CUEBURN

2010-11-13T13:41:00.003-05:00

After nearly two years of inactivity it's pretty clear there's no time to tend this plot on the Internet. So, no new posts, and more unfortunately, no time to respond to requests for re-ups. Hope you've enjoyed what was here while it was here, and perhaps some day there will be hours to come back and continue.

-Soapy-

2008-12-31T07:58:00.000-05:00

Various Artists
The Exotic Trilogy, Vol. 2
KB Zed, 1997

This is the second disc in what was planned to be a six volume series documenting the three pillars of exotica: “Quiet Village,” “Taboo,” and “Caravan.” You can find Volume 1 here. Unfortunately, volumes 3 through 6 never seemed to have turned up – anyone seen them?

Tracks
Ted Aulette – Quiet Village
Douglas Gamley – Tabu
The 3 Suns – Caravan
Tommy Garrett – Quiet Village
Billy May – Tabu
Living Guitar – Caravan
Bill Justis – Quiet Village
Hal Shutz – Tabu
Marty Gold – Caravan
The Aliis – Quiet Village
The Ensemble of 7 – Tabu
Enoch Light – Caravan
Ferrante & Teicher – Quiet Village
Geri Galian – Tabu
Lloyd Burry – Caravan
Hawaiian Brass – Quiet Village
Orizaba – Tabu
Hal Mooney – Caravan
Al Bollington – Quiet Village
Al Hirt – Tabu
George Wright - Caravan

1/1 #aloha (192kbps, 92.4MB)

2008-12-28T10:43:00.002-05:00

Various Artists
The Exotic Trilogy, Vol. 1
KBZ 200, 1995

This terrific volume turned up in select retail stores in 1995, and features seven versions each of the three pillars of exotica: “Quiet Village,” “Taboo,” and “Caravan.” A second volume turned up the next. They are each as hypnotically irritaining as the liner notes promise. Anyone have the promised volumes 3 through 6?

Here are the original liner notes, which are quite a hoot:

The Mouldy Vexations of Vinyl Rot

Welcome to the irritaining world of KBZ 200. A world where only three songs are played, over and over again, in a seemingly endless train of masterful and inventive cover versions. Only three songs. Sounds boring, you say? Give it a listen.
We think you'll change your mind, and maybe even your attitude.

That's because the producers and musicians featured on this disk have been through a lot. They've toured more than four countries on two continents, presenting these same three songs in 18 hour 'Vexations-style' events, manipulating cover version after cover
version of Quiet Village, Taboo, and Caravan. Oh sure, sometimes the KBZ 200 has managed to bug people a bit: getting physically thrown out by club owners after only nine hours or so, or having their event interrupted after thirteen hours by an overly zealous control freak DJ who decides to put a non-trilogy song on the turntable and refuses to remove it.

But in general, the KBZ 200 has experienced many successes. These tracks are selected from a 3-volume set of cassettes (the cassettes feature 81 different versions altogether of the same 3 songs!) that the KBZ has been putting out since 1991. An initial offering is being released now on CD because the KBZ is tired of answering the endless stream of requests for more cassettes of the original Exotic Trilogy volumes. People who bought cassettes only one or two weeks before, come by asking for more copies because their original ones were stolen. This happened so many times in the past that we decided to do a survey. It turns out that a majority of Exotic Trilogy cassette owners have had their original copies stolen, obviously by thieves who couldn't be bothered finding out where they can buy their own copy.
So, a word of caution: keep this disk in a safe place. If you have to take this music over to a friend's place, bring a back-up copy on cassette only.

Why only three songs, you may ask? That's because the KBZ 200 pays attention to important trends in music history.
This particular trend begins in Paris, in 1893. That's when Erik Satie composed Vexations, a one page piano piece that is repeated 840 times.
This takes about 18 hours. In Erik's time, recording technology had yet to be invented, but that didn't stop him from conceiving of background music, or musique d'ameublement (furniture music), as he called it. Composing a piece to be played 'live' in the background, over and over again, while people were supposed to converse and socialize in its presence was a pretty radical idea, if not downright avant-garde, at the time. An 18 hour work in repetitive form like this was not an ordinary thing for western classical music. It did, however, draw a parallel to some music rituals of exotic cultures. Many non-western cultures have musical and theatrical performances that sometimes continue for days.

What happened to this once-avant-garde concept called back¬ground music? It turned into something called Muzak. Pretty un¬avant-garde. But some Muzak has a link to another once-popular genre: Exotica. Any student of the Exotica movement would note that the three songs the KBZ 200 feature are important landmark anthems of this ersatz genre. And any of these three songs may also be considered as typically representative of the Muzak genre, as well. So why not seize upon these associations and do a Vexations of Mouldy Vinyl, thus acknowledging Muzak's implementation of Satie's concept?

This CD compilation is a portion of the entire utility required to realize the mouldy impactedness of ersatz Gesamtkunstwerk. As such, it is your personal passport to Instant Baghdadianism. To create your own Tableau of Mouldy Exoticism at home, try adding a few extra touches: a flaming Tiki head is, of course, obligatory, as are the screening of south sea travelog flims and 3D exotic slides, the cooking of exquisite cuisine on Volcano Wok, augmented at the right moment with the injection of Taboo Sauce, pumped through the Coconut Bra of an exotic goddess. Employ as many musicians as possible to perform live versions of the Exotic Trilogy, but please take care to appoint a control freak stage manager who will 'pull the plug' on any musician not playing one of the three songs. To prevent the gathering from becoming too predictable, always be prepared to embrace the principle of 'Theater of Total Failure'. Remember: you are on a rudderless voyage through the glittering desert of artcrust.

So pop this disk in your CD player, select endless repetition, and sit back and enjoy the irritainment. Play it at your next get-together for a big hit - guaranteed to make new friends (and a few enemies)!

Thanks to: Funny Farm, Laura & Gordon, Gordon W., Rob, Larry, Fabio, Egnekn, Sir Spinner, John, Eric, Michael, tENTATIVELY, Maria, Alex, Roland, Riksaraj, Stiletto, Kerstin, Hans Otto, Kai, Bastiaan & Megan, Robin, Lars, Otillie, Paul, Tim, Steve & Tim, Gargoyle, Martin, Tony, Rüdiger, Werner, Klaus, Elizabeth, Roger, Peter, Matthias, Ingrid, FGM, Frank, Helle, Eimer, Shelley, Peter, David, Andreas, Karen and all other charter members of KBZ 200 too numerous to mention here...

Tracks
The Surfmen – Quiet Village
Robin Richmond – Taboo
Irv Cottler – Caravan
Len Stevens – Quiet Village
The Aliis – Taboo
Sir Julian – Caravan
The Ensemble of Seven – Quiet Village
The South Sea Serenaders – Taboo
Buddy Merrill – Caravan
Eddie Baxter – Quiet Village
The Flying Guitar – Taboo
Jack Anderson – Caravan
‘Vinnie’ Bell – Quiet Village
Tarragano & His Orchestra – Taboo
Billy Vaughn – Caravan
The Exotic Guitars – Quiet Village
Terry Snyder – Taboo
Dick Hyman – Caravan
The Clebanoff Strings – Quiet Village
Winifred Atwell – Taboo
Eddie Layton - Caravan

Quiet Village written by Les Baxter
Taboo written by Margarita Lecuona, Bob Russell
Caravan written by Ellington, Tizol, Mills

1/1 #aloha (192kbps, 94.3MB)

2008-11-30T10:25:00.001-05:00

Dick Schory’s New Percussion Ensemble
Percussion From Melody to Madness: Music to Break Any Mood
RCA Victor LSP-2125 (Stereo), 1960

Schory’s second album for RCA is another dynamic percussion spectacular! This stereo edition complements the mono version posted earlier. The liner notes for the stereo version substitute the following for the mono version’s “WORLD’S BIGGEST HI-FI” section:

In the early days of stereo there was much ado about the so-called ping-pong effect. Record people were simple enough to think that listeners with two speakers were only interested in hearing something different come out of each speaker. And many of the early musical arrangements were great for table tennis fans. Well, this record would be more like water polo.

Our every effort has been to keep the space three-dimensional, instead of two. East-to-west placement of instruments is clear, of course, but so is a spacious sense of depth. If the celesta was sitting southwest of the four marimbas, that’s where you’ll hear it. With such a setting, kettle drums come up like thunder; the harp swoops and soars as we’ve always been told it’s supposed to in its original celestial setting.

And substitute the following for the “IMPORTANT NOTICE” section:

This record contains the new revolutionary anti-static ingredient, 317X, which repels dust, helps prevent surface noise, and helps insure faithful sound reproduction. This is a TRUE STEREOPHONIC RECORD specifically designed to be played only on phonographs equipped for stereophonic reproduction. This record will also give outstanding monaural performance on many conventional high fidelity phonographs by a replacement of the cartridge. See your local dealer or serviceman.

2008-11-22T09:43:00.004-05:00

Dick Schory’s New Percussion Ensemble
Percussion From Melody to Madness: Music to Break Any Mood
RCA Victor LPM-2125, 1960

Schory’s second album for RCA is another dynamic percussion spectacular! (Check out his first RCA album here.)

Original liner notes:

This record is for people who are: (check one or more)
[ ] too happy
[ ] too sad
[ ] too romantic
[ ] too stimulated
[ ] too tranquilized
[ ] too much

The fact is, this is an album which can establish or shatter (as you wish) a great gamut of moods—for yourself or an expendable friend. It’s especially good for getting rid of wholesome guests or keeping incorrigibles entertained.

And it’s all done with new percussion sounds: some soft and caressing (Autumn in New York, Speak Low) others big and wild (Safari Anyone?, South Rampart Street Parade). Instruments include virtually everything which can be stroked, plucked, poked or banged.

Some, in the trade, have called this America’s first bang-along record. We earnestly hope it won’t start a movement of proportions similar to the recent sing-along fad. Even though twelve virtuoso percussionists are hard at work on twelve pop songs, there is really only a moderate amount of banging going on. At least half the selections feature creamy vibes and lush harp arrangements. Most are extremely danceable—at least for those who have had a recent physical checkup.

THE GONG ON THE COVER
The bands, when they do come along, go all the way. You’ll hear the gong on the cover in the first number, Caravan. It is not the girl’s gong. In fact, she was not even at the session—unfortunately. If it were her gong, she would jolly well know better than to get so close.

After striking the monster there is an extended period while it “revs up” and one can hear this awesome sound wash out over the vast acoustic cavern of Orchestra Hall in Chicago. Once it has spoken, the mighty vibrations roll out strong and low for minutes afterward. Finally, our engineer had to deliberately fade the gong; otherwise the prolonged reverberation would have run into considerable overtime. Three men with three puffy cushions quieted the giant down sufficiently to start the next “take.” Those brave enough to stand nearby said they experienced an almost indescribably pleasure. With the highest fidelity equipment, similar sensations have been reported in the home with this record. To our knowledge nothing like this has ever been offered on disc before.

WHO DID IT
Lew Layton, the engineer who’s responsible for some of our most glistening symphonic recordings from Boston, Chicago, Rome and New York, said he felt as if he had a souped-up jet job under his instrument panel. We trust his experience with Walkin’ My Baby Back Home will have no untoward effect on his next Beethoven cycle.

Every selection was a completely new production with different microphoning, new scrimmage formations for the players—even new instrumentation (percussionists double on everything). Modern recording musicians are used to music they’ve never seen before. In this case they’d never seen some of the instruments before either… a musical steel oil drum from Trinidad, for example. There were, in all, over one hundred instruments (see inventory, right-hand column), known and unknown, put to hard use during the two days and nights spent in making this album.

We flew Phil Kraus specially from New York for the sessions. He’s the vibe solo on I’ll Remember April, the timpani melody on Caravan, the bongos on Safari Anyone? Dave Black was already in Chicago appearing with Bob Scobey’s band. He’s the dance beat on rhythm drums most of the way, with a special contribution on Fly Now, Pay Later. Frankie Rullo stars on vibes, xylophone, bongos, cow bells, rhythm drums—anything we put in front of him. The rest of the team included Hubert Anderson, Earl Backus, Jose Bethancourt, Russell Crandell, John Frigo, John Gray, Donald Knapp, Martin Rubenstein, Robert Wessberg and David Poskonka.

The idea of making lush quiet music with hammers, or beating up a storm with sticks, is second nature to Dick Schory, our leader. He just naturally expresses himself with mallets. In addition to masterminding the musical adventures of his New Percussion Ensemble, he also drums a wide swath through: The Chicago Symphony, radio and TV commercials, and the Ludwig Drum Company, Dick is one of those who keeps several careers boiling at once. You might see (or more likely, hear) him any place in the country. He might be conducting percussions seminars as Educational and Advertising Director of Ludwig in one city, giving a serious concert with his boys in the next, or doing a TV jazz program in yet another. There are very few who better understand the chain reactions of combining percussion colors and rhythms—as explosive specialization which Schory says he can express most fully on recordings.

WORLD’S BIGGEST HI-FI
It is true that the big gong may be the world’s biggest sounding sound on record. But so is the sprightly music all around it. It has a sound and a size which cannot be duplicated by any other group, any place, on any other record (except perhaps Schory’s first volume*). The secret? … The magnificent, specious acoustics of Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the luscious Schory instrumentation. The result? … How can we describe it? Autumn in New York was never mellower; A Foggy Day was never brighter. It’s a whole brace of top pop melodies set in fresh new sounds for the young at heart.

-Bob Bollard

* Also hear Dick Schory’s MUSIC FOR BANG, Baa-rOOM AND HARP (LPM-1866)

Side 1
Caravan (Ellington, Tizol, Mills)
Speak Low (Weill, Nash)
South Rampart Street Parade (Allen, Bauduc, Haggart)
Walkin’ My Baby Back Home (Turk, Ahlert)
Fascinating Rhythm (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin)
Safari Anyone? (Stevens)

Side 2
A Foggy Day (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin)
Autumn in New York (Duke)
Fly Now, Pay Later (Stevens)
I’ll Remember April (Raye, De Paul, Johnston)
Tortilla (Simpson)
Stranger in Paradise (Wright, Forrest)

Produced by Bob Bollard

Recorded in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
Recording Engineer: Lew Layton

IRWIN KOSTAL arranged Caravan and Autumn in New York
MIKE SIMPSON: Walkin’ My Baby Back Home, South Rampart Street Parade, A Foggy Day, Tortilla
WILLIS CHARKOVSKY: Speak Low
RUSS CASE: Fascinating Rhythm, I’ll Remember April
GILBERT STENES: Stranger in Paradise, Fly Now, Pay Later, Safari Anyone?

Instrument inventory: Piano • Celesta • String Bass • 2 Guitars • 2 Banjos • Harp • Complete Dance Outfit • Piccolo Xylophone • 3 Standard Xylophones • 4 Marimbas • 4 Vibraphones • 3 Sets Orchestra Bells • 2 Sets Chimes • Tuned Cow Bells • 12 Timpani • Piccolo Snare Drum • Tenor Drum • 2 Alto Snare Drums • Field Drum • Concert Bass Drum • 4 Tuned Tom Toms • 3 Conga Drums • 2 Sets Bongos • Timbales • 6 Tuned Rhythm Logs • Claves • Guiro • Maracas • Boo Bam • Soprano Steel Drum • Alto Steel Drum • Bass Steel Drum • Tambourine • 3 Woodblocks • 4 Triangles • Catanets • Temple Blocks • Wind Machine • Small, Medium and Large Gong • Giant 6-foot Gong • 5 Suspended Symbols • Double Cymbals • Antique Finger Cymbals • Sleigh Bells • Slapstick • Police Whistle • Siren Whistle • Assorted Sound Effects.

Our thanks to the Ludwig Drum Company, Musser Marimba Company, G.C. Jenkins Company, and Wanger Music Equipment Company for use of their fine products.

IMPORTANT NOTICE—This is a “new Orthophonic” High Fidelity recording, designed for the phonograph of today or tomorrow. Played on your present machine, it gives you the finest quality of reproduction. Played on a “Stereophonic” machine, it gives even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. You can buy today, without fear of obsolescence in the future.

1/1 #windycity (320kbps, 75.2MB)

2008-11-08T07:06:00.001-05:00

Dick Schory’s New Percussion Ensemble
Music for Bang, baa-rOOM and Harp
RCA Victor LSP-1866, 1958

Dick Schory is a classically trained percussionist whose work with the Chicago Symphony and the Ludwig Drum Company led to the formation of the New Percussion Ensemble. This is his first album for RCA, and it’s a highly-dynamic, Living Stereo percussion spectacular. Though briefly available on CD, it’s now out of print; this transcription is taken from the original 1958 vinyl.

Original liner notes:

STOP CODDLING YOUR HI-FI SET!
There are sounds in this album never before heard in the home. Tap dancers haven’t, to my knowledge, been recorded before—at least not two of them on the stage of Chicago’s immense Orchestra Hall, surrounded by twelve working percussionists.

But the taps are only incidental. And possibly there are some die-hards who are not entranced by the idea of two live hoofers in their living room anyway. Basically, this is a record of what happens when a dozen virtuoso percussinoists are turned loose on two truckloads of instruments or bang.

All the tunes are “pops” except on (Typee*)… the arrangements, as uninhibited as possible. Several are even danceable, depending on how you dance.

It really did take two moving vans to arm us with instruments—and these were in addition to the regular complement of timpani, chimes, gongs, etc., already housed at Orchestra Hall. The vast stage which comfortably accommodates the full Chicago Symphony was a jam-packed jigsaw puzzle of xylophones, marimbas, chimes, tambourines, tom-toms and tam-tams. Two guitars, harp and bass were the only plucked hybrids.

Two large banquet tables were crammed with the little gadgets: blocks, horns, slapsticks, whistles, poppers, tuned automobile brake drums. Some had probably never seen a microphone before—the musical logs on Baia, for example, antique finger cymbals, and one polished metal item none of the musicians could identify. When conductor Dick Schory appeared with the scores he nonchalantly identified it as a manifold from a 1946 Chevrolet… and handed its music to percussionist number 7. Between takes the men dashed for the tables to sort cut their ammunition for the next number.

Microphone placement was more like planning football plays than a recording session. There were twelve completely different mike set-ups and balances, one for each selection. The movement of men and matériel was a major undertaking for every number.

The original idea was to avoid a set “orchestra.” Each of the four arrangers was to feel free to use percussion in any combination. They did! If one number called for three oversized marimbas on the left, for the next tune they were replaced with two fat sets of pedal kettle drums. (I think it was this no-hold-barred feature which persuaded Skitch Henderson to compose and arrange two selections for us.)

Mostly we used as few microphones as possible, balancing the blend by changing the grouping rather than with the easy but treacherous “add-another-mike-for-what-you-don’t-hear” approach. A three-track Ampex was used and mostly Telefunken 47’s, wide open.

We experimented.

In spite of all the hoopla there have been precious few real explorations of stereo during an actual recording session. It can get mighty uncomfortable for arrangers, engineers, musicians and producer feeling their way into new territory when a slip can cost thousands. But the superficial gimmick of hearing something “different” from each speaker is a shallow excuse for stereo, a trick which wears thin very quickly.

The big contribution of stereo is space. It’s true that stereo can “place” different instruments on opposite sides of your living room. But only when each instrument or group is surrounded with its own envelope of space do we get the real, live, round sound. Without the sense of space around and between we just have two monaural recordings playing side by side.

That’s why we tried movement—tap dancers ricocheting from one side to another (Buck Dance), and drummers marching in from a distance (National Emblem March). We tried to utilize space—two complete sets of dance band drums battling it out from different positions (Duel on the Skins). (We cheated on Tiddley Winks, which called for a soft-shoe chorus. We used sand blocks; the live dancer we tried with real sand on the floor just sounded gritty.)

And there were other effects, some subtle (April in Paris), some contrapuntal (Skitch Henderson’s Holiday in a Hurry), and some just plain corny (Way Down Yonder in New Orleans)… all with the help of the remarkable acoustics of Orchestra Hall. This famous concert hall is a phenomenal and sensitive sound setting, one which very possibly can’t be matched anywhere. Moving a microphone or instrument only a couple of feet one way or another can change tone color and texture.

There were many factors which made this recording possible, many people who resonded above and beyond the call of duty. Mr. George Kuyper, Manager of Orchestra Hall, heads the list. Joe Wells and his Chicago crew handled the engineering. Charlie Pruzansky somehow managed to snatch the three-track equipment still warm from Van Cliburn’s New York recordings and have it appear at 7 a.m. Monday morning in Chicago. The Ludwig Drum Company and the Musser Marimba Company both put their splendid instrumental resources at our disposal. And there was the man who kept pumping coffee into us for the two days we didn’t see daylight.

An approximate instrument inventory:

Piano; String Bass; 2 Guitars; Banjo; Harp; 2 Complete Dance Outfits; Celesta; 3 Vibraphones; 3 Xylophones; 2 Marimbas; 2 Sets Orchestra Bells; Chromatic Cowbells; 8 Timpani; 4 High Tom-Toms; 4 Low Tom-Toms; 4 Medium Tom-Toms; 3 Snare Drums; 2 Field Drums; 2 Tenor Drums; Concert Bass Drum; Scotch Bass Drum; Bongo Drums; Conga Drums; Quinto; Boo Bam; Timbales; Rhythm Logs; Maracas; Guiro; Claves; 2 Pr. Antique Finger Cymbals; 6 Pr. Double Cymbals; 8 Suspended Cymbals; Boka-di-Bok Cymbals; 4 Gongs; 5 Temple Blocks; 4 Woodblocks; 4 Tambourines; 4 Triangles; 4 Pr. Catanets; Auto Brake Drums; 3 Auto Horns; 2 Slapsticks; Rachet; Bell Plate; Anvil; coo-Coo Whistle; Siren Whistle; Slide Whistle; Assorted Sound Effects.

The New Percussion Ensemble is the creation of Dick Schory, a uniquely talented young man to whom percussion has become a way of life (see cover). His group of twelve has been together almost two years. Many divide their time between the Chicago Symphony and the top recording and broadcasting bands. Ed Metzenger, Reiner’s top timpanist, is considered a dean of the percussive art and started many in the group on their present careers.

Dick Schory also appears with the Chicago Symphony, composes, conducts, has lecture tours, writes books, is advertising and educational director for Ludwig. The impressive thing is—he does these all at once.

--Bob Bollard

* Typee: An original by Schory and Christian based on Melville’s book of the same name which describes the author’s four-months captivity by a primitive tribe of savages living in the valley of Typee on the island of Mukuheva, one of the Marquesas islands in the South Seas. The music is meant to describe the setting of Typee, with its exotic environment and hostile population.

Recorded in Orchestra Hall, Chicago, June 2 and 3, 1958.
Produced by Bob Ballard

Side 1
National Emblem March (Bagley)
Baia (Barroso)
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans (Creamer, Layton)
Ding Dong Polka (Charkovsky)
April in Paris (Harburg, Duke)
Holiday in a Hurry (Henderson)

Side 2
Buck Dance
Duel on Skins (Christian)
September in the Rain (Dubin, Warren)
Tiddley Winks (Charkovsky)
The Sheik of Araby (Smith, Wheeler, Snyder)
Typee (Schory, Christian)

Arranged by Mike Simpson (1, 5, 7)
Arranged by Dick Schory and Willis Charkovsky (2)
Arranged by Bobby Christian (3, 8, 11)
Arranged by Willis Charkovsky (4, 10)
Arranged by Skitch Henderson (6, 9)
Arranged by Dick Schory and Bobby Christian (12)

Willis Charkovsky (piano)
Harold Siegel (string bass)
John Frigo (string bass)
Earl Backus (guitar, banjo)
John Gray (guitar)
Russell Crandall (harp)
Carol Baum (harp)
Bobby Christian (percussion, drums-8)
Edward Metzenger (percussion)
Dale Anderson (percussion)
Hubert Anderson (percussion)
Frank Rullo (percussion, drums-8)
Bob Wessberg (percussion)
Tom David (percussion)
Jim Ross (percussion)

1/1 #windycity (320kbps, 72.8MB)

2008-10-30T06:22:00.000-04:00

Al Anthony
Swingin’ Hi-Fi
Liberty LRP 3090, 1958

Al Anthony is a multi-instrumentalist, though the focus here is on his easy swinging organ playing. This copy of Swingin’ Hi-Fi has some wear that wasn’t easily removed; it’s quite listenable, but you’ll notice patches where surface rubs make several rotations.

Original liner notes:

Al started playing the organ in a Waukegan, Illinois church at the age of twelve. After graduating from high school, he attended college in Minneapolis, studying music and playing football. Deciding his future lay in the music field, he left college and formed a trio which won him popularity in supper clubs in Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and eventually the West Coast.

Al spent the entire 1956 winter season laying at the Hotel La Paz in Palm Springs, California, where he won the title of “Palm Springs’ Most Popular Entertainer”… and the summer seasons of ’56 and ’57 gaining new fans in Paris, Copenhagen, Rome and other European resorts. Guest appearances on Hollywood television shows followed and led to his own West Coast TV show, motion pictures, a recording contract and now, his first and very exciting Liberty album—“Swinging’ Hi-Fi.”

Al Anthony’s musical diversity is well displayed in this album… clever tricks and a crazy humor in “You’re Driving Me Crazy”… an authentic Latin touch in “Baia” and “Tropical Merengue”… spectacular wind, storm and even sea gull effects are produced by the Hammon in “Ebb Tide”… his obvious love for progressive jazz in “Ev’rything I’ve Got Belongs to You”… a “rockin’” arrangement of “I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love With Me,” happily dedicated to his teenage fans… and, if you are lucky enough to have this album in stereo, you’ll swing back and forth from speaker to speaker in the Al Anthony original “Swingin’ Hi”… actually written during one of the recording sessions.

Here, in your hands, is the musical personality of Al Anthony… filled with musical enthusiasm and closely integrated with Howard Roberts’ guitar, Mel Lewis’ drums and Buddy Clark’s bass—and all Swingin’ Hi to the fresh arrangements of the gifted Al Anthony.

Side 1
Vanessa (Doris Fisher, Fred Fisher)
Carmelita (Percy Faith)
I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love With Me (Sammy McHugh, Clarence Gaskill)
Camptown Races (Foster)
Tropical Merengue (Rafael Munoz)
Baia (Ray Gilbert, Ary Barrosa)

Side 2
Sabre Dance (Aram Khatchaturian, Arr. Al Anthony)
You’re Driving Me Crazy (Walter Donaldson)
Ebb Tide (Robert Maxwell)
Ev’rything I’ve Got (Belongs to You) (Rodgers, Hart)
Swingin’ Hi (Al Anthony)
Eleanora (Arendo)

Producer: Ted Keep
Cover Art: Bill Pate
Engineer: Ted Keep

Transistorized Spectra-Sonic-Sound… The Ultimate in High Fidelity

1/1 #waukegan (320kbps, 69.8MB)

2008-10-26T07:55:00.000-04:00

Marty Gold and His Orchestra
Sticks and Bones
Vik LX-1126, 1958

Marty Gold was a pianist, composer and band leader who worked early on with big bands and as an arranger at Decca. He moved to RCA (of which Vik was a subsidiary label), worked with the Three Suns and as a staff arranger for many others, and recorded a series of orchestral space age bachelor pad LPs such as this one.

Original liner notes:

For those familiar with any or all of Marty Gold’s previous Vik albums, it should be enough said that STICKS AND BONES measures up to the best of his brilliantly talented maestro-arranger-composer. For those meeting Marty for the first time, this collection opens the door on an instrumental setting of the highest charm and fidelity.

In this album, some of the most sparkling effects are produced by an inventive spotlighting of the percussion and trombone (“bone”) sections. Woodwinds have been blended into a smoothly satisfying mixture with the pretty gongs of vibes and triangles and assorted drummer “sticks.” Once again, Marty Gold has succeeded in exploring a new dimension of orchestral sound within the popular music framework.

Like the sound itself, Marty has tastefully concocted his program of twelve numbers out of a recipe of standards and some original material. His arrangement of King of the Mountain is a colorful comment on Grieg’s Hall of the Mountain King classic, while Star of Evening is a lovely interpretation of the well known Wagnerian melody. In his own composition, the album’s title song, Marty displays his light, swinging touch in a characteristically striking arrangement.

In every groove, in fact, Marty impresses with the fact that all that’s Gold glitters with individuality and imagination.

Herm Schoenfeld (Variety’s veteran observer of the Tin Pan Alley Scene)

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City. Arranged and conducted by Marty Gold. Produced and directed by Herman Diaz, Jr.

Side 1
King of the Mountain (Edward Grieg, Marty Gold)
All I Do is Dream of You (Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown)
Ramona (Mabel Wayne, L. Wolfe Gilbert)
You’ve Changed (Carl Fischer, Bill Carey)
On the Alamo (Gus Kahn, Isham Jones)
Sticks and Bones (Marty Gold)

Side 2
Limehouse Blues (D. Furber, Phil Braham)
Comes Love (Brown, Tobias, Stept)
Autumn in New York (Vernon Duke)
Star of Evening (Richard Wagner, Marty Gold)
Love for Sale (Cole Porter)
Smoke Rings (Ned Washington, H. Eugene Gifford)

1/1 #bigapple (320kbps, 72MB)

2008-10-17T06:47:00.000-04:00

Harry Breuer and His Quintet
Mallet Mischief Vol. 2
Audio Fidelity AFLP 1882

Breuer was a master percussionist, particularly with mallets. He not only recorded under his own name, but also performed in vaudeville, early radio broadcasts, and films, and wrote a series of educational materials, many of which remain in print to this day. This is his second album, and is a high-powered percussion extravaganza that doesn’t sacrifice musicality for spectacle.

