October's Pick's

1. BRUCE FOXTON-"Senses Of Summer"
I'm a bit confused by Bruce's new "solo" LP as it's basically Bruce and his two band mates in From The Jam, so much so that their lead singer Russell Hastings sings nearly all of the tracks, including this groovy Mellotron laden number that comes across like "Sound Affects" era Jam meets Plasticland jamming with The La's!


2. GENERATION X-"The Invisible Man"
One of the few tracks chopped off the American edition of their untitled debut LP (and replaced by lots of powerful 45 rpm A-sides) is this number that I've taken an instant like to it's '65 Who via 1977.  People are always on about how "mod" The Jam were in comparison to the rest of the Class of '77 and too many times overlook the image of this band who's music was just as much, if not more "mod" to my ears.

3. THE CREATION-"How Does It Feel To Feel (U.K. Version Mono)"One of my fave tracks by The Creation has always been this menacing ode to nightmares and death with it's pop art barrage of guitar power, thundering drums, ominous droning groove (topped off by a very Hendrix inspired guitar solo...it was '67 after all) and catchy powerful chorus "how does it feel to feel..."

4. PETER & GORDON-"Morning's Calling"Lois and Mole Embrook turned me onto this one, not what you'd expect from these guys, a really jangly folk rock number that wouldn't be at all out of place on the first Association album!

5. THE MOONS-"Jennifer (Sits Alone)"
One of the several groovy tracks on the latest "Mojo" freebie CD "Move On Up" (which in most cases I bin immediately) is another number that like the Bruce Foxton track listed at #1 benefits from Paul Weller's studio and Mellotron.  There's something about this number that has snatches of '67 Hollies or Paul and Barry Ryan's "Two Of A Kind" album (which is never a bad thing) that just bowls me over!

6. SCOTT WALKER-"The Look Of Love"From Scott's horribly rare (never reissued) 1969 long player "Scott Walker Sings Songs From His T.V. Series" comes his take on the Dusty Springfield "classic", though not a patch on old black eyes version Scott manages to pull it off because, well he was a crooner and his A&R folks were no slouches (and in some instances were the very same people who worked with Dusty).

7. HARDIN & YORK-"Little Miss Blue"
One of the MANY great things about RPM's "Looking Back" 3 CD set from earlier this year is it widened my knowledge about quite a few bands I'd never heard music by before like this ex-Specncer Davis Group Mk. II offshoot duo of Eddie Hardin & Pete York.  It's soulful Hammond grooviness is not to far removed from the S.D.G's '66-'67 mod/r&b pre-pop psych sound and thus easy to get my head around.

8. OTIS REDDING-"Look At That Girl"
Every now and then I stumble upon something playing at Starbucks that boggles my mind and luckily the "Shazam" app on my phone identifies it for me immediately (usually then progressing to an iTunes visit to purchase said tune).  Case in point this, Otis Redding track I'd never heard before from his posthumous 1969 album "Love Man" which was actually cut in '67, brilliant stuff.

9. YUSEF LATEEF-"The Plum Blossom"
I just finished reading Pete Townshend's autobiography last week and he mentioned this tune that Cat Stevens had nicked for "I Love My Dog" and duly tracked out down.  It's a pleasant track from his 1961 LP appropriately titled "Eastern Sounds" that seems to fit Autumn perfectly with his exotic sounding Chinese flute. According to Pete Yusef now gets royalties from the Cat Stevens track!

10. WILKO JOHNSON-"Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window"
Dr. Feelgood's string puller leaves behind the Mick Green homage style to go almost jangly/Byrdsy in this spirited take on a Dylan tune from his solid rocking 1981 solo LP "Ice On The Motorway". Totally out of character but full of character!

Rudy's Dead

LITTLE GRANTS & EDDIE-Rudy's Dead/Everything Is Alright  U.S. President PT 107 1968

Filling the "we don't have a fucking clue" zone comes today's specimen.  This 1968 45 (1967 in it's original U.K. issue on President PT 159) is no doubt the work of Equals lead guitarist/song writer Eddie Grant.  One suspects by the title and credits that it was perhaps the case of fame opening the door for relatives.  I'd like to think Eddie called upon some younger siblings to make this record after he began riding high with The Equals.  But that as we say, is merely a stab in the dark.  Any enlightenment from those of you out there would be much appreciated.

