Grasshopper – My Honey

Grasshopper –My Honey –I.M.C Records 0010 (197? US)

Staying within the Boogie end of the spectrum, here is a prime slice of rocked out high Energy Boogie. Apart from having obvious Hispanic credits, I can’t find any clue about these guys. My Honey is a real blast somewhat like Canyon merged with Streak on a tight budget and the B side rocks out in similar fashion. Picked up at Bleeker Bob’s in NYC.

Click on title for a full version of My Honey

Slowload –Big Boobs Boogie

Slowload –On The Road Again/Big Boobs Boogie –MAM 27 (1971 UK)
Big Boobs Boogie is a Fat-Assed Proto-Punk Metal Glam/Boogie Romper. It’s a pretty sloppy affair and appears more like an after-thought, appearing on the B side of the more polished cover of On The Road Again. It has, however, some absolutely Killer guitar moves, surprising tempo shifts and some real over the top vocalisations…It’s like Blue Cheer fed on girlie mags auditioning for Paul Raymond’s Revue Bar after The Stooges missed out on the slot.
It’s produced by Vic Maile who shares a writing credit on this opus. All I could find for background info is that a guy called Carl was in the band and is now Rick Parfitt in a Status Quo tribute band called Statin Quo. No news from him as yet…

Click on title for a “full on” version of Big Boobs Boogie

Update: The other Slowload single is Glo Macari's Lookin' For Love (Columbia DB 8821 1971 UK) which is part early Glam (guitar and handclaps), part Gospell God is Love (the chorus), still pretty good though. The rumours were that it was Jessie Hector and gang who had backed Glo (Lou Macari's daughter) on his single.

Slowload were Neville Crozier (Bass, vocals) , Vic Martin (Drums) and Carl (Guitar)

Check out Neville's website addresses -check out the comments of this post.

Here are a couple of photos of Slowload: Note that is Vic Maile on the roof of the van...

Lennart Messagie & Dagleth –And I Love Her

Lennart Messagie & Dagleth –And I Love Her/Wake Up –Sugar Plum 84-17.002Y (1973 Bel)

Belgian Glam Pop combo with more than a sense of the ridiculous; catch these lyrics:

She’s missing an eye, she’s got a wooden leg
she’s only got four fingers and one big foot
she laughs like a beast and she talks like a dog…
And I love her, yes I love her, I love her like nobody else can do…
You’ve got to wonder about these guys’ sexual preferences, especially as one of their other singles is titled Sleeping With My Dog! Whatever the lyrical content, And I Love Her is a superb piece of melodic BubbleGlam, so catchy you can almost suspend belief as they sing: She’s not so bad, just got to close my eyes…
L M &D later evolved into Glam Popsters Hush (not the Australian ones as those guys most likely slept with dingoes…)

Click on title for a full version of And I Love Her

Rockin' Horse -Julian The Hooligan

Rockin' Horse -Julian The Hooligan/Stayed Out Late Last Night -Philips 6006200 (1971 UK)

Rockin’ Horse were formed by Merseybeat stalwarts Jimmy Campbell (Ex Kirkbys & The 23rd Turn Off) and Billy Kinsley (Ex Merseybeats/Merseys and future Liverpool Express). Their lone album (recently reissued by Revola) revived the melody driven aesthetics of years previous with the LP standing proud next to Badfinger’s output or the Liverpool Echo LP as it is free of the Prog awfulness that permeated so many LPs at the time.
It’s a truly great album and a precursor to the birth of 70s Powerpop as Greg Shaw acknowledged when he re-released Biggest Gossip In Town as the first single on his Voxx label. Julian The Hooligan is one of my favourite tracks on the album and sounds even better as a stand alone single. It certainly beats Oasis hands down in the raspy Lennon vocal department. Top Class!

Note: The top photo is the rather fetching German picture sleeve featuring a Plasticine "Hooligan" which somehow resembles a plastered 1930’s Noddy Holder...

Click on title for a full version of Julian The Hooligan

Thundermug –Clap Your Hands & Stamp Your Feet

Thundermug –Clap Your Hands & Stamp Your Feet/Duckworth Stomp –Axe 33 (1976 Canada)

I’m losing track of the number of versions of CYHASYF that I have amassed up to now. Bonnie St. Claire’s classic certainly knew no borders and although the success of the song was limited in most countries, its appeal was certainly global.

To prove the point here is Canada’s entry by Thundermug no less. The mighty ‘Mug were pretty huge at the time with their heavy goodtime boogie; with Africa and Orbit being their biggest sellers. You should also check out their cover of You Really Got Me that nearly gives The Hammersmith Gorillas a good run for their money. Thundermug toured with Sweet and Slade and the Boot Stomping Glam influence certainly made its mark along with a melodicism which bought them, at times, close to 70s Powerpop.

The non-album Clap Your Hands & Stamp Your Feet neatly bring all these influences together. Whilst not as frenetic as The Wild Angels’ version, Thundermug heavy it up with a plodding bass, which is counter-balanced by the Maui-like backing vocals, which are similar in effect to the chants on South Africa’s entry by Maria. The B side Duckworth Stomp is from the Tadaa album and is a fine up-tempo rocker in its own right, a bit like a lost Canyon single.

Click on title for a soundclip of CYHASYF