Candy –Orang-Utang

Candy –Orang-Utang/ The Rock Comes Back -Pink Elephant PE 22.769X (1973 BE)

This is where I lose any lingering credibility I may have still had...
It looks like Candy were a Belgian aggregation (group would be too sane), and Orang-Utang is well...BLOODY SUPERB, makes Jungle Jim sound like Joy Division. The manic drumming, Farfisa organ and insanely infectious tune put this one right up with the best Monkey songs around...it nestles perfectly next to Douglas (Monkey Song) in any case...

Just download this and play it loud and proud...No shame or guilt, just surrender to its power. The B side is "good" too!

Thanks to J.K for this one

Click on title for a full version of Orang-Utang

Hans Van Hemert –Because Of The Cats

Hans Van Hemert –Because Of The Cats/ You Got To Sing Tonight –Philips 6012 324 (1973 NL)

Hans Von Hemert’s name appears as producer on many choice Dutch Glam era singles including Dump’s incredible Annabelle (or Annabella). He also had quite a few releases under his own name and was pretty popular at the time.

Because Of The Cats is the title song to what appears to be a Dutch Giallo/Slasher movie -Niet Voor De Poesen : A series of rapes are commited by a gang of "untouchable" rich kids. The gang doesn't need to steal as they are all rich. Instead, they hold sadistic quasi-satanic rituals, wreck the houses of other rich people, and rape women. The boys call themselves "The Ravens"; the girls call themselves the "She-Cats." Egged on by the "She-Cats," the boys' activities escalate until they commit a murder...
Musically Because Of The Cats is nailed down by a thumping beat, sports a catchy tune with subtle orchestration and features some choice use of phasing half the way through. A very cool single indeed!

Click on title for a soundclip of Because Of The Cats

Starbuck –Heart Throb

Starbuck –Heart Throb/ Ricochet –Bradleys BRAD 7411 (1974 UK)

The ongoing Brian Engel/ Martin Briley saga continues…Yes, it’s ye old Mandrake Paddle Steamer, Prowler, Liverpool Echo, Shambles guys with the follow up to Do You Like Boys. It’s pretty different from the previous Starbuck release as it leaves the camp element behind, but the 2 sides are veritable corkers. Both songs were written by Howard/Blaikley with Heart Throb being a glammed up 50s / 60s recreation with an incredible production –progressive Doo-Wop anyone?
Ricochet is more like Chicory Tip updating The Merseybeat sound but with more oomph. Fantastic stuff!

This just in...Thanks to Brian, Martin and Mark J. for the added info

From Brian:

“Well, actually, there WAS a band and we DID do a few gigs. It actually was planned as a real entity. It was absolutely outrageously stupid but I remember loving it because it was so unutterably silly.”

“We were all pounced up with the most hermaphrodite look that our girlfriends could devise and it really appealed to my sense of the bizarre to be gyrating around, looking like Lynsey De Paul singing simple pure Billy Fury songs like Half Way To Paradise.”

“Briley and I actually did a short tour of Germany with another bloke called Barry Blue. We were halfway through the tour and wondering why Germans seemed so keen on giving blokes flowers when it dawned on us that we had been booked into a series of Gay Bars.”

Martin: “I seem to remember as a four piece we were booked to play a gig at some skinhead club in Chatham, the crowd looked SO dangerous we had to decide whether to slip out the back, OR go the other direction and just totally camp it up. We chose the latter. I could never work out how we managed to get away with that, maybe they felt too sorry for us to get violent.”

Click on title for an edit of Heart Throb and Ricochet

Letters From The Front...

So here I am in Hamburg...

Spent the day checking out the record scene, and I've had a pretty productive day.

Many of the shops I had on my list are now closed, but the remaining stores well made up for it so far. The first shops I visited were Zardoz, Slam and Rekord in Schulterblatt. I picked up 4-5 singles there, but following a short taxi ride I landed at Plattenrille which you can find at the end of an alley at 29 Grindelhof. The shop itself is pretty big with an OK collection of singles and a huge amount of LPs, but after talking to Paul who's been running the shop for donkey years, I was invited into the backroom which is in fact more like a warehouse! There must have been over 50.000 singles there, all meticulously alphabetisized. The only shop I know where Cardinal Point have their own section for chrissake!

Needless to say, after a good 4 hours going through the boxes, I found 50 singles of note, which come to think of it is the same number I usually find at the Utrecht fair in 2 days!

