May's Picks

So we've decided to give our monthly picks the Summer off so this will be the last one until September (view it as a school vacation of sorts)! But stick around, we'll be back!

 

1. RONNIE LANE-"The Poacher"
There's a host of post Faces Ronnie Lane brilliance but none as powerful and sweet as "The Poacher" which sadly stalled at #36 in the Summer of '74 and was sadly his last chart appearance. Dig the above live clip from 1976 from the U.K. show "Supersonic".

2.  THE SELECTER-"(Who Likes) Facing Situations"
The Selecter were always my least favorite of the '79 ska bands, and I like their second album "Celebrate The Bullet" even less but one day while cooking I had my iPod on shuffle and this track came on and I cocked an ear and even played it twice!

https://youtu.be/x0e00P7Gv4A

3. TUTTI HILL-"He's A Lover"
Here's a nice little r&b obscurity on the tiny New York Arock label. It's a slow ballad but I dig it and it reminds me a lot of the soulful sides Sue was putting out in '62-'64.

https://youtu.be/fXmZCPQjqlw

4. JIMMY CROSS-"I Want My Baby Back"
After nearly three decades of enjoying The Downliner's Sect version I finally stumbled upon the original tongue and cheek death/car crash track! The Downliner's version is pretty much a note for note version and though I still prefer it it's cool to hear the original.

https://youtu.be/Zo8DhbQw_O4

5. THE HOLLIES-"Too Many People"
From their untitled 1965 LP the Hollies turn out an original that's part folk rock and part beat music.  It's subtle with just acoustic guitars, bass and mild drums but of course is carried by their trademark precision harmonies and has a great groove to it.

https://youtu.be/HBbGSq0i15A

6. GENE SIMMONS-"Haunted House"
Local New Jersey heroes The Swinging Neckbreakers covered this one frequently back in the day and I finally got around to checking out the original.  Though I'm not 100% sure it was this version that they heard I still dig the mix of country and r&b on it.

https://youtu.be/fXmZCPQjqlw

7. BILLY JOE ROYAL-"Hush"
Though written by Joe South the first interpretation of this tune to hit the streets was this version by Billy Joe Royal from August 1967 which still has a certain charm for me.

https://youtu.be/QoJP65nAMGA

8. LYDIA MARCELLE-"Everybody Dance" 
Yet another obscure soul 45, this time from Atco records in 1965. It's a sweet mid tempo groover with a lead line that calls to mind "The Game Of Love".

https://youtu.be/vT7Vg3Ws0ck

9. ALEX HARVEY-"The Sunday Song"
This rare 1967 Decca single by Alex Harvey displays none of the usual blue eyed soul belter feel that you're used to from Mr. Harvey.  There's a gob iron solo but the rest of it sounds like your typically groovy obscure U.K. '67 pop psych 45!

https://youtu.be/POXBv166qEI

10. KEVIN AYERS-"Song For Insane Times"
From Ayer's legendary 1969 debut LP "Joy Of A Toy", "Song For Insane Times" is one of my faves from it.  Delivered in an almost detached manner that at times seems indifferent and others times heavily stoned, it's a stroke of mad genius.

https://youtu.be/VjhOK1uR4nc

Bonzos!

THE BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND-The Equestrian Statue/Intro To The Outro German Liberty 15 040 1967

The Bonzo Dog Band (or The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band as our subject is titled) first came into my life via my local college radio station with "Intro To The Outro" (though it would be a good two or three decades before I knew it was them) and then eventually I witnessed them performing "Death Cab For Cutie" in the Fab's "Magical Mystery Tour" TV program.  But it wasn't until back in the age of MySpace that my friend Tom Davis had this cool Pathe color film of this quintessential English sounding track by a band miming it at the famous London night spot The Speakeasy on his profile page (see below!) and it was none other than "The Equestrian Statue" by The Bonzos! I was interested, very interested. Later that year I was gifted their first two albums for Xmas and my Bonzos journey had begun.

"The Equestrian Statue", written and sung by future Rutle Neil Innes, is a cheeky piece of whimsical English pop psych with it's harpsichord and brass band.  It's like a collision between the Edwardian whimsy of the '67 Kinks or a track of off the first Bowie album. The lyrics, like most Bonzo's tracks, are witty and satirical.

