Rocker Roberts: The T-Bird (Roulette R-4506) The Pros and Cons: Whirlybird Parts 1 and 2 (Decca 31767)

I review these two together because they're pretty much the same song. But let's backtrack a bit, okay? You might recall Todd's review of "The Thunderbird Twist" by The Thunderbirds (the very first review on this blog, btw). Well, when I read it, I was struck by the similarities of a record I have by one Rocker Roberts. Turns out, the songwriting credit for "Thunderbird Twist" (Wild Bill Anderson) is virtually the same for "The T-Bird" minus the "Wild" part. Rocker Roberts is actually Rocky Roberts and the Airedales, a group of Americans who became even more popular in France. (They were stationed there as G.I.s when they formed the group.) This is one of Roberts' rare U.S.A. releases, and if you get a copy of the DVD "Hullabaloo, Vol. 3," one of the episodes features Roberts and the band doing "The T-Bird" on it. On this record, the "Thunderbird Twist" gets changed to a "Thunderbird Stomp." But get this: The Pros and Cons version changes that to "Whirlybird Song." And the songwriting credit goes to one Joe Fenegan. Yet it's virtually the same song as Roberts, except for some lyric changes....and the amount of times the singer yells "Good golly, Miss Molly" throughout the song. This record boasts the distinction of being produced by Shel Talmy, who was also working wonders with The Who and The Kinks among others around this time.

So, which one is better? Well, to tell you the truth, I like them both a whole lot. The Roberts version has a bit more soul due to his wailing vocals and a bit more horns in the mix. The Pros and Cons aren't to be counted out either, as they just turn up the Hammond B-3 and go for it. And there's a cool guitar workout towards the end of Part 2. Plus, the singer is more raucous. Either way, these records are both swingers and and are sure to help make your next drunken bash a great success. What'cha waitin' for, another millenium?

The Beacon Street Union: South End Incident (I'm Affraid)/Speed Kills (MGM 13865) Blue Suede Shoes/Four Hundred and Five (MGM K13935)

The Beacon Street Union were one of those bands associated with what's known as "The Bosstown Sound" which evidently was something dreamed up by their record label. My only exposure to them has been these two singles and I can tell you that all four songs here are really neat and indicate a band with a lot of different sides to their music. You got straight-out rock 'n' roll with their absolutely raucous cover of that Carl Perkins classic everyone knows. You've got weird psychedlic instrumental complete with swirling, drooping organ and backward tape loops with "Four Hundred and Five." There's more crazy psych with "Speed Kills," a 1:42 lament to the travails of life's fast pace, complete with changing time signatures, bleeping keyboards and a cool fuzz guitar solo. And there's the pick of the crop, "South End Incident (I'm Afraid)" which opens with a rapid-fire hard psych blast before slowing down into a tale of a hunted man who's witnessed a murder ("I saw him in the alleyway/I saw that piece of steel laughing at her throat/There was nothing I could do"), punctuated with creepy organ and bursts of loud guitar. So there you go: two different 45s, four different sides. How's that for diversity?

Oh, by the way, both of these records were produced by Wes Farrell, who would go on to being involved with TV's "Partridge Family." I guess that's progress.

49th Blue Streak: Fire/Foxey Lady (MBM Productions MBM No. 1947)

And now, ladies and gentleman, we present to you the influence of Hendrix! As soon as Jimi lit his guitar on fire at Monterrey, he and his Experience were soon blowing minds everywhere. Which meant every garage band in the country wanted to cover his songs. Of course, they couldn't play as well as Jimi, but that didn't stop them. Hence it is with this band's only 45 which gives you two Hendrix covers for the price of one. And both of those covers are drenched in oodles of fuzz guitar. What they didn't have in Hendrix's chops, they easily made up for by cranking up the fuzz and loading up on a lot of that 60s teenage attitude. It's too bad they didn't have a wilder drummer. The drummer here could barely keep the beat. But if fuzz is all you're craving, this can satisfy that sweet tooth. It just so happens, by the way, that a group called Five By Five was having some minor chart success with their own version of "Fire" (on Paula), but perhaps that's another story.

Lulu and the Luvvers: Shout/Forget Me Baby (Parrot 45 Par 9676)

We all know Lulu from repeated overexposure to her 1967 number one smash "To Sir With Love." But let's go back to 1964, when the British Invasion was just getting underway. At that time, she and her then band The Luvvers were making a little noise on the lower rungs of the Top 100 with this 2-sider of Isley Brothers covers. "Shout" is, of course, that song everyone knows and loves and Lulu's is a pretty much by-the-numbers cover, except there's not enough time for the "little bit softer now" portion, so they just go on to "Hey-hey-hey-hey!" and end the record. "Forget Me Baby" is much better. What's notable is Lulu's gruff, growling vocals on both sides, a far cry from the later smoothness of her big hits (including "Oh Me Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby"), but it really works well on this one in which Lulu's telling her man to forget her, sounding like a tough chick with a raspy voice. Of course, the man won't do it because he says "How can I forget you when I love only you?" The band gives a sharp, tough backing that ices the cake quite well. So, there you have it, today's "Before they were stars" lesson.

Johnny and the Hurricanes: The Psychedelic Worm/Red River Rock '67 (Atilla A 216)

Those masters of psych, Johnny & the Hurricanes
In the mid 60s, Johnny and the Hurricanes were just one of many acts still toughing it out after their hitmaking days had past. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, this here item shows that they still had a lot of swing in 'em. Fittingly enough, the B-side is an update of their 1959 hit of the same name. There were a lot of updates of this kind in the mid 60s, mainly by folks still trying to get mileage out of their biggest chart success. There was "Raunchy '65," "Topsy 65," even "I See The Light '69" and "Gloria '69," to name just a few. I don't know if this trend started with the Ventures success with "Walk Don't Run '64," but it was quite common in those days. Well, except for some slight rearrangements in the guitar riffs, "Red River Rock '67" isn't much different from its predecessor. It's still pretty good though as these things go. "The Psychedelic Worm," though, is the real gem here. There's nothing psychedelic about it, though, except for the title. But it is a prime example of the Johnny and the Hurricanes sound at its finest. It's got it all: bleeping organ, wild drums, blaring sax and a soaring guitar solo, all for 2:17 glorious minutes of rock 'n' roll instrumental bliss. And at a time when the dreaded "Sgt. Pooper" was on everyone's lips, it must have been nice to know that some things never change. Thus it was with Johnny and the Hurricanes and if you're a fan, I'd suggest you scoop this one out.

The Pigeons - Stick In My Corner, Baby

Is this a fairly common record or do people not know about it? I got this beautiful copy on eBay for just three bucks and was the only bidder. But whew, what a record!

Maybe the best place to start in describing this record is to refer everyone to Brian's recent write up of The Vipps' "That's My Woman". Like that one, "Stick In My Corner, Baby" combines garage and soul with lots of organ and some fuzzed out guitar. It even has the fairly standard r&b remake on the flipside, in this case Wilson Pickett's "(In The) Midnight Hour", which ain't bad but I have garage versions in my collection by both The Wanted and Michael & the Messengers that are lots better.

What really makes "Stick In My Corner, Baby" shine though is a small dose of early psychedelia. I've seen this record listed as being from either 1965 or '66, with the latter seeming more likely. It's pretty progressive sounding even then.

The psych reference makes lots of sense once you learn that The Pigeons went on to become Vanilla Fudge. But this isn't the slow dirge that they'd become famous for. It's an uptempo number with urgent, almost pleading vocals. It even has a "doo doo doo doo" background chorus just before the wild guitar break. All this goodness packed into only 2:35. It earns my highest recommendation.

Rod McKuen: Oliver Twist/Celebrity Twist (Spiral 1407)

"Hey Andy, how's about some soup?"

Before he became one of the most popular (some would say most noxious) poets of the 60s, Rod McKuen was a struggling rock 'n' roller. He had appeared in a rock movie called "Rock, Pretty Baby" and had also recorded for Brunswick a novelty called "The Mummy" under the name Gene McFadden and Dor. Now, here he is jumping on the twist bandwagon with these two sides. "Oliver Twist" is, of course, a play on the Dickens title ("You ought to see Oliver twist," get it?), while "Celebrity Twist" name drops Greta Garbo, Zsa Zsa Gabor ("Even Zsa Zsa don't need an analyst") and "every debutante on Chubby Checker's list") as among those doing the title twist. It should be noted that McKuen's vocals are not bad at all on either song. In fact, they're surprisingly gruff. And the band on both songs plays it hard and fast with barely a let-up. So while this may strike you as yet another silly twist record, don't let it. It's actually pretty good for what it is. Your move. Just remember: "You don't need pills to cure your ills at the celebrity twist."

