The Action - The Complete Rolled Gold Era, 1967/1968 (White Trash Soul 60s Psychotropia No.4)

 

Some things in life are just not meant to be. Whenever any lost recordings by a hugely influential band or artist are unearthed, the cliché of the 'lost classic' is the first thing you read. In most cases, at least in my opinion, they're not but the mystery of the unknown or better still, the unheard, leads us to these hyperbole filled early conclusions. Sadly, this is the bitter truth for the highly revered 60s mod band, The Action and their 1967 and 1968 recordings.

The "Rolled Gold" reels are the long-lost masterpiece that nobody was ever allowed to hear until the guys at Dig the Fuzz Records got their hands on them back in the mid-90s. Despite being signed to legendary Beatles producer George Martin's AIR label and enjoying strong support in clubs, the Action strangely never had a hit record. No one before or since has recreated the Tamla sound quite so brilliantly. As Steve Marriott famously said: "We all tried our hand at getting that (Motown) sound you know, all the bands in the mid ‘60s. The best ones at it were the Action... They were an amazing band!" Some things are not meant to be, indeed... 

I talked previously about the changes in sound and attitudes of the 'in crowd' bands on the few freakbeat compilations I made for this space. As the mods became interested in more psychedelic drugs, their sound evolved accordingly. 'Never Ever', their self-penned pop masterpiece showcasing astonishing three-part harmonies (not unlike those of the 'other' band Mr. Martin had under his wing), was released in February 1967... Their final single, the acid pop brilliance and most adored by yours truly 'Shadows and Reflections', was recorded in early March and subsequently released two months later. Although it received rave reviews, mysteriously failed to sell enough. Again...

During this period, Pete Watson, one of their guitarists gave up. The remaining members continued as four-piece. At one point, they even asked Keith Emerson to join them on Hammond organ, but he declined. The Action were already in search of new lands. A version of John Coltrane's 'India', recorded for the BBC, has proven this clearly. The "Rolled Gold" material was started and the process was underway. Although they weren't signed to Giorgio Gomelsky, they did use his studio and Reg King was at the top of his game. He was in charge of everything, producing, singing and writing most of the songs' parts. 

The 'Rolled Gold' demos, supposedly named after the tapes kept in a handmade gold sleeve, were played to George Martin. He chose 'In My Dream' as a potential single, and the band re-recorded it with him at De Lane Lea Studios. EMI (AIR's distributor) showed no interest and the tracks were shelved. The band tried to persuade another label to provide the funding to record the album properly but unfortunately and for reasons The Action members cannot remember, Polydor decided to pass also. And that was the final nail in the coffin. Reggie left the band to work on a solo album after Rod Stewart's advice (with all Action comrades playing in), while the rest of the group slowly morphed into Mighty Baby. 

In the summer of 1968, the remaining Action members put on tape five final songs under that name. The absence of Reg's voice led many to refer to these recordings as Mighty Baby, but they are not. All these songs embrace a brilliant Mods-meets-Byrds approach, rather than the Baby's known occult prog material. Personally, I rate them as highly as any of the previous Action recordings. Whiteman and Bam sing like any other West Coast band of the era, and as beautifully. I would even go so far as to say that these songs would easily have made it onto any Byrds LP or Syd's Floyd. Anyway...

I'm still trying to understand why this masterpiece was never given a chance. In those demos, the band definitely went psychedelic and clearly they were still in love with Soul and R&B. Don't be intimidated by the term 'demo', the recordings are as rough and clean as they need to be and so unbelievably ahead of their time! "Rolled Gold" is more direct than Who's "Sell Out", more adventurous than Small Faces' "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" and more concise than The Byrds' "Fifth Dimension". Believe me people, these songs are as fruitful and vibrant in their raw form as any comparable finished material of the era!

