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.
The Good Vibrations –Call Me Lightning/Don’t Nobody Touch My Baby Ember Records 14515 AT (1969 German issue)
Nice bouncy rendition of The Who track. Produced by Mike Berry (Ning, Boots, Boneshaker etc…) it highlights his deep affection for all things Small Faces (listen to the backing vocal –just like Steve Marriot). A fine Mod romper 4 years too late, but a great performance here housed in a cool German picture sleeve)
As luck would have it, I had to be in Houston at the same time as the Austin record fair, so a 40 minute flight later, I got my second dose of Austin. This time it was only a fleeting visit, but I was very pleasedwith some of the finds, including this Fuzz Monster Bonehead classic by The Purple Sun.
The Purple Sun- Doomsday
Another nice purchase was this 1971 Stone Axe poster
Some more nice stuff...
Doug Hanners is as ever the perfect gentleman and host and although Austin caters mainly for the 50s and Soul/R &B crowd, there is enough (well tons) of the “other stuff to please a wider demographic.
Tomorrow a 6am flight and if all goes well I will be reporting back from another location, hopefully with further finds
Blue Amber – Good Morning Tuesday/We Got Love-Flush 7068 (1969 US)
Killer Ohio single on the cusp of Bonehead and heavy Psych. The guitar shenanigans are exemplary and reach the outermost of cool freak out without any overt musical pretentions.. Just pure fuzzed out feedback madness with a great level of Sky Saxon snottiness...Is that a toilet flush at the end? It would make sense when you think of the label’s name. This one really goes down well!
The Rag Dolls –My Old Man’s A Groovy Old Man/They Didn’t Believe Me –Columbia DB 8378 (1968 UK)
Again planned to feature on the Easybeats’ unreleased Good Times LP, it finally gained release by Bon Scott’s Valentines, Dr Marigold’s as well as this first version by The Rag Dolls. Although instantly recognisable as a Vanda & Young creation with its inventive chord progressions and structure, the song itself is more interesting artefact than arresting near masterpiece.
Hear a full version of My Old Man’s A Groovy Old Man
My Dear Watson –Elusive Face/The Shame Just Drained –Columbia 5687 (1968 Dutch issue)
The Shame Just Drained is yet another classic Vanda &Young composition. Pencilled in for inclusion on the Easybeats unreleased Good Times album, it first appeared on this Scottish band’s single. Both sides were actually produced by Vanda & Young (Staeb productions -‘Beats). Although it’s a nice production and performance, the vocals are not as personable as The Easybeats’ own version which finally surfaced on the 1977 on the odds and sods The Shame Just drained collection. Stay tuned for another instalment of Vanda & Young greatness from the same time period