"Rudy's Dead" sounds like a Musical Youth of 1968.  I don't mean that as a put down, it's certainly no "Pass The Dutchie" (and that my friends is a good thing).  What draws the comparison is the sound of the vocalists, they're obviously young kids but it's groovy with the spoken words (Prince Buster style) in patois about Rudy, who alas, is "dead and gone". The music has a distinct '67 rocksteady feel, but you can hear from the tone of the guitar that it's obviously Eddie Grant and perhaps his band mates and full on reggae, something The Equals would never dip their toes in. In fact the guitar line bears more than a striking resemblance to "Baby Come Back" in it's sounds.

"Everything is Alright" starts out with a groovy reggae-fied lick straight out of Stevie wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her" and sadly degenerates into a twee/fey number owing to the too youthful playground vocal antics of the Little Grants.  Grating.

I don't know if either side has ever been reissued, but copies of it, both U.S. or U.K. pressings seem fairly easy to come by.  They had one more single in the U.K. "Rocksteady '67" b/w "Bingo" (President PT 172 December 1967) which combines both the pro's of this A-side (good groove and Prince buster style toasting) and cons of the B-side (the childlike caterwauling).



Eddie Grant in between smelling the roses and producing Little Grants and Eddie.

Hear "Rudy's Dead":

http://youtu.be/a7qn2t-yw28

Hear "Everything Is Alright":

http://youtu.be/XtdTqjx2eQg

Ten of the Most Monster 60's British Mod/R&B Records

Okay I'm sure a lot of you will debate with me about "mod R&B".  I could have just called it British R&B but that would've left it open to the "other" type like The Pretty Things or the Soul Agents played.  I'm talking about the soulful sort of R&B played by British bands who not only talked the talk but walked the walk by looking as cool as the music they spouted.  It wasn't easy choosing ten tunes from a genre that vies with 60's British psychedelia for my all time hands down fave type of music to listen to but here it goes.....all selections are U.K. issues b.t.w.

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

1. THE LLOYD ALEXANDER REAL ESTATE-"I'm Gonna live Again" President PT 157 1967
Holy cow Batman! After a good 30 years of digging U.K. 60's mod-ish sounds I am consistently impressed that there are still tracks out there from the genre that I have never heard and this one is a perfect example. To me it perfectly encapsulates everything "mod": soulful horns, ska rhythms, groovy Hammond, powerful key changes. strong backing vocals and poppy yet assertive lead vocals. Magic. Pure magic.

http://youtu.be/Idgfxj5ZqYY

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

2. THE EYES OF BLUE-"Don't Ask Me To Mend Your Broken Heart" Deram DM 114 1967
No band better exemplifies this piece than these Welsh blue eyed soul belters who achieved just two brilliant 45's in this vein for Deram before getting heavy and going "progressive", a phrase that is the bane of mod/r&b in my (narrow) book. This was the flip of their final single, the much in demand soul stormer "Supermarket Full Of Cans".

http://youtu.be/nkL-DBAYyfo

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

3. THE QUIK-"Soul Full Of Sorrow" Deram DM 155 1967
All three of this band's 45's are smoking and all three of them will set you back quite a bit.  Best known for their Small Faces on dexy's Hammond instro classic "Bert's Apple Crumble" this was the flip of their third and final Deram 45 "I Can't Sleep" that perfectly mixes their sax/organ groove perfectly with just a sprinkle of freakiness.

http://youtu.be/n27C-CLMzWw

4. THE GASS-"Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" CBS 202647 1967
Yet another band with three excellent singles (among them a killer swipe at Jimmy Holliday's "The New Breed"), this was their third and final installment, a soulful reworking of Roy Orbison's hit redone with sassy horns and organ underpinnings.

