Various Artists - Wau Y Los Arrrghs Under Influence

I had no idea who Wau Y Los Arrrghs were until these lunatics took the stage at Slovenly's first 'WE'RE LOUD' festival in Athens, Greece, back in 2015. I was mostly there for my teenage crush, the New Bomb Turks, when all of a sudden... BOOM! Yep, just like the Sonics one! I couldn't believe what I was witnessing: the most insane, manic garage PUNK I had ever seen and heard in my life and the most Back from the Grave-influenced outfit since the days of Gravedigger V or the Gruesomes! Naturally, I spent most of my money on their merch and I had to rely on my cousin, who I had dragged along, to provide the rest of the night's booze and it's needless to say also that ever since I have never missed a release of theirs.

Anyway, half (if not most) of their songs are covers of sixties punk and surf instros classics, given Spanish titles and lyrics. In fact, even Los Arrrghs' originals are built on quite many knicked riffs and rhythms. The end result sounds like the Trashmen and the Sonics enjoying paella and sangria at a drunken fair in a small Spanish village in a province full of savages. As mentioned, many of these 'spanishised' songs are a good source of trivia, even for those familiar with the garage, beat or surf genres and here's another 'Under Influence' compilation that's sure to annoy your neighbours!

1. Demolición - Los Saicos
2. Searching - The Omens
3. King of The Surf - The Trashmen
4. Girl (You Captivate Me) - ? & The Mysterians
5. My Brother The Man - We the People
6. I've Been Thinking - Paul Bearer & The Hearsemen
7. It's Great - Jonah & The Whales
8. Yes I Do - The Hatfields
9. They Can't Hurt Me - The Lyrics
10. Help Me Find Myself - The Troyes
11. Can't Be A Lie - Los Mockers
12. Time Will Tell - The Kinks
13. Your Body Not Your Soul - Cuby & The Blizzards
14. On My Mind - Mike Berry
15. One Fine Day - Shel Naylor
16. Sur Une Nappe De Restaurant - Jacques Dutronc
17. Yo Grito - Los Sirex
18. Ace Of Spades - Link Wray & The Raymen

RIP Gary “Mani” Mounfield (1962 - 2025)

Shocked and devastated upon hearing the tragic news. Mani's basslines soundtracked my boyhood. Our boyhood. When he joined The Stone Roses, he was the missing piece that made their star shine. He brought the funk and the groove to their psychedelic indie dance rock 'n' roll. In the annals of rock 'n' roll history, Mani's transition from Roses to Primal Scream stands out as a monumental shift, one of the most significant moves in the genre's storied past. Drawing on his own post-punk background, he gave Bobby Gillespie and his bandmates a new dark twist in a bold second act. 

He was a Manchester music icon and a passionate lifelong United fan. He died on the honest side of history, unlike so many others. He was a massive talent and a top Red, both in football and political terms. A proper geezer and a working class hero. Safe travels motherfucker. 

The Phantom Brothers - Germany's Wildest Beat Group (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.20)

 

The Phantom Brothers were formed in 1959 by sailors Horst Krüger (lead guitar and vocals) and Rudi Krüger (drums), who also belonged to a rocker gang, and Olgerd Woköck (guitar and vocals), a wholesaler. They performed as the Phantoms in Rendsburg. The trio, who took their name from the French band, Les Fentomes, made their first live appearance in 1960. They renamed themselves to the Phantom Brothers when Wolfgang Woköck, Olgerd's brother who played lead guitar with the instrumental group the Tornados, joined the band as bassist.

On 1 December 1963, they came third in a Star Club competition - yes, the one that the young savage Beatles played in and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded the best ever live LP - and were signed by Manfred Weissleder, owner of the famous now St. Pauli rock'n'roll venue before he sent them all over Europe to perform, with guest appearances including the Iron Door Club in Liverpool. Mike Stax (The Tell Tale Hearts/The Crawdaddys/Ugly Things magazine) referred to them as "Germany's Wildest Beat Group" hence the title of my compilation. All of their singles feature outstanding R&B performances with edgy, aggressive guitars and pounding drums, this is why the German youngsters nicknamed them their country's answer to the Rolling Stones. 

