Reviews of tasty and obscure hook-filled rock'n' roll releases (Glam, Heavy Bonehead Crunchers, Powerpop, Pop/psych,Garage, Surf, 60s Girl Group Rock)...Plus any quirky musings that tickle my fancy...
I created this blog in order to stimulate interest, share discoveries and encourage people to go out and search for the original vinyl. Hopefully this blog might also encourage labels to actually compile some of this stuff officialy.
Case - Rag’n and Rock ‘n Roller/Windy –BASF 05 15575-1 (1975 DK)
Let’s stay in Denmark for this next installment in the Danish Glam season. Case provide another great entry in the DKJSG cannon, although not perhaps as great a Dane as the M.K.T. However the tunefulness is ramped up a notch, and the plodding stomping is rather engaging and in no way turgid. I haven’t really looked into the story of the band, but this is one of at least two singles they released. As for the B side….well it blows!
M.K.T –Rock & Roll Party/Don’t Let It Run –EMI 006 39152 (1976 DK)
Danish Glam…dig beyond the more obvious names such as Walkers, Children or Tiger and there is still more to be uncovered. For example this incredible specimen of Crunching Glam by M.K.T. It has all the obvious elements –a thumping beat, loud HEYs, Sweet –like backing vocals along with some gritty guitars and sound effects. Plus don’t forget the killer sing along chorus! Yes, it’s top draw stuff and its comforting to know there are still some killer Junkshop singles to be found out there. M.K.T was a commercial band with teen appeal who would later metamorphose into Eurovision contenders Brixx (Video Video).
Docdaïl –Stone Me/Why Do You Cry –AZ SG149 (1970 France)
DocDaïl was a French aggregation from Toulouse who released 3 singles at the time, including the sublime Stone Me. Released in 1970 it hits several targets, from late 60s Stones through a Freakbeat filter with Bonehead crunching tendencies along with a Proto Punk attitude, mainly elicited by the petulant lead vocal by Ticky Holgado. Ticky was also Johnny Hallyday’s secretary and became a well-known character actor with a long career prior to his death in 2004.
Pipp – Otaki /Which Way Did She Go? –Decca F 23030 (1970 UK)
Pipp was an “export” moniker for New Zealand’s Formyula who released a slew of 45s back home http://www.sergent.com.au/music/fourmyula.html . By the time they recorded this single, the band had made several unsuccessful attempts to break out of their Southern (hemi) sphere of influence. Recorded during a sojourn in the UK and produced by Chris Andrews, Otaki was harder edged yet good time commercial fare, but hidden on its B side is this remarkable pop masterpiece. Which Way Did She Go? brims with understated confidence; its pop sensitivity lends to a marked resemblance with Radio City Big Star or Wish You Were Here period Badfinger. Yes, it’s that good. There are also some neat and detailed production touches (check out the Leslie effected backing vocals at the end). All in all a lovely song and performance which is total class and provides one of those moments of pure joy upon its discovery
Homegrown –Three Days Ago/Loaded –Homegrown 001 (197? US)
Loaded is a fine slab of early 70s Stonesian rock with glistening slide and lead guitars to the fore. It’s not totally wild, but an assured and tasteful performance which beats the weak A side without having to lift a finger… Not far off killer territory. The band appear to have been from Memphis and were comprised of David Cousar, Perry Barrett,Danny Strange and Ronnie Caldwell. Here’s a link to a nice shot of the bandhttp://www.pbase.com/kchristi/image/79091500
