LOOK WHAT I HAVE FOUND vol 25
"Tricky" - 16 treacherous treats of terror

 

In The Trashcan Records       GARBAGE25
"You can't always get what you want. On a trip? In a restaurant? On the dancefloor? Your eyes can play tricky tricks on you! Why worry? Before you even realize, you might be spending some time in an Arabian jail..."

RCA-Victor 47-9617 1. folsom prison blues #2 - don bowman
 
A late 60s comedy version of this Johnny Cash classic. Boo! Boo! You can hear the crowd yelling at him and still it’s not as bad as it sounds. No, I’m only joking: it’s so bad that it’s brilliant! Watch out for the flipside!
9. house of the setting sun - don bowman

A spooky organ, a cowboy voice, deranged hilarious lyrics about a psychedelic party gone wrong: this is the laugh of the year! “Kill all hippies” must ‘ve been the reason why he recorded this sick tune.
RCA-Victor 47-9617
Mercury 71050 2. tricky - ralph marterie

A prominent piano, a saucy sax, a smoochy drum, trumpets and no vocals: this is tricky stuff from the man who brought me “Shish-kebab” and more crazy orchestral gems; from 1957.
10. go ahead - the squires

I am almost 99% sure that this song has appeared on a compilation before, but nobody could confirm. This 1966 song is so good, the band is vey well known for their ; It’s heavily influenced by The Byrds’ version of “Mr. Tambourine Man”, but it’s much much better. It’s the flip to their classic “Going all the way”.
Atco 45-6442
Jay-Walking JW-001 3. night in arabia - the arabian knights
 
A cool exotic organ tune from around 1960 it seems, but it wasn’t released until the mid60s or even later. Just listen to the other side, also featured on this volume. If you’re eating couscous, shish-kebab, houmous or durum: eat while listening to songs like this.
11. i haven't got the nerve - the left banke

Another well known band, I mean, if you know American 60s underground sounds. Still I haven’t been able to find a compilation containing this very good 1966 song with a Manzarek guy on the keyboards.
Smash S-2041
Decca 9-25017 4. heartaches - ted weems

An early 50s tune with a whistling guy, bongo drums, utterly weird sounds from a crazy orchestra led by Ted Weems. And an excerpt from this song was already compiled by Lux Interior during his infamous 1984 radio show. But this is the full song!
12. why worry - aaron neville

If you don’t know him, you don’t know much about 60s music. I wish I knew all 60s songs and all 60s compilations, but I don’t. I’ve never seen this song on a compilation before and it certainly deserves it: actually it’s one of the finest soul pounders ever recorded by my fave Neville Brother in 1966.
Par Lo 101
MMP 1010 5. rijst met kouseband - max woiski jr

A Surinam immigrant sings in Dutch with a heavy South-American accent. The song’s about rice with some unknown Surinam vegetable which he can’t find in the cold Netherlands and he’s getting homesick and wants to return to his tropical country. A Caribbean flavour rules this uncommon song full of exciting percussion.
13. sugar shake - danyel gerard

Another French tune by Danyel Gerard who was a rock ‘n’ roll teen star in the 60s and a major pop star in the 70s, albeit only in France and Belgium. His version of “America” is also worthwile to mention, but it’s been reissued already on one or two comps. I think this was released around 1964.
DiscAZ EP942
Festival FX1518 6. le restaurant chinois - michel delpech

Another food song you cannot find on one of the “Frolic diner” volumes. A song about a Chinese restaurant by the big French star Michel Delpech who had a monster hit with “Pour un flirt”. The other three songs on this EP are not interesting.
14. savez-vous danser le twist - gerry beckles & les toppers

It’s sung in French, released on an Italian label, and I think he’s not from France. Who cares? It’s not a translation of the Chubby Checker song. It’s an own composition about how the twist has become the next big thing in town.
Ricordi 500 078
TNR 13001 7. moi vouloir du couscous - bezu & le grand st-germain

And now we go to the Northern region of the Sahara desert . The main dish today is “Couscous”. I think this song is actually from the 70s, but who cares: it’s so bad it’s good. There’s a local Belgian deejay whose career was based on songs like this: the baddest in French dance music. Perfect to mix with “C’est bon pour le moral”. You have to admit this though: the sleeve is great!
15. chattanooga walk - ray gant & the arabian knights

A song about James Brown and the new dance called the Chattanooga Walk. And it’s one of the best boogaloo songs I know. Still no info on this band or singer to be found.
Jay-Walking JW-001
Vogue EPL8530 8. les citrons - jean-claude darnal

Even a song about lemons by the guy who also recorded  “Le cosmonaute” to be found on vol 24. And this 1967 gem ends the food theme of this volume.
16. sounds in space - ken nordine

Beat hero in the late 50s, but this is not a real song: it’s a stereophonic sound demo record featuring a story about stereo narrated by Ken Nordine. I still like him the most for his novelty tunes as Dor & McFadden (Bob).  I got absolutely no idea when this 45 was released, but it contains some great music and you can’t but love his magnetic voice.
RCA-Victor 61-7370