Jeremy Finn - Little Angel Part 1

Jeremy Finn -Little Angel Part 1/ Little Angel Part 2 -Decca FR13675 (1976 UK)

OK, mystery revealed ( to a certain extent). This is the A side to the "mystery" track. There are two other singles that I know of by Jeremy Finn, but those are both in a disco style. Little Angel is pretty neat though, the androgynous vocals make this sound like Milk 'N' Cookies paired up with Wizard in a collision with Teddy Palmer And His Rumble Band, while making a hell of a fuss on the midnight bus.... if you see what I mean.
This is a German production, and by the accent, Jeremy must have been a German citizen, unless he was an ex-pat who had lost his identity and sense of self whilst stranded on the Continent...

Click on title for a full version of Little Angel Part 1

Mystery Track

OK, have a listen to this mystery track. It’s a rather bouncy instrumental B side to a similarly titled A side.

10 wrong or enlightened guesses or 1 correct one will result in the posting of the A side as the next review.

Answers as comments please!

Click on title for a full version of "Mystery Track".

Adriano Celentano – Prisencolinensinainciusol -VIDEO

Here’s a video of Mr. 24000 baci with a great lesson in gobbledygook. Rock ‘N’Roll as the universal language? –here’s the proof…
Note: there’s another great colour clip of this on youtube in a classroom setting…Enjoy!

The Rockits –Gimme True Love

The Rockits –Gimme True Love/I’m Losing You –Mowest 3016 (1974 UK)

OK, let’s stay in the land of Pop for this next review…Gimme True Love was the 2nd single that The Rockits released on Mowest and to say that it recalls Badfinger would be a bit of an understatement as it sounds like it came straight off that band’s Wish You Were Here album. The Rockits comprised John Wilson and Dave Powell who would later link up with Tom Evans and Bob Jackson (Ex Badfinger) to form The Dodgers (on Island). Tom Evans was later evicted and replaced by Roger Lomas (The Sorrows, The Eggy, Zips, Renegade etc…) before reforming Badfinger until tragedy struck yet again. Like several other Mowest releases around this time; Peter Anders was involved (Tradewinds) and Kenny Laguna was probably not far away either…

Click on title for a full version of Gimme True Love

Blue –Don’t Wanna To Make You Cry

Blue –Don’t Wanna To Make You Cry/Mooonlight –Zuma (1982 UK)

Yes, this is the same Scottish bunch who nearly hit the big time on RSO and Rocket, but as times moved on; they found themselves on Zuma (their own label?) for this single and…guess what? It’s the best damn thing they ever did. The A side is pure Beatles to say the least, but it towers above the Merseybeat revival mediocrity of The Pleasers and enters the realm of The Flamin’ Groovies circa the Now LP. The guitar sound and descending riff is just pure Cyril Jordan. Sounds like an AMS harmonizer to me as it’s got that great double-tracked lower octave thick sound. The melody is also superb with a surprising and supremely melodic middle eight. Don’t Wanna Make You Cry is a brilliant (but unrecognised) Power Pop classic. The B side is really good as well; it’s in a similar vein but with a bit of Squeeze thrown in for good measure.

Click on title for a full version of Don’t Wanna To Make You Cry

Trevor White -Crazy Kids VIDEO!!!!

God -I never knew that this promo video existed. It puts the UK pic sleeve into context. Fantastic stuff!



Thanks to Enrico for the early warning system...

The Laurels -Underground/ The Devil's Well

The Laurels -The Devil's Well/ Underground -Pye 7N.45034 (1971 UK)

Following the release of a couple of harmony pop singles on RCA, Hertfordshire's Laurels signed to Pye and this was their second and last single for that label. Underground is a claustrophobic angst riden tube ride and is damn catchy to boot. It's only let down by a mundane guitar solo, which is a shame as the A side, The Devil's Well, features some mean fuzzy lead guitar in this 7th of this, 7th of that etc...tale of damnation. It's a fun Eddie Seago/ Mike Leander creation and the 3rd verse is made more interesting by featuring some crunching Proto-Glitter handclaps prior to the song disolving into a Devil's laugh...