Various Artists - Introspection: Lysergic Mod Echoes (White Trash Soul 60s Psychotropia No.3)

So, here’s another installment in my series about all things Mod becoming freakier and punkier. It is certainly nothing new for connoisseurs, but it's definitely worth checking out if you're new to these sounds. I'd like to remind you that I create these compilations primarily for my own enjoyment, not to demonstrate my extensive knowledge or to seek out the least known band. I mean, I used to like to be a snob bastard once but I'm not interested in that anymore. And of course I'm no expert in anything...

In this new volume, I have also included some bands from the US that are better known as garage punk acts that they were tempted to replace methamphetamines with LSD, and they definitely fit in with these Brits. Speaking of this, there’s a psych update on 'Gloria' as 'Gloria ‘69' for example by the Shadows of Knight with guitar and bass overdubs and without the consent of the band that I have to admit I like it so much! Or a 1967 release of the mighty Attack with their take on a Standells' hit from 1966. Or 'Baby I Need You' a fantastic one-off release by the The Curiosity Shoppe (what a name!) with a heavy organ-driven sound and fuzzy guitars, often compared to the early Deep Purple (I have the same aversion to Deep Purple that I have to Pink Floyd, with one exception: I think of their embryonic Mark1 phases as totally different and brilliant!!).

Of course, I had to include The Action and their full-length version of 'Brain'. Every time I listen to the "Rolled Gold" demos, I try to understand why this amazing band didn’t have the chance to properly record these tunes. They're up there with the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and the Beatles' "Revolver" and fuck you very much if you disagree. Reg King was, without a doubt, the best vocalist on both sides of the Atlantic and this music, man, I mean ouch! - psychedelic but obviously still in love with Soul and R&B, so much ahead of their times! The End's 'Introspection', parts 1 and 2, which gave this compilation its name, is another example of the era's 'what the fuck?'. Produced and championed by Bill Wyman and Glyn Johns of the Rolling Stones, it is the equal of "Their Satanic Majesties" or "S.F. Sorrow", and far better than "Sgt. Pepper's" (to this day, I still wonder how the Fab Four managed to record such a terrible album that is still widely regarded as a classic - give me a break). Both parts has intricate harmonies, heavy Hammond organ, wild guitars and of course as a previously Mod band, a hard hitting soul groove!  

I can go on forever for Loose Ends’ amazing rendition of ‘Taxman’ with the added organ and the dancefloor friendly sound or Sharon Tandy’s and Les Fleur De Lys ‘Daughter of the Sun’ haunting, occult-themed freakbeat monster or Powder’s take on The Who even though they were from San Fran, or In Crowd’s demo for "Blow Up" before The Yardbirds stole their thunder, but I need to work also, even if I don't want to...

Note: I know I've used some of these songs in previous compilations before, like 'Grounded' by The Syn on Lyres' Under Influence, or different mixes of them like with Pretty Things' 'My Time' in its original form with the brass section this time, but I had to 'cause, you know what, I really fuckin' love them and I wouldn't want it any other way.

1. Barricades - The Koobas
2. Try It - The Attack
3. For All That I Am - The Creation
4. Children Of The Sun - The Misunderstood
5. Evil Woman - The Troggs
6. Baby I Need You - The Curiosity Shoppe
7. Grounded - The Syn
8. Introspection Pt. 1 - The End
9. Introspection Pt. 2 - The End
10. Brain - The Action
11. My Time - The Pretty Things
12. What Shall I Do - The Artwoods
13. Wooden Spoon - The Poets
14. Taxman - Loose Ends
15. Daughter of the Sun - Sharon Tandy & Fleur De Lys
16. Walking Through The Streets Of My Mind - Timebox
17. Don’t Know Which Way To Turn - Force Five
18. I Can See Your Face - Pneumania
19. Just Help Me Please - The Outer Limits
20. Blow Up - The In Crowd
21. Gloria '69 - The Shadows Of Knight
22. Hate To See Her Go - Powder
23. Purple, Purple - Spontaneous Generation
24. Down Down - The Silence
25. A-Minor Explosion - Don Shinn & The Soul Agents
26. Hush - Kris Ife
27. Black Cat - Brian Auger
28. Groovin' Slow - The Sound Barrier
29. I Must Be Mad - The Craig
30. Searchin' In The Wilderness - Allen Pound's Get Rich