The Goldberg-Miller Blues Band: The Mother Song/More Soul, Than Soulful (Epic 5-9865)

Long before he graced the FM radio waves with such overplayed "classic rock" standards as "The Joker," "Jet Airliner," "Fly Like An Eagle," "Jungle Love," "Abracadabra," "Rockin' Me," and all the rest, Steve Miller was the Miller of this band. He's noticably absent on "More Soul, Than Soulful," which is a waltz-timed, blues-flavored organ instrumental a la Booker T. But his guitar work is all over "The Mother Song," a raucous smoker of a tune in which the singer intones a bunch of reasons why "The only woman in this world you can trust is your mother." As organ wails away, and drums and bass pound, Miller's in there thrashin' on that guitar and kicking the other instruments around for breathing space. A clip of them doing "The Mother Song" on "Hullabaloo" does exist, but as far as recordings go, this appears to be their only single. (I could be wrong, though.) Shortly after this went nowhere chartwise, Miller would form The Steve Miller Band who would be a fixture on the San Francisco psychedelic scene for the rest of the 60s and early 70s. Then, they recorded "The Joker" and the rest is history.

Billy Rat and the Finks: All American Boy/Little Queenie (IGL 45-100)

This one-shot from a prolific Iowa label gives us not one but two raucous covers done up crude garage-punk style. First, we have the Bobby Bare by way of Bill Parsons classic about a boy who becomes a rock & roll star only to have Uncle Sam come knockin'. In this version, it sounds like a snot-nosed brat yellin' and raisin' a ruckus after being awakened from his afternoon nap. The vocals, credited to one Wally Shoop, yelp, scream and slur as if drunk. But that's a good thing. It only adds more punk fury to the song. The band provides the rest of the sloppy fury with swirling organ and dirty fuzz guitar runs. And this time, the cat with the big cigar tells our hero he's "gonna put (me) on the Sullivan show." And he didn't forget the cadillac. That dirty fuzz is more prevalent on the Chuck Berry cover that graces Side 2, while the organ drones more than it swirls. But Shoop's vocals are even more obnoxious than ever. So wha'dya think? A joke or a work of genius. Me, I don't know about art, but I know what I like, and I like this here 2-sider a whole lot! I believe this was this group's only record, but oh, what a record it is!

Otis Spann - Walkin'

I found this record here in town one day, along with a few other things. It's beat, has a crack in it and yet you hardly notice because it's LOUD! It's the only record I own by blues pianist Otis Spann but hopefully not the last because this is absolutely killer!

"Walkin'" begins with a huge drumbeat, think "Stompin' At The Savoy". Then the guitar and Spann's rollicking piano fall in. Otis then starts singing and he has to shout to be heard above the tremendous musical clatter. He sings, "I've been walkin'/talkin' to myself. I ain't got no woman/I don't have nobody else". He then shouts "Have mercy!" and the big drums take over on the break. Pretty soon the other instruments come back in and Otis gives us "I've been peepin'/I've been hiding out. I've been runnin'/I've been walkin'", simple yet effective. In the end, the song never stops, it just fades into oblivian.

"Walkin'" is the b-side of a single that Spann released with Fleetwood Mac, "Hungry Country Girl". I wonder how many Mac collectors over the years have even bothered to flip the record over? Their loss because not only is "Walkin'" an incredible slab of rockin' rhythm and blues but, although Spann gets sole label credit on this side, it appears the memebrs of Fleetwood Mac were backing him on this January 1969 recording. That, of course, would include Peter Green. Methinks it's one of the best things they ever did.

The Yellow Payges: I'm A Man/Home Again (Uni 55255)

This was the last single for this prolific group who recorded for both Uni and Showplace. And what a way to end on a high note. Now, some of The Yellow Payges' singles haven't impressed me too much, but they do have sides worth seeking out like "Never See The Good In Me," "The Two of Us" and "We Got A Love In The Making." Add this 45 to their best, particulary for the "I'm A Man" side. "Home Again." is a very fine garage pop number with some Byrds-like harmonies and guitar work, so those of you who like softer sides would probably enjoy it. It's "I'm A Man" that shoots this up to the ranks of the mandatory. Once again, it's the Bo Diddley classic, but The Yellow Payges take their cues from the equally classic Yardbirds version. Theirs is equal in intensity to both the Yardbirds' and The Litter's versions. The differences are a bit more emphasis on heavier guitar and a different-styled rave-up in which the singer yells out "I love my baby" and the guitars go up and down the scale. The guitars are cranked up loud, the harmonica wails throughout and the drums start out wild and stay that way. In short, this is as raucous a version as the very best of 'em and I highly recommend you seek it out.

Curley Moore and the Kool Ones: Funky, Yeah/Shelley's Rubber Band (House of the Fox MH-1934)

What you now hold in your sweaty little palms is a stellar example of a 5-star instro 2-sider. You'll note the name Eddie Bocage credited as arranger and co-writer. You may know that name better as Eddie Bo, he of "Hook and Sling" fame. The "Shelley" of "Shelley's Rubber Band" is radio personality Shelley Pope, who also co-wrote and produced. Now, there is some dispute as to whether the Curley Moore is the same Curly Moore who recorded for Sansu or Eddie Bo performing under a pseudonym. I suggest you take a look at the Funky 16 Corners blog (see links) and soulgeneration.co.uk for more detailed information. (Soulgeneration also has a massive Eddie Bo discography that's more than recommended.) But onto the record itself. "Shelley's Rubber Band" opens with a solid, steady beat and wah-wah guitar scratch as the announcer (Moore? Bo?) yells out "Are you ready?" This announcer will pop up a couple more times throughout the song, but the majority of it consists of bouncy, funky guitar groove and sweet swirls of organ. Then there's "Funky, Yeah" which is solid guitar raunch and jam. Over a barrage of slamming drums, we get a raw, funky guitar run that continues throughout, while the lead guitar player gets down with a swank solo. But watch out! The first guitar solo ends and then, the next solo erupts with a blast of psyched-out Hendrix-style fuzz. This fuzz solo gets even more intense and more righteous and before you know it, the record is over. All this intensity in only 2:30! And you're left going "Wow!" You've ever been left breathless before? Well, this is the definition of breathless. Even so, while my vote goes to "Funky, Yeah," the rest of you might go for "Shelley's Rubber Band" more. Either way, you win. This is definitely a 45 worth the effort it takes to hunt it down. You now have your mission before you.

Adam Faith with The Roulettes: It's Alright/I Just Don't Know (Amy 913)

Like his fellow countryman, Cliff Richard, Adam Faith was a British answer to our own teen idols. Also like Richard, he had a long career that encompassed everything from records to films to what-have-you. (I distinctly remember him in the 1960 film "Beat Girl" where he spent nearly the whole film trying to look tough by carrying a guitar around.) Now, we go back once again to 1964, where we find Adam, like Cliff, slugging it out in the face of the staggering popularity of The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, Hermans' Hermits and many others. Actually, this U.S. release was taken from two separate British faith singles and while "I Just Don't Know" is pretty much twee pop with horns, "It's Alright" really shows Faith and his then-new group The Roulettes slammin' it out with the best of 'em. It opens with Faith and his guitar quietly moaning out "Well, if you want me it's alright, alright, alright." Moment of silence. Then, all hell breaks loose. Faith shrieks "WELL IF YA WANT ME 'SALRIGHT! as the band springs into action right along with him. The result is a surprisingly tough piece of fast-paced, no-holes-barred, smokin' British beat rock 'n' roll. Just goes to show that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Not to mention that even the teeniest of teen idols sometimes have a spark or two in 'em.

Willie Joe and His Unitar: Unitar Rock/Bob Lenarde with Willie Joe: Cherokee Dance (Specialty SP-576-45)

If you've ever heard Rene Hall's "Twitchy" (see "July's Hot Hits") and wondered what that weird lowdown twang is, that's the work of one Willie Joe with his one-stringed instrument he called the Unitar. Thus it is with "Unitar Rock" that he lets that string fly for the course of 2:20 minutes. So, what does it sound like? Think "Twitchy" jacked up a couple notches on the speedometer. Think full throttle and full tilt. Think wild instro. Get it? Good. Willie's back on the flip, but this time it's a vocal number by Bob Lenarde. As Willie and the band twang and thump away, Mr. Lenarde growls in a low voice something about a new dance you can do with your squaw ("Grab your chick and spin her 'round/Take six steps back and then squat down) while a vocal group sings out something that sounds like "Hey wop chick chick, chick-a-boom" or a reasonable fascimilie thereof. Then, it's time for that Unitar solo and the whole thing goes out into the stratosphere for a bit before Bob brings it back down to earth for some more of this Cherokee Dance craze. The sad fact that records this wild and this crazy aren't made anymore ought to be enough to make you pick up the nearest available weapon and fight political correctness wherever you may see it. As for myself, I'll just turn this one up and bask in the coolness it permeates.

