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Saturday, May 28, 2022

In Dan's Garage...#145

 


Greetings music lovers!!!! So, I've gotten into a "groove" so to speak, where whenever I play a record that I haven't posted on this blog, I rip, and then, voila!!! I've got content to work with. Now that's genius! I have a ton of stuff here in the basement that hasn't been included here and my biggest problem is that I'm terribly dis-organized. For the last two years, I've VOWED to alphabetize and sort these records out, but some other chore gets in the way. I also need lots more record boxes. Oh, yeah, I'm not sure if all of you are paying attention, but this inflation thing is hitting me hard in this area. I used to buy ten 45 storage boxes for just over $55, (full disclosure here.. I live in Rochester, N.Y. where "Bags Unlimited" is located and if you pay cash and pick up, you get a discount), now they cost around $80. That's for twenty pieces of cardboard (boxes and lids). Got that??? Twenty pieces of CARDBOARD. I know, they're cut very nicely, and you can fold them easily, BUT IT'S FREAKIN' CARDBOARD!!!! 

So, I've had to hold off on buying storage for these things and now I have stacks of records piled up all over the place and I can't keep track of them. Little by little I pick up little stacks and sort them into "newer" and "older" 45's, this way I can keep things fresh on the Radio Free Phoenix and Deep Oldies show which by the way (insert shameless self promotion HERE) is on every Wednesday night at 11:00 PM eastern daylight time on RFP, and streamed again on Sundays at 3;00 PM at Deep Oldies, both great places to listen to cool music, and you know it's cool because they allow me to spin 45's for an entire hour and demonstrate my HORRID broadcast talents every week. Also check out my You Tube Channel (more shameless self promotion) which features most of the content featured here on this blog.

This post, as usual, features "a plethora of fine 45's" so as I say every week on the show...
LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT!


Rondels - C'mon Let's Go /Sweetheart (1964)
Kicking off this post is a band from New England, and I guess Boston would be where these guys came from, although little is known about them, they could have been from anywhere in the area. 45cat.com has this listed with the "Ron-Dels" 45's that featured Delbert McClinton, but I'm not convinced that they are the same band. Great frat rock on both sides of this as they tackle Richie Valens' "C'mon Lets Go". The flip is actually as good, if not better, that the 'A' side.

Bern Elliot & The Fenmen - New Orleans / Everybody Needs A Little Love (1964)
Bern Elliot were from Kent, England which is just outside of London, and unlike their neighbors, The Fenmen adopted more of a Liverpool beat style than say guys like the Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. This 45 which was released on Decca in the U.K. is a real good version of "New Orleans" a song often covered by groups on both sides of the Atlantic. Bern issued some solo 45's in '65 and the Fenmen broke away to release a few singles without Bern. Eventually, a couple of the Fenmen joined the late 60's Pretty Things and had some success with them.

Billy Thorpe &The Aztecs - My Girl Josephine (1965)
English born Billy Thorpe, was a huge success in Australia starting in the early sixties and performing into the mid 70's where he became a producer and a composer of TV scores including one of my all time favorite TV shows, Colombo. This 45 mixes a pretty routine version of The Platters' "Twilight Time" with a rockin' version of "Hello Josephine" re-named "My Girl Josephine". I left "Twilight Time" out because it's really not that good. Especially compared to the "B side".

Romans - The Drag / After You Go (1965)
Supposedly from York, PA, here's a typical outfit from PA slogging it out in the local recording studio with some outstanding Hi-Fi results! Just kidding. This is typical "frat rock" from the mid-sixties that probably every band from coast to coast tried their hand at. In my book, this is what I consider real "Garage Band Music".

Adrian Lloyd - Lorna / Got A Little Woman (1966)

