In The Trashcan
Records GEM096
"Take a walk on the wild side, I've been waiting for you;
I feel fine with this helter skelter..."
Unexpected 1982 cover version of The Electric Prunes' "I had too much to dream last night", their best song. Two years before the garage rock revival hit Europe this Dutch combo picked a psychedelic punk anthem as their debut release on Melody Records. It also reappeared on the 1983 US release of their eponymous debut album.
The Wailers discovered The Sonics, but also recorded several ground-breaking garage classics in those early days, such as this one, brilliantly raped by these Osaka boys and girls in 1994. See also vol 99.
One of the first West-Coast punk bands when formed in 1977. This is a 1978 recording which remained unreleased until C.D. Presents issued it in 1983. Singer was the lovely Penelope Houston who was lucky to be the support act for the very last SexPistols gig ever.
Don't get fooled by the intro, it's not Tequila, but The Troggs' "Wild thing", which sounds like a teenage Meteors meets Stingrays. I guess this must have been recorded around 1992 in Germany.
Germany's best known punk rock band, formed in 1982 in Düsseldorf. In 1989 they played this live version of The Beatles' "I feel fine".
This band needs no introduction. It wasn't easy to find a song that hasn't been compiled yet on a vinyl sampler. This 1990 flipside to "Velouria", a tremendous Neil Young cover, was produced by Gil Norton for 4AD in 1990.
I know these guys from their terrific version of The Standells' "Dirty water" (see vol 21). Here they are again with another cover, Jimmy McCracklin's "The walk", released on Radarscope in 1979.
No, it's not the Jan & Arnie tune from 1958, but their own ode to that lustful lady. Frontman Derek "Deke" Dickerson and his 3 friends recorded it in 1989; yet it was released in 1996 on Norton Records and can only be found on this flipside.
Boris Pickett goes punk? Funny horror rock version of Jerry Lee Lewis' biggest hit. This is so bad it's oh so good. A 1979 PVK release b/w "Witch woman" (see vol 93).
A pink vinyl 45 on Yassaba that gives us a powerpop punky version of Chris Isaak's "Wicked game", hardly recognizable. I love it when bands turn a song inside out and make it their own, as long as they don't forget to mention whose song it really was. Issued in 1999.
Syndicate Of Sound's "Hey little girl" in a live punk treat and it's an ace cover version! Stiv Bators was the charismatic singer of Ohio's Dead Boys relocated to New York. A 1977 Sire Records release.
The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown was known for one song: "Fire". Lizzy turned it inside out and upside down and transformed it into her own version. Killer version! From 1979 on Philips.
When The Animals sang this in the late 60s, it was hippies all over; love and peace and long hair. In 1980 street punk and Angelic Upstarts, however, succeeded in turning this into an even fiercer assault. It's from the same period when they recorded songs like "Guns for the Afghan rebels". Released on a major label.
Geoff "Duffo" Duff from Australia did an excellent job to transform Lou Reed's big hit into a synthpop song while he was living in London for a couple of years. Issued on PVK in 1981.
A surprisingly tongue-in-cheek jazzy version of the Little Willie John classic from 1982. You could swear it's The Style Council… Nope, it's still Weller's previous outfit.
In 1988 this band released the album "Norwegian wood" with 13 Beatles songs, excerpts and medleys. This is the 45 taken from that album. Is producer Klaus Voormann the guy behind this project? Weird instrumental orchestral computerized rendition of "Helter skelter". What would have happened if Charles Manson had heard this crazy version?