"Intro To The Outro" is a hysterical piece narrated by the band's lead singer Vivian Stanshall where he introduces first the band members and the instrument they play (where then said instruments join in) . He then proceeds for the rest of the song with a hysterical list of celebrities on other instruments as the instruments themselves add to the cacophony : "Adolph Hitler looking very relaxed on vibes", "over there Eric Clapton, ukulele", "Kenneth Park sax, great honor sir.." and "digging General Charles DeGuaulle on accordion, rather wild sir!"etc.

Both cuts can be found on their 1967 debut LP "Gorilla".



Hear "Intro To The Outro":

https://youtu.be/hcrUuCDFLOQ

More U.K. Tracks On U.S. Labels: The Swinging Blue Jeans 3

THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS-Rumor, Gossip, Words Untrue/Now The Summer's Gone US Liberty 66225 1967

The Swinging Blue Jeans seventh U.S. single was the January 1967 issue of the November 1966 U.K. single "Rumors, Gossip Words Untrue" b/w "Now The Summer's Gone". It would be their next to last U.S. single, followed by September's "Something's Coming Along".

"Rumors, Gossip, Words Untrue" was first issued by New Jersey's own Knickerbockers in October 1966 on the flip of "Love Is A Bird" (Challenge 59341).  I must confess to preferring The Knickerbockers version as the vocals are far superior and the guitars have a cool raga feel where the Blue Jeans version is more bubble gum. Regardless the Blue Jeans version is still interesting as well as it doesn't deviate much from the original.

The band original "Now The Summer's Gone" reminds me a bit of The Association meets Gary Lewis & The Playboys with it's mid tempo melody, harmonies and light, laid back feel. It works, but only just barely.

Both sides have been compiled on the British "At Abbey Road" CD and the now out of print American "Hippy Hippy Shake: Definitive Collection"  CD.

Hear "Rumors, Gossip, Words Untrue":

https://youtu.be/gblp_hmMQyw

Hear "Now The Summer's Gone":

https://youtu.be/NXAZDESwOD0

More U.K. Tracks On U.S. Labels: The Hollies get butchered by Manny Kellem

THE HOLLIES-Jennifer Eccles/Try It US Epic 5-10298 1967

"Jennifer Eccles" ranks as one of my least favorite Graham Nash period Hollies tunes. Maybe it's the shrill, saccharine pop of it that's so sweet and sticky you can feel cavities growing every time you listen to it.  Maybe it's the out of place pedal steel guitar solo. And though I'm no fan of C,S,N & Y one wonders if crap like this didn't send Graham running west as fast as he could (it was his next to last Hollies 45). Issued in the U.K. in March 1968 (Parlophone R 5680) with "Open Up Your Eyes" on the flip it reached # 7. Issued here in the States one month prior it stalled at #40.

Hollies 1967 courtesy of http://dandyinaspic.blogspot.com

Of interest to me however is it's U.S. flip "Try It".  First issued on the U.K. album "Butterfly" (Parlophone PMC 7039, November 1967), "Try It" was not on the U.S. 1967 catch up album "Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse", a hodge podge of  singles tracks and cuts from the U.K. "Butterfly"  and tracks trimmed from their previous U.S. issue of the British long player "Evolution". "Try It" is by far the most psychedelic record The Hollies ever cut.  Starting with some backwards cymbals (sans the ominous outer space sound effects on this oddball U.S. mix)  Alan Clarke sings "travel by the silver light to a place that has no time, why don't you try it now". Clearly "Try It" was a clarion to all to become enlightened. Whats not specific is whether its a call to experience spiritual enlightenment or to ingest psychedelic substances and watch the walls breathe or maybe both.  One would suspect the band's in house hippie Graham Nash was behind the lyrics as its hard to imagine Allen Clarke or Tony Hicks coming up with anything so druggy and indulgent.  The U.S. single mix is interesting because Clarke's vocals (and Nash's) are single tracked and missing the reverb effect the U.K. version has and sound as though Clarke was down the hall from the mike and some of the spooky sonic effects are either absent in certain spots or toned down in others. Perplexing.  The label states "prepared for release in the U.S.A by Manny Kellem". Kellem was a U.S. A&R man with Epic so its safe to assume he's the brain surgeon who fucked with Ron Richards trippy masterpiece! Apparently he was also responsible for butchering U.S. releases by the Dave Clark Five as well.



Hear the U.S. 45 mix of "Try It":

https://youtu.be/fB6wURdVxoE

Hear the U.K. LP mix of "Try It":

https://youtu.be/VYtx3Ces0gI

The Move "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" promo film 1967

Before the perms and kaftans...classic mod Move!

