Eastwood –Little Miss Lucy

Eastwood –Little Miss Lucy/ Living to Learn –SRT 73332 (1974 UK)

Following a couple of singles on CBS, Eastwood went missing in the wilderness for a few years before releasing this Crunchin’ Glam winner. As their freaky underground sounds on CBS didn’t bring them much in the way of fandom, the boys took their chances and went all Glam on this superb A side; hoping to win over some of what Gary Glitter was getting. Although an obvious cash-in for this hairy mob, the A side rings true and loud, Little Miss Lucy being an utterly convincing performance.

The guys had learned their chops, but were open minded enough to include some Chicory Tip moog licks as well adding a bit of amphetamine to their habitual drug intake. The performance is gritty, frenetic and is not a millions miles away from Hector in terms of effect. Sadly this seems to have been it for Eastwood and they eventually crawled back under their damp rock, not to be heard from again. The B side is not half bad, channelling Bobby Womack’s Across 110th Street into a grungy and Freaky Space Rock setting. Nice greasy solo on that one.

Hear a full version of Little Miss Lucy

Hear a full version of Living to Learn

25 singles for sale on ebay

Thanks to a bunch of bigots, the pound has crashed, so here's a chance for the rest of you to profit from the plummeting exchange rate

Anyhow I have listed 25 rare and wonderful 45s from the Proto Punk of Alan Lee Shaw's She Moans, through Mandrake Paddle Steamer to Boys and Girls Together's Knock Knock along with the usual mix of Junkshop Glam and Bonehead, there's plenty to peruse, listen to and maybe bid on

Have fun

You can find them here
Purepop1uk singles for sale


Here’s the full list of the 25 singles

Arizona Swamp Company -Tennessee Woman Train Keeps Rollin’ FREAKBEAT Demo
Playful Pups Palpatations -Killer US Bubblegum Groover 1969
Boys and Girls Together -KNOCK KNOCK- Snarly US Bubblegum PUNK 1969
UGE-Mad Charles -Weird US Psych obscurity -1974
Eric Elder –SUNFLOWER/San Tokay -MOD Psych Dancer- 10CC- RARE UK orginal
Tonics -Daddy -Heavy KRAUT Psych Killer Hard Rock–1969
Jeff Smith –Going to a Party/ Gypsy in My Blood RARE RAK 10CC Demo –1971
Mandrake Paddle Steamer -Strange Walking Man -PSYCH UK Original –Demo
Together -Memories of Melinda UK Popsike -Circus Days -German Pic Sleeve
The Two Dollar Question - Aunt Matilda's...US Bubblegum Dancer 1969
Dunno -Sunday Girl/ Magic Beat Electric Asylum 1971 –Demo
Q65 –Love is Such a Good Thing -Dutch HEAVY Psych/Hard Rock Freak –1970
Nevada Sound -Gimme Good Lovin'- POUNDING Irish Mod Dancer 1969
Corporation -Wild Time- Dutch HEAVY Freak BONEHEAD CRUNCHER 1970
Frenzy -Poser -1976 -Proto Punk Glam Cruncher Demo 1976 - Hear!
Billy Beethoven -Dreams (Graham Bonnet) screeching Junkshop Pop Demo -1975
Scarface -Dance To The Band-Obscure UK Glam Cruncher 1975
Alan Lee Shaw –She Moans - RARE UK Proto PUNK Bonehead 1974
Gumbo -We Don't Care/ The Devils -Killer UK Proto Punk 1974
Eyes -Wild Wild Woman- UK Proto Punk Hard Rock Rarity Promo Vertigo -1976
Jets -Yeah! - Pounding Junkshop Glam -German Pic sleeve 1973
Hammersmith Gorillas –You Really Got Me - Proto Punk-German pic sleeve
Dean Klevatt Story of His Life - Glam era Powerpop -Demo-1974 
Wellington –Swoop Down on You -UK Junkshop Glam STOMPER 1975
Equals - Diversion - Crunchin' Glam Stomper-German Pic Sleeve-1973

Stud Leather -Cut Loose official reissue

Stud Leather -Cut Loose/Samantha Dear -Last Year's Youth LAST 24 (Germany 2016)

I usually make a point of not reviewing reissues/new issues or compilation LPs, however in this case the project is really close to my heart