I generally shy away from posting re-issues on this blog, mainly because you can pretty much get them anywhere, and in my opinion, they are nothing particularly special. There are exceptions though. In the realm of really hard to get 45's that are legendary, and killer, we like to include them here and such is the case with this 45 by Adrian Lloyd which was re-issued for what they call "record store day". Hell, when I was younger, every day was record store day. I'd go to a record store any chance I got. I practically lived in those freakin' places. Now it's sort of a "holiday" for record collectors with a lot of money and they issue "limited edition" records, just for "record store day". Not a bad concept in theory, but it turns out it's just a money grab for some record companies, and a chance for "collectors" with deep pockets to buy as much as they can before anyone else does, and gouge other people on Ebay that didn't get what they wanted the first time around. Fortunately, this 45 came up for what I considered to be a fair price given it's quality. The original issue of this on Charger Records is really rare, so this is an exceptional re-issue.
On to the music..
This is perhaps one of the greatest garage band performances ever to be laid down to wax.
Somehow, Adrian Lloyd, a drummer, who was a transplant from England managed to join The Rumblers, who had a hit in 1962 with the instrumental "Boss", which is a surf classic. If any of you are familiar with this 45, the flip "I Don't Need You No More" was the better side, with Adrian 's snotty vocals at the fore, an omen of sorts, especially when you hear this track. He then formed his own band Adrian & The Sunsets and they released a classic surf LP .
Fast-forward to late 1965 where Adrian went into the studio to record this gem. He not only sang and screamed, but played drums as well. This is one of those 45's where I wish I was a fly on the wall in the recording studio experiencing all of this. Adrian literally becomes unhinged as he goes through this number, every scream more intense than the last.
Thank you Sundazed records for having the savvy to re-issue this particular 45, and apologies to the Ebay seller as well. You certainly weren't gouging anyone here, although I'm aware you have multiple copies of this. Fair is fair. 
Did I mention the flip side??? Oh yeah, that's way cool as well, a menacing minor chord "ballad" that  is a classic as well.

Liz Brady with Jaques Denjean's Orchestra - Hey O Daddy O / Comme Tu Es Jeune (1966)
Let's go to France, where Liz Brady covers one of the cooler songs issued by The Newbeats, "Hey O Daddy O". I have to be honest, I don't know a whole lot about Liz, but I really like this 45 because there's quite a bit of energy here, and that's what counts the most on 45's like this. I included the flip because I'm a sucker for ballads sung in French.....


Michel Polnareff - La Poupee Qui Fait Non / Chere Veronique / Beatnik / Ce Que Je Chereche Est On Toi (1966)


Yay!!!! More French stuff, this time from Michel Polnareff, who was, and still is a popular figure in French pop music. This E.P. covers some different styles from folk/rock to pop to straight up rock, and it's all quite good. A very enjoyable record I must say!!!!!

Episode Six - Love-Hate-Revenge / Baby, Baby, Baby (1967)
Episode Six is mostly famous for including a pre-Deep Purple Ian Gillian and Roger Glover in the band. They were a very good band and this 45 shows it. They released around a dozen 45's in the U.K. and four here in the U.S. Unfortunately I've only heard this one and "Mighty Morris Ten" which came out here in the states on Warner Bros. Records.

Cherokee - I Can't Reach You / Willie And The Hand Jive (1968)
You know me. I'm always taking chances on 45's out there, and there obviously are hits and misses. I couldn't pass this one up even though I'd never heard it mainly because this is some unknown band covering one my all time favorite Pete Townsend compositions, from one of my favorite Who L.P.'s. I wasn't sure what to expect. First of all, Ranwood Records was collaboration between Randy Wood who founded Dot Records, and Lawrence Welk (of all people) so's they could release all of Welk's Dot recordings independent of Dot Records, because Welk owned all the rights to everything he recorded on Dot. 
Obviously they needed a few other acts to fill out their roster, so The Cherokee must've been one of them. I have one other 45 on this label by "The Sounds Of Sunshine" a real "sunshiny" pop 45 but outside of these two , I haven't heard anything else.
Produced and arranged by Dan Dalton who was also involved with quite a bit of music in the mid sixties like the Peppermint Trolley Company, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, and as a member of the folk group "The Back Porch Majority". 
So, how's the music???? Quite interesting I might say. This is probably a love it or hate it 45, but I love it. They take one of Pete Townsend's finest songs and put a "La Bamba" riff to it for the intros, but kind of get back to the feel of the original during the verses and the choruses. Although this side is marred by dopey horns, It's still very good, and the flip is a fuzzed up version of Johnny Otis' "Willie & The Hand Jive".

Steve Lee - She's Afraid To Answer/ Baby (1968)
Steve Lee, A/K/A Steve Noack, was a musician from St. Louis, MO and was in a band called The Happy Return which was featured in IDG #91. This is slightly different than the  the Happy Return 45 and came out around a year prior. Both sides are good, but the A side is the better one.

Uniques - Groovin' Out (1967)
I needed a 45 to fill this post out to 28 tracks, so I grabbed this one randomly. I like the Uniques. They had a bunch of 45's on Paula Records and some of them are really freakin' good. This one is OK. I could do without the stupid kazoos.....

Battalion Tweed - But It's Alright / Last Time (1969)
"Mr. G" Records is one of my favorite labels because they have such an eclectic roster of "talent" on the label, including some very cool Upstate New York bands. I'm not exactly sure who The Battalion Tweed were, but I think they may have been from Connecticut???? In any case, they do a good job of tackling J.J. Jackson's most covered hit "But It's Alright".

