The English Freakbeat series is devoted to unearthing obscure, non-hit treasures of the British Invasion that are known only to obsessive collectors. Truth be told, many of those treasures were obscure for a reason, which makes these anthologies wildly uneven listening, but there are some gems to be found here.
The highlights of this 21-song volume include a surprisingly pleasant slice of punk-pop from ex-Beatle drummer Pete Best, "The Way I Feel." Thane Russal's "I Need You" is a first-rate Them imitation; Geoff Goddard's "Sky Man" is a truly inspired piece of Joe Meek-produced lunacy about benign space aliens; and the Greenbeats' Merseyish "You Must Be the One" is undoubtedly the most obscure song that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote in the '60s (no, the Rolling Stones never did get around to recording it).
That gives you the flavor of the manic variety on hand here. Some of the cuts are shamelessly derivative early British R&B, and others are simply not as striking as the gushing liner notes would have you believe. The CD also includes some extremely obscure productions by Shel Talmy and Joe Meek, as well as an obscure composition by Jackie DeShannon, that in no way approximates the greatness of their famous work.
by Richie Unterberger
Artists - Tracks
1. The Pete Best Four - The Way I Feel About You - 2:01
2. The Darwin's Theory - Daytime - 2:51
3. The Peeps - Now Is The Time - 2:31
4. The Pickwicks - Hello Lady - 2:32
5. George Bean - Why Must They Criticize? - 1:59
6. Jason Eddie And The Centremen - Come On Baby - 2:25
7. The Untamed - It's Not True - 2:27
8. Geoff Goddard - Sky Man - 2:44
9. The Eggy - You're Still Mine - 2:49
10.New York Public Library - Gotta Get Away - 2:53
11.Chris Sandford - I Wish They Wouldn't Always Say I Sound Like The Guy From The Usa Blues - 2:20
12.The Cryin' Shames - What's News Pussycat - 2:33
13.A Wild Uncertainty - A Man With Money - 2:06
14.The Truth - Baby You've Got It - 2:02
15.Billy J. Kramer - Chinese Girl - 3:11
16.The Impac - Too Far Out - 2:34
17.The Paul Stewart Movement - Too Too Good - 2:52
18.The Greenbeats - You Must Be The One - 1:59
19.Rey Anton And The Peppermint Men - You Can't Judge A Book - 2:16
20.The Four + 1 - Don't Lie To Me - 1:54
21.Thane Russal - I Need You - 2:28
So good is this slice of acid West Coast folk that it’s difficult not to go overboard. Lost for more than 40 years and coveted by a handful of acolytes willing to exchange $1,000 for a copy, this is a rediscovered gem so pure it makes all previous claims to that title look like uneducated sycophancy.
The sophisticated jazzy undertow (in places not unlike contemporaries Seatrain) and sparse, intelligent arrangements are bound together by a female vocal so delicious, it could be picked and eaten. Opener Forget About You could be a template – pure, sparkly guitar and wispy, shuffling drums underpin that voice – but the coherence of the material belies its variety. Intense harmonising on Helping Hand, prog-like time changes on Tomorrow Your Sorrow and free-roaming jazz on Yesircantoo – the album is littered with unique and varied touches of class in all departments.
Wooden Hill have rightly lavished time and effort on the package and we get no less than six bonus racks. Whoever you are – or think you are – you need this record.
This double disc set focuses on European freakbeat from the lands of Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland. Disc 1 is a rollercoaster ride of entertainment, from great peaks of garage bliss to barren lows of wannabe-Stones and Kinks. All the selections from Holland and Denmark are here, with the latter half hailing solely from Sweden. Disc 2 kicks off with Swedish freakbeat before taking the train to Germany and finishing the tour in Switzerland.
Artists - Tracks
Disc 1
1.Rob Hoeke - When People Talk - 2:49
2.Fun of It - Drollery - 2:41
3.Phantoms - Someday I'm Somebody - 2:19
4.Jets - I Was So Glad - 2:21
5.Haigs - Where to Run - 1:53
6.Jets - Worker in the Night - 1:57
7.Lords - Day After Day - 2:14
8.Counsellors - I'll Be Your Man - 2:20
9.Golden Earrings - Not to Find - 1:55
10.Lazy Bones - I'm Driftin' - 2:54
11.A B & C - Vies - 2:08
12.Danny And the Royal Strings - Get Away - 2:29
13.Slaves - Shut Up - 2:16
14.Jack And the Outlaws - Step Into My Heart - 2:43
15.Meteors - Anytime - 3:16
16.Mad Sound - To Masturbate - 4:14
17.Beatcher - What'd I Say - 2:23
18.Tages - Bloodhound - 2:42
19.Palmes - Nazz Are Blue - 2:57
20.Shakers - Move Out of My Mind - 2:28
21.Baby Grandmothers - Somebody Keeps Calling My Name - 7:15
22.Lee Kings - Oriental Express - 2:45
23.Stringtones - Ode to Rhythm and Blues - 2:19
Disc 2
1.Sooner or Later - This Hammer - 2:44
2.Sooner or Later - Night Time - 2:35
3.Melvins - The Man Down There - 2:06
4.Trappers - Too Much Monkey Business - 1:43
5.Shakers - Tracks Remain - 3:41
6.Fabulous Four - 438 S. Michigan Ave. - 3:24
7.Shakers - Who Will Buy These... - 3:43
8.Cads - Call My Name - 2:17
9.Comancheros - It's So Right - 2:19
10.Dee Jays - Striped Dreams - 3:10
11.Demons - You - 1:55
12.Gents - Honor Bright - 2:30
13.Dee Jays - You Must Be Joking - 2:37
14.Flippers - Louie, Louie - 3:04
15.Bootjacks - Stoned - 5:01
16.Ones - Love of Mine - 3:05
17.Drafi And the Magics - I Don't Need That Kind of Loving - 2:12
18.Dukes - I'm an Unskilled Worker - 2:45
19.Sevens - Talk About Her - 2:13
20.Sevens - Panam - 3:10
21.Sauterelles - No No No - 3:01
22.Countdowns - Sex Maniac - 2:35
23.Sevens - In God We Trust - 2:26
24.Sevens - What Can I Do - 2:47
25.Sauterelles - Hong Kong - 3:32
Issued in 1989 on LP, and on CD in 1997 with all fourteen original tracks intact, plus nine additional bonus cuts. The obscure mid-'60s British R&B here ranges from the generic to the truly exciting, like Thane Russal's Them-like cover of Otis Redding's "Security," and the Clique's pop-punk "She Ain't No Good," and the Syndicats' "Crawdaddy Simone," which has some of the most demented rock guitar of the mid-'60s (although the version here is of lower fidelity than ones that have appeared on other anthologies). Other highlights include the Sons of Fred manic rockabilly-R&B hybrid "I'll Be There" (with some of the zaniest guitar lines to be found on any British Invasion single) and Cops & Robbers' "You'll Never Do It Baby," which was covered by the Pretty Things.