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

5. THE RICHARD KENT STYLE-"Go Go Children" Columbia DB 7964 1966
Angel trumpets and devil's trombones!  This single is the archetype example of where soulful mod r&B met the sinister side of freakbeat.  The horns are like a mutant clarion calling on the freaks in the mod scene to come out from their crevices and groove, the "My Generation" of the "out crowd" generation with it's looping bass line, "Hall Of The Mountain King" style horns and ballsy vocal delivery.

http://youtu.be/wKmx3-mn0AY

6. THE LOOSE ENDS-"Taxman" Decca F12476 1966
I've no idea who these guys were but their take on the fabulous Fab Four "Revolver" track has the danceable organ groove of the Spencer Davis Group and the sneering punkiness of an early Who record (with SOUL!). Their second and final single, released the very same days as the LP it was taken from!

http://youtu.be/1lNGy2645YQ

7. THE BUNCH-"We're Not What We Appear To Be" CBS 202506 1967
Though from the year of all things psychedelic, and these lot certainly dipped their oars in the great pop-psych lake on their latter CBS 45's, though the first two (this was the second) firmly embraced a good dose of soul mod r&b with Hammond and horns.  This track is an essential "go-go" ode to night life and all things flash and stylish delivered like The Animals circa '66 being backed by Georgie Fame's horn section.

http://youtu.be/0RsaYLUxcj0

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

8. THE ELASTIC BAND-"8 1/2 Hours Of Paradise" Decca F 12815 1968
True these cats were a bunch of longhairs who released a pretty heavy Decca/Nova LP in later days but their two Decca 45's are precision produced hand clapping, Hammond, mod soul.  Have a listen and tell me I'm wrong!

http://youtu.be/Skshd36hozk

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

9. DOUBLE FEATURE-"Baby Get Your Head Screwed On" Deram DM 115 1967
From the pen of fellow Deram artist Mr. Cat Stevens comes this groover with horns, soulful piano/vibes, bongos, strings and even a fuzz guitar chiming with the sax! This was their first release and never fails to disappoint in my book!

http://youtu.be/X-WuDK8nU7g

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com

10. THE UNIVERSALS-"Green Veined Orchids" Page One POF 049 1967
A brilliant bit of Small Faces second album styled "soulful psych" ("psych" in lyrics only as this number packs a powerful horn section).  Both of this bands Page One 45's are worth picking up in the ghost of a chance you have of finding them.  This is my favorite of them both!

http://youtu.be/Awn7_5DcunE

Cool Foreign E.P.'s Part 46: Wet Seats In The Front Row!

THE MERSEYBEATS-"Merseybeats On Stage" Long Tall Sally/I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry/Shame/You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover U.K. Fontana TE 17422 1964

Geno! Geno! Geno! Geno!

GENO WASHINGTON AND THE RAM JAM BAND-Water/Understanding/HI! Hi! Hazel/Beach Bash PYE France PNV 24178 1966 

Geno Washington. 60's American "legend" on the British 60's night life club circuit.  Darling to soul happy British mods (often deprived of the "real thing").  Subject of Dexy's Midnight Runner's 1980 45 anthem/tribute "Geno" (and first brought to my attention in a 1980 music magazine article on Dexy's).  You don't meet a lot of Geno Washington fans.  To many (myself included) he was a product of a fearful British record label that knew they didn't have a ghost of a chance of matching American soul/r&b hits and in a sometimes shoddy manner decided they would issue their own "homegrown" version, unfortunately more times then often this involved inferior versions of American stormers.  In a way I felt bad for the British mod/soul 60's fanatics.  Here in the States we had Motown/Stax/Chess acts live galore.  They got a couple of Motown and Stax package tours and Geno butchering "She Shot A Hole In My Soul".

Unlike fellow American ex-pat ex servicemen working the U.K. circuit like Herbie Goins, Geno didn't really have the pipes.  I often wonder if John Schroeder and the people at Piccadilly were like "He's black and he's an American, that'll do, find him a tight backing band and we'll run with it". A lot of his material was often third rate covers of American soul tracks "You Got Me Hummin'" for example (or the above mentioned painful Clifford Curry track).  Live his backing band were the shit as they say: tight, wailing, but again for all his enthusiasm Geno wasn't much of a front man in the lead vocal department.  His vinyl studio sessions expose the flaws in his even more.