Click on title for an edit of Underground and The Devil's Well

Stud Leather – Cut Loose

Stud Leather – Cut Loose/ Emma Louise – Dart ART 2024 (1973 UK)

I reviewed this great single two years ago, but the copy I had was housed in a horrid French pic sleeve. But to celebrate FINALLY finding a UK copy on the great Dart (née D’Art) label, here is the track again and this time in its entirety…There is also a German pic sleeve about, which is in no way as ugly as the French one.

To recap -Cut Loose is a frenetic primitive Punker powered by slap-back echoed drums, raw guitar and a simplistic piano pounding. The performance builds and builds and the vocals get wilder and wilder, ending in near hysterics with masses of crazed Halleluiahs!!!! The track finally turns into a wild cacophonous Freak Out concluding in a final explosion…It is really totally bonkers –So enjoy it and remember to play it LOUD!

Click on title for a full version of Cut Loose

Inca Bullet Joe -Nothing Has Changed

Inca Bullet Joe -Nothing Has Changed/She -Philips 6012108 (1971 French issue)

Inca Bullet Joe were a four piece band from Dordrecht (NL).They were formed from the ashes of Dutch Psych/Freakbeat legends The Zipps. Comprised of Janco Barut (Guitar), Harry Thysen (Guitar), Ruud van Seventer(Bass) and Tony v.d. Hoek (drums), this single was their only release (note in Holland it came out as a 3 track EP). It also got a release in Peru!...I guess the name helped in that particular licensing deal! Produced by Dutch legend Hans Van Hemert; it's incredibly loud and heavy, like a Crunching Glam backing track played at 16rpm with FreakRock trappings. The melody isn't that noteworthy, but the overall effect of the handclapped beat is pretty impressive; especially halfway through when the track is stripped back to its BARE basics. The B side is also on the heavy side but with a Hippy-Dippy flute interlude.

Click on title for a full version of Nothing Has Changed

Speedies –Let Me Take Your Foto / Something On My Mind

Speedies –Let Me Take Your Foto/No Substitute –Golden Disc Records GDR 1003 (US 1979)

Speedies - Something On My Mind/Time –Speedy Delivery MS 1 (US 1981)

Once in a while a reissue programme will alert me to the existence of a band that I may have been unaware of before, and in this instance Radio Heartbeat Records’ issue of the Speedies album opened up a can of worms that led to me buying these two great singles. Both singles a fabulous examples of perfect Powerpop. It seems the Speedies were quite well known on the NYC scene often opening for visiting UK New Wave bands and they garnered quite a following. It’s hard sitting here now, to understand why a CBS or a Seymour Stein didn’t jump on them at the time as they come across as a perfect hit making machine. They had the hooks and the sound with songwriting abilities which could have turned them into real contenders. They fall somewhere between the US Titan Powerpop sound with a touch of UK New Wave and by the time they released their second single produced by Clem Burke, they could have tagged on to the success of a band like The Cars. It’s a crime an album wasn’t released at the time…

Click on title for an edit of Let Me Take Your Foto and Something On My Mind

Radio Heartbeat Records

This has now been rectified by Radio Heartbeat Records who have released a Speedies LP (Yes, it’s on Vinyl folks!) that collects both sides of their singles along with unreleased material mostly recorded during sessions in Canada. There are many other top tunes on the LP including the opener You Need Pop. The sound is loud and proud, like a tougher version of The Fast.
As well as Speedies, Radio Hearbeat have also issued a true labour of love –A ridiculously sublime gatefold issue of the Milk ‘N’Cookies LP which features a second disc with outtakes and tracks that didn’t appear on the original album. I first discovered the band back in 1975 and picked up the German issue of the LP that year (it’s release was delayed for over a year in the UK). The band looked so perfect to me at the time, but I was slightly put off by the fey vocals, although the tunes were topnotch. That LP fell into a similar bag to The Quick insofar as their wildness seemed to have been curtailed in the clutches of their respective producers (Muff Winwood and Earl Mankey) who seemed to have attempted to turn both acts into the new Sparks. So for me the real surprise was the unbridled energy of the bonus tracks. The alternative version of Not Enough Girls (In The World) is certainly much tougher, Tinkertoy Tomorrow and Typically Teenage are damn near perfect while Wok N’ Woll is a cataclysm that will blow your socks off. If only that last track was released at the time, I would have put Milk ‘N’ Cookies right at the top of my favourite bands at the time.
Radio Heartbeat Records are not ending their release programme there either, below are the next scheduled releases including unreleased 20/20!!!! And The Quick LP. All will appear on vinyl as well…

