Singles Up on Ebay

Hi

Over the next few weeks I am putting up some spare singles on ebay including some real heavies such as Paul St. John, Bubbles, Spunky Spider and tons more...Also this fabulous German Groovies Slow Death Pic sleeve is already up

Keep checking back and click on the link

http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZpurepop1uk

This will help to finance another trip to Utrecht and allow me to buy more singles now that the pound has parity with the Euro, so don't hold back!

Zakatek –I Gotcha Now

of

Zakatek –I Gotcha Now/So Good To You –Bell 1289 (1973 UK)

Zakatek is in fact Lenny Zakatek who later became lead singer with Gonzalez. Here he is as discovered by Linsey De Paul and Dudley Moore!!!! Linsey wrote and produced I Gotcha Now and it features her usual stomping piano motif along with some nice heavy Fuzz, Lenny’s vocals then enter the fray in sand paper mode, before the baroque cellos hit the scene and the track turns into some form of Eurovision version of I Am The Walrus. By the end it sounds like they have a prominent Harmonium part playing bass notes with some surprising oscillating effects on top. Psychedelic Groovy fuzzed-out Glam heaven?..Nearly!

Click on title for a full version of I Gotcha Now

Sylvester’s Juke Box –Juke Box/Guess It’s Because

Sylvester’s Juke Box –Juke Box/Guess It’s Because –CBS 8419 (1973 UK)

Continuing our unofficial series of “records that sound just like The Kinks”, I present to you as evidence the B side of this single. Apart from the Scandinavian slant of the vocals, the illusion of late 60s Kinks is perfect and a great companion piece to Bone’s Everybody’s Gone Into April (December 16th 2008 posting).
Sylvester’s Juke Box is in fact an off-shoot project by the mighty Kim Larsen from the mighty Danish Rock kings GASOLIN! If anything, be sure to check out Rabalderstraede (AKA What A lemon), for a pillaging -no- mercy-shown-Viking take on Hanky Panky!!!. Juke Box is a strange choice for an A side as it’s a melodic semi-instrumental with a nice 12 string acoustic theme. The drums and backing vocals kick in just at the right time and it ends up being pretty hooky affair in its own right.

Click on title for an edit of Guess it’s Because and Juke Box

The Sad –It Ain’t Easy

The Sad –It Ain’t Easy/Box –Phoenix Nix 124 (1972 UK)

Words fail me when it comes this little baby. Hearing is believing; so make sure you check out the lyrics and play it all the way through. It Ain’t Easy got some airplay at the time, but remains a complete mystery to this day. I was wondering if there could have been an Italian connection as it came out on Odeon in Italy and one of the writers must have been Italian (G. Uccillino), however it is a Phoenix production so it looks like a UK job. Enjoy!

Thanks to Bob at http://www.7tt77.co.uk/ for turning me on to this release in the first place and to Jon for finally securing me a copy.

Thanks to Drummer Stuart for this great 1972 pic of the band
The Sad are, (from left to right): Giorgio Uccellini ( lead vocals, sax, keyboards & flute) Terry Brown (bass guitar) Stuart Wilson ( drums, vocals & percussion) Marco Uccellini (lead guitar & vocals)

Click on title for a full version of It Ain’t Easy

Dynasty –Tutankhamun

Dynasty –Tutankhamun/Let’s Boogie –Phoenix NIX 134 (1972 UK)

Phoenix was a strange label; home to Spunky Spider, the label also released singles by beat artists beyond their sell by dates (The Fourmost in 1972, Helen Shapiro…), mainstream folk (Weavers Green) and oddball one-offs, such as this one.
Part novelty cash-in to the 1972 London Tutankhamun Exhibition, part Groover –psych, part Boris Pickett/ Mighty ‘Em with a dash of Rockabilly slap-back delayed vocals – (is that Carl Simmons?); Tutankhamun has quite a long running time and could easily send you into a trance (with or without psychotropics).The single was released in a picture sleeve, but in any case was cursed to failure…

If you thought this Phoenix single was weird, wait until our next instalment of the Phoenix saga where we really put the Q into quirky….

Click on title for a full version of Tutankhamun

Mucky Duck –Psycho’s On The Run

Mucky Duck –Jefferson/ Psycho’s On The Run – Deram DM 314 (1970 UK)

Stashed on the B side of a weak Gallagher & Lyle tune, you can find this nifty little rocker. Although it doesn’t quite live up to its title, it sports a cool guitar hook and rocks along at good speed with fun lyrics. Sometimes it’s hard to categorise some of these singles. This track is neither totally Boogie, Glam, Bubblegum or Freakbeat, but it carries elements of all those genres. I guess “early 70s rock with an edge” will have to suffice. Great band name anyhow…I wonder if they were related to Spunky Spider?