Equals - Have I The Right / Lover Let Me Go (1972)
I FREAKIN LOVE THE EQUALS!!!!!
I was fortunate to obtain a couple of  Equals 45's that I think are legit, but to my eyes, they look like re-issues. I don't care. They are one of my favorite bands and this one from 1972, of all years, is fantastic!


Floating Bridge - Brought Up Wrong / Watch Your Step (1969)
A group out of Seattle, WA that had one member from The Wailers (the PACIFIC NW WAILERS, NOT BOB MARLEY'S CREW) and released an L.P. and this one 45 which is quite heavy. They do an interesting version on "Watch Your Step" on the flip, a song that was covered by quite a few British Invasion/Beat Groups in the early to mid sixties.







 
















Saturday, April 23, 2022

In Dan's Garage...#144


 GREETINGS MUSIC LOVERS!!!!!!! It's been quite a while since I've last posted, in fact this could be the longest hiatus I've ever taken. Most of my time these day's are taken up with work, family (I have five grandchildren!), my weekly show on Radio Free Phoenix and Deep Oldies, and some health issues, while they are not life threatening, have been quite debilitating over the past two years. Fortunately, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and hope to be a complete functioning adult sometime within this year.

Enough about myself and the whiny violin music in the background. Record collecting these days has been hit and/or miss, but stuff does trickle in, in fact due to a good pay bump, I'm able to "waste my money" on some cool records. I've bought a lot of L.P.'s lately, filling holes in my wish list of albums that I had when I was younger and sold or lost, but I've also scored a few cool 45's recently, some of which are featured in this particular post., in fact I'm awaiting more in the mail as I write this!!!!

For all of you friends and followers out there, thanks for sticking around, and for any newbies out there, I hope you enjoy what we're doing here.

As usual, there's a "veritable cornucopia of fine 45's" to check out so let's get right to it!!!!

Legends - Here Comes The Pain / Don't Be Ashamed (1964)
From Milwaukee, WI. The Legends actually released about 10 45's on various labels including Capitol, Parrot, Ermine (a local label), and Warner Bros. This is a great British Invasion influenced 45 that reminds me more of The Searchers, than say The Beatles. Great stuff!

Messengers - Hard Hard Year (1967)
Another Milwaukee group. The history of these guys is somewhat convoluted, but if you follow this link...https://www.45cat.com/record/nc106961us, you may get some clarification on who they were and their history,. In any case, this is a cover of a Hollies song, something that I was totally unaware of until I did a little research because I still don't know ALL of my "cool" rock & roll history. Very cool stuff here...

Midnight Mail - I Can't Get It / I Can't Quit (1966)
Jim Webb, also known as "Jimmy", wrote a slew of hits in the 60's and 70's, most notably "By The Time I Get To Phoenix, "Up, Up, And Away", "MacArthur Park" (ew), and worked quite a bit with Johnny Rivers. I guess this must've been a real early effort from 1966 although I don't see much mention of it except that the 45 states that it features him. I wouldn't exactly call this a 'garage' 45 but it's certainly some very solid 60's rock and roll with a little bit of attitude.


Bill Hjerpe - Navigation Blues / Not For Sale (1966)
Bill Hjerpe released two 45's on Epic and somehow also worked as a songwriter for at least one act that I know of that appeared on Columbia Records. Those guys would be Rochester, NY's Show Stoppers who apparently were discovered in our humble hometown by John Hammond himself, well... discovered might be a stretch, but I think they generated enough interest to get him up here to see them perform and give them a contract. The Show Stoppers released two 45's on Columbia and were blessed with Bill Hjerpe's songwriting on both issues. Obviously, Bill has a Dylan thing going on here, and "Navigation Blues" sounds like Bill and the drummer going at it while he does a sort of stream of consciousness vocal much in the same way Dylan did, although I think Bob was more deliberate with his lyrics. "Not For Sale" is actually the better side as we have a full band backing Hjerpe up on that one. Also seek out is other Epic 45 which is well...EPIC!!!!

Tom Rush - On The Road Again / Who Do You Love (1965)
How many "On The Road Again" songs are there in the musical universe??? Prolly a bunch. We all know Willie Nelson's version well (yawn), and the Lovin' Spoonful had one,  there may be some others, but for my money this one by Tom Rush is the best. Tom Rush was not exactly a garage or psychedelic guy, on the contrary, he was a blues/folk artist. I don't know a whole lot about him 'cause the folk thing really isn't my bag, but I can't help loving this particular song. It reminds me a bit like Dylan's "Maggies Farm", but not quit as "out there", know what I mean? Who Do You Love is pretty good, but doesn't stack up against what is actually the 'B' side to this 45.

