Reviews of tasty and obscure hook-filled rock'n' roll releases (Glam, Heavy Bonehead Crunchers, Powerpop, Pop/psych,Garage, Surf, 60s Girl Group Rock)...Plus any quirky musings that tickle my fancy...
I created this blog in order to stimulate interest, share discoveries and encourage people to go out and search for the original vinyl. Hopefully this blog might also encourage labels to actually compile some of this stuff officialy.
I hopped over
to Frankfurt for a spot of record shopping. The fair itself is a bit outside of
town but within easy reach of the airport. It’s a friendly and pretty
large fair with around 100 dealers. There’s plenty of vinyl, with a healthy
amount of singles. I didn’t pick up tons of stuff, but a nice manageable
selection including:
The Dictators
single. Interesting to see Heartache earning A side status giving the band a powerpop.angle
for the record company to work on. Other highlights include a perfect copy of
The Balls and American Machine. Also picked up bunch of Rattles singles
including the the weird OTT opus Mr…Keep Your Hands Off My Sister (spread over
2 sides) and the Shop 15 promotion single.
Staying in
Rattles territory, I finally got the Propeller LP. Featuring Achim Reichel and Herbert
Hilderbrandt, it’s great hard hitting stuff and of course features the personal
favourite Apache Woman
Maria Anzai- Koino Bakudan/ End Mark –Toshiba Records TP-20049 (1974 Japan)
One of the highlights of my recent Japanese haul, Maria Anzai’s single is of particular note for its B side. End Mark fits somewhere between Cindy & Bert’s Paranoid and if Bonnie St. Claire had been backed by Kansas Hook instead of Unit Gloria. Its high energy riffage and Hammond fuelled drive give this corking song a hard hitting edge. Although written by The Spiders’ Hiroshi Kamayatsu the song is highly derivative of…(Oh, it’s killing me, it sounds so bloody obvious, but I can’t place it –Help…). The A side sounds more dated for 74, it’s kinda cute but certainly doesn’t hit the same spot, although the slide guitar part is pretty cool and incongruous. “Foxy” actress/singer Maria Anzai released another 12 or 13 singles and 4 LPs, but it is believed that End Mark is her high point.
Thanks to Atsushi Kasai for the swap and background info.
No music this time, but a picture of the complete set of Slow Death pic sleeves from the time. I have not included the later UA EP. Now is that the lot or did other territories release Slow Death
From top left to bottom right: 1) French original 2) UK promo with straight writing, 3) UK promo with front cover reversed featuring Tallahasee Lassie and hand written titles, 4) French 2nd issue (1974?) 5) German issue and 6) The Dutch issue.
Bandana –Jukebox Saturday Night/Love is Where You Find It –Haven HS 807 (US 1976) Bandana was Peter Beckett’s adventure following Skyband (them with the plumage and of Bang! Ooh! You Got Me fame) prior to forming the more successful Player. Originally formed under the moniker Riff Raff with Steve Kipner, Steve was soon replaced by J.C Crowley (also later in Player). Written by Crowley and Beckett (under the pseudonym J. Crocker); Jukebox Saturday Night is a perfect Powerpop/Glam number owing a big debt to 10CC. Swoopingly melodic and quirky, it certainly deserved a better fate.
Just back from having an amazing time in Japan which goes far beyond records, more stuff on my facebook page, but here are the records I came back with, many were gifts... More soon...
Tokyo...what an amazing city with wonderful people and amazing quirks. It seems rather churlish just to focus on records, but this is the purpose of Purepop. Anyhow after a full day here, I can report back on the finds so far. I must have visited over 15 stores within a 2 mile radius (Shinjuku), tomorrow I go a bit further afield. The highlight though was the most pleasurable Popswap I have ever experienced. It took place, thanks to Atsushi, at the most incredible Rock 'n Roll bar called The Poor Cow. The place is plastered to the rafters with the most amazing (and rare) posters. It is run by Fifi a real top fellow. The generosity and warmth was really overwhelming. A perfect venue with a top crowd.
Anyhow, the two singles I was really hoping to get are now in my hands. Namely the Vodka Collins single, Alan Merrill's Japanese excursion prior to The Arrows
Another single which I look forward to hearing is the Maria Anzai single (see photo above), I will post more on this in the next couple of weeks.
Here are some other singles i picked up or swapped for
I wasn't kidding when I was mentioning generosity, Fifi amazingly gave me the live Silverhead album. I am really touched by all the kindness (and beer). So thanks to all who were there tonight... More soon!