RADIO HEARTBEAT RECORDS RELEASES:
OUT NOW:RHB -101 SPEEDIES "Speedy Delivery" LP / CD
RHB -102 HUBBLE BUBBLE S/T LP
RHB -103 HUBBLE BUBBLE "Faking" LP
RHB -104 RAXOLA S/T LP
RHB -105 MILK N' COOKIES 2LP

UPCOMING:
RHB - 701 20/20 "Going Up With My Girl" c/w "World of Fools" PS45 (AUG 2008)
RHB - 106 RADIO CITY "Class of '77" LP (SEPT 2008)
RHB - 107 20/20 Unreleased/Demos 2LP (OCT 2008)
RHB - 702 AMBULANCE "It's All Up To You" PS45 (OCT 2008)
RHB - 108 THE STRAND "Seconds Waiting" LP (NOV 2008)
RHB - 109 THE QUICK "Mondo Deco" LP (DEC 2008)
RHB - 110 AMBULANCE "It's All Up To You" LP (JAN 2009)

So what can I say except to urge you to contact the label: william@radioheartbeat.net and show your support by buying these gems. A label like this with top taste and such dedication appears once a blue moon, so please ensure you help turn this venture into a success.

Click on title for a soundclip of Wok N’Woll

Catapult -Teeny Bopper Band

And while we're at it, here's a fun clip of Leiden's finest performing their 3rd single.
Just dig the fancy leg work...So c'mon and Clap Your Hands and Stamp your Clogs!

Francis Butler's Sixty-Niners - Flash

Francis Butler's Sixty-Niners -Flash/Back Street Drivin' -Earth ESP 008 (1974 Aus)

Flash is a sublime piece of moronic Colonial Boogie/Glam. I'm sure you'll dig the idiocy of the grunts (and Yippees!!) and the inane repetitiveness which will hammer the hook right into your frontal lobes (and beyond...). You will certainly swoon to the beefy guitar in any case, which is similar to the guitar-slinging found on both Streak singles. A killer song and performance, but perhaps using the name Francis might have limited its demographic appeal...This was the band's last single in any case.
The B side Back Street Drivin' is pure Pub Rock and somehow reminds me of The Solid Senders or a harpless Lew Lewis.
Read about the band here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixty_Niners

Click on title for a full version of Flash

My Version Is Better Than Yours Part 8: Miracles -Oppo vs Anita Garbo

Oppo –Miracles (A Mini Epic)/The Flame-EMI 2451 (1976 UK)

Originally an instrumental used in a (British) Leyland Mini advert filmed in Amsterdam in 1975 (see the clip below), the song was re-recorded by Jeff Boult and Fred Gardner (The Tapes)with added lyrics sung by Angela Allen (Carmen). Not sure if Oppo was an actual band, but Geoff Trickley, James Bradley, G. Hunt, Donald Supner shared the publishing with Jeff Boult. The single version is a bit of a quirky mish-mash reminiscent of Sparks with Art Rock deficiencies…

Anita Garbo –Miracles/ Do It With Me –Poker S643 (1977 NL)

Anita’s version is a much more realised affair. With its rousing string section arranged by an un-credited Jeff Lynne, the track drives along superbly. If anything this version has a heavier Sparks touch to it and was deservedly a hit in Holland in 1977.

Anita Garbo seems to have been of Swedish origin and released at least 2 other singles on Basart/Papillon : Race With The Devil / Mean Mean Mean and Mean Mean Mean / Show the way (written by Boult / Gardner).

Click on title for an edit of both versions of Miracles.

And here's the fun period piece advert... The "band" really looks dated and out of place for '75

Slow Dog -Walking Through The Blue Grass

Slow Dog -Walking Through The Blue Grass/ Ain't Never Going Home -Parlophone R5942 (1972 UK)

Slow Dog were probably a local Huntingdon quintet who's only release seems to have been this fine cover of this Staveley Makepeace tune. I use the words "probably" and "seems" as I can no longer find the link that had the band's line up.
Anyhow, Walking Through The Blue Grass walks the line between pure Norman Greenbaum boogie stomp and early 70s T.Rex with a mean DIY Fuzz and production throughout.The lyrics are silly and somewhat fruity...all peaches and nice "pears"...