Here are some of the finds of the trip so far, most in pic sleeves:

Muff: Sexy Sexy Lady -Ger Pic sleeve

Missing Link -Friday On My Mind

Alvin's Heart Beats -Chilly Willy -nice German Pic Sleeve

Teenager -Baby Hold On (related to Dutch band Bloom)

Walkers -I do The Show For You (The Danish ones, not the Dutch)

Geoff Appleby -Make Me Take Me -UK Demo

Extra copies of both Buzz singles (Geoff Appleby/ "Mutt" Lange)

Revolver -But How I Love It (a spare of this fine single)

Burnt Out Stars -In Vain

Nicky Bulldog -Bulldog (Dog Power Song) -heard a snippet of this -sounds pretty wild, most likely an Italian job...

Radiator -Isn't It Strange -UK Demo

Sting -Blazing Inferno -A second single by the band who recorded the Bubbleglam classic Thief Of Baghdad

Paul Ryder And Time Machine -Are You Ready (Great German Pic sleeve)

Funny Dog -One, Two, Three (fun bubblegum tune)

Capital City Rockets -Little Bit Of Fun/ Breakfast in Bed (Jaimie Lyons from The Music Explosion!)

K.K Black -California Sun (produced by Robert Johnson, the guy looks very familiar to me, who is he?

Teddy Lane -Do The Rock 'N' Roll

The Sorrows -C'Mon Everybody. This looks like the same Sorrows. Not sure if Whitcher/ Lomas are involved, but it's produced by Eddie Seago and John Rossall and it's from 1977!!!!

Rats -Turtle Dove -lovely bright yellow German pic sleeve with band photo

Phoenix -Black Is Black (looks like their second single, also produced by Adrian Baker)

Barry Ryan -Do That -UK Dawn

Shepstone and Dibbens -Shady Lady -god they look dodgy on the cover of this German single...

Brandy Balloon -Tambourine -Sonet -also Shepstone and Dibbens

SkinFlick-Do You Want To Touch Me -UK Demo -god knows, this might be a horrinble disco version...

Disco Kid -Roller Coaster -Ger RAK

Heart -Lovemaker -Great full colour German Pic sleeve for this Dutch Glam cruncher

And much more, plus a couple of Elton Motello singles and a bundle of spares...

Paul is a very cool guy who knows his stuff inside out. They don't list their stock on the website, but I left quite a few singles, so if you need 10 Elton Motello singles or that elusive Cardinal Point track, you know where to go. They do mail order.

Click on title to go to Plattenrille's website

Michael Elo –Wizzy Lizzy

Michael Elo –That’s My Bag/ Wizzy Lizzy –Philips 6012 364 (1973 NL)

Frizzy Micky sings Wizzy Lizzy! Michael was a Danish citizen who had quite a few releases including a solo album with the self-effacing title "Me" in ‘71. This single was recorded in The Netherlands under the supervision of producer Hans Van Hemert (Because The Cats coming soon…) and it’s a nifty Hard Rockin’ Glam crossover. The lyrics allude to that great Danish obsession with broomsticks and the like, but there’s no foul, only fair to be found here…Perhaps not a great Dane, but a man of definite merit based on this B side in any case.

Click on title for a soundclip of Wizzy Lizzy

Hero –Love Gone Bad

Hero –Love Gone Bad/Nothing Comes Easy –Private Stock PVT 102 (1977 UK)

Anyone for Downer Glam syndrome? Go on pop a couple of ‘ludes and get into this baby.

I’m not one for growers as life's too short, but this is really something special. It’s pretty indescribable, but I somehow think of Cheap Trick in Dream Police/Voices mode, but persevering with their Lennon obsession with a handful of horse tranquilizers and cheap synths. It sounds like they were even going for a Reggae type beat, but thank god they completely failed in that department. The arrangement and structure are really strange to say the least, just you wait until that thumping middle eight kicks in. Anyhow, this is quite an incredible production, just give it a chance to seep into your (un)consciousness.

In order to get you all hooked, when you click on the title you will get the FULL version of Love Gone Bad

Thanks for the turn on Bob!