Original liner notes:

Originality is a rare thing in music. Composers, conductors and interpreters are constantly searching for new subtleties of expression, unusual styling, something different. There are just so many ways of performing a composition. Except for minor variations in style, most musicians confine their efforts to fairly conventional standards and let it go at that. Harry Breuer, however, is an exception.

Harry Breuer would have been in his element on the memorable occasion when Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture had its world premiere and startled an audience with the blast of a genuine cannon which the composer had incorporated into his original score. Not that Breuer is given to admiring noise making. On the contrary, he is a musician who, seeking to exploit a much-neglected medium in music, chose three percussion instruments and charted new paths of expression on all three. The instruments he selected are the marimba, vibraphone and glockenspiel, which have been relegated to that group of orchestral instruments that most conductors haul out only when they want to give audiences a taste of novelty. Harry Breuer has converted this taste into a basic diet. Probably the most noteworthy compliment paid him came from a fan who had heard his quintet perform and said: “You don’t just listen to this man’s music making; you become infected with it.”

People everywhere, since time immemorial, have found it hard to resist tapping their feet or otherwise keeping time to music with some kind of noise maker. The development of percussion instruments has seen the invention of no less than three hundred types of objects using practically every kind of material known to man—skin, wood, metal, glass, fibre, bone and even liquid. The music lover of today who would like to be in the shoes of the cymbalist in Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony, of the tympanist in Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, or of the triangle player in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gregel has much in common with his ancestor who beat two pieces of wood, bone or metal together to keep time during a tribal dance.

Of the great variety of percussion instruments that have been devised through the years, precious few survive in the modern symphony orchestra and jazz band. The more common ones—tympani, drums tambourine, triangle, cymbals, bells and chimes—are heard chiefly as supplementary instruments. Only in recent years have a few composers seen fit to orchestrate for the more unusual percussion instruments like castanets, marimba, vibraharp, glockenspiel, blocks, sticks and rattles. And here also, with few exceptions, these instruments are generally treated as “second class citizens” in the instrumental family.

In spite of the fact that relatively few instruments have a wide variety of multiple sound effects, the marimba, vibraharp and glockenspiel have been wantonly neglected. It is difficult to understand the reason for this, considering the vast potential of tonal range and dynamics afforded by these instruments. For many years composers and performers alike were content to accept the simple wooden block construction of the marimba and vibraharp; and when they used these instruments it was usually a kind of humorous effect. Today, as a result of considerably more knowledge about the nature of acoustics and tonal dynamics, these instruments have achieved more serious consideration. An increasing number of modern and contemporary composers have assigned more prominent roles to them, and a number have even written solo works featuring them.

Probably the principal reasons why the marimba, vibraharp and glockenspiel have come into their own are the recognition by musicians of the multi-tone possibilities they offer, the wide range of tonal effects that has been opened up through the amplification of the live through electronic techniques, and the application of the double and bounce beat (on the marimba and vibraharp). The latter has come about through the borrowing of the drummer’s technique. It has involved not only the actual technique of striking the instruments with mallets with the double and bounce beat as used on the drum, but also the invention of the so-called cross-hammer technique—a system that calls for crossing the arms when one plays in higher or lower registers .All of this has enabled the performer to achieve greater speed, more complex harmonies and a larger variety of dynamic effects.

Not content with the inconspicuous place accorded the marimba, vibraharp and glockenspiel, Harry Breuer has explored new tonal worlds through his stunning arrangements and his interpretation of many popular favorites on marimba, vibraharp and glockenspiel. Many fascinating effects are achieved in this recording, which contains some delightful compositions and provides a perfect showcase for the three instruments played both as solos and in ensemble. Breuer and his quintet display some dazzling pyrotechnics in the TV Funeral March and the famous Hora Staccato. The lyrical beauty of La Paloma and the Pavane is captured to best advantage on the vibraharp, to which is added an intriguing kaleidoscope of tonal color and technical wizardry with the addition of marimba and glockenspiel. And you’ll fairly jump to the volcanic energy of Down Home Rag.

The interesting ting about this recording as a whole is its exploitation of tuned percussion instruments, which present an entirely different tonal and acoustical experience from ordinary percussion like drums, cymbals, triangle, etc. The unusual subtleties of each of the three instruments in the high and low registers, of loud and soft tones, and of technical intricacies are captured here with matchless perfection, where they might otherwise be totally lost (to the naked ear, or in a recording of lesser quality with respect to sound engineering techniques). Here, indeed, is a collection of selections that is calculated to meet the most exciting standards of Hi-Fi enthusiasts.

Harry Breuer acquired a solid musical grounding through the study of violin before he decided to switch to percussion instruments. As conductor, arranger and performer he has appeared with his quintet on the Steve Allen TV show, in a number of other top video and radio programs, and has been kept busy with studio, transcription and motion picture work. He has written numerous works, including study material, for all mallet instruments (marimba, vibraphone and glockenspiel). A native of Brooklyn, Breuer started his professional career as xylophone soloist in movies and vaudeville. He made his radio debut during the early days of broadcasting on the A & P Gypsies show, the Cliquot Club Eskimos and other popular programs of the day. Later he joined Roxy’s Gang as soloist at the Roxy Theater in New York, and subsequently appeared at the Radio City Music Hall. His motion picture credits include performances in short features for Warner Bros., Educational Pictures and Soundies. For some years he was staff musician at the Warner Bros. studio under David Mendosa and at Fox Studios under Erno Rapee. This was followed by a period as staff musician at the NBC Studios. He is considered one of the country’s leading authorities on mallet instruments.

Side 1
Farmerette (Breuer, Frey)
Pavanne (Gould)
Dainty Miss (Barnes)
Fiesta De Oro (Breuer, Frey)
Fiesta Waltz (Breuer)
Hora Staccato (Dinicu, Heifetz)

Side 2
Paloma Beguine (Breuer, Frey)
TV Funeral March (Breuer, Frey)
Down Home Rag (Sweatman)
Minute Merengue (Breuer, Frey)
Tropicale Stephanie (Breuer, Frey)
Boommerang (Breuer)

1/1 #brooklyn (320kbps, 62.9MB)

2008-10-11T09:22:00.003-04:00

The Three Suns
Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’
RCA Victor LSA-2532, 1962

The Three Suns broke out in the mid-40s with their own “Twilight Time” (co-written by the group and Buck Ram), and continued cranking out instrumental records through the ‘50s and into the ‘60s. This LP, from 1962, is their entry in RCA’s “Stereo Action” line (which also featured LPs from Esquivel, Bernie Green and others), with arrangements built to maximize the soundstage, both by placing instruments broadly across the stereo image, and by panning instruments as they play. As they say, it’s “the sound your eyes can follow.”

Original liner notes:

RCA Victor Stereo Action – The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow
Stereo Action is a new concept of music in motion; a new dimension in recorded sound. Stereo Action brings you unmatched fidelity through the full sound spectrum, plus the exciting new illusion of sound in motion. Soloists and entire sections of the orchestra appear to move thrillingly back and forth across the room. Stereo Action is musical movement so real, your eyes will follow the sound.

Sound, Dimension and Movement find the Three Suns once again Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’. Add to this—Performance brilliante, Blend araomatique, Taste magnifique—and we sit down to a Suns-Stopper.

The imaginative artistry of Al Nevins is again combined with the magic of arranger-composer Charles Albertine and, for the first time on records, that talented team—which gave NBC-TV its theme music for Midnight Movie (Alone with the Blues) and Movie Four (Night Theme)—paints a picture for us in true depth of focus. Albertine has extended his musical thinking into fresh and unexplored worlds with his exciting arrangements for this stimulating new medium, Stereo Action. A very special bow to Alan Lorber (one of America’s youngest arrangers) for his help musically in making this album possible.

The musical core of the Three Suns—the familiar guitar, accordion and organ—has been here augmented by an extraordinary assortment of instruments, including jaw bone, wind bells, chains, tapping shoes, harpsichord, ad infinitum—all gliding and sliding in a whirlwind of pattern and a maelstrom of motion, sometimes subtly and variously violent, but always Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’.

Recorded in RCA Victor’s Studio A, New York City. Recording Engineer: Ray Hall. Mastering: Dick Gardner.

The Story of Stereo Action
Stereo Action is a revolutionary new concept of stereo recording in which instruments, singers, whole sections, and even full orchestras are placed into movement so that the listener has, literally, music his eyes can follow.

Stereo Action is a conscious and deliberate effort to set music in motion by utilizing actual movement of instruments and sounds from one speaker to the other, and even, at times, suspending an instrument or sound between speakers. It is a pioneering concept in stereo listening, and resulted from years of extensive experiments and remarkable technical break-throughs by the RCA Victor corps of engineers.

Stereo Action requires a wholly new approach to recording. Musical motion is first conceived by the composer and arranger. Every note of the music to be recorded must be scored with Stereo Action in mind, as if it were a new and dominating musical instrument or voice. An elaborate system of charting each and every instrument for proper stereo placement guides the actual scoring. In addition to the musical annotation, a companion series of non-musical diagrams for the studio work is developed.

This wedding of musical artistry and electronic creativity produces Stereo Action – literally, the sound your eyes can follow.

Side 1

April Showers In this evergreen, the accordion is surrounded by solo and bass guitar sliding from side to side. There is a brief duet between the melody organ, with an obbligato, and a second organ, ad the arrangement moves into a double-tempo bridge. The accordion and organ carry the melody, while the guitar, harpsichord and marimba move in syncopated figures from speaker to speaker.

Caravan Against a Far Eastern backdrop of rhythm, guitar and chromatic bongos, the melody is introduced by the high-pitched nasal organ. A living caravan of sound passes the “listening” eye, beginning with the Jew’s-harp and chromatic cowbells, followed by the koto guitars and tambourine, and, finally, tuned temple blocks, twisting and turning through a very real procession. The feel of the number shifts with a humorous swing guitar solo and moving chromatic bongos. The second chorus is a ping-pong effect of organs and accordion swinging from side to side in mimicry of the swinging camel gait. The number ends with a return to the original caravan sound.

Autumn Leaves The falling leaves whirl around and through the speakers in startling clarity and movement, with two marimbas and harpsichord serving as dramatic background for a beautifully executed accordion solo. The guitar takes the melody for a while, and the second chorus is introduced with bass accordion playing melody and two new guitars added to the delicate background.

Dancing With Tears in My Eyes In this number we have a tap dancer, with the solo guitar as dancing partner. The organ takes the melody for awhile, is briefly interrupted by a swinging staccato accordion, and then goes into a ping-pong routine with the guitar. The tap dancer (a pair of real tap shoes handled by a percussionist) closes the number with some fancy footwork from speaker to speaker.

Jungle Drums The hot, exotic feel is created by chromatic bongos, timbales and Spanish guitar, while the bass accordion takes the melody, and the bamboo drum and log drums move through a very real jungle. A solo melody guitar takes over with the Flamenco guitar playing a rhythmic backdrop, accentuated by wood blocks, marimba and harpsichord combination in constant motion. After a brief interlude by organ and blending bass guitar, the number ends with the original jungle sounds.

Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’ Charles Albertine specially created this number as a sprightly vehicle to demonstrate the full mobility of Stereo Action used to the nth degree.

Anniversary Song This side features movements from left to right and right to left, etc., with two marimbas and harpsichord playing cascading figures in the background and a highly stylized accordion playing melody in the center. The organ joins the pattern in the second chorus, playing the melody in unison with the accordion, while a second organ ad libs figures from speaker to speaker. In the next chorus, the organ takes over the melody while two new guitars—a fourth higher, in “F”—play double-time figures in the background. The side ends with a return to the cascading figure pattern.

Side 2

Beyond the Sea A moving background of bamboo wind bells, jaw bone, kettledrums and organ rolling from side to side faithfully reproduces the sounds of sea and surf behind the centered melody, carried first by the bass accordion and then by the regular accordion, with chromatic bongo punctuation. In the release, the guitar carries the melody line, with percussive overtones from the chromatic wood blocks and chromatic bongos. The arrangement returns to the opening effect with the addition of a marimba in the background and a dry organ taking over the melody for a while. The release is repeated, with a harpsichord melody complemented by a twangy bass guitar. Finally we return to the original mood in closing.

Some of These Days The accordion carries the melody, accentuated by a percussive bas guitar and regular guitar swinging from side to side. Then the organ takes over, with a happy background-guitar figure. The arrangement switches to a honky-tonk harpsichord solo, and then returns to the original trio effect of accordion and two guitars.

Danny’s Inferno In this unusual adaptation by Charles Albertine, the full depth-of-focus effect of Stereo Action is captured. The opening sounds of the “Inferno”—African xylophone, timpani and the jaw bone of an ass—dramatically underscore the rapid-fire ping-pong of the melody, carried by bass accordion on the right and chromatic bongo and bass guitar on the left. The organ answers the melody with bass guitar punctuation, while the chains of the Damned are dragged back and forth in an almost visual effect. The arrangement returns to the opening Inferno effect, and then the organ breaks into a macabre jazz solo while a frightened-sounding guitar flies back and forth from speaker to speaker. The staging ends with a reprise of the first chorus.

The Vagabond King Waltz This number opens with a sweeping glissando movement on piano, xylophone and organ, in contrary motion. The solo organ takes the melody, while the piano spins an ethereal Chopinesque web around it and the staccato accordion joins in. An entirely new feeling is introduced as two guitars do a Spanish waltz behind the melody accordion. The side ends with a repeat of the opening glissando movement.

Stumbling After a short guitar introduction, the tap dancer reappears, stumbles his way through his routine, sliding and tapping from speaker to speaker to the melody of a syncopated accordion, accompanied by ping-ponging organs and guitars.

Side 1
April Showers (B.G. DeSylvia, L. Silvers)
Caravan (Ellington, Tizol, Mills)
Autumn Leaves (Prevert, Mercer, Kosma)
Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (A. Dubin, J. Burke)
Jungle Drums (Lecuona, Lombardo, O’Flynn)
Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’ (C. Albertine)

Side 2
Anniversary Song (A. Jolson, S. Chaplin)
Beyond the Sea (J. Lawrence, C. Tenet)
Some of These Days (S. Brooks)
Danny’s Inferno (C. Albertine)
The Vagabond King Waltz (R. Friml, B. Hooker)
Stumbling (Z. Confrey)

Song notes by Faith Whitehill
Produced by Nevins-Kirshner
Arranged by Charles Albertine

1/1 #aldon (320kbps, 87.7MB)

2008-10-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

Martin Denny
Exotic Percussion
Liberty LST 3168 (Stereo), 1961

I previously posted a mono transcription of this album, now I’ve found a stereo copy to share.

Cover shot courtesy of http://spaceage.streetnine.com/.

Side 1
My Tane (My Man) (Goupil, Gump, Noble)
Cumana (Allen, Spina, Hillman)
Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise (Hammerstein, Romberg)
Day Delight (Martin Denny)
Moonlight on the Ganges (Wallace, Myers)
Cherokee (Indian Love Song) (R. Noble)

Side 2
Misirlou (Russell, Wise, Leeds, Pina, Roubanis)
Anna (Vastro, Giordano)
Song of the Bayou (Rube Bloom)
Moonlight and Shadows (Robin, Hollander)
My Shawl (Adams, Berrids, Bugat)
The Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish (Dubin, Mercer, Warren)

Martin Denny (piano, celeste)
August Colon (bongos, congas, bird calls)
Julius Wechter (vibes, marimba, percussion)
Harvey Ragsdale (string bass, marimbula)
Frank Kim (percussion)

1/1 #exotica (320kbps, 71.4MB)

2008-10-05T23:26:00.000-04:00

The short hiatus turned out to be almost three months. Too many projects, too little time. Thanks for keeping an eye out for new posts - we have some great material lined up!

2008-06-27T02:35:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties Vols. 12-23

Unfortunately, transcribing volumes 1-11 has taken its toll, and I must stop for now. You can find all 23 volumes in this series on Lost in Tyme. No liner notes, but all the music. Thanks for sticking with the series through the first eleven volumes!

2008-06-26T01:06:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Eleven: Texas, Part One
AIP 10019, 1984

AIP’s eleventh volume in the Highs series was the first in an eventual five volumes on the Texas garage scene (Highs Vols. 11, 12, 13, 17 and 23). Pretty much what you’d expect – chock full of the tough weirdness that characterized the various manifestations of Texas punk.

Cover: Larry & The Blue Notes

Original liner notes:

Texas has long been recognized as the home of punk’s most demented geniuses, from Roky Erickson and the Legendary Stardust cowboy on down to the obscurest local bands whose records are among the most sought-after gems of the ‘60s. Even when they weren’t acid-driven loonies, they had a way with punk that was often harder, nastier than average.

The state had its quota of folk-rock, blues-rock, teen ballads, etc., but it’s the tough punkers we remember best. Another Texas specialty was psychedelic or acid-punk, but the best of those have been saved for a later LP in this series. For, despite the importance of Texas, large numbers of the best records remain un-reissued, or if they have been reissued, it has only been on collectors’ LPs of such extremely limited pressings that most collectors can’t even find them. It is our goal to rectify this situation, and give Texas its proper attention in the world spotlight, complementing the work of Doug Hanners, Peter Buesnel and other collectors who have done such a fine job of repackaging the J-Beck catalog (Bad Seeds, Liberty Bell, etc.) and some of the Houston bands.

Larry & The Blue Notes
Between 1962 and ’68 this Ft. Worth band was one of the area’s most popular, and recorded an impressive 12 records, some under other names such as the Bad, Larry Roquemore, and the Mark Five. Best known for the awesome, spooky “Night of the Phantom”, a top hit locally that was picked up for national release by 20th Century, their best record was arguably “In and Out”, inspired by the Yardbirds. This record was released no less than 5 times, with different B-sides. Well, actually different A-sides, since (like many of the best punkers of the ‘60s) “In and Out” was only considered worthy of flipside status. An interesting sidelight: this band toured for awhile as the Sir Douglas Quintet, while Doug himself was supposedly in the hoosegow on pot charges. (Thanks to Not Fade Away mag for this chewy morsel!)

The Buccaneers
This Dallas/Ft. Worth band borrowed “You Got What I Want” from the British group the Sorrows, who were one of the wildest mod-R&B-pop bands in the UK and had a hit with the song in late 1965. The Buccaneers took a few liberties with the song, changing the lyrics in the chorus. Though not quite as frantic as the original, this is a superb, raw version.

Kit & The Outlaws
An unchallenged classic. These guys summed up the attitude of teen rebels everywhere so definitively that it was even picked up by a major label for national distribution, and it could easily have been a big hit—but wasn’t. Nowadays it’s quite hard to find, although a new generation of bands has discovered it and recent recordings of the song (by the Gravediggger V, for instance) may succeed in breaking it yet.

The Chants
Little is known about the Dallas group who recorded this song, but it’s a tasty folk-punker in the same general style as the Painted Ship.

The Visions
From Mineral Wells came this hot little band, with one of the tuffest versions of “Route 66” ever heard. The song was a staple of garage bands everywhere, having been learned from the Stones and Them, who in turn borrowed it from Chuck Berry, who came up with the idea of making a rocker out of the original, mellow jazzy pop song of the ‘50s by Bobby Troup—who, incidentally, was married to Julie London.

The Esquires
Though obscure, this band from Irving, Texas had four different records out, all of which bore the same picture sleeve. Another of their songs, “Come On, Come On” has been reissued, but this marks the first reappearance of “Judgment Day”, a platter of raw nerve fiber if ever we heard one.

The Four More
In 1966 this crude punker was recorded in Kingsville, Texas by a young band who were around for a couple of years and made another record the following year after changing their name to the Chosen Ones.

Chaz & The Classics
Talk about cool! Songs with the number “13” were the mark of a true high school hipster in 1966 and the manic sounds on this track bear out the theory. This is snotty punk at its best, with just a tinge of psychedelia. The band, who matriculated in Houston, had at least two other records under the pithier appellation of just Chaz.

Terry & Tommy
Somewhere in West Texas these two characters, whoever they are, recorded at least one great folk-rocker which evaded collectors until very recently, when it was finally tracked down by a certain investigative dentist of our acquaintance. Originally on the A-OK label.

The By Fives
Another little-known group, they recorded one 45 in Dallas, Texas crude all the way.

The Staffs
Yet another great punk treat, somewhat reminiscent of the immortal blue Roads. “Another Love” was originally on the flip of a very nice Kinks kover, which we hope to bring you on a later volume of this series. The band was from San Antonio.

Five of a Kind
Dig the wyld guitar solo in this folk-punk anthem from Ft. Worth. Don’t know much about the band, but as the old saying goes, their music says it all.

Nobody’s Children
This could be one of our 10 favorite punk records of all time. For those who may think all garage bands sounded alike, just ineptly copying British groups, well, it’s songs like this that prove otherwise. You can’t even compare this with anything—it’s a little bluesy, the guy has suffered, but he’s screaming with blood-curdling teenage angst, drenched in psychedelic fuzz, and powered by an absolute monster guitar iff. The intensity of this performance is so palpable that one can easily imagine the singer ending up in a padded room, or becoming a sniper and going on a death rampage. He makes Johnny Rotten sound like a mama’s boy.

The Bourbons
We close with a snotty, nasy, arrogant testimonial from a gang of forgotten teen gods who were probably banned from every high school in San Antonio. This was their only release, on the Royal Family label in early 1967.

Side 1
Larry & The Blue Notes - In and Out
The Buccaneers - You Got What I Want (M. Dallon)
Kit & The Outlaws - Don't Tread on Me (K. Massengill)
The Chants - Hypnotized
The Visions - Route 66 (B. Troup)
The Esquires - Judgment Day
The Four More - Problem Child

Side 2
Chaz & The Classics - Girl of the 13th Hour
Terry & Tommy - It Ain't No Good
The By Fives - I Saw You Walking
The Staffs - Another Love
Five of a Kind - Never Again
Nobody's Children - Good Times
The Bourbons - Of Old Approximately

1/1 #lonestar (192kbps, 46.8MB)

2008-06-23T00:45:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Ten: Wisconsin
AIP 10017, 1984

AIP’s tenth volume in the Highs series once again took in a wide geographic swath, and in doing so took in a variety of sounds that stretched from Wailers’ like grinds to Mouse & The Traps-styled Dylan knock-offs, go-go rockers, folk-rock and neo-psych weird-outs. AIP dropped the track count from 16 to 14 on this volume, and note that track two, though titled “The Boat That I Row” and credited to songwriter Neil Diamond, is mistitled. This was apparently a mistake made on the original single, and no one’s absolutely certain of the song’s real title, though many anthologies have relabeled it “Anytime Anywhere.”

Cover: The Shag

Original liner notes:

In our journey through the garages of the Sixties, we come now to one of the great untapped territories. For reasons unfathomed, the music of Wisconsin is known far less than that of neighboring Minnesota, despite an active local music scene, the presence of recording studios and a number of prolific regional labels, among them Raynard, Sara, Tee Pee, Target, Teen Town, Citation, and Cuca.

The roots of garage rock punk can be heard in a great many of the records produced in Wisconsin in the years 1958-63: primitive live sound, surfish guitars, wailing saxes, and a reliance on instrumentals and rockabilly. The songs of Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Ritchie Valens, et al, were staples in the local dance halls, in a scene that must have closely resembled that of the Northwest, in musical purity as well as geographic isolation.

Milwaukee’s studios were a mecca for groups from surrounding states, as well as Canada. Many Minneapolis groups ended up on Milwaukee labels. But there was no shortage of local talent, from early on, as a recently released series of compilations, dedicated to rockabilly on the Cuca label, bears testimony.

When the wave of British rock broke upon this already healthy scene, up cropped a new generation of bands whose versions of Animals, Kinks and Beatles songs generally had a lot more raw energy than the typical covers from elsewhere around the country. Without the fuzz-boxes and loco weed of the Texans, the bands of Wisconsin managed a very creditable synthesis of British-inspired raw energy and classic punk looniness.

This album primarily covers the 1964-67 period, and only begins to scratch the surface. Many of the early-60s rockers also bear listening, and may be collected in future volumes of this series. There is also a great deal of later local music, but sad to say, by 1967 standards were dropping drastically in response to an influx of limp horn bands and dreadful harmony pop effects. While punk hung on well into 1969 in some areas, Wisconsin, which had started so early, was among the first to run dry. But never mind; what we’ve got is more than enough to bring Wisconsin closer to the center of the punk map of the Sixties.

The Shag
While not as famous as the Robbs, the Shag are one of the best-known bands to emerge from Milwaukee. Formed in 1964 by three ex-beatniks who were inspired by the Beatles, they were originally an amateur band playing art parties. Later, with the addition of Don Luther (bass) from the Bonnevilles, and songwriter/guitarist Ray McCall (Mike Lamers and drummer Paul Greenwald made up the rest of the band), they became one of the city’s leading teen bands. After an early 45 of Raynard (“Cause I Love You”, 1965) they auditioned for Capitol and the anti-drug song “Stop and Listen” was issued in October, 1967. Around the same time, McCall quit and the group moved to San Francisco where they hung out, got their minds blown, and returned home with face paint, beads, long hair, and the rest of their hippie kit bags. Gordy Elliott (later in HP Lovecraft) joined, but again in ’69 the lure of the west coast took the Shag away from Wisconsin and found them living in Marin County, playing clubs up and down the coast, including the Whisky A Go Go, but never recording again. Mike Lamers opened the famed clothing shop Mom’s Apple Grave, on Haight St., where Hendrix and other stars bought their fringed leather and luv duds.

The Wanderer’s Rest
A nice power-fuzz guitar adorns this grungy 3-chord punker, which however is notable for its Mod influences (how many Who-inspired bands used fuzz, anyway?) and authoritative style. The group made one other record, which, with luck, we’ll bring you on a future volume in this series.

The Young Savages
Are you ready to buy this premise? Here’s a guy who believes invaders from outer space are trying to take his girl away from him. He should’ve been locked up, but somebody let him make this record instead.

The Faros
These fabulous Faros turned in a wonderfully berserk reading of the Animals’ hit, combined with the Descendants’ “Lela”, and chock-full of flying fuzz. Boy, would I love to have seen them live… just imagine what they might’ve done with “Mystic Eyes”, “Heart Full of Soul” or “Rosalyn!”

Lord Beverly Moss & The Mossmen
Still in the Animals vein, with this pack of moss-covered high school aristocrats who put out this fine bluesy punker on the flip side of a really disappointing version of “The Kids Are Alright.” Listen for the freakout solo, which just edges this one into the Hall of Fame.

The Noblemen
This is an early release, dating from the first part of 1960—believe it or not! American punk in its pure form, released around the same time as the Wailers’ version, reminding us that for at least four years prior to the advent of the Beatles the dance halls of this country were rocking with monstrous sounds that, more than anything else, were the immediate ancestors of the Sonics, the Trashmen, Paul Revere & The Raiders, and, in fact, the punk spirit itself. Crank it up and let it wail!

The Hinge
Some decent fuzz guitar livens up this Appleton group’s rendition of a Young Rascals number.

Jack & The Beanstalks
Don’t know a damn thing about this group, except that both sides of their known single (on the mighty Le Ron label) are among the best to be found anywhere. “Don’t Bug Me” is no less than a primal anthem, while “So Many Times”, borrowing from the Stones and Yardbirds, should embarrass a modern “beat band” like the Romantics right out of show businesses…

The Trodden Path
The search for a new gimmick never ends, and these guys must’ve thought they had it when they combined the new folk-rock sound with the proven device of fake British accents. They were wrong, but that makes them all the more lovable, don’t you think?

Joey Gee & The Come-Ons
Let me ask you one question: do you think Joey Gee ever heard Bob Dylan when he wrote this song? It’s awfully reminiscent of Bob’s ditty about a graveyard woman (a concept worth of the garage, for that matter) but the sound of this record is pure upper-midwest R&B-surf, circa 1963. It’s just as likely that young Zimmerman passed through La Crosse, Wisconsin on his way to Highway 51, heard these guys, and remembered a cool riff that he used, a couple years later, either forgetting where he learned it or figuring nobody would ever trace it. Okay Weberman, let’s see you get to the bottom of this one!

The Deverons
On the other hand, this band took another of Dylan’s dirtier rockers and gave it a great fuzz-scream Wisconsin rendition. Incidentally, these Deverons bore no relation to the band of the exact same name, operating at the same time just across the border in Winnipeg, and including future Guess Who vocalist Burton Cummings.

The Love Society
Continuing our little Dylan-tribute, we’re proud to bring you one of the better impressions this side of Mouse & The Traps, and a nifty little baroque pop creation in its own right. The same group enjoyed some success toward the end of the decade with soft-rock renditions of “Do You Wanna Dance” and “Don’t Worry Baby.”

Rehabilitation Cruise
Finally, wrapping up this SuperSet, we bring you a sterling (and completely unknown) example of the anti-protest record (you know, like “Yellow Berets” and “Dawn of Correction”) by a buy who’s proud to fight for his country. On the B-side was a protest song against mini-skirts. This guy just couldn’t seem to find the right side of any issue!