Click on title for a full version of Walking Through The Blue Grass

Chris Hodge -Beautiful Love

Chris Hodge- Beautiful Love/Sweet Lady From The Sky -RCA LPBO 5007 (1974 UK)

There’s very little in the way of background information available on the web on Chris Hodge. This is surprising as he released two singles on Apple including the US hit We’re On Our Way.
It seems he signed to Apple thanks to Ringo’s shared passion for sci-fi! We’re On Our Way was a fine slab of Psych/Glam with lyrics in some way similar to Paul St. John’s "The Flying Saucers Have Landed", but with more urgency and with less of a namby Pamby hippy approach.
He then released two great singles on RCA - My Linda (credited to The Sunshine Kid in the UK) and this one before moving on to DJM for the lethargic sub-Burrito I Love You/ Old James Dean. After that who knows…

Beautiful Love in no way sounds like its title would make you believe. It’s a hard-as-nails-riff–heavy Glam Cruncher. The intro comes across like a wild space age Crazy Horses and the thumping drums gain an extra edge thanks to the astute use of a gated reverb during the thudding drum break - Shake, SHAKE!!!
There’s a web page for Chris Hodge here www.chris-hodge.co.uk.It has 8 unreleased tracks on top of the 10 he released at the time.

Click on title for an edit of Beautiful Love

Monsoon –Night Of The Fly

Monsoon –Night Of The Fly/ Caroline The Wine Was Good –Blue Mountain 12000 AT (1972 Dutch issue)

This is one weird Eddie Seago (Boston Boppers, Crunch etc...) artifact. I’m not at all sure what Night Of The Fly is actually about or has to do with falling in love, but this web of intrigue is finely supported by the music which features some neat fuzzed up guitar over a strange and haunting melody. It’s all wonderfully spooky and definitely all good!

Click on title for a full version of Night Of The Fly

Giorgio –Underdog

Giorgio –Underdog/Watch Yourself –A&M AMS 822 (1971 UK issue)

Let’s stay firmly in mainland Europe for this next single, by the king of Euro-Pop himself –Mr. Giorgio Moroder. Giorgio’s pre-Disco career is just full of these little gems, with Underdog being perhaps at the top of the pile. Here, Giorgio sings and stands up for all the down-trodden (mustachioed or otherwise) guys who not only get shit from the boss man but get laughed at by prostitutes…
The song twists and turns and the arrangement is full blown to say the least. It goes from mad fuzz patterns, to driving string quartets to drum breaks (where the spring reverb is set to overload and the delay full tilt on feedback) along with the usual Chicory Tip analogue keyboard bleeps.
The B side is an incredible garage Punk tirade targeted at those mean men in blue and makes this single a perfect double-sided purchase –go find!

Click on title for a full version of Underdog

Walkers –Do The Yo-Yo

Walkers –Do The Yo-Yo/ May Beautiful You –Philips 6019122 (1974 DK)

Here's another fine Euro-Stomper by Denmark’s Walkers. Do The Yo-Yo has the mother of all crunching beats but with one of the most simpleton-Bier-keller-Sing-a-long choruses you’ll ever get to hear-it even gives Jackpot (Is Everybody Happy) or Yellow Cat (Sissy) a run for their money! There’s also a strange vary-speed/Pitch change effect near the end, it sounds like someone simply sped up the tape manually at the mastering stage…very weird.

Click on title for a full version of Do The Yo-Yo

Starbuck –Wouldn’t You Like It/Maňana

Starbuck –Wouldn’t You Like It/Maňana –Belter 08.363 (1973 Spanish issue)

Brian Engel and Martin Briley camp it up to the max on Wouldn’t You Like It, but the track doesn’t quite reach the ridiculous “heights” of Do You Like Boys or have the sheer class that permeates Heart Throb (check out the April 21st post). This Howard/Blaikley track is not without its own particular charm or duck sound effects for that matter…
Brian: They (Howard/Blaikley) had run out of good ideas and soppy innuendo titles by this time and were resorting to gimmick sound effects ...I honestly remember a duck quack on this single…..but I don’t remember it being released...
Maňana is like DDBM&T covering Rag Doll and plays it more straight in a commercial pop vein. Brian: Maňana was an old Bay City Rollers song (I think we did it either first or round about the same time). Now that was a good pop song…International appeal, a catchy song with a chorus that you could sing but didn’t need to learn…Na na na Na na na na na -if you could remember those lyrics you’d got the song”

