Wednesday, March 31, 2010

My version is better than yours part 10: Big Secret vs. Jacki Baaron –It’s on My Mind



Big Secret – King Kong/It’s on my Mind –Finger 2046 038 (1973 Ger)

Jacki Baaron – King Kong/It’s on my Mind –Poplandia P-30569 (1973 Portuguese issue)

Based on the first nano seconds of spinning the Big Secret version, you could be fooled into thinking that you were listening to a demo of Holidays In The Sun...but no, the guitar then goes off on a tangent, the beat kicks in and the track turns into a mighty fine T.Rex-type tune where an organ swells behind snazzy female lead vocals. Regardless of your cover girl preference; there’s no denying the obvious fact that Enri and July win hands down sonically. The Big Secret mix is clearer, the reverb on the guitar and drums more potent and the separation works well...plus the vocals hit the spot whereas Jacki sounds somewhat deflated.

Both the A and B side backing tracks are identical and from the same production team,. So what was the big idea? King Kong was Big Secret’s follow up to the superb Ride Captain Ride. The girls were well implanted in Germany with their Les Humphries Singers TV appearances which was as good a springboard as any to solo continental success.

I don’t know who Jacki Baaron was, but she may have been Spanish. Perhaps it was felt in some quarters that mini-skirted dancing Pilipino girls wouldn’t maximise a single’s potential across all territories?

Hear a full version of Big Secret




Hear a full version of Jacki Baaron




Hear Big Secret's King Kong

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Doug McDade and Purple People – I Wanna Do It


Doug McDade and Purple People-I Wanna Do It / Gonna Be Alright-Purple Records P1001 (1973 US)

Ohio born McDade moved to Wisconsin where he studied at The Marathon County Technical College. During this time he formed The Purple People who ended up releasing a cover of Purple People Eater and supported Alice Cooper, Del Shannon amongst others. I Wanna Do It finds Doug in insatiable mood. This stirring garage track is filled to the brim with cool guitar turns, loud Hammond and sports a top tune. Doug quit music soon after this release but resurrected himself as an actor and director. http://dougmcdade.vox.com/profile/

Hear a full version of I Wanna Do It



Wednesday, March 24, 2010

King's Cross Record Fair on Sunday


The first one was pretty cool and vibrant, so I will be bringing along some more spare singles this Sunday, including Paul Cass (Mini Marianne), Stumblebunny, J. C. Livingstone, Zipper, Blood Chains, Black Fire, Jon Symon, Trevor White (Ger Pic sleeve) Yummies, Harpo -Teenage Queen and much more

Starts at 1pm ... See you there!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Playful Pups –Palpatations


Playful Pups –Palpatations/Dinasour –Intrepid 75008 (1969 US)

Clearly written in the days before spell checks, Palpatations is a an instantly catchy slab of US Bubblegum. Built around a rhyming competition on a par with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich’s Frustration; Palpatations is also quite adventurous in its arrangement over its expected Bubblegum drive. An extremely hooky ditty, the arrangement and co-production duties are handled by a pre-Street People (Jennifer Tomkins) Rupert Holmes. He also co-wrote the instrumental B side.

Hear a full version of Palpatations


Monday, March 15, 2010

Josuha –Jenny


Josuha –Jenny/ Magic Carpet –CNR 14196 (1973 NL)

Now, here’s a real treat. No need to categorise this one, but needless to say that it fits right in on Purepop. Let’s start with the sleeve... Not sure if the Belle from the stud farm is the Jenny in question, but Richard De Bois and Peter van Asten (AKA Peter Bewley) could not have expected copies to fly off the shelves housed in a sleeve like this! The cover was one of the 100 Glam sleeves Jos and I featured at last April’s Utrecht Record Fair, but I never got to hear the damn thing until now!
Richard De Bois and Peter Bewley probably had a night off during Lemming production duties and let it all loose on Jenny and its B side. Jenny starts off in the mode of the sleeve at a trot but then the riff kicks in and the track turns into a fab Bubblegum/Rock tune with lyrics playing around with old chestnut (mare?) double-entendres about “going for a ride”...It’s all great fun and a top tune. Magic Carpet is nice n’ heavy and here they sing about the magical tripped out properties of cheap plonk. The track features a judicious use of Wah Wah and a feverish lead break. A top find and rare as ****

Hear a full version of Jenny



Hear a full version of Magic Carpet


Sunday, March 14, 2010

Sioux –SRT EP


Sioux –Prosmoe/Warlove/You’re All I Need/Happiness In The Sky –SRT 73274 (1973UK)

Welcome to amateur hour...Issued on SRT which released countless “private” affairs throughout the 70s, here is a 4 track EP by Sioux. It must have been recorded as a demo and they probably touted it around to get gigs or perhaps a record contract...The overall effect is a bit like a prog era Swell Maps . Prosmoe could have been a 60s garage band attempt to re-write Gloria, whilst Warlove sports some Wah Wah guitar and sounds more in tune with the 70s. Still the four tracks find a band stuck somewhere between a Hard Rock place and ineptitude. Side 2 is pretty much more of the same...Again, any info on the band itself?

Hear the two songs from side 1



Hear both songs on side 2

Friday, March 12, 2010

Nino Tempo –Boys Town


Nino Tempo –Boys Town (Where My Broken Hearted Buddies Go)/(Sing-A-Long) Boys Town –Tower 369 (1967 US)

Boys Town is a long time favourite making its appearance as I finally managed to upgrade my old copy after 15 years! Anyhow how to describe this one? Imagine a Carl Wilson sung Pet Sounds track produced by Phil Spector on a theme where a dumped male decides to forget about celebrating the unshackling and heads off to Boys Town instead “where a girl can’t hurt you anymore...” I guess Boys Town was the West Coast destination for the more “sensitive” types which must include one-time burly Spector aide Nino with empathy and support from his sister April. It is damn close to being a total masterpiece and one of the most impressive regal Spectorian productions of the 60s. The B side is the instrumental version and is just like listening to one of those Beach Boys outtake bootlegs and is a marvel itself.

Hear a full version of Boys Town



Hear a full version of Boys Town (Sing-A- Long)


Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Del - Motorbike Annie


Del - Motorbike Annie / Gypsy Girl-UK UK 40 (1973 UK)

Motorbike Annie is an interesting one-off on JK's UK imprint. No clue who Del is, but Motorbike Annie is a long, moody, but ultimately rewarding track. Like an ambitiously produced busker; Del reminds me of a bit of Tymon Dogg, while the track builds and builds with the understated mellotron, obligatory motorbike sounds and fine guitar leading the track to a very satisfactory conclusion. Motorbike Annie was compiled on the Bubblepop comp (RPM) a few years back.

Hear a full version of Motorbike Annie


Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Ken Khury –Baby Doll


Ken Khury-Baby Doll / Superqueen-Jupiter 16878 AT (1975 Germany)
Here's another likely continental lad, lusting after the same Teenage Queen as Harpo. She's such a teazer I only want to please her ... Housed in one of the more subtle examples of 70s cover art, our stud denim-clad Ken looks pretty wholesome amongst all the "implied" suggestiveness. Baby Doll itself starts off with a pounding on a par with Harpo's Teenage Queen with some impressive added elephant call horns. The track is also nice 'n poppy whilst never forsaking its sleaziness or pounding beat. The single is the creation of producer / songwriter Horst Horning who knew a good theme when he saw one as he was also behind Maggie Mae's cover of My Boy Lollipop! Oh dear...

Hear a full version of Baby Doll