by Richie Unterberger
Artists - Tracks
1. Thane Russal And Three - Security - 2:41
2. Cops And Robbers - I've Found Out - 2:26
3. Cops And Robbers - You'll Never Do It Baby - 2:45
4. Clique - She Ain't No Good - 2:20
5. The In Crowd - Things She Says - 1:49
6. Mal Rider And Spirits - Forget It - 2:02
7. Snobs - Ding Dong - 2:32
8. Sons of Fred - Baby, What You Want Me to Do - 2:29
9. Sons of Fred - I'll Be There - 2:56
10.Sons of Fred - Sweet Love - 2:46
11.Soul Agents - Don't Break It Up - 2:56
12.Soul Agents - Mean Woman Blues - 2:59
13.Soul Agents - I Just Wanna Make Love to You - 2:27
14.Syndicats - Crawdaddy Simone - 3:11
15.Tony Dangerfield - She's Too Way Out - 2:23
16.Wheels - Call My Name - 2:08
17.Mickey Finn And Bluemen - Reelin' and Rockin' - 2:10
18.Others - Oh Yeah - 2:53
19.Primitives - Johnny Noooooo!!! - 3:12
20.Shorty And Them - Dimples - 5:57
21.4 Degrees - Too Much Monkey Business - 2:57
22.4 Degrees - I've Got My Brand on You - 2:56
23.Stovepipe No. 4 - Pretty Thing - 3:19
Written and directed by Bill Brame (who usually served as an editor on TV shows such as Star Trek), this exceptionally violent biker movie concerns a Los Angeles gang named Hell's Chosen Few that kidnaps, drugs, rapes and sells women into a Las Vegas prostitution ring. It stars an intense Bruce Dern as their sociopathic ringleader, Keeg, who at one point orders a sensitive artist named Romko (played by Chris Robinson, later to star in TV soap The Bold & The Beautiful) to have his hands crushed in a vice, for the sin of having sketched his cohorts while the smashed up a hamburger joint.
As well as Melody Patterson as the female lead Lea, it somewhat oddly features co-producer and famed DJ Casey Kasem in a cameo role as Dern's brother. Critical response was unenthusiastic, with the New York Times remarking that 'there's a plethora of senseless beatings, torture, love making and robbery, to say nothing of a gang rape before these crackpot cyclists are unseated or killed,' while Leonard Maltin dismissed it as nothing more than 'sadism and torture galore'.
Its rare soundtrack appeared in early 1970, and is best-remembered for featuring rare tracks by two cult psychedelic rock bands, Orphan Egg and The Boston Tea Party. The former (who came from California) were involved because they'd won the Vox Band Battle For Stardom (held at a Simon & Garfunkel gig at Forest Hills in August 1967), the prize for which was 'a guaranteed film contract with American International Pictures and an all expenses paid trip to Hollywood'.
Their sole album appeared in June 1968, and contained three tracks also included here (the exception is We Have Already Died, which was presumably taped at the same time, though Falling is offered in a different mix). The Boston Tea Party, meanwhile (who were also from California) had an album of their own out in 1968 too. Of their tracks, Chained To Your Heart is exclusive to the Cycle Savages soundtrack.
Their drummer Dave Novogroski later joined Edge, while guitarist Mike Stevens formed cult hard rockers Highway Robbery. The remaining four tracks are credited to soundtrack co-producer Jerry Styner, vocalist Randy Johnson and studio band the Cycle-Mates. The LP sold poorly, and has changed hands on eBay in recent years for upwards of $75.
Tracks - Artists
1. Theme From Cycle Savages - The Cycle-Mates - 2:16
2. Fly, Superman Fly - Randy Johnson - 2:04
3. Fantasy - Boston Tea Party - 2:49
4. Falling - Orphan Egg - 3:45
5. I've Got To Let You Go - Jerry Styner And His Orchestra - 2:51
6. Chained To Your Heart - Boston Tea Party - 2:12
7. Don't Go To Him - Orphan Egg - 2:14
8. Virgin's Vengeance - The Cycle-Mates - 2:21
9. We Have Already Died - Orphan Egg - 2:40
10.Mourning Becomes Electra - Orphan Egg - 2:24
Spawned from the fertile musical grounds of Cleveland, Ohio, Thunderduk was part of a local scene that included the likes of The James Gang, Glass Harp, Bang and Dragonwyck. Their desire to play original music and their on stage antics made them one of the top draws on the club circuit in the early 70's. The combination of Phil Hilow's folk background and the versatility of Jeff Ulmicher produced a sound that included intricate rock ballads and long complicated concert pieces.