Wouldn’t You Like It is probably the 2nd Starbuck single (RCA 2350 in the UK 1973) as Heart Throb on Bradleys came out the following year. It seems that there might even be a fourth single released as Starbuck: “Excerpt From A Skateboard Symphony” on Axle Production which ties in nicely with the later Slick Willie single (see review June 5th)

Thanks to MJ and Brian

Click on title for an edit of Wouldn’t You Like It/Maňana

Spunky Spider –You Won’t Come

Spunky Spider –You Won’t Come/Perchance –Phoenix S-NIX 143 (1973 UK)

Spunky Spider’s only single is a strange and sticky beast indeed. It Comes across like Robert Calvert posing as a Sex Pest with a pre-pubescent Status Quo on this no-holes-barred performance. You Won’t Come certainly doesn’t spurt an attractive melody, but the snotty nosed Punky/sleazy approach is quite startling. Remember, this is god-knows-where in 1973 and not a dingy Squat basement in 1977.
Perchance is more 1967, and sounds like a band rehearsing for their set at the Avalon Ballroom and is more of an "open-minded" concept. There is zilch in the way of information in the liner notes of RPM’s Glitterbest Comp where I first heard it, but the cavernous lo-fi production values means that there probably was a real local band behind this release. Both tracks are written by Millman/Moran and it’s produced by Allen Henry. If that’s any clue…

Click on title for edits of You Won’t Come and Perchance

Normal Service is resumed...

ALL SOUND FILES ARE ONLINE!!!!

Don't ask me how or why, but all sound files are available again. The old ones that I haven't replaced won't have the player at the bottom, but the sound clips are there if you simply click on the title.

Johnny Burton –Polevault Man

Johnny Burton –Polevault Man/The Polythene Doll –Philips 6006236 (1972 UK)

Polevault Man is one of those out-of-period numbers, although it came out in ’72 it sounds more like 1968. It’s a bouncy little number on the border of Psych and PolkaGum with some snazzy fuzz. I first heard this track on one of those Circus Days comps and its chorus and lyrics just stuck in my mind. It’s quite a moral tale in fact, as a boasting Johnny recounts his exploits of jumping ahead of Mr. Average to add to his conquests, but he gets his comeuppance in the end…
Vocally, Johnny has a certain Scouser stance in his raspy delivery, but who is he? There’s a Johnny Burton who has a single Come On, Dance With Me/ Slave Girl that is collectable in Northern Soul circles…But is it the same Guy?

Click on title for a soundclip of Polevault Man

Pip Williams -Hey! Mr.Record Man

Pip Williams -Hey! Mr.Record Man/ Nightmare -RCA 2511 (1975 UK)

Pip Williams's name seems to pop up a lot on many noteworthy Glam era singles. Often working in tandem with Phil Wainman (including the early Sweet singles), he was often employed as a session muso, arranger, musical director and producer. Hey! Mr. Record Man is one of his rare forays as a solo artist. Produced by Phil Wainman, the track is basically Bo Diddley goes Glam and comes off much like The Arrows Toughen Up, but with Pip spending much of the tune searching for the right note to sing...The lyrics of the song are (and I quote) "a gentle satire on some of the more intense people he has met in the business". But Pip doesn't even get close to nibbling the hands that feed him...

Click on title for a soundclip of Hey!Mr. Record Man



Even more soundclips reinstated…

Electric Banana -Groovy Bubblegum Music 10/11/06
Revolver -But How I Love it 6/12/06
Mad Hatters -The Humphrey Song 29/11/06
Tiger -I Am An Animal 16/02/07
Heavy Dwarves -Moeder Natuur 4/01/07
Sparky -(Do You Remember)That Summertime Woman 9/11/06
Cobraa -Ride A Poney 15/12/06
Puzzle -Houla 12/11/06
Ohio Ltd./ Canyon 13/12/06
Marrakesh -The Prodigal Son Returns 1/11/06
Propeller -Apache Woman 22/12/06
Hustler -Money Maker 8/12/06
Granny-Weirdries Deirdre's Dilemna 13/11/06
Geoff Appleby -Hey Sadie 6/02/08
Captain Groovy and His Bubblegum Army 5/11/06
Saft -People In Motion 18/01/07

Singles on ebay...

