Moonquake -War Dance

Moonquake –Star Struck/War Dance –Aquarius AQ 5039 (1975 Canada)

War Dance is yet another song about the perils of messing with Squaws, this time from the Canuck Rock Gods –Moonquake! Extracted from their second album Star Struck, the track delivers its full impact and all its glory on a 45. Orchestrated, pounding but totally unreconstructed and unrepentant, War Dance is a must have to file between Zakatek’s Get Your Gun and Propeller’s Apache Woman.

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Cindy & Bert –Der Hund Von Basker-Ville

Cindy & Bert –Der Hund Von Basker-Ville/Holly Holy –Cornet 3220 (1970 Ger)

OK, you know the song...but certainly not like this! Sung by the Über Ice Maiden Cindy with her ghoulish Beau Bert, this version takes the song somewhere else entirely, plus it rocks like a mother...Don’t know who the backing band is but they have it all down pat, great Hammond and blistering guitar over a maelstromic drive to Hell. This was Cindy & Bert’s first outing before submerging into a putrid Schlager morass. Please do yourself a favour and also check out the performance on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIYRFvQMh7A&feature=related It has to be seen to be believed...

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Atlantis – I Ain’t Got Time

Atlantis – I Ain’t Got Time/Teddy Boyd’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Show –Fury FY 303 (1972 UK)

Released on the short-lived Fury (as in Billy) label (home to 2 obscure Alvin Stardust releases), I Ain’t Got Time sounds like a Stompin’ Slade doing their very best John Lennon, by the middle 8 we enter into Badfinger territory, which is a really nice turn of events. I then got to thinking that this all sounded very much like Rockin’ Horse and when looking at the credits it all became clear. This is an UNDOCUMENTED (as far as I know) Rockin’ Horse release! One year after their pivotal LP, it all makes sense...The A side is written by Bill Kinsley and the rockin’ B side is by Jimmy Campbell, plus Fury label owner Hal Carter produced the Rockin’ Horse LP! Isn’t it wonderful how things work out sometimes...

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Pedro Platten –Berlin

Just returned from my third visit in 18 months to Pedro Platten in Berlin. Pedro Platten is at Tegeler Weg 102 and the shop is a veritable collector emporium run by a guy who is nearly 70 years young. Pedro always has quite a story to tell, from his recording and DJing in the 60s and 70s to the records he has acquired and sold over the years. He has even published a book on the finds he has discovered. I guess my first visit was the most fruitful, but I always manage to come away with some new worthwhile purchases such as Slade’s Wild Winds Are Blowing (Fontana), Daisy Clan’s Ridin’ a Rainbow (with the great San Francisco China Town on the B side), Marz’s Who Turned The Light On and Jeremy B’s Come On Little Pretty (Bacillus). Prices are reasonable but you will need a head for heights to climb up the step ladder in order to peruse some of the singles stacked high up to the ceiling. He may soon be renting the shop next door, so hopefully it will become easier to browse his entire stock. Pedro Platten is a one of a kind experience, long may it run...
http://www.platten-pedro.de/

Airlift –Tell Me

Just got back from two weeks in NYC. The record shop scene is not what it once was, but I still managed to pick up some nice items during a couple of Pop Swap session (Hi Jeremy, Hi William) plus this $1 bargain...

Airlift –Tell Me/ Same –Quality QA 506 (1976 Canada)

Two words to describe this one: POP and SENSIBILITY. Tell Me is a sublime recreation of the early Stones Pop classic. It’s a big and loud studio performance, but the tasteful production never overpowers proceedings and a singular purity of essence shines throughout. It’s a classy structured arrangement with each element in its place featuring evocative vocals reminding me of later day Cowsills.If this track was recorded three years later it would have probably been ruined by the use of Lyndrums and overtly digital reverbs, but here in 1976 it’s just perfect - the thunderous reverbs glimmer, the vocals fly and the tight lead guitar could be straight from a 20/20 side. One major reason for this track’s success is that you can tell that they pulled out all the stops in order to have a hit and were not constricted by a narrow tie New Wave Powerpop ethos.

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