Side 1
The Shag - Stop and Listen (Ray McCall)
The Wanderer's Rest - The Boat That I Row (Neil Diamond)
The Young Savages - The Invaders Are Coming (LaCour)
The Faros - I'm Cryin' (Burdon, Price)
Lord Beverly Moss & the Mossmen - Please Please What's the Matter (Mossmen)
The Noblemen - Dirty Robber (Brand Schank)
The Hinge - Come On Up (Felix Cavaliere)

Side 2
Jack & The Beanstalk - Don't Bug Me (Beanstalks)
Jack & The Beanstalk - So Many Times (Beanstalks)
The Trodden Path - Don't Follow Me (Trodden Path)
Joey Gee & The Come-Ons - She's Mean (Gee, Come-Ons)
The Deverons - On the Road Again (B. Dylan)
The Love Society - You Know How I Feel (Deliger/Steffen)
Rehabilitation Cruise - I Don't Care What They Say (L. Owen)

1/1 #oshkosh (192kbps, 45.0MB)

2008-06-21T02:19:00.001-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Nine: Ohio
AIP 10015, 1984

AIP’s ninth volume in the Highs series was another varied lot, taking in singles from a number of disparate Ohio scenes. Thought the Ohio sound isn’t as readily identifiable as those of Chicago or the Northwest, there’s a definite pop-edge to many of these tracks that also surfaced in better-known Ohio acts like The Outsiders and Raspberries. The folk-rock and British Invasion influences give many of these songs fetchingly bright melodies and harmonies, while still taking in the garage ethic of punk attitude and superb lack of production values.

Cover: The Gillian Row

Original liner notes:

Ohio

In this series we are looking at the local music scenes of the ‘60s, examining both the common threads and the individual patterns that emerge. Like the rest of the world, Ohio was profoundly affected by the British Invasion spearheaded by the Beatles in 1964. Prior to that, there was no shortage of bands, ranging from surf instrumentals to various remnants of ‘50s idioms such as rockabilly, R&B, twist bands, teen pop singers, etc.

Many of these enjoyed local popularity, but were in danger of being swept aside by the flood of British groups. Those who survived were those who adapted, and how they adapted is the story of regional rock. Generally, throughout the country, bands spent 1964 growing their hair out and practicing Liverpool accents. In ’65 the Byrds, Beau Brummels, Lovin’ Spoonful and others brought the merger of British beat enthusiasm and American folk music to the charts, and folk-rock was born. That in turn combined with the proto-punk posturings of blue-influenced British groups like the Stones, Animals, Them and Yardbirds to produce folk-punk and, with the addition of the fuzz box, pure American punk rock in 1966. Into this crept a psychedelic element that bore some curious fruit before degenerating, by the end of ’67, into pretty much unadulterated hippie swill.

This in a nutshell was the rise and fall of garage band music, and it followed the same pattern across the United States and Canada. Classic examples can be found from any region, with no hint of local variation. Only by looking at the total output of a given region can we draw any conclusions about its distinctive musical identity.

Ohio has much in common with the other industrial Midwest states, yet is musically distinct. There doesn’t seem to have been as much local music prior to 1964 as in some other regions; groups like Rocky & The Visions or Joey & The Continentals were merely local versions of Dion & The Belmonts or Joey Dee & The Starlighters. There was a fair amount of recording done, but few of what we’d now call rock & roll bands, compared with neighboring scenes like Detroit, Chicago, and Wisconsin.

Perhaps as a consequence, the influence of the British was more greatly felt. Ohio teens took British pop to heart; not just the sound, but the look, the Mod ethic if you will. For ten years and more the state was crawling with pretty-boy bands in shag haircuts, glam clothes, and songs full of harmonies and hooks. It’s no accident the Raspberries came out of Cleveland—they were the culmination of a local tradition that was spawned the day “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” was first played on an Ohio radio station.

Ohio produced some of the best Mersey-pop band in the ‘60s. We all know the Choir, Cyrus Erie, the McCoys, the Outsiders. On this album we hear some of the lesser-known ones such as the Pied Pipers, Chylds, Dagenites, Outcasts, Dantes, and Sound Barrier. Also included are interesting earlier recordings by the Squires, Denims, and Bocky & The Visions, along with punk sounds typical of those heard around the country, by the Possums, Tree Stumps, Deadlys, and Gillian Row.

There is a great deal more fine garage music in Ohio, and indeed distinctions could be made between the scenes in Cleveland, Youngstown, Columbus, Cincinnati, etc., but we’ll leave that for future albums.

The Deadlys
Like the Possums, this track comes from the excellent Hillside sampler album of Columbus bands. All the bands sound like they were recorded live in a basketball court, with one mike pointed away from the singer. But the Deadlys stand out from the rest with this nasty version of the Lovin’ Spoonful song.

The Gillian Row
There were very few bands in 1966 who didn’t play “Gloria”, and this bunch of high school hipsters from Dayton proves why this song had such appeal; it was a song anybody could sing, even if they couldn’t sing the blues, and make it sound raw and bluesy. This has to be one of the hippest versions extant, and when you take a look at the band’s picture (reproduced on the front of this LP) it’s sad to realize they’re probably settled down in the suburbs listening to Culture Club.

The Squires
Surf instrumental fans sould love this driving rocker with its spacy sound effects and strangely ramiliar lead run… yes, it’s Jeff Beck’s solo from “Train Kept a-Rollin’” as Dick Dale might’ve done it! The man responsible is Phil Keaggy, Youngstown legend who later fronted Glass Harp and is now a big star in Christian music.

The Denims
Primarily a dance band, these guys were popular in east coast discotheques from ’65 through around ’67, and recorded a couple of outstanding, haunting punkers including “I’m Your Man” (which can be heard on Mindrocker Vol. 7) and “White Ship” (Pebbles, Vol. 7). But they also had a penchant for commercial tie-ins, and between their recordings for Columbia and Mercury they found time to cut a disc for the Canton Textile Mille, “Salty Dog” (“inspired by the sudden popularity among young Americans of that new, all-cotton invention… Salty Dog SCRUBDENIM”) and still another disc singing the virtues of the Adler Sock. The latter, being their rarest, is included here.

Bocky & The Visions
Bocky Dee’o and his twist band were Cleveland hot-shots before the Fab Four came along, and they didn’t like the new sound at all, so they wrote this little song: “C’mon fellas, move over, don’t be so selfish… we did the twist and sung the shout long before twist and club it out.” Then they get threatening: “We’re takin’ our stand, this time you’re through. This is the beginning of the Twist & Shout War!” But at the end they soften and wish Liverpool lads “lotsa luck.” Sheer genius!

The Statesmen
Very likely this is the Baskerville Hounds, a Cleveland band who started around ’62 as the Tulu Babies, and also recorded as the Talula Babies, the Bittersweets, and possibly contributed members to the Dantes. Their version of “Stop Get a Ticket” came out a year or so after the Clefs of Lavender Hill’s hit, but there is a persistent story that the song was originally written by them, heard and later ripped off by one of the Clefs while visiting Cleveland. In that case, this could be the original version.

The Pied Pipers
A halfway decent version of everyone’s favorite Billy Roberts song (no, for the last time, Dino Valenti didn’t write it) by an obscure Youngstown band.

The Tree Stumps
These guys may not have been the greatest musicians but they sure knew how to dress—each in their corduroy jacket with a big “TREE STUMPS” crest on the pocket. Their dad paid for the record because no one else would.

The Dagenites
You Loved “I’m Gonna Slide” on Psychedelic Unknowns Vol. 3; now hear their other, rarer release, on a local Dayton label.

The Chylds
Joe Vitale was once a member of this Akron group who cut two records in 1967, “Psychedelic Soul” is to be avoided at all costs, but “Hay Girl” is good enough to qualify them for anyone’s Punk Hall of Fame.

The Choir
The definitive Cleveland pop band, they evolved out of the Mods and made a handful of 45s and an unreleased album before plucking singer Eric Carmen from Cyrus Erie and becoming the Raspberries. Their classic, “It’s Cold Outside” (Pebbles Vol. 2) has been widely covered, but only the Chesterfield Kings have dared tackle “I’m Going Home” which makes its first album appearance here.

The Outcasts
A Zombies-influenced, moody punk sound from Cincinnati, not to be confused with at least 18 other groups called the Outcasts!

The Sound Barrier
One of the most impressive Ohio records is this group’s 2-sided killer on Zounds. We heard “My Baby’s Gone” on Pebbles Vol. 8, now here’s the flip. A later 45, covering “I Can’t Explain” and “Greasy Heart” is a big disappointment, except for the picture sleeve showing them in paisley-soaked mod threads.

The Dantes
The pride of Columbus, they released 4 singles consisting mostly of almost-acceptable Stones covers, but they did have their moments, like “Top Down Time” (Pebbles Vol. 4) and this frantic soul-rocker.

The Human Beingz
Before rocketing to internationsl fame with “Nobody But me”, this band cut a few sides for local labels, mostly covers of Who and Yardbirds songs, of which this version of “Evil Hearted You” is typical, not only of the group but of Ohio’s fascination with the British sound.

The Possums
Returning to Columbus, we close with yet another version of “Stepping Stone”, again with that wonderful gymnasium echo.

Side 1
The Deadlys - On the Road Again (Sebastian)
The Gillian Row - Gloria (Morrison)
The Squires - Batmobile (Keaggy, Monus)
The Denims – The Adler Sock (Denims)
Bocky & The Visions - The Spirit of '64 (R. Bobbins, J. Harris, T. Styles)
The Statesmen - Stop and Get a Ticket (Travers, Coventry)
The Pied Pipers - Hey Joe (Billy Roberts)
The Tree Stumps - Jennie Lee (Ron Jankowski)

Side 2
The Dagenites - I Don't Want to Try It Again (Dagenites)
The Chylds - Hay Girl (J. Lepar, R. Fano, N. Boldi)
The Choir - I'm Going Home (Dann Klawson)
The Outcasts - Loving You, Sometimes (Hall, Collingsworth)
The Sound Barrier - Hey Hey (Paul Hess)
The Dantes - Can't Get Enough of Your Love (Harvey, Wehr)
The Human Beingz – Evil Hearted You (G. Gouldman)
The Possums - Stepping Stone (Boyce, Hart)

1/1 #dayton (192kbps, 50.3MB)

2008-06-19T01:45:00.001-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Eight: The South
AIP 10014, 1984

AIP’s eighth volume in the Highs series was a real surprise, featuring a wide variety of sounds from a line-up of truly obscure bands. The Ravin’ Blue manage both the Who-inspired “Love” and the Dylan-tinged “It’s Not Real,” the lyrics of the Gaunga Dins’ “Rebecca Rodifer” are amazingly dark, the Fly By Nites add some psych with “Found Love,” The Moxies buzz the garage with “I’m Gonna Stay,” and a whole lot more! One of my favorite volumes in the series.

Cover: The Guilloteens

Original liner notes:

Until now the South has been almost completely overlooked as a source of punk rock in the Sixties. As this album demonstrates, there was plenty of great teen music in the confederate states, but it didn’t come out of any one hot scene, as far as we can tell, or even a network of scenes such as Texas had. Leaving out Texas and Florida from our loose grouping of southern states, we’re left with a conglomeration of scattered records originating in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, the Carolinas, the Virginias, Arkansas, Tennessee, and most of Kentucky (Louisville belonging more properly to the Ohio scene).

The most familiar southern groups are those which came out of Memphis and Nashville. We think of the Guilloteens, the Gants, the Hombres… otherwise, the bands were spread out so widely over the rural regions that no scene was able to coalesce—at least, not so far as we know. No teen mags, no “battle of the bands” albums, no big regional hits have left their trace. Indeed, there’s hardly a soul in the world of garage band fandom with any reliable first-hand knowledge of what happened.

Sifting through the records that have surfaced from this area—and more are surfacing all the time—little pattern emerges. Successful regional labels, always a good source, were few if any. The university towns of Virginia and N. Carolina left a legacy of frat albums that were all evidently pressed at the same place. In Alabama, a group of labels of similar design offered an array of mostly weak, soul-watered bands. A few good bands crop up on soul or country labels like Paula, Monument, Hickory, etc. A lot of southern groups used horns and tried to be soulful, a ploy which rarely resulted in listenable music anywhere in the country, but unlike the Chicago bands who at least produced a strong commercial hybrid, the southerners just sounded limp.

Decent recording facilities, outside of Memphis and Nashville, must also have been hard to find. Some groups went to New Orleans to record, others to Texas, but omst headed straight to Nashville, the music capitol, where they found not only studios but all manner of hustlers who persuaded them to release their songs on their labels with guarantees of national distribution and promotion. Thus we can’t even identify the origin of many, many groups whose labels give Nashville addresses.

In assembling this album we’ve tried to give you a sampling of the best odds & ends of southern punk. There was an occasional fuzz-thumper, folk-rocker, psychosurf aberration, and while not typical of the south, they stand out as its most memorable relics. At the same time, the influence of soul and blues in the blood of southern boys sometimes bore strange fruit, like the Rugbys’ fine track included here.

When it comes down to it, no part of the country—or the world, for that matter—was untouched by the teenbeat explosion of 1965-67. Dig deep enough and you’ll find great punk bands everywhere. It’s time to start digging the South.

Ravin’ Blue
A high school band of unknown origin whose ability to add a psychedelic tinge to rousing folk-punk won them a 2-single deal with a country label in Nashville. Included here are both sides of their debut waxing, “It’s Not Real” with its Dylanesque blues harmonica, and the slightly Who-influenced “Love.” Their second record, done under a veteran rockabilly producer, actually features more of the psycho-delicacies, while these sides bear an independent production stamp, and were quite possibly their homemade demos.

Gaunga Dins
Now here’s a band we’d like to find photos of. They wandered around Louisiana for a couple years in the late ‘60s, wearing turbans and, who knows, probably loincloths. For that matter, we wouldn’t mind seeing some yearbook snapshots of Rebecca Rodifer, the babe who inspired this bright little ditty. Also here, to prove their punk credentials, is the flip side of their 2nd single.

The Midknights
One fateful day in 1965 or ’66, Style Records of Chattanooga, Tennessee signed a young band they must’ve thought were gonna blow the Beatles off the map. After winning the battle of the bands at their junior high school (the guys range in age from 12 to 15) they went on to city-wide championship and did a regional tour opening for The Guys Who Came Up From Downstairs. The tour wasn’t much of a success, as the headliners weren’t all well known outside their home town of Broken Pump, Iowa.

Fly By Nites
At least these guys were honest about their prospects for immortality. Or maybe the name was a reference to the kind of travel arrangements they preferred—after all, those red-eye flights are quite a money-saver. At any rate, they came from Georgia or Alabama, and where they went is anybody’s guess.

The Original Dukes
Not to be confused with any of the phony Dukes making the rounds, nor with Patty Duke, the Dukes of Hazzard, or the Duke of Earl (Vee-Jay 416), this band recorded in Nashville under the watchful production of Scotty Moore (the Guitar That Changed the World) and took the tapes back to their home swamp where it was released on the Down Home label. I kinda picture them in matching mohair sweaters, razor-cuts, Hush Puppies and shades, and who indeed could quarrel with the assertions of cool fro any band who sounded like this?

Skeptics
More evidence that those jolly ol’ Englishmen never invented anything. This catchy riff originated in Memphis, not a day later than 1967, and not only did it anticipate Marc Bolan by a good 5 years, but the Skeptics did a lot more with the idea anyway. Maybe if they’d had someone to advise them against that controversial title, they could’ve had a worldwide hit.

The Moxies
On Mox Records of Paducah, Kentucky… whew! Somehow they got a publishing deal with Gemco—maybe K-Mart hadn’t gotten into the music biz yet, but why didn’t they hook up with Col. Sanders? Just imagine the drumstick endorsements. Sorry, I’m rambling. Anyway these guys had at least two records, their other one was on the Happening Monza label of Nashville, but this was their best.

The Rogues
No mystery about this crew—they plied their wares in the bayous of Louisiana, and recorded this punk screamer for a Cajun label. What we’d like to know is, did they do anything else, and could they perhaps have some connection with any of the 17 other Rogues in our “Rogues Gallery”? If anybody out there has unreleased concert tapes of this band, be sure to contact us immediately—someone must, right?

The Hazards
This slice of recording history happened in Richmond, VA in late 1966, and was inexplicably beaten out in the carts by the likes of the Byrds, Love, Jimi Hendrix, and even Tim Rose. The Hazards are notable for their pronunciation of “Hand”, equaled only by the way they say “gonna”, which came out something like “guh-huh-unna.”

The Vikings
It would be most disappointing to learn these clowns didn’t wear antler helmets and animal hides on stage, after all that was one of the best things about the ‘60s, that groups knew they looked ridiculous, not like today when idiots like A Flock of Seagulls set fashion trends with far sillier ideas. Remember the Aquamen, who wore frog suits and seaweed hanging from their heads and shoulders? Or the Golliwogs, with those white fur hats (to counter the Palace Guard’s black & red Buckingham Palace duds, maybe) or the Monks, with the coolest tonsures of all time? And most of those groups were in hip, sophisticated California… There’s no limit to what a band like the Vikings couldn’t have got away with out in the wilds of Alabama, right?

The Surrealistic Pillar
It’s not always possible to pin down a release date, but it seems pretty clear this came out sometime subsequent to March of ’67, when the Jefferson Airplane’s second album was released. Like the Rogues, they hailed from Louisiana—in fact, they may even be the Rogues, with an updated moniker. Who the hell knows? Only Eddie Smith, who wrote the songs. Eddie, if you’re out there—give us a call!

The Rugbys
Ah, a famous group as last. Late in the summer of ’69 they got as high as #24 in the Billboard charts with “You, I”, followed by an album for the Amazon label. But it must have been considerably earlier when they cut this blistering blues rocker for Top Dog, a fairly active Kentucky label who recorded the Merseybeats USA around the same time—come to think of it, with a name like that and from the sound of “Walking the streets Tonight” 1964 would be a likely release date.

The Sants
Another Nashville label, two songs written by the guys who produced the session. What’s the story here? We may never know. Probably some hapless high school punk railroaded into putting the producers’ names on their best song; this snotty dirge could hardly have come from a songplugger’s satchel. In fact it’s hard to believe this primitive production was recorded in Nashville at all—sounds more like a barn.

The Guilloteens
Three lovable Memphis boys who were catapulted to fame when Elvis cited them as his fave local band, which led instantly to a deal as the first human group on HBR, a label whose biggest stars at the time were Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hond. Over the next two years (’66-66) they had a number of records that were popular in different regions of the country, an the group toured widely, but a big national hit never came and plans for an album were scrapped. Laddie Hutcherson, Lewis Paul and Joe Davis were never heard from again.

Side 1
Ravin' Blue - Love (A. Christopher, Jr., R. Bernard, L. Nix)
Gaunga Dins - Rebecca Rodifer (M. King, S. Staples)
The Midknights - Pain (Jerry Wallace)
Fly By Nites - Found Love (Fly-By-Nites)
The Original Dukes - Ain't About to Lose My Cool (Hickman, Sonday, Best)
Skeptics - Turn It On (Wayne Carson)
The Moxies - I'm Gonna Stay (G. Coryell, C. Cummings)
The Rogues - I Don't Need You (McDiarmid)

Side 2
The Hazards - Hey Joe (Billy Roberts)
The Vikings - Come On and Love Me (C. Putman, C. Nettles)
The Surrealistic Pillar - I Like Girls (Ed Futch, Eddie Smith)
The Rugbys - Walking the Streets Tonight (D. Sahm)
The Sants - Leaving You Baby (Cirrincione, Wimberley)
Ravin' Blue - It's Not Real (R. Bernard)
The Guilloteens - Crying All Over My Time (Dickinson, Hutcherson)
Gaunga Dins - No One Cares (M. King., S. Staples)

1/1 #masondixon (192kbps, 52.9MB)

2008-06-17T19:06:00.001-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Seven: The Northwest
AIP 10012, 1984

AIP’s seventh volume in the Highs series began what would become several volumes of exploration of original Northwest grunge. As the liner notes explain, an uncommon number of the area’s best sides were on major labels, and thus not the subject of this series. What was self-released by bands or issues on small indie labels weren’t nearly as rich pickings as other scenes; still, there are a few top-notch sides here, including the Jolly Green Giants rave-up “Busy Body,” the raunchy, super lo-fi “Come to Me Baby” by the Squires, the Lincoln’s trippy, manic “Come Along and Dream,” the disheveled beauty of The Night Walkers “Sticks & Stones,” the awesomely tough “Take a Look At Me” (with a truly inspired break that’s something like 14-beats long), and the completely surreal “Not Like You.” It’s not clear if the last one was originally recorded with the wavering speed or if the single was off-center when AIP remastered; either way, it’s way, way cool!

Original liner notes:

The Northwest Sound

Not every region of the United States had its own distinctive sound in the Garage Band Era (prolific as they were, places like Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, new England and Ohio certainly didn’t) – but everybody knows instantly what is meant by The Northwest Sound.

Take a loud, sloppy, grungy band, give ‘em an old R&B riff like “Louie Louie” or any Little Richard song, add a vocalist who has mastered the blood curdling visceral scream and an inept but deranged guitarist conditioned to spring into action at the words “Let’s give it to ‘em!”, and record the whole thing live in some teenage nightclub in suburban Oregon or Washington, and you’ve got the prototypical Northwest disc.

It became a matter of pride for the bands to outdo one another in greasy crudeness. The “frat bands” so common around the country would wither like pale slugs in the noonday sun before the onslaught of the least memorable band at any Northwest high school. Maybe it was the presence since the late ‘50s of such regional instrumental giants as the Raiders, Wailers, Ventures and others that taught area kids respect for a raunchy sax and powerhouse rhythm; whatever the sociological explanation, the Northwest had a standard sonic integrity dimensions beyond that which prevailed elsewhere. The best Northern bands, like the Sonics, hit realms of intensity unmatched by anybody, anywhere, anytime.

Another factor contributing to the quality of Northwest rock can be found in the commercial aspirations of many groups. The massive success of Paul Revere & The Raiders, the Kingsmen and others encouraged local bands to seek the same, kowing it could be done without diminishing their raw style. Unlike commercially-minded garage bands elsewhere, they didn’t even mess with folk-punk or the wares of professional songwriters; experience had shown them that all it took to succeed was a charismatic lead singer and a good hot riff. Within that formula they experimented endlessly, occasionally allowing a British influence to enter – the Zombies were more influential than the Beatles, Stones or Yardbirds, and of course the Kinks were recognized immediately as stepchildren of the Northwest sound (listen to the guitar break in “You Really Got Me”, not to mention its “Louie Louie” progression, and remember it was released a year after the Kingsmen’s “Louie”).

Yet another consideration is the availability of local recording facilities and record distribution channels. Seattle already had decent studios known since the late ‘50s for turning out national hits by local acts, and regional labels like Seafair-Bolo, Etiquette, and Jerden took an active interest in young groups, giving them access to good studios and experienced producers. Thanks to their prior successes, these labels had tie-ins with major labels and national distribution channels, plus clout with regional radio stations, so that a local hit could be easily built up to a tri-state smash, then leased out to one of the majors in hopes of hitting the national jackpot.

All of this gave incentive for bands to emulate and try to surpass their local heroes, and for labels to take chances with new bands. The Jerden company alone (including its various subsidiaries like Burdette, Panorama, and Piccadilly) recorded hundreds of local bands. This had much to do with the generally high quality of Northwest recordings, and also resulted in a shocking paucity of small local labels and group-issued records; whereas in most other parts of the country an average of 80-90% of local records were self-issued, in the Northwest the proportions were reversed, with nearly everything coming out on a fairly powerful indie.

Nevertheless, there were a few outstanding records on obscure labels throughout the Northwest, and on this album we have endeavored to round up some of our favorites.

Jack Bedient & The Chessmen
We have a somewhat perverse fondness for this group. Originally from Wenatchee, Wash., Jack and his boys specialized in ballads and lounge rock, migrated to Vegas where they picked up a sharp manager who kept them working from 1961 through at least the end of the decade—for all we know, they may still b there. Along the way they made at least three albums, maybe as many as five, on a variety of labels like Trophy (Sacramento), Fantasy (Berkeley), and Satori. These LPs were undoubtedly made to be sold at the lounges where they played, but they also released a plethora of 45s on all kinds of labels, including several on Columbia. Nearly all were pretty awful pop, but here and there they threw in a great, grungy rocker or cool folk-ro9ck Invasion type number, causing collectors now to pay far too much for their records in hopes of finding some of these amidst the dross.

The Jolly Green Giants
From their name, a clear nod to the Kingsmen, to their raucous dance style, these guys were a perfect exmple of the typical Northwest band. “Busy Body”, the flip of an equally nasty tune called “Caught You Red Handed” (which can be heard on Boulders Vol. 1) was released at the tail end of 196.

H.B. & The Checkmates
Ever in search of new ways to milk the “Louie Louie” riff, Northwest groups turned it inside out, upside down, added English accents, novelty lyrics, anything they could think of. This Oregon band hit on the idea of transposing it into a song about a girl, and thought themselves so original they took authorship credit. Recorded live, at the Cascade teen club.

The Wilde Knights
It ain’t as killer as the Raiders’ version, but this may well be the original. The record is impossible to date, however the group clearly features vocalist Rick Dey (formerly of the Furys), who did indeed compose the immortal tune in a flash of creativity, after listening to 96 different versions of “Louie Louie.”

The Chambermen
Naturally, folks got tired of hearing “Louie Louie” all the time. It was at such times that they liked to hear “Louie Go Home”, making it thus probably the second-most-recorded Northwest song (well, maybe third, after “Leaving Here”). These guys hailed from Spokane, Wash., and must’ve failed their Jerden audition because they put this one out themselves.

Jack Eely & The Courtmen
Jack was, according to most reports, the man who founded the Kingsmen and sang their classic (whose title escapes me at the moment…). Leaving the group shortly thereafter, he hooked up with a group called the Squires and recorded “Love That Louie” for RCA. It was a very garagy, but perfunctory rewrite of the hit, and RCA didn’t pick up the option. A year and a half later he was back on bang Records with a new group, The Courtmen, and a couple of singles that showed considerable improvement. As recently as 1983 he was circulating new demo tapes to record companies, and he may be back yet.

The Squires
Whether these are the same Squires who backed Jack Eely, we can’t be sure. This version of Huey “Piano” Smith’s great song is included as another example of how the Northwest style absorbed and maintained the raw spirit of early rock & roll. Also worthy of mention is the flip side, a version of “Big Boy Pete” which deserves credit s another monumentally influential song in this part of the world (cf “Jolly Green Giants” - ad infinitum).

The Sires
If better recorded, this would be one of the best Northwest punkers of all time. The group, whoever they were, showed up one day at a custom disc cutting place in Eugene, Oregon—the kind of place truck drivers go to make birthday records for their moms. For an extra fee, they even got a hundred copies pressed up on the company’s house label, and these were soon distributed to family, friends and neighborhood girls. Two years later, a crack talent scout from Frogdeath Records set out to find them—but they had vanished without a trace.

The Lincoln’s
This Vancouver group cut three records, including one on a national label (Dot) in 1966. This song however is their punkiest, and strangely enough was their last, appearing in early 1969. With its strong punk approach and fuzz guitar it sounds like prime 1966 stuff, but by then the world had changed. Maybe if they’d added some horns and a boozy-voiced funk singer they could’ve survived into the ‘70s, but the Lincoln’s chose to go out in style. Good for them.

The Express
Probably a Seattle band, the Express left little mark on the world other than this convincing rendition of the Kingsmen’s “Long Green”, which was, of course, merely “Louie Louie” sidewise with a dose of “Have Love, Will Travel” interjected perpendicular. It proved a durable combination, though, and the song was widely done, not only in the Midwest but around the country (see the Delights version of Vol. 4 of this series).

The Pastels
One of the more charming phenomena of the post-Beatle era was the use of fake British accents and names by hundreds of American teen bands, in evident hopes of being mistaken for Limeys—if not by the record-buying millions, then at least by some of the girls at their high school. The Pastels singer had mastered a particularly fruity semblance of the King’s English, displayed ingenuously on their two 45s, both custom pressed by Century.

The Night Walkers
A Longview, Washington group (on the misleading Detroit Records label), the Night Walkers settled for Old English script on their label. They must have realized their primitive recording techniques would never fool anybody, in fact their embarrassment over this record may have inspired the ruse of the label name. That way, they could tell people who complained about the record, “Hey man, that’s not us, it’s some Michigan group who ripped off our name.”

Mr. Lucky & The Gamblers
In 1964 this Newport, Oregon band had a hit with “New Orleans” on the United International label. When it hit #1 in Portland, they moved to that metropolis with dreams of becoming the next Kingsmen, and judging from their solid, raunchy sound, they must have been murder on stage. A couple more records followed, including this solid blaster that got picked up nationally by Dot, but the gamble didn’t pay off and Mr. Lucky (Mike Parker) ran out of luck.

The Bootmen
This Washington band emerged in 1964 with a single on Etiquette, then moved to the Riverton label for two more. This one, from March, 1966, is one of four favorite commercial punk waxings, like a mixture of the Raiders and Mitch Ryder.

