Von der Liverpool Die Liverbirds

 THE LIVERBIRDS-Peanut Butter/Why Do You Hang Around Me Germany Star Club 148 528 STP 1965

These days seeing an all female rock n' roll band is nothing at all out of the ordinary. Sure there are still the sexist comments about them having a boyfriend or husband who's in a band or the misogynistic attitude that it's all looks and no talent, but knuckledraggers aside in the 60's there weren't too many all girl bands who played on their own records. Certainly not in working class 1962 Liverpool, England where this group were formed. Comprised of the late Pamela Birch-lead vocals/guitar, Mary McGlory-bass/vocals, Valene Gell-guitar/vocals and Sylvia Saunders-drums they moved to Hamburg, Germany (already home to many Liverpool ex-pat rockers like The Remo Four and Lee Curtis, but to name a few) where they became quite successful. They were signed to the Star Club label where they cut two LP's and four singles, one of which, a cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy", went to #5 in the German charts.

The 7" in question here features a cover of the Marathon's 1961 track "Peanut Butter". It was their third of four singles recorded for the Star Club label. Oddly I can find no information to suggest any of their singles came out in the U.K. though this single received a U.S. pressing (Phillips 40288). "Peanut Butter" is a passable cover that pretty much sticks to the formula and is easily bested by the Big Three's version (Decca F 11752 1963). However it's the flip that provides a stroke of brilliance, an original written by lead singer Pamela Birch called "Why Do You Hang Around Me". It's moody beat-ballad with some cool backing vocals and a lovely little amped up guitar solo. The whole song has a bleak production that reeks of mid 60's dreariness: black and white, rain, stale pints and Woodbines with Pam singing from the point of view of a gal who's being used by her ex. It's probably the best "girl group" record ever made in my estimation, made even better by the fact that they wrote it, sang on it AND played it on it! Live the band were pretty raw and trashy as you can see/hear from the "Beat Club" clips below, no doubt influencing generations of trashy women rock n' roll combos (esp. in Medway with the Delmonas and The Headcoatees).

Both tracks were comped in the 90's on one of the "Girls In The Garage" LP series but I'm not 100% certain if they made it onto CD!

ADDENDUM:

In 2010 Ace records issued a CD compilation by The Liverbirds of all of their material titled "From Merseyside To Hamburg:The Complete Star Club Recordings"!

Hear "Why Do You Hang Around Me":

https://youtu.be/9bMnfQfUpgA

Hear "Peanut Butter":

https://youtu.be/ObSAczO6PME

Great 60's LP's: Them-Them Again

Them live May '66 @ the Whiskey A-Go-Go L.A., CA

THEM-Them Again U.K. Decca LK 4751 1966

SIDE ONE:

1. Could You, Would You

2. Something you Got Baby

3. Call My Name

4. Turn On Your Lovelight

5. I Put A Spell On You

6. I Can Only Give you Everything

7. My Lonely Sad Eyes

8. I Got A Woman

SIDE TWO:

1. Out Of Sight

2. It's All Over Now Baby Blue

3. Bad Or Good

4. How Long Baby

5. Hello Josephine

6. Don't You Know

7. Hey Girl

8. Bring 'Em On In

January 1966 saw the eighth line-up of British based Irish r'n'b act Them. It would rival the "Rock N' Roll Family Tree" book to try to chart who was in the band at this point so we'll suffice to say for those who've been in solitary confinement since 1964 that the band were led by one Van Morrison. The first month of 1966 also saw the release of the band's second LP, which would also be their last as they disintegrated after a U.S. tour that summer (see above photo from their three week long residency at Los Angele's famed Whiskey A- Go-Go).

