In The Trashcan Records
GARBAGE79
"All
over the world Belgium is known for chocolate, frites (I hate the word
French fries!) and beers, but here are once more 16 Belgian 60s releases
that are saved from oblivion. Twist, rock 'n' roll, beat, popsike, exotica,
from 1962 to 1975..."
Is this Belgian? Yes and no. It’s a single release from a Belgian movie about the origins of Belgian Congo. Bongos and all kinds of African percussion instruments are used by this (fake?) band.
Fine late 60s Belgian popsike by these guys who released four 45s, all in 1969 on Ronnex. This was their third. Forget about the lame b-side “We’ve climbed a mountain”.
This is Belgian for sure! Listen to the awful English accent. These guys must have been big fans of The Flintstones. I wonder if Hanna-Barbera have ever heard this song. It’s so bad that it’s good. In the 50s and 60s it was possible to release anything on vinyl. Nowadays it’s out of the question. The B-side is “Her name is Ramona”.
There’s a girl I know who loves this song so much that I had to include it here. It’s the b-side of “Everybody’s allright”, their first release (see vol 17) for more info. The two other 45s are “Party in Joe Graig’s bar”/”Cream cheese” and “Mean Mister Mustard”/”Are you old enough”.
The third release on Show (after Mike Baker) was this twist tune. You must know that the twist was more popular in Belgium than rock ‘n’ roll itself. Every Belgian artist then had at least one twist song. This b-side of “The top hits twist” is a perfect example of Belgium’s rock scene in the pre-Beatles era 1962-1963.
This B-side of “The girl who plays the bass guitar” is not his very best (enjoy his version of “Cara-Lin” on vol 29 and more and see also vol 31 for some more information). The picture on the sleeve was taken at the Belgian coast.
If you know a little bit of French, you’d guessed the title of this guitar instrumental: “(Ghost) Riders in the sky”. These Italian immigrants changed from “I Cogoni” to “Les Sunglights” and later The Sunlights and had a quite successful beat period as well. After releasing a dozen singles they disappeared.
Who can help me with this band? It’s from Belgium and I think it was just a studio band. The ska underbeat and the heavy bass lift this song above so many studio recordings of that era. The four minutes long hypnotic drive is great and perfect for any lounge party. And now over to the A-side…
These guys weren’t Belgian musicians. Actually they were Americans (I believe from Florida) and lived in Brussels for a while where they recorded two 45s (which are also available on one EP in France on DiscAZ). I love this song so much and yes, it still remains uncompiled! Unbelievable but true. On vol 20 you can find the other 45. Then I still thought it was a French band, but an original member contacted me a few years ago and told me their story.
First look at the sleeve; that’s what I did when I bought it. At home I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to both sides. It begins with a piano and then when the bass and the ska drum join everybody start swinging and a while later the trumpets and the bongos add a little more of exotic Jamaican flavour. An excellent loungey instrumental. How come nobody ever used this song to sample? Maybe because nobody knows it yet. Well, somebody has to be first…
Who the hell were The Birds? Not the UK band or the US Byrds, but these Belgians… But were they from Belgium? I still don’t know anything about this band. Whatever, it’s a great version on this Belgian release which as Paul miller’s “I believe” as flipside.
b-side of “Happiness”
Okay, he ain’t Belgian, but it’s here in Belgium that he got famous, also thanks to The Shakespears. The sitar-sounding guitar and the handclaps with the strings are the ingredients needed for an early 70s soul party. On vol 68 there’s more to read.
Happy feeling popsike from an unknown Belgian band whose first 45 is to be found on vol 3. In 1969 they released their third and last single. It’s the b-side of “Happy people”.
She was a Jean Blaute protégée and released at least two 45s and one album in 1970. I wonder if “R&R High School” was the same band that played with Little Jimmy in 1970. This b-side of a not so brilliant version of “Let’s have a party” is, again, too good to be forgotten.
The b-side “The continuing story of Bungalow Bill” can be found on the hilarious compilation “We hate the Beatles”. This song however ought to be selected for a third volume of that crazy series. This Belgian version is maybe even worse than the flipside. So it’s no surprise to know that this was their final 45.
And now time for something completely different and utterly stupid! They released about six 45s, most of which were produced by the legendary Sylvain Vanholmen. This ticklish song with the crazy laughter is so extraordinary and bad that I couldn’t leave it aside. A perfect end for this Belgian volume.