More U.K. Tracks On U.S. Labels: David Bowie

DAVID BOWIE-Space Oddity/Wide Eyed Boy From Freecloud US Mercury 72949 1969

By 1968 David Bowie was a man without a label, being unceremoniously dumped by Deram after just three singles and his debut long player (two singles and one long player in the US).  Luckily by 1969 he was signed by Phillips/ Mercury and set about recording what would be his very first U.K. hit "Space Oddity" (his tenth 7" in five years of recording). First issued in Britain on July, 11, 1969 (as Phillips BF 1801) it would die a death and not chart until being relaunched again in September where it eventually clawed its way up to the very respectable #5 .  When issued in the U.S. in July it stalled at the dismal #124.  Bowie was backed by Junior's Eye's guitarist Mick Wayne, bassist Herbie Flowers, drummer Terry Cox and Rick Wakeman on Mellotron.  Bowie himself contributed the Stylophone, a small battery powered keyboard played with a stylus. It was his fourth U.S. 7" preceded by "Can't Help Thinking About Me" (Warner Brothers 5815, May 1966), "Rubber Band" (Deram 45-85009, June 1967) and "Love You Till Tuesday" (Deram 45-85016, September 1967).

The U.S. version was edited to 3:26 and differs from the U.K. issue with slight differences, especially in length as the British 45 is 4:23 long. What's most noticeable is the guitar solo punches in faster on the US mix doing away with some of the effects leading to it and the number quickly fades out after the solo with the ending descending guitar bits sweeping in much earlier than on the full length mix. I like it because it's rather different and because at times I find the original goes on a bit much.

The flip side, "The Wide Eyed Boy From Freecloud" was also whittled down considerably from it's original 4:51 down to 3:20. Not one of my favorites but still worth a listen.

The US version of "Space Oddity" was not reissued until a collection was put out for the track's 40th anniversary featuring not only the US 45 mix but a host of other versions, isolated backing tracks etc. The shortened version of  "The Wide Eyed Boy From Freecloud" cropped up on the 1989 Bowie box set "Sound + Vision".

Hear the U.S. 45 edit of "Space Oddity":

https://youtu.be/49MaBo3Ew0I

Hear "The Wide Eyed Boy From Freecloud":

https://youtu.be/gDCor7efUOc

More U.K. Tracks On U.S. Labels: Paul & Barry Ryan

PAUL & BARRY RYAN-Have You Ever Loved Somebody/I'll Tell You Later US MGM K13609 1966

Twins Paul & Barry Ryan were massive in Britain. Daughters of old showbiz elite Marion Ryan and stepsons of promoter extraordinaire Harold Davidson they were everywhere in Britain (so much so that Small Faces organist Ian McLagan complained that every tour they were on would almost always include the Ryan's). The Hollie's  composed "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" was the Ryans fifth single in Britain (Decca F 12494, September '66). It was launched in direct competition with The Searchers version (issued as Pye 7N 17170). The Hollie's recording would not appear until 1967 on their "Evolution" album (although they did back the Everly Brothers on a reading of it on their 1966 LP "Two Yanks In England").  Curiously neither The Ryans version OR The Searchers were smash hits with the twins placing at #49 behind the Searchers at #48! Here in the States it was the fourth release of an eventual six singles for MGM, none were hits and none reached the Top 100.

Speaking of The Searchers...interestingly enough The Ryans version was produced by none other than ex-Searchers drummer Chris Curtis (he also produced their previous 45, "I Love How You Love Me").  The Ryans version has always been my favorite, starting with some gritty, fuzz guitar and sliding seamlessly into strings (care of Ivor Raymonde who also produced the flip). There's a bit where the music goes quiet and one of the brothers sings a line acapella before it all kicks in again.  A tad schmaltzy for many, but I dig it.

"I'll Tell You Later" starts out with some sweeping/sawing strings playing an ominous Middle Eastern style melody with some gypsy guitars. At first it sounds like it's going to be really schlocky but The Hollies style vocal harmonies really make it catchy and the musical backing totally reminds me of The Hollies '67 orchestrated pop psych stuff!

Both sides are available on the now out of print German CD compilation of Repertoire "The Best Of Paul & Barry Ryan".

Hear "Have You Ever Loved Somebody":

https://youtu.be/HGNXE1sugf0