My unbound obsession with Cut Loose goes back a long time now ever since I heard it on one of Tim Orchard's CDRs nearly 10 years ago

I was well chuffed to have met the inspiration that is Roger Cook, and featured the story back in 2009 http://purepop1uk.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/cut-loose-stud-leather-story.html  I also re-wrote the piece for an old issue of Bucketful of Brains

Anyhow I was happy to introduce the label guy to Roger so that this fine re-release became reality

It's wonderfully produced, with a fold out glossy page featuring the original article plus scans of covers and labels of the original releases
The artwork by Tony Crazeekid is simply ace!

It's a limited edition, with a few special copies that also features a photo of the band
There is one big difference with the original issue in that the unreleased drunken haze that is Samantha Dear features as a B side

Enjoy, you should be able to get copies here as well as in other places
https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/355789493


...and in case you haven't heard Cut Loose

GO CRAZY! with a lofi clip recorded with a microphone, so go get the real thing!

Dean Klevatt –The Story of His Life/Don’t Bury Molly

Dean Klevatt –The Story of His Life/Don’t Bury Molly –Decca F13495 (1974 UK)

If it wasn’t for that Titan of a man Mark Prellberg, I would never come across this perfect specimen of Glam era pop. 
Dean later became Kim Fowley protégé Bobby Sky and nearly had the wonderful Beach Boys/Powerpop concoction The Water released on Titan at the time (it does however feature on Numero’s Titan comp It’s All Pop with 2 others (more US info here http://www.numerogroup.com/artists/bobby-sky).

Both songs are wonderfully evocative of the time. Supremely melodic performances that still sound really fresh, it is literally a preserved time capsule that sends you back to early 70s Bowie or Elton John with a sparkling pop effervescence that is timeless. At times you may think if a teen version of Pilot, but it’s much more imaginative and lively than any of those comparisons. There are however closer similarities with Brett Smiley but without the Clout of Andrew Loog Oldham or a Russell Harty TV appearance.

Anyhow back to the UK and 1974 with the 3 day-week and industrial strife. Dean had a dream you see, the lure of Anglophile Pop and the chance to write the story of his life among his heroes. Dean was 16 at the time…

DK:  “I grew up listening and being influenced as a musician by so many UK artists such as The Beatles and David Bowie that as soon as I could I wanted to go and experience for myself where that all that incredible music came from…! This certainly wasn’t Kansas anymore
DK: “I came to London from Kansas with very little money and only a 2 month visitor’s visa. I recorded a piano and voice demo at a little studio somewhere in London and took it round to all the publishers I could get an appointment with. I was politely turned down by everyone, and literally the last appointment I had was with Ivor Raymonde who had his offices on Denmark Street. He really liked my tape and asked me to return the next day. I was totally broke so he gave me £5 to insure I could make it!"

Can you give some background on the single -who played on the session?

DK: “Ivor arranged the session at Decca Studios in West Hampstead--a very famous place in pop music history--as he had gotten me a singles deal with Decca Records. It was in Studio 2 which had a Neve console, I thought it sounded amazing in there. We cut 5 songs, not knowing which would turn out to be the single. I can remember the session very clearly. The guys sat around that morning waiting for Ivor to turn up with their sheet music, kind of bored and matter of fact, like another day at the office. It features Clem Cattini on drums, but I didn't realise how much of a well-known a session player he was. Once they got playing however my songs sounded amazing from the first take. Ivor had insisted that the piano was played by a session guy which devastated me at the time as I felt my piano playing was integral to the feel of my songs. But Ivor wasn't about to take a chance on an untested 16 year old being able to play a session with these top guys whose ability he could count on. Nevertheless I was really upset about that..."

The single reached demo stage and regular copies were also pressed up, but probably only with sample stickers. It is unclear if any singles actually reached the shops. The Demo has Don't Bury Molly as the A side, whereas the regular issue appears to have switched sides

DK: "It got a few plays on Radio 1 in their new releases slot on a Friday evening and also some local radio play but not much after that. There was a 3 day working week in Britain at that time which meant that there was no vinyl in the shops so it was unavailable anyway!"

What was your return to the US like? How did you hook up with Kim Fowley?