Dead’s Head –You and I Wer’e Going Back/ I Love You –ODS Records 001582 (1978 Germany)
You and I Wer’e Going Back (sic) is an incredible one-off single on a private label by this obscure German act. They were very influenced by Status Quo and had dreams of achieving the musicality of Rush but failed admirably. The result is simply great amateur Powerpop Punk but not by design.. The lyrics (and spelling) are very clumsy, but how can you not be swayed by the lyrical content
“I was standing at the station, you were coming from another nation…”
Musically, it has a Terminal Love riff followed on by a great piece of chugging and a highly melodic chorus. The lead break is Another Girl Another Planet…but not quite. All in all it’s a pretty inspiring performance. The B side is also good in a more subdued mode. Here the guitars try to spread their wings through use of delay and chorus, but the tunage is a bit iffy to say the least. Again all part its ample charm as is the faker than fake applause...
Taxi –You Got Your Way in The End O.K./It’s No Use Pretending –Bellaphon 1421 (1977 Germany)
You Got Your Way in The End OK is a vibrant piece of Teen Kraut Pop with Glam inflections, think Hello or Flintlock without a flinch of any Punk leanings (although there’s a twinge that predates Terminal Love). Positioned bang in the Middle between Germany’s Teens and Mustang, it’s a fun piece of commercial and ultra-catchy pop. It was produced in the UK with Dave Hunter involvement (Whistle/ Rescue Co No 1) Look out for the next post with an obscure but Killer piece of Hard German Teen Rock…
Hear a full version of You Got Your Way in The End O.K.
Alan Blakley –Lost Without You/ Gimme Rock ‘n’ Roll –Hans 6022 213 (1976 Belgian issue)
Alan Blakley a man amongst poodles… as demonstrated on the wonderful Belgian pic sleeve. Following his departure from the Trems in 75 Alan (Blakley/Blakely) pursued some of the Glam moves which had been introduced into the band’s repertoire in 73/74. But on his own, things definitely got weirder. Both sides of the 76 single have a lo-fi plugged directly into the desk scratchy guitar feel. Lost without You is like a chipmunk Get It On, catchy, rockin’ but completely touched with some out there instrumentation. Gimme Rock ‘N’ Roll is in someways even better. The sound is still highly compressed, but the performance is less deranged and more overtly in Crunching Glam mode.
German issue on Maritim
Hear a full version of Lost Without You
Hear a full version of Gimme Rock ‘N’ Roll
Alan Blakley –Sorry (Lyn’s Song)/Windows Are Nice –DJM DJS 367 (1975 UK)
From the previous year Windows Are Nice is an act of pure lunacy. Taking Roxy Music as a starting point but without a clue of its destination; we are nearly entering Billy Hamon territory here. What the hell was the man thinking?
This is one single that certainly deserves more than a quick mention during record buying spree. Let’s Dance is a moment of pure insane genius, forget Chris Montez, forget The Ramones, this is crude, raw and totally wild and delivers one of those punches from which it is difficult to recover. In fact both sides are ace; the B side shouldn’t be overlooked as it’s more than a commendable rockin’ performance again with some great guitar. Green Suzy deserved to be an A side in its own right. The Tykes hailed from Groningen (the Venice of the North…) and Let’s Dance was their third and final single. The band later morphed into Time Castle with half the band then formed Chrystal Palace. Never to be forgotten, never to be surpassed. A real treasure…
Wow another killer single to rival Sound of Imker….The Tykes. The Dutch were completely nuts in 1969…
Anyhow a couple of dogs, but some more nice stuff. The bad news is that I have to wait another 6 months before going back
The Tykes –Let’s Dance –Complete KILLER check out the Youtube link below. Jeroen –thanks for the tip
Mr. Albert Show –King Horse –non LP, but sounded really good
Milk n’ Cookies –Little Lost and Innocent –with great German pic. So I now have the Dutch, French and this one –any other countries with pic sleeves?
Yellow Bord –Attack Attack –Hard Glam cruncher in German pic sleeve
Irish Coffee –If You Could Read My Mind. I assume this is the same band, perhaps the B side is worthwhile? We’ll see…
Steppenwolf –Ride With Me Baby. There was a bunch of at least 20 Steppenwolf singles and John Kay solo singles at € 1 each, I just picked this one, although I think I prefer the Mars Bonfire version on UNI
Syl Sylvain –Teenage News –Dutch pic sleeve
Match –boogie Man –warning this is crap, it spells Boogie as in disco, not beer guzzling fat boogie.
St. Cecelia –Leap Up And Down. Has to pick this up for the pic sleeve alone…
Fools –Sunshine Girl. Dutch Oompah Bubblegum…ooops!
Moonquake –Remember in German pic sleeve
Q65 –World of Birds with its great B side. So all in all I got 5 Q65 singles.
Don Fardon –Don’t Do That. Ex Sorrows covering Geordie in 1974. Sounds like a pretty raucous version
Peter D. Kelly –Hard Road. Not the Vanda & Young tune as I expected
Ramma Damma.- Rammadamma –French pic sleeve. I now have the full set!
