Streak -Hard Times (In New York City)
Streak -Gonna Have A Good Time/Be Your Rider/ Hard Times (In New York City) A&M AME 602 (1972 UK) Demo only
Streak was formed in NYC by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker. Jake Hooker (AKA Jake Falsworth) then moved to the UK where a new line-up of Streak came under the production auspices of Roger Bain( Black Sabbath) .On this single the bass duties are handled by Ben Brierly and David Wesley played drums. Hard Times (In New York City) is featured as the 2nd song on the B side of the demo copy of Gonna Have A Good Time. The track does not appear on the general release. The B side plays at 33rpm to lengthen the playing time to fit two songs on the same side. Anyhow Hard Times is another prime example of New York sleaze and is probably the heaviest of the tracks released by Streak; kind of like The Heartbreakers with cement platform boots! Following a switch to Deram with the addition of Paul Varley (little Free Rock) on drums and Ricky Steele (guitar) Streak released the wonderful Bang Bang Bullet. Jake and Alan Merrill later reconvened with Paul and the band then became near teen sensations The Arrows (on RAK).
Hear a full version of Hard Times (In New York City)
Streak was formed in NYC by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker. Jake Hooker (AKA Jake Falsworth) then moved to the UK where a new line-up of Streak came under the production auspices of Roger Bain( Black Sabbath) .On this single the bass duties are handled by Ben Brierly and David Wesley played drums. Hard Times (In New York City) is featured as the 2nd song on the B side of the demo copy of Gonna Have A Good Time. The track does not appear on the general release. The B side plays at 33rpm to lengthen the playing time to fit two songs on the same side. Anyhow Hard Times is another prime example of New York sleaze and is probably the heaviest of the tracks released by Streak; kind of like The Heartbreakers with cement platform boots! Following a switch to Deram with the addition of Paul Varley (little Free Rock) on drums and Ricky Steele (guitar) Streak released the wonderful Bang Bang Bullet. Jake and Alan Merrill later reconvened with Paul and the band then became near teen sensations The Arrows (on RAK).
Hear a full version of Hard Times (In New York City)
Hear a full version of Gonna Have A Good Time
posted by Purepop @ 3:52 PM
4 Comments:
Oddly enough, Alan Merrill seems to have some connection to The Left Banke, though I'm not sure exactly what it is.
Larry. Him and Steven Tyler both! Both auditioned for late (post-second LP) incarnations of the group. Don't think Merrill got the gig, but I know Tyler at least sings back-ups on a few tracks. I'm not sure if this is before he did the Chain Reaction or after.
Merrill's first solo record is actually fairly Left Banke-ish. That said, it's not very memorable.
Wow! I had no idea this existed. I have both Streak 45s, but alas, no Hard Times, which upon listening totally rules like crazy! I don't know if it's simply because I just heard it for the first time and am all flush with the excitement of newness but I think that is the best Streak song there is. So tough. Jesus Christ! They sound like they are up to some serious no goodery on that one. They are bad ass, bad apples, bad apple crisp, etc. It's just an act of sub-retardation that it's not on the proper 45. Thanks Robin.
When the auditions were done Alan Merrill got the Left Banke gig but after procrastinating for a month or so they decided to continue as a vocal trio without a new guitarist with Merrill leaving for Japan in 1968. His first solo album Alone In Tokyo on Atlantic records is baroque rock all in Japanese and so probably not too memorable to a non-Japanese. His second solo album album Merrill 1 on Columbia records was also recorded in Tokyo in English and I like it a lot, but I think it sounds much more Beatles & Nilsson influenced than Left Banke.
He did a tribute to the Left Banke recently, an EP titled Rive Gauche.
Post a Comment
<< Home