Acid Jazz's E.P. Choice: Acid Re-flux!

Acid Jazz has done a series on vinyl 7" E.P.'s of U.K. 60's artists ranging from cool (The Richard Kent Style), passable (Steve Marriott & The Moments, The Muleskinners) to normally cool artists who have a heap of garbage unearthed and slung out in a cool sleeve with crappy tunes (Sharon Tandy, The Clique, The Fleur De Ly's). 

I find it odd that with a plethora of music available by a variety of artists Acid Jazz would pad out a CD of it's previous E.P. releases whilst mixing it with pure bullshit like the near contemporary sounding/pseudo disco by the likes of Maxine, The Fantastics or even Donnie Elbert's backing track for his out of key cover of "This Old Heart Of Mine". B-O-R-I-N-G. Only our "Anorak Thing" heroes The Richard Kent Style shine through with their contributions (all available from the label on iTunes and on their groovy 7" E.P. on the label): "I'm Out" and "Marching Off To War" (both sides of their third single, 1967's Columbia DB 8182) and the previously unreleased "You Can't Keep A Man Without Love".  The Muleskinners (featuring our hero Ian McLagan) provide their four tracks previously issued on the Acid Jazz E.P., nothing earth shaking I'm sad to say.  Sadly kids it all just goes downhill from there.  We get 4 scratchy, mediocre tracks from The Clique, who with two stellar mid 60's British r&b classic 45's under their belt, are certainly not aided by the release by any of these tracks.  Ditto for the three Fleur De Ly's tracks, only the rough "original" version of their take on The Who's "Circles" is remotely amusing for a play or two and a load of dead boring Sharon Tandy leftovers (including a pointlessly lifeless demo of her blistering track with The Fleur De Ly's "Daughter Of The Sun").  Steve Marriott and The Moments serve up their U.S. only 45, a bland cover of The Kinks "You Really Got Me" and the Chuck Berry aping "You'll Never Get Away From Me". For completists only!  Buyer beware!

Manfred Mann Mk.II Live 1966 Footage Unearthed!

Manfred Mann Mk.II live on Dutch TV 10/07/66:

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: The Richard Kent Style

THE RICHARD KENT STYLE-No Matter What You Do/Go Go Children U.S. Coral 625204 1966

The Richard Kent Style are, in my estimation, mod 60's legends. All 5 of their 45's command hefty sums of money on Ebay whenever they crop up.  They first came to my attention in the mid 90's on a cassette tape a friend made of an assortment of obscure U.K./Euro 60's "mod" bands with the stellar "Go Go Children", a raw bit of r&b dashed with freakbeat. Hailing from Manchester, this six piece played high energy r&b .  I'm not going to attempt to give you their history BUT you can read about them here:

http://www.manchesterbeat.com/groups/rks/rks.php

This was their first single, which was released in the U.K. on Columbia as DB 7964 in July of 1966. God knows what inspired the good folks at Coral to issue the 45 in the States (it came in both the stock black with rainbow label and promos in yellow like today's specimen). "No Matter What You Do" is actually the A-side.  It starts with a blast of horns meshed with some nice fuzz guitar and then the vocals come in and the whole thing goes sadly, "poppy" in a tepid weak Paul & Barry Ryan at their worst style.  Sad really because the intro leads you to expect something better!  But flip it over....ahhh!  "Go Go Children" is a classic.  From it's infectious riff to it's catchy "go go childer-uhn" chorus it's a kick.  The horns are punchy and have this sinister vibe to them like "Hall Of The Mountain King" or some Satanic scene from a Hammer horror film and groove along with while the vocals are soulful but have an almost cynical sounding inflection that implies "I don't give a *uck".

Sadly these tracks have not been officially reissued, "Go Go Children" cropped on an excellent bootleg LP/CD called "Echoes From The Wilderness" and all of their 45 tracks popped  on a bootleg LP called "Mod Meeting Volume One" (with The St. Louis Union on the other side of the LP).  What the world really needs is a legit Richard Kent Style compilation CD with all of their singles!