Today's copy was his first French E.P. (actually once owned by the DJ Emperor Rosko! See scan below) that compiled his first two Piccadilly U.K. 45's : "Water"/"Understanding" (Piccadilly 7N 35312, April 1966) and "Hi Hi Hazel"/"Beach Bash" (Piccadilly 7N 35329, July 1966) .

"Water" has a solid backing and Geno's voice isn't bad.  Geno himself swore that his recorded live gigs were always better than the studio sessions but I beg to differ.  Without John Schroeder's guiding hand in the studio (he produced virtually all of their 60's studio sessions for Piccadilly/Pye) things were toned down and his voice was kept in check, live he could go beyond his already modest limitations.  "Understanding", not to be confused with The S.F's gem of the same name is my fave on the E.P.  With a nice organ/sax groove backing it on top of a pumping bass line it's easily danceable and well within Geno's ability.  "Hi Hi Hazel" is possibly one of the worst songs ever written. no matter who's doing it's an abomination: Gary & The Hornets, The Troggs, Geno and the boys included....  "Beach Bash" is better known to everyone as "Bush Bash" by The Markeys .  My assumption is that in the spirit of the 60's with Geno having a sizable mod contingent following in light of of the Brighton/Clacton/Margate punch up's it would be clever to rename the number "Beach Bash".  Whereas the original relies on a soulful organ beginning lapsing into a jazzy sax bit then Steve Cropper's twangy Telecaster string pulling The Ram Jam Band pump it up a bit (dexy's?) and leave out the organ solo making it a showcase for the bands twin saxophone attack that resembles a '79 ska record and the guitarist giving it a little Link Wray action before, interestingly swinging the whole band into a ska rhythm!

Geno Washington & Co. rocking out at their home base, The Marquee 1966

All four of the E.P.'s tracks can be found on a variety of CD's. I have them on a double CD "My Bombers My Dexy's My Highs:The Sixties Studio Sessions", which though two discs is a bit much Geno for anyone, can be found on the cheap quite easily.

Witness the mediocrity that is "Hi Hi Hazel":

http://youtu.be/Ei7wYtj5vYQ

"Water":

http://youtu.be/JQSjxl0T2Fg

"Beach Bash":

http://youtu.be/pDwUqdmXqE0

The Autumn Of Love: The Troggs

THE TROGGS-Love Is All Around/When Will The Rain Come U.S. Fontana F-1607 1967

I usually get a lot of stick for liking certain tunes that have been played too many times. One of them is The Troggs "Love Is All Around". Sadly it's all too often lumped in with all of that "Summer of Love" headbands and hippy shit. But for four lads from Andover they were having none of it.  In "Mojo" the man himself Reg Presley mused

"I got back from America, I smelt the Sunday lunch cooking, phawwww, after about 25 years on burgers, I kissed my wife, my little daughter, four years old. We went into the lounge and those Salvation Army girls, The Joystrings, were on television banging their tambourines and signing something like "love,love, love".  I went over to turn it off, knelt down and got a bass line in my head and I got it."

Regardless of how dreadful it's become thanks to a version by some crap 90's band that somehow became a staple of every equally crap wedding (Had it played at your wedding?  You're a knob!) the number still resonates with me. I remember the first time I bought a 45 of it (see above) the first thing that got me were the strings.  Amazing.  The melody, the bass line and those damned chilling strings get me every time and I'm back watching the sun set in that rinky dink little room on the second floor with Continental soldier wall paper and fold up stereo watching the sun set through a drafty old window.  And the band made a wiggy little promo film that summed it all up; weird, sunny, leering, foil coated spirit of '67 (no one had Hendrix perms luckily!).

Love is all around for Pete Staples, Reg Presley steals a kiss....

Flip it over and you've got a powerful number which despite my owning this 45 since the mid/late 70's I did not get my head around until at least ten years ago! "When Will The Rain Come" marks Ronnie Bond's vocal 7" debut.  He also penned the number.  Delivered beneath a hypnotic almost raga scale style guitar and deep near Gregorian chant vocals it's unlike anything you've ever heard those fellas do, I think, to a degree that's where it's charm lies.