Dieter Horns of another Star Club garage beat band, the German Bonds said: "The Phantom Brothers were the absolute punkiest and hardest thing to see at the time. The Pretty Things later were perhaps similar. The Phantom Brothers were from the boonies. But they performed it so mercilessly, we could all just take our hats off." Their early 1966 and first single, “Chicago” b/w “It Ain't Necessarily So" remains a 60s punk monster which forced Tim Warren to include it in the famous Trans World Punk Rave Up compilation in 1987. Crude!

Beady Eye - Complete 7Inches (WTS Popkid No.3)

Beady Eye was often dismissed as Oasis 2.0, whatever that means, but they were much more than that. Of course they sounded like Oasis minus Noel, because that's what they were (duh!). People expected that, and there are plenty of things to be snobby about just to seem hip or sophisticated to a certain crowd, but nobody actually gives a fuck. You know why? Because, just like The Faces, Slade or The Ramones, Beady Eye (or Oasis, for that matter) was always a people's band. There were no pretentious assholes, just an old-school rock 'n' roll gang with a warmth that knicked whatever they liked, just like their heroes did. So fuck you very much if you came that far!

Their reception among critics and the "indie" mob was, at best, sceptical. Their records just weren't good enough for them. I don't know what they were thinking and to be honest to this day I'm typing these lines, I don't care. Because you don't buy into Beady Eye for the groundbreaking stuff, mate. I mean, take a closer look at them. Their artwork and aesthetic were massively influenced by the Immediate Records and the whole Swinging London scene. I have always been captivated by their connoisseur, characterised by that mod-style dressing with flashy shirts and scarves, not to mention the incredible jackets, reminiscent of those worn by The Creation, The Birds and any other mid-to-late sixties freakbeat band worth their salt, along of course with those iconic Beatles hairdos from the "Rubber Soul" era. 

As for the songs, you can clearly hear the influence from The Beatles and The Who to the early Humble Pie or Status Quo at their most hooligan and pub rowdy. Even when they tried to adopt a more adventurous and psychedelic approach, on their second and last step "BE" incorporating the motorik Velvets rhythms (and some Stooges like one note piano), they were still able to produce some seriously good music when they were in the mood for it. 

So, if there's one thing I can be sure about, it's that Beady Eye were definitely a singles kind of band. Thinking of this, I gathered all their seven-inch singles, even the Pretty Green super rare remixes two-sider and after a LONG hiatus, I played them all again on my earphones and I'm telling you guys and gals that I haven't been able to listen to another band for two days in a row now. 

Anyway, I always thought they were great and didn't deserve to fail so badly or having such a bad mouthing. Beady Eye was rock 'n' roll at its best, in a time real rock'n'roll was/is under most people's radar and definitely underground. There's none of that mainstream stuff, no anthemic choruses, and it's kind of raw — at least by Oasis standards. And when the songs were good, they were fuckin' brilliant! And oh, at least had an identity. After all, you can't take the opinions and criticism of people who thought their haircuts weren't cool seriously. They're clueless and have no connection to rock 'n' roll or its history. Right? RIGHT!

Re-Up: Iggy & the Stooges - "Unrough Powder: The Trueborn Raw Power Mixes" (WAXEP001)

Esquerita! - The Soul Sides: 1966-1968 (WTS Soul No.7)

Here's another uncompiled chapter that I lay my hands on. The same thing was hoped for with Little Richard's Brunswick stuff that was posted a few months prior to the RSD release. By the way, have I ever mentioned how much I hate RSD and its prices? The music industry can go fuck itself! It's ridiculous what's happening with vinyl prices in general nowadays. Could something else become fashionable and trendy, and quite quickly please? You need a small fortune every time you want to buy something. Capitalists and record collectors can all kiss my arse. 

Anyway, let's get back to the subject. Here's my attempt to bring together Esquerita's mid to late-60s soul recordings in one place. He wasn't calling himself Esquerita now, but Eskew Reeder, SQ Reeder or The Magnificent Malochi instead. I don't know why he did this, but it definitely didn't help his sales. The story goes like this: Following the unissued Detroit sessions on Berry Gordy's Motown, Esquerita travelled to Atlanta, Columbus and New York city. He reportedly played with both Jimi Hendrix and Maurice James at the Hawaii Kai on Broadway. He probably knew Jimi from a previous session with Little Richard, I suppose, or maybe he just knew him in general. Just like Gene Vincent did before, which resulted in his manic rock 'n' roll recordings for Capitol Records that most people are familiar with, Hendrix brought Eric Burdon to see him but nothing happened. A completely unissued session for Herb Abramson's Triumph Records, came to light thanks to Bear Family Records in 1990 as 'Sock It To Me, Baby' with great liners by Norton's Billy Miller. Esquerita performed alone with his piano. 

In November 1965, he recorded four tracks for Okeh in Nashville, Tennessee. Two singles were issued in 1966, ‘I Want to Know’ and ‘Tell the World About You’, with backing vocals from the Sweet Inspirations. In an interview with legendary Kicks magazine, Esquerita said that he had relocated to Puerto Rico in 1965 or 1966, where he worked in nightclubs, before moving to Miami Beach, Florida. Esquerita claimed that he had played on Little Richard’s Okeh sessions during this period also. 

Screaming Jay Hawkins also referred to Esquerita as having worked in New York clubs, playing the organ with just a drummer backing him, and having had his wild and famous pompadour cut down. Another session was planned, the one at the Bell Sound Studios in New York for an unknown label. An acetate featuring five tracks, surfaced in Miami and a second acetate appeared on eBay sometime in the 2011. The style is similar to the Okeh sides: up-tempo and mid-tempo soul-blues with excellent drumming, as S.J. Hawkins said. There is a seven-minute version of Nina Simone's 'Sinner Man', featuring outstanding performances by both musicians. The whole thing was released by Norton Records as 'Sinner Man: The Lost Session' in 2012, and is definitely worth tracking down. 

Esquerita's next chapter was with Brunswick Records, the same label as Little Richard once again, he had just adopted the name 'The Magnificent Malochi' and Dr. John, who was living in Los Angeles at the time, is credited on keyboards (Harold Battiste played on that meeting too!). The session ended abruptly and the single was not released until the following year due to a violent clash with his manager, Charles Greene. During his second session with Brunswick in Los Angeles, Little Richard recorded his first Esquerita song, 'Stingy Jenny', as I mentioned in my piece on Ricardito more than six months ago.

His final single, released on the Cross-Tone label (a division of Columbia) and was recorded in New York in 1968 (or 1969 according to different sources). One side was dedicated to the glorious days of the famous New Orleans club, the Dew Drop Inn. In the liner notes to 'Vintage Voola' Esquerita is quoted, "Have you ever heard "Dew Drop Inn" by me? Little Richard heard mine and tried to copy it. You see, Richard — that big-headed child — can be stubborn sometimes. I told him, 'Man, if you do the song word for word like I told you, you'll have a hit!" And so he did the King and Queen of rock'n'roll on the amazing Reprise LP 'The Rill Thing'. The A side was the one that was a little later adopted by the young lads in England and their Northern Soul scene, the 'You Better Believe Me' masterpiece! This tune of storming rhythm and soul is absolutely sizzling and should have been a huge hit but it wasn't once more.

Are you still with me? OK, as I mentioned earlier, here's an unofficial gathering of his last ever recorded, released and uncompiled all-in one place gospel-infused soul shouters! All eight sides are as brilliant and feverish as everything else he did. I've added a bonus track at the end: the 1965 'Dew Drop Inn' demo recording of just him, his piano and a tambourine raising hell. Cheers!