Through Kaleidoscope Eyes:Tambourine Days: The Definitive Story Of Kaleidoscope And Fairfield Parlour-by Peter Daltrey

"Tambourine Days: The Definitive Story Of Kaleidoscope And Fairfield Parlour"-by Peter Daltrey

Kaleidoscope, the U.K. variety, have long been one of my favorite British 60's psychedelic bands ever since "A Dream For Julie" and "Flight from Ashiya" first sprang from the grooves of Bam Caruso's "The 49 Minute Technicolor Dream" in 1985. The band amassed 5 singles and two LP's before becoming Fairfield Parlour and releasing two singles (one under the moniker of "I Luv Wight"), one LP and one E.P. Their debut LP "Tangerine Dream" ranks up their with "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" and Caravan's eponymous debut as one of my favorite U.K. psych albums of all time.  When I discovered that their lead singer Peter Daltrey had penned a book chronicling his career I jumped at it.  Perhaps too quickly.

He was a mod before you was a mod:Peter Daltrey 1965

With that said the band's lead singer (and co author of all of their tunes with guitarist Eddie Pumer) has quite a tale to tell based on the band's career (which began in 1964 as The Sidekicks and then The Key who in turn became Kaleidoscope).  My first complaint is the book is rather slim.  My second is that the photo reproduction quality in several, if not half of the photos is atrocious, as if they'd been plucked (pixelated) from thumbnails on the web. I'm sorry but  $37.17 (actually I just checked my credit card statement and it cost $48.50 with shipping) for a soft covered 6" x 9" book is enough with high quality photos, but with these poor reproductions, well the book would have been better served without them.

Bitching and gripes out of the way (not yet) I liked Daltrey's writing style but feel I'm no closer to learning more about Kaleidoscope than I was before I read an interview with him in a zine 20 years ago (was it "Bucket Full Of Brains"?) where he divulged that all their whimsical psych tracks were composed not on L.S.D., but in the guitarists bedroom after a bit of Chinese and copious amounts of cheap red Spanish plonk! Initially I was blown away but it seems that the period leading from their debut 45 "Flight From Ashiya" to the LP "Faintly Blowing" lasted but a few pages. Fairfield Parlour receive just a bit more space than Kaleidoscope, but then it's downhill for me. In fact at least a quarter of the book is devoted to listing his discography (he has evidently been quite prolific as a solo artist these past 15 years).

The book's numerous appendixes (including an essay on their day trip to France to mime "Flight From Ashiya" and "Holidaymaker" on TV among them and a touching piece on the funeral of bassist Steve Clark, tragically run down and killed on Chelsea Bridge in 1999) make up for the brevity I guess and there's a few interviews with Daltrey (obviously conducted via e-mail or mail) but I'm left feeling that for my money I really didn't get what I paid for. Maybe I'm still in a state of euphoria after reading the amazingly well put together Action book., maybe I'm just old and grumpy.  Or maybe, I'm just a consumer who when paying a large price for something so small, expects great things from it.
Interested parties can order the book direct like I did from here.

The Old Mods Long Awaited Story: The Action "In The Lap Of The Mods" Reviewed

I've been long excited about The Action's "In The Lap Of The Mods" book like it was the second coming.  The Action, along with The Small Faces, The Kinks and David Bowie are my favorite 60's artists.  From their first single as The Boys all the way down to the material cut before they became Mighty Baby (released in the 80's on a mini LP "Speak Louder Than") and even lead singer Reg King's 1971 solo LP I'm all on board as a one man American cheering section. I'm still, 18 years later, slowly wrapping my head around Mighty Baby.

Authored by original 60's Action fans (the late)  Ian Hebditch and his partner Jane Shepherd, it's a solid pleasure from cover to cover. They have done the unimaginable. It is without a doubt the best book I have ever read on a band (coming in just ahead of "Any Day Now: David Bowie The London Years 1947-1974").  No fact or anecdote is left behind.  With input/quotes from all band members, their associates, fans and friends (with a forewords by Sir George Martin who produced all 5 of their Parlophone singles and uber Action fan Phil Collins) there's no shortage of facts or information lacking here at all.

I sprung for the deluxe edition that came in a  slip cover/box with a extra magazine sized book titled "Where The Action Is: Your Chance To Catch The Unbelievable Action" (a day by day account of their gig/recording and TV appearance history chock full of news clippings and 45 label/sleeve scans) and a facsimile one sided acetate of their 1965 Decca audition disc, a cover of The Temptations "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)".

I learned a lot about the band's history in reading it, if you're an Action freak like me you might find these little facts interesting:

*Lead guitarist Pete Watson played on the band's first single as "The Boys" and was in the band for most of their career. Previous reports had him joining shortly before they became The Action.

*The Boys, NOT The Action, supported The Who during their Tuesday night Marquee Club residency in 1965 and were eventually removed from the bill at the request of Who managers Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert because they felt they were "upstaging" The Who.

*The Action gigged with David Bowie and The Buzz, The Syn, The Alan Bown Set, Bluesology, The Syn, The Byrds, The Attack, The Pretty Things, Dantalion's Chariot, The James Mean, The Mike Stuart Span, Timebox,  etc to name but a few!

* For their July 1966 "Ready Steady Go!" appearance  to promote "Baby You Got It" bassist Mike Evans and and drummer Roger Powell were tripping on L.S.D.

*A month after Reggie King left the band they recorded the five tracks released as "Speak Louder Than".

*The band only used the name "Azoth" for a week, switching back to the Action and then, eventually, Mighty Baby.

*The very last gig under The Action moniker was December 27, 1968 at the Oasis Club in Portsmouth.

* Our fave scribe here was the catalyst in the chain of events that led to the band's brief reformation in the late 90's.