Hamburg Record Shops

Hi
I'm off to Hamburg for a few days. Can anyone recommend any record shops? Most listings on the web are done by "dance" music types, but what I want are places where I can find my dodgy 70s singles!
Thanks
Robin

Eddie Kidd –Leave It To The Kid

Eddie Kidd –Leave It To The Kid/Big Jump At Picket’s Lock –Decca FR 13795 (1978 UK)

Leave It To The Kid is a bone-crunching-13-double-decker-hopping-semi -smash-stomper by the UK’s own Evel Knievel: Eddie Kidd. Of the Decca singles I have, this is by far the greatest as it’s a truly rousing performance featuring Eddie’s unmistakable vocal range along with a great driving string section. The track was even a "Tony Blackburn Record of the Week", and that man certainly knew his stuff! Eddie retired from stunts a while ago, but I am proud to acknowledge his legendary status here and now, if only for this amazing release.

Click below for a soundclip of Leave It To The Kid

You can also catch Eddie performing the track on Peter Cook’s Revolver here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCjgEj2iJZg

Return from Utrecht...again!

Every time I come back from the fair, the same clichés come to mind:...The sheer size of it is just plain nuts (500+ dealers) and it really pisses all over what passes for major "International" fairs here in London.

The aches and pains of crouching, stretching and walking up and down the isles in a crazed daze looking through the Zillions of singles, in the hope of finding that special classic that makes the trip worthwhile, is madness...BUT yes, I found some great and sometimes surprising stuff, but also some hilarious disasters!

The whole trip didn't start too well as I had to make changes to my original plans and went to Brussels the day before for work commitments, and in the confusion I forgot my 3 day passes in London! But what could have been an issue was swiftly sorted out with great friendliness by the organisers and I didn't have to go through with plan C, which involved hanging on to the under-carriage of dealer's van to gain entry...(In fact there was a plan B as well). So by 9 am on Friday, I was in...
And the result? Well, I came back with over 50 singles, including one absolute Corker from someone who was a household name in the UK in the 70s...I'll keep schtum about it until I review it (hopefully on Monday), in the meantime I'll just divulge that it involves motorbikes...

Here are some of the other ones:

Black Fire -Come On And Do It (RCA Ger 1975). This is in fact the Dutch Black Fire, they renamed the song and gave the new sleeve a certain Pantherman feel to it. Click on the link above to go to the original review and soundclip.
Mustang -Wild Mustang (-Good Teens soundalike on blue vinyl)
Pagliaro -Lovin' You Ain't Easy (in a rather fetching French Pic. sleeve)
Kraaijeveld -Yes Tonight Josephine
Stamford Bride -Rise Sally Rise
Baby Face -Watch Your Step
A collection of BubbleGlam singles with a...er... "European feel": 2 by Jackpot including Is Everybody Happy (Incredibly dodgy, but with stomping sounds that are the closest to crunching goosesteps yet -they're German after all), Crackerjack -Tambourine (also German), Cissy by Yellow Cat (Dutch but sound German!)
Holy Mackerel -Rock'A'Bye (Barry Blue/Green)
Carnaby Street Runners (Kasenetz/ Katz, similar in concept to Mike Berry's Biggles single)
Fogg -Dancin' To The Music (Ger pic sleeve)
Duck Deluxe -I Fought The Law (RCA Demo)
Blackfoot Sue (German single with Glittery Obituary on the B side)
Smoke-Shagalagalu (yes, it's BubbleGlam folks...)
Starbuck - Heart Throb -Bradleys (A great single)
Wild Angels -Jo Jo Ann (from Out At Last)
Wild Angels -Sally Ann (NOT from Out At Last!)
Time Machine -Turn Back Time (French Psych with pipes from the Andes!!! -on Rubble volume something or the other)
Merlin-Wild Cat (Nice German pic sleeve)
Catapult (UK issue on Bradleys!)
Park Lane -The Party (Produced by Pete Koelewijn, the A side rocks and it has a different version of The Rockets' Rock 'n Rioll Drummer Part 2 on the B side
Dump -Will you Still Love Me Tomorrow
The Dogs -I've Been Down Down Down (a 68' call to rarms transplanted to 1974)
Hans Van Hemert -Because of The Cats -(a cracking Glam single)
TimeBox -Baked Jam Roll In Your Eye (lovely mint UK copy of this nutty masterpiece)
Bang -Questions (German pic sleeve of a Blue Cheer -like/ Teen hard rock band)
The Boer Four -The Boers Have Got My Daddy on Surf City Recordings!!!????
Magnet -Something To Remember me By (Ex Downliner Sect in semi-Glam crunchin mode)
Giggles -Just Another Saturday Night (Great German pic sleeve on this one)
Zips -You're So Good To Me (Yum Yum). This is in fact Pip Whitcher and Roger Lomas (The Sorrows, The Eggy, Renegade). As Zips, they also released Bye Bye Love (with a great B side) on RAK in the UK, but I didn't know about this one, which comes in a gear German pic sleeve. Musically, it's a stange mix of Adrian Baker Beach Boys fixation and Lomas/ Whitcher Heavyness with Glam seasonings.

