tell (Pye 7N 15721) 1964
2. (A) You Said/How Do You Feel (Pye 7N 15755) 1965
3. (B) Every Minute Of Every Day/Pretty Little Face
(Pye 7N 15915) 1965
4. (B) Yeeeeeeah!/L'ombra Di Nessuno (Arc AN 4108) 1967
5. (B) L'incidente/Johnny No (Arc AN 4136) 1967
[3. as Mal & The Primitives]
[4. + 5. italian release]
E.P.'s:
1. (B) Oh Mary: Oh Mary/I Don't Feel Myself/
Mr. Heartache/Tears In My Eyes (Vogue INT 18093) 1966
[1. french release]
Personnel [Mal Ryder & The Spirits]: Mal Ryder [real name Paul Bradley Couling]
(vcls, hrmnca) [AB]
Vode Chequer [real name Bob Wakley] (gtr) [AB]
Tony Merry (bs) [AB]
John "Hands" Hathaway (piano) [A]
Larry Reddington (drms) [A]
Mick Charleton (drms) [B]
Band origin: Oxford (Oxfordshire)
Discographie: 45's: 1. Cry Baby/Take Over (Decca F 11669) 1963
2. See The Funny Little Clown/Slow Down
(Vocalion V 9219) 1964
3. Your Friend/Forget It (Piccadilly 7N 35209) 1964
4. Lonely Room/Tell Your Friend (Piccadilly 7N 35234) 1965
The Syndicate Of Sound were best known for their national smash hit "Little Girl" which became somewhat of a garage anthem. It went to No. 8 and their album (Bell 6001 / 1966) made No. 148 in the charts. Their longplayer contains respectable versions of "Big Boss Man", "I'm Alive" and "The Witch" (well, they couldn't beat Gerry Roslie's bunch but they came pretty close). You will also find some weak material here, especially on side 1 ("Almost Grown", "So Alone" and "Dream Baby") but all the other tracks are constantly good. My favourites are their self penned songs like the cool "Rumors", the moody "You", the great rocking "Lookin' For The Good Times" and "Little Girl" for sure. The rip is from the original 1966 album.
Tracklist: - Big Boss Man
- Almost Grown
- So Alone
- Dream Baby
- Rumors
- Little Girl
- That Kind Of Man
- I'm Alive
- You
- Lookin' For The Good Times (The Robot)
- The Witch
- Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
Personnel: Jim Sawyers (lead gtr)
Bob Gonzalez (bs)
John Sharkey (keyb'ds, gtr, vcls)
Don Baskin (sax, flute)
John Duckworth (drms) Band origin: San Jose (California)
Discographie: Albums:
1. Little Girl (Bell 6001) 1966
45's:
1. Prepare For Love/Tell The World (Scarlet 503) 1965
2. Prepare For Love/Tell The World (Del-Fi 4304) 1965
3. Little Girl/You (Hush 228) 1966
4. Little Girl/You (Bell 640) 1966
5. Rumours/The Upper Hand (Bell 646) 1966
6. Good Time Music/Keep It Up (Bell 655) 1966
7. That Kind Of Man/Mary (Bell 666) 1967
8. Brown Paper Bag/Reverb Beat (Buddah 156) 1967
9. Mexico/First To Love You (Buddah 183) 1967
10. You're Looking Fine/Change The World
(Capitol 2426) 1968
Forming in 1963 as The Intruders and later known as The Quinstrells they became known as The Dearly Beloved in late '65 and were Tucson's most popular '60s band. Shortly after their name change Dan Gates, a DJ from a local radio station KTKT came along with the tape of a song called Peep Peep Pop Pop. The group were not at all keen at first but eventually he persuaded them to record it at the Audio Sound Recorders Studio in Phoenix and a record deal was negotiated with the New Mexico-based Boyd label. They got the band's name wrong on the label and the 45 was released in 1966 and credited to The Beloved Ones. It was a No. 1 hit in Tucson that year and held the No. 1 position for many weeks on KTKT radio. Consequent upon its success the 45 was leased to Columbia, who at least got the band's name right. With national distribution the 45 almost made Billboard's Top 100. Fuelled by their success the band headed to LA to record an album for Columbia. They recorded twenty songs in all in just three half day sessions! These sessions spawned their next 45. Tom Walker wrote the 'A' side, the flip was the work of The Grodes' leader Manny Freiser. The posthumous Voxx compilation includes some tracks from this session, but Columbia didn't promote the band or release the LP. Around this time Pete Schuyler left the band and was replaced on drums by Rick Mellinger from The Grodes. On a further trip to LA the band were spotted playing with The Leaves by a White Whale rep. and this led to them signing a new record contract (having sued Columbia to get out of their previous one). Larry Cox had to return to Tucson the next day to get married so they left LA at 3 a.m. taking turns with the driving. Eventually they all fell asleep including the driver. Inevitably they crashed and Larry Cox was killed instantly. The rest of the band sustained injuries. To make matters worse Larry's death negated their White Whale contract because it contained a clause stating that the band would have to stay intact. The band tried to keep going but never successfully replaced Larry. The 'A' side of their final 45 was a haunting song written by Larry about death ironically shortly before his own tragic demise. The flip, a punker with a ripping bass line, was a regional hit. Vocalist Jim Perry sang on the 'A' side and Terry Lee took the vocal role on the flip. Arguably this 45 was their finest moment. The Voxx compilation (Voxx 200.018 / 1984) is an excellent guide to their career with full liner notes by Lee Joseph which have been summarised here. It contains all the band's better 45s and some of their unreleased recordings for Columbia. (taken from "Fuzz, Acid & Flowers")
Known for their great acid-punker "Flight 13" this great band is heartly recommended to all garage fans.
Tracklist: - Every Time It's You • as The Intruders
- Why Me • as The Intruders - Keep It Moving
- Bonus Track (KTKT Promo 1965)
- Peep Peep Pop Pop
- You Ain't Gonna Do What You Did To Him To Me
- Wait Till The Mornin'
- Iceman (Wild About My Loving)
- Music Revolution
- Strange Feeling
- Take It Easy
- It's All Over
- I've Got A Girl [alt. take] • as The Quinstrells
- I'm Not Coming Back
- Merry Go Round
- Flight 13
Personnel [Dearly Beloved]: Larry Cox (vcls) [AB]
Tom Walker (gtr, vcls [ABC]
Terry Lee (gtr, vcls [ABC]
Shep Cooke (bs) [ABC]
Pete Schuyler (drms) [A]
Rick Mellinger (drms) [BC]
{Jim Perry (vcls on "Merry Go Round") [C]}
Val Valinto (bs)
Tom Riply (vcls)
Lenny Lopes (drms)
Band origin: Tucson (Arizona/US)
Discographie: 45's:
1. (A) Peep Peep Pop Pop/It Is Better (Boyd 157) 1966
2. (A) Peep Peep Pop Pop/It Is Better
(Columbia 4-43797) 1966
3. (A) Wait Till The Mornin'/You Ain't Gonna Do
What You Did With Him To Me (Columbia 4-43959) 1966
4. (C) Merry Go Round/Flight Thirteen
(Splitsound SSDG-5) 1967
[1. as The Beloved Ones]
Personnel [The Intruders/The Quinstrells]: Larry Cox (vcls)
Tom Walker (gtr, vcls)
Terry Lee (gtr, vcls)
Shep Cooke (bs)
Pete Schuyler (drms)
Band origin: Tucson (Arizona/US)
Discographie: 45's: 1. Every Time It's You/Let Me Stay (Gallant no#) 1963
2. Then I'd Know/My Name (Moxie MRC 101) 1964
3. Now She's Gone/Why Me? (Moxie MRC 104) 1964
4. I Got A Girl/Tell Her (Moxie MRC 105) 1965
This Greenwood/Massachusetts band was best known for the classic garage-pop tune "I Wonder". A collection of their best tracks was released by BamCaruso (BamCaruso KIRI 067 / 1988) and contains some cool garage sounds as well as their later orchestrated pop songs "Greener Days", "Drifter's Sunrise" and "Just A Good Show".
Tracklist: - I Wonder - You Better Run - Spoonful Of Sugar - Six Days In May - My Baby Don't Care - Never Go Right - I Don't Want To See Her Again - Somebody Please - Drifter's Sunrise - Kicks - Try Too Hard - Good Lovin' - Crackin' Up - Dance Last Night - I Want Your Lovin' - Hungry - Greener Days - Just A Good Show Personnel: Johnny Freeman (vcls, gtr) [AC] Sid Herring (vcls, gtr) [ABC] Vince Montgomery (bs) [ABC] Don Wood (drms) [ABC] Johnny Sanders (gtr) [B] Band origin: Greenwood (Mississippi/UK)
Rare, original and hard to get music is the demand of that blog here. If a record is still available through mailorders I won't post it (but I make exceptions if I get the feeling the dealers force up the prices). Enjoy the music and... ...leave comments (or leave me alone).
This Tromsø/Norway act started as The Arctic in spring 1964. They headed to Stockholm/Sweden to pursue a professional career and it was there where they met the businessman Sten Ekroth, who became their manager. Ekroth's idea was to make the band as big as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and it was him who came out with the name "Pussycats". Their first single "Ebb Tide/Cadillac" sold nearly 25,000 copies. Their follow-up "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia/Donna" did not sell nearly as much, but at least it was not a week without the Pussycats was featured in the press. Their career was marked by scandal stories, often arranged by their manager. Their debut-album Pssst! Pssst! was hailed as a masterpiece in the press, and from a historical perspective, the LP is considered to be a milestone. No other Norwegian artists had until 1966 been able to make a rock LP of such convincing quality, both in terms of sound, performance and song material. The album was also one of the '60s greatest successes in Norway and stayed ten weeks on top of the charts, which was a Norwegian record. During a publicity tour in the summer of 1966, the Pussycats' second LP was recorded in Hamburg. Mrrr... Mrrr... was a bold mix of catchy pop songs and more experimental tunes and received ovations in the press and sold well again. Prior to the release of Mrrr... Mrrr... Ekroth quit his job and Totto Johannessen took over the management. More singles followed and they developed now a more polished Pop sound with less success. "Vanya Maria/Death Is Coming" was their last release as The Pussycats and perhaps their only record with hints of Psychedelia. Another 45 "Sjøreisa/Mors Minner" came out under the pseudonym Sailors but didn't make much impression. Soon after the band quit but in 1971 Trond Graff and Sverre Kjelsberg reformed the group with new members. Their only output was the album "Touch Wood" in 1973 which moves towards Progressive and Jazz. 