I think one of my favorite parts of the book are the in depth looks at the 60's U.K. mod scene (with a particular perspective on the Birdcage, a club in Portsmouth where the band had a hard core mod following).  I especially enjoyed reading various perspectives from original 60's mods who's opinions are both varied and very strong on a variety of subjects included within.  For instance there is a great deal of varying opinions on The Small Faces, some feel they were mods, others feel they were "commercial mods".  The Action fall under similar varying opinions as well, to some the were a "band for mods", for others they were "mods in a band".  Regardless all concerned agree on one thing, live onstage, they were a force to be reckoned with. Oddly there was a great deal of belief that their singles did them no justice and that they were "softened" up to have commercial appeal.  Hmmm. To each his or her own I suppose!  There is also a great deal of attention paid to my favorite period where the band began looking towards "West Coast sounds" from late '66 onward till their metamorphosis into Might Baby. This is a period that has received scant notice in my 30+ year quest for Action information and it was fascinating to read about them. And for the completist there is a list of every song ever performed by the band live (both in the 60's and during their "reunion gigs in the late 90's)!

The book (both by itself or in deluxe edition format) can be ordered by going here, I suggest you do so post haste as the printing is limited to 400 copies.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: The Jam 30 Years Gone

I still can remember it like it was yesterday, 16 year old on a cold boring Friday night in November (or was it December?)stuck home with fuck all else to do laying on my bed staring at the ceiling with my local college radio station WPRB on and the DJ  remarks that he'd just read that Paul Weller announced that The Jam were splitting up.  I wish I could say I was gutted, but I wasn't.  I worshipped The Jam and in a way I wanted them to go on forever but I was honestly so far up my own ass in teen angst that their existence was almost superficial to me.  In retrospect it marked the last contemporary band I devoutly followed in my life. Maybe I was broken up, I honestly don't know, I was more concerned with the usual shit a 16 year old thinks about: chicks, getting into with their parents, hating school and nearly everybody there.

Looking back the post "Sound Affects" Jam wasn't my favorite period, it wasn't then and it still isn't. Honestly I had more important things to listen to in 1982.  I'd fully absorbed nearly all of the 60's tracks The Who had to offer and was buying Small Faces LP comps with a ridiculous practice of obtaining them for a few tracks I didn't have and 60's Bowie was just around the corner as was The pink Floyd and a more in depth look at The Kinks.  When I play "The Gift" or any of the band's output from 1982 I'm left cold about a lot of it, the horn section in my estimation was the first indication it was going horribly wrong.  Certainly there ARE exceptions, The Kink's-ish "Just Who Is the 5 O'clock Hero?", the moody jazziness of "Shopping" (my fave '82 Jam track) or "Running on The Spot". Bands are never the same when you start adding new members or augmenting existing ones. I recoiled in horror the first time I'd heard "Precious" on a black and purple striped 12" maxi single (now there's an 80's anachronism for you).  It was like Pigbag for god's sake.  And that awful dreadful soprano saxophone.  Augh. Maybe it's best The Jam split because well, god knows they'd have gone to record "Long Hot Summer".  I still have the greatest respect for Weller for just walking away from it all, the only way he could've done it better was if maybe he'd walked up to the beach after their final gig in Brighton and kicked his shoes off on the shingle and walked straight into the ocean leaving a pair of loafers behind as the band's legacy.  Of course I'm being dramatic and symbolic, I'm not honestly suggesting Weller should've topped himself but I think you get what I'm driving at.  When an artist ceases to truly be inspired by what they're doing you become Pete Townshend and play the same tired boring shit for 50 years to the numb and dumb. In a way Weller ensured that wasn't happening.  Think about it, The Beatles and The Jam are perhaps only the two hugely successful bands I enjoy who said 'No!" every time the dreaded "reunion" issue was brought up.  I think that in itself speaks for something.  That said it couldn't have been easy for Messrs. Foxton and Buckler to carry on the show after knowing a pink slip awaited them (as evidenced by the "T.O.T.P." clip below where they look well and truly pissed off as Weller practices his soul-less white boy dance moves looking naked without a Rickenbacker to hang onto).



For the past 30 years there's been that ugly topic of Jam reunions.  I think Paul fobbing off suggestions of a Jam reunion are funny given the fact that he was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" bashing out "Running On The spot" (the number the Jam opened with at the one and only gig I'd ever seen them do, Trenton War Memorial, May 1982) and peppers his sets with Jam tracks, but since he wrote all of them why the fuck not right?  For the longest time I was the world's biggest From The Jam basher. When they were due to come around I watched some live footage of them with some friends and we decided that for $17 it'd be worth it to check them out even if their lead singer is merely a first rate Paul Weller impersonator.  The tour was scrubbed though.....but I'm glad The Jam never reunited.  Band reunions are always spotty affairs that go go a variety of ways, all too often in a route that's not very positive. And I'm glad The Jam aren't on the list like that travesty out there now called The Zombies or one of those joke bands they never quit like the Rolling Stones.  I do feel for people who weren't old enough to see the real Jam or got into them too late or whatever the case may be but between Weller playing a set that's 10% Jam tunes and From The Jam playing at set that's 90% Jam tunes I think you can get an idea.  The Jam's break up wasn't the end of the world, it was a milestone in a way and a millstone for Paul Weller to shake.  Could The Jam have pulled off most of those early Style Council records? Indeed I'm certain, but I'm glad they didn't because I'll gladly take "Precious" (which I've kind of come to enjoy in bits...if I can blot out that Kenny G sax) any day over "The Money Go Round".

You can read about my Style Council experiences here and here and the most recent Weller gig I caught here.