"Them Again" is an interesting album as it was recorded with various personnel changes (and a number of sessions musicians including, it's alleged, Jimmy Page) and produced by U.K. artist/producer Tommy Scott . It's schizophrenic at best as it follows a variety of genres. Out of it's sixteen tracks only four are Van Morrison originals. The LP opens with Van's impressive tremolo guitar laced "Could You, Would You" and features probably his best vocal work ever, easily my favorite Them song. The guitar sounds ever so similar to "Here Comes The Night" (also see/hear the LP's "It Won't Hurt Half As Much"). Chris Kenner's "Something You Got" is next, fueled by some very tasty sax. Tommy Scott's "Call My Name" is next. The number is classic Them with mid tempo moodiness. It was later covered in August with good effect by the band's former Belfast comrades, The Wheels, who were also U.K. based by this point as the flip to their final 45, a cover of Paul Revere and The Raiders "Kicks" (Columbia DB 7918). A semi-spirited version of "Turn On Your Lovelight" is next. Listening to it you can easily imagine how this became an extended gig closer in the band's live set, but in the studio it is a tad restrained. Screamin' Jay Hawkin's "I Put A Spell On You" is next. Van and Co. turn it into a moody jazz piece with some scat vocals dueling with some mellow sax. Tommy Scott's fuzz guitar/Farfisa organ driven proto-garage anthem "I Can Only Give You Everything" is next. Killer stuff, the number began as a Beatstalker's instrumental "Bass Line" (Decca F 12460) written by Scott and lyrics were later added by one Bill Martin to become the number we're all familiar with today. Listen for the bass player plonking in the wrong key at around 2:02 into the number! Van's poignant "My Lonely Sad Eyes" follows with the LP's trademark vibrato/tremolo (albeit muted) guitar and some nifty acoustic guitar. Ray Charle's "I Got A Woman" is pointlessly boring. Merely filler.

Side Two opens with an equally useless soul cover, this one being James Brown's "Out Of Sight", next. Them's version of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" turned a generation of American garage bands onto Dylan (San Jose's Chocolate Watchband took note and recorded a carbon copy version) and one listen to the atmospheric quality of it shows how Van and the boys made it their own. Van's original "Bad Or Good' is a rollicking mid tempo call and response track that recalls The Impressions at their most uptempo. "How Long Baby" is a slower number with a tasty combo organ riff backed up by some subtle ivory tinkling, Van's impassioned vocals and a blistering tremolo guitar solo. Bert Bern's ballad "(It Won't Hurt) Half As Much" (later cut by Garnett Mimms) is next, bearing more than an uncanny similarity to Bern's "Here Comes The Night" previously released by the band as a 45 (Decca F 12094 March 1965), a slower number with an almost honky tonk feel. work . Fats Domino's "Hello Josephine" is next, instead of a mediocre version you'd expect it's helped out by a gritty little guitar solo over some bar room ivory tinkling. Tommy Scott's piano/flute lead jazzy masterpiece "Don't You Know" is next with classy results. The number further cemented the Wheels/Them connection as the former had recorded the version the previous year in September as the flipside to their version of "Gloria" (Columbia DB 7682). The flute crops again on's Van's brilliant "Hey Girl" that seems to anticipate the soulful singer/songwriter he'd soon be on the way to becoming. However this track is stellar without a trace of self indulgence. The album closes with Van's "Bring 'Em On In", a rocking number that would've no doubt made a good show closer as it can easily be imagined having room for "improvisation" at 3:42 long with punchy delivery and more scat/sax solo stuff!

The LP tanked, which no doubt had some small effect on Van's growing disenchanment with the group and it's management. All of it's tracks have been included on the indispensable 2 CD Deram collection "The Story Of Them Featuring Van Morrison". Hear "It's All Over Now Baby Blue": ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8aocyanYqc Hear "I Can Only Give you Everything": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtscUJHqHaA

THE TAGES 2nd LP

THE TAGES-2 Platina PALP 3002 LP Sweden 1966

SIDE A:
1. Dancing in The Street
2.I Still Remember
3. Guess Who
4. Get Out Of My Life Woman
5. Jealous Girl
6. In My Dreams

SIDE B:
1. Crazy 'Bout My Baby
2. I Got You (I Feel Good)
3. Dirty Mind
4. Those Rumors
5. Leaving Here
6. Go

Sweden's Tages are one of my favorite 60's bands of all time. I was introduced to them on a cassette tape from the legendary Ron Rimsite with their monster mod/rave up opus "The Man You'll Be Looking For". My first "cool" girlfriend played me a Swedish 2 LP compilation of their stuff, which I dug so much she passed on to me and through fellow 60's Euro aficionado Keith Patterson I was introduced to the rest of their material. In the space of their relatively short career (1964-1968) they encompassed a variety of styles/genres(all British inspired):beat music, r&b/freakbeat, "mod"/power pop, "Rubber Soul/Revolver" style pop, West Coast inspired pop and full blown psychedelic pop. Their 2nd LP falls in between their their mod/power pop phase and begins their flirtation with those two classic '66 Fab Four LP's. Like nearly all of the Swedish 60's pop groups all of The Tages material was sung in perfect English, so no language barrier for us Yanks!

"Tages 2" was launched in July 1966. By then the band had embraced their new "mod" image as evidenced by their near shoulder length hair vanishing in favor of center partings and bouffants and their British op-art gear like lead singer Tommy Bloom's Keith Moon style t-shirt seen on the front cover (he's second from the right). Also in keeping with their new mod image the album contained a variety of soul covers, most of which were sadly lifeless. This is no better exemplified than by the LP's opener, a cover of Martha and The Vandella's "Dancing in The Street" is lifeless. It is followed by a band original "I Still Remember", a somber/moody little ballad with some cool jangly arpeggios. "Guess Who", another group original, is mod/power pop/pop art Tages at their best. From it's thundering drum intro to a cacophony of feedback, distortion, slashing guitar and the Nicky Hopkin's style piano tinkling during the rave up it's brilliant pure Who via Gothenberg! An ill advised cover of Lee Dorsey's "Get Out Of my Life Woman" is next, not as soulless as the LP's other efforts thanks to some cool piano and a cheezy organ riff (not to mention some raw playing) but vocally it's still lacking. Next up is a total mod '66 punky cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates June 1964 single "Jealous Girl" amphetamine sped up and rocked out complete with a resonating main guitar riff, choppy rhythm chords and thrashing drums. Side A is closed out by another band original "In My Dreams", a folky piece akin the The Searchers more folky sides with acoustic guitars, bongos and some Medieval sounding woodwinds that are straight off of an 1966/1967 Donovan album. Side B is kicked off with "Crazy Bout My Baby" (incidentally their first single in England Columbia DB 8019) a tune that was once best described to me by someone "flamenco on speed", complete with a wiggy little skating rink organ solo! The soulless soul continues with an inept version of James Brown's "I Got You( I Feel Good)". Lucky this is quickly rectified by the next tracks. The next is a passable band original called "Dirty Mind" that has a country feel akin to The Fab Four covering Buck Owens with a bit of harmonica and a blistering twangy Merseybeat style guitar solo. "Those Rumors" is next, another Tages exclusive with a thumping beat not at all dissimilar to '66 pre-psychedelic Hollies and the band's trademark harmonies. Their version of "Leaving Here", like the Johnny Kidd cover is hepped up and no doubt came from hearing The Who cover it (The Tages had played with The Who on stage and TV shows in Sweden where The Who were extremely popular in '65-'67). It's not bad, delivered at double time and driven by a piano and with some thundering drums. "Go" is the closer, a two minute long band original that's sparse and is my fave track on the LP. It contains just bass, an acoustic guitar, vocals, bongos and some tastefully baroque harpsichord (with a harpsichord vs. acoustic guitar solo that I swear sounds like the melody of "The Prisoner" theme at times, impossible as the show did not air until a year later!). It's lyrics concern a loose girl who has broken a string of hearts causing the gentleman community to decide "we don't want to be toys in the game you play, so just listen what I have to say, we have bought you a ticket to Siberia and that's where we want you to stay". The main chorus features the "Rubber Soul" like harpsichord tinkling and the main chorus "we don't want you around us no more".

The LP has not been reissued on CD but it's tracks did turn up a number of years ago on a 29 track EMI CD compilation of their '66 material called "In My Dreams" (featuring a photo of the band in some mod and semi-hideous Swingin' London op art clobber). Though out of print it's still floating around at a decent price and is highly worth the investment.

Hear The Tages version of "Leaving Here":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6rOnoSZ0rc

Hear "Those Rumors":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s2f9qwP0Nw

Hear "Go":

https://youtu.be/0IX2eyiaBYQ

The Debut of the "Bowie" Moniker

DAVID BOWIE and THE LOWER THIRD-Can't Help Thinking About Me/And I Say To Myself U.K. Pye 7N.17020 1966

When we last left David Jones in August 1965 (see "Anorak Thing" December 19, 2009 entry) he and the Lower Third had issued a record. Fast forward to January 1966 and David Jones was now David Bowie. He was signed to a three record deal at Pye and assigned producer Tony Hatch (this was accomplished through his then manager Ralph Horton, an ex-Moody Blues road manager who through his mutual friend Denny Laine had met Hatch and pitched his act thus securing the Pye contract). The band duly set about recording at Pye's Marble Arch studio where legend has it Bowie was given a tambourine utilized on Hatch's smash "Downtown" by Petula Clark to use on the session.

David Bowie & The Buzz plug "Can't Help.."

on "Ready! Steady! Go!" March 4, 1966

There has long been documentation of Bowie's home life and he himself has admitted it was less than normal. "Can't Help Thinking About Me" is the first time it came out via one of his compositions and concerns the plight of a young protagonist leaving home for "blackening the family name". It has some interesting lines that one wonders weren't real (keeping in mind that in 1964 David had shoulder length blond hair and living at home in suburban Bromley with his mom and dad this must have raised some eyebrows. Bowie would continue to do so until moving to London in late 1966) : "mother says that she can't stand the neighbors talking. I've gotta pack my bags leave this home start walking...". . It starts out with some cool acoustic guitar and one of Bowie's best vocal performances where he croons confidently. It's probably also the only pop song to utilize the phrase "recreation ground". Lyrically it's also one of his finest "remember when we used to go to church on Sundays, I lay awake at night terrified of school on Mondays...". Powerful stuff with the Lower Third (Denis "Tea Cup" Talyor-lead guitar, Graham Rivens-bass and Phil Lancaster-drums) giving it some solid backing. The flip "And I Say To Myself" is an ode to the "wrong girl", slower than the A-side it's got an almost Motown feel to it with some cool "call and response" vocals between David and the boys.

Color still of D.B. on the March 4, 1966

edition of "Ready! Steady! Go!

It should've been a hit and despite a £250 pound bribe that secured it a #34 placing in the "Melody Maker" singles charts and a full page advert on the cover of "New Musical Express" the single went nowhere. Tired of not making any money and plugging away behind a singer who seemed to garner all the attention (and no doubt miffed at driving back from engagements on New Year's Eve and New Year's day at the Paris clubs Golfe-Drout and Montmarte Bus Palladium in the band's transport, an old Comer ambulance, while David flew home) it wasn't long before the band split after a January 29th gig. The #34 placing was enough to secure them a booking on Redifusion TV's "Ready Steady Go" on March 4th to promote it, where by this time David was being backed by The Buzz ( Derek Boyes-keyboards, John "Hutch" Hutchcinson-guitar, Derek Fearnley-bass and John Eager-drums). The Buzz sans Hutchinson (who would later rejoin Bowie in '68 in a trio called Feathers) provided musical backing for Bowie's debut Deram LP (see "Anorak Thing" October 9, 2008 entry). The band shared the show with The Small Faces and The Yardbirds and like most "RSG" episodes there is no footage in existence. There are however numerous still photos both color and black and white of the appearance, one of each can be seen above. "Can't Help Thinking About Me" was revived by '79 mod band The Purple Hearts on their debut LP "Beat That" and Bowie himself thought so much of it he performed it live on VH-1's "Storyteller's program in August 1999.  It's also the very first David Bowie record to be issued in the United States where it was issued by Warner Brothers (5815) in the spring of 1966.  Both promo and stock copies were issued with the promo copies being more prevalent among collector's these days.

Hear "Can't Help Thinking About Me":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgBe8NL1818

Hear "And I Say To Myself":

https://youtu.be/hVKWsx3l4r0

US white label promo "A"

US white label promo "B"

The more uncommon US stock issue "A"

The more uncommon US stock issue "B"

Two Sides Of Dusty

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD-How Can I Be Sure/Spooky U.K. Phillips 6006 045 1970

No need to waste your time or my space telling you all about Dusty Springfield here. This was my last fave record by her and is probably also my fave by her! The idea of having both the A and B side as covers of hits by other artists is fairly novel in itself, but being Dusty she pulls them both off.

Her reading of The Rascal's 1967 hit "How Can I Be Sure" works. I've always thought Felix Cavaliere's delivery was a bit "feminine sounding" so who better to cover it than Dusty? Her version is not only vocally stronger it's musically fuller. The accordion has a more distinctly "Left Bank" feel and like all of her records the backing is strong. You can almost bet there were some heavy players on the session. On the flip we have her take of The Classics IV's 1968 hit "Spooky" (and also covered in the U.K. by Gary Walker and The Rain as Polydor 56237 in Feb. '68). If any of you've ever seen the film "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels" you can attest to Dusty's versions power when it slots in nicely in one particular scene. The mild/muted keys and the softened almost Stax/Atlantic style horns (playing what almost sounds like the riff from "Ninety Nine And A Half (Won't Do)") combined with her sultry delivery make this one of her best performances, subtle but still great.

Both sides have been on a host of Dusty CD compilations so neither is terribly hard to find and I'm certain they're both available on iTunes.

"How Can I Be Sure":

"Spooky":

Generation Me

One Man's Musings On His Youthful Appreciation of Generation X

As a young mod growing up in suburban Monroe Township, N.J. circa 1980's my two best friends were punks. We all shared a lot of each other's musical tastes. My late friend Scott "Rudie" Rosinski's weekly predilection for religiously taping a late night (Wednesday's I think?) punk rock show on a predominantly heavy metal college station (WSOU perhaps?) led him to discovering a track that blew my mind when he played it to me the next day after school. Jokingly scoffing at my obsession with The Who's "My Generation" he said "Here's something better..." and proceeded to play me "Your Generation" by Generation X (sadly I'd never get the opportunity to turn him onto Sham 69's "Whose Generation") as we walked walked "downtown" to nearby Jamesburg. I can still remember blasting it on his tiny/tinny boom box, no doubt probably being chased by some heavies on the way (always a possibilty as Jamesburg was the armpit of the universe, rife with knuckle dragging headbanging low life's who loved to beat people up) . Feeling vibrantly rebellious we played it over and over again as we grabbed a slice of pizza and a Coke.... "the end must justify the means and your generation don't mean a thing to me". Powerful stuff to a bunch of 15 year old's who were pretty much ostracized for dressing "different" and in full "rebel without a brain" mode. We'd heard of them but knew nothing of them and set about buying stuff by them. We discovered they were now (then) called Gen X. Rudie bought their latest single "Dancing With Myself" with lead singer Billy Idol looking sinister while a "Lolita" like girl posed provocatively , I opted for the less risque Gen X EP.

When Gen X broke up Billy Idol became a solo "star" and"Dancing with Myself" was re-released as a solo single in both the U.K. and the U.S. It did little till MTV aided in the launching of his solo career with the much despised "Rebel Yell", which became a monster hit, enabling yet another crack at "Dancing With Myself"which after it's third try, became a hit. Never one to pass up on the mod credo of their "I did it first" ethos I took pleasure in revelling to my classmates that I was indeed there first (well not really, I mean Generation X had been making records since 1977) but like some guy from Woking sang once "don't forget you saw it here first".