The Chiefs: How!/Tom Tom (Valiant 6038)

A record like this probably wouldn't get made today. Yes, I know that both songs are instrumentals, but notice that the titles come from Native American stereotypes. Then put stylus to groove and take heed of the pounding drums and Indian war whoops. Also notice that both "How!" and "Ugh!" are both said during pauses on the A-side. See, there you go. You'd probably have the ACLU on your case faster than you can say "Paleface speak with forked tongue." This kind of thing was very commonplace in all of popular music up until at least the mid-sixties. And the early rock 'n' roll era had songs like Jorgen Ingman's "Apache" and Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" as big hits. But not in today's world, nosiree! At any rate, if you can get past all that, you just might enjoy these two instro sides, as they have some pretty nice chunks of smokin' guitar. The drummer really gets a workout on both of them. My particular fave is "Tom Tom" which sounds like Link Wray and Sandy Nelson having an impromptu jam session during a raindance. Cool, baby! Who needs political correctness anyway? (NOTE: I have another record by The Chiefs on the Greenwich label with a song also called "Apache" (not the Jorman Ingman one). I don't know if it's the same group or not, but being that so many groups used the same names, it wouldn't surprise me if that was a different band.)

Spider Martin: Here 'Tis Parts 1 and 2 (Cookin' 45-608)

Spider Martin (center)
Well, dear readers, here's another artist I don't know anything about with another hot instrumental 45. Let me relate something a bit here: I was at another record show in Indy this past weekend when I found this in someone's instrumental stash. It looked interesting enough. After all, if a song is divided into part 1 and part 2 on a 45, chances are good that it's worth hearing. After all, all those James Brown 45s weren't big sellers for nothin', y'know. Also, it was on a label called Cookin'. Anyway, I make my way to another dealer's table. This person was someone I'd just bought a bunch of stuff from. Well, I was looking through his boxes again, pulled out a few more 45s and proceeded to play them on the portable record player he had with him. Then, I get out this and play it just to see what it would be like. After all, the dealer I got it from didn't have a portable turntable. Well, when I played this record, that other dealer took notice. He wanted to know what it was and asked if I'd let him play it all the way through. I did and he was going nuts over it. I mean it had him hollerin' for joy! He was diggin' it! So, you're thinking, what's this got to do with anything? Well, he's right. This is a very fine piece of smokin' jazz with lots of wailin' horns and thrashin' organ, all going along at 70 miles an hour down the musical turnpike. And you get two sides worth of it, too. This thing's a jam, what else can I say? And it's always nice to be able to turn someone else on to something you were surprised by yourself, so I left the show with another stack of cool wax and a glowing feeling in my heart that I did my good deed for the day.

Sam Lazar: I Ain't Mad At You/Camp Meetin' (Checker 1030)

Don't know about you, but I dig a swingin' organ instrumental. There were a lot of people out there who could make their organs do just that: Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith, Bill Dodgett, Brother Jack McDuff, Dave "Baby" Cortez. Well, here's one I've never ran across before: Sam Lazar. From what scant info I can find on him, Lazar recorded two albums for Argo ("Space Flight" and "Playback") in the early sixties. Then after that, he apparently recorded this single for Checker. That's about all I know, but it's what we collectors love to call a two-sider. Both sides of this single SMOKE! They're both identified by Lazar's killer organ and large doses of heavy, wailing sax, loud, pounding bass and furious fast paces. They're the kind of sides you wish would go on forever. They also make me curious to hear more from this guy. They're just one more reason I collect these things. Have I lost any of you? Well, let me just stop shootin' off my trap and let me go back and blast this killer organ 45 again and again and again. And let me be thankful for being alive. The rest of you can do whatever.

Leo's Five - Hold It

Here's a record that I'd neither seen nor heard of until moving to southern Illinois a couple of years ago. But boy, is it ever plentiful here! Bet I've seen about a dozen copies floating around since and always for cheap. One local junk shop had seven copies of this last summer. I even snagged a couple of extras to give to friends.

Leo's Five were a jazz styled combo out of the St. Louis area. Indeed, the L-G label was owned and operated by Leo Gooden out of his nightclub in East St. Louis, IL. Leo had at least one single on the label featuring his vocal stylings. I don't think he lent anything more than a name to Leo's Five though. I'm not sure of the membership on "Hold It" but the songwriting is credited to Don James, the band's Hammond B3 player.

"Hold It" is an uptempo instrumental that kicks off with interplay between James' organ and a horn section. Then, an Ike Turner-esque guitar comes in and takes over the lead, with the Hammond B3 backing. James then takes his turn at lead and wails! Some great tension is generated as the horns join back in and the organ leads them all back to the opening refrain. It's soul jazz at its finest, a really swingin' affair.

As close as I can pinpoint, "Hold It" was a 1964 release. Leo's Five made other recordings but for whatever reason this record seems to be the only one that's an easy find around here. But whoo, how lucky for me that this is the one.

Ike and Tina Turner and the Ikettes: I Want To Take You Higher/Contact High (Liberty 56177)

This is Ike and Tina, circa 1970, singin' and playin' about gettin' high and gettin' higher! You already know "I Want To Take You Higher" as the Sly and the Family Stone classic, but Ike and Tina's version rates pretty high on the funk meter, too. And how could it not? Because as Tina purred at the beginning of their hit version of "Proud Mary" (which would follow the next year), "We never, ever, ever do anything nice... and easy. We always do it nice.....and rough." They do it nice, rough and proud here and it did indeed make some chart noise in '70 (#34 pop/#25 r&b - Billboard), but it's the flip side that soars into the ranks of the unbelievable. Granted, both sides are, according to the label, taken from Ike and Tina's then-current album "Come Together," but what was Liberty Records thinking when they decided to put a song like "Contact High" on the B-side of this single? Let's put it like this: on side A, they want to take you higher. On side B, they're all too high to leave for home!
Over a fast rhythm and Ike's scratchy guitar work, Tina tells the story of a time she was at a party behind locked doors. First, they were passing around a joint, but Tina turns it down because she's already high from the contact. But then someone pulls out a bag of coke and well, that does it! By the end of the song, everyone in the place is too wasted to leave and there's no coming down..and the room gets quieter.....and quieter...and quieter...while Ike just keeps on scratchin' away at that guitar as we fade out. This one's quickly become a major fave around these parts because it's such a cool song with Tina's usual vocal workout...and of course Ike's great guitar. But imagine some mother getting a hold of this 45 in her kid's collection and listening to this......That mother's hairs would've stood on end for months! Unless, of course, she was smokin' some of that grass herself. How times change.............

Dee Clark - 24 Boy Friends

I've picked up a handful of Dee Clark 45's the past couple of years. I'm talking stuff on Abner, Falcon and Vee Jay. Most of the time I've come away disappointed, as Clark has played the balladeer or pop crooner and not with material exactly geared towards my listening habits. One decent one is "I Want To Love You", a nice, uptempo r&b number on the flipside of his huge hit, "Raindrops". But that one doesn't compare to "24 Boy Friends" that has our man pulling off a great Little Richard cop.

What would any Little Richard tribute be without the appropriate lyrics? "24 Boy Friends" has 'em from note one,

"It was last night, the night before
24 of your boy friends knockin' at your door
oh baby, yeaaaaaaaah baby
woooo, I've been good to you
whatcha tryin' to do to me"

He continues with my personal favorite lines,

"Well I got up, let 'em in
bust 'em all in the head with a rolling pin...

...and so on. Pretty tough to beat that. It appears that this record was released in the late summer of 1957, just about the same time as Mr. Penniman's "Keep A Knockin'". Not sure if that's coincidence or not but there's certainly some lyrical resemblance.

The instrumentation consists of a drum wallop that stops every so often to allow Clark's vocals to accent the beat, the obligatory piano and a pair of wailing sax breaks. All in all, a great Little Richard rip off that also stands on its own.

Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra: Watermelon Man/Swinging Shepherd Blues (Mercury 72108)

Here's something you don't see every day: Xavier Cugat, the popular Latin-American bandleader leading his players through a cover of a Herbie Hancock song. I remember finding this in a garage sale several years ago and being struck by how odd the match seemed. Of course, this was the early 60s and Cugat was still going strong recording albums for Mercury and Decca all through this. He even had time to introduce the world to Charo (if that's your idea of an accomplishment). Anyway, the song in question, "Watermelon Man," a hit for the Monto Santamaria Band around this time, too, is given pretty much a note-for-note cover, with a few differences. First there's a bit more Latin-flavored percussion than in Santamaria's version. Then, there's a female voice (Abbe Wool?) chiming in at various points "It tastes so goooooood!" and "Yum yum! DEE-LICIOUS! HA-HA-HAH!" There's also a male chorus singing "Watermelon man" at a couple of points, one toward the beginning, the other toward the end. Other than that, the horns do blast and the band does indeed swing which is about the most you could ask for. "Swingin' Shepherd Blues" is a cover of the Moe Koffman Quartet hit" in which flutes take over for the horns as the main instrument and benefits from punchy drums and bongos. Hmmm, interesting. I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for this, but really, this is more for the lounge music crowd, and well, I don't like cocktails. I prefer Mad Dog 20/20!