October's Pick's

1. BRUCE FOXTON-"Senses Of Summer"
I'm a bit confused by Bruce's new "solo" LP as it's basically Bruce and his two band mates in From The Jam, so much so that their lead singer Russell Hastings sings nearly all of the tracks, including this groovy Mellotron laden number that comes across like "Sound Affects" era Jam meets Plasticland jamming with The La's!


2. GENERATION X-"The Invisible Man"
One of the few tracks chopped off the American edition of their untitled debut LP (and replaced by lots of powerful 45 rpm A-sides) is this number that I've taken an instant like to it's '65 Who via 1977.  People are always on about how "mod" The Jam were in comparison to the rest of the Class of '77 and too many times overlook the image of this band who's music was just as much, if not more "mod" to my ears.

3. THE CREATION-"How Does It Feel To Feel (U.K. Version Mono)"One of my fave tracks by The Creation has always been this menacing ode to nightmares and death with it's pop art barrage of guitar power, thundering drums, ominous droning groove (topped off by a very Hendrix inspired guitar solo...it was '67 after all) and catchy powerful chorus "how does it feel to feel..."

4. PETER & GORDON-"Morning's Calling"Lois and Mole Embrook turned me onto this one, not what you'd expect from these guys, a really jangly folk rock number that wouldn't be at all out of place on the first Association album!

5. THE MOONS-"Jennifer (Sits Alone)"
One of the several groovy tracks on the latest "Mojo" freebie CD "Move On Up" (which in most cases I bin immediately) is another number that like the Bruce Foxton track listed at #1 benefits from Paul Weller's studio and Mellotron.  There's something about this number that has snatches of '67 Hollies or Paul and Barry Ryan's "Two Of A Kind" album (which is never a bad thing) that just bowls me over!

6. SCOTT WALKER-"The Look Of Love"From Scott's horribly rare (never reissued) 1969 long player "Scott Walker Sings Songs From His T.V. Series" comes his take on the Dusty Springfield "classic", though not a patch on old black eyes version Scott manages to pull it off because, well he was a crooner and his A&R folks were no slouches (and in some instances were the very same people who worked with Dusty).

7. HARDIN & YORK-"Little Miss Blue"
One of the MANY great things about RPM's "Looking Back" 3 CD set from earlier this year is it widened my knowledge about quite a few bands I'd never heard music by before like this ex-Specncer Davis Group Mk. II offshoot duo of Eddie Hardin & Pete York.  It's soulful Hammond grooviness is not to far removed from the S.D.G's '66-'67 mod/r&b pre-pop psych sound and thus easy to get my head around.

8. OTIS REDDING-"Look At That Girl"
Every now and then I stumble upon something playing at Starbucks that boggles my mind and luckily the "Shazam" app on my phone identifies it for me immediately (usually then progressing to an iTunes visit to purchase said tune).  Case in point this, Otis Redding track I'd never heard before from his posthumous 1969 album "Love Man" which was actually cut in '67, brilliant stuff.

9. YUSEF LATEEF-"The Plum Blossom"
I just finished reading Pete Townshend's autobiography last week and he mentioned this tune that Cat Stevens had nicked for "I Love My Dog" and duly tracked out down.  It's a pleasant track from his 1961 LP appropriately titled "Eastern Sounds" that seems to fit Autumn perfectly with his exotic sounding Chinese flute. According to Pete Yusef now gets royalties from the Cat Stevens track!

10. WILKO JOHNSON-"Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window"
Dr. Feelgood's string puller leaves behind the Mick Green homage style to go almost jangly/Byrdsy in this spirited take on a Dylan tune from his solid rocking 1981 solo LP "Ice On The Motorway". Totally out of character but full of character!

Rudy's Dead

LITTLE GRANTS & EDDIE-Rudy's Dead/Everything Is Alright  U.S. President PT 107 1968

Filling the "we don't have a fucking clue" zone comes today's specimen.  This 1968 45 (1967 in it's original U.K. issue on President PT 159) is no doubt the work of Equals lead guitarist/song writer Eddie Grant.  One suspects by the title and credits that it was perhaps the case of fame opening the door for relatives.  I'd like to think Eddie called upon some younger siblings to make this record after he began riding high with The Equals.  But that as we say, is merely a stab in the dark.  Any enlightenment from those of you out there would be much appreciated.

"Rudy's Dead" sounds like a Musical Youth of 1968.  I don't mean that as a put down, it's certainly no "Pass The Dutchie" (and that my friends is a good thing).  What draws the comparison is the sound of the vocalists, they're obviously young kids but it's groovy with the spoken words (Prince Buster style) in patois about Rudy, who alas, is "dead and gone". The music has a distinct '67 rocksteady feel, but you can hear from the tone of the guitar that it's obviously Eddie Grant and perhaps his band mates and full on reggae, something The Equals would never dip their toes in. In fact the guitar line bears more than a striking resemblance to "Baby Come Back" in it's sounds.

"Everything is Alright" starts out with a groovy reggae-fied lick straight out of Stevie wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her" and sadly degenerates into a twee/fey number owing to the too youthful playground vocal antics of the Little Grants.  Grating.

I don't know if either side has ever been reissued, but copies of it, both U.S. or U.K. pressings seem fairly easy to come by.  They had one more single in the U.K. "Rocksteady '67" b/w "Bingo" (President PT 172 December 1967) which combines both the pro's of this A-side (good groove and Prince buster style toasting) and cons of the B-side (the childlike caterwauling).



Eddie Grant in between smelling the roses and producing Little Grants and Eddie.

