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| RAY CAMERON-Doing My Time/Gateway Getaway Car U.K. Island WI-6003 1967 |
Here's one to file under "I have no f*cking idea who this is". Here's an interesting little r&b-ish 45 that was released on Island in 1967. Both sides lyrically carry a sort of crime/prison theme ("Doing My Time" and "Gateway Getaway Car").
"Doing My Time" starts with some clanking chains and fuzz guitar before launching into a jaunty tongue and cheek number that reminds me of late r&b era '66 Zoot Money and The Big Roll Band and Herbie Goins & The Nightimers thanks to it's horns. The break consists of the lead singer reading a football results style report of prison escapes: "and now here are the final escapes for this week: Dartmoor -4 Wormwood Scrubs-2, Liverpool -2 Strangeways-2, Pentonville -3 Brixton -1...".
"Gateway Getaway Car" is a Mose Allison via Georgie Fame style number with a tasty sax/guitar lick on top of some clever lyrics about a getaway car. It sounds more like a classic '64-'65 British Flamingo club r&b record, not at all what you'd expect for something in 1967!
Both sides were written by Ray Cameron and our hero Alan "Mohawks" Hawkshaw and were produced by Island supremo Chris Blackwell and Jimmy Miller (who produced a slew of excellent 45's on Island before moving on to produce the Rolling Stones). Neither has been comped anywhere to my knowledge and I am of course always grateful if any of you could tell me more about Ray Cameron or this record! There was a Canadian born British based comedian in the 60's/70's named Ray Cameron, could it be the same person?
Hear "Doing My Time":
https://youtu.be/N7KA1Hy0mg0
Hear "Gateway Getaway Car":
https://youtu.be/umQWz2kQHII
1 comment:
The reason for the football scores break was a spate of high-profile prison escapes in very late 1966 which led to some lags (or perhaps wags) compiling them into two football-style league tables. So it would have been a very topical record back in January 1967. Nice find.
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