DK: “I went back to the States as my visa had run out and Ivor was so busy with his other projects that even though he was quite happy to record another single for Decca, I just couldn't hang around waiting for that to happen. So I told him I thought it was best I return home and we parted as friends. By the way I'm so grateful to him for his enthusiasm to produce me and the chance to make a record in England! I moved to LA where I had family I could stay with and met Kim through a contact who gave me his pager number. He phoned me back and we had one of the most amazing conversations I've ever had in my life. It must have lasted 2 hours or more and I got the full Kim Fowley manifesto. We met up in a studio he booked in Hollywood where I played him my new songs which he really liked. He gave me a handful of title and lyric ideas which I thought were genius and told me to go away and write tunes to them. I did and he was overjoyed with the results. This led to an introduction to a publisher he knew at Chappell Music on Sunset Boulevard who signed me immediately. Bobby Sky was Kim's idea. He was always renaming his charges. One day he turned to me and said "From now on you're Bobby Sky."

Many thanks to Dean and Mark Prellberg

Hear a full version of The Story of His Life

Hear a full version of Don't Bury Molly

Brethren –New Day

Brethren –New Day/ Heather –Ruda Bega Records 0001 (1972 US)

New Day is an excellent early 70s drawn out yet punchy Psych track which relies heavily on the guitarist’s nifty hooks. In fact the lead guitarist seems to have just learned Layla and attempts to play it throughout the track. The track gets heavier as it progresses and it’s a highly enjoyable ride
The melody of the B side Heather is VERY reminiscent of Free Bird (released in 73), but with a slight Doug Yule 3rd Velvet feel. As Lynyrd Skynyrd toured extensively down south prior to signing to MCA, it’s possible that Brethren were somewhat inspired by a live rendition, unless… Lynyrd Skynyrd stole the ideas from Brethren…in which case a law suit should ensue, if it’s not too late for Spirit, why not Brethren?
Although the exact origin of Brethren is unclear, there were certainly from the South as PRP pressings tended to be from The Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee or Arkansas. As per usual more info always gratefully received...

Hear a full version of New Day

 
Hear a full version of Heather

Smash Well You Know

Smash –Well You Know/ Love Millionaire –Philips 6029 039 (1970 Spain)

This is not what you expect from a bunch of hairy Proggy looking Spaniards. This is snarly Freakbeat at its raucous R&B best. Strange for 1970, looking at  the guys I kinda expected hearing flute...The singer has got that snotty Punker attitude down perfectly, add in some spooky sounding lead and a neat line hypnotic congas and the result is a rousing tour-de-force.. Unexpected and great all round

Hear a full version of Well You Know

Purepop is 10 years old...

Well that went by quickly...10 years of Purepop already.

Not sure if Purepop will ever reach puberty, but he is currently feeling a bit lazy, let's see if he can't get a bit more productive in the coming months
Thanks for sticking around

Here's a little something to celebrate. It's because of these guys I picked up a guitar in the first place...

Utrecht record Fair April 2016 -Day 2

A great day today...Where to start?

Some ace scores at incredibly favourable prices. A box was lurking behind a “Punk” dealer’s wares which seemed to have been untouched. Best deal was probably the rousing Better Days single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUI2HMy91YM
 The Spider was an out of the box find and a Kim Fowley single I didn’t know, sounds very weird but fun... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5z1BKEseXg and the B side https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOUAlVQhQGE

The weirdest provenance story for sure. These 4 DJM Demos came all the way from Bolivia!. Thanks to Patrick who has all manner of South American connections, a couple of Bolivian dealers had brought these demos with them to Holland. They had been languishing somewhere untouched and unplayed in La Paz...Where the air is dry.

Some random selections now follow...

Glad to have won the legends -great B side. Also nice to finally have a Laughing Gravy with a B side...

Never seen an Eric Elder pic sleeve before. I love Sunflower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKpQZ80pspY


a Really great Utrecht -April 2016, one of the best ones ever

Utrecht Record Fair April 2016 -Day 1

After the slight dissapointment with last November's fair, things really took off this Spring

A high return when it came to some choice 60s sides

The Slaves with Slave Time deliver a top Freakbeat performance in its wildest form. A mix of Austrian and Swiss guys apparently. A new discovery for me anyhow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAxpcz2m-Dk

The Lovin’ is also great, thank god for Youtube when looking through singles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WjuqL7ARKs

Another cool one is Turnstyle’s Single with its killer Trot B Side, Mark Ashton would later show up in Rare Bird

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HW9qz8j02Q

The rest...

