In The Trashcan Records
GARBAGE48
"While in
the late 60s/early 70s the charts were a battlefield for teenieboppers
against psych-rockers, we now embrace both kinds. Who won? Nobody..."
It’s their 4th release for Pathé-Marconi. And as most of their releases this is psychedelic prog-rock very close to glam punk. A heavy distorted guitar, deranged drumming, growling vocals, what more do you need.
Originally it was Riccardo Del Turco who wrote and recorded “Uno tranquillo” and that same year covered by a Dutch singer Ben Cramer as “Zai zai zai”, a Dutch version. The Tremeloes recorded an English version a year later. Also Joe Dassin recorded it in 1968, but in French “Siffler sur la colline”. In the 90s it was twice covered again in Dutch, first as “100.000 woorden” and then as “Elke keer opnieuw”. I’m pretty sure that this song has been compiled before, but only on big hits compilations, records that WE won’t ever buy. Here in Belgium and Holland people only seem to know the Dutch versions and that’s why I included this one here. On vol 53 you can listen to a Tremeloes song I really like and that’s more obscure to most of us.
I remember the first time I heard this '71 song. Then I knew I simply had to look for the 45. I didn’t know it would take more than 10 years to find. Not only because it’s not so easy to find, but also I didn’t know the name of the band. I only knew the name of the song and the plane on the sleeve. It’s great poppy psych-rock which surprisingly always works on the dancefloor. The A-side is “September in the rain”.
Originally released on Laurie in 1969. It’s teenieboppin’ bubblegum pop, but not from the Kasenetz-Katz crazy circus, nor the Monkees make believe shows. It’s the real stuff and that’s why it wasn’t a hit release.
Originally recorded for RAK Records in '72. The legendary Alexis Korner growls his way through this pounding soulful prog-rock tune with bongos, horns, piano and more instruments played by Britain’s top jazz musicians. And also Korner’s splendid guitar skills. C.C.S. stands for Collective Consciousness Society.
This is the flipside of the previous entry. And it’s a total ripoff of The Archies’ “Sugar sugar”. How could they have gone away with this? Still I prefer this jingle jangle to the Archies’ one.
When I’m deejaying at 60s parties, I get a lot of requests. One of them is “Hey Joe”, not the great Leaves’ version, but always the lame Jimi Hendrix’ one. Years ago I decided to play this version by the Marmalade, a Scottish band, who had several chart toppers like their version of “Ob-la-di ob-la-da” and also the Grassroots’ “Lovin’ things”, the A-side of this 45 from '68. Now I don’t play Hey Joe anymore or perhaps sometimes one of the obscure versions in Spanish.
On this '68 release it was coupled with “Shoeshine boy”. In US this was with “Here I go” on Buddah 41. This is great psychedelic bubblegum rock. Bill Bartlett later appeared in Ram Jam (the band of “Black Betty”)
It was first released on the 1970 “Watt” album and a few months later in 1971 as a 45 with both sides written by Alvin Lee (b-side is “She lies in the morning”) This Nottingham blues rock quartet became superheroes to some (their 1971 album “A spece in time” sold more than a million copies) and still a lot of songs never seemed to have been compiled including this one. In 1975 the band split only to be reformed for their 1989 album “About time”
Also from Ohio came The Ohio Expess (see also vol 42). The A-side “Sweeter than sugar” needed a flipside. So just record the song backwards. Listen to this '69 recording and try to find hidden Satanic messages…
A spacey psych-prog rock instrumental from '73 on the B-side of “In the grip of the mullah” by a band I don’t know anything about. Even the sleeve doesn’t reveal anything.
Another song recorded backwards. This time an instrumental as B-side for “Goody goody gumdrumps”. How much more bubblegum can you go with song titles like Candy Kisses, Gumpdrups, Sweeter than sugar, Jelly jungle, … Of course this is Kasenetz-Katz trash, just like the previous two entries. Both sides of this 45 from '68 were not released on one of their 3 albums.
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First released on Track Records in '68. The B-side is “What’s happening”. Produced by the Who producer Kit Lambert with the help from the Who’s Pete Townsend. In US it was the B-side of “I put a spell on you”. I also appeared on the album “The crazy world of Arthur Brown”. Carl Palmer (of Emerson, Lake & Palmer fame) was the drummer on this recording. The screams and yells by Arthur Wilton (that’s his real name!) mixed with the deranged organ make this song unforgettable.
Originally released on Major Minor MM526 in '67. This B-side of “Flowers for my friends” is a flower power psychedelic pop tune which reminds me a little bit of The Byrds.
Pffff. Now relax a little bit after those heavy rockin’ tunes. Detroit based band Rare Earth will be remembered for the 20-minutes version of the Temptations “Get ready” on their own Rare Earth label. This song was also put on their third album “One World”, just like the A-side “I just want to celebrate”, a top 10 hit single in '71.
Were they from Denmark? They were one of the best known European bubblegum teenieboppers from the end of the 60s. Nonsense song titles always work (Be-bop-a-lula, Ob-la di ob-la da, Papa-oom-mow-mow, …)