The Rock-n-Souls
From Richland, Wash., comes this unusual record, described by one critic as “a blend of punk and the Doors/Seeds.” Whatever it is, it’s sure listenable.

Side 1
Jack Bedient & The Chessmen - Double Whammy (Jack Bedient)
Jolly Green Giants - Busy Body (R. L. Johnson)
H.B. & The Checkmates - Louise, Louise (H.B. Ahern)
The Wilde Knights - Just like Me (Dey)
The Chambermen - Louie Go Home (Lindsay, Revere)
Jack Eely & The Courtmen - Louie, Louie '66 (R. Berry)
The Squires - Don't You Just Know It (Smith, Vincent)
Jack Bedient & The Chessmen - I Want You to Know (Bedient)

Side 2
The Sires - Come to Me Baby (The Sires)
The Lincoln's - Come Along and Dream (Bobby Baxter)
The Express - Long Green (L. Easton)
The Pastels - Why Don't You Love Me? (The Pastels)
The Night Walkers - Sticks & Stones (McCasland, Hooper)
Mr. Lucky & The Gamblers - Take a Look At Me (The Gamblers)
The Bootmen - Ain't It the Truth (The Bootmen)
The Rock-N-Souls - Not Like You (S. Rogers, J. Kenfield)

1/1 #jetcity (192kbps, 52.9MB)

2008-06-16T19:14:00.003-04:00

Third 50!

Here are the third 50 posts to CUEBURN. Make sure and check out the great stuff further down the list, and let me know what you like – comments are appreciated and encouraging.

You can find an index of the second 50 here. You can find an index of the first 50 here.

P.F. Sloan Anthology
Various Artists Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich Masterpiece Vol. 1
Various Artists Chrome, Smoke & Fire
Various Artists His Restless Days – Jack Nitzsche
Various Artists Carole King Masterpiece Vol. 1
Various Artists Carole King Masterpiece Vol. 2
Various Artists Carole King Masterpiece Vol. 3
Various Artists Laguna Tunes
Various Artists David Gates Masterpiece
Rachel Sweet The Derrick Singles,1976-1978
OST Skaterdater
Freddy-Henchi & The Soulsetters Popcorn Baby 7"
The DeFranco Family Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat
Various Artists Boulders, Vol. 1
Various Artists The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll, Vol. 2
Living Strings Play "I'm a Believer" and Other Monkees' Hits
Living Guitars San Franciscan Nights
Various Artists Garage Punk Unknowns, Vol. 7
The Neats The Neats
Dynette Set Rockers and Recliners
The Nightcrawlers The Little Black Egg (Stereo)
The Shadows of Knight Back Door Men (Mono)
The Knickerbockers Lies
The Standells Rarities
The Soulful Strings Paint It Black
The Soulful Strings Groovin' With the Soulful Strings
The Soulful Strings Another Exposure
The Soulful Strings String Fever
Martin Denny Exotic Percussion
The Soulful Strings In Concert: Back By Demand
The Mike St. Shaw Trio The Mike St. Shaw Trio
Arthur Godfrey Bum-Deedle-Um-Bo 7"
Ken Nordine Sounds in Space
Muzak® New Dimensions, Volume 2
Muzak® Reveille
The Outsiders Time Won’t Let Me (Mono & Stereo)
The Outsiders Album #2
The Outsiders In (Mono & Stereo)
The Outsiders Happening "Live!"
The Outsiders Non-LP Singles
Gallery Nice To Be With You
Nick Lowe Labour of Lust
Various Artists Psychedelic Dream
Various Artists The Sound of the Sixties
Various Artists Highs in the Mid Sixties, Vol. 1: L.A. '65
Various Artists Highs in the Mid Sixties, Vol. 2: L.A. '66
Various Artists Highs in the Mid Sixties, Vol. 3: L.A. '67
Various Artists Highs in the Mid Sixties, Vol. 4: Chicago
Various Artists Highs in the Mid Sixties, Vol. 5: Michigan
Various Artists Highs in the Mid Sixties, Vol. 6: Michigan, Part Two

2008-06-15T01:35:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Six: Michigan, Part Two
AIP 10011, 1984

AIP’s sixth volume in the Highs series provided a second helping of sides from the Michigan area, with some more winners (including Suzi Quatro as bassist of The Pleasure Seekers)! Check the Volume 5 for Dick Rosemont’s scene-related liner notes.

Original liner notes:

The Yorkshires
These guys were regulars at the Cage-a-Go-Go, one of the hot Detroit teen clubs. Although they were among the most popular bands in the area, their fame never spread—until now.

The Underdogs
We met the Underdogs on a previous volume of this series. Now they’re back wit h the theme song of another top teen club, which became the home of Hideout Records, a local label that still survives as Bob Seger’s production company. The club, located at 7 Mild Rd. and Gratiot in the affluent suburb of Grosse Pointe, was home to many of the groups on this album, such as the Pleasure Seekers, Yorkshires, and the 4 of Us.

Jimmy Gilbert
Even such an expert as Mike McDowell draws a blank on this artist. On the little-known Darn-L label, unearthed by Old Weird Dave in RPM Magazine.

The 4 of Us
One of Detroit’s leading folk-rock exponents, heard here with their biggest local hit, recorded while they were at high school in Grosse Pointe. As a results of this record, they became regulars on “Swingin’ Time”, a local TV program.

The Masters of Stonehouse
A fine track from a group about whom nothing whatever has survived.

Renegades V
This fabulous rocker, with its wild surf guitar, probably dates from ’63 or ’64. According to some sources, the group later recorded as the Renegades IV and possibly as the Renegades.

The Bossmen
A prolific band from Flint (not Saginaw, as previously reported), they recorded for many labels including Dicto, Lucky 11, Soft, and Busy Bee. Group leader Dick Wagner played an active part in writing, producing and recording a great many other records from the northern part of the state before achieving greater fame with The Frost. “Fever of Love” is another of their fine rockers.

Blues Co.
Due to overwhelming reaction to “Experiment in Color” (Highs in the Mid ‘60s, Vol. 5), we present here its flip side, “She’s Gone” as well as their othe record, a fuzzy freakout called “Love Machine.”

The Blokes
A mystery record from 1967, with great protest lyrics and a powerful delivery for such a late recording. Nothing is known about the group, however the song was co-written by Dick Wagner (see above) and the team of Schwab and Hack who were behind Tino & The Revlons, an interesting group whose work may be heard on future volumes of this series.

The Chosen Few
We are chagrined to admit yet another group whose identity remains lost.

The Bed of Roses
This compelling acid-tinged instrumental was the flip side of a competent version of Dylan’s obscure “I Don’t Believe You”, but it’s this side that survives best. The group hailed from the frosty northern climes of Saginaw, whence they migrated to San Francisco during the “Summer of Love” in 1967. How do we know? Someone of our acquaintance actually met them there, panhandling on Haight St. and passing out copies of their record to anyone who showed interest.

The Chocolate Pickles
Another relic from the Darn-L label, long gone but no longer forgotten.

The Pleasure Seekers
There weren’t too many all-girl punk bands in the ‘60s, but each city seemed to have at least one, and this was Detroit’s. They were also one of the country’s best, as evidenced by early recordings such as the one included here, and to a lesser extent by their more commercial outings on Mercury. They played Monday nights at the Hideout, where their 15-year-old bassist worked weekends as a waitress. A few years later, clad in leather, she became the idol of millions as Suzi Quatro.

Side 1
Yorkshires - And You're Mine (Bruce Alpert)
The Underdogs - Friday at the Hideout (Dave Leone)
Jimmy Gilbert - Believe What I Say (Jimmy Gilbert)
Jimmy Gilbert - So Together We'll Live (Jimmy Gilbert)
The 4 of Us - Feel a Whole Lot Better (Gene Clark)
The Masters of Stonehouse - If You Treat Me Bad Again (E. Drake)
Renegades V - Wine Wine Wine (Aliday, Shine, Schwartz, Debaub, Haufler)
The Bossmen - Fever of Love (Jimmy Carver)

Side 2
Blues Co. - Love Machine (Blues Co.)
The Blokes - All American Girl (Schwab, Hack, Wagner)
The Underdogs - Don't Pretend (D. Whitehouse)
The Chosen Few - It Just Don't Rhyme (Hamilton, Nephew)
The Bed of Roses - Hate (Bed of Roses)
The Chocolate Pickles - Hey You (J. Boyar)
The Pleasure Seekers - Never Thought You'd Leave Me (Pleasure Seekers)
Blues Co. - She's Gone (Tim Ward)

1/1 #motorcity (192kbps, 52.8MB)

2008-06-13T00:44:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Five: Michigan
AIP 1007, 1983

AIP’s fifth volume in the Highs series ventured North to survey the Michigan scene that sprang from the suburbs of Detroit. There’s a lot of good material here (I'm particularly fond of the Byrdsian cover of "Baby Blue" by The 4 of Us), and terrific notes from Dick Rosemont. The mastering leaves a lot to be desired however, with some choppy source material, misbalanced channels and a high level of tape hiss. Not unlistenable, but you’ll need to think “patina.”

Original liner notes:

MICHIGAN PUNK ROCK
BY DICK ROSEMONT

SUBURBAN DETROIT
Detroit proper never had much of a local scene (other than Motown, of course). Everything came from the suburbs, but it was called Detroit. The suburbs are Detroit—to some. Ann Arbor is Detroit. To the rest of the country, Detroit was Motown Records. But out beyond the inner city lay a punk scene that was to emerge as one of the most vital, creative, and musically unique of all regional scenes of the Sixties.

Before 1964, the area had its handful of high school bands, playing the usual teen hops and annual State Fair. “Battle of the Bands” competitions. If you were lucky, you got to accompany a local DJ at the Walled Lake Casino or Motor Cithy Roller Rink. These spots were greasy all the way; always full of the rebellious youth that characterized the era—Michigan had its American graffiti too.

The rise of a tangible local scene paralleled the development of the Hideout teen clubs and record company. Dave Leone and Ed “Punch” Andrews recognized the potential for a regular club featuring live bands. They had been impressed with a group called the Fugitives, out of Birmingham, and set them up at a rented hall in Harper Woods. Opening night of the Hideout (“It sounded like a good name…”) in May of ’64 brought 87 people and two fights. But here was this band playing songs like “louie Louie” and doing things people had never heard before on stage. The word spread; two weeks later, 337 teenagers showed up.

Suddenly there was an organized spot for kids to go on Friday nights. The Hideout thrived; and in addition to growing audiences, there were growing numbers of local bands. The Hideout spurred this growth, although with the onset of the British Invasion and rampant teen mania, the timing was right. One of the first regular Hideout bands was the Pleasure Seekers, formed by a former Hideout concession stand cashier—Suzi Quatro.

The Fugitives went on to become the name band in the area. Originally called the Tremelos, they were 5 innovative high school students, who you’d se in class Monday despite the fact you’d seen them on stage as stars Friday night. The core of the band (Gary Quackenbush, Glen Quackenbush and Elmer Clawson) later evolved into the Scot Richard Case (with of course Scott Richardson). They were into the Pretty Things and Cream before anyone had heard of them. When Fresh Cream became popular, people still associated “I’m So Glad” with the case due to their previous cover version.

THE BOOM BEGINS
By 1965 there were countless punk bands popping up, particularly in the richer suburbs of Grosse Pointe, Birmingham, and Bloomfield Hills, where parents could shell out $1000 for equipment and not miss it. High school sock hops were passing up DJs as attractions and offering “Live Bands!” Other clubs were started—the Hullabaloos, the Crows Nest, the Pumpkin, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Teen Center. A second Hideout opened in Southfield, drawing over 600 the first night. It seemed as though everyone and his brother was in a group.

Most bands at this time built their reputations through live appearances as opposed to radio exposure. Motown was the only major label and they were all-black at the time. Local labels soon came into being, however—although more for the purpose of promoting the groups than to seek hit records.

Dave Leone started Hideout Records right after the club hit. Previously he had produced the Fugitives on D Town (a small R&B label) but the records had no distribution. The few copies pressed were passed around town to promote the band and are virtually impossible to find today. The first Hideout release was an album titled The Fugitives at Dave’s Hideout. The record itself was technically awful—a basement recording fed through a PA at the Hideout and re-recorded with enthusiastic crowd reactions. The material ranged from “Love Potion #9” and “Louie Louie” to originals like “Friday At The Hideout.” 500 copies were sold for $3 each at the hall.

The first Hideout single also has an interesting history. The Underdogs, a Grosse Pointe band, had become popular at the Hideout and Leone wanted more exposure for them. A friend supplied an “original” poem that was set to music and recorded. “Man in the Glass” was then subjected to a massive promotional campaign. It started to get airplay and was even picked up by Reprise Records. Then Leone discovered the lyrics were cribbed verbatim from a poem used at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings! He was forced to let the record die.

The Underdogs later became one of the first white acts signed to Motown. “Love’s Gone Bad” on their VIP subsidiary was quite popular and a fine cover of the Chris Clark song.

As the demand for bands grew, disc jockeys started etting involved. For his part in helping get a record played, a DJ would ask the group to appear with him at one of his self-promoted hops. A number of acts got their songs played this way, such as Tim Tam & the Turn-Ons (whose Four Seasons-like “Wait a Minute” became a large regional hit) and the Shy Guys. The Shy Guys even re-cut their hit “We Gotta Go” with new lyrics about WKNR jock Scott Regan (“The Burger Song”).

The Reflections, like Tim tam & the Turn-Ons, were a singing group who appeared with other bands who provided instrumental backup. Their original hit version of “Just Like Romeo and Juliet” reached the Top 10 nationally in 1964. They put out many follow-up on Golden World and later ABC, but never scored again.

Golden World, their original label, was the product of Ed Wingate, who also headed Wingate, Ric Tic and other minor labels. The labels’ releases were mostly soul (Gino Washington, Edwin Starr, Detroit Emeralds) with a bit of jazz and rock.

1965-67 brought a steady stream of popular groups and hit records. The Tidal Waves and the Wanted scored with covers of “Farmer John” and “Midnight Hour” respectively, after being picked up by national labels. A punk band called the Unrelated Segments had a couple of fine hits, “Story of My Life” and a strange follow-up “Where You Gonna Go.” One of the few songs reflecting the British sound was the Human Beings’ (not to be confused with the Human Beinz, from Ohio) “Because I Love Her”, complete with 12-strong and fake accents. This was probably the best produced local record which never made it, despite being released nationally by Warner Brothers.

There were many other notable records that never got explosure. The groups that opened Hideout #2 both laid down fine original material, the Yorkshires’ “Tossed Salad” displayed strong vocal ability, while the Oxford Five’s “The World I’ve Planned” was smoothly catchy.

Regarding the Yorshires, I’m convinced they initiated the popularity of Them’s “Gloria.” After receiving the British single and working up the tune, they drunkenly got into an extended, “risqué” rendition, and from then on the song was notorious. Groups were even forbidden to play it at certain Catholic high schools! Unfortunately, the Yorkshires never recorded the song, and it took the word spreading to Chicago for the Shadows of Knight to cash in.

For fans of early Suzi and Patti Quatro, there’s the Pleasure seekers’ “Never Thought You’d Leave Me” and their later single on Mercury—two of the rarest Michigan records. Another Hideout release not to be overlooked was “Such a Lonely Child” (written by Bob Seger) by the Mushrooms, containing future Eagles member Glenn Frey. It was another pseudo-English production, this time reflecting the Kinks.

And the Motor City Five (MC5) wer even kicking around the studio in their early days. “One of the Guys” / “I Can Only Give You Everything” (the Them/Troggs tune) hinted at their transition from a soul group to a kick-ass rock & roll band. Their ultimate in high energy display has to be the early recordings of “Borderline” and “looking at You” on A-Square (tho actually put out by John Sinclair), both of which showed up in weaker versions on the albums.

FROM THE SUBURBS TO THE STREETS
1967 was the transition year, bringing the rise of ballrooms and flower children. Dave Leone, returning from National Guard active duty, found the Hideouts nothing like the way he’d left them, and was forced to sell out to Punch. Local groups split up as members graduated from high school. Clubs in rented halls faced moutning neighbor complaints… larger facilities were needed for growing crowds. National acts were becoming realistic attractions.

Nearly overnight, the Detroit scene focused on the Grande Ballroom, opened by a foresighted Dearborn schoolteacher-turned-entrepreneur: “Uncle” Russ Gibb. Many bands continued intact (Rationals, Woolies, MC5) while others modified (Fugitives t SRC, Frost to Bossmen, Scarlet Letter to Savage Grace). At the same time, a second wave of local groups blossomed. Bands like Brownsville Station, Amboy Dukes, Psychedelic Stooges, Sky, 3rd Power, Frijid Pink, Frut, Teagarden & Van Winkle, and the Up were born out of the ballroom days.

Theories abound as to why more Detroit acts weren’t successful nationally, from “the management never matched the talent” to “the talent was just a lot of energy.” A number of national labels—Cameo, Warner Bros., Capitol—made serious efforts to develop something out of the scene, but never came up with anything more than one-shot hits. All the same ,everyone seems to agree that the times were fun—and that, more than hit records, is what the Punk Era was all about.

The Mussies
Mystery group from west Michigan.

The Roadrunners
The second and best of their 2 singles is this raw version of the Bo Diddley/Pretty Things number.

The Unknown
Possibly the best rendition of this Michigan staple, done by nearly all the banes, and recently revived by the Romantics.

The Bossmen
Beginning in the early ‘60s, the Bossmen were perhaps Saginaw’s top band, and many of their singles are outstanding rockers, such as the Creedence-styled “Help Me baby.” They made at least 13 records before changing into the Frost in the late ‘60s, from which we’ve selected “I’m Ready” as a powerful rocker with period “bird dance” lyrics.

The Underdogs
Most of their output was of exceptional quality, and it was hard for us to pick one, but we chose “Surprise, Surprise” as a great Stones cover that few have heard.

The Run-A-Rounds
Another mystery group; they had 2 singles, both fine.

The Boss Five
Not much is known about this Detroit band, this is the flip of “Please Mr. President”, a classic punk novelty that can be heard o Psychedelic Unknowns Vol. 4.

The Rationals
Little need be said about this, one of Michigan’s top bands of the ‘60s. We offer here their rarest recording, a promo disc for Danby’s Men’s Shops which shows off their torrid R&B style better than any of their official releases.

The Quests
A high school band from somewhere in western Michigan, they made three brilliant 45s on the Fenton label, of which this is marginally the best.

Peter & The Prophets
A one-shot record from June of ’66 in a nice Byrds, 5 Americans kind of style.

The Jammers
The only release by this fine Dearborn group.

The Undecided?
Also from Dearborn, the flip of the classic “Make Her Cry” (which can be heard on the LP “Mind Blowers”).

The Legends
One of the most common group names of the ‘60s, but these Legends made on ly one record, this fine folk-punker. According to our info, they were formerly known as Traffic Jam, and also backed Ray Hummel III when he couldn’t get the Ju Ju’s.

The 4 of Us
A fairly prolific group known mainly for folk-rock, they also had some connection with the Fugitives, as their best song “You’re Gonne Be Mine” (Psychedelic Unknowns Vol. 3) appeared under both names. “Baby Blue” is one of the rarest tracks, never released on a 45, but only on a local compilation album.

The Blues Company
They only made two records, somewhere in the late ‘60s, but both are killer, acid-tinged freakouts.

Side 1
The Mussies – 12 O’Clock, July (The Mussies)
The Roadrunners – Roadrunner Baby (Thurman)
The Unknown – Shake a Tail Feather (Hayes, Williams, Rice)
The Bossmen – I’m Ready (Bartholimew)
The Underdogs – Surprise, Surprise (Jagger, Richard)
The Run-A-Rounds - I Couldn’t Care Less (Roy, Valente)
The Boss Five – You Cheat Too Much (Delorio)
The Rationals – Turn On (Rationals, Carrington)

Side 2
The Quiest’s – Shadows in the Night (R. Fritzen)
Peter & The Prophets – Don’t Need Your Lovin’ (Samuelson, Boylan)
The Jammers – You’re Gonna Love Me Too (Groendal, Snyder)
The Undecided? – I Never Forgot Her (Blackmer)
The Rationals – Little Girls Cry (Deon Jackson)
The Legends – I’ll Come Again (Hamberg, Vasquez)
The 4 of Us – Baby Blue (Bob Dylan)
The Blues Company – Experiment in Color (Tim Ward)

1/1 #motorcity (192kbps, 50.6MB)

2008-06-11T00:02:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Four: Chicago
AIP 1006, 1983

AIP’s fourth volume in the Highs series ventured to the Mid-West to survey the lesser known lights of the Chicago garage-rock scene. Jeff Lind's essay provides valuable insight into the musical strains that found a crossroads in Chicago, and gave the city its distinctive sound.

Original liner notes:

Chicago Rock: A Capsule History
By Jeff Lind

The city of Chicago borrowed heavily from many sources in attempting to forge its own musical identity in the ‘60s. Thanks to these influences (East Coast R&B, West Coast experimental sounds, the British Invasion, and particularly Chicago blues—plus an abundance of independent recording firms, producers, and talented groups, Chicago was able to fashion a highly individual and commercially viable sound even if the local scene never outwardly reflected it to the extent that scenes in Detroit and other areas were seen to flourish.

Let’s examine those influences as they applied to Chicago rock. Though the Windy City has been known since the mid-‘50s as one of the nation’s most fruitful R&B centers (thanks mainly to the efforts of Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler and Gene Chandler), the smooth, one might even say sophisticated sound they created, in contrast to the rough R&B of Memphis, Detroit and LA, was a direct outgrowth of the pioneering New York groups and producers, such as Leiber & Stoller and, in particular, their work with the Drifters. While never as popular with the white teenage groups as funkier James Brown type songs, this Chicago style of R&B helped build the city into a recording center. Mercury, one of the largest record companies, is based there, and usually picked up the better local groups for national exposure. Chess, one of the country’s most successful independent labels since the early ‘50s, was also based there. And literally hundreds of small, blues or R&B-oriented labels supported an extensive system of recording studios, mastering labs, pressing plants, and night clubs.

The British Invasion and the West coast scene (which introduced surfing in ’63, hotrod music in ’64, folks-rock in ’65, and acid rock in ’66) were a double-barreled influence that dominated rock in the ‘60s, especially in the Midwest where countless bands appeared, offering endless combinations and permutations of these influences.

But if any factor could be said to define Chicago rock in the ‘60s, and to set it apart from that of other cities, it was Chicago blues. The importance of local scenes is that they took these same influences (British and West Coast rock) and combined them with local culture to cause a proliferation of new styles and ideas in rock. In Chicago, blues was such a powerful influence that it eventually permeated all of ‘60s rock.

The importance of Chicago as a blues center needs no reiteration in these pages. Throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s, Chicago was the blues capitol of the world, with such legendaries as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry and others. Most of the these had brought the Mississippi Delta blues up with them and revolutionized the form by adding electric guitars, drums, and creating in effect the direct source of modern rock & roll. Most of the Chicago punk groups depended heavily on a blues/R&B repertoire—even the Shadows of Knight, the punkiest of them all, filled their LPs with Willie Dixon songs. Paradoxically, however, since nearly all the teen bands were based in the suburbs and the blues scene was restricted to the treacherous South Side where few parents would allow their offspring to go, there was little direct contact. The songs were known to the groups from airplay on local radio, but the blues scene itself was another world. Only a few local kids such as Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Elvis Bishop, Barry Goldberg, Corky Siegel and Jim Schwall got involved in the South Side scene, but it was their influence, along with others like Nick Gravenites, that made the blues such an integral part of American rock from 1967 onward. It’s even been said that, by drawing away the most “hip” and innovative young musicians, the local blues scene kept the Chicago rock scene from realizing its full potential.

At the same time, it should be noted that the blues influence, though it came from the South Side, reached many white teenage musicians via the English groups like the Stones and Animals who were more aware of the rich musical traditions in their own back yeard than the local kids themselves.

Postscript
Of course, Chicago also had its share of first rate garage punk bands; all the world knows the Shadows of Knight and all the great Dunwich groups, Saturday’s Children, the Knaves, the Rovin’ King, H.P. Lovecraft, the Del-Vets, the Will-O-Bees, and so many others.

The Chicago scene also included the Trolls, the American Breed, the Mauds, the Buckinghams, the Flock, the New Colony Six, Illinois Speed Press, the Dirty Wurds, the Exceptions, etc.

It was a busy, prolific scene with support from local radio stations and it produced some of the most enduring classics of the punk era.

The Little Boy Blues
Led by the multi-talented Ray Levin, they started out playing old Chicago blues, later branching out into jazz-flavored and classical styles on their long-awaited LP. Still, they are best remembered for their single “The Great Train Robbery” and their wild version of “I Can Only Give You Everything” (Pebbles, Vol. 2).

The Omens
A mystery group.

The Shaprels
Two records exist by a Wisconsin group with this name, but this one is on a Chicago label and is the best of the three anyway.

The Boyz
One of the best Chicago groups, they survived into the mid-‘70s and a whole side of their music can be heard on the 1976 LP “A Kiderian Records Sampler.”

The Misty Blues
Another mystery.

The Reasons Why
A favorite of ours, though we have been able to find nothing about the group.

Buzzsaw
Whether this or the Lemon Drops is the original version of the song is anybody’s guess. Both are great though; check out the Lemon Drops on Pebbles, Vol. 8.

The Todds
Apparently not to be confused with the Todds who had two 45s on Todd Records out of Nashville.

Group, Inc.
Known primarily for the Five Emprees, this was one of the odd releases on the Freeport label. Also the best.

The Foggy Notions
This is the flip of their classic “Need a Little Lovin’” (Pebbles, Vol. 10)

The Pattens
From Wheaton, Illinois, an early ‘60s recording of the great Gene Vincent standard.

The Malibus
Another early rocker from a Chicago group oddly named for a California beach.

The Delights
Chicago rock could be as grungy as anything out of the Northwest, as witness this cover of the Kingsmen song.

The Untamed
Another mystery.

Dalek: The Blakstones
We know of two releases by these guys, who according to rumor had some early connection with Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick.

Warner Brothers
This classic novelty is one of at least 9 releases by this duo whose recording career spanned many years.

Side 1
The Little Boy Blues – The Great Train Robbery (Jordan Miller)
The Omens – Searching (Revercomb, Allen)
The Shaprels – Dare I Weep, Dare I Mourn (The Shaprels)
The Boyz – Come With Me (Ron Bucciarelli)
The Misty Blues – I Feel No Pain (The Misty Blues)
The Reasons Why – All I Really Need is Love (Larry Basil)
Buzzsaw – Live in the Springtime (R. Weiss)
The Todds – I Want Her Back (Todd & Gluth)

Side 2
Group, Inc. – Like a Woman (Ron Ortega)
The Foggy Notions – Take Me Back and Hold Me (Suekof, Kaplan, Hoy, Mezique)
The Pattens – San Ma, Ma (The Pattens)
The Malibus – La Da Da (The Malibus)
The Delights – Long Green (Lynn Easton)
The Untamed – Someday Baby (Reeves, Drews)
Dalek: The Blackstones – Never Feel the Pain (G. Grlyan, J.B. Kargman)
Warner Brothers – Please Mr. Sullivan (Warner Brothers, Whiteside)

1/1 #secondcity (192kbps, 53.7MB)

2008-06-09T00:27:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Three: Mondo Hollywood A Go-Go
AIP 1005, 1983

AIP’s third volume in the Highs series completed their exploration of the mid-60s Los Angeles scene, with the musical sounds starting to turn towards sunshine flower pop and psychedelia. Though even with hippies and acid taking over, there was still time for some primal sounds, though it had mostly lost the garage sneer of 65-66.

Original liner notes:

The Giant Sunflower
The birth of flower-pop could not be better represented than by the Giant Sunflower, who released this ode to California’s leading commodity in March of ’67. In the best Hollywood tradition, it’s designed with calculated precision for a marketplace deemed ready for packaged grooviness. Unfortunately the small Take 6 label was unable to push it onto the charts.

Limey & The Yanks
This group will be familiar from Vol. 1 of this series. We have here their second release, from early ’67, a cover of the Marauders’ obscure “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” (Laurie 3356) which can also be heard on the German album Mindrocker, Vol. 3.

The Search
The brothers Jim and Paul Mannino led this rather obscure group who released two singles on local labels. “Climate”, their second, was on the flip side of a somewhat bemusing punk cover of “Mr. Custer.”

Research 1-6-12
More prolific than most, this band had three singles and an album, most of which had a folk flavor (sometimes bordering on weird flower-rock). “I Don’t Walk There No More” is their punkiest and probably best cut.

The Lyrics
Like Limey & The Yanks, the Lyrics will be remembered from Vol. 1, and they’ll also be remembered as one of L.A.’s most consistent bands, turning out four excellent records over more than three years. Heard here is their last release, from the tail end of 1967.

Kim Fowley
What can we say about Fowley that isn’t already legend? Hollywood in the ‘60s, ‘70s and still in the ‘80s would be unimaginable without his presence. Probing the absurd underbelly of rock, he has created some of the most sublimely ridiculous records/groups/hypes in rock & roll’s tacky history. If there wasn’t a trend to ride, he’d create one, as he did in the summer of ’67 when CBS news cameras found him a willing spokesmen for the latest wacky teen craze, standing among some flower-bedecked hippies in a Topanga Canyon field, explaining it all with the ease of a master.

