Jimmy Page Did Not Play On Every Cool Record Made In The 60's, BUT.....

This should provide some closure or perhaps further stoke the flames of conjecture on just what records Pagey DID play on.....

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: Amen

AMEN CORNER-High In The Sky/Run, Run, Run U.S. Deram 45-7521 1968

Today's topic was Cardiff, Wales favorite sons Amen Corner's fourth U.S. 45 release issued in October 1968 . It was released previously in July in the U.K. as (DM 197) where it became their highest charting record reaching a respectable #6.  No such luck in the U.S.A where their name would never pop up in the Billboard chart readings.  Issued in conjunction with their U.S. Deram LP "Round Amen Corner"  it was one of the first numbers I ever heard by them and still remains a fave.

Amen Corner's strength in my book always lay with their strong horn section twin sax attack of Allan Jones and Mike Smith which in my estimation helped compensate for lead singer Andy Fairweather Low's occasionally strained voice. "High In The Sky" benefits from the strong horn section as well as a nice fairground style feel to their churchy Hammond and grooves along quite nicely. The pounding, fluid James Jamerson style bass line weaving in and around the horns and Hammond is a further indication of how shit hot this band was.

"Run Run Run" suffers from the above mentioned tendency  by Fairweather Low in the vocal department, who like Chris Farlowe always seemed to be given numbers with keys he could never quite hit.  And regardless of what the musical backing is like (it's not at all un-listenable) it's lame, the tune itself is pretty weak as well.

Both sides can be found on the Deram CD reissue of their LP "Around Amen Corner".

See a half assed mime attempt from German TV's "Beat Club" below:

https://youtu.be/CR5OwC5M8yk?si=-VSRmum7IyrDh37f

Hear "Run Run Run":

http://youtu.be/fAwPPDWTXTI

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: The Cryin' Shames

THE CRYIN' SHAMES-(Don't Go) Please Stay/What's News Pussycat U.S. London 45-LON 100 1966

The Cryin' Shames sole U.S. release was their debut British single (Decca F 12340 February 1966), the Joe Meek produced cover of The Drifters 1961 opus "Please Stay". A minor hit at home (#26) it remains an obscurity here having failed to do anything. Curiously it was titled "(Don't Go) Please Stay" here.

Drenched in typical Meek echo induced organ "Please Stay" is a weak tune regardless who's playing it or who's twiddling the dials. The vocals sound like lead singer Charlie Crane has something in his mouth or has just had dental work and it's a sad example of how much crooner schlock Meek was wont to shell out whilst simultaneously recording monsters like The Buzz "You're Holding Me Down" (we profiled that one here).

The curiously titled "What's News Pussycat" bringing up the B-side (curious because the title does not appear in the lyrics) is far more entertaining.  It's a harmonica led bluesy/r&b thing with some downright Dylan inspired drawling lead vocals, far more listenable than the A-side and has zero to do with the Bacharach tune "What's New Pussycat".

"Please Stay" appears on Castle Music's double CD comp "Joe Meek The Alchemist Of Pop" whilst "What's News Pussycat" cropped up on their highly recommended CD comp "Joe Meek Freakbeat".

Watch "What's News Pussycat" on ABC-TV's "Where The Action Is":

Watch "Please Stay"on ABC-TV's "Where The Action Is"(embedding disabled by some prat):

http://youtu.be/DRIgpdNZEvA

Great Obscure U.K. 60's Sides:"Professor" Stanley Unwin's U.K. 45.

STANLEY UNWIN-Goldilocks/The Saucy Apprentice U.K. Pye 7N 15436 1962

Most of you here are aware of Stanley Unwin from his narrative on The Small Faces 1968 LP "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake", some of you may even have heard his 1960 spoken word LP "Rotatey Diskers" (Americans will perhaps know him from the film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" as The Chancellor of Vulgaria).  If you don't know of him he was an English comedian who created his own whimsical language called "Unwinese". "Unwinese" consists of throwing lots of endings on words (he was quite fond of "bold" or "load" on things, whereas "sing" would become "singbold" or "singload" or adding "Y" endings on words).  In a country that embraced numerous eccentric comedians, Unwin became quite famous and in demand eventually leading to a career and ultimately being asked to narrate The Small Faces LP after spending some time with them to pick up on their "dialogue".

It wasn't till record browsing at the end of last year that I became aware of his single which I dutifully snapped up (at an affordable price I might add).  I had heard a few things on YouTube from "Rotatey Diskers" so I was quite surprised that unlike the album both tracks on the 45 have a light jazzy backing as the LP is, from what I've heard, spoken word only. Stanley Unwin's "material" isn't something you'll listen to over and over again but it is amusing for a cursory look.

"Goldilocks" will certainly come as no surprise to Small Faces fans as he uses a few phrases recognizable from "Ogden's.." with some mild jazzy piano, stand up bass and muted trumpet tinkling away in the background whilst Stanley recites his interpretation of Goldilocks over the top.

"The Saucy Apprentice" follows the same formula with a jazzy backing that sounds at times, faintly like "Cheesecake" but the music is a bit more swinging making it sound like a wiggy beatnik record!!

