In The Trashcan Records
GARBAGE53
"Well, it's
not only 70s, also a few late 60s have been included, but you get the
picture: great to psych up your parties. Be it Belgium, The Netherlands or
just the UK and the US, at one point in history these countries were
considered the promised land. Now it's only Belgium (at least if you're a
record collector without big resources)..."
Let’s put the late 60s and early 70s into the spotlight with this rather unknown B-side track of the kings of bubblegum teenybopper glam. This '73 flipside to their “Alexander Graham Bell” is one of my favourite Chinn/Chapman tunes and it’s one of their most psychedelic ones; actually most people won’t believe me when I say it’s The Sweet. I always have to show the sleeve.
As Jaap Eggermont is involved in this recording as the producer I assume it’s a Dutch band. Somehow the guitar work and backing melody reminds me The Equals’ “Skies above”, but a little bit faster and heavier. In the middle of this B-side you’d swear it’s a Black Sabbath song with horns and at the end you think “Who is this band?”
I think this wild Dutch tune was recorded around 1970. Heavy wah wah guitars, pounding drums, echoing vocals and it’s fast fast fast. If you visit Amsterdam and its free narcotic nights, you’ll know how fast the first days can go. Three minutes of psychedelic mayhem about the once hallucinogenic capitol of Europe.
B-side of “This side of heaven” from '68. Actually he was an Irish folksinger who ran away from school and home at the age of 15 and earned his living by playing in pubs. In total he recorded 7 full albums and about a dozen 45s including this great tune, the successor of “Days of Pearly Spencer”.
Recorded in 1967 with “No other man” on the flip. Singer is Clee Van Herzeele, hence their name. Fuzz guitar, distorted organ sounds, growling bass are the main ingredients in this excellent Belgian late 60s tune.
The full title is “What you think is just a joke is America today” and it’s amazing how contemporary this still sounds. Jonathan King (yes, that same guy who gave us songs like “Hooked on a feeling”) is the man behind this project. It’s the b-side of a crazy '71 version of “Hang on sloopy”.
And this is Belgian too. Cool uptempo popsike song with hit potential. The B-side is “Here we go again”. Both sides produced by Al Van Dam in 1969.
Co-written by producer Jerry Fuller and B-side of “Lady willpower”. We all know his “Young girl” (I put an Italian version on vol 68!!!); this psychedelic pop tune from '68 is the best he ever put on vinyl. Crazy vocals and wild organ sounds around a fast and catchy melody.
His second 45, the first for Major Minor in 1967 and one of his best efforts. I recently discovered it’s been compiled already on “Sixties Lost And Found 64-69”. The b-side is “Harlem lady”. This Northern Irish singer had quite a big and long recording career, including 7 albums and a lot of 45s during the 70s.
Also from '68, it's one of the coolest and wildest Hammond instrumentals featuring a distorted fuzz guitar by a well known band. In the US it was released on White Whale 292, also together with “You showed me”. Oh, if you want to play this at parties: speed it up and everybody will be dancing.
This was a big surprise to me. We all know this guy, yes, from Mungo Jerry. “Time is now” is better than any Mungo Jerry recording I know. It’s uptempo, it’s poppy but still raw, and highly danceable and yes, it’s again a B-side (a-side= “With me”). I think this is his second (and last?) 45 as a solo artist. This 45 was released around the same time as Mungo Jerry’s Jacques Dutronc recording “Alright, alright, alright”.
And again a wild instrumental B-side by a famous band. Alan Blakely, Chip Hawkes, Ricky West and Dave Munden never sounded better than this, even in '69!!!
Were they a couple? Anyway, it’s a cool discovery. I don’t know if they recorded anything else, but this is fantastic uptempo pop rock with alternating vocals, a crazy hard rockin’ guitar solo and more surprises. On the flip you can find “Nobody’s fault but mine”, the Otis Redding song. Produced by Robert Stigwood in 1969.
On the A-side you’ll find “Galaxy” which is a completely different song and not interesting at all. Formed in California their recording career stretched from 1970 till mid-80s. This ain’t no disco! No funk! It’s the closest to spacey, tripsy, exotic jazzy novelty a band like this can ever get. More than three minutes of mysterious madness. And it’s NOT with Eric Burdon! (The last minute, though, sounds more like War…)
Why not… “Natural born boogie” was a huge world wide hit, but I think “Wrist job” has been forgotten by everyone. This '69 recording one of their finest efforts. Enjoy the creepy organ, the steady drums, the really catchy melody and everything you can expect from ex-Small Faces Steve Marriott and ex-The Herd Peter Frampton. To complete the line-up of this so-called supergroup you get an ex-Spooky Tooth (Greg Ridley) and Apolostic Intervention’s Jerry Shirley on drums.
B-side of a not so bad version of “I can’t turn it a loose” on LK, a Chicago based label. “You gonna miss me” (nothing to do with Roky Erickson) is a superb fast soul tune and I’m still surprised that this is 1976 already. It sounds like 10 years too late! I hope to find more secret recording by this Mister King.