The Flower Children
Along the same theme, here are the Flower children, a voice of their times, extolling the virtues of micro-mini dresses (which, in those days, were often worn with nothing underneath but Mother Nature…) with an oddly raw garage-R&B style that was decidedly recherché by early ’68.

Somebody’s Chyldren
This appears to have been either a Mike Curb studio group or a handy backing band used by a lot of Capitol-related artists in 1966. In the summer of that year, they backed up both Ian Whitcomb and Mae West, then went o later in the year or early in ’67 to put out this record on their own, both sides of which are powerful, folk-flavored, commercial punk rock. You know when you’re talking about a Golden Era when even anonymous studio groups sound this great!

Hunger!
Originally from Portland, Oregon, these guys (Mike Lane, Mike Parkinson, John Morton, Tom Tanory, Steve Hansen, Bill Daffern) came to L.A. to make it big in the happening scene, and may in fact have been originally discovered in Oregon by the small but influential Corby Records label, who maintained offices in both places. Once in L.A. they released a single and much sought-after album in late 1968. The album is overrated, containing mostly hard rock ala Steppenwolf, with some psychedelic twinges, but it’s saved by the inclusions of “Colors”, their first and best single.

The Fantastic Zoo
Don Cameron and Erik Karl were the creative force behind one of Colorado’s more impressive groups, the Fogcutters. When the latter band broke up in 1966, the two headed for (where else?) Los Angeles, where they regrouped as the Fantastic Zoo, cutting “Midnight Snack” in October of that year, in a sort of Lovin’ Spoonful style, followed in February ’67 by “Light Show” with its timely psychedelic effects. It’s also the only record we know of paying homage to the ubiquitous visual accompaniment that no rock show in the late ‘60s would dream of occurring without.

Time of Your Life
On the other side of a fairly decent version of the Zombies’ “You Make Me Feel Good” can be found this unusual, decidedly spacey, yet still garagey foray into the inner realms of mental Merseyside. When it failed to outsell “Light My Fire”, Time of Your Life were dropped by Ionic Records (a true pillar of the industry…) like hot potatoes.

The Human Expression
Punk, psychedelia, and sheer dementia are combined in distinctly L.A. style by the Human Expression, who had two impossibly rare singles on the Accent label. Influenced somewhat by the Seeds, they charted their own territory with songs like “Love at Psychedelic Velocity” (Pebbles 10) and “Optical Sound” (reissued on the LP Echoes in Time). Even their B-sides were great, like “Every Night”, a trippy psyche-punk ballad.

Hamilton Streetcar
If San Francisco could have Jefferson Airplane, L.A. wouldn’t be left out of any incipient trend toward anthropomorphic mass transit. During the late ‘60s this aggregation put out lots of 45’s and an album on a variety of labels, and much of this output was quite listenable. “Invisible People” is our favorite.

The Grains of Sand
We heard another track by the Grains on Vol. 1 of this series, and you may also have heard their classic “Going Away baby” on Pebbles, Vol. 1. While known primarily as a rough punk band with occasional folk flavoring, we’re quite partial to the latter song’s flip, “Golden Apples of the Sun”, and its more psychedelic approach.

The Painted Faces
This mysterious group were evidently a tax write-off for Mike Curb, who apparently picked them up from the small Qualicon label and went on to issue three superb singles before consigning them to obscurity. “Anxious Color” has become an acknowledged classic, appearing on more than one compilation album. Here we bring you a lesser-known gem, from their second release.

The Love Exchange
Along with flowers, love was the big buzz-word of 1967, and the feeling of love was offered with beguiling sincerity by a number of groups who featured male/female dual vocals, from Friend and Lover to the Gypsy Trips to this obscure group, who in late ’67 left the world with a warm, energetic folk-rock anthem that forms a fitting close to our nostalgic look at a year when things really were just a little bit groovier and music made it all come alive.

Side 1
Giant Sunflower – February Sunshine (P. Vegas, V. Geary)
Limey & The Yanks – Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Duboff, Morris)
The Search – Climate (J. Mannino, P. Mannino)
Research 1-6-12 – I Don’t Walk There No More (R. Bozzi, M. Yess)
The Lyrics – Wake Up to My Voice (C. Carli)
Kim Fowley – The Canyon People (Kim Fowley)
The Flower Children – Mini-Skirt Blues (L. Belden, S. Stoke, L. Starr)
Somebody’s Chyldren – I’m Going Back to New York City (David Allen)

Side 2
Hunger! – Colors (Mike Lane)
The Fantastic Zoo – Light Show (Eric Karl)
Time of Your Life – Ode to a Bad Dream (B. Renfro)
The Human Expression – Every Night (The Human Expression)
Hamilton Streetcar – Invisible People (R. Plummer)
Grains of Sand – Golden Apples of the Sun (M. Lloyd, Wallers)
The Painted Faces – I Think I’m Going Mad (O’Nell, Turano)
The Love Exchange – Swallow the Sun (John Merrill)

1/1 #bossangeles (192kbps, 53.5MB)

2008-06-08T00:04:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Two: L.A. ’66 Riot on Sunset Strip
AIP 1004, 1983

AIP’s second volume in the Highs series continues their exploration of the mid-60s Los Angeles garage rock scene, heavily influenced by the happenings on the Sunset Strip (including both the riots and the folk-rock sounds of The Byrds). The one-two of “Tell Us Dylan” and “He’s Not There Anymore” are among my favorite garage-pop songs from throughout the entirety of the Pebbles/Highs universe. The Tangents take on “Hey Joe” is a worthy competitor to the Leaves’ hit, the W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band’s version of “Stepping Stone” adds a nice helping of garage distortion to the (later) Monkees classic, and the ferocious organ-driven “Back Seat ’38 Dodge” isn’t your father’s hot rod song.

Original liner notes:

Terry Randall
When the largest of the recurring Sunset Strip riots took place in November, 1966, many people had the idea of commenting musically on this burning crisis facing the love generation; the Standells, obviously, but also some lesser-known artists including Terry Randall, who made his first and last recorded outing with “S.O.S.”, a classic teen protest song.

People Of Sunset Strip
Of all L.A.’s self-appointed teen spokesmen, Sonny Bono was by far the best at self-promotion. No sooner were the November riots reported on T.V. than he was down at Sunset and Crescent Heights with a remote crew, capturing on tape the thoughts, emotions, and cries of outrage as uttered by the actual kids themselves, to which he quickly dubbed a musical background and rushed it out to the radio stations. But unlike before, when he’d done the same with “Laugh At Me,” the stations declined to have anything to do with this controversial issue.

The Sandals
L.A.’s obsession with protest rock received a comment from The Sandals (previously known for their “Theme From Endless Summer”) in “Tell Us Dylan”, which was an oddly mesmerizing folk-rocker in its own right.

The Chymes
Girl groups were the exception in L.A., but like the 4 Making Do (heard on Vol. 1 of this series), The Chymes were among the few who tried to redress the balance. Howard Kaylan of the Turtles discovered and recorded this group, and co-wrote both sides of their excellent single.

The Bees
To this day, people shake their heads in wonder than any group of mere teenagers could have dreamed up the incredible “Voices Green And Purple” (heard on Pebbles, Vol. 3), which the Bees did on one of the rarest 45’s of the Sixties (it also came with one of the scarcest picture sleeves – only one known to exist). “Trip To New Orleans”, its flip, shows their roots in folk blues.

The Roosters
Much confusion exists as to the 6 or 7 records by L.A. bands all called The Roosters, complicated by romors of a Phoenix band of that name who relocated to Hollywood around the same time. The Roosters who did “One Of These Days” were possibly connected with another group, called The Five More (or Moore).

The Tangents
Many consider theirs the best version of “Hey Joe”; certainly it’s among the most interesting arrangements of this oft-covered standard. They had one other record, but this was their greatest achievement.

Ken & The Fourth Dimension
Ken was Kenneth Johnson, who wrote and produced records for many of the obscure groups around Los Angeles in 1965-66 – particularly those who recorded for his father’s Star-Burst label, such as Limey & The Yanks and The Avengers.

The W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band
Despite the name, this was not one of the many good-timey jugband-type bands who proliferated in ’65 and ’66. They were a teen band who simultaneously held commercial aspirations and underground pretensions, as evidenced in their double-entendre song, “Hippy Elevator Operator” (as you might expect, she had her “ups and downs”). Their career began auspiciously with a fine version of “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” which, we’re pretty sure, was the first recorded version by anyone, well ahead of the Monkees, Raiders, and Sex Pistols.

The Satans
Without a doubt, this gorup’s “Makin’ Deals” is one of L.A.’s all-time punk classics, having assumed legendary status since being reissued on Pebbles Vol. 1. here at last is the flip side which, we’re sad to report, is the last remaining evidence of this amazing band.

The Dirty Shames
More folk-punk from a band that gave us only one record, a two-sided classic now very difficult to find. Their hard yet melodic sound is very typical of 1966, before the onslaught of psychedelia.

The No-Na-Mee’s
A cryptic names go, this was one of the best. And so was their record, which is also among the rarest to come out of the city in the ‘60s.

Opus 1
The era of psychedelic punk arrives with this record, taking a typical teenage theme (girls, cars, and the back seats thereof) to realms that would have been unimaginable even a year earlier.

The Second Helping
Three excellent punky folk-pop records were all issued by this group, and the truly amazing thing about it is that they were all written by none other than Kenny Loggins, whom we may surmise was also the singer and group leader. Another sad commentary on the decline of just about everything since the ‘60s (as if we needed any more reminders…).

The Grim Reepers
Coming at the end of the year, this was a real throwback to an earlier phase of crude, raunchy punk, proving once again that no matter how progressive things get, there’s always a need for the raw stuff.

The Nite Walkers
In line with the above comments, we close the album with a delightfully primitive plagiarism of “Gloria” by a Downey group who, we can only hope had no connection whatsoever with the Carpenters. Long live 1966!

Side 1
Terry Randall – S.O.S. (R. Benjamin, R. Tennes)
People Of Sunset Strip – Sunset Symphony (People Of Sunset Strip)
The Sandals – Tell Us Dylan (Fredenucci, Georis)
The Chymes – He’s Not There Anymore (N. Garfield, H. Kaylan)
The Bees – Trip to New Orleans (R.F. Wood, T.R. Willsie)
The Roosters – One of These Days (Tim Ward)
Tangents – Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go? (Dino Valenti)
Ken & The Fourth Dimension – See If I Care (K. Johnson)

Side 2
W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band – I’m Not Your Stepping Stone (T. Boyce, B. Hart)
The Satans – Lines and Squares (Satans)
The Dirty Shames – I Don’t Care (M. Wons, B. Larson)
The No-Na-Mee’s – Gotta Hold On (D. Wareham)
Opus 1 – Back Seat ’38 Dodge (Opus 1)
The Second Helping – Let Me In (Ken Loggins)
The Grim Reepers – Two Souls (J. Sturgis, G. Magie, M. Paterson)
The Nite Walkers – High Class (Nite Walkers)

1/1 #bossangeles (192kbps, 55.8MB)

2008-06-07T01:35:00.000-04:00

Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume One: L.A. ’65 Teenage Rebellion
AIP 1003, 1983

In the early ‘80s, Bomp resurrected the AIP label and began releasing Pebbles-like compilations that focused exclusively on U.S. garage rock, with a particular city or regional theme per volume. The set kicked off with a three-volume sweep of Los Angeles. Highlights on this debut include The Grains of Sand’s garage-pop “That’s When Happiness Began,” written by The Adrissi Brothers, the Gypsy Trips’ “Ain’t It Hard” weds=ding the atmospherics of Phil Spector with the boy-girl folk-blues of Richard & Mimi Farina, the Rumors’ “Hold Me Now” with an opening riff borrowed by Paula Pierce for The Pandoras “I’m Your Girl,” and the awesome Stones homage, “The World Ain’t Changed Now” by Warden & His Fugitives.

Technical note: AIP’s mastering abilities and the quality of some of their source material was limited. In transcribing these to digital, some pops and clicks have been removed (though many remain). Some were from the original sources, some were from the AIP vinyl – it’s hard to know which are which. In general I think the result is better, but you be the judge:

Would you prefer additional volumes in this series to be transcribed as-is, with both the source and vinyl defects left intact?

To help you decide I’ve included two versions of the last track. One is the original transcription, the other has been processed. Leave your vote in the comments section.

Original liner notes:

If any city can be said to have set the style for America's go-go teens in the 'a60s, it would have to be Los Angeles. Oh, New York had its girl groups, Detroit its heavy metal soul, Chicago its horn bands, Cleveland its Mods, the Northwest its mastery of "Louie Louie" and Texas its legions of acid casualties. But Los Angeles had all this and more; it was the Land of the Rising Trend.

We all know the story of how rock & roll came bursting simultaneously out of the swamps of the South and the streets of Brooklyn and south Philly. But by the early '60s, thanks to the surfing craze, the nation looked west for the latest sound, the newest look, the next craze.

England distracted our gaze in '64, but when infatuation turned to inspiration, the spotlight was on L.A. At first, American bands tried to ape the British, with little imagination or success. But by '65, American ingenuity had turned the basic beat band archetype – 4 guys in suits, fluffy hair and chirpy smiles – into something altogether new: punk rock.

That spirit of rebellion that had manifested in the '50s, turning Eisenhower America into a Blackboard Jungle of juvenile delinquents, motorcycle hoods, surly morons with greasy hair and shining switchblades capturing the media as well as the pulse of youth, was on the rise again. In the garage band it found the ideal outlet.

The definitive garage punk bands came from L.A.: the Seeds, Standells, Music Machine, Sons of Adam, and many more came roaring out of L.A.'s palm-lined suburbs. The Standells were in many ways the perfect punk group: snotty, grungy, full of frustration and rejection of all they saw, they spoke for American kids the way the beatles or Stones never could. The Seeds, too, could only have come from Los Angeles; their sound, so raw and unique owed nothing to any of the English groups. They pulled their style, unearthly organ and snarling fuzztone, out of thin ether, and also captured much of Southern California's health-and-mysticism spirit.

Besides punk, L.A. in '65 gave the world folk-rock, that ingenious merger of beat-band stance, teenage concerns, and folkie innoncence combined with righteous moral posturing. L.A.'s studios also invented the combination of the two: folk-punk, a genre that never produced a hit, yet accounted for hundreds of the most interesting records of the mid-'60s – a genuine, spontaneous, characteristically American innovation.

What happened in L.A. was seen across the land thanks to television. Shindig and Hullabaloo, broadcast weekly, promoted the look and sound of L.A.'s music scene, as did American Bandstand, Where the Action Is, and a variety of local dance shows that were syndicated over large parts of America. This perhaps more than anything, gave the youth scene its cohesion, based around Hollywood's notion of the youthquake as a marketing phenomenon.

As folk-rock evolved into the era of flower-power, it gave L.A.'s expert record producers a chance to get really creative, a process abetted by the proliferation of mind-expanding drugs. Flower-pop, acid-punk, then acid-rock swept out of California to transfix the minds, not just of Americans, but the whole world. To this day, the sound of California in the years 1965-69 is considered by fans throughout Europe as the pinnacle of pop music creativity.

In this series of albums, we focus on some of the more obscure bands, from among the hundreds, perhaps thousands, who recorded. Everyone knows the Doors, Love, Byrds, Beach Boys, Dovers, Turtles, etc., but the strength of American rock in the '60s was its grass-roots tenacity. Every school, every street, every garage had its band, and the music touched everyone's life in an immediate and personal way. The typical garage band of the '60s were not innovators so much as they represented the spirit of youth in general. In judging these bands, we look at how close they came to the archetypal mold, rather than how original they were, though within the well-defined form there was room for all manner of deranged lunacy, both hormonal and pharmalogical.

Starting with 1965, we trace the sound of L.A. from Mersey imitation to the beginnings of folk-rock and punk. Then in 1966 we see the full flowering of folk-punk and punk itself at the epitome, plus the famed Sunset Strip teen riots that the world still remembers. With the coming of acid and flowers in '67, L.A. neared the end of its youth scene, until the late '70s when it started all over again. But that's another story…

The Avengers
Besides being one of the best T.V. shows of the ‘60s, The Avengers was a name used by several punk bands. L.A.’s Avengers put out four records in 1965 and early ’66, of which the best were “Open Your Eyes” and “Be a Cave Man,” a wonderful slice of noisy 3-chord arrogance.

The Colony
This band hailed from Ventura, about an hour’s drive up the coast toward Santa Barbara. The sleepy little town must have endured quite a bit of racket from whatever garage these guys practiced in. Their only surviving relic is this raving, demented, totally out-of-control track.

Sean & The Brandywines
In February, 1965 an English band called The Clique released “She Ain’t No Good,” one of a mere handful of true punk classics to be achieved in the Home Countries prior to 1976. Later in the year, this L.A. band came out with their own version, which of course rivaled and perhaps surpassed the original. On its flip was “Co’dine,” a song covered with surprising frequency by young American bands who probably never experienced any drug more dangerous than Near Beer.

The Epics
Very few L.A. bands actually recorded “Louie Louie” – as an unvarying standard, “Hey Joe” filled its place. The Epics gave us what may be the best “louie” to come out of the city.

Limey & The Yanks
Were they just trying to cash in on the British vogue, or was there perhaps a renegade Brit in the group? Whoever they were, they left us two outstanding singles, of which this deranged Diddleyism was the first (the other can be found on Vol. 3 in this series).

The Standells
Best known for their ’66 punk classics like “Dirty Water,” the Standells were actually one of L.A.’s first ’60s bands, having been around as early as ’62. By ’64 they were a dance band at P.J.’s and recorded one live album and several singles for various small labels, including this one, their best, from April, 1965.

The Spats
Actually from Garden Grove, deep inside Orange County, these gues recorded the classic “Egyptian Surf” as the Temptations in the early ‘60s. They later evolved into an R&B-based dance band, but had a couple of punkier outings including this March, 1965 single.

The Grains of Sand
Not to be confused with the Pittsburgh band of the same name, these Grains of Sand are probably best known to ‘60s fans for “Goin’ Away Baby,” a great Kim Fowley/Michael Lloyd production, but nearly as good was their version of the Addrisi Bros. pop song “That’s When Happiness Began” (best known by the Montanas), backed by the gritty folk-punk of “She Needs Me.” A later 45 on Phillips showed a shift from punk to a good-timey pop sound, and the Grains of Sand were never heard from again.

Gypsy Trips
Roger and Terrye (sic) Tillison made up this folk-rock duo, at a time when duos (Sonny & Cher, Jim & Jean, Ian & Sylvia, Lyme & Cybele) were the rage in folk-rock. Their sole single was “rock ‘n’ Roll Gypsies” (not to be confused with the California hit of the same title by Hearts & Flowers) and “Ain’t It Hard” was its flip. Originally from Okalhoma, the pair travelled around the country as folkie vagabonds before settling in L.A. to join the Flower Generation. Roger later made albums of his own.

The Rumors
Nothing is known of this group, but their one single (the B-side, at least) was as fine an example of L.A. punk aspiring to commercial pop as one could hope to hear.

Warden & His Fugitives
We hate to admit it, but these guys are yet another enigma. As far as we can tell, there wasn’t even a guy named Warden.

The Road Runners
This band hailed from Fresno; in late ’65 they released their first record, “I’ll Make It Up To You” on Miramar 116. It was picked up for national release by Reprise, but flopped. They went back to the independent labels, issued to more, then vanished.

The 4 Making Do
Girls, of course, were an important part of the L.A. scene. Jackie DeShannon, carol Connors, Donna Loren and others certainly left their mark. But girl groups were scarce, compared with the East Coast. Who the 4 Making Do were, we can only guess, but that they were one of the city’s most promising girl groups is beyond question. On “The Simple Life” they sing about the pleasures of living in L.A., going to the Whisky, watching “Hullabaloo,” etc., making it a reflection as well of a product of its times.

The Answer
Another mystery group, working in the folk-punk style, with a rather unique approach that it would be nice to hear more of, though they only made one record.

The Starfires
Revered among collectors for “I Never Loved Her,” of which “Linda” was the flip, the Starfires also made 4 other singles in 1965-66, including “No More” (G.I. 4002) which is one of the hardest L.A. records to find. What’s not often realized is that they also made an album, Teenbeat A Go Go (La Brea 8018) a year or so before this, consisting of typical club versions of “Farmer John,” “Justine” and the like. Freddy Fields, bass player and author of most of their best songs, evidently went through a tremendous period of creative growth in 1965, culminating in “I Never Loved Her,” before disappearing from the Earth.

The Lyrics
In contrast to most short-lived groups of the period, The Lyrics survived as one of L.A.’s best bands from 1965, when “They Can’t Hurt Me” was issued (as the flip of “So What”), right into 1968 when their fourth (and last) single was released. In between they put out the classic “Mr. Man” / “Wait” on GNP, which can be heard on the Mindrocker series today. They had a fine way of combining protest/folk elements with hard-edged punk, as only an L.A. band could do.

Side 1
The Avengers – Be a Cave Man (G. Paxton, W. Powell)
The Colony – All I Want (Foley, Eucker)
Sean & The Brandywines – She Ain’t No Good (Rowbottom)
The Epics – Louie Come Home (The Epics, R. Berry)
Limey & The Yanks – Guaranteed Love (Reed, Paxton)
The Standells – Someday You’ll Cry (Larry Tamblin)
The Spats – Tell Ya All About It, Baby (Showalter, Johnson)
The Grains of Sand – That’s When Happiness Began (Addrisi, Addrisi)

Side 2
Gypsy Trips – Ain’t It Hard (Tillison, Tillison)
The Rumors – Hold Me Now
Warden & His Fugitives – The World Ain’t Changed (Shields)
The Road Runners – Goodbye (Randy Hall)
The 4 Making Do – The Simple Life (E.G. Wells)
The Answer – I’ll Be In (T. Anderson, C. Wright)
The Starfires – Linda (Freddie Fields)
The Lyrics – They Can’t Hurt Me (C. Gaylord)

1/1 #bossangeles (192kbps, 56.0MB)

2008-04-29T06:14:00.001-04:00

Various Artists
The Sound of the Sixties
Eva EV 12022, 1984

Odd, yet interesting, mid-80s compilation of garage, punk and neo-psych sides from France's legendary Eva label. Sides 1 and 4 are US, sides 2 and 3 are UK.

Side 1
The Count Five – You Must Believe Me (Curtis Mayfield)
? Mark & The Mysterians – Smokes (Rudy Martinez)
The Syndicate of Sound – Little Girl (Don Baskin, Bob Gonzales)
The Five Americans – I See The Light (Johnny Durrill, Norm Ezell, Michael Rabon)
Kim Fowley – The Trip (Kim Fowley, Paul Geddes, Dennis Hardesty)
The Rivieras – California Sun (Henry Glover)
We the People – You Burn me Up and Down (Tom Talton)

Side 2
The Creation – That’s How Strong My Love is (Roosevelt Jamison)
The Shake Spears – The Shake Spear (G. Latter, C. Kritzinger)
The Belfast Gypsies / Them – The Gorilla (P. Bardens, R. Henderson, J. Mooreshead)
Sir Henry & His Butlers – Giddy Up a Ding Dong (Freddie Bell, Joey Lattanzi)
Animals – Talkin’ About You (Charles)
The Nashville Teens – Find My Way Back Home (Lambert, Pegues)
Maze – I’m So Glad (Skip James)

Side 3
The Sorrows – You’ve Got What I Want (M. Dallon)
The Hairy Ones – Get Off Of My Cloud (Jagger, Richards)
The T-Bones – I’m a Lover Not a Fighter (J.D. Miller)
The Primitives – Oh Mary (J. Edwards)
The Yardbirds – Baby What’s Wrong (Jimmy Reed)
The Ingoes – In the Midnight Hour (Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett)
Episode Six – I Can See Through You (Roger Glover)

Side 4
The Mojo Men – Dance With Me (J. Alaimo, P. Curcio)
The Music Explosion – 96 Tears (Rudy Martinez)
The Trashmen – Kuk (Bob Demmon, Rich Fifield, Jim Gallagher, Dennis Lindsey, Jon Patterson)
The Electric Prunes – Ain’t It Hard (R. Tillison, T. Tillison)
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels – Turn on Your Lovelight (Deadric Malone, Joseph Scott)
The Vejtables – I Still Love You (Jan Errico)
The Other Half – Mr. Pharmacist (Jeff Nowlen)

1/2 2/2 #france (192kbps, 49.5MB / 48.0MB)

2008-04-26T22:48:00.004-04:00

Various Artists
Psychedelic Dream: A Collection of 60’s Euphoria
Columbia C2 38025, 1982

I don't remember whether this 2-LP sampler of Columbia's mid-60s psychedelic archives was ever released commercially. Nor can I recall whether this collection was intended to promote then-current reissues of the albums from which it cherry-picked tracks. Many of the full albums have made it to CD, though a few, like Aorta's debut, have fallen back out.

Original liner notes:

A ten-year-old child stood by the side of the road, selling lemonade, feeling as tall as the sky. The sun so bright he couldn’t see it as he looked. The heat of the day wouldn’t relent, enforcing near silence.

The silver-eyed driver pulled over, paid the child, who had been waiting. “The road sparkles, shimmers in the sun,” said the driver. “It will not get dark tonight,” said the child, giving the driver a second free cup as advertised…

The child drove now. The road widened and branched. Colors mischievously altered. Houses distorted backward and flew away without a sound as the road uplifted and sailed west into magenta clouds. “You don’t have to know yet,” answered the child to the unspoken question. “You just come for the ride, and you’ll know.”

Lights flickered, faded. It was now morning. The landscape was familiar; but the driver hadn’t seen it before. The driver was younger. The child, older. “You see, now we can each alter our reality by altering our perceptions,” the child was saying quietly. He sounded distant. “If enough people alter their perceptions…” “I think maybe I was dreaming,” said the driver.

Note that the last two tracks on side four segue without a break, and are presented here as one.

Side 1
The Byrds – Renaissance Fair (D. Crosby, J. McGuinn)
Terry Reid – Superlungs My Supergirl (D. Leitch)
Aorta – What’s in My Mind’s Eye (G. Donlinger)
Gun – Situation Vacant (P. Curtis)
Spirit – Dream Within a Dream (J. Ferguson)

Side 2
Spirit – Topanga Windows (J. Ferguson)
Grace Slick & The Great Society – White Rabbit (G. Slick)
Kaleidoscope – Keep Your Mind Open (C. Darrow)
The United States of America – The Garden of Earthly Delights (J. Byrd, D. Moskowitz)
Kak – Lemonade Kid (G.L. Yoder)

Side 3
July – Friendly Man (T. Newman)
Kak – Electric Sailor (D. Patten, C. Lockheed, J. Camrell, G.L. Yoder)
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy – Too Many Do (A. Brackett)
The Byrds – Eight Miles High (G. Clark, J. McGuinn, D. Crosby)
John Kay & The Sparrow – Isn’t It Strange (D. Edmonton, N. St. Nicholas)

Side 4
July – My Clown (T. Newman)
The Hollies – Dear Eloise (T. Hicks, A. Clarke)
The Head Shop – Heaven Here We Come (Milan)
Aorta – Sleep Tight (R. Titelman, L. George)
Aorta – Catalyptic (J. Dalton, G. Montgomery)

Produced by Gary Usher (1, 13)
Produced by Mickie Most (2)
Produced by Bill Traut & Jim Donlinger with the aid of Skeet Bashor & Bryce Roberson (3, 19, 20)
Produced by John Goodison (4)
Produced by Lou Adler (5, 6)
Produced by Peter Abram (7)
Produced by Barry Friedman (8)
Produced by David Rubinson (9)
Produced by Gary R. Grelecki (10, 12)
Produced by Tommy Scott (11, 16)
Produced by Allen Stanton (14)
Sound supervised by Al Lawrence (15)
Produced by Ron Richards (17)
Produced by Milan for Head Shop Productions, Associate Producer: Maxim (18)

Compilation: Bruce Dickinson
Design: Paula Scher

1/2 2/2 #columbia (192kbps, 48.5MB / 49.8MB)

2008-04-25T07:13:00.000-04:00

Nick Lowe
Labour of Lust
Columbia JC 36087, 1979

Lowe's second album hit the charts with a remake of the Brinsley Schwarz era "Cruel To Be Kind." Though this album isn't as lyrically quirky or musically idiosyncratic as Lowe's debut (Jesus of Cool), the pop craftsmanship that sustained him throughout The Wilderness Years was still on full display. This release has been blogged elsewhere (several elsewhere's, actually), but the transcriptions each seem to have a hiccup on one or more tracks, so here's one more try, taken from the U.S. vinyl release.