TRIVIA NOTE: Once whilst in NYC in the late 1990's I was in a British pub wearing a black suit with a checkered tie with my hair immuculately backcombed and I was stopped by an older English gent who imformed me "I had hair like that when I was a lad".  We got to chatting and it transpired he'd been a member of The Richard Kent Style!  When I rattled off a few of their song titles he loudly bellowed "*uck me!" several times in disbelief that anyone in the States was familar with his music.  I can't recall his name, and by the way, no he didn't have any spare copies of any 45's to give or sell me! When I returned to my table I discovered he'd sent me over a pint of Old Speckled Hen which was waiting, I looked back and he gave me the thumbs up and went on his way. That's rock n' roll.

Hear "No Matter What You Do":

http://youtu.be/H3AqTtS0YGU

Hear "Go Go Children" (and see a load of pics I took in the 80's):

http://youtu.be/wKmx3-mn0AY

************45 label scan c/o Reynaldo Moldonando******************

Jimmy James & The Vagabonds

Filmed by Peter Whitehead in London, 1966

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: The First Gear

THE FIRST GEAR-A Certain Girl/Leave My Kitten Alone U.S. Mar Mar 315 1965

One of the fave topics of conversation among us U.S. anoraks is oddball U.K./Euro 45's that garnered an obscure release over here in the States like the Richard Kent Style and Buzz 45's on Coral (more on both of those soon I promise), The Motions single on Congress and a host of others.

Today's topic was released in the U.K. originally as Pye 7N15703 in October 1964 (it would be the first of two 45's by The First Gear).  For some oddball reason it came out here in the States on the Mar Mar label (the label also issued a 45 of "Night Train", Mar Mar 313, by session drummer and Beatle stand in Jimmy Nicol). The record was produced by Shel Talmy and his favorite session guitar player Jimmy Page contributed guitar, his distinct volume pedal style can easily be discerned both sides of the record. "A Certain Girl", written by Allen Toussaint, was first recorded by Big Easy favorite son Ernie K. Doe as the A-side to his 1961 Minit 45 634 (and in the U.K. as the 1962 B-side to "I Cried My Last Tear", London  HLP 9487).  The Paramounts and the Yardbirds had both previously released the number as a B-side track.  In the U.K. it first backed The Paramounts version of "Little Bitty Pretty One" in February 1964 on Parlophone R 5107 and was found on the flip of the Yardbirds debut, "I Wish You Would" on Columbia DB 7283 in May of 1964.  The First Gear's version is fairly decent, with some nice zooming/driving bass and beat group style backing vocals culminating with a nice classic mid 60's J.P. session man solo.  The flip. "Leave My Kitten Alone", originally cut by Little Willie John back in 1959 on the amazing King label (45-5219) is unique because The First Gear were the first band in the U.K. to commit it to vinyl. The Fab Four had played it in their Cavern days and included it in a '64 BBC session and even recorded a  version during the recording of what ultimately would be their "Beatles For Sale" LP (the number was never issued).  The First Gear's version is by far the most way out of them all with it's amphetamine driven pace, Page's blistering licks (dig the way out solo) ad the manic delivery.  It was also a highlight of the legendary "Pebbles Vol. 6: The Roots of Mod" British 60's r&b compilation album.

"A Certain Girl" was reissued on Sequel's "Doin' The Mod Volume Three: Maximum R&B" CD and along with "Leave My Little Kitten Alone" turned up on Castle's Jimmy Page sessions compilation "Hip Young Guitar Slinger".

Hear "A Certain Girl":

http://youtu.be/LRfIoh_8sZo

Hear "Leave My Little Kitten Alone":

http://youtu.be/ezho0KrfqWA

******45 label scan courtesy of Haim Kenig **********

Cool Foreign E.P's Part 42: The Zombies

THE ZOMBIES-What More Can I Do/Tell Her No/She's Coming Home/I Must Move E.P. France Decca  457.075 M 1965

The Kinks-"Sunny Afternoon" on "Top of the Pops" 1966

FOUND!  A reader was kind enough to hip us to the long thought gone clip of The Kinks on "Top Of The Pops" plugging "Sunny Afternoon" with "new boy" John Dalton: