Amen!

AMEN CORNER-Let The Good Times Roll/Love Me Tender Germany Deram DM236 1968

Here's a wiggy one, a German Amen Corner 45.  Both tracks are culled from their debut Deram LP "Round" (U.K. DML/SML 1021) and this 45's artwork is culled from said album's front sleeve, a tasty pic of the boys kicking out the jams (or just pretending to?) at London's famous in crowd night spot The Speakeasy (taken by the legendary David Wedgbury nonetheless).

I've got to admit that there are times when their lead singer, Andy Fairweather-Low's voice grates on me.  This 45 would be one of them, luckily the band's stellar horns/backing rescue their reading of "Let the Good Times Roll"(based entirely on  Bunny Sigler's arrangement).  The horns and the driving beat laid down by the bass and drums make this track. "Love Me Tender" is an awful, awful choice for a cover and Fairweather Low's voice does absolutely nothing to endear me to it.  It's a shame because it starts out with some really atmospheric/spooky Hammond, in fact if they'd just left it as an instrumental it would've sounded like some groovy incidental music from "Vampyros Lesbos" or "Get Carter"!

Both sides are collected on the budget priced CD retrospective of their Deram works "Amen Corner: The Collection"

Hear "Let The Good Times Roll":

http://youtu.be/e9w0OuLTtWc

Hear "Love Me Tender":

http://youtu.be/QeSTD-fYy3I