Cool Foreign E.P.'s Part 26: Deram Two-fer Warm Sounds and The Outer Limits

THE OUTER LIMITS-Just One More Chance/Help Me Please
WARM SOUNDS-Birds & Bees/Doo Dah E.P. Portugal Deram EPDM 1006 1967

Stray Rays: The Lancastrians

THE LANCASTRIANS-The World Keeps Going Round/Not The Same Anymore U.K. Pye 7N17043 1966

This was the next to last of six 45s by a U.K. group called the Lancastrians.  All of their singles were on Pye and all of them (save their last, an ill advised cover of the U.S. chest thumping flag waving hit "Ballad Of The Green Berets") are quite listenable.

The Lancastrian's version of the Ray Davies composition, "The World Keeps Going Round" was released in January 1966 and had previously appeared on The Kinks album "Kontroversy" in November 1965.  The Lancastrians version is actually stronger than The Kinks, with a "heavy" sound with the band playing a bit harder edged than the original.  Like all of their tracks, the vocals are very strong and high/upfront in the mix.  "It's Not The Same Anymore" is a somber ballad, pretty mundane stuff compared to their other rocking sides and is easily forgotten up against the majority of their catalog.

Both sides reputedly feature the guitar talents of Jimmy Page and were produced by Shel Talmy, who produced all of their singles.

Both sides appeared on the CD compilation "Jimmy Page-Hip Young Guitar Slinger" and "The World Keeps Going Round" also feature on Sequel/Castle's "Doing The Mod Volume Four: Ready Steady Stop".

Hear "The World Keeps Going Round":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUi9IFRaXSs

Hear "It's Not The Same Anymore":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HRXjy1SLLI

Heroes of the Hammond:Brian Auger & the Trinity

BRIAN AUGER & THE TRINITY-Black Cat/In And Out U.S. Atco 45-6611 1967

This one is interesting because it was not released as a single in Auger's home country but was in Europe and in the case of today's specimen; the U.S.A.  Recorded and released simultaneously as Auger and the Trinity were performing with Julie Driscoll, both tracks on this platter can be found on their 1967 debut LP "Open".

"Black Cat" is rarity of sorts because not only is it an Auger original (the Trinity were heavily reliant on U.S. jazz/r&b covers) but Auger sings on it as well, something he did not often do with The Trinity as a majority of their cuts without Jools were instrumentals. Following in the tradition set forth with "Tiger" (see January 12, 2011 "Anorak Thing" ), "Black Cat" is a stormer full of potent blasts of "Hammond n' horns".  It provides an ample showcase into the B-3 Hammond prowess of Brian Auger, whom I regard, hands down as the best British organ player ever.  One view of him performing it live on German TV's "Beat Beat Beat" should silence any naysayers (see below for yourself).  The flip side, "In And Out" is pretty much a note for note cover of the Wes Montgomery track, Auger and company were big fans of Wes Montgomery (basing their version of the Beatle's "A Day In The Life" from their "Definitely What" album around Montgomery's interpretation) which isn't a bad thing because Auger was and still is, like Georgie Fame adept at playing U.S. 60's jazz songs without butchering them or sounding flimsy or thin (something many U.K. r&b artists were not always masters at in my estimation) .

As indicated earlier both sides can be found on the CD reissue of the LP "Open".

Hear "Black Cat":

https://youtu.be/sc-p5B9YWVE

Hear "In And Out":

https://youtu.be/tEBH1lZ0wlY

Joe Meek Lives!!

Not really but our pal in London Paul Owers has shared a groovy pic of some grafitti that's popped up across the street from the Holloway Road tube station.  Much better than the usual ugly tagger stuff (usually the work of some white middle class moron above the age of 25):

Cool Foreign E.P.'s Part 25: "The Arrival Of The Eyes"

THE EYES-"The Arrival Of The Eyes": The Immediate Pleasure/I'm Rowed Out/When The Night Falls/ My Degeneration E.P. U.K. Phillips 10035 MCE 1966

My Fave Kinks 45 Of All Time!