Big Boy Pete (Miller) - Cold Turkey: The Sixties Recordings (White Trash Soul 60s Psychotropia No.2)

 

Big Boy Pete (real name Pete Miller) is an innovative guitarist from Norwich who recorded some eccentric and wacky tracks in the '60s. These have gained quite a reputation among psychedelic and freakbeat collectors over the years. He started out as a member of the relatively unknown Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers before going solo in late 1965 with 'Baby I Got News for You', a song that's featuring lots of punky, fuzzy and distorted guitar (I wonder if Jeff knew about it, this tune wouldn't have been out of place in a Lyres' set or record). Miller was joined by Peter Frampton and members of the Herd, at least for this and over the next few years he wrote and recorded demos for his own pleasure. In 1968, a second single came out, the largely unheard at the time 'Cold Turkey' under the name Big Boy Pete, a much compiled mod-psych nugget by now, and eventually relocated to San Francisco to work as a producer and engineer, occasionally releasing albums on small labels mostly. 

The above pretty much sums up his life. Miller's recorded output started being released in 1998 and has since gained a cult following with a good reason: This guy had recorded some seriously quirky garage psych stuff! Really now, Pete Miller is a criminally underrated artist and producer. When you hear his stuff from the '60s, it's as if you're witnessing a secret session with Syd Barrett fronting the Kinks, with Joe Meek pushing the knobs and running the tape. Many compilations have been released since then, most of which are worth your hard-earned money, but I have chosen to focus on recordings he made from the '60s. 

Various Artists - Psychedelic Mod, Funky Prog, Acid Soul and Freakbeat (White Trash Soul 60s Psychotropia No.1)

 

OK, I've just made another compilation and I couldn't wait to share it, even though there are other posts already waiting in the pipeline. That's how excited I am! Having listened to a lot of acid jazz recently, I decided to compile a playlist of British bands and songs from the late '60s that undoubtedly influenced the creation and development of the genre in the early '90s. At least, from my point of view.

Anyway, by the time this booming decade was coming to an end, psychedelia was also in troubled waters, and musicians were looking for new sounds to take its place. Some turned to jazz, some amped up the blues, while others started heading in the direction of a more progressive sound, yet still funky. And quite many fearless musicians tried to combine all these elements to create something new. Most of them (if not all) were ex-mods already accomplished by the groove of black Americans and the mighty Hammond organ was now at the forefront, leading the way. Many of them mods also collaborated with each other in one or more bands, and many of those collaborations can be found here.This new sound had a grittier, nastier, smooth and manic at the same time overtone, with fuzz guitars polluting the area and rumbling organ and horns wailing all over.

Was it psychedelic mod, funky prog, acid soul or just another variant of what later was called freakbeat? Probably all of these and more! Sometimes it's tricky to put into words what you're hearing, but it's not hard at all to get excited about it and dance! I chose to stay in the old Albion because dealing with the US would have been a far greater challenge (Funkadelic, Betty Davis, etc.). See you soon! Cheers!!