The foundation of their sound lied within the Bass work of Gary Wallis who spend many hours working on the band's equipment and developing new sound techniques to enhance the band's overall presentation. Rounding out the band was Bob Turchek on Drums who was later replaced by ex-Catscradle drummer Rick Fischer. Most of the material heard on this album was played by the band on two Agency Studio live broadcasts carried by local radio station WNCR.
These recordings span a period from 1972-74 and we think you will agree that some forty years later they stand strong amongst the tradition of Cleveland Kick Ass Rock and Roll!!
by Rockadelic-recs
Tracks
1. Why Don't You Love Me? (Jeff Ulmicher) - 3:56
2. Mountain By The Moon (Phil Silow) - 3:28
3. Something To Look At (Phil Silow) - 3:35
4. Time And Again (Jeff Ulmicher) - 6:17
5. The Collector (Jeff Ulmicher) - 3:12
6. Keep On Comin (Phil Silow) - 2:58
7. Number One (Phil Silow) - 3:23
8. Once Again Darkness (Jeff Ulmicher) - 9:23
9. Take 26 (Jeff Ulmicher) - 2:36
Andwella’s Dream was a thrusting injection of freakbeat that could not be ignored. Their slicing riffs were high core psyche injected from guitarist / keyboardist David Lewis, bassist Nigel Smith and drummer Gordon Barton who started out as The Method that at one time included Gary Moore.They were regulars at the Maritime Club where Van Morrison had his early days with Them.
The Method evolved into Andwella’s Dream and were the primal Irish psyche next to Eire Apparent. Dave Lewis the soaring guitarist who wrote all the songs also recruited keyboardist Dave McDougall, ex McCullochs Struthers & Paterson bassist Dave Stuthers, Nigel Portman Smith and ex One In A Million/Andromeda drummer Jack McCulloch.The bamboo flute and sax was played by future Egg Bob Downes. When Andwella’s Dream moved to London they released their primal 1969 debut Love And Poetry with surging numbers like the thrusty opener “The Days Grew Longer For Love” and guitar razzling “Sunday”.
Dave’s throttling axe exerts fury on “Lost A Number Found A King” with its ancient Indian flute and ambient acoustic textures. The two finest numbers “Cocaine” with McDougall pushing hard and the soaring “Shades Of Grey” where ex Thunderclap Newman Jack McCulloch’s drums are best heard create a furnace of fusion.
Acoustic delights are “Midday Sun”, “Goodbye” and the Hammond rolling “Felix” which opens into crescendo breaks by Lewis. In 1970 they evolved into Andwella and launched a further two albums Worlds End (1970) and Peoples People (1971) plus a bounty of singles. World’s End although a lyrical romantic masterpiece did ignite the past as on the psyche “Michael Fitzhenry” exalting frenetic flute and Dave’s insatiable guitar riffs. The harmonies and melody that bend around the brassy I’m Just Happy To See You Get Her are creative marvels.
Future Bad Company definitely copped the riffs from “Just How Long” while the double linked “World’s End” is just so underplayed. Sterling jazz riffs trip through Steely Dan styled “Back To The Road” with Bob Downes giving it stick in the wind. There’s a bit of Billy Joel in the People’s People or even Tremeloes in the opener “She Taught Me To Love” which crystalises into the spiritual “Saint Bartholomew”.
Lewis was the songwriter extraordinaire having written the award winning film War and songs as varied as “Happy To Be An Island In The Sun”, #1 for ex Aphrodite Child Demis Roussos. David’s 1969 The Songs Of David Lewis remain a collector’s dream.
by Shiloh Noone
Tracks
1.The Days Grew Longer For Love - 3:55
2.Sunday - 3:13
3.Lost A Number, Found A King - 6:03
4.Man Without A Name - 2:41
5.Clockwork Man - 2:44
6.Cocaine - 4:59
7.Shades Of Grey - 3:36
8.High On A Mountain - 2:31
9.Andwella - 3:15
10.Midday Sun - 3:40
11.Take My Road - 3:22
12.Felix - 4:16
13.Goodbye - 2:17
14.Mrs. Mann - 3:59
15.Mister Sunshine - 3:17
16.Every Little Minute - 3:55
17.Michael FitzHenry - 3:42
18.Take My Road - 3:26
19.Man Without A Name - 2:38
20.Paradise Isle - 3:44
21.Miles Away From My Baby - 4:37
All songs by David Lewis
Bonus tracks from 14-21.
Andwella's Dream
*Dave Lewis - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Nigel Portman Smith - Bass
*Gordon Barton - Drums with
*Bob Downes - Flute, Percussion, Chinese Bells, Tam Tam
*Wilgar Campbell - Drums
This mid-'60s British rock compilation, offers an occasional surprise: the protest folk-rock of the Mockingbirds' "One By One" (featuring Graham Gouldman), the weird cover of "Surf City" by the Raving Savages (Screaming Lord Sutch's backup band, with Ritchie Blackmore and Nicky Hopkins), and Bryan & the Brunelles' Zombies soundalike "Jacqueline."
The biggest surprise, however, will bring this to the attention of listeners who don't collect these kinds of compilations: there are three 1963 demos by the Ravens, a pre-Kinks group led by Dave Davies. Actually, it sounds suspiciously like Ray Davies is singing on these tracks, liner notes to the contrary. It's bound to create excitement, and controversy about their actual origin, among Kinks collectors, but in any case, "I'm a Hog for You Baby" is a respectable R&B cover, "I Believed You" a poppy number in the spirit of the Kinks' two pre-"You Really Got Me" singles, and "This I Know" a more introspective, folky tune that (like "I Believed You") certainly sounds like an unreleased Ray Davies composition.