I'll be reviewing some of these over the next few weeks, let me know if you have any particular request...

Here we go again...

I'll try and report back on Sunday...I will also be spinning a few singles here http://www.dbstudio.nl/ on Friday night, sleep...? Sleep is for wimps!

The Memories –Lay It On Me

The Memories –Lay It On Me/Did Ya Get It –Rex R11091 (1974)

This is definitely one of the more obscure Junkshop Glam singles…It has all the staple trappings including HEYs, handclaps, a mean Glitter fuzz part and it’s from the right year, but… it doesn’t quite make it to upper echelons of Crunching Glam Corkers, and is in a similar bag as Loco's At The Local Dance (BASF). Still the cartoon voice intro and the Glam-by-numbers arrangement, make this single a nice find and not only because it’s so damn obscure…The B side is also a rocker but in a lighter quasi-Bubblegum mode…Were they perhaps an Irish band???

Click on title for a soundclip of Lay It On Me

Jeff Britton & The Spitfires –Rub Out

Jeff Britton & The Spitfires –Rub Out/Breakwood –Decca F13643 (1976 UK)

An interesting Martin Rushent production here…Both tracks are instrumentals, with Rub Out sounding like a Glammed up Prog Dancer stealing its "tune" from John Carpenter’s Assault On Precinct13. This is pretty likely as that movie was very popular as midnight showings at the time. The flanged drums and repetitive motif should prove popular for those into sampling…Breakwood is slightly more funky, but is swamped in Hammond with a cool tribal "Let There Be Drums" break…Is Jeff Britton in fact Geoff Britton who drummed with The Wild Angels and went to play with Wings?

Click on title for an edit of Rub Out and Breakwood

Derek Paul –Drugtaker

Derek Paul –Drugtaker/Riverboat –Young Blood International YB 1008 (1972 UK)

Lyrically Drugtaker is pretty ineffective as an anti-drug song, however the track is a sumptuous Spectorian Psych/Pop number with an arrangement swamped in echo and incredibly loud timbales that recall Pet Sounds’ Waiting For The Day. Although it came out in ’72, the sound is pure ‘68, so it could well have been a master that was hanging for a few years that Miki Dallon simply resurrected (as with Kidrock’s Ice Cream Man) for his revamped Young Blood label.

Click below for a soundclip of Drugtaker

Left Side - Like a Locomotion

Like a Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-comotion!!!!

Melody -Come Kids

Melody -Come Kids/Strawberry -Negram NG2260 (1977 NL)

Melody were from Amsterdam and strangely, this -their 2nd single, simply swaps the first single's A and B sides round and features them in newly recorded versions under new titles...

So, Come Kids becomes a much noiser version of Look In My Eyes And Love Me whereas Strawberry is an Electro -Pop revamp of Steppin' Stone! It seems that at some point the band renamed themselves Bad Melody and went all out PUNK. Too much Strawberry Space Yoghurt, me thinks...Check out the original posting for their first single: May 4th 2007

Click on title for edits of Come Kids and Strawberry

Eagle –Come In, It’s All For Free

Eagle –Kickin’ It Back To You/ Come In, It’s All For Free –Pye International 7N 25530 (1970 UK)

Tucked away on the flip side of a pretty good Northern Stomper, Come In It’s All For Free is a cracking late Garage Rocker. It’s quite a straightforward chuggin’ affair until the lead break comes along where it goes all twangy over an underlying semi-Buddy Holly beat. The track gets a bit diffused after that, but the tune rides out fine until its conclusion.
Once again I have little indication of who these guys were. It was originally released in the US on Janus where they had at least one other single, so apart from being American, who knows…

Click below for a soundclip of Come In, It’s All For Free

Mystery Track...

Hi
A blog reader sent me this track and no one I know knows who it is. It's probably '67/'68 and would fit perfectly between Procol Harum and Rupert's People. There are some suggestions that it may be French or Dutch, but it sounds pretty UK-ish to me.
The sound quality is pretty Lo-Fi, but if anyone knows who the artist is, please let us know...
Thanks

Please click on title for a full version of "Unknown Track"

Good-Time Joe - Slipstream

Good-Time Joe -Slipstream/Ballad -Philips 6012494 (1975 NL)

Slipstream is a tasty Punked-out Stonesian affair with more than a nod to the New York Dolls. The track is as tight as can be and powers straight down the mainline. It features female backing vocals that really lift the chorus and yelps on the finale that are pure Johansen.
Produced by the legend that is Boudewijn de Groot, Slipstream was recorded in 1974 under the name Stud. The record probably never came out then, but Philips decided to release it a year later as by Good-Time Joe. Stud/ Good-Time Joe featured Dutch Rock Junkie and piano-player Herman Brood in its line-up.

Click on title for a full version of Slipstream

Foxtrot –Cave Man Billy

Foxtrot –Cave Man Billy/These Passing Days –RCA APBO 0169 (1974 UK)

Cave Man Billy is one of the many Glam Era Bubblegum Obscurities released on RCA at the time. It’s a silly yet compelling tune with a nice Fuzz part and Sweet–like vocals. It recalls a more frothy Neanderthal Man and is another pure Bubbleglam delight.

There are quite a few cheap copies if this single floating about online, so happy hunting!

Click below for a soundclip of Cave Man Billy

Grumpy –Rule Britannia (We’re Doing Our Bit)

Grumpy –Rule Britannia (We’re Doing Our Bit)/ You Were My Friend –Decca F13492 (1974 UK)

Rule Britannia is a fun period piece and a great ode to the 3 day week, full of the Dunkirk spirit with a wink to Confessions Of A Window Cleaner... it certainly gives The Strawbs’ Part Of The Union a good run for its money. The lyrics are a real hoot and musically it comes across like a Vaudevillian Kinks in bovver boots. Dave Bloxham produced this, he was mainly known for Reggae stuff although he also produced that first Ducks Deluxe album.

Click on title for a full version of Rule Britannia

Geoff Appleby -Hey Sadie

Geoff Appleby -Hey Sadie/ Move On Down The Road -Virgin VS 157 (1976 UK)

Geoff Appleby had a long career starting off with The Rats (the Hull Rats, Geoff joined at the same time as Mick Ronson). He was also a member of the Hunter-Ronson Band and released two singles on Virgin under his own name before reappearing as Buzz with the singles The Rock Roller Coaster and Mony Mony which were only released in Germany.

Hey Sadie is Geoff's second Virgin single and it's a cracker. It's a late rockin' Glam track with a killer sense of melody. The arrangement is ambitious and as with the Buzz singles, Hey Sadie is produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange. The sound is full, bright and very loud making the whole package sound like a great lost Mott The Hoople single.

Click on title for a soundclip of Hey Sadie

The Killer -Say Goodbye

The Killer -Pretty Woman/ Say Goodbye -Negram NG 2009 (1975 NL)

Unjustly relegated to the B side, Say Goodbye is a simple but hooked-filled little tune. Based on a solid Glitter beat, the melody is Pure Pop with a rich production featuring some nifty thrills -dig those acoustic stabs, wolf-whistles and piano runs...not exactly KILLER, but very memorable all the same. The A side Pretty Woman is an OK update of the Roy O number - no more, no less...
The Killer is Jans Rietman, who was the piano player with Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers. He also joined Bonnie St. Claire & Unit Gloria, as the band was on the verge of breaking up (he’s on the sleeve of Knock on my door). His real claim to fame is when he produced the Jet Boy Jet Girl 45 by Captain Sensible & The Softies back in ’77 !

Thanks to Jos for the background info and to Tim for turning me onto the track in the first place.

Click on title for a full version of Say Goodbye

http://www.divshare.com/download/4651643-408

Driftin’ –Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right/How I Cried –UK 92 (1975 UK)

One of the more ludicrous releases on Jonathan King's UK label (and that’s saying something!), Don’t Think Twice is simply incredible. On one part it has this Frankie Lymon/ Frankie Valli falsetto lead, but it’s mixed in with mellotron, handclaps and that flappy lips motor noise. Not sure what Dylan would have made of this update, but he was probably unlikely to believe that it would expand his demographics as The Byrds had done 10 years previous. The B side is lovely, starting off like a Rubettes backing track it then turns into some sort de-junglefied version of DDBMT’s Zabadak. Priceless...

Click on title for edits of Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right and How I cried

Frenzy -Poser

Frenzy -Poser/ Things You Do -DJM 00697588 ( 1976 Portuguese issue)

Poser is a fun Cruncher trapped between Glam and the birth of UK Punk, although I'm sure that overtaking The Bay City Rollers in the charts was their only goal. It was probably too yobbish to stand a chance to make it, but Poser would have been a perfect choice for the third Hector single rather than the planned Demolition. The B side Things You Do gets even closer to sounding like '77.

Click on title for an edit of Poser

Peepers –Ayeo

Peepers –Ayeo/A Heavy Drinking Ego Shrinking Doctor –Philips 6061 075 (1972 French issue)

Originally released in the UK on Bumble, Ayeo is a fun and rather silly Bubbleglam number that sounds just like you expect it to… You can almost hear the holiday-makers waving their hands above their heads, only their coach drove of a cliff on the way to the resort discotheque. John Carter is behind this release and Ayeo is a Carter/ Lewis/ Alquist composition with a nice dense and meaty production. All together now - AYEO, AYEO…
The B side is a pretty good rockin’ R&B track, which doesn’t quite live up to its title.

Click on title for an edit of AYEO

My Version Is Better Than Yours Part 7: Ascension Day Third World War vs Razar

Third World War -Ascension Day/Teddy Teeth Goes Sailing -Fly Records BUG 7 (1971 UK)


Third World War were THE brutal-Prolo-Punk band in 1971. Formed by the UK's John Sinclair -John Fenton with Jim Avery and Terry Stamp as main protagonists, they somehow managed to get two incendiary LPs released at the time. OK, there were other UK Agit -Rock bands around the time (Deviants, Pink Fairies, Edgar Broughton Band), but these guys sounded like they really REALLY meant it. Ascension Day is just so Brutal, Terry Stamp's vocals sound like a diseased bull terrier who’s throat nodules had been removed with sandpaper... DON'T YOU KNOW I FEEL PROUD... The guitar riffage is supreme and I'm sure this is where Blue Oyster Cult borrowed the riff for This Ain't The Summer Of Love from.

Razar -Ascension Day/Ain't No Mystery -Polydor 2058 983 (1978 UK)

7 years on and Jim Avery joined forces with Soho Jets main man Grant Stevens ( Denim Goddess) and presto, Ascension day "rises" again. Glam had come in-between both releases, and sure enough the drums really Blitz The Ballroom. They up the tempo, but it's not just Punk-by-numbers and the treatment is sufficiently different to make this new version worthwhile. Granted, Terry's gravel snarling performance could never be matched, but Grant Stevens has a great voice and updates the call to arms for the year O crowd.


Click on title for edit of both versions of Ascension Day.

Funky Family -Part Of My Life

Funky Family -Part Of My Life/ It's Too Late -Bellaphon BF 18218 (1973 Ger)

I hesitate to use the word Glam, when looking at the photo of these guys. Although looking like some dodgy backstreet extras from an early episode of Inspector Derrick, they somehow manage to come up with a stirring crunching G-force performance all the same... and with a nice comb-over to boot! No wonder they used a photo of a blonde in hotpants clutching a sub-machine gun on the cover of their version of Bonnie's Clap Your Hand And Stamp Your Feet!

Part Of My Life is superb in every way: A great tune over a driving beat with really ace dual octave lead vocals and the lead break 3/4 through is pure Psych-Out and rounds off a top class release.

Click on title for a soundclip of Part Of My Life

Dick Turpin -Madeline

Dick Turpin -If You've Got The Time/ Madeline -Evolution E 2446 (1970 UK)

It's a total mystery as to the identity of Dick Turpin , but the B side of his (or their) only single is a class act indeed. Produced by Ed Welch, Madeline is a late Mod/ Freakbeat dancer with its gritty power-chords, pounding piano and sizzling lead break, but the switch in tempo with the Mott The Hoople piano motif is really surprising and takes this number somewhere else altogether. The chorus is simple as can be, but is really effective and totally memorable. The tale is of some guy traveling across the US doing odd jobs and the line I Got Mixed up with the racing crowd, but I won't be called trash is a real classic -put that in your NASCAR and smoke it! Madeline is not only my daughter's name, but of my favourite B side as well at the moment.

Click below for a soundclip of Madeline

Update: It looks like Dick Turpin was in fact Carl Simmons who recorded the Rock 'N' Roll Revival single Angel/ Hold On Ruby on Antic K11515 (1974 UK). He also wrote other songs with Ed Welch who was primarely a TV show songsmith (the incidental music for One foot In The Grave!!!)

Singles for sale...

Hi

I'm listing quite a few singles on ebay, including Hector (French Wired Up/ Bye Bye Bad Days -see pic above), Mustard, Oliver Day, The Sunshine Kid (Chris Hodge), Bryan Evans, Nashville Teens (Ella James), Gidians League, Mick Flinn Band, Zappo, Brother Susan, Hammersmith Gorillas, Sweet Reason (Hundred Thousand Dollar Twenty Carburator Driving Machine),Wild Angels (Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet), Dancer (Hate Generator) , Kate (Viv Prince) , Rockmore Williams, Farm, Canyon (the greatTop Of The World) and...BILLY HAMON -BUTCH THINGS!!!! Plus a few more -Good luck!

Click on the title or just go here: http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZpurepop1uk

Left Side –Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet

Left Side –Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet/Be-Bop Baby –Apollo 613017 (1975 France)

This is a rare French only release by Dutch band Left Side (Like A Locomotion). Produced by Peter Koelewijn, this is in fact the same backing track as the Bonnie St. Claire version (you can even hear a bit of off-mic Bonnie at the end). Somehow it doesn’t quite have the same impact, apart from missing Bonnie’s vocals, the mix is perhaps not as powerful.Unless this is due to the mastering?
How many more versions of CYHASYF are still out there? By my latest count we have: Bonnie St. Claire, Left Side, Wild Angels, Funky Family, Maria on Epidemic from South Africa (1973), Fran O’Toole from the album Reflections Of Fran O’Toole (Mint Records 1976) and I presume that the Clap Your Hands Stamp Your Feet by Canadian Thundermug is also the same song…

More please!

Click below for a soundclip of Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet

The Monks –Roller Coaster Rock And Roller

The Monks –Roller Coaster Rock And Roller/ It’s A Crying Shame –Rex R11095 (1974 UK)

Surely, this is not the same Monks who did Nice Legs, Shame About The Face??? Both songs are written by J. & E. Monks, so it’s obvious that someone with a reputation to preserve is hiding here! Being on Rex they must be Irish...
Roller Coaster Rock And Roller is a nice rockin’ update of Sweet Little Rock ‘N’ Roller but it somehow comes across like a Woolworth imitation of Dave Edmunds with the monkey-beat chugging guitars and treated slide. The vocal delivery gives it a slight teen angle, but the lead break is rather piercing …so I’m unsure of the demographics this single was aimed at. It would be nice to be able clear up this mystery…anyone?

Hear a soundclip of Roller Coaster Rock And Roller

Paul Cass –Mini Marianne

Paul Cass –Mini Marianne/Riverboat Rock –Rainbow Records RBW 2000 (1975 UK)

Mini Marianne is a vibrant high-velocity Glam Cruncher. The production is full and tight, it has an incongruous Synth part and fun lyrics including a choice line about making Coca Cola jellies…The B side is also an uptempo rocker, but not really in the same league.
So who is Paul Cass? It’s probably a Belgian creation as it’s produced by Sylvain Van Holmen (sometimes spelt as Van Holme) who was in The Wallace Collection and Two Man Sound, but beyond that who knows?

Thanks to Bob from the http://www.7tt77.co.uk/ site for turning me on to this baby

Click on title for a full version of Mini Marianne

Shelby The Clap –Killing My Music

Shelby The Clap –Killing My Music/ I’ve Got A Chance –Polydor 2050 356 (1975 NL)

Holland has been a very fertile breeding ground for Junkshop Glam with killer releases by Pantherman, Dump, Black Fire, Left Side, Heavy Dwarfs, Zingara, Cardinal Point etc…(and dear Bonnie St. Claire). This Shelby The Clap single was one of the very few remaining Dutch Glam obscurities to be unearthed, which leaves me with two more to find (as far as I know).
Shelby is in fact Shel Shellekens who drummed with The Incrowd, Brainbox and Rainbow Train. He later produced the Golden Earring album Cut in ’82 which featured the US hit Twilight Zone.
Killing My Music is an ultra-compressed Mutoid Glam number, it stomps with the best of them, but the production is bizarre and renders it even more interesting. Shelby: The Dutch Cozy Powell? –yes certainly, but one immersed in space-yoghurt! The B side is also pretty groovy as Shelby and his shinny kit expand the Junkshop envelope even further…

Click on title for edits of Killing My Music and I’ve Got A Chance

West Point –Don’t Know Why/Take What You Want

West Point – Don’t Know Why/Take What You Want –Decca F 13050 (1970 UK)

With near identical drum intros, both West Point songs are fine commercial Bubblegum/Soul concoctions similar to The Equals or Paintbox with Take What You Want being my favourite of the two. I'm unsure who the band actually was, but Don’t Know Why has a Swettenham credit, which most likely relates to Peter Swettenham from Grapefruit as I also have another single by Fluff ( Dance Dance Dance/ Don’t Say You Don’t – Decca F 13273) from 1971 produced by him.