Puhdys –Hell Raiser. East German cover of Sweet and Deep Purple numbers
Garnets –Jerusalem –early pre- Indian Uprising single.
West, Bruce & Laing –The Doctor –Why Dontcha? Well I did…
Easybeats –Rock & Roll Boogie –German pic sleeve
Bonnie St. Clarie -Voulez Vous WITH I Surrender on the B side. Danish release.
Rats –Don’t Let Go –German pic sleeve
Frog –Monie Monie
Bang –Questions –French pic sleeve
Mabel –Close Your Eyes –Danish pic sleeve
Michael Stanley –Rock and Roll Man –pic sleeve
Big Boy Blue –Getting Hungry. Cracking Glam track with Barron Knight involvement
Jinx –I Saw Your Face –nice clean copy of this great BelgoGlam 2-sider
Walkers –Striptease
Maternal Joy –Ticket To The North Pole –with the great Heavy Bonehead B side: Fat
Hard Stuff –Inside Your Life. Both tracks are non-lp
Billy Hamon –Butch Things –finally found the Dutch issue of this stupendous single
Stray Dog –Chevrolet
Equals –Softly Softly. Nice condition UK Demo
Claudia Colonna –Rock ‘n Roll Woman. Looks promising and it was a gift –thanks Gipe.
Teenmakers –Mo’reen. Danish ocver of the Paul Revere and The Raiders’ track
Rattles –The Witch. On Swedish Spark. Is this the same version as the Decca version?
…and 3 more Q65 singles.
And now, without further ado…
Here’s the big one. It WASN’T at all cheap, but how could I not take the plunge?
Plus it is in perfect condition, other copies I have seen have been really rough and at the same price. A no-brainer.
For those who don’t know, check it out here
Sound of Imker from 1969.
Due to work commitments, I had to cancel my usual flight from London to Amsterdam and took an overnight coach from Paris to Utrecht
Because of fog and the huge queue of passengers wanting to get on the bus, the 6am arrival in Utrecht ended up in fact being 6:50. But by 7am I had checked into my hotel and got to the fair for 7:15am. Anyhow, I had good first day at the fair. I had been meaning to limit the number of spares I pick up as I just don’t have the time and aptitude to list them all on ebay or arrange swaps, but I made some choice finds anyhow
Pic 1
Troggs –Strange Movies –French Pic sleeve
Tears –Oh La La (great Swedish Glam)
Tag –Off Down The Road. A killer single reviewed here about 5 years ago.
Diodes –Tired of Waiting Tired (an anthem for today…)
Q65 –You’re The Victor –Dutch Freakbeat at its best
Radar –Sweet Baby Sweet –Great NederGlam
Ted Mulry Gang –Jump in My Car
Chaos –Guitar Man –German pic sleeve
Flamin’ Groovies –Married Woman –first issue of French pic sleeve
Pic 2
Parklane –The Party –Dutch Hard Glam
Mock Turtle –Lady of 5th Avenue/Rockin’ Days –UK issue for Dutch band…don’t know this one
Eddie & The Hot Rods –Writing On The Wall. My favourite Hot Rods track in its French pic sleeve.
Peacock –Rose Marie –No idea but with Jonathan King involvement
Silence –Mother’s Game/Devil Woman –Dutch issue of this killer Hard Rock single
Kaleidoscope –Flight from Ashiya. Classic UK popsike in Dutch pic sleeve
Bilbo Baggins –Back Home –The Bilbos cover Golden Earing wearing a German cover
Tristram Shandy –Saccharine, Sandie, Fingers N’ Thumbs/Mr Blue (I don’t think I have the A side…)
Pic 3
Skyband –Bang Ooh Ya Got Me. In its glorious plumage adorned German sleeve!
Light Fantastic –Take Me Shake Me –See pic sleeve –what can I say?
Kevin Blacklock –Ex White Cats of lush powerpop number
Pumkinhead –Holy Moses. No idea on this one. It’s from 1974 and written by Martin/coulter, so it can’t be all bad…
Honky Tonk –All The Young Dudes. Ed Welch produced cover from 1972…
Dillenger –Give It To Me Babe –overlooked UK Pop/Glam
Harpo –Teenage Queen. Classic pervy Glam from Sweden in parrot German sleeve
Heavy Cruiser –Louie Louie. On of the highlight of Bonehead Crunchers. The French single version contains the full ending which is edited out on the US version.
Roy Allison –White Stockings. Superior Pop/Glam in German pic sleeve
Limelight –I Should Have Known Better/ Tell Me Why. Two Beatle covers recorded at Rockfield in 1972. Any relation to The Knees?
Zips –Bye Bye Love. Ex Sorrows/Eggy/Renegade let loose on good B side
Now sleep and then tomorrow…Once more into the breach!