Click on title for a full version of Psycho’s On The Run

Dazzle –Jim’ll Fix It

Dazzle –Jim’ll Fix It/Leave It Up To Jim –DJM DJS.384 (1975 UK)

God, I don’t remember the theme tune to Sir Jimmy Saville’s show rocking quite this hard, but perhaps some of you could confirm if this was the original theme as heard at tea time on Saturdays? This is a pretty raucous and punked out affair anyhow with some storming guitar. At some point this version got replaced by a more anodyne version, which featured a nice line in sub-Pet Sounds Wouldn’t It Be Nice-style vocalisations.

Click on title for a full version of Jim’ll Fix It

Dancer –Hate Generator

Dancer –Hate Generator/Love Seeds –Dawn DNS.1118 (1975 UK)

Come within for a dose of absurd Junkshop Bowie-ness . Hate Generator is pure ersatz Bowie much in the same vein as The Tigers On Vaseline. The vocals are just as weird and a real hoot, but the chorus is great and the analogue keyboards are pretty groovy too. The production and arrangement give the track an extra over-blown feel and the result is a totally bonkers tour-de-force...I couldn’t find any information on Paul Davies Holt who wrote and probably sang both sides or if he recorded anything else.

Click on title for a full version of Hate Generator

Peter Nelson –Good Scotch Whisky

Peter Nelson –Good Scotch Whisky/I Am A Ship –Peacock PEA 502 (1972 UK)

Time to dull your conscience with some Good Scotch Whisky... This is one of two solo singles released on Peacock by this ex Flower Pot Men and White Plains member. Good Scotch Whisky is a moody tale and a real atmospheric number helped no end by the murky production, cavernous toms and underlying fuzz guitar. There is a Peter Nelson who is currently Chairman of the distilling industry training committee, but sadly it’s not the same guy as our Peter Nelson passed away 3 years ago.

Click on title for a full version of Good Scotch Whisky

Oh and a happy New Year to all...Much more coming soon including: Cut Loose -The Stud Leather story, more on the Nederglam comp "Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet" plus tons more reviews and sound clips.

The Garnets –Go Leila

The Garnets –Go Leila/ Go Leila (Choir Version)-Prom 6.11895 (1976 Belgium)

Go Leila is another fine piece of Mutant Euro Pop by these Flemish masters. It’s once again written (but not produced this time) by J. Vincent Edwards. It’s a fine follow up to Indian Uprising and Daddy’s Coming Home, but with added drama and a certain Michel Strogoff feel. This is especially true of its B side that sounds like it’s sung by the full Red Army Choir to quite an amazing effect. God knows what they were thinking of…The single was produced by Sylvain Vanholmen who also produced that great Paul Cass single Mini Marianne. It looks like The Garnets actually recut Go Leila in the mid 80s, but I can’t confirm if it is a Balalaika version or not…

Click on title for full versions of Go Leila AND Go Leila (Choir version) Over 6 minutes playing time!

Loco –At The Local Dance

Loco-At The Local Dance/The Man –BUK 0612457-0 (1975 German Issue)

With the word Local in the title you could forgiven to expect some form of Wurzel-like hay-making clog dancer, but I am pleased to report that At The Local Dance is an uptempo Glam Rocker with a nice chord change and probably the LOUDEST HEYs ever cut to disc. The tracks were written and produced by Steve Fearn who…er...wrote the B side of Wurzel Rap!!!! So there is a country bumpkin link!!!. Loco were probably from Leicester and the single came out on BASF in the UK.

Click on title for a full version of At The Local Dance

Flanelcat –Yer Big Girl’s Blouse

Flanelcat –Yer Big Girl’s Blouse/Rub-A-Tommy –UK Records –UK33 (1973 UK)

Obscure and wonderfully bizarre concoction released on Jonathan King’s UK imprint, but surprisingly, JK had no involvement in its creation as he simply bought it in via a licensing deal. It certainly fits in with some of the weirder JK B sides as it sounds like a real homage with its barrelhouse –where’s-my-wallet-beat nailed down by ample stomping and banging; recalling a Boot Boy Handful of Cheek with added rallying Oi chants.

