In The Trashcan Records
GARBAGE31
"All
together these Belgian artists released more than 100 singles between the
late 50s and the early 70s and yet there wasn't a single top hit release.
Some did enter the charts but it was not until years later that they finally
got the credits they deserved..."
Andre Brasseur was the best known pop organ player in Belgium and maybe in Western Europe with his multi-sound organ one man band. He had a worldwide hit with his “Early bird, his second 45 released in 1965. “Scarabee” is unknown to most of us, but it still remains one of this best efforts; from 1970.
This must be a 70s release, but I can’t find the exact year. He released 3 or 4 singles on EMI Pathé during the 70s, one of the best being this cool tune.
With a rocksteady r&b backbeat this 1968 instrumental by the Jess & James backing band who started first as Les Croque-Morts, Les Babs et Les Babbettes.
A freaky 1968 Hammond groove tune with female backing vocals. It was their 6th single release and after this the J.J. Band left the brothers (see their members on the notes of the last song on this volume). Years later “Change” was reissued together with “Move” on EMI Bestseller.
A 1963 jazzy sleazy vocal madison jiver by Earl S. Burroughs released after the great “Ali Ben Ghazi” 45 and prior to one of his hit singles “Kissing twist”.
Jack Hammer was master of most of the dance crazes of the early 60s like the Madison, the twist, the boogie woogie, the slop, the bossanova, the cha cha, the mashed potato and even the charleston and of course the wiggle which made him world famous (at least in Belgium). Also from 1963.
First I thought it was another Jess & James song because the beginning sounds like their “Something for nothing”, but then it turns into a happy pop tune with a fuzz guitar, an organ and the typical horns section. It’s one of his lesser known recordings from 1969. Few seem to remember that he wasn’t a Belgian singer. He lived in Belgium but he originated from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
Brian’s third 45 (of nine in two years time) and one of his biggest sellers together with his first 45 “Poinciana”. This could have been a Kasenetz-Katz release; crazy Belgian bubblegum from 1968.
One of the very few vocal tracks by the one man band with his multi-sound organ. To me it sounds strange to hear Andre sing and it’s even weirder that the arrangements sound pretty bizarre for 1967; it could’ve been a 1970 recording, but no: it’s from 1967! Very rare 45!
And this is the flipside to his vocal recording “Waiting for you” and surprise surprise Andre is singing again and this time it’s about love, about the devil and about leaving town.
Sung in Spanish this homage to the goddess of love is an exciting cha cha tune.
This is very rare occasion to hear Les Chakachas sing in French I was thinking, but only the song title is French, the rest is Spanish, as usual. Still this is high quality cha cha cha.
Move or a song about keep on dancing… People don’t dance as much as they used to. These Portuguese Belgian brothers brought Stax and Motown to Belgium and it’s no surprise that “Move” was smash hit and not only in Belgium. In the Spanish discotheques the gogo girls were swirling night after night to this dance tune. From 1967.
The J.J. Band included some very well known session musicians such as Francis Goya who had a worldwide hit with his “Nostalgia” and was a good friend of celebrities such as Jackie Collins and Michael Jackson. Further you could find Garcia Moralez, Douglas Lucas, Bruno Castelluci, Leslie Kent, Ralph Benatar and a lot more. As this is without Jess & James, it’s an instrumental of course and it should’ve been a discotheque a-go-go classic on mod parties, but because it failed to appear on a compilation nobody has ever heard of this 1968 heavy Hammond monster.
A 1963 Mediterranean hully gully dancing song by The Jokers. In the 90s another Belgian instrumental band covered this song: Fifty Foot Combo. Actually they recorded a Jokers song for all their releases!
Another unfamiliar mid-60s recording by the Belgian Ventures. Twangy twangy bang bang stop slop top pop. No voice, just a swinging guitar tune as the end of this Belgian volume.