1. Don't Want You No More - The Spencer Davis Group
2. My Friend Jack (Demo Version) - The Smoke
3. Anymore Than I Do - The Attack
4. Speak Your Mind - The Lion Tamers
5. Gone Is The Sad Man - Timebox
6. Your Love is Burning Me - Thane Russell & Three
7. Baby I Need You - Curiosity Shoppe
8. Jumping Jack Flash - Wynder K. Frog
9. Somebody Stole My Thunder - Georgie Fame
10. Emmaretta - Deep Purple
11. Egyptian Tomb - Mighty Baby
12. Don’t Be Afraid - Keef Hartley Band
13. Lola (Instrumental) - The Kinks
14. My Mind Can Ride Easy - Killing Floor
15. Indian Rope Man - Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll and The Trinity
16. Call You Liar, Liar - Satisfaction
17. Crazy Feeling - Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede
18. Pineapple & The Monkey - The Faces
19. Solar Level - Johnny Almond Music Machine
20. (If You Think You're) Groovy - P.P. Arnold & The Small Faces
21. My Time (Brass-Free Version) - The Pretty Things
22. It's a Crime - The Kirkbys
23. Eiderdown Clown - Scots Of St. James
24. In The Deep End - The Artwoods
25. Evil Woman - Guy Darrell
26. Which Way - The Sorrows
27. Big Boss Man - Dave Davani
28. Loot - Steve Ellis
29. I'm Alive - Don Fardon
30. The Cheat - Sutch Lord
31. Midway Down - The Creation
32. Follow Me - The Action
33. In a Broken Dream - Python Lee Jackson ft. Rod Stewart
34. Snowy Wood - John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

The Throb - Meet The Throb (White Trash Soul 60s Punk No.4)

 

The Throb were an R&B/garage band from Sydney, Australia. They existed for just two years, starting from 1965 and briefly shot to national prominence. Despite their short tenure, the group's punkish potential is evident in their two superb singles. The first is their snarling garage-punk version of 'Fortune Teller', which smashed its way to the top of the national charts in early 1966. The second is their arrangement of the traditional folk song "Black (Is the Colour of My True Love's Hair)". A slashing, feedback-drenched rendition, which pop culture historian Ian D. Marks calls "the most adventurous pop recording made in Australia in 1966".

Their take on "Fortune Teller' was obviously based on The Rolling Stones and not on the Allen Toussaint original and if I remember correctly, their leader, John Bell (vocals, guitar and harmonica), was The Easybeats' original singer for a while and he was friends also with the duo of Harry Vanda and George Young (for those not in the know, George was the older brother of Malcolm and Angus from AC/DC). Anyway, on stage the group had a wild, leather-clad presence that rivalled the Easybeats for sheer euphoria and their debut record and subsequent live shows were unqualified successes. 

Searching for a follow-up to 'Fortune Teller', the group recorded two tracks at Bill Armstrong’s new studios in South Melbourne: a cover of The Kinks' B-side 'I Need You' and a John Bell original called 'One Thing To Do'. However, both tracks were ultimately shelved and did not see the light of day until the '80s when Raven Records included them on Volumes 2 and 3 of the original Ugly Things LP series. Their management eventually selected John Bell's proto-power pop original, 'Turn My Head', and the radical reworking of 'Black' which surpassed the brilliance of their debut, although it was reportedly too shocking for some audiences and radio types in 1966, and didn't perform as well. By the time 'Black' was released in August 1966, some band members were tired of constant touring and after a few lineup changes, sometimes playing as a three-piece, they called it quits. 

All Throb seven known recorded tunes are gathered in one place by me for your listening pleasure. Throughout their short lived existence, Throb were renowned for their wailing harmonica and tormented performances. A 60s punk delirium with howling guitars crying out against suffering vocals that could rightly be placed alongside those of The Missing Links, The Purple Hearts or even The Easybeats. 

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

Various Artists - Lyres Under Influence

The truly great bands involved in or pioneering the garage revival scene of the '80s played the important role of archaeologist. They were the ones who, with their expertise, brought to light things we didn't know existed. As a natural continuation of DMZ, (the) Lyres carried on this tradition. They were the first to revive 60s punk, before everyone else saw the trend and claimed to be part of it. 

Jeff Conolly was/is quite a character! He completed this task even before Tim Warren, Greg Shaw and Billy Miller (perhaps) did. Compiling some of the songs that the Lyres have covered, instantly creates one of the best garage punk and freakbeat playlists around and that's what I have to offer this time. All I had to do was to decide which tracks to select and arrange them in a way that would make them flow nicely for all of you people. Either way, I had already done my job many moons back. Cheers!