by Richie Unterberger
Artists - Tracks
1.Sons Of Fred - I, I, I Want You Lovin' - 1:46
2.Sons Of Fred - She Only Wants a Friend - 2:18
3.In Crowd - Why Must They Criticise - 2:29
4.Thee - There You Go - 1:44
5.UK's - You Love Is All I Want - 2:06
6.Attraction - She's a Girl - 2:38
7.Bryan And Brunelles - Jacqueline - 2:28
8.Ways And Means - Breaking up a Dream - 2:29
9.Thoughts - Memory of Your Love - 2:09
10.Couriers - Take Away - 2:21
11.Mockingbirds - One By One - 2:24
12.Answers - It's Just A Fear - 3:19
13.Raving Savages - Surf City - 2:23
14.Svensk - Getting Old - 2:09
15.Ravens/Dave Davies - I'm a Hog For You Baby - 1:42
16.Ravens/Dave Davies - I Believed You - 1:59
17.Ravens/Dave Davies - This I Know - 2:03
18.Quakers - She's All Right - 2:41
19.Quakers - Talk to Me - 2:23
20.Talismen - You Break My Heart - 2:08
21.Frays - Keep Me Covered - 2:35
22.Favourite Sons - Walking Walking Walking - 2:09
23.Shakespears - Burning My Fingers - 2:11
24.Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And Tich - He's a Raver - 2:09
25.Talismen - What Kind of Boy - 2:34
Before he taught us that it was cruel to be kind, and even before he first wondered “what’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding?,” Nick Lowe was one fourth of the groovy lite psych-pop outfit by the name of Kippington Lodge. The group, however, was short-lived, and morphed into pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, folk/country/rockabilly revivalists. Thanks to Cherry Red’s RPM label we have the chance to listen the complete recorded output of Kippington Lodge for a window into “what might have been” for Messrs. Lowe and Schwarz. Shy Boy: The Complete Recordings 1967-1969, due the last week in July, is named for the debut single of Kippington Lodge, and collects all ten single sides plus five bonus tracks: an unissued song, two alternate takes and two BBC performances.
Nick Lowe first met Brinsley Schwarz at the Woodbridge School, where they made music with Barry Landerman and Phil Hall. Lowe assumed bass duties and Schwarz guitar, while Landerman handled keyboards and Hall also guitar. As early as 1964, this group was performing as Sounds 4+1, but Sounds was short-lived, and Schwarz regrouped with Pete Whale (drums) and Dave Cottam (bass) as Three’s a Crowd in 1966. That, too, wasn’t destined to last, although Schwarz’s old friend Landerman joined in 1967 as the band was being renamed Kippington Lodge.
Three’s a Crowd/Kippington Lodge attracted enough local buzz to come to the attention of EMI’s Parlophone label and producer Mark Wirtz. The same year of 1967, Wirtz joined EMI as a staff producer where he helmed efforts by Keith West and Tomorrow. He was instrumental in signing The Pink Floyd to EMI, and is best known for 1967’s “Grocer Jack (Excerpt from A Teenage Opera),” a single he arranged, produced and conducted for West.
The hit single was just one part of Wirtz’s ambitious pop opera, but it was kept from the top spot on the British chart by Engelbert Humperdinck and “The Last Waltz.” (Engelbert was a force with which to be reckoned. His “Release Me” kept The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” double A-side from No. 1, too!) West and Wirtz followed up “Grocer Jack” with “Sam,” but that Teenage Opera tune stalled, leaving the whole opera’s fate in question. The complete Teenage Opera – shades of SMiLE – didn’t see release until 1996, but another song intended for it, “Shy Boy,” was given by Wirtz to Kippington Lodge for release in October 1967. Wirtz produced the first four sides (two singles) for Kippington Lodge, all in a lush harmony-pop vein.
It was around the same time that Dave Cottam left the band, and Nick Lowe filled the vacancy on bass. Lowe would soon be penning songs for the group, including “I Can See Her Face,” an edgier work than the sides produced by Wirtz. The band’s revolving door was still in full swing, though. Barry Landerman left to join Vanity Fare (“Hitchin’ a Ride”), Bob Andrews joined on keyboards and Pete Whale’s exit paved the way for Billy Rankin to join the band.
Kippington Lodge recorded “Tomorrow, Today,” a song by the hitmaking team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, and even attempted a Beatles cover (“In My Life”). None of Kippington Lodge’s singles, all released between 1967 and 1969, ever caught chart fire. The quartet of Lowe, Schwarz, Andrews and Rankin had quietly morphed into Brinsley Schwarz, the band, by 1970, adding Ian Gomm on rhythm guitar. (Following that band’s breakup, Schwarz and Andrews would join Graham Parker and The Rumour.)
Shy Boy: The Complete Recordings 1967-1969 compiles all ten Kippington Lodge singles for the first time on CD under the band’s name. (They had somewhat haphazardly been brought together on a Brinsley Schwarz rarities compilation, Hen’s Teeth, in 1998.) RPM has added one unreleased song, “Land of Sea,” and four other alternates and live performances to round out the disc. Shy Boy is in stores on July 26 in the United Kingdom and one week later in the United States.
by Joe Marchese
Tracks
1 Shy Boy (Keith Hopkins, Ken Burgess) - 2:38
2 Lady On A Bicycle (Brinsley Schwarz) - 3:02
3 Land Of Sea (Brinsley Schwarz) - 3:13
4 And She Cried (Barry Landeman, Brinsley Schwarz) - 2:39
5 Rumours (J. Ferdy, Mark Wirtz) - 2:23
6 And She Cried (Barry Landeman, Brinsley Schwarz) - 2:47
7 Land Of Sea (Brinsley Schwarz) - 2:59
8 Shy Boy (Keith Hopkins, Ken Burgess) - 2:32
9 Younger Girl (John Sebastian) - 2:09
10 Tell Me A Story (Barry Landeman) - 2:50
11 Understand A Woman (Derek Lekenby, Keith Hopwood, Roger Brook) - 2:58
12 Tomorrow Today (Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook) - 2:39
13 Turn Out The Light (Barry Landeman) - 3:04
14 In My Life (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:21
15 I Can See Her Face (Nick Lowe) - 2:16
With 10 bonus tracks this CD version of English Freakbeat Vol. 2, including many unknown and some well know names like Ritchie Blackmore - The Lancasters, Steve Howe - The Syndicats, The Wheels, The Koobas and many others. A worthwhile compilation not only for historical reasons but also for the chance to listen some great lost gems.
Artists - Tracks
1. Glenn Athens And the Trojans - Let Me Show You - 4:30
2. Sessions - Let Me In - 2:47
3. Mickey Finn - Garden of My Mind - 2:32
4. Mickey Finn - Time to Start Loving You - 2:42
5. Peter Kubaska - I Love Her - 2:38
6. Peter Kubaska - Face - 2:33
7. Beat Merchants - So Fine - 2:43
8. Beat Merchants - Messin' With the Man - 2:15
9. Wolf Pack - We're Gonna Howl - 1:39
10.Syndicats - Howlin' for My Baby - 2:51
11.Soul Agents - Gospel Train - 3:48
12.Soul Agents - I Just Wanna Make Love to You - 2:28
13.Muleskinners - Back Door Man - 3:49
14.Muleskinners - Missed Your Lovin' - 2:27
15.Wheels - Don't You Know - 2:50
16.Wheels - Road Block - 3:21
17.Blueberries - Please Don't Let Me Know - 2:34
18.Blueberries - It's Gonna Work Out Fine - 2:51
19.Blue Rondos - Little Baby - 2:38
20.Dakotas - 7 Pounds of Potatoes - 2:24
21.Limeys - Cara-Lin - 2:24
22.Lancasters - Earthshaker - 1:44
23.Lancasters - Satan's Holiday - 1:55
If you think that all Christian rock blows, then you haven't heard the kids in Search Party. And if you think that 99.9 percent of Christian rock blows, then I guess you have. This, my little lambs, is the 0.1 percent that doesn't. You can usually file "Christian rock" alongside those other oxymoron, like "jumbo shrimp", "honest politician" or "parttime record collector."
Maybe it's because most Christian music is made by twin brothers who dress identically, families who travel the South in silver motor homes, or pastors who've had half their faces burned off yet still manage to spread the message of hope. But perhaps the message might be spread more effectively if someone with even a modicum of hipness (not to mention a few vocal lessons) would step forward and sing the praises on electric guitar.
Well, back in 1968, that's exactly what The Search Party did. On "Montgomery Chapel", you can tell these Christian kids were ignoring their parents' warning and listening to the latest Doors, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Ian records behind closed doors. So much so, that if you didn't know this was a Christian rock record, you might actually dig it. But don't let that stop you.
These kids were good, and they even owned one of Satan's fuzz pedals. The Search Party weren't afraid to "rock out," as the heathens say, and filled their West Coast acid rock sound with loud, invasive blasts of heavenly fuzz on the blistering "You and I." Vocalist Joanie Goff had the same command and range as Dorothy Moskowitz of the United States of America, or Chris Christman from Ivory.
Although occasionally...okay, frequently...she strayed into this possessed high-pitched shriek/yelp mode, like Gal Costa in the middle of a Pentecostal revival. When she's able to holster herself, though, things get downright trippy - check out the moody, ethereal "When He Calls" for some good smokefilled God-fearing acid rock sounds. With its jangly Roger McGuinn guitar and quivery psychedelic organ, I'd be tempted to say the band sounds "stoned" if I didn't know better.
But as a languid leisurely stroll through the sounds of Haight- Ashbury, this is the Christian rock equivalent of a good It's a Beautiful Day ballad, complete with bof male and female harmony vocals. Joanie loses it near the end, sadly, and things unravel a bit, but when she keeps her cool, it's about as good a head-trip for Jesus as you'll hear. She's much more effective on the moody "Renee Child", adding some unsettling but very evocative banshee cries behind the male lead singer, who also subscribes to the school of vocal melodrarr;
But it all works well together, and things are kept to a bare minimum - just vocals, two acoustic guitars and some occasional shots of xylophone – creating a very effective, ethereal and downright spooky slice of otherworldly sounding acid rock. It's not very often you'd apply the term "trippy mindmelter" to Christian music, but in this case, you would. And you'd be correct too, because there's no doubt that the boys and girls in Search Party listened to their share of Doors albums when recording "So Many Things Have Got Me Down" - at 9 minutes, riding a trancelike repetitive and very similar guitar riff, this absolutely has to be influenced by "The End".
Side 2 loses the point a bit - "All But This", "Poem By George Hall" and "The Decidedly Short Epic of Mr. Alvira" all get bogged down in some fancy-schmancy Renaissance Faire medieval prog folk, far too quiet and moody for a band who owns a fuzz guitar and a female singer prone to sudden histrionics, unless you're a big fan of the folkier aspects of Jefferson Airplane (i.e. "Comin' Back to Me).
However the big finale, the band's welcome return to fuzz and fury, is the closer "The News is You". A monster fuzz ripper of the Camera variety, which means it's a big, loud fire-breathing papier-mache tortoise. And Japanese kids like to hitch a ride on its back. Only thing is. Joanie's in full shriek and yelp mode here, wailing and screaming like Yoko Ono under demonic possession, which helps to end this strange little Jesus rock album on the most demented note possible.
Not that a fuzz-shredding, mind-melting Christian rock band with a Jones for the Doors isn't already demented enough. And there's nary a Winnebago or red velour sports jacket in sight. If anything, the Search Party proved that you could love Jesus and also be a legitimate acid rock band. They looked and sounded just like the nondenominational co-ed West Coast bands - Jefferson Airplane, the United States of America. Ivory, Stoneground - only they sang about Jesus and their lead singer flew off the handle more often than Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest." But that only makes 'em all the more interesting. You've heard of the School of Rock. Now grab yoursetf a Psalter and a tab of acid, and check out the Chapel of Rock.
Tracks
1. Speak To Me (N.T. Freund, The Search Parly) - 2:54
2. Renee Child (N. T. Freund, The Search Party) - 2:43
3. Melanya (P. Apps) - 1:46
4. When He Calls (N. T. Freund, The Search Party) - 4:26
5. So Many Things Have Got Me Down (N. T. Freund, Pete Apps, The Search Party) - 9:19
6. You And I (N. T. Freund, The Search Party) - 3:11
7. All But This (J. Catvalho) - 3:23
8. Poem By George Hall (Pete Apps, George Hall) - 3:46
9. The Decidedly Short Epic Of Mr Alvira (J. Carvalho) - 3:36
10.The News Is You (N. T. Freund) - 4:39
The Search Party
*Joanie Goff - Vocals, Guitar
*Jim Carvalho - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Pete Apps - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Tim King - Drums
I really want to say a big thank to my friend Cudawaver for his cooperation, and for all his hard work, it is very important to me, for this place we share here, which was created with the only aim to offer, we will continue to be here -despite all the difficulties- with consistency and dedication.
I would also like to Thank all of you, who stand next to us and give the support we need. Our love for music gives us strength to go on.....as far it goes
The first volume by the English Freakbeat series, contains some great stuff, among the others, an early incarnation of the Groundhogs, Ron Woods Birds, Mick Ronson's Rats, The In-Be-Tweens, a predecessor band to Slade, (discovered by Kim Fowley who was the co-writer on this song, duplicate to "I take what I want" which was composed at the same year 1965 by Isaac Hayes, David Porter and Teenie Hodges).
Artists - Tracks
1. Groundhogs - Shake It - 2:07
2. Johnny Neal & Starliners - Walk, Baby Walk - 2:32
3. In-Be-Tweens - Girl, I Am Your Evil Witchman - 2:23
4. Rebounds - Help Me - 2:18
5. Primitives - Help Me - 3:42
6. Primitives - Let Them Tell - 2:19
7. Beat Merchants - Pretty Face - 1:58
8. Steve Davies - She Said Yeah - 2:35
9. Loot - Baby Come Closer - 2:35
10.Miki Dallon - I'll Give You Love - 2:21
11.Chasers - Inspiration - 2:37
12.Sheffields - Plenty of Love - 2:22
13.Couriers - Done Me Wrong - 2:12
14.Rats - Headin' Back - 2:18
15.Wild Ones - Purple Pill Eater - 2:10
16.Primitives - Cara-Lin - 3:35
17.Primitives - Forget It - 2:05
18.Birds - Say Those Magic Words - 3:16
19.Birds - Daddy Daddy - 4:07
As the year progressed The Sunsets, now immersed in the blossoming psychedelic scene, reinvented themselves as Tamam Shud. Their new name was a Persian phrase meaning "the very end", which was taken by Bjerre from the closing words of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. (The naming of the group is recounted in a hidden track at the end of Permanent Culture, narrated by Tim Gaze's father.) They were certainly one of the first Australian groups to take up the new acid-rock style led by artists like Cream, Hendrix and Pink Floyd. As the above quote indicates, they were also strongly influenced by free jazz, and by the American West Coast groups like Love, Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane -- although they were (in my opinion anyway) far more coherent musically than the Dead, and their songs were less strident lyrically than some of the Airplane's more politicised material.
On stage, their live sound had a distinctive edge thanks to Bjerre's use of an acoustic guitar, amplified by a pickup, and right from the start they were respected by audiences and players alike for their musicianship. Their first appearance as Tamam Shud was at the Intermedia Circus in Sydney in 1967 and they soon became recognised as one of Australia's most innovative bands, with their sets including long, improvised instrumental sections. According to Noel McGrath, "...audiences never danced - they sat and listened".
Over the next five years Shud became one of the most popular live acts of the east coast scene, playing at all the major disco and 'head' venues in Sydney and Melbourne. The lingering "surf band" tag linked them with Sydney's northern beaches surf culture, and it's a misnomer that has been repeated in several refernece books, but according to Lindsay, Tamam Shud hardly ever played the northern beaches. In reality, the major fan base fopr them, and for contemporaries like The Dave Miller Set was on Sydney's university and college dance circuit, and with the 'hippy' audiences at inner city underground venues like the Mandala Theatre in Darlinghurst and the Beacon Theatre in Newtown.
The Shud also had a notable association with the famous Sydney film/lightshow collective UBU who promoted many pioneering multimedia events in Sydney, and Shud were regularly teamed with other leading progressive acts including Tully. They often played at UBU-organised events, including the legendary Underground Dances of 1968-69. In the press release for the first Underground Dance in December 1968, they were described as "the wildest new group on the local scene". They became firm favourites with Go-Set magazine (especially Sydney staff writer David Elfick) and featured regularly in its pages.
Not everyone was so appreciative however. At one early UBU concert -- a benefit for the Coogee Boardriders Club at the Heffron Hall in East Sydney on 10 August 1968 -- the Shud's performance and the UBU lightshow were brought to an early halt by the hall manager, who turned off the power, condemning the event as "the ultimate in depravity"!
Their first LP, recorded at the end of 1968, has been justly hailed by Ian McFarlane as: "... one of the first wholly original rock albums issued in Australia".
It was made independently, the session financed by filmmaker Paul Witzig to provide music for his surf film Evolution (the first Australian surf film to abandon narration and accompany the images with music alone). Four tracks -- Evolution, I'm No-One, Mr Strange and< Lady Sunshine -- were used in the film. These four tracks were later re-recorded, along with eight other originals, for what became Tamam Shud's debut album Evolution.
Most of Witzig's budget was committed to the considerable expense of transporting and filming surfers in exotic overseas locations (air travel was very expensive back then, relative to today) so the budget for the music was minuscule. Consequently, the twelve songs that make up Evolution were recorded live, with very basic equipment, in a single 2-1/2 hour session, and mixed in a mere 1-1/2 hours. Evidently most if not all of the tracks are first takes. The spontaneity is delightfully revealed by the intro to the bluesy Feel Free; the song breaks down just after the count-in and Bjerre is heard to laughingly say "Wait until the bass turns his amp on." Barron had indeed forgotten to switch on!
Although the recording quality is fairly rough, both the material and the performances are very strong, and it stands up extremely well today. Arrangements are excellent, performances are very energetic; Bjerre's strong, soulful vocals carry the songs with ease, Zytnic contributes some tasty acid-tinged lead breaks, and Barron and Davidson provide a solid and supple backing throughout. The standout track is without doubt the beautiful, jazzy Lady Sunshine, which was included on Raven's Golden Miles anthology in 1994. In the Freedom Train interview Lindsay named Falling Up as his personal favourite.
Evolution is now rare indeed; a good copy - if you can find one -- will set you back several hundred dollars on the collector's market, and it cries out for a CD release. There has been talk of one of the local reissue labels doing so, but nothing has eventurated to date. The album was leased to CBS, and both the film and its soundtrack were very successful, thanks in part to Go-Set, who supported the film with a poster competition, a 'win-a surfboard' competition, and regular features on the Shud throughout 1969
Tracks
1a. Music Train - 3:52
1b. Evolution - 2:45
2. I'm No One - 2:08
3. Mr Strange - 2:34
4. Lady Sunshine - 4:39
5. Falling Up - 2:48
6. Feel Free - 3:12
7. It's A Beautiful Day - 2:53
8. Jesus Guide Me - 3:53
9. Rock On Top - 2:49
10.Slow One And The Fast One - 6:58
11.Too Many Life - 3:04
12.Bali Waters - 6:14
13.Got A Feeling - 2:37
14.My Father Told Me - 3:48
All songs by Lindsay Bjerre
Tracks 12-14 from "Bali Waters EP" (1972)
This elaborate two-CD set collects two albums by Fairfield Parlour: From Home to Home, a somber, more mature album that was inspired by early Pink Floyd and released on Fontana's more progressive Vertigo imprint in 1969, and White Faced Lady, the band's so-called "lost masterpiece." Burning Airlines Records' 2001 reissue of White Faced Lady collects both albums -- which are accredited to the band's previous moniker, Kaleidoscope -- with the best packaging of these recordings thus far, including two lavishly designed, glossy booklets, including one that features singer Peter Daltrey's original White Faced Lady story and lyrics.
The origin of White Faced Lady is quite interesting: over the spring and summer of 1970, the band's two songwriters -- Peter Daltrey and Eddie Pumer -- had noticed that quite a few of their new songs seemed to have a similar theme. They began shaping these tracks into what turned out to be an ambitious and conceptual pop opera, taking its name from a pivotal track, "White Faced Lady." The narrative followed the tragic life of a troubled movie starlet named Angel, desperate for both love and fame but finding neither. The story was said to have been based loosely on the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe.
Musically, White Faced Lady was less British pop-like than their earlier recordings, as the band was then becoming more "renaissance/progressive" overall, even as it revealed they may have been straining beyond the scope of their sweeping orchestration vision. The first part of White Faced Lady had a wistful, somewhat light air about it, with acoustic guitars, flutes, full orchestra, and choir giving way to more complex and cluttered arrangements that sometimes blended in sitar ("Song for Jon") and other psychedelic elements along the way.
Without a label's backing, however, the band had to invest their own money into the recordings. Later, their longtime producer, former Radio One DJ David Symonds, signed a leasing deal with a Vertigo exec who agreed to pay them upon delivery of the album. The sessions were continued the following spring at Sound Techniques in London's Chelsea district.
Toward the end of the sessions, the band found out that their leasing deal was off, so this ornate and abstruse album was shelved for 20 years. It wasn't officially released, in a complete form, until 1991, when the band issued the vinyl version on their own Kaleidoscope label. Both albums were later collected on CD as Kaleidoscope: The Fairfield Parlour Years.
by Bryan Thomas
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Overture - 2:47
2. Broken Mirrors - 2:49
3. Angel's Song: "Dear Elvis Presley..." - 2:38
4. Nursey, Nursey - 3:47
5. Small Song - Heaven In The Back Row - 3:21
6. Burning Bright - 2:03
7. The Matchseller - 3:50
8. The Coronation Of The Fledgling - 2:14
9. All Hail To The Hero - 3:09
10. White-Faced Lady - 4:46
Disc 2
1. Freefall - 5:13
2. Standing - 1:47
3. Diary Song: The Indian Head - 4:24
4. Song From Jon - 7:51
5. Long Way Down - 4:05
6. The Locket - 2:58
7. Picture With Conversation - 3:38
8. Epitaph: Angel - 7:54
All compositions by Peter Daltrey and Eddy Pumer.
Kaleidoscope
*Eddy Pumer - Lead Guitar, Keyboards
*Steve Clark - Bass, Flute.
*Dan Bridgman - Drums, Percussions.
*Peter Daltrey - Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Fantastic 14-track British beat/garage compilation garnered from the personal collection of one of Britain's top record dealers. As the name suggests, each of these tracks is a real killer. I can't think of a better way to announce that Past and Present is back than with this, the first of dozens of great titles that will be appearing on the imprint in the future." Artists: Gavin Hamilton, Neil Christian, Tangerine Peel, The Groop, Ian and the Zodiacs, The Moving Finger, Guy Darrell, The Hipster Image, Jerry Martin, The Quotations, Winston G, Gene Latter, The Kool, The End.
Tracks - Artists
1. It Won't Be The Same - Gavin Hamilton - 2:38
2. I'm Gonna Love You Baby - Neil Christian - 2:54
3. Solid Gold Mountain Top - Tangerine Peel - 2:54
4. Such A Lovely Way - The Groop - 3:18
5. No Money No Honey - Ian & The Zodiacs - 2:23
6. Shake And Fingerpop - The Moving Finger - 3:44
7. Evil Woman - Guy Darrell - 2:25
8. Little Piece Of Leather - The Hipster Image - 2:09
9. I Can't Find Her - Jerry Martin - 2:29
10.Cool It - The Quotations - 3:00
11.Judge And Jury - Winston G - 2:45
12.Just A Minute Or Two - Gene Latter - 2:45
13.Step Out Of Your Mind - The Kool - 2:40
14.Why - The End - 2:42
Since the late 1940s when Joe Turner sang "Shake Rattle and Roll", the root of all rock and roll music has been rhythm and blues -Elvis Presley, Little Richard. Jerry Lee Lewis, they all played their part in exposing the white teenage audience to black music in various adaptations.
Later, in the 60's; blues became familiar and commonplace to everyone, and was therefore abandoned by America's black culture, replaced by soul, then funk, then disco- all of which in turn influenced newer generations of white musicians. But let's take a look now at that period in the early 60s when blues and R & B were known only to the most adventurous whites, and considered dangerous, unknown, darkly mysterious territory.
Into this unknown territory came a generation of musicians who were forming bands in the early 60's in America too, but primarily in England where the appallingly bland pop music of the time led to a massive backlash of bands and music that were, for the time, quite daring. Imagine the illicit thrills experienced by these lads of conservative British upbringing upon finding a rare imported album by John Lee Hooker, taking it home, learning to play the songs and practicing acting, talking, singing like the Negroes of their glamorized imagination. It's easy to see why it became an obsession among the musically-inclined hipsters of the time.
The rhythm and blues scene in England had its peak in the years 1961-64, though its influence was felt for many years thereafter in the work of Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee, John Mayall, Jeremy Spencer, and many others. But by then it had become something different. In the early years it was a raw, impromptu music of the streets, scruffy and nasty. It was the punk music of its time and place, and it related to the Merseybeat trend of the same period just like today's punk bands relate to their more pop-oriented New Wave colleagues.
It was a purer, tougher expression of the same rebellion against cultural tedium. On this album we have brought together some of the strongest and most sought-after examples of British R & B from the classic period. Are you ready? You may think you are, but just wait 'til you hear the contents of these grooves...
I predict you'll be rubbing Shinola on your skin, hitting the streets in search of a beat-up Cadillac, a cheap harmonica in your back pocket, bent on jamming with Eric Burdon if it's the last thing you do...
by Nigel Strange, editor of "The Web of Sound" magazine.
Artists - Tracks
1. The Fairies - Get Yourself Home - 2:17
2. Junco Partners - Take This Hammer - 2:10
3. The Fairies - I'll Dance - 2:01
4. The Cheynes - Respectable - 1:51
5. The First Gear - Leave My Kitten Alone - 2:14
6. The Betterdays - Here 'Tis - 2:18
7. The Wild Ones - Bowie Man - 2:31
8. David John And The Mood - Bring It To Jerome - 2:07
9. The Wheels - Road Block - 3:35
10.The Fairies - Anytime At All - 2:21
11.Rhythm And Blues Inc.- Honey Don't - 2:25
12.Erkey Grant And The Eerwigs - I'm A Hog For You - 2:11
13.David John And The Mood - I Love To See You Strut - 2:13
14.Bill And Will - Goin' To The River - 2:33
15.Blues By Five - Boom Boom - 2:25
16.Steve Aldo - Baby What You Want Me To Do - 3:49
17.Jason Eddie And The Centremen - Spoonful - 2:22
18.The Rats - Singing The Blues - 2:28
19.Bo And Peep - Young Love - 2:46
In April 1969 Billboard announced that RCA had signed a 'progressive blues-rock band called The Deirdre Wilson Tabac This was a misleading description of the group, who in fact played a funky brand of jazzy pop, akin to the Rotary Connection. From Philadelphia, they were in fact a trio discovered, managed and produced by Sonny Casella, who'd earlier managed garage band The Magic Mushrooms.
The Tabac featured Deirdre Wilson. Stu Freeman (formerly of The Magic Mushrooms) and Barbara Payne (formerly with the James Brown Revue), backed by session players including jazz guitarist Chuck Anderson (who played the solos), bassist Hugh McDonald (currently with Bon Jovi) and keyboardist Roy Bittan (who went on to be a long-term Bruce Springsteen sideman). The Tabac's first single coupled two fine Casella compositions, Other Side Of This Life and Look In My Face.
Billboard wrote on April 26 that a driving funky blues beat backs a powerhouse vocal workout that is loaded with top 40. underground and sales potential. Good Sound. The disc picked enough airplay to merit an album, which duly appeared early the following year, but received barely any press.
Sales where low and the trio didn’t last long, though in May 1971 Casella launched a 45 in Canada’s Dafodil label credited to Tabac, “Pairing Turn Around” and “Children Behave” which unfortunately is not included (rather because of some technical oversight I presume) even if they’re both credit on track list.
Tracks
1. The Other Side of Life - 3:00
2. (Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay (Redding, Cropper) - 2:51
3. Let's All Join Together - 2:38
4. Get Back (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:26
5. Angel Baby - 2:51
6. The Last Thing On His Mind - 3:05
7. I Can't Keep From Cryin' Sometimes (Al Kooper) - 3:22
8. Look in My Face - 2:57
9. Magic One - 3:02
10.I Got You - 3:03
11.Turn Around - 0:26
All song by Sonny Casella except where indicated
Track 11 is incomplete and there's no song #12.