Side 1
Cruel To Be Kind (N. Lowe, I. Gomm)
Cracking Up
Big Kick, Plain Scrap
American Squirm
You Make Me
Skin Deep

Side 2
Switch Board Susan (M. Jupp)
Dose of You
Without Love
Born Fighter
Love So Fine (N. Lowe, Rockpile)

All songs written by Nick Lowe, except as noted
Produced by Nick Lowe

1/1 #london (320kbps, 74.8MB)

2008-04-22T06:41:00.003-04:00

Gallery
Nice To Be With You
Sussex SXBD 7017, 1972

Few one-hit wonders really have but one hit. Most have an iconic hit that’s repeated on oldies radio and anthologized over and over, and a few lesser charting entries that are only remembered by the band's local fans and those who "bought the album." The Detroit-based Gallery is just such a band, having cracked the Top-5 with the fondly remembered "Nice To Be With You," and then finding their way back into the Top-40 with Mac Davis' "I Believe in Music" (#22, 1972) and country songwriter Tom Lazoros' "Big City Miss Ruth Ann" (#23, 1973). This debut album (they'd record one more for Sussex before splitting and sending Gold to a solo career) is filled with excellent soft-country-rock, originals from Gold and fetchingly arranged covers. Cal Freeman's pedal steel and Gold's vocal turn Carla Thomas' "Gee Whiz" into an Everly Brothers-styled '50s ballad, and the group's reworking of Jerry Butler's "He Will Break Your Heart" anticipates Greg Kihn's version of a few years later. All in all, this is quite the lost soft rock classic!

Side 1
There’s An Island (Meshel, Welch, Gilutin)
Louisiana Line
Someone
Ginger Haired Man
Nice To Be With You
Gee Whiz (J. Thomas, Vikki Jeanne)

Side 2
I Believe in Music (Mac Davis)
Lover’s Hideaway
You’re Always On My Mind
He Will Break Your Heart (J. Butler, C. Mayfield, C. Carter)
Sunday and Me (N. Diamond)
Big City Miss Ruth Ann (T. Lazoros)

All selections written by Jim Gold, except as indicated
Arranged and Produced by Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey

Jim Gold (lead vocal, guitar)
Bill Nova (percussion, guitar, vocal)
Brent Anderson (lead guitar, vocal)
Danny Brucato (drums)
Cal Freeman (steel guitar)
Dennis Kovarik (bass, vocal)

Engineer: Milan Bogden
Recorded at: GM Recording-Detroit
Photography by: Ransier & Anderson-Detroit
Art Direction: Glen Christensen

1/1 #detroit (320kbps, 76.7MB)

2008-04-19T21:45:00.001-04:00

The Outsiders
Non-LP Singles

In addition to their four studio albums, the Outsiders issued the three non-LP singles collected here. “Gotta Leave Us Alone” has a spikey organ line, while it’s B-side is a soft ballad. “And Now You Want My Sympathy” features a punk vocal \ against \ backwards psych guitar, “Little Bit of Lovin’” is awash with sunshine pop, and “We Ain’t Gonna Make It” is a punchy soul rocker ala The Box Tops.

The B-sides of the latter two singles were included on the group’s second album, and are omitted here.

Capitol 5892, 1967
“Gotta Leave Us Alone” b/w “I Just Can’t See You Anymore”

Capitol 5955, 1967
“I’ll See You in the Summertime” b/w “And Now You Want My Sympathy”

Capitol 2055, 1967
“Little Bit of Lovin’” b/w ~~“I Will Love You”~~

Capitol 2216, 1968
“We Ain’t Gonne Make It” b/w ~~“Oh How It Hurts”~~

1/1 #cleveland (192kbps, 21.0MB)

2008-04-17T00:09:00.001-04:00

The Outsiders
Happening “Live!”
Capitol ST 2745 (Stereo)

The fourth and final Outsiders album is a poor substitute for the studio album that was apparently half completed. The quotes in “Live!” are to be taken quite literally, as this is obviously a studio recording with dubbed applause (two of the guitarists on the cover are both playing basses!). In addition to stripped-down, re-recorded versions of songs from the group’s albums, a few more soul covers give an idea of what their set list must have been like. The album keeps the applause at full volume between tracks; I’ve taken the liberty of fading to make this more useful for individual track play.

Anyone have a copy of the mono version they’d like to share?

Side 1
Time Won’t Let Me (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
Ain’t Too Proud to Beg (Eddie Holland, Norman Whitfield)
Show Me (Joe Tex)
Introduction of the Outsiders
Respectable (R. Isley, R. Isley, O. Isley)
Michelle (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
Come On Up (Cavaliere)

Side 2
Help Me Girl (Scott English, Lawrence Weiss)
Girl in Love (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
Gloria (Van Morrison)
Love Makes the World Go ‘Round (D. Jackson)
Good Lovin’ (Rudy Clark, Art Resnick)

Produced by Tom King
A & R coordinated by Jim Winfree

1/1 #cleveland (192kbps, 45.3MB)

2008-04-16T01:45:00.004-04:00

The Outsiders
In
Capitol T 2636 (Mono) / ST 2646 (Stereo), 1967

The Outsiders third studio album was a return to the promise of their debut, with many terrific originals, and well-selected covers. Highlights include the unrelenting kiss-off that opens the album, soulful takes on The Animals’ “Help Me Girl” and the American Breed’s “Bend Me, Shape Me,” the lite-psych “Haunted By Your Love” and “I’ll Give You Time,” a rocking cover of The Sevilles’ doo-wop classic “Charlena,” and the fine horn-driven closer, “It’s Your Love.” Sadly, this was to be the group’s last studio album – they’d finish out with a lackluster “live” album, before the members went their various ways.

Both the mono and stereo versions of the album are included here for your enjoyment. Notice how they only printed one cover slick, and placed it vertically to include or disinclude the Stereo banner at the top?

Side 1
I’m Not Tryin’ to Hurt You (King, Kelley, Turek)
Help Me Girl (Scott English, Lawrence Weiss)
Bend Me, Shape Me (Scott English, Lawrence Weiss)
Kind of a Drag (Jimmy Harris)
Haunted By Your Love (King, Kelley, Turek)
Charlena (Manuel Chavez, Herman, Chaney)

Side 2
You Gotta Look (Bob Turek)
I’ll Give You Time (To Think It Over) (King, Kelley, Turek)
Gimme Some Lovin’ (S. Winwood)
I Wanna Be Free (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
It’s Your Love (King, Kelley, Turek)

1/2 2/2 #cleveland (320kbps, 40.1MB)

2008-04-14T05:05:00.003-04:00

The Outsiders
Album #2
Capitol ST 2568 (Stereo), 1966

The Outsiders second album is energetic and tight, with snappy horn charts, but the over-reliance on cover songs is decidedly less interesting than the great originals on their first and third albums. Even the originals aren't up to snuff, with “Lost in My World” repeating the hookfrom “Time Won’t Let Me.” Among the covers, The Nightcaps’ Texas garage-rock classic “Wine Wine Wine” is a standout.

Anyone have (i) a better shot of the cover, (ii) the mono version of the album, or (iii) songwriting credits for "Lonely Man" or "Backwards, Upside Down"?

Side 1
(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet (Freddie Gorman, Bob Hamilton)
Lost in My World (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
Since I Lost My Baby (Warren “Pete” Moore, Smokey Robinson)
Cool Jerk (Donald Storball)
Oh How It Hurts (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
I Will Love You (Barry de Vorzon, Shelby Flint)

Side 2
Respectable (R. Isley, R. Isley, O. Isley)
Hanky Panky (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich)
Lonely Man
Wine Wine Wine (The Nightcaps)
Backwards, Upside Down

1/1 #cleveland (192kbps, 40.1MB)

2008-04-13T00:02:00.003-04:00

The Outsiders
Time Won’t Let Me
Capitol T 2501 (Mono) / ST 2501 (Stereo)

Known for their smash first single, “Time Won’t Let Me,” this Ohio band had many other great originals on their three studio albums. They never again reached the chart heights of their debut, though all three of their studio albums (particularly this first, and the third, In) contain some great original Midwest garage rock. This album’s covers of Graham Gouldman’s “Listen People” (Herman’s Hermits) and “She Cried” (Jay and the Americans) also rival the originals.

Both the mono and stereo versions of the album are included here for your enjoyment.

Original liner notes:

… Big Sound!
… Big Beat!
… Big Sensation!

The Outsiders present their cart-topping hit TIME WON’T LET ME plus other rockin’ favorites!

One short year ago, The Outsiders had never even met, let alone made a record together. Yet today their sensational sound is sweeping the nation after setting Cleveland, Ohio back on its op music ear.

The secret of their success can best be attributed to their often wild but always solid way with a song and to the fact that here is a group of talented kids who are set on going places and won’t stop until they get to the fabled top of the entertainment world.

The guys got together less than a year ago in Cleveland and played various local clubs just for the fun of it. Their personable manner and big beat sound caught on fast and before they knew it, The Outsiders had put themselves right where they wanted to be: on the best-seller charts.

The leader and rhythm guitarist is Tom King, who wrote their big hit Time Won’t Let Me. Lead singer is Sonny Geraci, heard here on everything except Maybe Baby and What Makes You So Bad You Weren’t Brought Up That Way wherein versatile Tom King does the vocals. The lead guitarist is Bill Bruno. Lending international flavor to the proceedings is bass-guitar and harmonica player Merdin Prince Gunnar Madsen (call him Mert), who comes to the group by way of Denmark.

For this, their first album, they offer a program of current hits which includes, besides their own hit, exciting versions of such favorites as Herman’s Hermits’ Listen People and Jay and the Americans’ She Cried.

From first tune to last they prove what fans in Cleveland have been shouting for months: The Outsiders are strictly sensational!

Side 1
Keep on Running (Edwards)
Listen People (Gouldman)
Time Won’t Let Me (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
My Girl (William Robinson, Ronald White)
What Makes You So Bad You Weren’t Brought Up That Way (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
She Cried (Greg Richards, Ted Daryll)

Side 2
Chase Away the Tears (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
Was It Really Real (Tom King, Chet Kelley)
Maybe Baby (Buddy Holly, Norman Petty)
Rockin’ Robin (Jeanna Vikki)
Girl in Love (Tom King, Chet Kelley)

Produced and Coordinated by Tom King, Ken Hamann and Roger Karshner
Cover photo/Capitol photo studio: George Jerman

This album is dedicated to Elizabeth

1/2 2/2 #cleveland (320kbps, 62.3MB / 62.1MB)

2008-04-12T01:32:00.003-04:00

MUZAK®
Reveille
MUZAK H-1(1)35B AB284V1H9 (SYB-488/489)

Another very lightly swinging selection of Muzak productions. There are a few well-known pop hits covered on this collection, notably, B.J. Thomas’ “Hooked on a Feeling,” The Fifth Dimension’s “Aquarius,” and The Supremes “I’m Livin’ in Shame,” And a few lesser American pop lights, including Perry Como’s “Sunshine Wine” and Brenda Lee’s “Johnny One Time.” More intriguing are the obscure-to-American-ears Eurovision entries and winners – check out the video section below for the originals!

Anyone recognize “Miniskirt” (it doesn’t sound like the Esquivel song of the same name) or “Cafe Melody”? Know who wrote or performed them?

Original liner notes:

“THE “NEW MUZAK”

The assignment was to create a visual display that would capture the essence of MUZAK’s functional program in colors, forms, and values.

After probing and interviewing MUZAK psychologists, musicologists and programmers, artist Ray Harrow succeeded in pinpointing two unique qualities that make MUZAK more than music – contemporary arrangements of internationally popular selections, and the functional ascending program.

To represent MUZAK’s contemporary international sound, Harrow selected an up-to-date abstract format, and rendered it in oils. He was particularly cautious to avoid painting in recognizable shapes. Instead, he took advantage of psychological findings that reveal how colors and shapes affect human behavior. He used these visual tools to evoke carefully calculated physiological and psychological effects, just as MUZAK uses sound.

For example, experiments have shown that people associate mood-tones with definite colors. Psychologist Lois. B. Wexner found that exciting or stimulating moods remind many of us of red. On the other hand, calm, peaceful, serene, or soothing moods suggest green and blue. Thus the red tones which dominate this painting not only suggest contemporaneity, but symbolize the music’s stimulating psychological effect on listeners.

Since MUZAK programs selections into a rising or ascending order – gradually increasing musical stimulation to offset sagging performance – the left side of the painting begins with more muted colors that suggest calmer moods. As the program continues, toward the right side of the painting, the rising red figure depicts progressively livelier music. These lighter and brighter colors mirror the program’s greater stimulation value.

Steeper vertical strokes – and even the painting’s “focus” – are keyed to MUZAK’s exclusive ascending program. The program begins with soft,, fuzzy strokes, progressing smoothly to a sharper, almost crystalline quality as the program gains in stimulation value

The composition is entitled “Reveille” because it visualizes the wake-up sound of “New MUZAK” – bright, stimulating, and contemporary, with emphasis on variety, to combat today’s ever-increasing boredom, tension, and fatigue.

Reproduced on the other side is the finished painting – actually, a miniature visually programmed environment, paralleling MUZAK’s psychologically programmed environment of sound. Ray Harrow’s painting is a capsule definition of the science of MUZAK – functional art, to show you how functional music by MUZAK creates an environment conducive to efficiency and productivity.

-Wiliam Wokoun, Ph.D.

ARRANGING & RECORDING

MUZAK selects, arranges, and records its own music – specifically and exclusively for functional use. The distracting or irritating musical devices of ordinary entertainment are avoided. MUZAK tapes new music continuously using top-name arrangers.

TAPING

Programs are recorded on 8-hour reels of tape in elaborate MUZAK studios. Rigid standards are maintained to insure crucial timing and crystal-clear sound. Over 600 quality control checks are made on each MUZAK tape.

TRANSMISSION

MUZAK programs are transmitted from central studios via leased telephone lines or special FM facilities. Precise timing is assured by automated patented MUZAK tape reproducing units, accurate to within two seconds during any 8-hour period. In standard MUZAK operations, central studios play 3285 professional 8-hour tapes, per subscriber, over a three year period. That’s 26,289 hours of fresh programs; a fresh new program every day.

MUZAK TODAY

THE MUZAK BOARD OF SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS

MUZAK has undergone a striking metamorphosis since its pioneering days in developing concepts of environmental music. Today, as specialists in the physiological and psychological applications of music, MUZAK is concerned with developments in vigilance and human factors research, automobile driver safety, medical and dental studies, noise control, the influence of color and music on emotions and of course, the effects of scientifically planned music on work productivity and efficiency, among others. Professional guidance is provided by the MUZAK Board of Scientific Advisors which consists of distinguished professionals in the field of education, industrial engineering, medicine, psychology and human factors. Under the guidance of the Board, MUZAK aims to make dramatic contributions to the business community through new discoveries in the scientific applications of music.

MUZAK: A TOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Unlike ordinary music or so-called background music, MUZAK is a non-entertainment medium, employing rhythm, tempo, instrumentation, etc., to scientifically-determined specifications. Different types of arrangements and selections are planned for different times of the day to achieve predetermined effects. In work situations, independent studies have documented the effectiveness of MUZAK programs in improving employee attitude, efficiency and productivity. In commercial applications, special MUZAK programs are employed to create environmental conditions conducive to improved customer relations and profits.

MUZAK: INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED

The success of MUZAK is manifest in its continued and growing utilization as a management tool by companies large and small throughout the world. Today, MUZAK studios are operating around the clock in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, United States and Uruguay. Because it is a non-entertainment medium employing music only as the raw material of its service, MUZAK is universally accepted and effective in all countries in which it operates.

Segment A
Through the Eyes of a Child (Un Jour, Un Enfant) (Emile Stern, Eddy Marnay)
En El Rincon Del Alma (Alberto Cortez)
Sunshine Wine (Cindy Walker)
Jennifer Jennings (Paul Qintens, Phil Van Cauwenbergh)
Aquarius (James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Galt MacDermot)
Miniskirt

Segment B
Johnny One Time (Dallas Frazier, A.L. Owens)
The River (Le Colline Sono In Fiore) (Angiolini, Greg Calibi)
Hooked on a Feeling (Mark James)
Cafe Melody
Boom Bang-a-Bang (Anne Moorhouse, Peter Ware)
I’m Livin’ in Shame (Henry Cosby, Berry Gordy, Jr., Pam Sawyer, R. Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson)

Video Bonuses
Frida Boccara - Un Jour, Un Enfant
Louis Neffs – Jennifer Jennings
Brenda Lee – Johnny One Time
Wilma Goich – Le Colline Sono in Fiore
Lulu – Boom Bang-A-Bang
The Supremes – Love Child / I’m Living in Shame

1/1 #muzak (320kbps, 67.1MB)

2008-04-09T00:43:00.001-04:00

MUZAK®
New Dimensions, Volume 2
MUZAK SLP 8732/8733 (SXB-629A/630B), 1969

Funny how time changes your perspective. These were originally purchased for the outrageous liner notes and for use as music beds. Over time, and having listened to hundreds of easy listening and production music collections, the quality of these tracks became readily apparent. The psycho-physiological mumbo-jumbo may or may not be true, but the care put into the selection of these titles, the quality of the arrangements and the top-notch performances is undeniable. Most everything here is a soft-pop classic, but Elmer Bernstein and Carolyn Leigh’s “Step to the Rear,” is from the largely forgotten Broadway musical “How Now, Dow Jones,” and is now best known as the melody of a University of South Carolina fight song!

Original liner notes:

MUZAK – SPECIALISTS IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS OF MUSIC

The original oil painting on this album is attractive modern art but it is far more than just that. Artist Ray Harrow was commissioned to develop a pictorial representation of MUZAK programming using colors, forms, and values.

Psychological experiments have shown that people associate mood-tones with definite colors. Wexner found that exciting or stimulating moods remind many of us of red. Calm, peaceful, serene, or soothing moods, on the other hand, suggest green and blue.

Since MUZAK arranges and programs selections into a rising or ascending order – giving more stimulation to offset sagging performance – the painting begins (at the left) with muted colors that suggest calm, peaceful moods. Then, moving to the right, the colors become brighter and lighter to mirror the program’s greater stimulation value.

Vertical strokes rise more gently at the beginning of the program (at the left), to depict milder stimulation. Later in the program, the vertical strokes that are used more steeply represent music that gives workers a stronger boost.

Even the painting’s “focus” ties in with the ascending MUZAK program. The program begins with soft, fuzzy strokes, progressing smoothly to a sharper, almost crystalline quality as the program gains stimulation value.

Far from being purely decorative, then, Harrow’s painting describes the science of MUZAK in capsule form – functional art to show you how functional work music helps workers in office and industry do their jobs better than ever.

Here is a collection of today’s fresh new sounds recorded by MUZAK featuring some of the world’s top music arrangers. Each selection has been recorded to MUZAK’s specifications and sequentially programmed to produce a predetermined physiological and psychological response. Each 15-minute segment of MUZAK contains a rising stimulus which provides a sense of forward movement. Notice the difference in stimulation value between segments A and B. This is accomplished by a variation of tempo, rhythm, instrumentation and dynamics.

ARRANGING & REOCRDING
MUZAK selects, arranges, and records its own music – specifically and exclusively for functional use. The distracting or irritating musical devices of ordinary entertainment are avoided.

TAPING
Programs are recorded on 8-hour reels of tape in elaborate MUZAK studios. Rigid standards are maintained to insure crucial timing and crystal-clear sound. Over 600 quality control checks are made on each MUZAK tape.

TRANSMISSION
MUZAK programs are transmitted from central studios via leased telephone lines or special FM facilities. Precise timing is assured by automated patented MUZAK tape reproducing units, accurate to within two seconds during any 8-hour period. In standard MUZAK operations, central studios play 3285 professional 8-hour tapes, per subscriber, over a three year period. That’s 26,289 hours of fresh programs; a fresh new program every day.

MUZAK TODAY

THE MUZAK BOARD OF SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS
MUZAK has undergone a striking metamorphosis since its pioneering days in developing concepts of environmental music. Today, as specialists in the physiological and psychological applications of music, MUZAK is concerned with developments in vigilance and human factors research, automobile driver safety, medical and dental studies, noise control, the influence of color and music on emotions and of course, the effects of scientifically planned music on work productivity and efficiency, among others. Professional guidance is provided by the MUZAK Board of Scientific Advisors which consists of distinguished professionals in the field of education, industrial engineering, medicine, psychology and human factors. Under the guidance of the Board, MUZAK aims to make dramatic contributions to the business community through new discoveries in the scientific applications of music.

MUZAK: A TOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Unlike ordinary music or so-called background music, MUZAK is a non-entertainment medium, employing rhythm, tempo, instrumentation, etc., to scientifically-determined specifications. Different types of arrangements and selections are planned for different times of the day to achieve predetermined effects. In work situations, independent studies have documented the effectiveness of MUZAK programs in improving employee attitude, efficiency and productivity. In commercial applications, special MUZAK programs are employed to create environmental conditions conducive to improved customer relations and profits.

MUZAK: INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED
The success of MUZAK is manifest in its continued and growing utilization as a management tool by companies large and small throughout the world. Today, MUZAK studios are operating around the clock in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, United States and Uruguay. Because it is a non-entertainment medium employing music only as the raw material of its service, MUZAK is universally accepted and effective in all countries in which it operates.

Segment A
Phil Bodner – The Look of Love (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)
Tony Mottola – Love is Blue (Andre Pop, Pierre Cour)
Tommy Goodman – What a Wonderful World (George Douglas, George David Weiss)
Tommy Goodman – With Pen in Hand (Bobby Goldsboro)
Denny Vaughan – Master Jack (David Markantonatos)
Charles Grean – Step to the Rear (Elmer Bernstein, Carolyn Leigh)

Segment B
Dave Terry – Little Green Apples (Bobby Russell)
Tommy Goodman – Autumn of My Life (Bobby Golsboro)
Nick Perito – What the World Needs Now (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)
Charles Grean – Mrs. Robinson (Paul Simon)
Denny Vaughan – Do You Know the Way to San Jose (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)
Dave Terry – Those Were the Days (Gene Raskin)

Using no music whatever from any other source, MUZAK’s service is based on its own exclusive arrangements and unique programming concepts. MUZAK tapes new music continuously using top-name arrangers.

1/1 #muzak (320kbps, 69.9MB)

2008-03-19T00:11:00.007-04:00

Various Artists w/Ken Nordine
Sounds in Space
RCA Victor SP-33-13 (Living Stereo), 1958

This RCA sampler is interesting enough for its terrific early stereo, but is notable for its narrator on side one, Ken Nordine. Nordine is most widely known for his voice work on radio and television, such as his narration for Levi's. In addition to commercials, Nordine made a series of "Word Jazz" recordings that featured his poem/stories set to jazz, collected in this box set. His sense of humor comes into play on this demonstration record as he ponders how best to explain stereo to the listener. The classical, jazz, vocal, pop and big band selections on side one are terrific. Side two has been omitted, as it does not include any additional Nordine narration.

Side 1
The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky)
Pierre Monteux conducting the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra (LSC-2085)

A Study in Moe’s Art
Skitch Henderson and His Orchestra; from “On the Bandstand” (LSP-1579)

Lieutenant Kije, Op. 60 (Prokofieff)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Freitz Reiner, Conductor. LSC-2150

Rag Mop
Ralph Flannagan and his Orchestra. LSP-1555

Diane
The Melachrino Orchestra; from “Music for Dining.” LSP-1000

Day In – Day Out
Lena Horne, with Nat Brandwynee’s Orchestra conducted by Lennie Hayton; from “Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria.” LSO-1028

Lullaby of Birdland
The New Glenn Miller Orchestra in Hi-Fi directed by Ray McKinley. LSP-1522

Little Old Lady
Julie Andrews. LSP-1681

Bless This House
Jerome Hines, with Concert Orchestra conducted by Paul Mickelson; from “The Holy city.” LSP-1637

Anchors Aweigh
The Band of the Coldstream Guards. LSP-1480

Side 2
The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky)
Pierre Monteux conducting the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. LSC-2085

Symphony in D Minor, Second Movement (Franck)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, Conductor. LSC-2131

Symphony No. 7 in A, First Movement (Beethoven)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Firtz Reiner, Conductor. LSC-1991

Marche Slave (Tchaikovsky)
Boston Pops Orchestra, Arthur Fiedler, Conductor. LSC-2100

Narrator: Ken Nordine
Produced in cooperation with Robert Oakes Jordan Associates, Inc.
Musical Excerpts from the RCA Victor Stereophonic Library

1/1 #nordine (320kbps, 45.0MB)

2008-03-14T18:32:00.002-04:00

Arthur Godfrey and The Jazz Men
"Bum-Deedle-Um-Bo" b/w "I'm Looking For a Riff"
Signature CAG 1006

Godfrey is most widely remembered as the host of radio and television programs (particularly talent shows) from the late '40s into the early '70s. This single is drawn from the album Jazz for the People. The lyrics and Godfrey's vocals are mostly novelty, but the tunes are catchy and the players are top-notch! Anyone have the LP?

Side 1
Bum-Deedle-Um-Bo (Johnny Parker)

Side 2
I'm Looking for a Riff (D. Hyman, R. Hardt)

John Parker (trumpet)
Lou McGarity (trombone)
Dick Hyman (organ, piano)
Johnny Mince (clarinet, alto sax)
Lee Erwin (organ)
Ludwig Flato (celeste piano)
Gene Traxler (bass)
Remo Palmieri (guitar)
Ron Traxler (drums)
Joe Marshall (drums)
Osie Johnson (drums)

1/1 #newyork (192kbps, 7.1MB)

2008-03-12T06:44:00.004-04:00

The Mike St. Shaw Trio
The Mike St. Shaw Trio
Reprise RS-6128 (Stereo)

There's precious little to be found out about Mike St. Shaw and his trio. St. Shaw appears to have been a Greenwich Village folkie, and this album appears to be his only nationally distributed work. He was featured in the '60s exploitation film "Step Out of Your Mind," performed with The Prophets at a New York City club called The Inferno, and was in a one-act play entitled "Vinyl" at Caffe Cino. Quite an eclectic resume. St. Shaw's self-titled release for Reprise, produced by Jimmy Bowen, is a straight-ahead folk-revival album, with well picked covers (including an excellent version of Phil Ochs' "What's That I Hear") and strong originals. St. Shaw's a fine singer, and the band plays with a lot of verve. Anyone know more?

Original liner notes:

He comes on strong.

Mike St. Shaw sings with utter vigor. With masculine drive. With relentless rhythm. He's in the Errol Flynn – Douglas Fairbanks – Humphrey Bogart tradition of previous generations. A few years back, Mike would have strapped on a broadsword and starred in a series of "I'm a pirate" movies. He's that kind of guy. Today, Mike straps on his guitar and sings folk.

Singing here with his own trio (Ken Coblentz and Gary Lee complete the group), Mike belts his way through always fresh-sounding material; that which could sound trite, such as "Midnight Special," is transformed into a whole new sound; it comes out good and new as "Mike's Mid-Nite Special." The rest of the songs take to the special St. Shaw style, too.

That style has been a long time a bornin', for Mike has crammed a lot of life into his twenty-odd years. His heritage is Irish, Swedish, Indian, and gypsy, with the accent on gypsy (hence the gypsy earring detectable in many of Mike's photos, and one of Mike's ears). Mike's father is a professional adventurer who was born in Thomaston, Georgia, and has been, almost every since, "in transit." Mike, in turn, was raised on a banana plantation in Ecuador, where his first ambition was to become a singer and entertainer. After private tutoring in Ecuador, Mike attended Jackson High School in Miami, and John Thurston High in Thomaston, Georgia. Understandably, his best subject was music.

Mike's career began with the winning of a talent contest at the age of three; since then, he's been singing daily. He started on radio and television in Miami for a year, working the usual gigs in night clubs, always looking for his "Big Break."

In private life, Mike has worked at about every odd job a young man can find, including working for his father aboard ship as a deck hand when he was only eight years old (and making $5 a day at it). A well-traveled young man, he has been in his native Ecuador (not the most comfortable place to live, Mike claims, as more than once the plantation had to be defended against what Sidney Greenstreet use to call "native uprisings"), throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Virgin Islands, and throughout South America. Naturally, Mike speaks fluent Spanish.

With such an exotic background jammed into so few years, it's understandable that Mike seems propelled onto this recording. The potency of his singing is undeniable. He's a unique listening experience – young, vital, and imaginative

-STAN CORNYN

Side 1
That's What I Hear (Phil Ochs)
Didja Hear 'Bout Gerry (Mike St. Shaw)
Till the Check Comes In (Baker Knight)
Lone and Lonesome Traveler (Chris Douglas)
Light the Fuse (Dorsey Burnette)
Water Boy (Avery Robinson)

Side 2
Here Rattler Here (Mike St. Shaw)
Mike's Mid'Nite Special (Mike St. Shaw)
Tobacco Road (John D. Loudermilk)
Mighty Joe Magarac (Sheldon, Barron)
Take This Hammer (Mike St. Shaw)

Produced by Jimmy Bowen
Engineer: Eddie Brackett

1/1 #newyork (320kbps, 60.4MB)

2008-03-10T02:01:00.002-04:00

The Soulful Strings
In Concert: Back By Demand
Cadet LPS-820, 1969

The Soulful Strings' fifth album found them live and in person at Chicago's London House jazz club and restaurant. The players (both jazz and classical) showed off their impressive live chops, but, surprisingly, this live performance doesn't often swing as hard as the studio sessions. As with the 'Strings earlier albums, the song list was nearly all covers, including pop songs and two Richard Evans arrangements of classical pieces. The album's lone original is "Oboe Flats," from the group's woodwind player, Lennie Druss.

Make sure to also check out the group's first three albums, Paint It Black, Groovin' With the Soulful Strings, and Another Exposure, plus their sixth, String Fever.