1. The Witch - The Sonics
2. Take A Look At Me - Mr. Lucky & the Gamblers
3. Since You Been Gone - The Kingsmen
4. Little Sally Tease - Don & The Goodtimes
5. What A Girl Can't Do - Hangmen
6. How Can I Make Her Mine - Bobby Roberts & The Ravons
7. Gotta Find A New Love - The Yo-Yo's
8. Busy Body - Jolly Green Giants
9. Don't Tell Me Lies - Tommy Tucker & The Esquires
10. No Reason To Complain - The Alarm Clocks
11. Jezebel - Teddy Boys
12. Lily - Drusalee & The Dead
13. Stacey - The Hangmen Of Fairfield County
14. Baby (I Still Want Your Lovin') - It's Them
15. Soapy - Mickey & The Clean Cuts
16. I Don't Wanna Cry - The Buckinghams
17. We Sell Soul - The Spades
18. I Confess - The New Colony Six
19. What's Wrong With You - The Outsiders
20. Love Me Till the Sun Shines - The Kinks
21. Shake It Some More- Jay-Jays
22. She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies - Him & the Others
23. Go-Go Girl - John's Children
24. The Way I Feel About You - The Pete Best Combo
25. Grounded - The Syn
26. You'll Never Do It Baby - The Cops 'n' Robbers
27. Now I've Got A Witness - The Rolling Stones
28. Let's Talk About Girls - The Grodes
29. Don't Tread On Me - Kit & The Outlaws
30. Stormy - Jesters Of Newport
31. Hang Up - The Wailers
32. Let's Have A Party - The Rivieras

Les Grys-Grys - R&B Maximale: Les Singles (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.18)

 

Les Grys-Grys were my favourite "new" band. I've only felt this excited about a modern outfit twice before: the first time was back in the '90s with the misanthropic early Hellacopters punk rock 'n' roll blasts (before they turned arena rock '70s, up until the "Soulseller"era), and the second one with The Jim Jones Revue records, which had this fenerish Little Richard cum Jerry Lee backed by The Sonics and spreading chaos sound. 

Hailing from Montpellier, France, Les Grys-Grys proudly displayed their sixties influences in their invigorating reverberation. Starting out by playing covers, they absorbed the best elements of the bands and sounds that influenced them — most notably The Pretty Things and The Downliners Sect (one of them actually wore a headcoat once or a 'deerstalker', for those who are unfamiliar with the term), as well as American garage punk bands such as Count V — infusing them into their own furious style. These Frenchies were the real deal and a reminder of how you felt as a teenager.

Had the Grys-Grys lived in the '60s, the Marquee would never have let them play because of the mayhem they would have caused. They set out to romp classic white R&B with filthy fuzztones, sharp bursts of frenzied drumming, punchy bass lines, manic maraca-shaking and wild harmonica blowing. Their two LPs flirt more with the freakbeat sound of Down Under, but the three long-out-of-print singles I've gathered for you are pure, untamed and unhinged maximum R&B! 

I was devastated when they called it a day because I never got the chance to see them live. I hope for a future release of live recordings. In fact, I'm hoping for a release containing all the material these loonies have left unreleased. Until then, I'll stick to their brother band, Les Lullies, with their more '77 approach.

The Untold Fables - The Untold Fables (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.17)

The Untold Fables were one of the few garage punk bands of the '80s who lived up to their name. Forget rock star mannerisms à la Fuzztones or wimpy jump wagoners. To me, they and The Primates remain the most underrated bands of the American scene back then. 