Click on title for a full version of Yer Big Girl’s Blouse

The Bone –Everybody’s Gone Into April

The Bone –It's An Easy Thing/ Everybody’s Gone Into April -PoisonRing Records PPR 712 (1970 US)

And here’s another great Greg Shaw discovery from 35+ years ago! It’s a driving Powerhouse Pop track sounding very much like some unreleased late 60s Kinks track. It’s a great tune in its own right, but they just had to have been huge Kinks fans as it resonates pure Kinkdom and the vocals are effectively channeling Ray Davies. The A side is not quite as marvelous, still close to the Kinks; it adds a Vaudevillian feel to the proceedings. The Bone were from Massachusetts and this single was released on Connecticut’s Poison Ring Records. It appears that some members then moved on to form The Tweeds.

Click on title for a full version of Everybody’s Gone Into April

The Reactions –Summertime Rock ‘N’ Roll

The Reactions –Summertime Rock ‘N’ Roll/Liberty –Vogue 45.x.12127 (1975 France)
Just as we are freezing our toes off, please accept into your life some Summertime Sub Bolan Bubblegum Boogie …Summertime Rock ‘N’ Roll is basically a severe case of “I got a chorus and I ain’t afraid to use it”. It’s so repetitive, it makes Frost’s Rock ’N’ Roll Music sound like Bohemian Rhapsody! It’s a damn catchy tune featuring a rather curious yet fetching chord progression. Half way through its short run time, the beat also doubles up to great effect. The Reactions were a French affair (Lalanne, Foscolo and Meyer as writers), but it was recorded at Trident Studios in London and mixed at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia. The B side is basically an abridged and dressed down Tubular Bells coming in at under 3 minutes. A definite improvement in my book!

Click on title for a full version of Summertime Rock ‘N’ Roll

Tigers on Vaseline –The John Scene

Tigers on Vaseline –The John Scene/ What My Hairdo –Philips 6012353 (1973 NL)

The John Scene is the 2nd second single the Tigers released on Philips and it’s fine slice of open minded Glam, not of the crunching variety, but really special all the same. If you look beyond the obvious Bowie references, you may be reminded of Willie Nile or even Rodriguez (Sugar Man) albeit with a strong and strange Euro slant. The production by Boudewijn de Groot (who also plays guitar) is bright, full and inspirational helping to make this diamond really shine. The B side What My Hairdo is plainly bizarre and is worth either one line or a whole thesis. Tigers on Vaseline then shortened their name to Tiger and released one further single on Philips - Hot Amsterdam before splitting.

The John Scene is NOT included on the forthcoming NederGlam comp “Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet”, watch this space for official news soon.

Click on title for a full version of The John Scene

Unreleased Acetate: All Night Long (with John Christian Ex Shady Lady)

All Night Long/ Down On 42nd Street -EMIDISC Acetate (circa 1974)
Here are full versions of two wild slabs of Proto Punk Glam just oozing ATTITUDE. All Night Long was initially recorded by LA Glamsters Shady Lady and the original recording of All Night Long can be heard here: myspace.com/shadyladyrocks along with other tracks from their album that was unreleased at the time.
The track was written by singer Stefen Shady with guitarist John Christian. John left the band in 1973 and went to London where these two tracks were recorded in 73/74. The sassy vocals are handled by John’s wife Valerie. Both tracks are equally as good and are great examples of NY Dolls sleaze (with a bit of Quatro thrown in) and would have fitted in well with the burgeoning NY Punk scene, but definitely 3 years too early for the UK…I don’t know the name of the band, if anyone knows, please let me know.

All Night Long



Down On 42nd Street

Return from Utrecht…

I had another amazing time at the best record fair in the world. 3 days of walking around, searching , finding, exchanging, meeting, eating chips "met" etc…and generally hanging around with that far away 100 yard stare. Picked up quite a big haul including the following:

Tiger B. Smith –Morning Bird -Ger Pic Sleeve (the original version of The Damned track on Velvet Tinmine) See the photo above and click on title for a full version of Morning Bird
Chicory Tip –Cigarettes, Woman and Wine –French Pic Sleeve
Hans van Hemert –Old Dom Is Dead/ I Regret –Dutch Pic Sleeve
Hush –The Single LP –Belgian LP (Lennart & Dagleth)
Smyle –Crazy Lazy Little Miss Daisy –Dutch Pic Sleeve
Slack Alice –Motorycle Dream –French Pic Sleeve
Harley Quinne –Rock N Roll Is Back Again Ger Pic Sleeve
Beano –Candy Baby –Ger Pic Sleeve
Crazy Elephant –Gimme Some More –Ger Pic Sleeve
Crazy Elephant –There Ain’t No Umbopo –Ger Pic Sleeve (totally wonderful Spectorian homage by Gouldman, Godley & Crème via Kasenetz Katz and Ritchie Cordell)
Splash –Orangutang Boomerang Swe Pic Sleeve
Children of The Night –Dinner with Drac (Great US Pic Sleeve)
Marquis Of Kensington –Flash –Ger Pic Sleeve
J.C. Livingstone –Oh Oh Oh Angelina –Ger Pic Sleeve. Forget the A side, but the B side is basically Discotheque King by Muff, with pounding drums similar to Momma Was A Steamroller Lady. Question: Can we presume that J.C. Livingstone is in fact Rod McQueen?
Boys –Baby It’s You (US Pic Sleeve)
Jimmy Jukebox –Motorboat (US)
Q65 –Your’e the Victor
Kemo Sabay –Running Bear –Ger Pic Sleeve
Weltons -Hang 10 Hang 10
Sharaton –Walking Down The Road
Hollywood Stars –All The Kids On The Street (Ger Pic Sleeve)
Dominik –Rocket –French Pic Sleeve
Bob And Honey Bee –Queenie Rock On
Giorgio –Moody Trudy/ Stop –Ger Pic Sleeve
Spode –Singalong Song -Ger Pic Sleeve(The B side Cincinatti Woman is like a Joe Meek production from 1971)
Fresh Air- Bye Bye Jane
Skin –Trucking Song –Ger Pic Sleeve –check out the sound clip here: http://proudfootsound.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/skin-trucking-song-substitute-seven-sun-197/

First Class –Gimme Little Sign –Dutch Pic Sleeve (John Carter)
Hold Up –Telephone -Bel Pic Sleeve)
Biggles –Gimme Gimme Some Lovin’ –French Pic Sleeve (Mike Berry - Ning, UK Jones etc…)
New Adventures –Late Late Show –Dutch Pic Sleeve
John Kincade –Jenny Gotta Dance –Ger Pic Sleeve
Loco –At The Local Dance –Gr Pic Sleeve
Mabel –Hey I Love You -DK Pic Sleeve
Octopus –Hey Na-Na -Bel Pic Sleeve
The Killer –Killer’s Boogie –Dutch Pic Sleeve
Hollywood Brats –Rough Mixes (bootleg)
Think Tank –Hold My Hand (Dutch Pic Sleeve)
Jeff Phillips –Yesterday’s Hero –Ger Pic Sleeve
Jeff Phillips &Tigerwing –Superman – Ger Pic Sleeve (Vanda & Young)
D’jurann Jurran –Streakin’ –Ger Pic Sleeve
Doc & Prohibition –Superman –Ger Pic Sleeve
Snakes –Teenage Head –Dutch Pic Sleeve (Nick Garvey &Co)
Shoreline –I Like Rock N Roll –Dutch Pic Sleeve
Shades –Monday’s Child
Long Tall Ernie And The Shakers –Motoride –Dutch Pic Sleeve
Sir Henry & His Butlers –Camp (the B side Pretty Style is VERY weird downer psych)

Plus quite a few spares and upgrades…
Chaos –Guitar Man- Ger Pic sleeve
Blunderbuss –Boogie Woogie Woman –Ger Pic Sleeve (Tony Atkins +Gerry Morris of Galahad , Toggle etc…)
Gary Glitter (Paul Raven) –Goodbye Seattle -Ger Pic Sleeve
Abacus –Indian D ancer –Ger Pic Sleeve
Ted Mulry Gang –Jump In M Car –Ger Pic Sleeve
Plastic Feet –Big Blond Baby –Dutch Pic Sleeve
Reparata- Your Life Is Gone (Dart)
Ning –Machine -Ger Pic Sleeve
Marrakesh – Prodigal Son
Stanley Frank –S’cool Days -Ger Pic Sleeve
Rockets –Rock N Roll Drummer –Ger Pic Sleeve
Left Side –Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet –French Pic Sleeve
UK Jones –Let Me Tell Ya
Soho Jets – High Heel Tarzan
Flamin’ Groovies –Slow Death –Ger Pic Sleeve
And more Teens singles!

In a few hours I'll be...

HERE!!!!

I will report back as per usual...