Hear "Rudy's Dead":

http://youtu.be/a7qn2t-yw28

Hear "Everything Is Alright":

http://youtu.be/XtdTqjx2eQg

Ten of the Most Monster 60's British Mod/R&B Records

Okay I'm sure a lot of you will debate with me about "mod R&B".  I could have just called it British R&B but that would've left it open to the "other" type like The Pretty Things or the Soul Agents played.  I'm talking about the soulful sort of R&B played by British bands who not only talked the talk but walked the walk by looking as cool as the music they spouted.  It wasn't easy choosing ten tunes from a genre that vies with 60's British psychedelia for my all time hands down fave type of music to listen to but here it goes.....all selections are U.K. issues b.t.w.

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

1. THE LLOYD ALEXANDER REAL ESTATE-"I'm Gonna live Again" President PT 157 1967
Holy cow Batman! After a good 30 years of digging U.K. 60's mod-ish sounds I am consistently impressed that there are still tracks out there from the genre that I have never heard and this one is a perfect example. To me it perfectly encapsulates everything "mod": soulful horns, ska rhythms, groovy Hammond, powerful key changes. strong backing vocals and poppy yet assertive lead vocals. Magic. Pure magic.

http://youtu.be/Idgfxj5ZqYY

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

2. THE EYES OF BLUE-"Don't Ask Me To Mend Your Broken Heart" Deram DM 114 1967
No band better exemplifies this piece than these Welsh blue eyed soul belters who achieved just two brilliant 45's in this vein for Deram before getting heavy and going "progressive", a phrase that is the bane of mod/r&b in my (narrow) book. This was the flip of their final single, the much in demand soul stormer "Supermarket Full Of Cans".

http://youtu.be/nkL-DBAYyfo

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

3. THE QUIK-"Soul Full Of Sorrow" Deram DM 155 1967
All three of this band's 45's are smoking and all three of them will set you back quite a bit.  Best known for their Small Faces on dexy's Hammond instro classic "Bert's Apple Crumble" this was the flip of their third and final Deram 45 "I Can't Sleep" that perfectly mixes their sax/organ groove perfectly with just a sprinkle of freakiness.

http://youtu.be/n27C-CLMzWw

4. THE GASS-"Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" CBS 202647 1967
Yet another band with three excellent singles (among them a killer swipe at Jimmy Holliday's "The New Breed"), this was their third and final installment, a soulful reworking of Roy Orbison's hit redone with sassy horns and organ underpinnings.

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

5. THE RICHARD KENT STYLE-"Go Go Children" Columbia DB 7964 1966
Angel trumpets and devil's trombones!  This single is the archetype example of where soulful mod r&B met the sinister side of freakbeat.  The horns are like a mutant clarion calling on the freaks in the mod scene to come out from their crevices and groove, the "My Generation" of the "out crowd" generation with it's looping bass line, "Hall Of The Mountain King" style horns and ballsy vocal delivery.

http://youtu.be/wKmx3-mn0AY

6. THE LOOSE ENDS-"Taxman" Decca F12476 1966
I've no idea who these guys were but their take on the fabulous Fab Four "Revolver" track has the danceable organ groove of the Spencer Davis Group and the sneering punkiness of an early Who record (with SOUL!). Their second and final single, released the very same days as the LP it was taken from!

http://youtu.be/1lNGy2645YQ

7. THE BUNCH-"We're Not What We Appear To Be" CBS 202506 1967
Though from the year of all things psychedelic, and these lot certainly dipped their oars in the great pop-psych lake on their latter CBS 45's, though the first two (this was the second) firmly embraced a good dose of soul mod r&b with Hammond and horns.  This track is an essential "go-go" ode to night life and all things flash and stylish delivered like The Animals circa '66 being backed by Georgie Fame's horn section.

http://youtu.be/0RsaYLUxcj0

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

8. THE ELASTIC BAND-"8 1/2 Hours Of Paradise" Decca F 12815 1968
True these cats were a bunch of longhairs who released a pretty heavy Decca/Nova LP in later days but their two Decca 45's are precision produced hand clapping, Hammond, mod soul.  Have a listen and tell me I'm wrong!

http://youtu.be/Skshd36hozk

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

9. DOUBLE FEATURE-"Baby Get Your Head Screwed On" Deram DM 115 1967
From the pen of fellow Deram artist Mr. Cat Stevens comes this groover with horns, soulful piano/vibes, bongos, strings and even a fuzz guitar chiming with the sax! This was their first release and never fails to disappoint in my book!

http://youtu.be/X-WuDK8nU7g

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

10. THE UNIVERSALS-"Green Veined Orchids" Page One POF 049 1967
A brilliant bit of Small Faces second album styled "soulful psych" ("psych" in lyrics only as this number packs a powerful horn section).  Both of this bands Page One 45's are worth picking up in the ghost of a chance you have of finding them.  This is my favorite of them both!

http://youtu.be/Awn7_5DcunE

Cool Foreign E.P.'s Part 46: Wet Seats In The Front Row!

THE MERSEYBEATS-"Merseybeats On Stage" Long Tall Sally/I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry/Shame/You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover U.K. Fontana TE 17422 1964

Geno! Geno! Geno! Geno!

GENO WASHINGTON AND THE RAM JAM BAND-Water/Understanding/HI! Hi! Hazel/Beach Bash PYE France PNV 24178 1966 

Geno Washington. 60's American "legend" on the British 60's night life club circuit.  Darling to soul happy British mods (often deprived of the "real thing").  Subject of Dexy's Midnight Runner's 1980 45 anthem/tribute "Geno" (and first brought to my attention in a 1980 music magazine article on Dexy's).  You don't meet a lot of Geno Washington fans.  To many (myself included) he was a product of a fearful British record label that knew they didn't have a ghost of a chance of matching American soul/r&b hits and in a sometimes shoddy manner decided they would issue their own "homegrown" version, unfortunately more times then often this involved inferior versions of American stormers.  In a way I felt bad for the British mod/soul 60's fanatics.  Here in the States we had Motown/Stax/Chess acts live galore.  They got a couple of Motown and Stax package tours and Geno butchering "She Shot A Hole In My Soul".