Frankie "Zeke" Hart: I Am The Red Devil/The Devil's High (Specialty 696)

Specialty Records is best known as the label that brought us Little Richard and Larry Williams and was home to loads of great rhythm & blues and gospel. Well, what we have here is one of the label's last releases and, quite possibly, one of the strangest. This 1970 item tells you what happens when you cheat on your wife or kill your best friend or shoot your mother in the back for her money sack. That's right: the devil awaits. But no, this is no right-wing Christian tract. It's got a little too much soul for that. It opens with the devil cackling madly over his victims' cries of "Master! Master! Then, over a slow tempo groove of 70's style funk complete with rolling piano and chunky guitar wah-wah, we hear the stories of Joe Smith messing around with Charlie Jones wife and Big Ben thinking he was going to win after he's committed murder. But the devil has other ideas. "But now he knows how the game goes," the singer intones. And then the devil pipes in with, "For now he belongs to me! And surely he will burn from my fire tree!" followed by a wild, maniacal laugh. "I AM THE DEVIL!!!" he shouts gleefully! "PUT MORE COAL ON THE FIRE! HEEHEEHEEHAWHAW! BURN MY DISCIPLES! HAHAHAHAHA!!" We also get saxophone riffs that signify the downward spirals of the devil's victims. So remember, friends, the devil is always watching you! "The Devil's High" is basically the instrumental version of the A-side with a few of the devil's crazy laugh's sprinkled in here and there. See, I told you it was weird.

Johnnie Walker: You're All Mine/Rain from the Skies (Tollie 9017)

It's hidden gem time again! This little obscurity is notable for the involvement of Burt Bacharach, who is credited as arranger on both sides. Suffice it to say that "Rain from the Skies," a Bacharach-Hal David composition, was the intended A-side and is very typical of the Bacharach-David style of pop. (Maybe Dionne Warwick recorded this later, I don't know.) But wait until you hear the B-side. Can you say "Beatles rip-off?"
Well, that's what they tried to do here, right down to the guitar sound. But you know what? They came up with a damned good song here! It's one of those songs that's so catchy in spite of its trappings that you want to play over and over again. It's so obviously Beatles-fueled that it's actually got a charm all its own. And, warts and all, it's irresistable! What can I say? Sometimes the funniest things have a way of hitting you. Hence it is with "You're All Mine," an all-time fave, Beatle rips and all.

The Liverpool Scene: The Woo- Woo (RCA 47-9754)

The Liverpool Scene were sort of a satirical psychedelic group out of England during the late 60s. That may explain why this single is supposed to be a take-off of 50s rock 'n' roll, but the major problem is that the song turns out to be so hot that it takes off on its own and rises above its intentions. As we begin, we are told the story of Bobby and the Helmets, a British rock 'n' roll group who were killed along with 234 other people in 1957 under a flood of ice cream soda or something like that. This is under a barage of guitar, marching drums and screams. Then, it is announced that the group's greatest hit is about to be played: "It's the one you all know! It's the one you all love! It's called 'The Woo-Woo!" We are treated to blaring sax, thumping bass and crashing drums and we get a smokin' hot guitar solo before the announcer intones "Is it a new sort of indoor party game??" "NOOOOOO!!" "Is it a Woo-woo?!!!" "YEAHHH!!!" And the band stomps to a close to approving screams and chants of "We want more!" Spoof or not, this one's wild enough to stand on its own, so play it loud and let everyone think you're crazy for it.

Lenny Bruce: Death Row 172 (Fantasy 541X)

I'm still shaking a bit. This record is chilling! When you think of Lenny Bruce, you think of the stand-up comedian of the 50s and 60s who was hounded to death on obscenity charges and such. So, what are we to make of this item, a spoken word piece about a condemned man? The record begins with calls of "Lock up" and prison-door sound effects and then a low, moaning harmonica plays in the background as Bruce relates the tale of a man on death row for killing three men in a bar in a fit of revenge. He relates to how he's being punished for killing the three men, when he was a war hero for killing more. It's all too late for him. The record slowly fades out as a priest reads him his last rites as he's led to his doom. It's very hard to listen to this and not come away with your nerves a bit shattered. One wonders what the idea was behind this record, especially coming from a man who would die of a drug overdose a few years after recording it.

The Outsiders: I'm Not Trying To Hurt You (Capitol 5843) The Outsiders: What Makes You So Bad You Weren't Brought Up That Way (Capitol 5646)

I'd like to echo Mr. Lucas' previous words about The Outsiders a few posts ago regarding "Time Won't Let Me" and I'd also like to share his sentiments about "And Now You Want My Sympathy," truly a great garage punker if ever there was one. Having done that, I'd like to present two more examples of The Outsiders' more garage punk side, both of them B-sides. "I'm Not Trying..." is the B-side to "I'll Give You Time (To Think It Over), which is in the more typical horn rock style of "Time Won't Let Me." "I'm Not Trying," however, is a fast-paced garage popper. While there's no fuzz or anything like that, there's no horns either and it's got great hooks and Sonny Geraci's tougher-than-usual vocals to pull it off.. "What Makes You, etc." graces the B-side of the weepy ballad "Girl In Love," some string-laden slop about a chick crying on her wedding night because her boyfriend's off somewhere. A quick spin of the almighty B will make you forget that instantly. Now we're talking! This one's got it all: crashing guitars laced with doses of fuzz and a snottier attitude than usual from these guys. The singer even threatens to kick the girl in the head! YOW! Need it be said that "What Makes You" is the true winner here? Well, "I'm Not Trying" isn't far behind either, so you got two great tracks to choose from. Me say you can't go wrong.

Spyder Turner: Ride In My 225 /The Fortune Bravos: One Stop (Fortune 570)

This little piece of soul-stompin' magic came out on the mighty Fortune label in 1964. Poor Mr. Turner would have to wait for three more years before he would have a hit with a novelty cover of "Stand By Me" on MGM. This here, though, is the real stuff: down 'n' dirty soul with Spyder wailin' to his girl about ridin' in his 225 while the backup singers coo "Talkin' about you!" And the rhythm section pulls in a big punch, too. The B-side is an okay jazzy instro knock off that does start out pretty cool: It starts with a voice going, "Hey, Mr. One-Stop record shop, I'm looking for this record, it goes like this," and on into the song more or less. The Spyder Turner side, though, is the one that's really worth your ears and it chalks up as another amazing side from this amazing label.

Ricky and the Lexingtons: Walking the Dog Shotgun/Have A Heart (Satellite 5874)

Here we have yet another example of a soul medley, but this one comes more from the garage punk side of things. Once again, Rufus Thomas is called upon here but this time he shares space with Jr. Walker, hence the title. Soundwise, this medley's characterized by real loud, crunchy guitar funk done white boy style (if you get my drift), howling organ and crashing drums. That same racket is dished out on the B-side as well, with a heartwarming tale of a boy pleading with his girl to have a heart but eventually deciding to leave when he sees that she ain't worth the trouble. Ahh, the things those 60s teenagers went through. So, is this worth seeking out? I say a big fat "YEAHHH!!!" But if there's any info about this band anywhere, I'd sure appreciate a holler or two. After all, I'm not only here to inform; I'm hear to learn, too.

The Outsiders - And Now You Want My Sympathy

First, let me start by saying that I think "Time Won't Let Me" is a great song, horns and all. It's that breed of mid 60's pop rock, along with things like "Kind of A Drag", that must have made the radio all the more enjoyable at the time. And if today's oldies radio is gonna boil The Outsiders down to a single song, "Time Won't Let Me" is a fine representative.

Amazingly though, The Outsiders had their garage punk side, also. It wasn't on display, at least on record, very often but it was there. "And Now You Want My Sympathy" is probably the finest example of The Outsiders at their punky best.

The theme is a common one, as boy tells off girl. The song consists of a tough, repeated guitar riff and lead singer, Sonny Geraci's best attempt at snotty vocals. He's no Sean Bonniwell, but not bad at all for the guy who'd go on to sing "Precious and Few". After a couple of verses, the song slams head on into a great guitar break, with backward effects. For me, it's one of the things that really makes the song.

The record itself is a bit tougher to find than the usual Outsiders single. I got lucky and found a copy at Salvation Army, complete with beautiful picure sleeve, cost: 49 cents.

Nature Boy and Friends: Surfer John/John, John (Bertram International 45-255)

This little item comes from a fairly prolific label that operated out of Hawaii. You'll notice from the songwriting credits that Eden Ahbez, Del Fi's answer to Martin Denny, wrote both songs, so that leads me to believe that he's involved in playing them as well. If you're expecting something like Martin Denny, though, you're bound to be disappointed. "John, John" starts out as an interesting, fast paced instrumental with surf guitar and a neat piano riff, but then deteriorates into brass quoting "Battle Hymm of the Republic" among others. And a chorus sings "John, John" throughout. As often happens, the good one's buried on the B: "Surfer John" opens with chick vocals bellowing out the following stanza:

John, John, Surfer John,
He was not afraid to die,
John, John, Surfer John,
He flew one wave too high.

But that's all you get for a story, which is repeated a couple more times. The rest is a snappy beat in which to lay down some neat surf guitar and eerie piano. See what happens when you flip the record over?

The Vipps: That's My Woman/Mercy, Mercy (Phillips 40387)

Here we have what might be called soul/garage, but not in the wimpy blue-eyed mold you might expect. At least on "That's My Woman," which is characterized by soulful harmonies, but given added punch by lots of wicked fuzz guitar and soaring organ. It's that fuzz that helps give "That's My Woman" its added punch and makes it a gem worth digging for. Too bad they couldn't have done it for the Don Covay cover that graces the B-side. The fuzz is turned off and it's more straightforward. It's one of those covers that's neither good or bad, just kind of there. Seek this out for "That's My Woman" and you'll definitely be in better shape.

