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.
Thanks to a bunch of bigots, the pound has crashed, so here's a chance for the rest of you to profit from the plummeting exchange rate Anyhow I have listed 25 rare and wonderful 45s from the Proto Punk of Alan Lee Shaw's She Moans, through Mandrake Paddle Steamer to Boys and Girls Together's Knock Knock along with the usual mix of Junkshop Glam and Bonehead, there's plenty to peruse, listen to and maybe bid on Have fun You can find them here Purepop1uk singles for sale
Here’s the full list of the 25 singles
Arizona Swamp Company -Tennessee Woman Train Keeps Rollin’ FREAKBEAT Demo Playful Pups Palpatations -Killer US Bubblegum Groover 1969 Boys and Girls Together -KNOCK KNOCK- Snarly US Bubblegum PUNK 1969 UGE-Mad Charles -Weird US Psych obscurity -1974 Eric Elder –SUNFLOWER/San Tokay -MOD Psych Dancer- 10CC- RARE UK orginal Tonics -Daddy -Heavy KRAUT Psych Killer Hard Rock–1969 Jeff Smith –Going to a Party/ Gypsy in My Blood RARE RAK 10CC Demo –1971 Mandrake Paddle Steamer -Strange Walking Man -PSYCH UK Original –Demo Together -Memories of Melinda UK Popsike -Circus Days -German Pic Sleeve The Two Dollar Question - Aunt Matilda's...US Bubblegum Dancer 1969 Dunno -Sunday Girl/ Magic Beat Electric Asylum 1971 –Demo Q65 –Love is Such a Good Thing -Dutch HEAVY Psych/Hard Rock Freak –1970 Nevada Sound -Gimme Good Lovin'- POUNDING Irish Mod Dancer 1969 Corporation -Wild Time- Dutch HEAVY Freak BONEHEAD CRUNCHER 1970 Frenzy -Poser -1976 -Proto Punk Glam Cruncher Demo 1976 - Hear! Billy Beethoven -Dreams (Graham Bonnet) screeching Junkshop Pop Demo -1975 Scarface -Dance To The Band-Obscure UK Glam Cruncher 1975 Alan Lee Shaw –She Moans - RARE UK Proto PUNK Bonehead 1974 Gumbo -We Don't Care/ The Devils -Killer UK Proto Punk 1974 Eyes -Wild Wild Woman- UK Proto Punk Hard Rock Rarity Promo Vertigo -1976 Jets -Yeah! - Pounding Junkshop Glam -German Pic sleeve 1973 Hammersmith Gorillas –You Really Got Me - Proto Punk-German pic sleeve Dean Klevatt Story of His Life - Glam era Powerpop -Demo-1974 Wellington –Swoop Down on You -UK Junkshop Glam STOMPER 1975 Equals - Diversion - Crunchin' Glam Stomper-German Pic Sleeve-1973
I usually make a point of not reviewing reissues/new issues or compilation LPs, however in this case the project is really close to my heart My unbound obsession with Cut Loose goes back a long time now ever since I heard it on one of Tim Orchard's CDRs nearly 10 years ago I was well chuffed to have met the inspiration that is Roger Cook, and featured the story back in 2009 http://purepop1uk.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/cut-loose-stud-leather-story.html I also re-wrote the piece for an old issue of Bucketful of Brains Anyhow I was happy to introduce the label guy to Roger so that this fine re-release became reality It's wonderfully produced, with a fold out glossy page featuring the original article plus scans of covers and labels of the original releases The artwork by Tony Crazeekid is simply ace! It's a limited edition, with a few special copies that also features a photo of the band There is one big difference with the original issue in that the unreleased drunken haze that is Samantha Dear features as a B side Enjoy, you should be able to get copies here as well as in other places https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/355789493
...and in case you haven't heard Cut Loose
GO CRAZY! with a lofi clip recorded with a microphone, so go get the real thing!