OK...Here we go again. Somehow I find myself in Paris, so I am about to take an overnight coach (Hello Eurolines) for a 7 hour trip arriving at 6am in Utrecht.
Check back for a day-by -day account of finds and adventures
Ballyhoo –Rock ‘N’ Roll Party/Lady Dreamer –RPM 489 (1977 South Africa)
This was the second single by South Africa’s Ballyhoo following on from their great version of Heart’s (The Dutch band, not the US lot) Lovemaker. For a single released in 1977 it still straddles a crunching Glam approach with a Rock ‘n’ Roll revival vibe. Although the tune may be a bit too sing-along for some, it still packs a pretty good punch with nifty production values. Ballyhoo later scored big in SA with Man On The Moon and appear to be still in existence today
Moses –Watcha Gonna Do Now/Heebner’s Blues –R.R.P Records (197? US) Watcha Gonna Do Now is a nice n’ meaty slice of Boogie Grind with a touch of the Velvets on the merits and constraints of being a pot-head at the wheel. Apart from the Missoula location, there is not much info to be found, so the detective skills of any avid reader would be most welcome. If it helps – the distance between Lake Moses and Missoula is 303 miles and a phone number is also listed on the label –Dave...Dave? Dave? Dave’s not here! etc…
High Street East –Newcastle Brown/Everybody Knows –Rubber Records (1969 UK)
Owing a lot to DDBMT’s Hold Tight and somewhat a precursor to Glam, High Street East’s opus is an ode to the local brew but using the metaphor of a local fictional character. The football terrace beat, loud guitar and infectious melody make this one stand out in that uncomfortable transition from the late 60s into the 70s. Probably a studio creation; the label itself was more known for developing local talent from the Geordie scene. Copies with a picture sleeve with the famous logo appear to exist.
Tales –Someone Like You/ Rockin’ Suzanna –MAM 93 (1973 UK)
On the B side of a commercial poppy affair by Roger Holman and Simon May comes this enjoyable Rolling Stones pastiche. Rockin’ Suzanna is a great Jagger mimic job. It has all the Jaggerisms down pat over a Down The Road Apiece/Route 66 chugging machine. Nifty guitar too…Imagine a 1972 Stones track without the smack. I’m not sure if Tales was an actual band or not. Is the Christie credit related to John Christie which could underline a De Sykes connection?
Hi I have just listed 67 singles on ebay in time to replenish the coffers in time for Utrecht. Some pretty nifty titles all with sound clips. Including this cute Glam era update of the Spector sound...
Mongolords –Slight Recession Blues/Pardon Me –Ganesh R 2885 (1974 US)
Slight Recession Blues is a neat novelty lo-fi Boogie ditty with a Punky edge –just think of Savoy Brown mixed in with the Velvet Underground (check the end part…) it also features some cool Stones-like lead breaks. The overall effect is nice and scuzzy. The Mongolords were out Virginia and the singer was 15 at the time but I am not sure if anything else was released. As relevant today as it was then-Yeah Man –KEEPING IT REAL!
Here’s a real obscurity. The band was probably from Ohio as they recorded at Owl Studios, but queries sent have been left unanswered…Also the date is a bit of a mystery. I would like to think mid-70s, but it is likely to be later. Anyhow Marilyn is a raucous rocker with lo-fi New Wave feel albeit with a mighty bite... Fireball is my favourite of the two tracks it has a Raw Power feel melding Garage and Hard Rock ethics - The drums thump, the vocals screech and the guitars ooze filth. A real killer and heavy performance to be cherished…Please I need info on this cracker!!!!
Hear a full version of Marilyn
Hear a full version of Fireball
Note it has since been confirmed that the single was released in 1974 -more news soon, but in the meantime feast your eyes on this delightful snap of the band
James Hogg –Lovely Lady Rock/Happy Sad –Regal Zonophone RZ 3054 (1972 UK)
Produced by Chris Thomas, Lovely Lady Rock was the first of three singles released by James Hogg (AKA Robert Ashong) on Regal Zonophone. The song itself depends heavily on its high riff content and the neo-Rockabilly cum Hard Rock/Tough Glam approach. It’s a great hard hitting rocker, although perhaps lacking a chorus as the track is full frontal with no real melodic relief. The B side is another tight rocker very much in a similar vein.
Flamin’ Groovies –Shake Some Action/ I Can’t Hide –Philips 6078505 (1976 NL)
It’s not often worth buying a record for its cover alone, but this is an occasion where the sleeve truly justifies the means. It is especially worth it when you consider that this is the Capitol 1973 version with Ron Greco on drums and not the 1972 Rockfield version that can be found on the SSA LP. It’s a mystery as to how this version was used Holland in 1976, was it intended or not? Someone, somewhere should know…