Not sure what will go down tomorrow. Bring it on...

Utrecht Record Fair April 2016 .( A Pre-Fair Affair)

I left the house at 5am to catch the early  flight to Amsterdam in order visit the small outdoor fair in the morning. I usually arrive late pm as the fair is winding down. It was a bright and sunny Spring day, but there wasn't much to be found, so I could have stayed in bed a few hours longer. 
Thursdays used to be special visiting Michel at Da Capo, Plato Records is a fine store for choice  new releases, but nothing compares.to the old Beatcave

Tomorrow it all really begins at 7

 A modest smattering of goodies...so far

Fancy –Who Would Be The Loser – Unreleased Acetate (Nigel Benjamin pre-Mott 1973)

Fancy –Star Lord/Who Would Be The Loser – Emidisc -Unreleased Acetate (1973 UK)

Fancy were a Hard Glam foursome formed in Southend. Prior to being kidnapped as a direct replacement for Ian Hunter, Nigel Benjamin was their lead singer. The line-up also included Bob Banasiak on guitar, Phil Mitchell on bass, and Chris Holibon on drums.  Banasiak would join Angel (Good Time Fanny) soon after releasing their sole single Star Lord on Sticky. Who Would Be The Loser is the unreleased B side to Star Lord on this emidisc acetate and is by far the best performance out of the three tracks the band recorded. Written by Phil Mitchell, it’s a tough fast-paced rocker with a beefy guitar not dissimilar to the type of sound Streak were producing at the time.

Hear a full version of Who Would Be The Loser

 

24 rare and obscure singles for sale on ebay

I have just listed 24 singles. 21 being the usual mix of rare Glam, Proto Punk , Psych and Bonehead Hard Rock. 3 of them are special ones, so they have reserves on them. I have never listed with reserves before, but the reserve amount is usually around 50% or less of their potential value. All have sound clips. I didn’t have the time to list all I wanted, so expect a part 2 in a month’s time

Happy hunting

Follow the link: EBAY LISTINGS HERE

Full Listings March 2016

Paul Cass - Mini Marianne/ Medecine and Wine - Killer GLAM Proto Punk 1974 Hear!

Bacchus –Teen Queen -UK Junkshop Glam 1975 Hear!

Red Fox -Walking Through The Blue Grass - Psych/ Glam Stomper -1972 Hear!

Messengers - In The Jungle/Way a Woman is PSYCH Dancer picture sleeve 1971 Hear!

The Ash Band -Let's Go -Aussie Bonehead Cruncher RARE Pic sleeve Hear!

Finch -Out of Control- Aussie Grilffat Bonehead Cruncher Picture disc 1973 Hear!

Hobnail -She's Just a Friend of Mine -Pic sleeve - Glam Stomper -1972 Hear!

Panther -One Man Band - Killer GLAM The 3rd Pantherman single! 1975 Hear!

Whistle -The Party Must Be Over -Obscure UK Glam Cruncher - Demo 1973 Hear!

Rats - Don’t Let Go/ Dragon Child -Glam Stomper - Pic sleeve Hear!

Rockstar (Ace Kefford -The Move) -Over The Hill/Mummy Demo -1976 Hear!

Castle Farm -Hot Rod Queen -UK Junkshop Glam/ Bonehead Cruncher 1972 Hear!

Hector -Wired Up - Original UK issue –Proto Punk FUZZ Mayhem 1973 Hear!

Heatwave -9-9-9 /One Eyed Man Welsh PROTO PUNK 1975 Hear!

Boppers -Cleveland Dolls/ Rocket City -Wild obscure US Proto Punk -1972? -Hear!

At Last The 1958 Rock n Roll Show -I Can't Drive- Mott The Hoople Demo1968 Hear!

Bullet (Hard Stuff) -Hobo -John Du Cann 1971 Hard Rock/Proto Punk ACETATE Hear!

Hamlett -Vampire Man -UK Freakbeat Proto Glam Monster -Demo 1972 Hear!