I've put some singles up on ebay including both Buzz singles, Paul Cass, Bubbles, Electric Banana, Saft and many others.
You can click on the title to go straight to my listing, or use the URL below...
http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZpurepop1uk

Good luck!

Here's an edit of The Rock Roller Coaster by BUZZ

Slick Willie –Side Walk Surfing –Skate Boarding

Slick Willie –Side Walk Surfing –Skate Boarding/Slick Willie –Pentagon PENT 4 (1977 UK)

Tying in nicely with Kingsley Abbott’s piece on Skateboarding in the new issue of Record Collector, here’s a cool UK cash-in on the Skateboard Craze that whipped kids into a frenzy of cracking their elbows and dislocating their knees in the mid 70s. Slick Willie is in fact Brian Engel and Martin Briley (God…. they seem to be popping up everywhere at the moment) and the A side is one of the better examples of this sub-genre. It has a mean guitar riff and the catchy track rocks out quite nicely indeed, a bit like Alan Carvell if he had bollocks... Not quite up to the standard set by the Shambles single, but a cool release all the same. Further adventures of Brian and Martin coming soon....

Click on title for a full version of Side Walk Surfing –Skate Boarding

Canyon -Top Of The World + More Sound Clips

While going through the darker regions of my hard drive, I came upon this track which is definitely worth hearing in its pure non-edited glory...

Canyon –Top Of The World/Boogie Down Broadway –London HLZ 10500 (1975 UK issue)

Bubblegum Kings Kasenetz-Katz put their clout behind the unique single by Canyon. The approach is similar to Ohio Ltd (Wham Bam), but it is now ’75 and we are moving closer to Ram Jam (Black Betty) territory with this fine hard rockin’ Glam Boogie work out.

Play It Loud and Play It Proud!


Thanks to Tony of Crazee Kids, I have added more sound clips to old posts:

Bubbles (Hurdie Gurdie etc...) 21/06/07
Clutch -10/07/07
Funky Family -11/01/08
Gisela Dressler-20/07/07
Good Time Joe -02/03/08
House Of Lilly -21/11/07
Melody -C'mon On Kids 16/03/08
Memories -Lay It On Me 1/04/08
NQB -13/07/07
Passengers -4/12/07
Remember This -5/09/07
Ritz-13/12/07
Geoff Britton & The Spitfires-29/03/08
Screemer -They're on Bell Flexi-17/06/07
Shake A Tail Suzy Flexi-15/06/07
Spiv -20/08/07

Clem East -What Are you Trying To Do To Me!

Clem East -What Are you Trying To Do To Me!/ Jupiter -MR PRS -2668 (197? Aus)

What Are You Trying To Do To Me! Is a corking Punk 'N' Roll track which kinda of reminds me of Get Out Of Denver twinned with Jim Carrol. It's full of attitude with squealing NYC-type vocals and a blistering Deniz Tek-like guitar break. The other side, Jupiter, is 6m 30 long! It's starts off quiet and subdued and turns into this near-Stoogean Blow-out. No idea whatsoever who Clem East is/was or who plays on the killer single. it's an Australian release, but apart from that, there's zilch in the way of info on the Web...

Add -on: Those kind folks at Vicious Sloth have provided an insert that came with the single...anyone want to ring the number provided? Ha...

Click on title for an edit of What Are you Trying To Do To Me! and Jupiter or try the player below...

Please note I am trying out this different hosting site -please let me know how it works for you -Thanks

Kentucky Freeway –Take Off

Kentucky Freeway –Take Off/Who Knows What I Need –Penny Farthing 06-014 (1972 Spanish issue)

This is the Stamford Bridge gang ( John Carter/ Peter Barnfather) ploughing their way through a nifty Glam/Boogie Groover that increases in intensity as it goes along. The song literally "takes off" around the 1m25 mark when an army of massed Kazoos!!!! overpowers proceedings. The track then really comes into its own and includes a welcome return of the Kazoo army. Real fun and catchy stuff!