Mississippi –Mr Union Railway Man

Mississippi –Mr Union Railway Man/ Main Street –HMV DNZ 10716 (1970 NZ issue)

How on earth could this single, originally released in the UK on the tiny independent Fox label, get licensed and released down under in New Zealand on HMV? Very strange indeed…
Mr Union Railway Man is an out and out scorcher. Tight as can be; the track burst out at the seams and maximizes the minimum in glorious fashion. The cutting lead break is positively blistering and the echo on the vocals add a Freakbeat/Psych element into the mix. The B side Main Street also has some pretty nifty guitar and is another winner in its own right. This track was comped a while ago, but I have no information on who was in the band etc…
Click on title for an edit of Mr Union Railway Man and Main Street

F.B.I –I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight

F.B.I –I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight/The Boogaloo Boo-Boo –A&M AMS 705 (1973 UK)

I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight is a logical but bubbly cover of the Boyce & Hart hit (also on A&M), where a semi-Glitter beat and Leslie guitars subtly update the tune for 1973. This single is the work of producers Phil Swern and Johnny Arthey (The Pearls, Blue Haze, The Seashells etc…). and the promo blurb anticipated that the release would” find a warm reception with contemporary M.O.R programmers”. There’s nothing quite like aiming for the run of the mill whilst managing label heads’ expectations and achieving zilch…The B side is a fun piece of Bubbleglam fluff and is also worth a spin or two...

Click on title for an edit of I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight and The Boogaloo Boo-Boo

Savwinkle And Turnerhopper –Your Mother Thinks I’m A Hoodlum

Savwinkle And Turnerhopper –Your Mother Thinks I’m A Hoodlum/Dirtyin’ My Thing- Pye 7N 17913 (1970 UK)

With a title that grabs the attention, Your Mother Thinks I’m A Hoodlum is a bizarre concoction on the border of Freakbeat albeit with a Dave Arbus soundalike on fiddle instead of having Eddie Philips style guitar moves. The underlying guitar goes for that Hey Gyp motif with bongos reinforcing the beat and the track does build nicely. Not sure about these guys commitment to The Revolution, but the lyrics are quite a hoot what with references to never hitting old ladies and paying taxes although wearing their hair long. It’s co-produced by Ray Hammond who managed The Fire for a while, but who were Savwinkle and Turnerhopper? Both tracks are credited to Turner & Savage…

This just in from Ray Hammond:

"Savwinkle and Turnerhopper were a duo I manufactured for a 'one-off' record deal with Pye.
The singer/songwriters were John Turner and Derek Savage, former leader of a sixties group from Battersea called 'The Saturday Band.'
When their playing days were over the pair started The Saturday Agency in Thayer Street, London W1 representing a number of artistes and bands.
I shared office space with the pair in 1969-70 and, as they were still keen to write and perform, I thought I'd give them an opportunity. Sadly, their efforts didn't win the public over."


Click on Title for a full version of Your Mother Thinks I’m A Hoodlum

Sharaton –Caught In The Act

Sharaton –Caught In The Act/Spotlight –VIP VP 7483 (1974 NL)

Losing myself in total low land obscurity here… There is zilch in the way of information on Sharaton, the only clues are that both songs are written by Sharaton –E. Weiss and that Sharaton’s bass player was Andre Versluijs who was later in Diesel alongside Mark Boon of Smyle as well as playing in Carlsberg.

Anyhow, Caught In The Act is an up-tempo Punk/Glam crossover, but ends up being a confused beast. It’s been compared to The Angelic Upstarts meets Racey and I couldn’t have put it more eloquently myself…

Click on title for a full version of Caught In The Act

Grasshopper – My Honey

Grasshopper –My Honey –I.M.C Records 0010 (197? US)

Staying within the Boogie end of the spectrum, here is a prime slice of rocked out high Energy Boogie. Apart from having obvious Hispanic credits, I can’t find any clue about these guys. My Honey is a real blast somewhat like Canyon merged with Streak on a tight budget and the B side rocks out in similar fashion. Picked up at Bleeker Bob’s in NYC.