THE KINKS-Dead End Street/Big Black Smoke U.K. Pye 7N.17222 1966

It's tough for me to pick a favorite Kinks single, but I think the winner would ultimately be this killer two sider from Autumn 1966.

Back in the early 90's I was in a bad way for a few months and "Dead End Street" literally spoke to me, with a two roomed apartment on the second floor, a leaky kitchen sink (and ceiling), no job, no money, no long distance plan for my house phone, no cable, and heat that worked intermittently I was in quite a bad place.  I liked the track even before then but it gave me some sort of "hope" shall we say and it became a mantra to sing to myself when it all got to be too much.  I still see folks walking everywhere in the morning or riding their bikes up the highway while I'm driving to work in a nice warm Mini Cooper and feel like a prat for having it so good and I think back to when I didn't have it so good.  This is probably the first Kinks record to utilize brass with it's subtle trumpet  and the descending bass line/ main riff comes straight from the school of "Sunny Afternoon", lyrically Dickensian at it's best it still holds up all these years on and rates as one of Ray Davie's best fictional social observations, a genre he mastered so well.

On the flip is another great fictional "social observation" by Ray Davies, "Big Black Smoke".  It's a jaunty tale of a small town girl who left her little life for the big city where she wound up turning tricks, giving her money to a cat named Joe and spending the rest on purple hearts and cigarettes (Ray seemed to write a lot about girls leaving home back then, "Polly" and "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home" are two that spring to mind).  Years ago I dated someone who often held this utterly ridiculous idea that speed was okay in moderation and this track rankled her, I didn't date her very long.   Oh back to the song....sorry....it retains a bit of "rocking" that steers it clear of the sort of knees up/music hall sound a lot of  late '66-'67 Kinks records had (never a bad think but always refreshing when they showed they still had the stuff).

The late great Pete Quaife 1966

TRIVIA:Some copies (like mine above) were misprinted as "Deadend Street".

Hear "Dead End Street":

https://youtu.be/XicSL93pYFY?si=4P5AgOaDMlG5ryHy

Hear "Big Black Smoke":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw0IM4Vn7go

Hammond Heroes: Dave Davani

THE DAVE DAVANI FOUR-Tossin' And Turnin'/The Jupe U.K. Parlophone R 5490 1966

This was the third single by the unsung U.K. Hammond r&b Dave Davani, and his second for the Parlophone label.

"Tossin' And Turnin'" is a fairly pedestrian, perhaps even ill advised cover of the Bobby Lewis hit, not terribly interesting by any scope of the imagination. The musical backing is decent enough but the number is dead boring and Davani vocals sound thoroughly uninspired.  But the B-side, "The Jupe", now that's where we're cooking, with gas kids. It's a brilliant organ fronted instrumental piece that's semi jazzy but catchy and fast enough to be danceable. In my estimation it's one of the great U.K. Hammond instrumentals up there with Zoot Money's "The Mound Moves", Georgie Fame's treatment of "Last Night" or The Graham Bond Organization's romp through "Wade In The Water".

The line up at the time of the recording of this single was: Dave Davani (organ, vocals), John Milner (guitar), Beryl Wayne (aka Mrs. Dave Davani,vocals and percussion), Mik Ewan (bass, harmonica) and Chaz Burton (drums).

Both sides were collected on the highly recommended Dave Davani Ace Records CD reissue of his LP "Fused" with bonus singles tracks and liner notes by our old pal Nick Rossi, no stranger to Hammond r&b/jazz.

The Dave Davani Four, 1965 clockwise from bottom left:
John Milner, Mik Ewin, Chaz Burton, Dave Davini & Beryl Wayne

Hear "Tossin' And Turnin'":

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

Hear "The Jupe":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3eli7_8du8