Little Big Horn -Just a Game - Killer Heavy Psych Dancer -1970 Hear!

Abacus - Indian Dancer -Crunching Glam classic -Pic sleeve - 1974 Hear!

Bear Brothers –Red Shoe Trucken/Bondiago –Fuzz Afro Glam Stompers 1972 –Hear!

The 3 with reserves

MC5 - Looking At You/ Borderline ORIGINAL issue Near Mint -1968 Hear! "PREMIUM"

T Boones -I Want You -HEAVY Swedish Freakbeat Mod Mayhem-1967 Hear! "PREMIUM"

Phil Spector UNRELEASED Acetate Gold Star –I Love Lucy Demo 1966 Hear "PREMIUM"

Kevin Coughlin – I Gotta Be Me

 

 

Kevin Coughlin – The Gay Deceivers/I Gotta Be Me – Happy Tiger HT 509 (1969 US)

Fun Fuzzy Romp featuring a cool overloaded guitar sound with actor Kevin Coughlin sounding like a dead- ringer for Sky Saxon. I Gotta Be Me is the B side to the theme song of the twist-in-the-tail film of the same name about some likely guys who “go gay” to avoid the draft. On this single Kevin is backed by the great Heavy Psych band Stack who released the Above All in minute quantities in 1969

Hear a full version of I Gotta Be Me

 

 

 

Arlan Green –Moonbrite EP

Arlan Green –Moonbrite EP –Test pressing- Bell 1000 (UK 1974?)

I don’t honestly know who Arlan is/was, his only near-official release appears to be a demo version of Rock Hotel on Mooncrest in 1975…as well as this strange test pressing EP. The EP plays at 33.1/3 and has the immortal words “not for sale or broadcast” on the sleeve, so was  it that Bell Records were considering signing Arlan, but then desisted when there was a severe lack of positive feedback? Regardless of its strange lack of release, it’s a mighty weird yet compelling EP. Moonbrite starts off with analog space beeps, then Arlan declares his desire to be the first dentist on the moon…it’s all bit like Jobriath channeling Gilbert o’Sullivan delivering a futuristic toothpaste commercial.  The 2^nd track I Do is pure McCartney Pop (with a Lennon middle bit) and could have been an outtake off the first Jellyfish LP with some quite extensive and adventurist orchestration.  Rock Hotel kicks off side 2 with novelty voice weirdness before settling down into something resembling the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band with Bowie at the helm auditioning for the Rocky Horror Show. The last track The Next Time starts off kinda like a normal heart felt piano ballad, but then our Arlan can’t contain himself and SHREEKS with the song then taking several unexpected twists and turns (note something weird happens near the end, it might be an on-purpose stick, or just a bit of dirt on the record…who knows, but I hope it was on purpose. Arlan who the hell are you? I hope you’re still around and can tell us all about it…

Hear the full side 1

Hear the full side 2

Phafner –Overdrive (Single version)

Phafner –Overdrive/Plea From The Soul –Dragon Records 45-1001 (1971 US)

A bit of a change of focus this time… I am pleased to have made the acquaintance of “The Digger”, a long standing legend in the record collecting world. The last few months have been filled by a mass of back and forth emails with tips, recommendations (records and film) and the odd transatlantic swap-shop session. I am now in serious debt and full of gratitude to him for sending me his copy of this highly rare and heavy single which got the ball rolling and led to the “discovery” and original reissue of their sole album.  The copy is rough, and although the crackles add authenticity, I am very open to someone finding me a pristine copy one day!

Overdrive is a Killer Hard Rock/Heavy Psych performance and initially reminded me of a long lost 4^th Seompi single

You can find the story of Phafner elsewhere, so what follows, in his own words, is a tale of tracking an act down in a time before the Internet and social media. I am pleased to say that the Digger is still active digging stuff up , often relying on his pre-Internet sleuthing skills for his searches to reach their goal. Over to you Digger…

For private hard rock LP fanatics/collectors, Phafner's original 1971 miniscule pressing of their self-released 'Overdrive' album has been the definition of 'holy grail' since Rockadelic's reissue back in 1989. Although it was 17 years after the fact, the story of how the band was even located has never been revealed - until now, that is:

I am a hard core/long time midwest 45 vinyl digger, and I was flipping thru piles of 7" discs at a flea market in Tulsa, Oklahoma, circa 1987-1988. Amongst the thousands of dusty records I handled that day, one that caught my attention was a pounded copy of, what was, to me, a total unknown: Overdrive b/w Plea From The Soul, on the Dragon label, by a band named Phafner.  Though I  had a no idea what a Phafner was, I decided it was worth spending 50 cents to find out what this mystery single sounded like. I was particularly intrigued by the caption underneath the "Overdrive" song title - (taken from the 'Overdrive' LP).