NEWS FLASH! A friend of mine recently told me that this was a British group and that Keith Emerson was one of its members! YIKES!

Did these folks record anything else?

Bill Cosby with the Bunions Bradford Band: Hikky Burr Parts 1 and 2 (Uni 55184)

We go back to about 1972 for this one in which Cosby was in the middle of his first short-lived TV sitcom. This is the theme song to that show and Cosby gets help from none other than Quincy Jones, who was writing a lot of TV show themes around this time ("Sanford and Son"). Prior to this, Cosby, better known for his comedy albums, had actually scored a Top 10 hit in 1968 with "Little Old Man." This was one of his many attempts at trying to actually sing and well, let's leave it at that. Quincy Jones can't be faulted. He lays out a funky lowdown groove and the band gives it all they got. But then you get Cosby's vocals...or whatever you call them. He slurs and growls out a bunch of unintelligible gibberish. It sounds like he's talking about some soul food recipe, but you can't tell. You could probably guess that he was drunk during the recording session of this. It sure sounds like he was. Ahh, well, 14 years later, he'd hit sitcom immortality with "The Cosby Show," and this thing would no doubt be a distant memory. Now, don't get me wrong. I actually like this record, but in a perverse kind of way, if you know what I mean.

Narvel Felts: Rocket Ride Stroll/Dream World (Mercury 71275x45)

Narvel Felts is better known today as a country singer, but his success in that area wouldn't come until the 1970s. Long before that, he was trying his hand at this new rock 'n' roll like just about everybody else that wasn't smitten with Pat Boone. Hence this item from 1958 in which the A-side ("Dream World") is a typical period ballad style that fellow rocker-turned-countryman Conway Twitty would specialize in. You already know if you like that kind of thing or not and while it's not too bad, the credit "Vocal by Narvel Felts with the Anita Kerr Singers" might sound warning bells in some of you. However, "Rocket Ride Stroll" is indeed a nice surprise. It's a brassy instrumental with a slow-walkin' beat and lots of blazin' sax and ol' Narvel gets to kick in a few tasty guitar licks midway through. This kind of makes me wonder if anything else Mr. Felts recorded during this period is worth laying ears to. Anyway, Mr. Felts served in the Army National Guard from '61 to '67 and resumed his music career shortly after that. A country version of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" hit #8 in 1973 and that was that.

Jimmie Haskell & Orchestra: Rockin' in the Orbit (Space Satellite)/Astrosonic (Imperial X5840)

Jimmie Haskell has been and continues to be one of the most sought-after composers and arrangers in the music business, having worked with nearly everyone from Chicago to Blondie. He's also done a wealth of film score work also. Now once again, we must turn back the clock to the times when he was at Imperial arranging sessions for Ricky Nelson. During that time, Haskell recorded an album called "Count Down" which is coveted by fans of space age pop. This single was probably taken from that album, as we have two sides of period rock 'n' roll interspersed with space noises and electronic sound effects.
"Rockin'" has a bit a slower tempo with a sax riff that sounds almost like moanin', while "Astrosonic" is much faster. On both of these cuts, the band really smokes and the jams are both hot enough to cause nuclear meltdown. This was an instant fave when I first heard it a few years back and it continues to grow on me. Now, I guess I'll have to look for the album, too. *sigh* A record collector's work is never done.

Roy and Georgia and the So and So's: Devil Get Away From Me/Looking Up (Crossfire CF 105)

Here's another of the more unusual 45s in my vaults. This appears to be a religious-oriented record from a California label. A couple of things: First, only Roy does the vocals, so if you're expecting male-female duets, forget it. Second, while there's clearly a drummer present, there also appears to be an early drum machine. (At least that's what it sounds like to me.)
Third, the main instrument is the guitar and while the playing is competent enough, there's a few odd breaks in the 4/4 scale on both songs. On "Looking Up," the singer is looking ahead to the better life up there, while saying that poverty doesn't bother him too much. The A-side has our singer being taken to Hell because he hasn't been a good man, but he says a prayer and the Lord says "This time I'll forgive you, but the next time...."
you get the idea. He wakes up in a pool of sweat. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, he gets to feel the heat as he sees another soul thrown in the fire. Whatever else you can say about this one, at least you can't doubt their sincerity. Me, I think it's got a charm of it's own in a way. It's one of those things I can't explain, or maybe I just don't want to.

Bobby Christian with the Allen Sisters: The Spider and the Fly/Cha Cha Hop (Mercury/Wing W-2102x45)

Now if this doesn't make the list of one of the strangest records ever made, I don't know what will. No, I'm not talking about the B-side in which the Allen chicks sing about being tired of rocking and rolling and how the cha-cha is so neat. Well, we all know what happened there, don't we? I mean the out-of-the-ballpark A-side which was no doubt inspired by the then-current sci-fi flick "The Fly" and dishes out the terror in just a little over two minutes. Over a backdrop of jazzy bass fiddle, conga drums and cryptic piano, our narrator intones: "SPIDERS!!......CREEPY!!!....CRAWLY!!!!.....THE FLY!!! (with echo).....THE FLY!!!(with even more echo)....THE FLY IS IN THE SPIDER'S WEB!!!!......" Then, a sped-up voice screams "Help me! Help me!" A few more seconds of this and then a normal woman's voice says "Doctor, you're having a nightmare!....WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM?!?!?" And she joins with the spider in yelling "Help me! Help me! Help me!" as the record fades. The label lists a warning above the title: "Do not listen to this record in the dark or alone!" Taking that advice wouldn't be too bad an idea as this thing's bound to give you a few shakes up the spine. Shall we call it a demented classic? I agree.

The Real Don Steele: Tina Delgado Is Alive/Hole In My Soul (Cameo C-399)

Ever the hipster, The Real Don Steele

Everybody who knows and loves radio of the 60s knows that The Real Don Steele held court in L.A. at KHJ starting midway through the decade. In between all that, he had time to wax this odd novelty item for Cameo. Strangely enough, he's barely there on the A-side, only to yell out his catchphrase "Tina Delgado Is Alive! Alive" twice within the first 30 seconds, while the studio band rips into a guitar/horn extraviganza complete with fuzztone and smashing drums. Steele's given a lot more to do on "Hole," in which he spends half of the record rapping about people who don't have any soul, but then it turns out he's talking about some chick who lost her shoe. Then the uncredited chick takes over the vocals, saying things like "Baby, baby, baby, tell me what, tell me what, tell me what can I do?" Even Don tries to get into the act toward the end when he tries to sing "Shoo-be-doo-be-doo-be" or something like that and it's obvious why he's not remembered for singing. File this one under strange, but worth a few spins for those who are terminally curious.

C.C. Neal: O.J. (A Tribute To O.J. Simpson)/All I Want From You Is Your Love (Soul Craft 107)

It's a little hard to believe that 11 years ago, the world was awaiting the O.J. verdict. Okay, you have in your mind the bronco chase, the gloves, Judge Ito and Johnnie Cochran. Well, flash back 20 years from that time to a more innocent age of gas shortages, Nixon's resignation and Wacky Packages bubblegum packs. That was the time when O.J. was a king of the football field and that's when this record was made. Now, we have a typically smooth piece of 70s soul-pop called "All I Want From You Is Your Love" on the flip side, which may or may not float your ship. But the reason (for me anyway) this record has any interest at all is the glowing tribute that's given the future fugitive. The record opens with typical 70s wah-wah funk guitar scratching over a beat we'd all come to know as disco. Then the girlie chorus comes in with a chant of "O.J's on the run!" Finally the instruments all kick in and Mr. Neal sings the praises of O.J.: "Some people call him the juice. He can sure get loose! Oooooooooooooooo J!" And on it goes until we get back to the girlie chorus singing "O.J.'s on the run! Juice is on the loose!" while Mr. Neal goes "He's the greatest of them all!" You can only imagine some joker playing this record, particularly during the "O.J.'s on the run" portions to footage of the bronco being chased down the L.A. freeway in slow-mo by the L.A.P.D. It's strange how the passage of time can turn tribute into irony, but that's pretty much what's happened here.

Lee "The Big Masher" Lilly - Big Masher

Here's a real oddball record. I can't find much of anything about it on the net. There are a couple of listings for the record and one site has it as a 1962 release but I can't verify that. That seems about right though. I don't know anything about the Alcor label either.

But it's not just oddball for its relative obscurity. The music itself is fairly novel, as well. In fact, the flipside of this "Scary Movies" is pretty much pure novelty. "Big Masher" isn't exactly heavy listening but that's no prerequisite around here.

"Big Masher" is a mid-tempo r&b groove, with The Big Masher's (who else?) spoken lyrics sprinkled on top. He starts, "Like oh baby, here I am, The Big Masher", a la Mr. J.P. Richardson. He then encourages everyone to grab a chick and get in there and mash. "Mash those potatoes, grind that corn", he says. Next, he calls out each instrument, one by one, "Dig that horn", "Listen to those skins", "Come in on that guitar". There's also a piano in the mix but maybe The Masher was pissed that day at the guy playing it because it gets no mention. He gets back to the dance lingo and so it goes for the 2:16 duration.

I don't think any further explanation is necessary.

The Countdown Five: Shaka Shake Na Na/Money Man (Cobblestone CB 745)

This 1969 item was the last 45 from this group (probably best known for "Uncle Kirby (From Brazil)") and it seems only fitting that it's on a subsidiary of Buddah Records, as it's got more of a bubblegum sound. But don't start getting your panties all bunched up because it's a real tough bubblegum sound we're talking about, at least for the A-side "Shaka Shaka Na Na." Under a backdrop of party noises, the band pounds away with searing organ and, best of all, blasting fuzz. That's right, the fuzz quotient is quite high here and it almost makes you forgive the record's abrupt fade in the middle of the last verse.
(The group is credited with producing the record; whatever got into them to want to fade the record out when they did? I do not get it.) The B-side's a typical period protest song about someone with too much money. Ahhh, okay. Stick with "Shaka Shaka Na Na." You'll feel much better about yourself.

The Talismen: Casting My Spell/Masters Of War (American Arts AA-22)

I've read that Jimmy Page played guitar on this, but that leads me to question that if this is a British group, how the hell did they end up on a label called American Arts? Ah well, stranger things have happened. (American Artists, it turns out, was a subsidiary of World Artists, home for a time to Chad and Jeremy.)
What matters, though, is that this is a pretty good 'un. "Masters," is the Bob Dylan song given the garage-beat treatment and cutting off after the third verse or so, but managing to squeeze in a harmonica solo. The better side is "Castin'," another cover, this time of the great Johnny Otis Show classic. Pounding Diddley-style drums, snappy harmonies and sharp guitar help to put this one over. And in 1 minute and 37 seconds, it's all wrapped up in a neat little beat package.

The Running Jumping Standing Still: Diddy Wah Diddy/My Girl (Sunshine QK-1717 Australian release)

I only have a small handful of foreign releases in my collection at this point, but here's one to treasure. Well, okay, the "My Girl" cover ain't much to shout about unless you can picture Keith Relf and The Yardbirds stumbling through it on a bad day. That is, if you'd actually WANT to picture that. But HOLD ON! The "Diddy Wah Diddy" cover is a different animal altogether, as sizzling a slice of Aussie freakbeat as you can possibly hear. Now, you may have in mind the cover by Captain Beefhart and His Magic Band. Well, the Running Jumping Standing Still's version is similar, yet every bit as equal, thanks to some stunning dirty guitar work and growling vocals. The word "killer" is overused, but it works just fine here. Roughly from 1966 or so and worth the effort to track down. (I know it's comped on some freakbeat comp, but I don't remember which one.)

Jimmy Soul: Go 'Way Christina/Everybody's Gone Ape (S.P.Q.R. 45-3312)

I'm sure you all know Jimmy Soul by that huge hit that even today refuses to die. Let's all sing together: "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life/never make a pretty woman your wife/ so for my personal point of view/pick an ugly girl to marry you." Well, by the time he recorded "Go 'Way Christina," he must have changed his mind. It's got the same happy jungle sound (I don't know of a better way to describe it) that his big had (and several follow-ups, too), but this time, he's trying to get away from a girl with "a face like a fish," even going as far as the North Pole. So much for ugly women, ehh, Jimmy? But when you play the B-side, you find out that everybody's gone ape over doing the monkey. I like this side much better, as it's got a raucous rhythm, wild vocals and a cool guitar break. Trouble is, the record ends in the middle of a verse! Damn! And it was really cookin', too!

Tommy Ridgley: Jam Up Twist/Wish I Had Never (Atlantic 45-2136)

Here we have a delightfully raw obscurity from the Atlantic label in which fans of blues and fans of fast stompers are both satisfied. "Wish I Had Never" is the blues song, punctuated with raw vocals and a loud, brassy arrangement. Yet it perfectly compliments the sad tale of regret that the lyrics encompass. The wailing sax solo is the proverbial frosting on the cake. But for me, the real gem is "Jam Up Twist" in which Ridgley revs up the band for a real dance workout of blastin' horns, pumpin' piano, bashin' drums and a suave guitar solo. All of it is enforced by the bandleaders yells to "Work it out!,"Jam up!" and so on. Don't know if Ridgley recorded anything else, but this sure be a swell little find if I do say so myself.

The Falcons and Band (Ohio Untouchables): I Found A Love/Swim (Lu Pine L-1003)

Let's start off here by saying that "I Found A Love" is without a doubt one of the rawest examples of doo-wop you're ever likely to hear. The guitar is heavy in the mix and while the harmonies are tight as can be, the lead vocals yell, scream and wail. That can only be because the lead singer here is none other than Wicked Wilson Pickett, who would soon be off making his own hits. Pickett later re-recorded this song for Atlantic and had his own sizeable hit with it. That version is quite swank in its own right (not to mention at two parts, it's longer), but it doesn't quite hold a candle to this one, in which rawness is all over the place. And while we're on the subject of rawness, flip this record over for a smokin' slice of hip-shakin' 1962 groove. A couple of years before Bobby Freeman showed everyone how to do The Swim, The Falcons were spreadin' the word to those who ventured to play thie side. I believe The Ohio Untouchables would later become The Ohio Players, but I'm not sure. At any rate, this joins the ranks of the great two-siders. It does in my book, anyway.

Henry Cording with Big Mike and his Parisian Rockets: Hiccough Rock (Rock-Hoquel)/Rock and Roll Mops (Columbia 4-40762)

Talk about a record from another planet! The first clue is given on the label: "Recorded in France." That's right, friends, it's French rockabilly! One has to wonder what Columbia saw in this to give it a U.S. release, particularly with noted rock hater Mitch Miller as their A&R guy. (Miller also made all those geriatric "Sing Along" LPs that made your dead grandparents happy.) But then again, they also had The Collins Kids and Ronnie Self around this time. Even so, you give listen to this and have to wonder what they were thinking. Not that it's bad, mind you. In fact, it's hot. The band gets to busness right away on "Hiccough Rock" and then Mr. Cording comes on and starts singing in French. But he doesn't just sing. He shrieks, he spits, he shouts and he rips it out in machine-gun delivery. Add to this hic-cup noises and then the whole thing goes into the stratosphere. His band keeps up with him and shakes up the grooves throughout. There's more of this madness on the flip side in which the only words in English are "Rock and Roll Mops," whatever those are. But Mr. Cording just lets go with more of that rapid-fire French delivery. So, even though you can't understand the words unless you know French, you can definitely feel this record's energy. Maybe they thought that Cording would be France's answer to Elvis (or at least Bill Haley), but the result is a 45 so out there it's in a world all its own.

Oh, by the way, does anyone know where I can get some info in this guy that's actually written in English? Didn't think it'd hurt to ask.

Joel Grey: My Goose Is Cooked/I Lost Her To Him (Capitol F3821)

THE Joel Grey? THE Joel Grey? The same Joel Grey who told us all to come to the Cabaret? The same Joel Grey who recorded a version of "White Room" that was "good" enough to be on the Golden Throats compilations? I don't know. I can't find any information other than all the soundtracks Grey has been on, but on the other hand Grey WAS in a 1957 movie called "Calypso Heat Wave," so it's very possible he could have recorded these two decent rockabilly boppers for Capitol a year or two before. If someone's got the beans, please spill them. Meanwhile, both of these songs are pretty good. "I Lost Her To Him" is a boy-loses-girl tune from the Sanford Clark "Fool" school of loser tunes, while "My Goose Is Cooked" is more uptempo and rockin', with killer lines such as the following:

My heart is on fire like fish in a pan
I wanna take that girl to the preacher man
I wanna tie that heiffer up as fast as I can
Set the table, honey, my goose is cooked.

So, it's a little hard for me to believe with lines like that that this is the same Joel Grey of broadway fame. Therefore, this review will probably have to be completely rewritten whenever I get the information. Guess we'll have to see.

Bill Parker: Gonna Put My Foot Down/I Waited in the Rain (Anla AN1-125)

So far, the only info I can track down about this thing is that Anla was a subsidiary label of Goldband (according to the Wang Dang Dula website). I guess that only makes sense as this crudely recorded slice of funk seems to have "swamp" written all over it. "I Waited in the Rain" is the more blues-oriented of the two, where as "Gonna Put My Foot Down" is as raw and funky as all get out. They're both characterized by Parker's low, near-mumbling vocals, phrases repeated over and over, wicked guitar work (especially on "Foot"), heavy organ and abrupt endings. It's that last part that gives you a clue about how ultra-low-budget these recordings must have been, as "Foot" cuts off in the middle of the fade out, while "Rain" sounds as if the tape broke off during the mastering and the engineer just said, "Forget it. Too late." Thus, this can be called interesting, but it's worth it for "Foot," which is really cool, lowdown funky stuff.

The Stuarts: Just A Little Bit More/Bringing It Home (Ascot 2209)

Here we have an obscurity from the production-songwriting team of Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer. They're the same people who brought you The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy," "Night Time," "Cara Lin") and The Sheep ("Hide and Seek"). The Stuarts didn't quite go as far (in fact, they didn't go anywhere), but "Just A Little Bit More" is a great example of their bubblegum sound, always punctuated by loud, driving drums. The drums lead off here with the intensity of cannon fire, followed by shouts of "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh" before going into a mix of pounding rhythm and stinging guitar as a call and response begins, sort of like this:

"Don't you know that I love you" "Just a little bit more"
"And don't you know that I need you" "Just a little bit more."

You get the idea. The beat here is so intense that it almost defies you not to get up and dance. And that stands as a testimonial to Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer....and Kasenetz-Katz who would follow a few years later. At a time when politics and pseudo-intellectualism were creeping into and infecting rock & roll, these guys made records that had good beats and you could dance to them. That's still one of the highest compliments you can make about great rock & roll.

Oh yeah, the b-side. It's not too bad, but in typical throwaway fashion, it doesn't has the same drive as "Just A Little Bit More." But they still manage enough energy to put it through.
And besides, as the lead singer says:

I can't buy you pretty clothes
But baby, don't be blue
'Cause I got something special
That I'm saving just for you

I can only guess what that is.

Sebastian and the House Rockers - Nobody Can Do The Dog Like I Do

What we have here is a nifty little record that's a medley of Rufus Thomas's "The Dog" and The Isley Brothers' "Nobody But Me". And it makes for a nice, pounding stomper indeed. Not sure what year it was released but, given the ground it covers, I'd guess sometime around 1963.

Sebastian is on his own vocally, through "The Dog". There's some good guitar, the occasional horn and a big drum beat. And there are also the obligatory barking dog sound effects. Then, the bridge leads into "Nobody But Me", where ol' Sebastian is joined by some back up singers. And of course, in this version, the dog is one of the dances nobody can do like him.

What impresses me most about the record is the ultra crude, lo-fi sound that's drenched in echo. Or is that reverb? Hell, I'm not even sure but the whole thing goes together with terrific results. It's lo-fi, yet manages to sound big.

Info on Sebastian and the House Rockers is pretty dodgy. All that I really have to go on is the Richmond, VA address on the label. Maybe someone out there knows more.

Find it and slap it on at your next house party.

The Monterays: Bo-Did-It/Avant de Beaucoup (T-Hee TH 700)

From the bowels of Oklahoma City comes this wild guitar combo with two cookin' sides! "Avant de Beaucoup" is a moody, surf-guitar-oriented tune with 3/4 timing and twangy guitar rhythms. It's also the better-recorded side of the two. The A-side, "Bo-Did-It," has "Recorded Live" stamped on it and you don't have to guess how far in its infancy live recording technology was in 1964 to appreciate how crudely recorded it is. The drums, wild as they are, are buried in the mire. Thankfully, the thundering guitar cannot be stopped. And neither can the screams of all the swingin' teens in the crowd! The song itself? How better to describe it than Bo Diddley meets Link Wray? This is a cut that just cries out to be played as loud as possible to a) get the full effect and b) scare away all your uncool neighbors. Records like this KILL SQUARES DEAD ON CONTACT! Believe it.

Oh, and one final note: I managed to run across a station playlist from an Oklahoma City station from June of 1964 (KOMA to be exact) in which "Bo-Did-It" debuted at #39. Too bad this didn't take with the rest of the country, but maybe this was just too cool to go nationwide. Just a thought.

The Upsetters: Jaywalking/Steppin' Out (Fire 1029)

I'm going to assume that this is not to be confused with the Lee "Scratch" Perry outfit. I'm also going to assume that this was their only single. I know at least that it's from 1960 and this label's next release would be Tarheel Slim and Little Ann's classic "Security." But I've heard a few rumours that this group of Upsetters was actually Little Richard's backing band. Could someone enlighten me about this? Until then, let me tell you that "Jaywalking" is an interesting R&B instro rocker punctuated by a double sax riff and dirty funky guitar work. There's also a guy yelling things like "Shake it, baby!" and "It's good to me!" and laughing maniacially in a couple of places. But get this: there's a flute solo! That's right! A freakin' flute solo! And what's more, it actually works here! Kinda like adding a different kind of spice to an already cookin' instro. The B-side's a vocal number with a more "Stroll"-ish tempo and the singer going on about how tonight he's doin' what the title says he's doin'. My vote goes for the "Jaywalking" side, but either side's quite fine, so it's a win-win situation here. Now, who are these Upsetters, ehh?

Donoman: Here Comes The Fool/Do You Know (Everything About Love) (Thunderbird 45-TH-102)

Well, awww reet, we got another 2-sider here! Two different moods, natch. What's interesting is that a different girl back-up group is credited for each side. On "Here Comes The Fool," Donoman is backed by The Lakettes who emphasize his pain about being "a fool in love with you." Some of you may know this one as the lead-off track of a compilation called "All Tore Up" and it definitely feels like it was recorded at 2 o'clock in the morning after several hours of crying in your beer. Which brings us to "Do You Know (Everything About Love) in which the band kicks into high gear and Donoman, backed by the Sparkettes this time, grunts and growls "DO YOU KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT LOVE!"
as many times as he can. The Sparkettes go "Now you know! Now you know!" as the band works itself up into a joyous, but intense groove. This is what's known as 2:50 minutes of soul shouter heaven! So there you have it: a soul party and a blues hangover, all within a stone's throw of each other. From 1963.

The Outer Limits: Help Me Please/Just One More Chance (Deram 45 DEM 7508)

Well, well, well, looks like the shaker is buried on the B-side this time. This group came out of the U.K. and this was one of their only 45s from about 1967, I believe. "Just One More Chance" was the intended hit and well, I gave it a chance and didn't think it deserved another. Maybe if you're into pop psych, you might get into it, but that's not my bag, y'know. It's not necessarily bad, but it's not something I want to hear all the time either. All right, now, flip the record over and dive into "Help Me Please," which gets cookin' right away with a Mitch Ryder-like groove. Pour in some jerky guitar, swirling organ, swingin' tambourine and roughhouse vocals and you got it, jack. The beat never wavers, only briefly for the pleas of "Help me, help me" but then it gets right back in gear and stays hot for the rest of the song. You aspiring mod DJs out there might want to get ahold of this one for your next shindig because it's a definite mover that ought to lead a few people out onto the multi-colored dance floor, if you know what I mean.
But then again, I thought "That Thing You Do" was a lousy movie, so what do I know?

Red Berry and The Bel Raves - What A Dolly/Hot Rod

I recently saw this record mentioned on a music discussion board that I frequent and thought it'd be a good time to write something about it. This is yet another record that I sort of lucked into at a flea market, not knowing what it was. Turns out, this 1959 release on the small Omaha label, Dreem was later picked up for national release by 20th Century Fox. Both issues are pretty hard to come by but apparently this one is an especially tough find.

As far as I can tell, Red Berry and The Bel Raves were a local, Omaha band and this was their sole record release, at least under this name. "What A Dolly" is a fine, uptempo slab of rockabilly. It kicks off with a rockin' guitar, then the singer starts,

"Well, I found me a baby, cute little baby
She's real gone and I don't mean maybe
What a dolly, what a honey
She got big blue eyes and the sweetest smile
I know this girl is in my style"

The song has a fantastic guitar break that's over all too quickly. In fact, the record clocks in at under two minutes. Too bad, I guess that's the price you pay for greatness.

Meanwhile, over on the flipside we have a cookin' little insrumental called "Hot Rod" that's actually credited to Lou Berry and The Bel Raves. It begins with the sound effect of a hot rod starting up and peeling out. In comes the rock and roll guitar, which gives way to some pounding piano and then back and forth again. All the while, those sound effects are barely audible in the background, drowned in the tremendous musical racket. In the end, the hot rod slams on its breaks and wipes out. Considering how this record steps on the gas and doesn't let up, I'm not surprised.

The Whyte Boots: Nightmare/Let No One Come Between Us (Phillips 40422)

One of the reasons there's so many comps out there is that so many singles only have one good side, if that. You find something that's comped and you finally have the original, only you find that the B-side of that song you thought was so boss is a major el turdo. It's kinda that way with this item, as "Let No One Come Between Us" is pretty substandard girlie pop. It's "Nightmare," comped on one of the "Girls in the Garage" collections, that makes you take notice. A riff on the kind of lurid teenage melodramas the Shangri-La's were doing with great success (you know, "Leader of the Pack," "I Can Never Go Home Anymore," those), this 1967 item tells this story of a jealous girl who takes deadly revenge on the one who took her boyfriend and then lives to regret it. "You can beat her! You can win!" her "friends" chide her on. "Get her! Get her! Push her to the ground!" The fight goes on with appropriate vocal effects, but then something's wrong. The rival girl is dead! And the record ends with our poor narrator begging and pleading with the cops not to haul her off. "She didn't wanna fight," the chorus pleads to no avail as the song fades out. And all you can say is "Wow!" This is a bit farther than The Shangri-La's would've gone.

Phil Harvey: Bumbershoot/Willy Boy (Imperial X5583)

Phil Harvey is actually Phil Spector and you know who Phil Spector is, do you not? You know, The Ronettes, The Crystals, the murder trials, the wall of sound, all that stuff. Well, you don't exactly associate the name Phil Spector with rockin' instrumentals and yet, that's exactly what these are. This record came out in 1959 when ol' Phil was starting to make a name for himself (His production of The Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is To Love Him" was a hit the previous year) and surprise, surprise, they're both kinda swingin'. "Bumbershoot" puts more emphasis on the guitar and has got a couple of inept solos, while "Willy Boy" trots out the hot sax and lets it go for a few riffs. Of course, it wouldn't be too long before all those hits started comin', but if you're sick of those songs, floppin' this on the turntable might just come as a shock to you. But trust me, it's rather good.

Billy Adams: Got My Mojo Workin'/Betty and Dupree (Sun 389)

This appears to be an early 60s Sun record. It's not the rockabilly you'd normally expect, but then any fool could tell you that Sun was not just a rockabilly label. This one is a rhythm & blues two-sider from one of their more obscure artists. The "Betty and Dupree" cover is done with energy and conviction, but for my money, "Got My Mojo Workin'" is the keeper. Strangely enough, Adams is credited as the songwriter even though others have recorded it first. Maybe it's because Adams sings it as "Got my mojo workin', got it workin', workin', workin', workin' on you," instead of the normal "Got my mojo workin' but it just won't work on you." Get the idea? It don't matter too much, though, because the band keeps up the frenzied tempo all the way through. Even though Mr. Adams loses the beat a bit towards the end, he keeps up his end of the bargain by hootin' and hollerin' till closing time. "Let me tell you 'bout my mojo" Adams sings at the beginning. I don't know about you, but I'm with 'im!

The Shadows: Late Night Set/I Met A Girl (Epic 5-10020)

When The Shadows weren't backing Cliff Richard, they were off being Britain's answer to The Ventures. The only thing was The Ventures rocked a lot harder, but The Shadows had their moments, too. "I Met A Girl" is one of their rare vocal numbers and while it isn't bad, it isn't particularly memorable either. "Late Night Set," however, is a snazzy instro piece with a slammin' beat and powerhouse twangy guitar work. Now, THIS is the kind of thing we like The Shadows for and the more of this around, the better.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows: True True Lovin'/Bachelor Boy (Epic 5-9691)

Cliff Richard was, of course, England's answer to Elvis and it's reported that he sold more records worldwide than either him or The Beatles. Well, in this country, he's not as well celebrated.
In fact, his biggest hits here weren't to come until the mid 70s and early 80s with such MOR pop stuff as "Devil Woman" and "We Don't Talk Anymore." But for this, let's turn back the clock to August of 1964 when The Beatles were all the rage. Cliff was still in there a-pitchin' with The Shadows backing him up. "Bachelor Boy" was the A-side and it only made it up to #99. It isn't too bad a piece of pop fluff. "True, True Lovin,'" though, is much better, a pounding side of British beat with a great guitar break. Maybe that should've been the A-side.
Oh well, that's life, I guess.

Ricky Nelson: Milk Cow Blues/You Are The Only One (Imperial 5707)

By now, I don't think anyone needs to be told that despite his supposed "teen idol" status (enforced by being on his mom and dad's "Ozzie and Harriet" show week after week), he truly had genuine talent and could definitely rock out with the best of them. But if you are one of those who are still not convinced, let me direct your attention to this item in which Ricky and his band (no doubt including the great James Burton on lead guitar) rock the roof off with this old time blues standard ("Milk Cow Blues," of course) that Elvis made famous at Sun. Ricky's version is right in there, too, with a great frantic guitar break and the band working itself into a frenzy. "You Are The Only One" is, needless to say, the requisite ballad, and a relatively sizable hit for Ricky, hitting #25 in 1960. Shortly after this, he'd record one of his all-time greatest two-sided hit monsters "Travelin' Man"/"Hello Mary Lou." He'd drop the "Y" from his name after that. Anyway, just give his "Milk Cow Blues" a spin. It just might surprise you a bit.

The Soul-Men: Road House/Sister Sue (Lola 105)

GADZOOKS! Here we have another instro two-sider with smokin' guitar! Can life be any sweeter? Well, this was given to me as a freebie by a dear collector friend of mine and while it ain't in the best of shape, the grooves still smoke righteously! Friends, I love 'em! Anyway, "Road House" has got more of a "Stroll"-like tempo, but it's dominated completely by hot guitar playing.....all 1:54 minutes of it! Then, we flip the disc over to "Sister Sue" which has a more straightforward tempo in which the main instrument is electric piano. But watch out because we are treated to not 1 but 2 sizzlin' guitar workouts before the whole thing speeds up and fades out into oblivion! Of such two-sided gems are the joys of record collecting made, yessirreee!!!!

Freddy Koenig with the Jades: Road Runner/I Know You (Lori No. 9544)

I can't say I know much about this outfit, and the Google search I did only amounted to a bunch of catalog lists. But what an unusual sound they had, judging from this little item. "I Know You" is the standard ballad, not much to shout about. It's their Bo Diddley cover that stands out. But be warned, there's not much noticable guitar in this, so if you're expecting that, forget it. The key instruments are rapid-fire horns and rollicking piano. But they go full-throttle here and make a frantic racket for the whole 2:02 length of the song. They may sound to you like the lounge band at your grandma's 50th anniversary party, but at least here, they stomp out like there ain't no tomorrow. And I like how they use the trombone to imitate the sound of an engine revving up. They sound like they downed a couple of kegs before laying this down, so why don't you do likewise and join the party?

The Suburban 9 to 5 - Elevator Operator/Walk Away

There's a small town about 30 miles north of here that I wanted to scope out for records. They have a couple of places to look and the first time I was up there, I found some things in an antique mall. There was another place to look but they weren't open that day. A few months later, I went back and, voila, this other place was open for business. It's more or less a junk shop that's been converted from an old church house. I found the small stash of 45's and started going through them. And boy, there wasn't much anything of note, except for a record by a group called The Suburban 9 to 5.

Hmm, looks promising but "Mr. I love 60's garage but can't ever seem to recognize the titles" thought this might just as easily be a country disc, especially given the truckloads of country records available throughout rural, southern Illinois. The fact that Gene Clark wrote one of the sides made things all the more ambiguous. But it was certainly worth the whopping asking price of 50 cents to find out what I had.

When I got home, I threw the record on and was instantly greeted with a rock and roll guitar. "Elevator Operator" kicks off with the lyrics,

"She was an elevator operator
she had her ups and downs
she got so high so very fast
took her all day to come down"

Gene Clark originally recorded this in 1967 with the Gosdin brothers. I've heard a clip of their recording and The Suburban 9 to 5 rock things up, pick up the tempo a bit and give the song a bouncier beat. All in all, an excellent, garagey version.

The flipside of the record ain't no slouch either. "Walk Away" is cool, teen oriented garage that appears to have been penned by the band, itself. The vocals have a certain bite with the vocalist really reaching for those high notes and there's a thick guitar sound. And it turns out that guitar was played by none other than Gary Richrath, who went on to far greater fame with a much lesser outfit known as REO Speedwagon. I guess that makes sense, given the Peoria, IL address on the label.

So now you know the story of yet another future rock star's humble yet, in my opinion, superior beginnings. There's also more where that came from. It looks like The Suburban 9 to 5 released two more singles during their existence. I haven't heard them but am on the lookout.

The Fender IV: Mar Gaya/You Better Tell Me Now (Imperial 66061)

The Fender IV

YESSSSSSSS!!!!Now, THIS is my idea of a great 45! In fact, I'd be bold enough to call "Mar Gaya" one of the greatest rock 'n' roll instrumentals of all time. The vocal B-side, "You Better Tell Me Now" isn't too bad either, as it's played at the same fast speed, but it's "Mar Gaya" that really leaves you breathless! It's just an absolute stunner! Now before we go any further, a little history: This 1964 monster was one of two 45s this group recorded for Imperial and both are sought after for a very good reason. The Fender IV reportedly had a reputation for being loud, fast and clean and you can definitely tell that from "Mar Gaya" (Swahili for "crocodile," according to guitarist Randy Holden in a). Begining with a pounding drum rhythm that goes THOMP-THOMP THOMP-THOMP-THOMP the entire song, the bass and rhythm guitar kick in and then future guitar god Holden fires up that machine-gun staccato surf guitar riff and rips it up for the entire song. But what I like best about this song is that it doesn't stay in the same key. It goes from one key to the next to the next then back again and forward again....well, it's difficult to really explain. But the effect is mesmerising and it makes "Mar Gaya" the kind of record you want to play over and over again. That it wasn't a hit can only be faulted to a world that allows Nino Tempo and April Stevens "Deep Purple" to be Number 1. Such lameness continues in bucketloads today, but all you have to do is blast this and you'll instantly be cooler than any of your friends, whether they get it or not.