Audio note: The applause and crowd sound at the end of several tracks have been rebalanced. Cadet's original mix had one channel abnormally loud in several spots.

Side 1
Listen Here (Harris)
I Wish It Would Rain (Whitfield, Strong, Penzabene)
You're All I Need (Ashford, Simpson)
Pavanne (Ravel, adapt. Richard Evans)
There Was a Time (Brown)

Side 2
Oboe Flats* (Druss)
I'm a Girl Watcher (Pittman, Trail)
Clair de Lune (DeBussy, adapt. Richard Evans)
MacArthur Park (Webb)

Arranged and conducted by Richard Evans
Recorded November 6th and 7th at The London House, Chicago
Recording engineer: Reice Hamel
Re-mix engineer: Stu Blck
Photos and album design: Jerry Griffith
Supervision: Dick LaPalm
Arrangements: Richard Evans (*Lennie Druss)

Soloists:
Lennie Druss (woodwinds)
Phil Upchurch (guitar)
Bobby Christian (vibes)
Ron Steele (first guitar on "MacArthur Park" only)

1/1 #chicago (320kbps, 88.1MB)

2008-03-04T01:19:00.001-05:00

Martin Denny
Exotic Percussion
Liberty LRP 3168 (Mono), 1961

This was the first Martin Denny album I ever heard, and it's remained my favorite. I think it's the band's pinnacle as a performing unit, and the song selections mostly avoid the novelties of earlier albums. As a later release in Denny's original run of exotica LPs, Exotic Percussion's tracks are typically left off anthologies, and Scamp's reissue series seems to have stalled before getting this far. Even many Denny afficianados haven't heard this great music. Now, does anyone have a stereo copy they'd like to share?

Cover shot courtesy of http://www.shellac.org.

Side 1
My Tane (My Man) (Goupil, Gump, Noble)
Cumana (Allen, Spina, Hillman)
Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise (Hammerstein, Romberg)
Day Delight (Martin Denny)
Moonlight on the Ganges (Wallace, Myers)
Cherokee (Indian Love Song) (R. Noble)

Side 2
Misirlou (Russell, Wise, Leeds, Pina, Roubanis)
Anna (Vastro, Giordano)
Song of the Bayou (Rube Bloom)
Moonlight and Shadows (Robin, Hollander)
My Shawl (Adams, Berrids, Bugat)
The Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish (Dubin, Mercer, Warren)

Martin Denny (piano, celeste)
August Colon (bongos, congas, bird calls)
Julius Wechter (vibes, marimba, percussion)
Harvey Ragsdale (string bass, marimbula)
Frank Kim (percussion)

1/1 #exotica (192kbps, 43.0MB)

2008-03-02T23:35:00.001-05:00

The Soulful Strings
String Fever
Cadet LPS-834, 1969

The Soulful Strings sixth album moves away from cover versions for an album full of originals (save a new arrangement of Motherless Child), written mostly by arranger Richard Evans and guitarist Phil Upchurch.

Make sure to also check out the group's first three albums, Paint It Black, Groovin' With the Soulful Strings, and Another Exposure.

Original liner notes:

The Soulful Strings may be a lot of things, but one thing they aren't is predictable. Just when you think you may have them put in one bag they pop up in another.

Actually, the bandy's changes are by way of progression. On their first bit hit, Groovin With the Soulful Strings (Cadet #796), the strings played as sort of a solo voice against the heavy action of the rhythm section.

Then along came Another Exposure (Cadet #805) and The Soulful Strings began applying their special touch to established standard numbers. It was a special sort of challenge to see if they could find anything in these known tunes that had not been heard – and they did.

String Fever is something else again. All of the numbers are original except, of course, Motherless Child. (Although Richard Evans sensitive arrangement of this evergreen virtually makes it a new tune.)

But to the mixture of grooving and smooth that has established The Soulful Strings, this album adds a new and exciting dimension – rustling and bustling African and South American rhythms on a variety of percussion instruments. It's a dimension as quick and lithe as a jaguar on the prowl.

Then, to add an additional African Touch, a flute weaves its way in and out of the tunes, sounding as lonely and loving as the penny whistles that the kids play in the bush towns of Africa. The effect is as haunting and hypnotic as a long-forgotten voice speaking out of the night.

-Merri Dee, WBEE Radio, Chicago, Illinois

Side 1
Zambezi (Evans, Holloway)
Wildwood (Upchurch)
Chocolate Candy (Upchurch)
High Rise Blues (Evans)
It's Cold Duck Time (Harris)

Side 2
The Voices Inside (Evans, Upchurch)
Valdez in the Country (Hathaway)
A Love Song (Evans)
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (Evans)
1974 Blues (Harris)

Lenny Druss (flute-1, 3, 10; bass flute-2)
Cleveland Eaton (cello-1, 7)
Richie Fundali (flute-2, 4, 9)
Jeff Carp (harmonica-3, 4, 5, 6, 9)
Cash McCall (guitar-4)
Bruce Hayden (viola-4)
Sam Thomas (guitar-6)
Phil Upchurch (guitar-7, 10)
Ron Steele (principal guitar-8)

Recorded at Ter Mar Studios, Chicago, July, 1969
Recording engineer: Dave Purple
Arranged & conducted by Richard Evans
Produced by Richard Evans
Cover photo: Jerry Griffith
Album design: Jerry Griffith

1/1 #chicago (320kbps, 76.2MB)

2008-03-01T06:05:00.000-05:00

The Soulful Strings
Another Exposure
Cadet LPS-805, 1968

The Soulful Strings third album follows the same formula as the first two, swinging string arrangements mixed with solid Chicago jazz players. Arranger Richard Evans offers up three originals this time out, including the bluesy soul of "The Stepper" and the flute-heavy "Soul Message." Three Beatles covers are complemented by selections from Stax and even tin-pan alley!

Make sure to also check out the group's first album, Paint It Black, and their second, Groovin' With the Soulful Strings.

Original liner notes:

A funny thing happened on my way to the radio forum on evening last fall. In an age of so-called Top 40 or 30 teen-oriented innocuous melody and lyric, who would have thought that a string section with rhythm accents and jazz-oriented statements from a flute player and guitarist could make a dent. I was auditioning the new releases, both albums and singles, when an infectious instrumental started to get through to me… fist subliminally… then, as the album scenes tracked on, pierced my soul with its pulsating beat and ingratiating marriage of melody. A double threat! I thought, this truly is representative of our happening times… the pulse of our generation captured in a meaningful session of record dates in a most important music mecca, Chicago. Let's put this package in a time capsule for future civilizations to uncover and perceive our century's eventful and inventive years. Lennie Druss' magic flute had become a potent weapon striking the inner core of our emotional feel as he personified the Burning Spear. It struck true and deep and it felt good.

Now, a new chapter in the adventures of the Soulful Strings unfolds and you are one of the first to witness it. Congratulations! Welcome to the legion! I don't want to go into a breakdown of the individual selections inasmuch as they tell their own story, and you will do you own thing with them. However, let me cite just a few of the highlights. Soul Message is the natural follow-up to the Burning Spear. Its energy, as you can see, has been harnessed for a just cause, so fall in. I am also happy to note that Alice has a new Blue Gown; she needed it and Richard Evans took great pains to style her contemporary wardrobe. Dock of the Bay is the recent No. 1 record in the nation, instrumentalized here for the first time and officially stamped as an all-time standard with this tribute to my late great friend, Otis Redding. George Harrison's composition, Inner Light, reflects our fascination with the culture and philosophy of India. The wearing of your beads is optional. Two other Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, have contributed lead sheets for arrangement and orchestration. When they hear Hello, Goodbye and Lady Madonna, they will want to abduct our own Richard Evans for future endeavors.

Mr. Evans is, in my opinion, the complete musician. His compositions have melodic charm and dignity. His arrangements of them are always just right. I love his respectful use of strings, and so, of course, do his most talented players. They are, by nature of their learning and mastery of their instrument, classically rooted. Richard taps these resources and skillfully effects this bridge to carpet a new setting for pop, blues, gospel, jazz and traditional. I think his skillful handling of this delicate and almost sacred area is truly a major breakthrough.

Now that I have stated this prelude to Another Exposure of the Soulful Strings… let's get into it. Richard Evans is on the podium and he awaits your cue. Have a ball!

-Johnny Magnus, KMPC Radio, Los Angeles

Side 1
The Stepper (Richard Evans)
Hello, Goodbye (Lennon, McCartney)
Since You've Been Gone (Franklin, White)
On the Dock of the Bay (Cropper, Redding)
The Who Who Song (Jackson, Davis)
Soul Message (Richard Evans)

Side 2
Inner Light (George Harrison)
Alice Blue Gown (Tierney, McCarthy)
It Ain't Necessarily So (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
Lady Madonna (Lennon, McCartney)
Minor Adjustment (Williamson, Williamson)
Jericho (Richard Evans)

Recorded at: Ter Mar Studios, Chicago, March, 1968
Recording engineer: Doug Brand
Arrangements: Richard Evans (except "Since You've Been Gone" arranged by Charles Stepney)
Produced by: Richard Evans
Cover photo: Ruyell Ho
Album design: Jerry Griffith
Album supervision: Dick LaPalm

1/1 #chicago (320kbps, 86.4MB)

2008-02-29T23:01:00.002-05:00

The Soulful Strings
Groovin' With the Soulful Strings
Cadet LPS-796, 1967

The Soulful Strings' second album includes one of their few well-known tracks, the Richard Evans original "Burning Spear." But there are also superb arrangements of jazz (Miles Davis' "All Blues"), psychedelic pop (George Harrison's "Within You Without You"), top-40 (The Rascals' "Groovin'"), and much much more. Once again the strings swing and the non-stringed instruments really shine, with superb playing from Charles Stepney, Lenard Druss, Bunky Green, Phil Upchurch, Ronald Steele, Morris Jennings, Jr. and many others.

Original liner notes:

For a number of years I've had a great appreciation for the sound of string instruments. A violin section can and has provided magnificent backings for vocalists and instrumentalists. As a matter of fact, I've sometimes been so carried away listening to what's going on in the background that I've eliminated the soloist almost entirely from my mind, mentally up-staging those guys in the back that add that special something. On a smaller scale it's like guitarist Freddie Green with the Basie band.

When I first heard about The Soulful Strings, my first reaction was: the soulful what? In case you're not aware, may I refer you to the first album, Paint it Black (Cadet LP&LPS-776). The idea of doing an album of soulful strings was the brain-child of Cadet A&R director, Esmond Edwards (the quiet genius). He could well have called this group "The Funky Strings" because they certainly put to rest all the old sayings about strings not swinging, not having soul, etc. The sound of The Soulful Strings is refreshingly new.

And now comes this, their second album… appropriately titled Groovin'. As in the first, the arranging, conducting, and spotlighting of the soloists rested on the shoulders of brilliant arranger Richard Evans. The result is another beautiful, swingin', cookin' and magnificent performance by The Soulful Strings.

The album opens with an Evans original entitled Burning Spear which completely captivated me the first time I heard it. I thought of the Far East, and then Lennie Druss allowed me to almost see the burning spear he's holding in his hand. Lennie's "spear" is really a flute. This track also features the guitar of Phil Upchurch. It's an imaginative bit of material and sounds like something Miriam Makeba might sing.

Miles Davis' All Blues gets a fresh treatment with the strings gliding through the melody line. Upchurch takes over again. Frankly, I wanted this track to last a bit longer. What Now My Love receives one of the nicest instrumental arrangements I've ever heard. It's flavored with "funk" until the strings come in and soulfully sweeten it. Prepare youself for the weird, haunting melody of Beatle George Harrison's composition, Within You Without You, featuring Ron Steele on sitar. It's like viewing an abstract painting – the more you listen, the more you see… or hear. Indeed, the day has arrived for strings to have soul. Pay particular attention to track five on side one, Our Day Will Come.

Soul Prelude, which opens side two, may sound a bit familiar. It's based on a Bach composition and given a "soul" adaptation by Esmond Edwards. The Young Rascals hit, Groovin', is one of my very favorite rock tunes and ever since I first heard their record, I've been looking forward to hearing a really exciting instrumental version of it. The treatment here, featuring Bunky Green on flute, is exactly that… exciting!

Next, the strings set a beautiful mood for Lennie Druss, switching to alto sax, playing Alfie. It's a favorite song by almost anybody, but Lennie gives it that special "heartachey" feeling. It builds into a storm and after the storm comes the calm… but only for a few seconds. The following track takes you right back into a groove with Comin' Home Baby, which was popularized by Herbie Mann. Here the drummer provides what Herbie Mann refers to as "the boom-chitty beat." Nice solos here, too, by Bunky, Phil Upchurch and a vibrant vibe solo by Charles Stepney. The final track is I Know I'm Loving You which features the crying soprano saxophone of Bunky Green… a very convincing solo by Mr. Green.

If you've been listening to the album while reading these notes, you're way ahead of the game. If you haven't, start playing it now – you're missing some delightful musical moments.

-Yvonne Davis, WSDM-FM, Chicago

Side 1
Burning Spear (Richard Evans)
All Blues (Miles Davis)
What Now My Love (Becaud, Delanoe, Sigman)
Within You Without You (George Harrison)
Our Day Will Come (Garson, Hilliard)

Side 2
Soul Prelude (J.S. Bach, adpt. by Edwards)
Groovin' (Cavaliere, Brigati)
Alfie (Bacharach, David)
Comin' Home Baby (Tucker, Dorough)
(I Know) I'm Losing You (Whitfield, Holland, Grant)

Personnel:
Sol A. Bobrov (violin)
David Chausow (violin)
Arthur Ahlman (viola)
Harold Kupper (viola)
Karl B. Frush (cello)
Emil Mittermann (cello)
Theodore Ratzer (cello)
Charles Stepney (organ, vibes)
Lenard Druss (sax, flute)
Vernice Green (sax, flute)
Ronald Steele (guitar)
Phil Upchurch (guitar)
Cleveland Eaton II (bass)
Louis Satterfield (bass)
Philip R. Thomas (bongos, congas)
Morris Jennings, Jr. (drums)

Recorded: June & July, 1967 at Ter Mar Studios, Chicago
Arranged & conducted by: Richard Evans
Album production & supervision: Esmond Edwards
Engineer: Doug Brand
Cover photo: Don S. Bronstein
Album design: Jerry Griffith

1/1 #chicago (320kbps, 77.2MB)

2008-02-26T00:32:00.001-05:00

The Soulful Strings
Paint it Black
Cadet LPS-776, 1966

For years I'd assumed the Soulful Strings were typically schmaltzy string-laden recreations of popular hits-of-the-day. And while the string-laden and hits-of-the-day aspects are true, schmaltzy they're not. Recorded in Chicago with talented orchestral string players, arrangements by Richard Evans and a crack backing band, these recordings have more punch and sizzle than you'd guess.

Original liner notes:

For years it's been an axiom in music circles that "strings can't swing" and based on a lot of attempts that I have heard prior to this SOULFUL STRINGS album, I was ready to agree with the statement. Now, thanks to the efforts of arranger-conductor Richard Evans, producer Esmond Edmunds, and some of the finest musicians available in the city of Chicago, we have a swinging, cooking album that features strings to a large extent but doesn't (forgive this) play second fiddle to any record in the groovin' department.

Esmond Edwards conceived this album as a showcase for a string sound that is unusual for jazz and 'pop' records. Instead of the normal string section made up principally of violins, this group emphasizes the beautiful, sonorous sound of cellos and violas. Thus we have a sound that more closely resembles the range and timbre of the reed and brass instruments commonly used by jazz groups. But in addition to the sound, the string players managed to capture the feeling of the music they were playing, and they made their instruments bend to the blues feel needed for this kind of music.

The multi-talented Richard Evans wrote arrangements that took advantage of the best features of the instruments he had to work with and his exhortations kept things movin' and groovin'. This young man is rapidly building a fine reputation for himself with the great charts he has been doing for Ramsey Lewis, Kenny Burrell, George Kirby and others. Keep his name in mind; you'll be hearing a lot more from him.

Of course, the choice of tunes is always important to an album's success and, with a batch of winners such as we have here, how could you go wrong? The titles were chosen from among recent jazz and popular hit records and many of them reached the top twenty when originally released. Judging from the sound contained in this package, some of the tunes re due to hit the charts again in the version recorded by THE SOULFUL STRINGS. My money is on the title tune (PAINT IT BLACK) and SUNNY, but several other numbers could mean "top forty" record sales.

Although THE SOULFUL STRINGS are important to the musical success of this production, we cannot ignore the contribution made by the rock-steady rhythm section. Whether you're dealing with strings, horns or voices, if the music is to swing, you've got to have a "burnin'" rhythm section, and these fellows do just that. I've also got to make special mention of the solo virtuosity of Lennie Druss on flute and clarinet and Charles Stepney on vibes and piano. These two men bear the burden of most of the solo spots in the album and it is a task that they handle with consummate skill. I'd say that the happy joining of jazz and popular elements in these eleven selections is in great part due to the fine work of Lennie and Charles.

But look, friends, I'm flattered that you've read my efforts this far, but you've got to listen to dig. There is wonderful, groovy music to be heard and enjoyed – so stop reading and listen!

-E. Rodney Jones, WVON Radio, Chicago

Side 1
Paint it Black (Jagger, Richards)
California Dreamin' (Phillips)
Message to Michael (Bacharach, David)
Wade in the Water (Evans, Edwards)
Love is a Hurtin' Thing (Rawls)

Side 2
Sunny (Hebb)
When a Man Loves a Woman (Lewis, Wright)
Eight Miles High (McGuinn, Crosby, Clark)
Take Five (Desmond)
The Sidewinder (Morgan)
A Lover's Concerto (Randell, Linzer)

Recorded September, 1966, at Ter Mar Studios, Chicago
Recording engineer: Doug Brand
Arranged by Richard Evans
Cover: Esmond Edwards
Produced by Esmond Edwards

1/1 #chicago (320kbps, 77.5MB)

2008-02-24T06:47:00.001-05:00

The Standells
Rarities
Rhino RNLP 115, 1984

A few of these rarities are still available on CD in far superior fidelity, some were reissued but have fallen out of print. The most rare tracks here are the group's early singles for Vee Jay, including their cover of "Big Boss Man," its B-side, "Don't Say Goodbye," and the Sonny Bono authored and produced "The Boy Next Door." Also of interest is the latter-day single "Guilty" recorded by Dick Dodd for Attarock.

Original liner notes:

While the Standells' better known records were certainly well crafted and imaginatively arranged, the element that elevated them to their Princes of Punk status was the conviction of their performance. When, in "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White," singer Dick Dodd closes with, "If you think those guys in the white collars are better than I am, then flake off," the resentment is genuine.

While the band's expression of youthful rebellion was honest, the other side of the coin revealed the members – Dodd, Larry Tamblyn, Tony Valentino, Gary Lane – as naïve, nascent professionals, who were inhibited by their lack of familiarity with the record industry's formal business policies.

While evolving from a clean, but hip, dance band to their punk persona, they released two singles on Vee Jay Records. Sonny Bono, very influenced by Phil Spector's dense approach, augmented the four-piece Standells with a mini rock orchestra that included top session men such as James Burton, Don Pete, Jerry Cole, Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco, Hal Blaine and Jimmy Bond. Although Sonny was a demanding producer, the takes were invariably few. Cher joined the Standells on backing vocals, and the tracks were recorded at Annex Studios.

"Big Boss Man" (flipped, to become the "A" Side), was a suggestion of Jackie DeShannon's. Dick had been her drummer, but he was getting bored and she got him into the Standells. "B.J. Quetzal," the B-side of "boy Next Door" (which recalls Sonny's "Laugh At Me") is not included here, as it was a throwaway instrumental recorded solely with session musicians. Sonny called his B-sides "Quetzals" and affixed "B.J." to the front to refer to Standells' manager Burt Jacobs.

With the group's move over to Capitol Records' Tower subsidiary, the Standells adopted their more familiar punk image, best summarized in the opening line of "Good Guys": "I'm a poor boy born in a rubble, and some say my manner ain't the best." Complementing the message was the sound, an atmospheric, dirty, garage band sound that was sometimes recorded in Armin Steiner's (garage) studio.

Very working class and universal in appeal, the tone was consistent through other, provocative hits like "Why Pick On Me," "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White," and "Try It." While, to some extent, that rebelliousness was a characteristic of their youth, it was encouraged by the music of the Rolling Stones, and shaped by their new producer/manager Ed Cobb. Cobb's ability as a songwriter extended beyond the hits to worthwhile album tracks and B-sides, like "Rari," "Dirty Water's" flip, of which Dick says, "It's a song about a Hawaiian girl… people seemed to like it almost as much as the A-side."

Cobb influenced much of the group's writing. "Riot On Sunset Strip," which sounds like a Cobb composition, was in fact composed by guitarist Valentino and used as the title track for the AIP movie. Organist Tamblyn's "Get Away From Here," which also appears on the soundtrack, was the original title track, but when the producer opted for a more rocking approach, the lyrics were changed. The Standells appear in the film, as do the Chocolate Watchband.

Dodd was moved to write "Poor Shell Of A Man," which was pressed onto the b-side of "Try It." "This was one of the few songs I've written that I felt strongly about recording," he said. "I played guitar on it and basically produced the session. I was in a real bad state of depression at the time. I was on the road a lot, and mixed up due to various factors. It was like being in a stupor, not knowing what day it was. I'd meet girls on the road – they'd be there and I'd be there – but there would never be any relationship. That mixed me up because I had never experienced anything so cold, not having any feelings, never talking. It was bizarre. So, I wrote this song to put that feeling in perspective, and to shake my life back together."

The Rolling Stones were always a great influence, even back to "Big Boss Man," which sounds like an outtake from the Stones' Spector/Pitney sessions. But the relationship became much more. Initially Dick met Bill Wyman because he was dating Dick's cousin. As "Dirty Water" climbed the charts, they (along with the McCoys) joined the Stones' U.S. tour, and traveled in their plane. As a tribute to the Stones, the Standells recorded credible versions of "Paint It Black" and "19th Nervous Breakdown." The later appeared on "The Hot Ones" LP, a misguided collection of covers of other groups' hits of that period. While the members questioned the validity of the marketing idea, they, in Dodd's words, "Weren't experienced enough to discuss their apprehensions intelligently, and instead sounded like a bunch of little kids who weren't getting their way."

The end of the Standells came in the aftermath of the relative failure of "Try It." Perhaps their best record, the fact that it was banned sapped much of the band's momentum. They also failed to recognize the potential of an Ed Cobb composition, "Tainted Love," that he later recorded with Gloria Jones, and which became a hit for Soft Cell in 1982. Having rubbed shoulders with the Stones, and influenced by the continual changes of the music scene in general, the group opted for casual experimentation. Having heard Dave Guard and MFQ perform Ledbetter's "When I Was A Cowboy," they recorded that, along with "Don't Tell Me What To Do," that featured an uncharacteristic New Vaudville Band-ish lead vocal. Because these tracks deviated so far from their image, they were released as being by "The Sllednats," or the Standells spelled backwards. Around this time Dick also sang "Guilty" to a non-group backing track. The song was ostensibly for a movie called "Square Root," which Dodd claims was never released.

The search for a renewed direction also included R&B, which had always been part of the band's personality. But material such as "There's A Storm Comin'," and later on "Soul Drippin'" in an era when rock was progressing and evolving, seemed more like a regression.

To top it off, even though relations within the band were cordial, their business naivete and lack of understanding led to some questionable decisions that splintered the group. Dick was wisked to Atlanta to record a heavily-produced solo album, "The First Evolution of Dick Dodd," of which "Little Sister" received the most exposure. The LP was played primarily in the South, but was a deviation from the sound with which he had formerly been associated.

With the demise of the Standells, it seems as if punk died too, surrendering to an era of progressive sounds ushered in by the Cream and Jimi Hendrix. It took almost another ten year for punk to return with the Sex Pistols, Ramones and others, all of whom invariably acknowledged the Standells as a prime inspiration.

Personnel Notes: The Standells as we known them boasted a consistent core of Dodd, Valentino and Tamblyn. Previous to Dodd joining, Gary Leeds played drums, but left to help form the Walker Brothers. Also, not too long after "Dirty Water" had been recorded, and before it started its struggle up the charts, Dodd left the group for four months and was replaced by Dewy Martin, who later helped form Buffalo Springfield. Gary Lane, their short-haired bass player on the "Dirty Water" LP, left the Standells high and dry during a Florida tour. He was immediately replace dby a dark-haired local boy, Dave Burke, who is pictured on the "Good Guys" and "Hot Ones" covers. Blond John Fleck (nee Fleckenstein) replaced Burke and graces the covers of "Try It" and "Best Of." Previously, Fleckentstein was credited as one of the composers of Love's "Can't Explain." As of the last few years he's become a top cinematographer (with "Jaws" among his credits).

As of this writing, April 1984, Dodd, Valentino and Tamblyn have reformed the Standells, and are playing selected dates. A preview performance at a Hollywood club revealed the band's sound to be so natural and accurate that it could very well have been 1966 all over again.

-Harold Bronson

Side One
Riot on Sunset Strip (Valentino, Fleck)
19th Nervous Breakdown (Jagger, Richards)
Poor Shell of a Man (Dodd)
When I Was a Cowboy (Ledbetter)
Get Away From Here (Tamblyn)
Rari (Cobb)
The Boy Next Door (Bono, Green)

Side Two
Big Boss Man (Smith, Dixon)
Soul Drippin’ (Monda)
Guilty (Cobb)
Little Sister (Cobb)
There’s a Storm Comin’ (Cobb)
Don’t Tell Me What to Do (Valentino)
Don’t Say Goodbye (Gordon)

Produced by Ed Cobb (except 7, 8, 14 produced by Sonny Bono)

1/1 #bossangeles (192kbps, 53.6MB)

2008-02-22T00:07:00.001-05:00

The Knickerbockers
Lies
Challenge 622 / Line LLP 5056, 1966

Like so many bands that appeared on the original Nuggets compilation, there was more to the New Jersey bred Knickerbockers than "Lies." But even with other solid rockers in their catalog, the band's recorded history remains a weirdly schizophrenic affair. This second album is a prefect example: side 1 revs it up with solid pop and guitar-harmony rockers (including the early Seals & Croft tune "I Can Do Better"), while side 2 is filled with sappy ballads, Righteous Brothers blue-eyed soul and inexplicable remakes of standards. I've always wondered if the label didn't inadvertently mix up two different albums, or perhaps intend teens to give the record a quick flip to side 2 when they heard parental footsteps coming down the hall. Line's vinyl reissue added two bonus tracks to the original ten, closing side 1 with "You're a Bad Girl," and closing side 2 with the Four Seasons inspired "Play Girl." This is one of the mid-60s most puzzling albums!

Side 1
Lies (Randell, Charles)
I Can Do Better (Seals, Croft)
Can’t You See I’m Tryin’ (Campbell, Fuller)
Please Don’t Fight It (Fuller)
Just One Girl (Charles)
You’re a Bad Girl (Randell, Fuller)

Side 2
I Believe in Her (Seals, Trombatore)

Wishful Thinking (Stewart)
You’ll Never Walk Alone (Rodgers, Hammerstein)
Your Kind of Lovin’ (Jones, Tucker)
Harlem Nocturne (Rodgers, Hagen)
Play Girl (Randell, Fuller)

John Charles (bass)
Beau Charles (guitar)
Buddy Randell (sax)
Jimmy Walker (drums)

Producer: Jerry Fuller
Supervision: Joe Johnson
Engineers: Bruce Botnick, Dave Hassinger
Cover Photo: Bob Stein
Photographed at the Red Velvet, Hollywood
Package Coordination: Richard Delvy

1/1 #newjersey (192kbps, 42.3MB)

2008-02-19T12:51:00.001-05:00

The Shadows of Knight
Back Door Men
Dunwich 667 (Mono), 1966

This is the Chicago garage greats' second LP, their last for Dunwich and their last with the original lineup. They'd record one more for bubblegum masters Kasenetz-Katz (Super K), and though it had some good tracks, it didn't match the garaginess of the first two albums. This LP has been reissued in stereo on CD by Sundazed (with three bonus tracks), but the mono mix is really worth hearing, even from a well-worn piece of vinyl. The bonus twelfth track included here is the backward coda from "Three for Love" reversed to its original direction.

Side 1
Bad Little Woman* (Tinsley, Catling, Demick, Armstrong, Rosbotham)
Gospel Zone (T. Schiffour)
The Behemoth (H. Pye)
Three for Love (J. Kelley)
Hey Joe* (Dino Valenti)

Side 2
I'll Make You Sorry (J. Kelley)
Peepin' and Hidin'* (J. Reed)
Tomorrow's Going to Be Another Day* (Tommy Boyce)
New York Bullseye (H. Pye)
High Blood Pressure (Huey Smith, John Vincent)
Spoonful (W. Dixon)

Bonus
Three For Love (Reverse Coda)

Jim Sohns: Vocal, Tambourine, Maracas
Joe Kelley: Lead Guitar, Blues Harp
Jerry McGeorge: Rhythm Guitar, Feedback
Warren Rogers: Bass
Tom Schiffour: Drums
The Hawk: Organ, Piano* (on starred selections only)

A Dunwich Production
Recorded at Universal Recording Corp., Chicago, Illinois

1/1 #chicago (320kbps, 78.4MB)

2008-02-18T21:39:00.002-05:00

The Nightcrawlers
The Little Black Egg
Kapp KS-3520 (Electronically Re-Channeled for Stereo), 1966

The title track from this LP was originally released as a single, but didn't find even minor chart success until a year later. It went on to become a garage rock staple, covered both with its original enigmatic lyrics, and with rewrites (such as The Music Explosion's "One Potato Two."). The album, released after the band self-destructed, was in league with the single.

This electronically re-channeled stereo LP is no substitute for the Big Beat CD reissue which offers the album in its original mono (except for the title tune, which was recorded in true stereo!) and terrific bonus tracks. Still, this "stereo" LP sounds surprisingly good, and makes a nice companion to the reissue.

Side 1
The Little Black Egg
You're Running Wild (M. Stone)
Me For Me
If You Want My Love
I Don't Remember

Side 2
A Basket of Flowers (Stone, Conlon, Wells)
Show Me the Way
What Time Is It
Who Knows
Washboard (Stone, Conlon)

All songs written by Chuck Conlon, except as noted

Produced by Brad Shapiro & Steve Alaimo
Arrangements by Charlie Conlon

1/1 #florida (320kbps, 54.2MB)

2008-02-17T01:10:00.000-05:00

The Dynette Set
Rockers and Recliners
Wolf Records WR-8310, 1983

Seattle had a rich and varied music scene in the early '80s, the years leading up to the breakout of grunge. The Dynette Set was one of many popular live acts that played in the clubs of the U District, Pioneer Square and downtown. With three female singers and a set list that included covers of Connie Francis ("Stupid Cupid"), The Crystals ("Then He Kissed Me"), The Shirelles ("Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye"), The Honeys ("Shoot the Curl"), Annette Funicello ("First Name Initial"), The Shangri-Las ("Out in the Streets") and Nancy Sinatra ("These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"), the '60s girl-group vibe was strong. Bassist Scott McCaughey (who'd later found The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus Five, and become a sideman with R.E.M.) also wrote some great originals, both by himself, and with his future wife Christy McWilson (who herself went on to found The Picketts and record two excellent solo albums). Vocalist Shelley Stockstill also captured the era with her superb original, "Seed of Love," and the band's producer and label head chipped in with the teen-themed "Don't Wanna Go Back to School."

Side 1
That’s Too Bad (McCaughey)
Stupid Cupid (Sedaka, Greenfield)
Then He Kissed Me (Spector, Greenwich, Barry)
Don’t Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye (Partee, Diangelis)
Tell Me What You Want (McCaughey, Wilson)
Shoot the Curl (Glantz, Rovell)

Side 2
Don’t Wanna Go Back to School (Wolfe)
Needles and Pins (Nitzsche, Bono)
First Name Initial (Schroeder, Kalamanoff)
Out in the Streets (Greenwich, Barry)
These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (Hazlewood)
Never Learn to Love (McCaughey)
Seed of Love (Stockstill)

Dave Drewry (drums, percussion)
Bill Larsen (12-string Rickenbacker, acoustic guitar, catanets)
Riki Mafune (vocals)
Scott McCaughey (bass, acoustic guitar, piano, trumpet)
Christy McWilson (vocals)
Brent Pennington (electric guitar, acoustic guitar)
Shelley Stockstill (vocals, boots)

Leif “King” Cole (sax)
Azar (keyboards on “Don’t Say Goodnight”)

Produced and engineered by Jim Wolfe at the Music Source, Seattle

1/1 #seattle (320kbps, 81MB)

2008-02-08T05:52:00.000-05:00

The Neats
The Neats
Ace of Hearts AHS 1019, 1983

After recording an EP for Ace of Hearts in the previous year, Boston's Neats returned with this full-length. Similar in sound to the EP, with near-trance guitars and almost-jittery rhythms, this reminds me a little bit of a less nervous version of the Feelies with the instrumental punch of the Raybeats. These guys could really drive it home live, too. A few tracks have a garage edge (ala early Green on Red or even Boston's own Lyres) to the organ and vocals. Eric Martin's closing "Water" is one of the band's finest moments – his vocals are really effective on this LP. Great cover photo by Wayne Podworny.

If you haven't already, e-mail Rick Harte at Ace of Hearts and get yourself a copy of his terrific 12 Classic 45s CD. Includes The Neats first single ("Caraboo" b/w "Harbor Lights"), as well as The Neighborhoods' brilliant "Prettiest Girl" and a lot more. While you're at it, ask about the The Wasted Years compilation.

Side 1
Sad (J. Channell, E. Martin)
Sometimes (J. Channell)
Another Broken Dream (The Neats)
Now You Know (E. Martin)

Side 2
Caraboo (J. Channell, E. Martin)
Ghost (E. Martin)
Stay Inside (E. Martin)
Do the Things (J. Channell)
Water (E. Martin)

Eric Martin (guitar, organ, vocals)
Jerry Channell (bass guitar, vocals)
Terry Hanley (drums)
Phil Caruso (guitar)

Produced by Richard W. Harte

This long playing stereo record was recorded at Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island by Richard Harte with Phil Green as engineer. The tapes were mixed at Soundtrack by Rick, the Neats, and engineer John Kiehl in Boston, Massachusetts. Skip Welch sets-up, breaks-down, maintains, and drives the Neats and their gear to all destinations. The light shows are done by Jeanne Boyle. Wayne Podworny took the pictures for the cover, he is a photographic genius. The Neats would like to thank Jules Leonard for her diligence and hard work with AHS 1009 and this project. Special thanks and a tip of the hat to the Cutler/Stavaridis Gallery and all the people at Soundtrack, especially Rob Cavicchio. Posters and Graphics supplied by Punk Rock Posters Ltd., Boston MA.

1/1 #beantown (320kbps, 68.1MB)

2008-02-06T06:50:00.000-05:00

Various Artists
Garage Punk Unknowns, Vol. 7
Stone Age Records sa 667

One volume in yet another series descended from Lenny Kaye's original Nuggets. Lots of great obscure garage rockers here, including, I assume, the version of "High on a Cloud" that The Pandoras copped. I'm also partial to the superb Everlys-meet-the-British-Invasion-in-the-garage of the English Setters' "Tragedy." A fine selection of rarities!

Side 1
Spider & the Mustangs - So Long Child
Nickel Bag - Come On Back
Enchanters 4 - Lost You
Londons - Old Man
Traits - High on a Cloud
Thursdays Children - Help Murder Police
Counts - Night of Misery
Ambertones - I Can Only Give You Everything
English Setters - Tragedy

Side 2
Danny & The Sessions - Mojo
Dicky Treadway & Salados - 1 to 10
Grapes of Wrath - Cauz It Was Her
Thee Saints & The Prince of Darkness - Hey Girl
Inmates - You Tell Lies
Echos - Every Second of the Day
Apostles - You Really Got Me
006 - Like What, Me Worry?
Jades - I Ain't Got You

1/1 #munsters (192kbps, 60.8MB)

2008-02-03T08:04:00.000-05:00

Living Guitars
San Franciscan Nights
RCA Camden CAS 2192, 1968

This is another great example of how MOR instrumentals of pop hits can be both incredibly cheesy and incredibly entertaining. While this may have been created to entice the older generation to get with it (in a non-threatening way, of course), the guitar-drums-bass instrumentals, augmented by fuzz tone, organ and more, are played really well and make for some good listening. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the songs were smash hits. Boyce & Hart's go-go beat "Out and About" wasn't a chart-topper, but it's still very groovy, as is "Vibrations" by session guitarist Al Caiola.

Here are the album's original liner notes:

Living Guitars with a MIND-EXPANDING SOUND

It took a long time for sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar to master the intricate 2,000-year-old raga art form of India.

It took a long time for San Francisco to develop from a bustling frontier town – "an American dream; includes Indians too"* -- to the place the hippies call home.

It took a long time for popular music to grow into the present mind-expanding, driving, psychedelic sound.

And it took a long time for artists such as Jefferson Airplane, the Beatles and Bobbie Gentry to develop the exceptional styles that swung them into the spotlight.

It didn't take long for the Living Guitars to get hold of what's happening and adapt today's rhythms and harmonies to their own styling with refinements and special techniques. From listening to their super sound, it would seem the Living Guitars have been playing together since raga began. They succeed in fusing electronics with melody. No matter how psychedelic – "minds move; walls do too"* -- the song, the common denominator here is always melody.

It didn't take long for the ten songs included in this album to become big hits across the nation. Title song San Franciscan Nights could well be the anthem of flower children, and a great showcase it is for the nineteen-string sitar. Originally recorded by Eric Burden and the Animals this tune moved quickly from the underground to overwhelm pop listeners.

Bobbie Gentry's haunting Ode to Billie Joe zoomed to first place on the charts in only four weeks.

Jefferson Airplane: yesterday the West Coast; today the world. Somebody to Love is big league.

Beards, beads, capes, tattoos – yes, of course. Put on granny glasses. Turn on, turn on. It's Haight-Ashbury – "jeans of blue, Harley-Davidsons too."* Perhaps you need props in Haight, but you don't need them to enjoy this album. Everyone loves good arrangements, superb musicianship, great rock songs. It's universal!

* from the title tune San Franciscan Nights

Side 1
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) (Phillips)
A Whiter Shade of Pale (Reid, Brooker)
Ruby Tuesday (Jagger, Richards)
Ode to Billie Joe (Gentry)
San Franciscan Nights (Burdon, Briggs, Welder, Jenkins, McCulloch)

Side 2
Somebody to Love (Slick)
Vibrations (Caiola, Arnone)
Be Not Too Hard (Leitch, Logue)
Out and About (Boyce, Hart)
Baby, You're a Rich Man (Lennon, McCartney)

Produced by Ethel Gabriel
Recorded in RCA Victor's Studio B, New York City
Recording Engineer: Bob Simpson

1/1 #flowers (320kbps, 60.3MB)

2008-02-01T01:27:00.000-05:00

Living Strings
Play "I'm a Believer" and Other Monkees' Hits
RCA Camden CAS 2148, 1967

Hard to imagine that MOR instrumental versions of Monkees hits could be so enticing, but this is really worthwhile listening. In addition to the strings you'll hear guitar, bass, drums, harpsichord, flutes, saxophones and more. The arrangements are excellent, and the playing very good.

Here are the album's original liner notes:

The Living Strings Play the Very Lively Music of The Monkees

It wasn't too long ago that you would have gotten a fierce argument if you said that rock 'n' roll music contained some very pretty melodies. And even if these disbelievers did admit that rock 'n' roll might have pretty melodies, they would go on to say that it didn't matter because you couldn't hear them for all the noise of the amplified back-beat.

The fact of the matter is, as with all "new" music, the ears have to be tuned in. And that's what happened with these people. Gradually, they were able to tune in on this "new" music and, lo and behold, the arguments died away, the disbelievers became believers.

And then, last year, along came a television phenomenon known as "The Monkees" – a weekly half hour of very funny, abstract zaniness, spliced with rock 'n' roll songs. Two of the Monkees songs became Number 1 hits: Last Train to Clarksville and I'm a Believer. A few others, such as I Wanna Be Free and The Monkees Theme, also started the nation humming.

And, just to prove once again that you can take a hit rock 'n' roll piece and pull the pretty melody from the back to the front, listen to this collection of songs popularized by the Monkees, as conceived by Living Strings arranger-orchestrator Johnny Douglas. See if you don't agree that the wealth of melodic inspiration in these songs makes it hard to believe that rock 'n' roll is anything but melody.

There's nothing wrong with being that kind of disbeliever.

-Larry Alexander

Side 1
(Theme From) The Monkees (Boyce, Hart)
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone (Boyce, Hart)
When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door) (Bayer, Sedaka)
Last Train to Clarksville (Boyce, Hart)
I Wanna Be Free (Boyce, Hart)

Side 2
The Kind of Girl I Could Love (Nesmith, Atkins)
Take a Giant Step (Goffin, King)
Mary, Mary (Nesmith)
She (Boyce, Hart)
I'm a Believer (Diamond)

Arranged and conducted by Johnny Douglas
Produced by Ethel Gabriel
Recorded in London, England

1/1 #zilch (320kbps, 58.5MB)

2008-01-30T06:43:00.000-05:00

Various Artists
The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll, Volume 2
Vancouver Record Collector's Associations VRCA 002, 1985

One of my favorite collections of obscure 1960s rock, most especially for the three rare Terry Jacks cuts that include both sides of the Chessman's "The Way You Fell" (b/w "She Comes By Night") and the previously unissued pre-Poppy Family version of "There's No Blood in Bone." Also terrific is the Shockers' garage fuzz-soul "Somebody Help Me," the wonderfully lo-fi "I Want You Back" by The Pacers, and the Shadracks' riff-heavy "Call Up the Man." Fred Latremouille's drum-guitar-and-sax instrumental "Latromotion" is a great frat-rocker and The Nocturnals burn-it-up with some excellent blues-tinged garage. The Trials of Jayson Hoover offer the Staxified "King Size," while The Night Train Revue warms up their big Hammond organ, and though Little Daddy & The Bachelors don't have anything particularly original to add to Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business," their B-side instrumental jam is sweet.

Side 1
The Shockers - Somebody Help Me (RCA Victor 57-3435)
The Chessmen - The Way You Fell (London 17340)
Terry Jacks - There's No Blood in Bone (Previously Unissued)
The Pacers - I Want You Back (RCA Victor 57-3372)
The Shadracks - Call Up the Man (ARC 1145)
The Chessmen - She Comes By Night (London 17340)
Fred Latremouille - Latromotion (London 17339)
Patty Surby & The Canadian V.I.P.'s - I Want a Beatle for Christmas (Aragon 402)

Side 2
The Nocturnals - This Ain't Love (Regency 964)
The Nocturnals - You Lied (Regency 964)
The Nocturnals - Because You're Gone (Regency 959)
The Trials of Jayson Hoover - King Size (New Syndrome 5006)
The Night Train Revue - Walk on the Wild Side (Custom Pressing SPC-45-24)
Little Daddy & The Bachelors - Too Much Monkey Business (RCA Victor 57-3363)
Little Daddy & The Bachelors - Junior's Jerk (RCA Victor 57-3363)

Album Co-ordination: Rob Frith
Original recordings dubbed to tape at Ocean Sound (Doug McCann,
engineer) and Aragon Studios (Al Reusch, engineer)
Cover and booklet design: Dave S.

1/1 #terryjacks (320kbps, 83.6MB)

2008-01-28T05:43:00.000-05:00

Various Artists
Boulders, Vol. 1
Max Records MLP #1

PEBBLES : NUGGETS

A. garage : frat house
B. vox : fuzz
C. boulders : pebbles
D. sonics : wailers
E. pandoras : leaves

Answer: C.

Where AIP's Pebbles sought to expand upon Lenny Kaye's original Nuggets collection, Boulders took the ethos one step further – less refined, more obscure, and more physically beaten source material.

Side 1
Jolly Green Giants - Caught You Red Handed
Beatin Path - Original Nothing People
Chylds - Hay Girl
Hysterics - Won't Get Far
Hysterics - Everything's There
Avengers - Be a Cave Man
Fifth Order - Goin' Too Far
Smoke Rings - Love's the Thing
New Wing - I Need Love

Side 2
Sur Royal Da Count - Parliaments - Scream Mother Scream
Centurys - Hardtimes
Colony - All I Want
Caravelles - Lovin' Just My Style
Chocolate Moose - Chocolate Moose Theme
Chayns - Why Did You Hurt Me
Rumors - Hold Me Now
Shag - Stop & Listen
49th Parallel - You Do Things

1/1 #rocks (192kbps, 57.7MB)

2008-01-24T00:52:00.000-05:00

The DeFranco Family Featuring Tony DeFranco
Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat
20th Century T-422, 1973

The Ontario, Canada bred DeFranco family were a little bit Osmonds, a little bit Jackson 5, and a whole lot bubblegum. Lead vocalist Tony DeFranco blazed a trail through teen-idol magazines and a marketing campaign that took up the entire back cover of this debut. In addition to the leadoff hit single, the album includes several finely written pop tunes with tightly arranged vocals, including the almost-funky "I'm With You," the old-timey "Sweet, Sweet Loretta," the catchy rocker "Abra-ca-dabra," and the hook-filled "Gorilla." The latter was covered quite gloriously by The Rubinoos a few years later.

Like so many copies of this LP, this disk was well-loved by its original owner. I'd guess that it was regularly dropped by the auto-change feature of a long-spindled portable record player, and spent some time lying on the shag carpeting of a 12-year-old girl's bedroom floor. Still, it cleaned up nicely and promises each of you the thrill of hearing Tony sing just to you, and the heartbreak of knowing that your parents think you're too young to date. If only they could feel what you feel, they'd understand that Tony is your DESTINY!

Side 1
Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat (Williams, Kennedy)
I'm With You (Martin, Meskell)
Same Kinda Love (Martin, Meskell)
I Wanted to Tell You* (Martin, Meskell)
Sweet Sweet Loretta (Jim Krauel)

Side 2
Abra-ca-dabra** (Martin, Meskell)
Come a Little Closer (Maben, Osier)
Love is Bigger Than Baseball (Avery, Brown)
Gorilla** (Dennis Tracy)
I Love Everything You Do* (Martin, Meskell)

Arranged by Pete Carpenter and Walt Meskell
* arranged by Pete Carpenter
** arranged by Walt Meskell
Produced by Walt Meskell for Mike Post Productions, Inc.
Engineered by John Boyd
Mastered by Arnie Acosta at The Mastering Lab, Hollywood, California
Recorded at Western Recorders, Hollywood, California

1/1 #ontario (320kbps, 71.6MB)

2008-01-22T22:06:00.000-05:00

Freddy-Henchi & The Soulsetters
"Popcorn Baby" b/w "Folsom Prison"
Tower 479

The A-side is a hard-soul workout that borrows heavily from James Brown (including the requisite "Good God" asides), the B-side is a slower jam with funk-psych touches that takes Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison" to new places.

Anyone know more about this group?

Side 1
Popcorn Baby (The Soulsetters)

Side 2
Folsom Prison (Johnny Cash)

A Patheway Production by Kennedy, Gillin, Murrell

1/1 #soulsville (192kbps, 8.6MB)

2008-01-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

Skaterdater OST
Mira LPS-3004 (Stereo), 1965

This is the instrumental soundtrack to the groundbreaking skateboard short film Skaterdater; composed and arranged by Mike Curb, and with musical supervision by Capitol A&R honcho Nick Venet. You can view the first 4'50" in color or the entire 17'39" in faded-to-nearly-black-and-white. Great surf-styled soundtrack to a great film!

Here are the album's original liner notes:

How do you make a movie like "Skaterdater?" The entire production of this international award winning short is unique in almost every way.

Time Magazine, in an April 1966 review, called the story of "Skaterdater" a minor theme polished to a "professional perfection – a swift, sensitive and funny celebration of a small universal truth. Succinct as poetry, "Skaterdater" simply happens like a green spring morning; it is the lyric cinematic equivalent of light verse."

The story is quite simple: A group of hotshot skateboarders are loyal to each other and skate together through a variety of free wheeling adventures throughout a California beach city. The leader of the group, by accident, runs into a girl, and his allegiance to the group diminishes as he begins to spend his time with her. A romance blossoms. The others ridicule their leader and no longer consider him one of them. His attempts to re-enter the group and regain leadership reach a climax when he is forced to prove himself in a "battle of the boards." He is challenged by the new leader to descend a long hill with each attempting to "wipe out" the other on the way down. The one to remain on his board becomes the acknowledged leader.

And so with the group and (secretly) the girl looking on, the pair begin the duel. And our hero? He loses the match but, of course, wins the girl. As the others skate off, she helps her vanquished boyfriend to his feet. But nature has the last word. Girl and boy go off hand in hand, but the rest of the gang has not gone untouched. As they skate off, two other members of the group catch the flirtatious glances of a pair of passing teenage girls. "Girl watching" seems about to jam up the wheels of the entire club.

The events which were responsible for getting the "Skaterdater" story on the screen all began with the determination of two young Hollywood hopefuls, Marshal Backlar, a former Princeton philosophy graduate, and Noel Black who had earned two degrees at UCLA's film school. Each of them had kicked around the industry in various production jobs, and they shared a common frustration for wanting to make their own pictures.

Quitting their jobs they embarked on their Odyssey. Gathering together their savings, equipment borrowed from friends, a young crew who believed in their project, short ends of film acquired from Hollywood studios by a "secret supplier," and shooting on weekends, Backlar and Black, now calling themselves Byway Productions, began filming their carefully written shooting script which contained not a word of dialogue.

Naturally, their problems had just begun. Improvising a dolly to move along with the skateboarders through the streets; helping cameraman Mike Murphy follow the moving skateboards - sometimes with the camera lens two inches off the ground; the soundman Michael Moore trotting behind the camera struggling to keep his sound cables clear; and spending evenings showing the day's shooting to prospective backers as "the first theatrical film to capitalize on the new skateboarding craze" - these were among the ensuing month's headaches.

Finally, the shooting was completed, the shots edited, the sound effects laid in. Then a search began for the final critical factor which would be needed for the ultimate success of the entire project. A score had to be written that would capture the idiom of the feeling of the wild young boys on the boards. Believing that rock and roll is the true modern music of our times, Backlar and Black approached Mike Curb and Nick Venet, two of the most successful young musicians in the business. Their brilliant collaboration on the score gained them praise in many highbrow circles where rock music is not normally through of as an art form.

The rest is pretty much show business history. "Skaterdater" was a nominee for an Oscar in the 1965 Academy Award presentations. In May of 1966 it was the short subject Golden Palm Grand Prix winner in the Cannes Film Festival - the only American film to be awarded a price in that festival. It is now playing at motion picture theaters all over the country, and there are plans for it to be the basis of a television special. Its makers, Backlar and Black have received offers to do feature films from five major Hollywood studios.

That then, is the successful formula... almost!

-Gerald Schiller

Side 1
The Fountain
Skaterdater I
Missy and the Statue
Skaterdater II
Skate Out
Skaterdater Rock
Together I

Side 2
Statue
Skate Board Safari
Skaterdater III
Together II
Skaterdater IV
Missy's Theme

All songs composed by Stout, Dodd

Composer-Arranger: Mike Curb
Musical Supervision: Nick Venet
Sound FX Recordist & Music Editor: Michael Moore

1/1 #hangten (320kbps, 57MB)

2007-12-25T00:45:00.000-05:00

Rachel Sweet
The Derrick Singles 1976-1978

Here's a collection of four rare singles that Rachel Sweet recorded before signing with Stiff Records. The productions are all straight country, and you can hear what Stiff heard in her voice when they signed her. Wow!

Derrick 1000, 1976
Paper Airplane (Tupper Saussy)
We Live in Two Different Worlds (Fred Rose)

Derrick 111, 1976
I Believe What I Believe (John D. Loudermilk)

Derrick DRC115, 1977
Overnight Success (Sanger "Whitney" Shafer)
Bluer Than the Dress (Liz Anderson)

Derrick DRC117, 1978
Any Port in a Storm (Eddie Raven)

1/1 #akron (192kbps, 20.7MB)

2007-12-21T23:39:00.000-05:00

Various Artists
David Gates Masterpiece
A-Side AZ-5028, 1995

Gates found his greatest fame as the singer-songwriter at the center of the 1970s soft-rock group Bread, but for a decade before he'd served up pop-rock songs to himself and others. Among the rare highlights are the falsetto Newbeats-styled vocals of The Manchesters' anti-British Invasion "I Don't Come From England," the harmonies of The Murmaids "Heatbreak Ahead," the superb girlgroup pop-soul of The Girlfriends "For My Sake," the jazzy stylings of Wayne Newton's "Too Late to Meet," and the delicate vocals of The Fleetwoods "My Special Lover."

Also terrific are a trio of tunes by erstwhile actresses, including Ann-Margret's cinematic "Hey, Little Star," Shelley Fabares' terrific upbeat kiss-off "Football Season's Over," and Connie Stevens' romantic "Lost in Wonderland." Brenda Lee shows a sophisticated, Dusty Springfield-esque side on "Ain't Gonna Cry No More," The Blossoms swings in a Motown groove for "Lover Boy," and Jody Miller goes folk-rock with a twelve string for "Something in My Eye." Even Dino, Desi & Billy benefit greatly from Gates' songs, reprising their image of rebel kind with "Tie Me Down."

Missing here is Chuck Berry's early Gates side, "Jo-Baby," as well as Gates' first chart smash, The Murmaids' "Popsicles and Icicles." To be fair, the latter is easy to find, and would have bumped one of the rarities. It's too bad that A-Side didn't produce multiple volumes on Gates, so as to cover the songs he placed with The Astronauts, Browns, Monkees and others. Still, this is one of the most satisfying Masterpiece volumes A-side issued.

Liner notes in English

Tracks
David Gates – No One Really Loves a Clown
The Manchesters – I Don't Come From England
The Country Boys – The Oakie Surfer
The Murmaids – Heartbreak Ahead
The Girlfriends – For My Sake
Johnny Burnette – The Fool of the Year
Johnny Crawford – Living in the Past
Wayne Newton – Too Late to Meet (Once Upon a Time)
The Fleetwoods – My Special Lover
Ann-Margret – Hey, Little Star
Shelley Fabares – Football Season's Over
Connie Stevens – Lost in the Wonderland
Brenda Lee – Ain't Gonna Cry No More
The Blossoms – Lover Boy
Jody Miller – Something in My Eye
The Lively Set – Let the Trumpets Sound
Dino, Desi & Billy – Tie Me Down
Nino Tempo & April Stevens – You'll Be Needing Me Baby
The Ventures – Ya-Ya Wooble (Gates, Taylor, Bogle, Strange)
Hal Blaine – Mr. Eliminator (Blaine, Gates)
David Gates – The Happiest Man Alive (Stevenson)

All songs written by David Gates, except as noted

1/1 #tulsa (192kbps, 58.1MB)

2007-12-15T01:40:00.000-05:00

Various Artists
Laguna Tunes
Blackheart/Mercury 483 371 821-2, 2000

Kenny Laguna is a true music industry renaissance man, perhaps what might be called a "macher." In addition to writing, singing, playing and producing, he just made things happen: he put people and songs and labels together. His hustling is perhaps best explained by the novelty B-side, "The Big B Side," included here. Though most famously known as Joan Jett's musical partner, he worked with Brill Building habitués like Tony Orlando and Bobby Bloom, Who protégés, Beserkley Records bands, and many many more.

Highlights here include Darlene Love's bubblegum "Make a Change," Tony Orlando & Wind's original version of the Four Seasons-styled "Make Believe" (reworked even more brilliantly on Jett's debut LP), the throwaway B-side instrumental "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe" that became a chart-topping single in Europe and a theme song on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and an early, unreleased version of "Dancin' in the Moonlight" that inspired King Harvest to record their hit.

Of course, the set's most infamous track is Little Roger & The Goosebump's mash-up of Stairway to Heaven and the theme song from Gilligan's Island. Another Beserkley spin-off, the single was recalled not long after it shipped, leaving it both a Zeppelin and Gilligan's Island rarity. The album's biggest surprise is the previously unreleased Western-outlaw themed "Lord," by Spencer Barefoot (a rechristened New Jersey singer by the name of Steve Tracy). The only thing that kept this from being a hit was a change in record company execs at precisely the wrong moment.

Catch the liner notes here.

Tracks
Darline Love and the Blossoms - Make a Change (Anders, Poncia)
Tony Orlando and Wind - Make Believe (Gentry, Levine)
Greg Griffin & Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Let's Do It (Cole Porter)
The Morticians – Donna the Prima Donna (D. Di Mucci, E. Mareasca)
Bill Medley – Makin' My Way (Kenny Laguna)
The Steve Gibbons Band – Tulane (Chuck Bery)
Tony Orlando and Wind – In the Name of Happiness (Kenny Laguna)
Bow Wow Wow – Louis Quatorze (McLaren, Ashman, Barbarossa, Gorman)
Anders, Laguna and Ginsberg – Sudden Death (Kenny Laguna)
Dana & Gene (with Ellie Greenwich) – Dario (Can You Get Me Into Studio 54) (August Darnell)
Bobby Bloom, Sissy Spacek, Meco, The Tradewinds, Irving Spice Strings and Others – Lonesome Cowboys (B. Goldstein)
Moose and the Pelicans – The Ballad of Davey Crockett (Blackburn, Burns)
Wind – Groovin' With Mr. Bloe (Kenny Laguna, Bo Gentry, Paul Naumann)
Little Roger and the Goosebumps – Stairway to Gillian's Island (Plant, Page, Schwartz, G. Wyle)
The Spitballs – Let Her Dance (B. Fuller)
Love's Heart – The Champion Part One (Kenny Laguna)
Kenny Laguna – Home For Christmas (Kenny Laguna)
Moose and the Pelicans – We Rockin' (Kenny Laguna, Bobby Bloom)
Peter Weinstock – Dancin' in the Moonlight (Kelly)
Dana & Gene – The Big B Side (Kenny Laguna)
Spencer Barefoot – Lord (Kenny Laguna)
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts With The Beach Boys and Darlene Love – Good Music (Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna)

1/2 2/2 #blackheart (192kbps, 100MB)