The Chambers Brothers - All Strung Out over You/Falling In Love (Columbia 43957) Known for their big hit "Time Has Come Today", the Chambers Brothers made several excellent 45's for Columbia, "I Can't Stand It", "Do Your Thing" and "Wake Up" being three. Now here's one that I haven't heard before. "All Strung Out Over You" is a mid-tempo, somewhat funky tune. Per usual, several members vocalize and there's quite a bit of percussion. Nice song but would have been better with some type of instrumental break. "Falling In Love" is also of medium tempo, with guitar, drums and a little more soulful sound, though a touch gritty. Pretty good but not so much as the above three records. (6)
The Pandoras - About My Baby (I Could Write A Book)/New Day (Liberty 55954) Really didn't know what to expect here and these Pandoras turn out to be a girl group, 15-20 years before another bunch of Pandoras would show up. "About My Baby" is purely pop, with a classic girl group sound. It has a nice hook but is not really special. "New Day" turns the vocal duties over to one gal, otherwise the above description still applies. (4)The Knockouts - Darling Lorraine/Riot In Room 3C (Shad 5013) "Darling Lorraine" is pretty wimpy pop, certainly nothing I'd ever wanna hear again. "Riot In Room 3C", on the other hand is a rock and roll instrumental. It starts with what is supposed to sound like a ruckus and someone saying, "Hey, there's a riot going on in room 3C". Then, it's on to a guitar driven instro, only not quite as wild as the title might imply. But given the dismal topside, it's a big improvement. (6)
King Solomon - New Figure/S.K. Blues (Kent 451) "New Figure" is a mid-tempo, blues based number, with some good guitar, especially on the break. King Solomon goes on about how his woman has put on weight but he thinks she's lookin' good. He sings, "44 in the hips, 28 in the waist, you gained a little weight mama but you gained it in the right place"! Good and fun. "S.K. Blues" is another vocal number, with a bit more orchestration. It's also decent but not as good as "New Figure". (7)Just Us - I Can't Grow Peaches On A Cherry Tree/I Can Save You (Minuteman 203) This record seems perpetually available on eBay, so I'm surmising that it's pretty common. But is it any good? Let's see, the a-side is slow and pretty lightweight, harmony pop. Ugh! "I Can Save You" picks up the tempo a bit but is still fairly dire. Chip Taylor co-wrote this side and co-produced the record but resist whatever temptation that may induce and let this one go. (3)
Rodge Martin - Lovin' Machine/When She Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) (Bragg 227) Wow, here's a nice, uptempo, funky one, with some cool organ and guitar, plus a sax break. Ol' Rodge is singin' about being a lovin' machine and he's "movin' and groovin'". Sounds like it's from the mid-sixties. A winner. The flip is a ballad, with almost a country & western styled backing. Well, Bragg was a Nashville label. Rodge's vocal is still pretty powerful though. Overall, a big surprise. (8)
2 comments:
Awww yeah! Props on the Rodge Martin, a fave of mine. It was actually covered by the Easybeats in Australia.
Believe it or not, that Just Us 45 was a hit in some markets (which probably explains it's easy availability).
Larry, that Rodge Martin 45 is pretty great. I found that in someone's dollar bin at the show. I almost passed because it looked pretty beat but thought it was worth the risk for the title alone. It's a bit scratchy but plays fine.
Also, thnks for the heads up on the Easybeats version. I'm a big fan, yet don't remember hearing it by them. I'll have to check and see if I have it.
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