DON'T KNOCK THE TOM TOM! TOMMYKNOCKERS' BEAT CLUB #3 - MODYSSEY AND ORACLE: UNCOMPILED UK-BEAT 61-70 WITH SOME SKAVENGERS STILL AROUND...

I've been asked why we don't upload more of this stuff faster?!? Hey, this isn't like squeezing a cd in the slot and up we go! This is hard work going through my collection, including hundreds of ancient, scruffily indexed tapes, some of them reel-to-reel. Then check if the tracks are uncomped. Then digitalize, seperate, index and clean up the sound. Guess, we're pretty fast, as a matter of fact! Oh, I forgot: research and write liners. Awright, here we go again, greedy bastards!!!

Listen to:

01.:Little Egypt - The Cyclones (Oriole,63) 2'25

02.:Little Bit 'O Soul - The Little Darlings (Fontana,65) 2'11

03.:Bye Bye Johnny - The Dominoes (Reading Rag Records,66) 2'45

04.:Louie Louie - Rhythm & Blues Inc. (Fontana,65) 1'55

05.:Let The Sun Shine In - The Peddlers (Philips,65) 2'40

06.:What Can I Do - The Vikings (Alp,66) 2'22

07.:Number One - The Stormeville Shakers (EP, Odeon,67. Released in France) 2'23

08.:I Tried To Forget - The Transatlantics (Fontana, 65) 2'07

09.:She's Gone - Cliff Richard & The Shadows (EP:"Time For Cliff", Columbia,61) 2'29

10.:Don't You Ever - Gerry & The Pacemakers (EP:"I'm The One", Columbia,64) 1'45

11.:ForYou, For You - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders (Fontana,63) 1'57

12.:Situation Now - Situation (CBS,66) 2'56

13.:You've Got To Pay - Taste (BASF, recorded 67, released 71 in Germany) 3'48

14.:Please Don't Touch - The Wild Angels (B&C,69) 1'59

15.:Rootin' Tootin' - Jack Bruce (Polydor,65) 2'52

16.:Trying To Forget The One You Love - The Shadows (Columbia,68) 2'01

17.:Come Back - Ossie Layne (R&B Rec.,66) 2'55

18.:Neighbour, Neighbour - The Adlibs (Fontana,65) 2'21

19.:Bye Bye Baby - The Perishers (Fontana,68) 2'29

20.:If You Can't Give Me All - The Monotones (Hickory,65. US-only release) 2'48

21.:It's A Wonder - The Human Beans (Columbia,67) 2'36

22.:Madness - Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames (EP"Rhythm & Blue Beat", Columbia,64) 2'30

23.:The Fightin' - The Chessmen (Rex Rec., Ireland, 65) 3'22

24.:The Cramp - Vince Philpott & The Drags (Decca,64) 2'02

25.:Rosie - Alexis Korner (Fontana,67) 2'06

26.:Taking Care Of Myself - The Endevers (Decca,68) 2'31

287:That's When I Need Him - The Clearways (EP, Roundabout Rec, 70) 2'16

28.:Foolin' - Lee Castle & The Barons (Parlophone,64) 2'17

29.:Deep Blue Feeling - The Isle Of Wight Cherokees (Polydor,67, released in Sweden) 2'19

30.:Shake And Scream - Kenny Lynch with The Laurie Jay Combo (HMV Pop,64) 2'30

31.:Baby Don't Care - Force Five (United Artists,65) 2'30

32.:Love Me - Dave Lee & The Staggerlees (Oriole,63) 2'00

7-inchers only this time...

Leiber/Stoller's "Little Egypt", originally recorded by The Coasters, was covered by a couple of UK-bands, most notably The Downliners Sect and The Marauders, but the first - and in my book best - version came 63 from Liverpool's CYCLONES, who sadly never managed to release a follow-up --- Just another coverversion, you might think, but no, wrong. "Little Bit 'O Soul", considered as one of the classics of US-garage bubblegum, is a Carter-Lewis composition, and was first released by a UK studio outfit called LITTLE DARLINGS, a couple of months before The Music Explosion had a worldwide smash with it. No further recordings, but you'll find the even better flip on Nick Saloman's brilliant "New Rubble Vol.3" comp. --- A pretty good rendition of Chuck's "Bye Bye Johnny" comes from THE DOMINOES (nothing to do with King Size Taylor) on one of the near impossible to find 45s on the tiny Reading Rag label. "In aid of children's charities", the label says, just like it does on the more famous release of this Reading University label, Arthur Brown & The Diamonds' "You Don't Know". ---

RHYTHM & BLUES INC.: "Louie Louie" again? Well, I wouldn't, if this wasn't the best ever British version, beating The Athenians by half a mile, and The Kinks by two. The other side of this Merseyside band's sole release was comped on "Electric Freakbeat Vol.6. ---