Hear "Goldilocks":

http://www.stanleyunwin.com/audio/Goldilocks_Stanley_Unwin.mp3

Hear "The Saucy Apprentice":

http://youtu.be/Wknet-NDYnE

Stanley Unwin narrating in-between The Small Faces "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" LP on the TV series "Colour Me Pop" 1968:



 For more clips please visit this website and click on "audio":

http://www.stanleyunwin.com/

The Moody Blues Mark One: In America Part Four- U.S. 45 Debut (Of Sorts)

THE MOODY BLUES-Go Now/Lose Your Money U.S. London 45 LON 9726 1965

The Moody Blues U.S. debut came in December 1964 when London issued their 2nd U.K. 45 (Decca F F12022) as 45 LON 9726, a cover of the Bessie Bank's tune "Go Now" (#1 across the pond in November 1964) with it's U.K. flip, a cover of the Lulu Reed/Freddie King duet "It's Easy Child". It stalled chart wise here upon it's release and was relaunched in January 1965 with a new flip, a group original called "Lose Your Money" which graced the flip of their U.K. debut single "Steal Your Heart Away" (a Bobby Parker track, issued in September 1964 as Decca F11971). When reissued it went to #10 in the U.S. hit parade becoming their highest charting U.S single until 1967's "Nights In White Satin" by an altogether different line up with a different sound. It featured the same catalog number as the first pressing with the earlier U.S. London purple and white logo (replaced by their new blue swirl label on later pressings like our specimen above).

"Go Now" is vastly different from the original thanks to the heavy echo that creates an almost drone effect on the backing vocals throughout the song and has a  nice up tempo touch to it courtesy of Mike Pinder's piano  moving from the soulful dirge of the original to an almost ragtime swing. It's been a bit played out by it's still a great version.

"Lose Your Money" has always been my fave Denny Laine era Moodie's track thanks to the surviving footage of them included on the first "Ready Steady Go" VHS compilation. It blew me away after I'd somehow overlooked it and re investigated it on the urging of my pal Mike Sin.  Shortly after reviewing the VHS again, my mind suitably blown by what I'd seen (see the clip below)  I immediately went out and purchased a dodgy picture disc LP of their early stuff titled "Go Now". "Lose Your Money" (written by Denny Laine and Mike Pinder) is driven by some well placed harp blasts and bluesy guitar licks with some subtle combo organ beneath it delivered at a very dance-able tempo. Nearly 30 years later it still sounds amazing.

Both tracks can be found on Deram/Decca's CD reissue of their U.K. LP "The Magnificent Moodies" which contains all of their Denny Laine era U.K./U.S. material and is still in print.

Hear "Go Now":

https://youtu.be/KV9W0YJV3Tc?si=gMh5sWK_eN09utFg

Hear "Lose Your Money":

 https://youtu.be/D_tUiE3NJgU?si=eori3KQOr6sdUp9v

The Moody Blues Mark One: In America Part Three

THE MOODY BLUES-Boulevard De La Madeline/This Is My House (But Nobody Calls) London 45 LON 1005 1966

The Moody Blues sixth and final U.S. single with the Denny Laine (lead vocals/guitar)/Clint Warwick (bass) line up was this single which was oddly issued in June 1966, a whole five months prior to it's U.K. release (Decca F 12498). Both sides were composed by the bands in house tune-smiths Denny Laine and Mike Pinder.

"Boulevard De La Madeline" is an interesting number, it's French accordion intro with Spanish style acoustic guitar is totally unlike anything they had ever recorded and it's near classical piano seems to anticipate their new "sound" they'd be exploring as The Moody Blues Mk. II (see this earlier posting for more on that). Laine's vocals are amazing and there's this oddly discordant volume pedal effect on the guitar that makes the feedback almost sound like a string section movement!

"This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" is one of my fave Mk.I Moodie's records.  It's poppy but rocks along with characteristic high backing vocals and some bursts of bluesy/jangling guitar (that reminds me of the "folk rock" guitar on early Simon & Garfunkel albums) behind some barrel-house piano tinkling. This would be the band's last Denny Laine/Clint Warwick single in the U.S. with London choosing not to issue this line up's posthumous 45 "Life's Not Life"/"He Can Win" (U.K. Decca F 12543 January 1967).  The next time London issued a U.S. Moody Blues 45 the band would have a new sound and line-up with May 1967's "Fly Me High"/"I Really Haven't Got The Time" (London 45-20030).

Both sides can be found on the still in print Deram CD reissue of their debut U.K. L.P. "The Magnificent Moodies" as bonus tracks (contained with their entire U.K. Decca Mk.I discography)

Hear "Boulevard De La Madeline":

http://youtu.be/VLueWO4f4b4

Hear "This is My House (But Nobody Calls)":

http://youtu.be/2oJ9pBz0-60

We've Got A Record Label!!

Anorak Thing is proud to announce our new venture in the form of a 45 rpm record label called Pennytown Sound.  This fall we will be reissuing Mod Fun's 1984 debut 45 "I Am With You" c/w "Happy Feeling" direct from the original quarter inch master.  This will be the first time both tracks have been available on 45 rpm since 1984 and the first time "Happy Feeling" has been reissued ("I Am With You" was issued on Mod Fun's Get Hip CD compilation "Past Forward" and is slated to appear on Cherry Red's 4 CD mod compilation "Millions Like Us"). This will be a limited run of 500 copies as a 30th Anniversary edition of this exciting record.  For more details watch this space or go to our Facebook page (and please "
like" us!).