Both sides are available in a variety of places, I suggest the CD reissue of their LP "Cellophane" (issued in tandem with the following LP "Mixed Bag"). We here at "Anorak Thing" would like to wish lead singer Reg godspeed in his battle against lung cancer and hope he's in remission and out there belting them ouit once again!

U.K. issue

Hear "When Will The Rain Come":

http://youtu.be/RuEPEb-1XJs

Donovan, dried banana peels and my intro to flower power.

DONOVAN-Mellow Yellow/Sunny South Kensington U.S. Epic 5-10098 1966

What we have here is a much treasured item from my childhood that I've managed to hang onto. Back in 1977 or so my friend was happy to share his dad's battered and forgotten 45's with me (though I'm not sure why they were so "VG" or "VG-", the singles were only 11 years old, my Embrooks 45's are that old and still in tip top shape! Guess his folks, like mine, weren't much on record care).  In my pursuit of all things British I came into possession of this.  My first Donovan 45 was a reissue on Epic's "Memory Lane" label where they'd paste two hits on a single with a suitably hippy flower label (see below).  My mind was blown and my little stereo (if you could call it that, a turntable that flipped down between to speakers and all folded up like a suitcase) played "Mellow Yellow" 24/7.  I played it for everyone.  My mother's eldest sister (my favorite aunt) was unimpressed (older and not a rock n' roll fan she remarked "I liked this better when it was "I'm Just Wild About Harry" intimating that Donno nicked it), most of my friends thought it was "weird" but this idiot son of a mom's friend (one of those awkward childhood things where two friends decided their children should be friends too) decided there was something to the lyrics and soon someone told him it was about smoking dried banana peels to get high.  Later on his mom complained to mine that she'd found banana peels under his bed that he admitted he was drying to "smoke like the song *****  ****** played me".  The older and wiser, savvy girl Pam up the street assured us it was about a vibrator ( I wasn't old or cheeky enough to ask Pam for a demonstration).  I decided I'd ask my Uncle Bill, who was married to my dad's only sibling (who herself had contributed a bevvy of 60's "British Invasion" 45's to my "cause").  He was a hip guy with wiry hair and a Fu Manchu, not unlike a 1968 Roy Wood.  He assured me that all of these were incorrect and that if I really liked the song it should be about whatever I wanted it to be about because "as way out as Donovan was he'd probably want it that way too". Fair enough!

Scan c/o http://www.45cat.com/

Well let's cut to the song . "Mellow Yellow" was Donovan's second U.S. single as the "new Donovan" having ditched his folkie, boho denim Dylan bit and got with it. Released in the States in October '66 (Britons would have to wait till February '67 to hear it due to some litigation issues) it rode the crest of new progressive British records that wasn't beat music and mop top haircuts, this was proto flower power. With some brilliant brass work care of the mighty arranging skills of John Paul Jones Donovan takes us on a trip that's one third Swinging London proto hippy, one third jazz/beatnik hipster and one third kiff cloud magic (magik?) as he sings in a laid back "couldn't-give-a-shit" tone. There's even a "guest" bit by Macca who can distinctly be heard uttering "yell-o" in the break in the bit where the sound of party revelry can be heard (from smoking too much dried bannana skins?) during the brilliant brass segment. Regardless of what it is about people here in the States dug it, heavily, and it went to #2 in the pop charts.

Another still from the great lost wiped from the BBC footage category

On the flipside we have the brilliant "Sunny South Kensington", one of my favorite Donovan tracks where he name checks Jean Paul Belmondo, Mary Quant and Allen Ginsberg whilst mentioning Cromwell Road and Portobello, all delivered in rapid fire beat poetry prose style singing.  The track is driven along by some kitschy harpsichord and a funky organ solo that fades into a groovy bit of bluesy ivory tinkling.

Both sides are available on the indispensable "Mellow Yellow" LP (also available in "deluxe" edition with alternate mixes, etc).

British pressing c/o
http://www.45cat.com/

Hear "Sunny South Kensington":

http://youtu.be/tCkDbGvvqz0