The only good thing was that Billy's mega stardom got the re-release of the first Generation X LP in the States with all the cuts that did not grace the U.K. LP and in 1983 I wore the grooves off of it till I'd inadvertently left it on the roof of my car one morning before school (with my lunch, losing both forever). It was chock full of angst ridden anthems that struck me as being just as "mod" as most of the band's I was listening to like Secret Affair, The Chords or the Purple Hearts etc. "100 Punks", "Day By Day", "Your Generation", "Wild Youth", "Kiss Me Deadly" , "Promises, Promises"and "Gimme Some Truth". It wasn't until a VERY clued in classmate/co-worker (at McDonald's) named Mark Andrews informed me that "Gimme Some Truth" was in fact a slightly lyrically altered version of a John Lennon track. Mark was one of the rare breed of guys from Jamesburg who actually had long hair and a moustache who not only was NOT a knuckle dragger but was a friendly, open minded guy who liked a vast spectrum of music and was not remotely interested in kicking the shit out of anyone. That blew me away, and still does. The whole ethos of the punk rock "blank generation" was distaste for rock n' rollers who my pal Larry Grogan would refer to in the mid 80's as "wretched excess". And here they were covering a John Lennon track, granted Lennon didn't really fit with the wretched excess gang but he was firmly part of the old guard who in our young eyes "boring old farts". "Promises Promises" addressed this directly with lines like "we started out with guitars and hate, our heads in the clouds we could hardly wait....our hair was short, we said what we thought, never be scared, never be bought", "do you remember their promises, promises, I doooo.." and the classic line "never sell out like they did". Some non-punk rock friends loving embraced Billy Idol and went to see him play a college gig in 1983. I went along as well, it was cheap and there was nothing else to do and having seen the Vapors at the same university it was familiar ground (we had tickets to see The Professionals there too but a near fatal car crash cancelled the rest of the tour). It was awful. I watched and listened as he and his band bludgeoned a smattering of Generation X songs like "Ready Steady Go" and "Kiss Me Deadly" with heavy metal guitar pyrotechnics and his bad Elvis crooner voice when he wasn't shrieking like some L.A. metal act. In between songs I'd managed to squirm close to the stage . After bragging to my punk friends I was going to pogo and gob on him if he played any Generation x numbers, a threat I did not carry out, I did one better. In the silence in between numbers I yelled with all of the air that my angst ridden 16 year old lungs could propel "Billy, do you remember your promises promises?". His back was to the audience and his head spun round almost Linda Blair "Exorcist"-style in my direction trying to suss out who dared quote one of his songs that now was all too embarrassingly indicative of him now. I yelled again "Well? Do you?" and our eyes locked. He lifted an enraged middle finger at me and glared before again turning his back assuming a Christ-time arms out stance and the band plowed into some god awful tailor made for MTV watching twits number. I was in heaven. I'd called Billy Idol's bluff and pissed him off and got the finger and a "if looks could kill" grimace in return to acknowledge the depth of the wound my words had stirred. 27 years later I feel like sort of a twat. I mean the guy was trying to make a living, but you know what, his music was great, then he went to shit and sold his soul, so *uck him. It wasn't like I was the world's biggest Generation X fan, but unlike 3/4's of those '79 mod bands I can still play that first Generation x LP and enjoy almost every minute of it (except that heavy metal guitar solo on "Youth, Youth, Youth").

Class of '67 British Psych-Pop Legends!

MARMALADE-I See The Rain/Cry U.K. CBS 2948 1967

One of the most brilliant British 60's pop/psychedelic singles came in the form of September 1967's "I See The Rain" by Scottish harmony wonders Marmalade. How this number never topped the charts is one of the great crimes of the 1960's. The band's precision harmonies and the funky "Hey Joe" style licks (it is alleged that Hendrix called the number "the best English record of 1967") and some tasty phasing on the the main guitar riff giving it that "sound bending technique" gives this one high marks in my book. And it featured an (uncredited) Graham Nash playing guitar!! But as mentioned, it went nowhere, it did however chart in Holland. I seem to recall the Gap using it in a strange TV commercial some years back where Dennis Hopper and Christina Ricci play chess outside by a pool (it was actually directed by the Coen brothers, the other one featured The Beach Boy's "Hang Onto You Ego", this was the 90's when briefly, there were some "with it" people picking tunes out for commercials). It's flip "Cry(The Shoob Dororie Song)" is fairly disposable pop with Hollies like harmonies and a distinctly Dylan impersonating lead vocal, interesting only for the twangy Merseybeat-ish guitar solo though otherwise utterly forgettable, esp. with a monster like "I See The Rain" on the topside"!

Luckily the A-side has been reissued in many places, namely their CD compilation "I See the Rain:The CBS Years" and warranted inclusion on Rhino's "Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond, Vol. 1" set.

Below: Marmalade promote "I See The Rain" on Dutch TV 1967:

Ricci & Hopper plug Gap white shirts with a little help from Marmalade: