A Collection of Small Faces 60's Picture Sleeves Part One

A selection of groovy 60's Small Faces picture sleeve 7's from Europe (perhaps some of you own these after buying them from me, I was at least un-foolish enough to retain all of the French E.P.'s):

FRENCH 45



FRENCH E.P.



FRENCH E.P.

FRENCH E.P.

FRENCH E.P.

FRENCH E.P.

BELGIAN 45

GERMAN 45

GERMAN 45

GERMAN 45

GERMAN 45

DUTCH 45

DUTCH 45

BELGIAN 45



DANISH 45

FRENCH 45

FRENCH 45

DANISH 45

Piccadilly Pop Sike '67 Style

FLORIBUNDA ROSE-Linda Loves Linda/One Way Street U.K. Piccadilly 7N.35408 1967

One of the greatest things about being a mod in the 80's was when the latest volume of Bam Caruso's "Rubble" series would come out and I'd snag a copy in NYC at either Venus Records or Midnight (though usually at Venus because my main man behind the counter, Ron Rimsite would gave me a break on the price of spin me the choice cuts beforehand). Rubble Volume 10 "Professor Jordan's Magic Sound Show" turned me onto this band and this single's A-side(named after a type of rose, how's that for flower power).  They were put together by South African ex-pat John T Kongos (get the full story from "Shindig!" magazine)and this was their sole 45.  You can also read up on them here:

http://www.garagehangover.com/?q=taxonomy/term/1071

"Linda Loves Linda" is a perfect piece of Pye/Piccadilly '67 pop sike, not overly trippy bit containing the right amount of strings and precise pop production (c/o our hero John Schroeder) with some wiggy bits.  Lyrically it's a nice ditty about a spoiled rotten self centered little narcissist named Linda with great harmonies, a cool "fairground" music organ in the middle and a nice psychedelic fade out ending. "One Way Street" the flipside is more rocking per se, no strings, just an upbeat tempo with some intricate licks that are interwoven together like something The Move would do on their early singles and once again there's some great harmonies.

Both sides are not unlike Pye label-mates The Montanas (who were also on Rubble Volume 10 with the brilliant "Step In The Right Direction") who mastered the harmony/pop precision/intricate licks formula quite well themselves.

Both sides were issued on the John T. Kongos CD compilation "Lavender Popcorn" that chronicles his various 60's projects (this band, his next act after this single called Scrugg and solo material). "Linda Loves Linda" is also on the "Rubble One" box set and the now out of print "Real Life Permanent Dreams" which is without a doubt the finest UK 60's psychedelic box set bar none.

Hear "Linda Loves Linda":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJwPH-7cOEo

Hear "One Way Street":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxEqQ_RygO4

The Rooster, Man

ATOMIC ROOSTER-Devil's Answer/The Rock  U.K. B&C CB-157 1971

Formed in 1970 the by two ex- member's of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer), the group had one of the most rapidly changing line-ups in British 70's rock n' roll history!  The band's line-up at the time of this single (their third) was : John Du Cann (ex-Andromeda) on guitar/vocals, Vincent Crane (organ) and Carl Palmer (drums).

I discovered Atomic Rooster thanks to the amazing British TV show "Life On Mars" which made use of "Devil's Answer", "The Rock" and "Ear In The Snow".  I was hooked.

"Devil's Answer" is a punchy little number that kicks off with a very cool Hammond intro and then some brass.  The simplistic main riff is catchy because it's forceful, repetitive and has a great beat. Du Cann's guitar solo on it shines because it's short and sweet, not your typical 70's guitar hero crap and sounds straight off of a post freakbeat '68 single.  "The Rock" is a bit heavier. It's an instrumental pierced by Du Cann's guitar and strung together utilizing some soulful brass.


"Devil's Answer" on "Top Of The Pops" July 1971

Hear "The Rock":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYjFm2yQT2g

Both sides have been collected on the essential Atomic Rooster double CD "Heavy Soul".

I like the way this one's been airbrushed, creepily it makes them look like religious icons!

Cool Foreign E.P.'s Part Twenty Four: The Herd & Dave Dee

THE HERD-The Game/Beauty Queen
DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TICH-Snake In The Grass/Bora Bora Mexico Fontana EPF 1613 1969

The Poets Second Brilliant 45!

THE POETS-That's The Way It's Got To Be/I'll Cry With The Moon U.K. Decca F 12074 1965

One of the crowning moment's on the Bam Caruso LP "Rubble 5: The Electric Crayon Set" was this amazing second 45 offering by Glasgow's Andrew Loog Oldham produced Poets.

I've often called The Poets Scotland's answer to The Zombies, I think it's because they both used amplified acoustic 12 string guitars on some of the best records (hear The Zombie's "I Don't Want To Know" for reference) and both group's placed a heavy reliance on heart strung numbers about romantic angst.  February 1965's "That's The Way It's Got To Be" follows the precedent set by their debut 45 "Now We're Thru" (see "Anorak Thing" November 18, 2010) by again utilizing this distinct sound from lead guitarist Hume Patton (who along with lead singer George Gallacher and rhythm guitarist Tony Myles wrote both sides of this 45).  It's also fattened up by some six string bass that rumbles along, esp. effectively during the intro in tandem with the twelve string (the bass was reputed to be played by session player extraordinaire Jack Bruce).  "I'll Cry With the Moon" is more somber but accented by some cool acoustic guitar and has a VERY Zombies feel to it and sits nicely alongside moodier pieces by the St. Albans lads like "I Must Move" or "Don't Go Away".

The Poets, pic courtesy of http://www.rockingscots.co.uk

"That's The Way It's Got To Be" is one of the most reissued Poets tracks having cropped up on the earlier mentioned Rubble volume (and included on the "Rubble One" box set) as well as Decca Deram's "The Mod Scene" and Rhino's essential "NuggetsII: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969" box set among others.  "I'll Cry With The Moon" is on "Rubble Volume 6:The Clouds Have Groovy Faces" which is is included in the "Rubble One" box set, which is equally essential.  Both sides were also included on the dodgy "In Your Tower" CD comp of their material and the hard to get but much better Poets CD comp "Scotland's No. 1 Group". In 2011 both sides were compiled for CD on The Poet's "Wooden Spoon:The Singles 1964-1967" which is, just that (no bonus cuts unlike "Scotland's #1 Beat Group").
Hear "That's The Way It's Got To Be":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PM5-zF85LE

Hear "I'll Cry With the Moon":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgjaIS9bL3Y

***Special thanks again to Lenny Helsing (Scotland's foremost 60's music expert) for his invaluable information that made this piece possible**************************************************

When I was a lad...........

In the years before 1980 and my "mod epiphany" I was a huge fan of the British Invasion/60's music from 1975 on. A few nights back in conversation (and well into a full bottle of Mouton Cadet) with a British friend of mine a good ten years my senior we began talking about all the cheezy/ cheap LP's of our younger years (he mentioned Pickwick and MFP in the U.K.).  Growing up in a dinky little town nearly all of my records came from department stores that had stuff of similar "cheese", though not always.  The first 45 I ever bought with my own money was The Beatle's "Got to Get You Into My Life" from Two Guys in 1976, the first LP I ever bought with my own money was the octagonal shaped Rolling Stones album "Through the Past Darkly: Big Hits Volume Two" in about 1977 at a JC Penny's store, but usually for nearly all of my records I was reliant on gifts from my family (though my aunt supplied me with loads of her "old" Hermans Hermits, Animals and Billy J Kramer 45's and a Hermits LP and a school friend gave me his dad's Donovan, Byrds, Searchers, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Animals 45's and a Searchers LP).  For my family and the effort's to address my gift requests there was one place they shopped. There was a store called Jamesway, which back in the day was like Target.  They had a record department and they had the weirdest stuff there, lots of U.K. compilation albums and "Best Of.." stuff which immediately caught my eye.  I'd bring a pad shoved in my back pocket and a pen and carefully copy down the LP's title for a "wish list".  For some reason there were lots of import albums there.  I used to make my Xmas gift requests accordingly and my parents and aunt did their shopping there and I wound up with these LP's for Xmas or my B-Day from about 1976 on. Sadly I cannot locate any pics online of The Searchers "Golden Hour Of.." LP or The Dave Clark Five's "Best Of.." on EMI's Starline which would've joined this bunch:

A double Hermans Hermits "Best of.." LP on swindler Allen Klein's ABKCO label.

Sadly this was "Live" not much help for my quest for "On A Carousel" or "Carrie Anne".  I didn't ask for this but my parents got it for me on a hunch, they redeemed themselves with another "hunch" concerning 4 guys from Muswell Hill (see further below).

A Donovan "Best Of.." containing his "folky" stuff.

The back cover of the same Dono LP, I swore he was puffing a "j" in the left pic and I still do!  I always thought the pic of him on the right in the roll neck and shades looked cool as *uck to my 11 or 12 year old mind.

A wiggy U.K. Stones Decca comp of lots of 60's stuff, most of which I'd never heard and heavy on Chuck Berry material.  After my "conversion" I referred to this as The Stone's "Rocker album".

A Yardbirds "Greatest Hits" comp. on Epic, truth be told I never had the LP: my sister bought it for me on 8 track for Xmas and it repeated one track twice for filler and had a sleeve that was a collage of 60's "current events" listed with song titles in between.

A various artists "Mersey" compilation album with Manchester's Hollies and a few Liverpool acts.  It introduced me to The Big Three AND The Swinging Blue Jeans.  Strangely I did not like either until MANY years later........

Another folk era Donovan LP on Hickory with post folkie photo and trippy artwork. There were at least two or three others in the store but this looked coolest after I got the "Best Of.." one.....

I never asked for this one and I'd no idea who The Kinks were but since they were British AND from the 60's my mom and dad took a gamble on it, and of course I was blown away.  Weird anecdote:it was all hits save "Wait Till Summer Comes Along"!

I never got this one, though I REALLY wanted it.  I begged and pleaded for it but the response was "Your sister got you a Yardbirds tape last year and this probably has all of the same song".  My reply (bad move) "Yeah but it's got other songs too".  I bought it in the early 90's just because I couldn't get in as a kid and used the pic of Clapton on the cover in my zine in and then sold it......

When you're 11 and ask for a Byrds LP make sure it's not one of half baked early sh*t......

Craftily Arista launched this LP in 1976 or so as the TV show was running every day after school in 1975 (which in turn led me to discover four guys from Liverpool lurking in my mom's stuff in the attic) and no doubt there were loads of kids like me seeking out The Monkees.  I know two other 9 or 10 year olds who got it for Xmas like me, were you one as well? It contained all their hits and because someone at Arista had a sense of humor "Listen To the Band", which me and all of my friends detested then.

You Should Be Hearing Something Very Soon.................

Not much "modern music" raises an eye brow or pulse with us, but "we" here at "Anorak Thing" (well that means just "me", but I'm such a moody bastard that its been implied that I have a multiple personality disorder so it's always safe to say "we") are avidly awaiting the new LP by our main man of cool in the U.K. Andy Lewis so in the meantime groove on this track from his last long player "You Should Be Hearing Something Now":