Reasons Why - Same Old Worries / I Don't Care If You Don't Care (1967)
This was the last of three 45's released by this Long Island group that included Buzz Feiten who went on to play with guys like Paul Butterfield, The Rascals, and he invented a tuning system for guitar which I guess keeps everything in tune so to speak. The first two 45's were really good garage/folk rock, this one on the other hand, well...they make a serious left turn. One side is a very moody number, and the other is kind of baroque pop, at least it reminded me of The Left Banke on first play. "Same Old Worries" is definitely the standout track here.

Bystanders - Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day (1967)
You know...I could never figure Pye Records out. Although they had some of the BEST music to come out of Britain in the 60's, here in the U.S., their releases got scattered about a bunch of different labels including this one which ended up on Chess no less. Chess, being the gold standard for blues labels in the 50's and early 60's needed to expand their horizons so they released 45's by groups like "The Lot", "The Truth", "The Baroques", and this one here, which by the way, is a one sided promo. The Bystanders were from Wales and in the UK released eight 45's including a version of Keith's "98.6". This is typically great British psyche/pop fun!

Mother's Little Helpers - Walk With Me / Funny Girl (1968)
Can't say too much about this group. This one is firmly in the "Bubblegum" category with dopey kazoos, and the like. Probably a studio group. Sorry, but that's all I got.

Comstock LTD. - Annabelle Jane / Help Me Girl (1969)
More Bubblegum pop here, but this time I know something about this band! These guys were named after Western N.Y. native Bobby Comstock who had some big local hits in the early sixties, an L.P. on Ascot records in 1966, and three or four 45's on Bell. Comstock was from nearby Ithaca, N.Y. and was an extremely popular act right though the sixties and he continued performing in "oldies" shows till the 90's. Bobby passed away in 2020 leaving us some cool rock & roll to digest, especially his greatest effort, "Let's Stomp", a rock & roll standard.

Five By Five - Apple Cider / Fruitstand Man (1969)
The Five By Five were a somewhat prolific band, I mean, they had eight singles on Paula Records, but only one L.P., which had most of the singles tracks on it. I'm pretty sure these guys from Magnolia, Arkansas were not in complete control of their destiny, but they did put out some way cool, and kind of heavy I might add, rock & roll in the late 60's and they managed to hang on into the early 70's. This is a great two sider that has "fruit" as it's theme. Perhaps the first "concept 45" ever???? Hmmmm....

Helen's Babies - Baby I Need You Now (1968)
Another stumper....Helen's Babies were most likely from the south, and Shelby Singleton had a bit to do with this release on "Sumpter Records". More Bubblegum sounds I guess, not bad for a "girls in the garage" thing, but I wonder why the radio station guys marked this record up as "country"????? 

Lothar & The Hand People - Machines / Milkweed Love (1968)
I have a couple of Lothar 45's, obviously this is one of them. Originally from Denver, CO, they relocated to New York City and developed what can only be described as a truly progressive sound, using "Lothar", their Theremin, an electronic instrument with a couple of rods you wave your hand over to make whacked out noises with (I'm paraphrasing here), and the Moog Synthesizer, which could possibly be the most reviled instrument by lovers of rock and roll. I personally am OK with it, depending on it's use, and The Hand People use it well. As far as the band's output, they did release five 45's on Capitol as well as two L.P.s.

NAIF - Love's No Game (1968)
"NAIF". Better known as the "North Atlantic Invasion Force" were from Connecticut, New Haven if I'm not mistaken, and had a few 45's on several labels, but their "biggest hit" was "Black On White" which came out on Mr. G records in 1968. That song, unfortunately, had some lyrics that were "not acceptable", so they re-wrote the song and released it again on the "Staff" label out of N.Y.C. Not bad, but not quite as good as the original.

Mellow Brick Rode - Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket / Other Side Of This Life (1969)
This one threw me off completely. I thought this was just another band from who knows where, but they were actually "The Road" from Buffalo, NY who had a minor hit (fairly big around these parts) with a cover of the Zombies', "She's Not There". This one is pretty much in the same style as their other recordings, but I kinda like their version of "Other Side Of This Life".

Roy Orbison - Southbound Jericho Parkway / My Friend (1969)
For long tome followers of this blog, you know I never shy away from weird shit, and this one ranks pretty high in the "weird shit" category. I love Roy Orbison, and he had a long and well deserved successful career, but every once in a while, even the great ones stumble. Such is the case with this  seven minute opus, which unfortunately is in crappy shape, although it was a relative bargain. Roy goes into "rock opera concept mode" on this one, and with some really head scratching results as he goes through the dilemma of a man who seems to have lost his wife, and his kids are all messed up, 60's style ya know, and he's just trying to cope with....well...I sorta get lost after the first three minutes, but you get the picture. Truly one the more bizarre 45's I've ever heard.