The Untold Fables consisted of Jon Niederbrach on guitar, Robert Butler (later of The Miracle Workers) on bass, Paul Sakry on drums, and Paul Carey on vocals. They grew out of a club called The Rave Up and later moved to Greg Shaw's Cavern Club. Their music was strongly influenced by '70s punk and '50s R&B. In spring 1985, they recorded their debut LP, "Every Mother's Nightmare", for Lee Joseph's Dionysus Records at West Beach Studios in LA. In summer 1986 and spring 1987, they held two more recording sessions at South Coast Studios in Santa Ana, this time with David Carey producing. The eleven songs from these sessions were later compiled for their second LP, "Aesop's Apocalypse", which was released in early 1989, around a year after the band split up. 

The Pretty Things' early work, along with the freakbeat of Ealing's The Eyes and some Nederbeat perhaps, were their main influences. Snottiness a plenty. Here are their two LPs combined. This isn't my rip; I found them on Soulseek at some point, so thanks anyway to the original uploader. I tried to normalise them a little and remove some noise because the transfers are obviously from vinyl, but in the end I decided to leave them as they were because I'm no pro at this, and besides, who cares — we're here for some punk sounds! The cover I designed was heavily influenced by the Mystery Scene EP and their demo. Dig the fuzz!

Viv Prince (1941-2025)

 

I just read Mike Stax's post about Viv Prince's passing. Prince made Keith Moon look like a Catholic schoolgirl in terms of both drumming and wildness, partying and lunacy! According to Jimmy Page, the young Keith Moon attended several Pretty Things concerts in order to study Viv's style. Prince was also the one to coin the nickname 'Moon the Loon' for Keith, with whom he was on good terms.

He was the first British rock 'n' roll musician to face a drug-related charge in court. The Kinks repeatedly approached him to become their drummer, but he chose to join the wildest of them all, The Pretty Things.  The mayhem culminated in a tour of New Zealand in August 1965, during which he paraded around in a leopard-skin pillbox hat and carried a dead crayfish on a string. He also started plotting pranks and setting fires on stage, resulting in a lot of bad publicity. Following an altercation with the crew, he was thrown off the plane taking the band home after the tour and had to find his own way back to England. He was quite a character, as well as a musician. Safe travels motherfucker!

Various Artists - Lysergic Acid 60s Punkers, Raw Mod and Freakbeat Fuzzters (White Trash Soul 60s Punk No.2)

 

Freakbeat! Yeah!! 

First things first, what is it? The term was coined by English music journalist Phil Smee (who later started the Bam-Caruso Label) to describe the harder, fuzz loaded and sometimes psychedelic mutations that happened to the British Mod scene. A rock'n'roll sub-genre, graphic design style, and aesthetic in general that was prevalent throughout the mid-to-late '60s. Freakbeat bands combined aspects of rhythm & blues, beat, pop with psychedelia and proto-punk, a sonically distinct kind of music often drawing parallels with the American garage punk. 

The diversive music style of the Mods, characterised mainly by soul elements, became somewhat lost in the mid-sixties when psychedelic drugs and vibrant clothing became the defining attributes of a (new) generation. These elements included definetely fuzztones which are often manipulated with trippy echoes and other effects. 

As you might have guessed, the lines between what is and isn't Freakbeat are blurry. The same thing happened when I was trying to create the compilation that I'm offering here. The songs have changed many times - I've actually lost count. As always, I wanted to include obscure and unprocessed gems of the era, as well as more well-known songs, at least to those familiar with this period. I also wanted to compile tracks from outside the British and US scenes. I'm fairly confident that I've succeeded, but as always, you're the judge. 