Manchester's PEDDLERS were a damn fine guitarless trio, but certainly not known for belting out primitive beat stompers. Well, they simply were too skilled to ever get primitive, but the debut 7" IS a great beat record! It flopped unspectacular just like the competing version by The Presidents (on Decca) did the same year, and The Peddlers changed style to competent souljazz and later, in the mid-70s, to indigestible easy listening lounge muzak with considerable success. ---

THE VIKINGS from somewhere between Perth and Dundee (Scotland, not Australia) released one of the sought after singles on the local Alp-label. Allan Gorrie later found some fame with The Average White Band. ---

While three domestic releases on Parlophone were credited to Philip Goodhand-Tait & THE STORMEVILLE SHAKERS, on their best record, a French-only EP, the singer's name was dropped, although he wrote and sang all the four titles. Another prominent member of the group from Surrey was Mel Collins, who joined King Crimson after The Shakers (without Philip) had mutated to Circus, an early progressive band, who had a superb, but hard to find album on Transatlantic Rec. in 69. --- THE TRANSATLANTICS were based in Essex, but that's all I know about this band with two 45s on Fontana. Most sources credit three more singles on King and Mercury to the group, but I'm not sure whether they're the same. --- We all know that the whole thing didn't start with The Beatles, and pioneers like Johnny Kidd or Lord Sutch had tremendous records like "Please Don't Touch" and "Till The Following Night" as early as 59 and 61 respectively. But CLIFF RICHARD? O.K., great rock n' roll originals like "Move It" and "Dynamite" in the ealy days, but I'd never expected that he and The Shadows would strum out a tune that sounds a bit like "Smokestack Lightnin'" in 61. Hats off! ---

No need to talk much about GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS and WAYNE FONTANA'S MINDBENDERS. Here we have two rare and overlooked tracks from famous bands, who usually stood on the smoother side of the movement. --- SITUATION's "Situation Now" is a one-off 7" thrown against the wall to see what might be sticking by CBS in 66. Don't know why I like it so much. It's not really the music, I guess, but the perfect description of my usual financial situation knocks me out. The other side has been on Dig The Fuzz's "Go Go-A-Go Go" comp. ---

We all know Rory Gallagher's TASTE from Belfast as one of the bluesrock power-trios of the later 60s, second only to The Experience and Cream. After the split of this enormously successful (on the continent, at least) group, German label BASF got hold of a couple of early demos and audition tapes, and released "First Taste" as a cash-in on a name that no longer was. While most of these recordings are, if at all, of historical merit only, the b-side of the extracted single is a fine piece of Ulster music history in the transition phase from R&Beat to..., well, whatever you want to call what came later. ---

THE WILD ANGELS were typical teddyboy greasers and spearheaded the first of the (dreadful) Brit R&R-revivals in the early 70s before Shakin' Stevens took the crown. But the first two of their 45s were quite listenable, and I chose the second one, cause here we get, with 10 years delay, a decent version of Johnny Kidd's "Please Don't Touch", which was, as mentioned above, one of the initial ignition-compositions of British rock with beat elements already in function. --- JACK BRUCE recorded his only 60s solo-single with the help of some of his comrades from The Graham Bond Organisation. If you listen carefully, you'll hear, that the riff for "Sunshine Of Your Love" was already in his mind. --- THE often underrated SHADOWS were more than the pre-Beatles instrumental Kontiki-combo as which they're mostly remembered these days. While their vocal efforts never made the charts, they could blow some lesser gifted beat combos out of the kinky boots when it came to singing. Here's a great understated ballad, that perfectly meets the mood of abolished lovers no longer in their teens. Like me, every now and then... ---

Nothing known about OSSIE LAYNE and this one-off single on R&B, a label usually specialized in ska and bluebeat. If it sounds familiar, it's probably because you've heard Edwick Rumbold's version for CBS, which was compiled on "Echoes From The Wilderness". ---

London's ADLIBS, who took the name from the famous club, were another band, who sat high and dry recordingwise after the debut-45. "Neighbour, Neighbour" is a very good blue-eyed attempt at Jimmy Hughes's hit, that rips the (pre-Status Quo-) Spectres' version to shreds. Strange enough, Denmark's Kenny & The Stringers covered both sides of The Adlibs' only single in 65 on a 7" for Sonet. ---

Another one-off mystery are THE PERISHERS, formerly known as The Seftons in Liverpool. The a-side "How Does It Feel" can be found on "Chocolate Soup 4" and on "New Rubble 4", but this fabulous proto-funpunk flip(Johnny Moped eat your art out!) slipped through the net so far. The record was also released in Holland in a so-called art sleeve. Rumour has it, that the band was scheduled for a follow-up on the Apple label, but the whole caboodle about outside acts crashed before their number was up. ---

Southend's MONOTONES recorded four meanwhile easily accessible 45s for Pye records, the most recycled British 60s label since Castle Com./Sequel bought the whole back catalogue. But a fifth one was released without knowledge of the band and the label. Hickory, the US outlet for Pye's beat stuff at the time, somehow got hold of an underproduced demo tape and pressed it in plastic in the greedy days of the invasion, when British seemed to be synonymous with hit. Which, in this case, it wasn't --- Dave Edmunds is known as the prototype Welsh rocker of the 70s, but he had his shy pick on beat and mod too. He recorded with The Image for Parlophone, but left before they released the fabulous single "Creation" on a German label, and the first non-LP 45 "River To Another Day" by Love Sculpture still was more in the beat idiom than the bluesrock, guitarrero-wizzardry genre that would follow before he went back to the roots. In between he recorded a 7" with THE HUMAN BEANS that coupled a half-decent version of "Morning Dew" with Sam & Dave's "It's A Wonder", the closest he ever got to playing mod stuff. --- Talkin' 'bout mod... In 64 Jamaican ska wasn't yet occupied by brainfried skinheads. It was just another new shade of R&B, and like 15 years later again, it started to attract white musicians looking for new influence and material. One such was GEORGIE FAME, who recorded an EP of bluebeat standards, among them the Prince Buster hit "Madness", a song that gave a name to one of the most successful tu-toners in 79, and became the signature song of, you guessed it, Madness. ---

THE CHESSMEN from Ireland reorded this somewhat unearthly single for Rex in 65. Sounds like Screamin' Lord Sutch with a ska-band doing the hoochie koo. Unbelievable... ---

Equally strange is "The Cramp", the only 7" by VINCE PHILPOTT & THE DRAGS. Wonder who hides behind the name, but it's definitely a British production on Decca, 64. Songs we should have taught The Cramps in time... ---

The late ALEXIS KORNER needs no introduction. "Rosie", an old Leadbelly tune, was (in many variations) a lifelong stage favourite of the godfather of British R&B, and he recorded it more than once. But this version is a knock-out-knocker to my ears. Does freejazz belong in bluesrock? Yep, absolutely! Don't know who plays the solo. Sounds like Derek Bailey, but John McLaughlin would be a better bet. In the end it might be the master himself, who knows. ---

Nothing known about THE ENDEVERS. This is the first of three 45s they released on Decca 68/69. ---

Our soft spot for 60s xian UK beatgroups should be known and forgiven since we released "Mercy! Beat!! UK!!!" on this blog. Now here's a latecomer. Too late for this comp and, released in 1970, too late for our usual timeframe. But who cares. THE CLEARWAYS easily sound five years earlier, and we'll hardly deal with christian rock again. The group should not be confused with their namesakes on volume 2 of Tommyknockers, who recorded without religous appeal for Columbia in 64. ---

LEE CASTLE & THE BARONS from the Carlisle area were one of the few Cumbrian bands who had a major label release during the beat boom. The first was last one, but they ruled upnorth. ---

THE ISLE OF WIGHT CHEROKEES (aka I.O.W. Cherokees) were the houseband of the local 69 club, and released a private EP in 66 on their own label. A year later they toured Sweden, where they recorded this equally hard to find single for Polydor. --- KENNY LYNCH, who wrote "Sha La La La Lee" among other songs for The Small Faces, was a black Cockney born 38 in Stepney. He tried his luck as crooning balladeer, orchestrated northern souler and about any other impersonator of the ever changing genres of the pop business. (I have a mid-70s country 45 by the guy!) But he also produced and partly wrote the first two records of freakbeat monsters The Game, and recorded this one straight beat screamer of his own with The Laurie Jay Combo. The flip, "Harlem Library", has been comped twice, but the wild "Shake And Scream" seems to make a first appearance here. ---

FORCE FIVE from Canvey Island are best known for "Yeah, I'm Waiting", a heavy freakbeater compiled on (old) Rubble Vol. 13. More of them can be found on the "Beat us if you can" and "We're not what we appear to be" vinyl comps. ---

DAVE LEE & THE STAGGERLEES were the first, and for a long time only group from Cornwall to have a proper nationwide distributed record. A second one for Oriole followed the same year to similar lukewarm reception (i.e. no chart action at all.), and thus the recording career sadly ended. Other 60s releases by a certain Dave Lee on Decca and Fontana are strictly not related to this group. --- Stay tuned, volume 4 is in the can.

The Lolly Pope (and westfauster)

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(mp3 / 256 kbps / 150 mb / labels, liners and scans included)

the lolly pope sings and GOMORRHA sinks ass say renaymed themselves Westbound in seventyeight 2 play t0p4o-hits becuz they hate to pay the rent also as well well wellnez fnork you arfhole mir mal ein bier!! (schrödinger: pour george)