Click on title for a full version of My Honey

Slowload –Big Boobs Boogie

Slowload –On The Road Again/Big Boobs Boogie –MAM 27 (1971 UK)
Big Boobs Boogie is a Fat-Assed Proto-Punk Metal Glam/Boogie Romper. It’s a pretty sloppy affair and appears more like an after-thought, appearing on the B side of the more polished cover of On The Road Again. It has, however, some absolutely Killer guitar moves, surprising tempo shifts and some real over the top vocalisations…It’s like Blue Cheer fed on girlie mags auditioning for Paul Raymond’s Revue Bar after The Stooges missed out on the slot.
It’s produced by Vic Maile who shares a writing credit on this opus. All I could find for background info is that a guy called Carl was in the band and is now Rick Parfitt in a Status Quo tribute band called Statin Quo. No news from him as yet…

Click on title for a “full on” version of Big Boobs Boogie

Update: The other Slowload single is Glo Macari's Lookin' For Love (Columbia DB 8821 1971 UK) which is part early Glam (guitar and handclaps), part Gospell God is Love (the chorus), still pretty good though. The rumours were that it was Jessie Hector and gang who had backed Glo (Lou Macari's daughter) on his single.

Slowload were Neville Crozier (Bass, vocals) , Vic Martin (Drums) and Carl (Guitar)

Check out Neville's website addresses -check out the comments of this post.

Here are a couple of photos of Slowload: Note that is Vic Maile on the roof of the van...

Lennart Messagie & Dagleth –And I Love Her

Lennart Messagie & Dagleth –And I Love Her/Wake Up –Sugar Plum 84-17.002Y (1973 Bel)

Belgian Glam Pop combo with more than a sense of the ridiculous; catch these lyrics:

She’s missing an eye, she’s got a wooden leg
she’s only got four fingers and one big foot
she laughs like a beast and she talks like a dog…
And I love her, yes I love her, I love her like nobody else can do…
You’ve got to wonder about these guys’ sexual preferences, especially as one of their other singles is titled Sleeping With My Dog! Whatever the lyrical content, And I Love Her is a superb piece of melodic BubbleGlam, so catchy you can almost suspend belief as they sing: She’s not so bad, just got to close my eyes…
L M &D later evolved into Glam Popsters Hush (not the Australian ones as those guys most likely slept with dingoes…)

Click on title for a full version of And I Love Her

Rockin' Horse -Julian The Hooligan

Rockin' Horse -Julian The Hooligan/Stayed Out Late Last Night -Philips 6006200 (1971 UK)

Rockin’ Horse were formed by Merseybeat stalwarts Jimmy Campbell (Ex Kirkbys & The 23rd Turn Off) and Billy Kinsley (Ex Merseybeats/Merseys and future Liverpool Express). Their lone album (recently reissued by Revola) revived the melody driven aesthetics of years previous with the LP standing proud next to Badfinger’s output or the Liverpool Echo LP as it is free of the Prog awfulness that permeated so many LPs at the time.
It’s a truly great album and a precursor to the birth of 70s Powerpop as Greg Shaw acknowledged when he re-released Biggest Gossip In Town as the first single on his Voxx label. Julian The Hooligan is one of my favourite tracks on the album and sounds even better as a stand alone single. It certainly beats Oasis hands down in the raspy Lennon vocal department. Top Class!

Note: The top photo is the rather fetching German picture sleeve featuring a Plasticine "Hooligan" which somehow resembles a plastered 1930’s Noddy Holder...

Click on title for a full version of Julian The Hooligan

Thundermug –Clap Your Hands & Stamp Your Feet

Thundermug –Clap Your Hands & Stamp Your Feet/Duckworth Stomp –Axe 33 (1976 Canada)

I’m losing track of the number of versions of CYHASYF that I have amassed up to now. Bonnie St. Claire’s classic certainly knew no borders and although the success of the song was limited in most countries, its appeal was certainly global.

To prove the point here is Canada’s entry by Thundermug no less. The mighty ‘Mug were pretty huge at the time with their heavy goodtime boogie; with Africa and Orbit being their biggest sellers. You should also check out their cover of You Really Got Me that nearly gives The Hammersmith Gorillas a good run for their money. Thundermug toured with Sweet and Slade and the Boot Stomping Glam influence certainly made its mark along with a melodicism which bought them, at times, close to 70s Powerpop.

The non-album Clap Your Hands & Stamp Your Feet neatly bring all these influences together. Whilst not as frenetic as The Wild Angels’ version, Thundermug heavy it up with a plodding bass, which is counter-balanced by the Maui-like backing vocals, which are similar in effect to the chants on South Africa’s entry by Maria. The B side Duckworth Stomp is from the Tadaa album and is a fine up-tempo rocker in its own right, a bit like a lost Canyon single.

Click on title for a soundclip of CYHASYF

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