Unlike fellow American ex-pat ex servicemen working the U.K. circuit like Herbie Goins, Geno didn't really have the pipes.  I often wonder if John Schroeder and the people at Piccadilly were like "He's black and he's an American, that'll do, find him a tight backing band and we'll run with it". A lot of his material was often third rate covers of American soul tracks "You Got Me Hummin'" for example (or the above mentioned painful Clifford Curry track).  Live his backing band were the shit as they say: tight, wailing, but again for all his enthusiasm Geno wasn't much of a front man in the lead vocal department.  His vinyl studio sessions expose the flaws in his even more.

Today's copy was his first French E.P. (actually once owned by the DJ Emperor Rosko! See scan below) that compiled his first two Piccadilly U.K. 45's : "Water"/"Understanding" (Piccadilly 7N 35312, April 1966) and "Hi Hi Hazel"/"Beach Bash" (Piccadilly 7N 35329, July 1966) .

"Water" has a solid backing and Geno's voice isn't bad.  Geno himself swore that his recorded live gigs were always better than the studio sessions but I beg to differ.  Without John Schroeder's guiding hand in the studio (he produced virtually all of their 60's studio sessions for Piccadilly/Pye) things were toned down and his voice was kept in check, live he could go beyond his already modest limitations.  "Understanding", not to be confused with The S.F's gem of the same name is my fave on the E.P.  With a nice organ/sax groove backing it on top of a pumping bass line it's easily danceable and well within Geno's ability.  "Hi Hi Hazel" is possibly one of the worst songs ever written. no matter who's doing it's an abomination: Gary & The Hornets, The Troggs, Geno and the boys included....  "Beach Bash" is better known to everyone as "Bush Bash" by The Markeys .  My assumption is that in the spirit of the 60's with Geno having a sizable mod contingent following in light of of the Brighton/Clacton/Margate punch up's it would be clever to rename the number "Beach Bash".  Whereas the original relies on a soulful organ beginning lapsing into a jazzy sax bit then Steve Cropper's twangy Telecaster string pulling The Ram Jam Band pump it up a bit (dexy's?) and leave out the organ solo making it a showcase for the bands twin saxophone attack that resembles a '79 ska record and the guitarist giving it a little Link Wray action before, interestingly swinging the whole band into a ska rhythm!

Geno Washington & Co. rocking out at their home base, The Marquee 1966

All four of the E.P.'s tracks can be found on a variety of CD's. I have them on a double CD "My Bombers My Dexy's My Highs:The Sixties Studio Sessions", which though two discs is a bit much Geno for anyone, can be found on the cheap quite easily.

Witness the mediocrity that is "Hi Hi Hazel":

http://youtu.be/Ei7wYtj5vYQ

"Water":

http://youtu.be/JQSjxl0T2Fg

"Beach Bash":

http://youtu.be/pDwUqdmXqE0

The Autumn Of Love: The Troggs

THE TROGGS-Love Is All Around/When Will The Rain Come U.S. Fontana F-1607 1967

I usually get a lot of stick for liking certain tunes that have been played too many times. One of them is The Troggs "Love Is All Around". Sadly it's all too often lumped in with all of that "Summer of Love" headbands and hippy shit. But for four lads from Andover they were having none of it.  In "Mojo" the man himself Reg Presley mused

"I got back from America, I smelt the Sunday lunch cooking, phawwww, after about 25 years on burgers, I kissed my wife, my little daughter, four years old. We went into the lounge and those Salvation Army girls, The Joystrings, were on television banging their tambourines and signing something like "love,love, love".  I went over to turn it off, knelt down and got a bass line in my head and I got it."

Regardless of how dreadful it's become thanks to a version by some crap 90's band that somehow became a staple of every equally crap wedding (Had it played at your wedding?  You're a knob!) the number still resonates with me. I remember the first time I bought a 45 of it (see above) the first thing that got me were the strings.  Amazing.  The melody, the bass line and those damned chilling strings get me every time and I'm back watching the sun set in that rinky dink little room on the second floor with Continental soldier wall paper and fold up stereo watching the sun set through a drafty old window.  And the band made a wiggy little promo film that summed it all up; weird, sunny, leering, foil coated spirit of '67 (no one had Hendrix perms luckily!).

Love is all around for Pete Staples, Reg Presley steals a kiss....

Flip it over and you've got a powerful number which despite my owning this 45 since the mid/late 70's I did not get my head around until at least ten years ago! "When Will The Rain Come" marks Ronnie Bond's vocal 7" debut.  He also penned the number.  Delivered beneath a hypnotic almost raga scale style guitar and deep near Gregorian chant vocals it's unlike anything you've ever heard those fellas do, I think, to a degree that's where it's charm lies.

Both sides are available in a variety of places, I suggest the CD reissue of their LP "Cellophane" (issued in tandem with the following LP "Mixed Bag"). We here at "Anorak Thing" would like to wish lead singer Reg godspeed in his battle against lung cancer and hope he's in remission and out there belting them ouit once again!

U.K. issue

Hear "When Will The Rain Come":

http://youtu.be/RuEPEb-1XJs

Donovan, dried banana peels and my intro to flower power.