After returning home &slapping the 45 on my turntable, I realized the sound wasn't really my bag (being an anal, narrow minded 1960s garage rock purist). But I did know it was right up the alley of his pals in Texas, Rich & Mark, of the Rockadelic label. A phone call to Rich revealed that this band/record was unknown to them. At the time, these 2, along with Paul Major on the east coast, were the undisputed kings of private indie U.S. rock & psych albums from 1968 onward. So for them to not be familiar with this, it meant this had probably not circulated at all in record circles, so knowledgeable & connected these guys were. Rich suggested I try to search out the band members.

With little information to be found on the record's labels (no address, city or state), I  wasn't sure where to begin. Since the record turned up in Tulsa, my immediate speculation was that they were of Oklahoma origin. The publishing info on the label: had Buckskin Music (BMI). Now from experience, I knew that the majority of the time that music publishing companies listed on private labels were either: a.) long defunct, having existed only for a short period of time while the artist was active, or: b.) never even existed at all, they were simply printed on the labels to give the impression the artist/label was 'professional.'

Lo & behold; a call to BMI revealed that Buckskin Music was still an active affiliate &, even more amazing, the contact information (name/address/phone #) was up-to-date. For whatever reason, the Shultz brothers had kept current w/ BMI & as it turned out, they resided nowhere near Oklahoma - as Marshalltown, Iowa was the former group's stomping grounds.

After a couple of phone conversations with ex-members, I purchased an original copy of the LP from one of them, which turned out to be the first copy in the vinyl collecting world. Passing it on to the Rockadelic pair, who were immediate fans upon hearing it, they set about putting out a legal reissue (minus 1 track from the original & adding 2 others, including the non-LP 45 flip, "Plea From The Soul") which hit the streets in 1989. This limited, tiny pressing of 300 sold out immediately.

At some point in time I purchased a 2nd copy of the album, from another ex-member - and this copy was STILL SEALED. That's right, folks, there was indeed one flawless, never been played copy that traded hands in the record collecting world, approx 25 years back. Where is that copy today & is it still in sealed condition? That's the 21st century Phafner mystery, so modern day sleuths, get to work & try to find it.

Incidentally, it's unknown how many copies of the 45 were pressed & how many are in the possession of collectors. I am only aware of 2 being known in collections; odds are it too was pressed in very tiny quantities, 25-50 would probably be a reasonable estimation. (One  now proudly resides here in the UK!)



Hear a full version of this “Crackly” copy of Overdrive (Note –you can easily  find Plea From The Soul elsewhere on Youtube)

An update to the Phafner story - in late 2015, the band was nominated to be considered for the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (IRRMA - Iowa Rock& ;Roll Music Association), which has been in existence since 1997, and includes hundreds of small name/no name home state nominees that never even recorded, probably never wrote original material & were barely popular only within a 100 mile radius of their hometowns. Needless to say, Phafner did NOT make the cut & are not in the 2016 inductees class. Pretty incredible for a band that wrote & recorded originals, are now known & revered by collectors worldwide, whose album has been reissued several times & the original is now one of the most valuable vinyl artefacts of that era. What does that tell you about the IRRMA??

Pelican Peace Band –Take it off

Pelican Peace Band –Take it off/ Glory Road -Heads Up Production ‎– WS-101 (1973 US)

Power trio featuring Steve Dykmann, Danny Silvester and Kent Huss. Take it off is a hot hot example of killer US  Proto Punk supremely loud and heavy, oozing attitude and featuring some ripping blistering lead breaks. From Des Moines (Iowa) the band later evolved into Sky Dancer over time following different line up changes. The Chicken House credit may provide a direct link to those other Iowa legends Westminst'r. Brutal, Rockin’ and Totally Essential!

