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.
In-Sex – Alligator Wine/ Action In The Street – Hammer Records H-3002 (US 1970) With a bit of time off over Xmas, I have been able to revisit some purchases I hadn’t been able to delve into properly…and this one goes straight to the top of the pile. Alligator Wine was the 2nd and last single by In-Sex who are better known for Penitentiary Planet Blues/ Space Man…however this one blitzes all over their other effort. Their cover of Alligator Wine takes the essence of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, rolls it in grease with a heavy dose of lard before infusing it with amphetamine -laced psychedelics for its glorious fuzzed-out finale…God this is simply mind-blowing Enjoy!
Hard Knox – Backstreet Life/Midnight Celebration – Sunspot Records SSP2001 (US 1977) Here is an interesting one I recently picked up. It’s what is called a “Google 0”, meaning no information can easily be found on the Web... Anyhow, earlier in the year a digger found 4 copies of this single in a store in Southern California, being a Crunching Killer obscurity all 4 copies were quickly snapped up by the usual target audience namely a gaggle of US, UK and Swedish collectors with an interest in all things Bonehead…and me. Due to it being found in California, you would expect it being a local band, however one red herring is that the bag it comes with might be from a pressing plant in Texas…I am sure the credits on the label reveal more clues so someone is bound to come up with the relevant information at some point. What of the music? Backstreet Life is Hard and Heavy without slumping into an indigestible dirge, it is further enlivened by a surprising near psychedelic break that really lifts proceedings. The B side is more snarly in approach coming across like a Proto Punk ZZ Top attempting to twin Alice Cooper with The Stones… So here it is; a mysterious release by a band no one knows delivering two fine slabs of chunky meaty morsels that deserve wider recognition. Up to you now Hear a full version of Backstreet Life