DONOVAN-Mellow Yellow/Sunny South Kensington U.S. Epic 5-10098 1966

What we have here is a much treasured item from my childhood that I've managed to hang onto. Back in 1977 or so my friend was happy to share his dad's battered and forgotten 45's with me (though I'm not sure why they were so "VG" or "VG-", the singles were only 11 years old, my Embrooks 45's are that old and still in tip top shape! Guess his folks, like mine, weren't much on record care).  In my pursuit of all things British I came into possession of this.  My first Donovan 45 was a reissue on Epic's "Memory Lane" label where they'd paste two hits on a single with a suitably hippy flower label (see below).  My mind was blown and my little stereo (if you could call it that, a turntable that flipped down between to speakers and all folded up like a suitcase) played "Mellow Yellow" 24/7.  I played it for everyone.  My mother's eldest sister (my favorite aunt) was unimpressed (older and not a rock n' roll fan she remarked "I liked this better when it was "I'm Just Wild About Harry" intimating that Donno nicked it), most of my friends thought it was "weird" but this idiot son of a mom's friend (one of those awkward childhood things where two friends decided their children should be friends too) decided there was something to the lyrics and soon someone told him it was about smoking dried banana peels to get high.  Later on his mom complained to mine that she'd found banana peels under his bed that he admitted he was drying to "smoke like the song *****  ****** played me".  The older and wiser, savvy girl Pam up the street assured us it was about a vibrator ( I wasn't old or cheeky enough to ask Pam for a demonstration).  I decided I'd ask my Uncle Bill, who was married to my dad's only sibling (who herself had contributed a bevvy of 60's "British Invasion" 45's to my "cause").  He was a hip guy with wiry hair and a Fu Manchu, not unlike a 1968 Roy Wood.  He assured me that all of these were incorrect and that if I really liked the song it should be about whatever I wanted it to be about because "as way out as Donovan was he'd probably want it that way too". Fair enough!

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com/

Well let's cut to the song . "Mellow Yellow" was Donovan's second U.S. single as the "new Donovan" having ditched his folkie, boho denim Dylan bit and got with it. Released in the States in October '66 (Britons would have to wait till February '67 to hear it due to some litigation issues) it rode the crest of new progressive British records that wasn't beat music and mop top haircuts, this was proto flower power. With some brilliant brass work care of the mighty arranging skills of John Paul Jones Donovan takes us on a trip that's one third Swinging London proto hippy, one third jazz/beatnik hipster and one third kiff cloud magic (magik?) as he sings in a laid back "couldn't-give-a-shit" tone. There's even a "guest" bit by Macca who can distinctly be heard uttering "yell-o" in the break in the bit where the sound of party revelry can be heard (from smoking too much dried bannana skins?) during the brilliant brass segment. Regardless of what it is about people here in the States dug it, heavily, and it went to #2 in the pop charts.

Another still from the great lost wiped from the BBC footage category

On the flipside we have the brilliant "Sunny South Kensington", one of my favorite Donovan tracks where he name checks Jean Paul Belmondo, Mary Quant and Allen Ginsberg whilst mentioning Cromwell Road and Portobello, all delivered in rapid fire beat poetry prose style singing.  The track is driven along by some kitschy harpsichord and a funky organ solo that fades into a groovy bit of bluesy ivory tinkling.

Both sides are available on the indispensable "Mellow Yellow" LP (also available in "deluxe" edition with alternate mixes, etc).

British pressing c/o
http://www.45cat.com/

Hear "Sunny South Kensington":

http://youtu.be/tCkDbGvvqz0

The Who: Quadrophenia - Can You See the Real Me? (documentary)

The West Pier, Brighton photo courtesy of Lois Wilson

Last night in 500 places around the country North Americans were treated to a special one night only engagement in theaters for the screening of an hour and a half long documentary on The Who's 1973 LP "Quadrophenia". I suspect it has already been shown in the U.K. as until yesterday an hour long version with a BBC logo in the corner was on YouTube, it has since been withdrawn thwarting my efforts to link it here!

I duly set out to a nearby theater with my three faithful chums to see what it was all about.  I was pleasantly surprised.  With Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey (and archival footage of the late John Entwistle) telling the story of the original LP it was enjoyable on their recollections alone.  And is it me (for a moment, for a moment) but is Pete slowly morphing into Donald Pleasance? What sweetened it was a variety of things.  There was loads of original 60's footage of mods being interviewed, shopping for clothes, dancing and even the moron element in Brighton on scooters and fighting rockers. There was even a snippet of Mickey Finn & The Blue Men playing their ska'd version of Bo Diddley's "Pills" live in the 60's!!  There was legendary mod Irish Jack sitting in a pie and mash shop with Pete and "Mods"/"Maximum R&B" author Richard Barnes chatting about mod (both figure quite frequently on their own in the documentary with Jack even walking you through the former location of the famous Goldhawk Social Club).  Original 60's mods and longstanding "Who family" associates Bill Curbishley (manager) and John "Wiggy" Wolff (tour manager) are on hand to discuss the 60's mod scene and the band's disillusionment and subsequent disengagement from herion addled managers Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert. Curbishley is seen wearing a nice pale purple cashmere v-neck, inspiring me to go out and order one this morning! Original LP engineer Ron Nevison and Pete Townshend alternately play various mixes of the album and highlight certain pieces of its songs . Photographer Ethan Russell is on hand with lots of discussion on the LP's original photo booklet and the  "model" who played "Jimmy" (aka "Chad", real name Terry Kennett who passed away last year) as well as two ladies who featured as mod girls in the photos.  Best of all no Bono, who's pretty much a required fixture in most rock n' roll documentaries. Add lots of great footage of Brighton and the Palace Pier and of course the actual songs themselves and you've got a great little documentary which will hopefully be available elsewhere. If you're a mod or ever were one or a Who fan I highly suggest you check it out.

It's also been recently announced that The 'Oo are taking to the road again to play the entire LP in honor of it's 40th anniversary kicking off on November 1st and running into 2013.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-who-announce-37-date-quadrophenia-tour-20120718

It's Easy: 10 Great Easybeats Tracks

My fave 60's band from Downunder will always be The Easybeats. Led by diminutive lead singer Stevie Wright, the band featured guitarists (and the band's songwriters) Harry Vanda and George Young (older brother of future AC/DC brats Angus and Malcom and younger brother of Alex aka George Young of the band Grapefruit), Dick Diamonde on bass and Snowy Fleet on drums (later replaced in 1967 by Tony Cahill of Aussie ravers The Purple Hearts) they cut a slew of singles and LP's from 1965 to 1969. There will always be a warm spot in my heart for that magical U.S. United Artists 45 (see below) that came into my hands as a 60's obsessed pre-teen setting off my intro to them and seeing as they haven't gotten much press here I figured it was time to give them some............

On "Ready! Steady! Go!" 1966

1. "Sorry"
My first hearing of this was NOT the original, but a version by The Three O'Clock, though I duly went out in early 1984 and purchased the amazing Rhino LP comp. "Friday On My Mind:The Best Of..." and immediately my mind was suitably blown by this catchy bit of power pop/mod magic.

http://youtu.be/Arw-a1hq63U

2. "The Shame Just Drained"
This track was left over from a session towards the end of their career it's one of my faves despite being somewhat rough with some killer high noted harmonies and some nice solid bass. Not bad at all for a throwaway track and later the title track for an Easybeats LP compilation of rarities and curios.

http://youtu.be/jAAtBumRvLg

3. "Friday On My Mind"
Ah back where it all began.  There are many other numbers by them that are better than this (as you can read) but it's still the song that introduced me to them and in the 80's/90's as a healthy young man an anthem of sorts as dating always involved going to see a girl in a city.

http://youtu.be/NSowZcvoqr4

4. "It's So Easy"
Way back when (1987-1988 to be exact) I was in a band who later became The Insomniacs.  Our lead singer and a good friend of mine David Wojciechowski introduced this Merseybeat style "beat ballad" to us at rehearsals from his well played copy of their debut LP "Easy".  I didn't like it at first but it grew on me and still reminds me of us rehearsing in my tiny bedroom at my parents house.

http://youtu.be/Jmrwb6ofm88

5. "Goin' Out Of My Mind"
This 1966 monster came into my life courtesy of the essential 60's Aussie various artists "Ugly Things" LP's in the mid 80's. This is a stormer in total Kinks/Troggs fashion and later a staple of many an Insomniacs set. It still has power and vitality to it 27 years later with it's Kinks style power chords, incessant/catchy riff and typical high backing vocals.

http://youtu.be/3yYd9o53NI8

Late era 1968 with ex-Purple Heart Tony Cahill second from left in the back with shades

6. "Falling Off The Edge Of The World"
The band cut a few soppy ballads (like the abysmal "Hello How Are You?" which this tune was the flip side of) and it wasn't exactly their best genre but I'll make an exception for this one because it's so magnificent.  It's high harmonies, excellent key changes and jaded lyrics ("and even the children see that you don't stay respectable now")  all work. Pretty heavy stuff from a bunch of guys in their early 20's.

http://youtu.be/K8Yi0tcSuOI

7. "Fancy Seeing You Here"
Another late era track from their '68 LP "Vigil" (their last) with some jangly/melodic guitar work that sits right up front and strikes me easily as one of their most memorable riffs with layers of their well honed high pitched backing vocals.

http://youtu.be/3ndale07h0Q

8. "Good Times"
From it's catchy, soulful intro (with vocal help from Steve Marriott) this number is a non stop groover and easily the closest they ever got to soul/r&b.  Maybe it's the cowbell, or the subtle 12 string or Marriott's raw backing vocals on the chorus but this number sounds like what you'd have gotten if the Who jammed with the Spencer Davis Group.

http://youtu.be/3ndale07h0Q

9. "Saturday Night"
Gritty and almost leering, lead singer Stevie Wright sounds like that juvenile delinquent punk on the corner as he lazily drawls the tale of a goddess who just appeared on the pavement before him beneath catchy /incessant "na na na" backing vocals, powerhouse drumming, Who/Kinks power chords and high Who/Creation/Kinks style backing voices all reaching a crescendo amidst the hushed middle bit.

http://youtu.be/RxXytwsM300

10. "Pretty Girl"
Found on the flip of the mediocre "Heaven And Hell" this Shel Talmy production (he recorded several tracks with the band in the U.K. in '66-'67) starts with layers of cool Merseybeat style harmonies with the playing and vocals becoming more intense as the track goes on with the oft mentioned groovy Who style backing vocals.

http://youtu.be/vBkeuUARSqM

Jon Lord-R.I.P.

Today I learned that the legendary organist Jon Lord passed away.  Jon Lord was the very first British 60's organist I was impressed with, long before I'd discovered Graham Bond, Brian Auger, Zoot Money and was only scratching the surface on my Georgie Fame schooling.  Back in 1985 I became a devotee of Lord's 60's r&b outfit The Artwoods like many other of my friends thanks to Edsel's Artwoods compilation LP "100 Oxford Street". And it would be his treatment of a great deal of U.S. 60's r&b/soul/jazz organ numbers that would give me these tracks first exposure, ultimately leading me to seek out the originals.  After The Artwoods Jon Lord moved onto fame and fortune with heavies Deep Purple. Unlike the current crop of modernists who are all things "heavy" (as in "heavy, man") 1970's I don't really concern myself with what Mr. Lord did after the third Deep Purple album "III".

In his honor I've picked a few tracks for you where his organ playing shines, read on and rest in peace Jon Lord (all releases U.K. unless otherwise noted):

1. THE ARTWOODS-"Goodbye Sisters" A-side single Decca F 12206 1965
Leading off the band's third 45 Lord's subtle organ work breaks into a jazzy little solo halfway through the track.  It's restrained and totally at odds with everything else in the charts in August 1965 with the exception of Brian Auger.

http://youtu.be/qC7yTOTq34A

2. THE ARTWOODS-"Be My Lady" L.P.  track "Art Gallery" Decca LK 4830 1966
I will own up and admit my first airing of this tune came via The Artwoods.  Lord and Co. pump it up a bit and play it considerably faster (providing a template for The James Taylor Quartet version some 20 years later). It's not so much of a cover as an interpretation and Lord's organ playing is more "churchy" sounding than Booker T's.

http://youtu.be/oB3AsWjGMhw


3. THE ARTWOODS-"Things Get Better" LP track "Art Gallery" Decca LK 4830 1966
Covering Stax tracks without encroaching on full on blasphemy in my book is no easy feat.  What makes this Eddie Floyd cover is Lord's playing. There's no organ on the original and it's mostly driven by horns.  The Artwoods version relies of Lord's groovy Hammond and guitarists Derek Griffith's fuzz guitar to carry it through.  Lord plays the horn breaks with swirling organ with stellar results.

http://youtu.be/rMZexGaGY8c

E.P. sleeve scan c/o Reynaldo Moldonando

4. THE ARTWOODS-"A Taste Of Honey" E.P. track "Jazz In Jeans"  DFE 8654 1966
One of the crown jewels of the band's rare as hell "Jazz In Jeans" E.P. comes the bands instrumental take on "A Taste Of Honey", amid Griffith's Wes  Montgomery style licks Lord's tasty Hammond dominates the track.  I'm not sure whether it was inspired by another similar version or if this arrangement was all the band's own but regardless it's magical.

http://youtu.be/XrEMkmzIlnw

5. THE ARTWOODS-B.B.C. Session "Saturday Club" May 13, 1967
By the time The Artwoods cut this "Saturday Club" session they were truly behind the ball and falling fast.  They'd been dropped by Decca after a staggering three year run with 5 singles, an E.P. AND an LP and picked up an option with Parlophone who'd released what would be their final 45 ("What Shall I Do"/"In The Deep End", Parlophone R 5590) as The Artwoods a month earlier (another single would follow for Fontana as The St. Valentine's Day Massacre in November but that's another story). In the session the band serve up a somber "What Shall I Do" but it's their Otis Redding inspired version of "Day Tripper" and Billy Preston's "Steady Gettin' It" where Lord's Hammond virtuoso shines, clearly carrying the water for a band that was sadly, commercially past it.

http://youtu.be/pZHpFuWv4Nw

The Artwoods at home base (The 100 Club) with Lord at the far right.

6. SANTA BARBARA MACHINE HEAD-"Rubber Monkey" LP track "Blues Anytime Volume Three" Immediate IMLP 019 1968
In November 1968 the world first heard of the result of when Birds (and future Creation men) Ron Wood and Kim Gardener (bass) convened in Decca's studio in late 1966 with Lord and In Crowd (later to morph into Tomorrow) stick man John "Twink" Alder on an Immediate budget compilation album. By then Wood was in The Jeff Beck Group (before again crossing paths with Gardener in The Creation), Lord was in Deep Purple and Twink was now a Pretty Thing.  Written by Lord and arranger/producer Gus Dudgeon (who'd recently began work engineering what would become David Bowie's debut LP) the number provides an excellent bridge between Lord's Booker T/Jimmy Smith/Billy Preston inspirations and his own personal style that would become a firm trademark for his next band, Deep Purple.

http://youtu.be/TcFzXJXJGxg

45 sleeve scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

7. DEEP PURPLE-"One More Rainy Day" B-Side single Parlophone R 5708 1968
Tucked away on the flip side of the band's June 1968 debut "Hush" comes this original Lord penned with the band's then vocalist Rod Evans.  Amid layers of multi tracked organ Lord takes his playing up a notch with classical trills replacing jazzy ones. No longer aping American B-3 players the man clearly his own sound going and this is one of the tracks that defined it.

http://youtu.be/ey51xrqQWeQ

8. DEEP PURPLE-"And The Address" LP track "Shades Of Deep Purple"  Parlophone PMC/PCS 7055 1968
The maniacal opening track to the first Deep Purple LP is this Lord/ Ritchie Blackmore original that kicks the guts out of you the first time you hear it. Lord's organ licks spin around your head till they're practically floating in the air no doubt spawning a host of both imitators and admirers.

http://youtu.be/Jt2W1MGwrwM

9. DEEP PURPLE-"Emmaretta" A-side single Parlophone R 5763 1969
Setting a guitar/organ groove that along with "Hush" practically invented the whole Manchester indie organ scene's trademark, this 1969 single fully pumps it up into "heavy" turf. It's an original by Lord/Blackmore and Evans and in my book the last good thing they did on 45.

http://youtu.be/LAOVsS7D-ng


10. DEEP PURPLE- "Exposition:We Can Work It Out" LP track "The Book Of The Taliesyn" Harvest  SHVL 751 1969
From their second long player comes this two part number that begins, interestingly, with a track titled "Exposition" where Lord weaves some insane organ trills before it all lapses into a proper savaging of The Fab Four's "We Can Work It Out".  Lord's playing on the latter is somewhat restrained, but only just, many time appearing like an animal that might just burst it's cage.
http://youtu.be/aPRwZ4Q6_BQ

Professor emeritus of the B-3, rest in peace sir.