Note: Purepop may be changing. Blogs have to move with the times with many people now accessing the site through phones and tablets, so posting the sound clips on Youtube may be the way to go. So I have started my channel, let’s see how it works, feedback most welcome here or on Youtube itself

Hear a full version of Take it Off

Summit –The Darkness

Summit –The Darkness/Thank You Mister Jones –North Room Records (US 1969)

Monster proto Doom from Summit. Now it has been mentioned that it owes some to Factory’s Path Through The Forest and it certainly shares a similar monotone drone effect with machine-like drumming,if you ask me, you can also throw in a bit of Pere Ubu for good measure, but this one goes full downer without reprieve. It’s heavy dark pounding number with an amazing lead fuzz guitar break from the guitarist (who was only 15 or 16 at the time!). The lyrics allude to Amazon warriors, but remain pretty cryptic. The B side is tribute to Brian Jones and was sung and performed by the bass player. It’s a stripped down basic affair and a nice counterpoint to the A side.
Summit was never an actual band, just a bunch of kids who got together to jam, but still managed to record these 2 songs in September 1969 at Damon Studios in Kansas City. 3 members were from Clinton, while the guitarist had to commute from Sikeston, which was quite a trek and perhaps explains why they only played ever played one gig.
A self-release, North Room refers to their practice space, which was the north room of the basement in the bassist’s house… A bit thank you to Mark P for the thorough detective work!

Hear a full version of The Darkness



Hear a full version of Thank You Mister Jones

Blitzkreig –Kommen Heir Saugling (Come Here Baby)

Blitzkreig –Kommen Heir SaÜgling (Come Here Baby)/ Das Führer –Vier Reich Records SS 1047 (1976 US)

Nazi Proto Punk Boogie of the highest order with a heavy Bonehead twist (and a T shirt).What’s with all this German stuff? With a modest grasp of the German language (can’t spell Blitzkrieg) these Palm Spring bozos went all Nazi for this release, on Vier Reich records with Das FÜhrer on the B side no less. Kommen Heir Saugling (come here you cow!) was released in early 76 and is basic Hard Rock at its most caveman without an inkling of any Übermensch to be found. It sounds like the guitarist had access to the mixing desk for 6 seconds as the volume of the guitar  intro cuts and slashes across the mix in fine fashion. Blitzkreig’s tenuous grasp on reality didn’t last long under the introspection of all that healthy desert sun and this appears to be their only release

Hear a full version of Kommen Heir SaÜgling (Come Here Baby)



The miscreants...

Ballyhoo –Lovemaker

 

Ballyhoo –Lovemaker/Paperback Love –Gallo PD 1070 (1975 South Africa)

The link between the Netherlands and its Boer descendants continued well into the Glam 70s, with several Bonnie St Clair tracks getting the SA treatment including Maria’s Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet and Jessica Jones’s Waikiki Man. Here it’s the turn of the storming Lovemaker by Heart (the NL one) to receive the South African treatment. The first difference is that we get male lead vocals replacing Patricia Paay’s vocals and that translates fine, the bum bum titty titty bum bum bum chant is still present and correct, however although the crunching and the stomping has been preserved, the performance here is not quite as wild and brash as the original This was the first single by Ballyhoo who then went on a more MOR trip including the hit Man in The Moon in the early 80s

Hear a full version of Lovemaker




Hear the original version here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdnQOXLYch4

Mammoth –Mammoth

Mammoth - Sensations (Head to Toe)/ Mammoth –United World Records UT-01970-001 (1970 US)
Mammoth came out of San Antonio (TX) and the fittingly titled Mammoth was to be found on the B side of a lightweight piece of Psych. Here the bands thump and grind in most HEAVY fashion over what sounds like a Stoner version of Mr. Soul and leave any musical pretensions safely at home. However this was not the case later, when the band morphed into “Der Tremoloids” who might as well been called the haemorrhoids as their awful progressive Jazz Rock leanings is bound to give you piles

Hear a full version of Mammoth

Diehard -Heartbreak

Diehard –Heartbreak/Lonetowers –Posae Records 208 (197? US)

Heartbreak is at the crossroad of crunching Hard Rock with a nice fat guitar riff and Prog due to to proggy leanings instilled in the vocal delivery and synth break. What really saves the day is the masterful unifying power of the mighty Cowbell that grounds the performance in fine fashion. God bless the Cowbell! I am assuming it is played by Dan Derda who  was the drummer the pre-David Marks Band Without a Name. The production is tight and Stan Ross is on engineering duties, but does that mean that it was recorded at Gold Star? It’s an LA affair in any case, with the Posae /Sea Seven labels having been around since the 60s.