Click on title for a soundlip of Take Off

Walkers –Fire/ All Right All Right

Walkers –Fire/ All Right All Right – Philips 6019108 (1973 DK)

Denmark's Walkers were nothing if not prolific. It seems they released around 22 singles, but this one must surely rate as the best 2-sider of the lot. Fire is a fun and slightly dorky romp sounding like Chicory Tip morphed with Alexander Graham Bell era Sweet with a bit of T. Rex in the vocal inflexion department. Pure Bubbleglam...All Right All Right on the other hand is a great rocker with a fabulous riff and compares well with the best rockin’ Raspberries’ material –it’s that good.

Thanks to Tony of Crazee Kids for pointing me towards this one.

Click on title for an edit of Fire and All Right All Right

Zips –You’re So Good To Me

Zips –You’re So Good To Me/ Gonna Leave The Door Wide Open –Yum Yum Records 17001 (1974 Ger)

This is Pip Whitcher and Roger Lomas (Sorrows/The Eggy/ Renegade) with Adrian Baker covering the Beach Boys’ track in a more distinctive manner than the versions by Johnnie Ricco or Design released around the same time. The Adrian Baker Beach Boys fxation and Teen angle is nicely counter-Balanced by the ballsy guitars and thudding beat. Zips also released a so-so version of Bye Bye Love on RAK with a solid rocker called Evil Hearted Woman on the B side…With the weather turning somewhat for the better expect some more Surf/Glam crossovers soon…

Click on title for a soundclip of You’re So Good To Me

Whistle –The Party Must Be Over

Whistle –The Party Must Be Over/Hideaway –YORK YR201 (1973 UK)

Whistle's single is probably the 2nd best Glam era Cruncher on the York label after Abacus' Indian Dancer. The Party Must Be Over also shares a similar unusual song structure with Indian Dancer: The intro is drawn out (no bad thing), there’s only one verse, but the chorus is an endearing hand-clapped-sing-along which is followed in turn by more riffage, a guitar solo and a repeat of the chorus as an outro. There's a second Whistle single on York -has anyone heard that one? Any info on the band?

Click on title for a soundclip of The Party Must Be Over

Merlin –Rock And Roll Express

Merlin –What A Funny Way To Fall In Love/ Rock And Roll Express –CBS 3021 (1975 UK)

Merlin were a bit of a Schizoid act, their album is an over-produced and patchy affair alternating between Hard Rock, Glam and overtly commercial Pop with a little Prog thrown in…The A side in fact appears under the title Look At Me on the album, but the B side is exclusive to this release. Rock And Roll Express is probably their best performance and it’s a suitably meaty and crunching number with some neat power chords, handclaps and snotty vocals. As a song, it doesn’t really go anywhere, but it hurtles down the track quite nicely.

Click on title for a soundclip of Rock And Roll Express

Snatch -For Always And Ever

Snatch -For Always And Ever/Hunting Kind -Polydor 2058619 (1975 UK)

For Always And Ever is a cover of the opening track of The Glitter Band's Rock 'N'Roll Dudes LP. The meaty guitar and top tunage turn this performance into a fine Powerpop/Glam crossover. Snatch's only claim to fame seems to be that the drummer was the brother of The Rubettes sticksman...and in fact John Richardson and Alan Williams produced this release and wrote the B side...It's still to be confirmed if there's a 2nd Snatch single on Polydor.

Click on title for a full version of For Always And Ever

Maria –Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet

Maria –Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet/Out Of My Mind –Epidemic RASH 612 (1973 SA)

In my quest to own every version of CYHASYF known to man, I now present you with the South African version! It’s a sprightly remake of the Bonnie St. Claire/ Pete Koelewijn classic, with fine backing vocals chanted by what sounds like the remnants of a pacified Zulu nation embracing Glam…Perhaps the strangest aspect of this release is the name/ look of the label as it could be pass for some 80s Indie label and not the output of the Apartheid regime in ‘73. One day I hope to have 12 different versions of this song (any from Asia?…there must be!) which would be the excuse to release an album called " I Want To Teach The World To Clap Their Hands And Stamp Their Feet"

Click on title for a soundclip of CYHASYF

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