Dean Klevatt –The Story of His Life/Don’t Bury Molly –Decca F13495 (1974 UK)
If it wasn’t for that Titan of a man Mark Prellberg, I would never come across this perfect specimen of Glam era pop. Dean later became Kim Fowley protégé Bobby Sky and nearly had the wonderful Beach Boys/Powerpop concoction The Water released on Titan at the time (it does however feature on Numero’s Titan comp It’s All Pop with 2 others (more US info here http://www.numerogroup.com/artists/bobby-sky). Both songs are wonderfully evocative of the time. Supremely melodic performances that still sound really fresh, it is literally a preserved time capsule that sends you back to early 70s Bowie or Elton John with a sparkling pop effervescence that is timeless. At times you may think if a teen version of Pilot, but it’s much more imaginative and lively than any of those comparisons. There are however closer similarities with Brett Smiley but without the Clout of Andrew Loog Oldham or a Russell Harty TV appearance. Anyhow back to the UK and 1974 with the 3 day-week and industrial strife. Dean had a dream you see, the lure of Anglophile Pop and the chance to write the story of his life among his heroes. Dean was 16 at the time…
DK: “I grew up listening and being influenced as a musician by so many UK artists such as The Beatles and David Bowie that as soon as I could I wanted to go and experience for myself where that all that incredible music came from…!This certainly wasn’t Kansas anymore DK: “I came to London from Kansas with very little money and only a 2 month visitor’s visa. I recorded a piano and voice demo at a little studio somewhere in London and took it round to all the publishers I could get an appointment with. I was politely turned down by everyone, and literally the last appointment I had was with Ivor Raymondewho had his offices on Denmark Street. He really liked my tape and asked me to return the next day. I was totally broke so he gave me £5 to insure I could make it!" Can you give some background on the single -who played on the session?
DK: “Ivor arranged the session at Decca Studios in West Hampstead--a very famous place in pop music history--as he had gotten me a singles deal with Decca Records. It was in Studio 2 which had a Neve console, I thought it sounded amazing in there. We cut 5 songs, not knowing which would turn out to be the single. I can remember the session very clearly. The guys sat around that morning waiting for Ivor to turn up with their sheet music, kind of bored and matter of fact, like another day at the office. It features Clem Cattini on drums, but I didn't realise how much of a well-known a session player he was. Once they got playing however my songs sounded amazing from the first take. Ivor had insisted that the piano was played by a session guy which devastated me at the time as I felt my piano playing was integral to the feel of my songs. But Ivor wasn't about to take a chance on an untested 16 year old being able to play a session with these top guys whose ability he could count on. Nevertheless I was really upset about that..."
The single reached demo stage and regular copies were also pressed up, but probably only with sample stickers. It is unclear if any singles actually reached the shops. The Demo has Don't Bury Molly as the A side, whereas the regular issue appears to have switched sides
DK: "It got a few plays on Radio 1 in their new releases slot on a Friday evening and also some local radio play but not much after that. There was a 3 day working week in Britain at that time which meant that there was no vinyl in the shops so it was unavailable anyway!"
What was your return to the US like? How did you hook up with Kim Fowley?
DK: “I went back to the States as my visa had run out and Ivor was so busy with his other projects that even though he was quite happy to record another single for Decca, I just couldn't hang around waiting for that to happen. So I told him I thought it was best I return home and we parted as friends. By the way I'm so grateful to him for his enthusiasm to produce me and the chance to make a record in England! I moved to LA where I had family I could stay with and met Kim through a contact who gave me his pager number. He phoned me back and we had one of the most amazing conversations I've ever had in my life. It must have lasted 2 hours or more and I got the full Kim Fowley manifesto. We met up in a studio he booked in Hollywood where I played him my new songs which he really liked. He gave me a handful of title and lyric ideas which I thought were genius and told me to go away and write tunes to them. I did and he was overjoyed with the results. This led to an introduction to a publisher he knew at Chappell Music on Sunset Boulevard who signed me immediately. Bobby Sky was Kim's idea. He was always renaming his charges. One day he turned to me and said "From now on you're Bobby Sky." Many thanks to Dean and Mark Prellberg Hear a full version of The Story of His Life