Hear a full version of Heartbreak

Easybeats -Lovin' Machine/Easy Come Easy Go

Never a wrong time to feature the mighty Easybeats, but with Stevie's recent passing, here's a great reminder of what a bundle of joy and energy he was in his prime, seen here on German TV in 1966




The highlight DVD of 2015 was for me  the Easybeats movie Somewhere between Heaven and Woolworths gaining release nearly 50 years later as Easy Come, Easy Go. It includes these great scenes from Olympic Studios with Glyn Johns working on Heaven and Hell. Magic!





See you next year. Hard to believe it will soon be 10 years of Purepop...

Drift –Plastic People

Drift -Get Out Of My Life, Woman/Plastic People –AMCAN AM 1-72 (1972 US)

Remaining in the realm of Rock ‘n’ Roll Christians and this being the season of goodwill and special births, I bring you a revelation, Jesus was a BONEHEAD! Well at least the singer on this killer single proclaims (or screeches) that Jesus loves you, however that message did not seem to reach the dullards in the band who rock out in immensely heavy fashion. This is one of the most basic infernal fuzzed-faced backing tracks which isn’t in any way diluted by the XIAN fairy dust sprinkled atop, this one is leading straight to Hell. Simply amazing… Out of Ohio 1972

Hear a full version of Plastic People

Grunt Futtock – Rock ‘n’ Roll Christian

Grunt Futtock – Rock ‘n’ Roll Christian/Free Sole –Regal Zonophone RZ 3042 (1972 UK)

There’s surprisingly little in the way of information on this release. Surprising as this was a real supergroup made up of Roy Wood (on lead vocals), Steve Marriot, Peter Frampton and Alan Bown plus it was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham! Although released in 1972, I have the feeling the recording session would have taken place earlier at the transition point between the end of The Herd and the beginnings of Humble Pie. Another clue is that Roy was no longer on Regal Zonophone in 1972. Rock ‘n’ Roll Christian is in fact a rousing, near Crunching Glam, take on Jimmy Webb’s Dorothy Chandler Blues (released in 1970 on the Words and Music LP) a weird choice, but that’s Roy Wood for you! The B side is more experimental and soundtrack panoramic  and is probably Roy Wood having a bit of fun with orchestration (using the Edward G. Reed pseudonym?) I love the sound on the Be My Baby drums at the close...
So all in all, it’s a bit of a transparent mystery, I would love to have known how these sessions came about.

Hear a full version of Rock ‘n’ Roll Christian



Hear a full version of Free Sole

Utrecht Record Fair November 2015: Day 2

Saturday, normally all the good deals are made on the Friday, but this time I had not picked up stuff in the usual numbers.
However I am well pleased with the finds.

A new discovery for me was this Penny Wise single. I believe it is the 2nd of 3 singles the band released before they metamorphosed into Amsterdam
It's a lovely lush pop number, starting in a near Pet Sounds setting then crossing the Atlantic into a British 68 popsike sound...

https://youtu.be/ADf4tY5_0CE

Now a new feature these last few Utrechts are the Omega auctions taking place on the Saturday.
I had dreams of  living out my Storage Hunters fantasies

However there was a reason. I had my heart set of securing an original sleeved copy of the A2 Looking at You. A nice touch was meeting John Sinclair after the win. He asked if I wanted him to sign it and I reacted by a loud NOOOOOOOO!!!! Not too cool on my part, but I was well pleased that he signed the white paper sleeve. He confirmed that there were 500 sleeves.

 I lost out on I Can Only Give You Everything, but my flutter on my main object of desire paid out without going too crazy even with the 25% commission!

Of course there was another A&M God Save The Queen, but the prices are decreasing each time as the awareness spreads of the number of copies still available