Click on title for an edit of Don’t Know Why and Take What You Want

Ritz –Jenny Gentle / Why Love

Ritz –Jenny Gentle/ Why Love–Dawn DNS. 1070 (1974 UK)

I’ve had this single for a while and when I took it out for a spin recently, I realised that I had never listened to the B side! And boy did I miss out as Why Love is a cracking Glam cruncher with a definite Sweet influence featuring guitar riffage in the same mould as The Easybeats’ Sorry. Jenny Gentle is more subdued, but is a prime catchy-as-hell commercial Pop song, with some tasty dual lead guitars. Both songs are written by P. Ryder and I assume that this is Paul Ryder who also served time as Paul Ryder And The Time Machine (Penny Farthing).
In order to make further amends, Why Love is featured as the first edit of the two songs.

Click on title for edits of Why Love and Jenny Gentle

Mick Flinn Band –Doing It Right

Mick Flinn Band –Doing It Right/ Do What You Wanna Do –EMI 2805 (1978 UK)

Incredible to think that this is the same Mick Flinn who was in The Mixtures (The Pushbike Song) and even more weird when you consider that he was also in The New Seekers! Both tracks are Killer Punk/Glam numbers with a great high -energy performance and tight production (it looks like Vic Maile was involved here). It seems that they were only demo copies of this single pressed, if you know otherwise -please let me know!
For further information, go to: http://45revolutions.blogspot.com/2007/10/mick-flinn-band.html

Click below for edits of both songs

Bogdan –Oh Eddie

Bogdan –Oh Eddie/ Schoolgirl –CNR 144.731 (1980 Dutch issue)

Bogdan? Bogdan who? BILLY HAMON of BUTCH THINGS infamy -that’s who! Not sure why he used this pseudonym, but Oh Eddie is truly the son of Butch Things. (see review posted April 27th 2006). Billy’s blubbering vocals are as unique as ever and the content here is similar to Butch Things with its 50s tough/whining guy theme. The musical assault may not be quite as overwhelming, but apart from a weak middle eight, the song is perfect –all light and shade...
The UK issue has a version of Reet Petite as the B side, this release has Schoolgirl which is a so-so Russ Ballard song.
Billy Hamon also released an album on Acrobat called Bombed Singles, would that complete the set?

Click on title for soundclip of Oh Eddie

The Passengers –Something About You (I don’t Like)

The Passengers –Something About You (I don’t Like)/Two Lovers –Private pressing (1979 UK)

I met these guys at the time outside the CBS building in Soho Square just as they were signing to Epic. They had pressed up this single privately in order to create a buzz and it worked as both tracks were later released on the faux-independent Blue Inc. and also on Epic proper. It looks like they were uncertain as to which song was to be the A side when they pressed it up, but in my book, there was no contest as Something About you is a powerful Punk/ Power Pop number of the highest caliber. To me it sounds like The Members infused with a top Pop tune and featuring a great rockin’ piano part such as Nicky Hopkins would lay down on those early Kinks sides.

Click on title for an edit of Something About You

As a dubious marketing exercise, I will also be listing this single on ebay http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZpurepop1uk this evening. It's the last single I will be listing until January -Thanks!

Pete Dunton –Taking Time

Pete Dunton –Taking Time/ Still Confused –RCA 42501 (1973 French issue)

Pete was the drummer With Freakbeat faves The Flies and Please. He was also in a late line-up of Gun before forming the Proggy T2.
This single came out in the UK on Rockfield and the production by Dave Edmunds is pretty spectacular. Dave was in the middle of his Spector recreations in the Rockfield barn at the time and the Welsh wizard pulls out all the stops on this single. Swamped in flange and chorus, Taking Time literally explodes during the instrumental breaks full of psyched out Banjo and unmistakable Dave Edmunds guitar interjections. The B side Still Confused sounds like Badfinger on mushrooms with a nice understated vocal performance from Pete Dunton.

Click below for edits of Taking Time and Still Confused