Anyway, to be more precise I changed the title to "Lysergic Acid 60s Punkers, Raw Mod and Freakbeat Fuzzters". All the tracks contain the elements I mentioned in the opening lines. The Who, The Yardbirds and The Pretty Things collaborate with lesser-known acts who are equally brilliant and perhaps even wilder! For example, there's St. Louis Union's amazing take on Bob Seger's early garage stomper "East Side Story", Jimmy Winston covering the band he founded and played on the first single with (The Small Faces), Them going punk R&B under the direction of sleazy mogul Kim Fowley after Van Morrison left and Northwest proto-punks The Kingsmen, (in)famous of course for "Louie Louie", covering this time an unknown Freakbeat tune by The Fairytale. There's also Viv Prince's band after The Pretty Things (The Bunch of Fives), The Action going psychedelic pop under the Beatles' producer, Q65 and the Outsiders' off the rails Nederbeat, and The Fleur de Lys doing "Hold On" under the pseudonym of Rupert's People before handing it to Sharon Tandy. There's even Mickey Finn's "Time to Start Loving You" (before MC5 change it to "Kick Out the Jams"), and an Italian guy who relocated to Greece singing a cover of the Troggs' "I Want You" in... Greek! Τhe range is so big actually that you'll find young savage punks from Quebec and Iceland to New Zealand and Australia. It's almost impossible to write you even a few lines about each song, although each one has a unique story behind, like the ones I've already given you to get an idea of ​​what you'll hear.

In the true spirit of Oscar Wilde ("The drawback of stealing a thing, is that one never knows how wonderful the thing that one steals is"), I even tried to recreate Bam Caruso's label logo, with Joe Meek taking the place of the famous girl for the cover. By the way, if you're wondering who's that guy carrying the guitar and playing the tambourine, look for the golden-haired founder of The Rolling Stones. I even asked myself if "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby" by the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band fitted in, but I gave up in the end - after all, there are so many songs and bands that need more pairs of ears. 

Dig!

Bam Caruso Records (Caff Fanzine No2, 1987)

Caff Corporation was a short-lived Brit indie label founded by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne fame. The label operated under the names Caff, Caff Records and Caff Corporation. Established in 1989, it ran until 1992, releasing seventeen 7-inch singles. The label grew out of a fanzine that Stanley produced with a fellow band member, Pete Wiggs. 

Here's a piece about the legendary (now) Bam Caruso label, founded by Phil Smee in 1983. Bam Caruso Records was a pioneering British independent label dedicated to reissuing rare '60s psychedelic, freakbeat, and garage pop/popsike music. The label is best known for its 'Rubble' series, a compilation of obscure British psychedelic tracks, quite similar in terms of quality to 'Nuggets' or 'Pebbles'. 

(Right click and select 'open link in new tab' for full scans resolution)

Knave - Detourists (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.4)

This band seems to have been forgotten by the gods of rock 'n' roll. Try doing a Google search and you'll find even fewer of the kids on your street who picked up instruments a week ago and are brazenly playing in their old man's garage. Even their label, the legendary Detour Records, which is well known in garage, mod and freakbeat circles, only shares two lines about them in their website and points that they were former members of The Clique. And that's it! Their two singles are available for download only and if you want something more, you should go to Discogs and try your luck there. And yet, Knave was a short-lived band that had nothing to envy from its cult ancestors, The Clique!

If the aforementioned had the mid-60s mod/R&B zeitgeist in mind, as well as the freakbeat that came a little later, Knave seem, to my ears at least, to be a missing link between the hard psychedelic soul of the late Small Faces and the garage punk that was revived by the Prisoners, the one who wasn't ashamed to say that he liked Jimi Hendrix and early Deep Purple as much as The Who, The Creation and The Fleur De Lys. 

As far as I know, the tracks you'll find here are all those that have been released in one way or another, officially. I'm pretty sure though that there are still some more in some old dusty box of tapes, but I'll have to wait until someone bets on a certain economic failure and makes a compilation with the ones you'll hear here and the ones all the rest of us haven't heard. Yet...

Various Artists - Modernist Jukebox: Paul Orwell

 

This next one came up when I was searching for more information about Paul Orwell's influences (although it was obvious just by listening to his records). If you're not familiar with his music, the London-area genius will steamroll you with his retro energy. If you didn't know any better, you'd think it was a solo project from a member of the Pretty Things, Small Faces, or the Creation. In a word: Freakbeat! All the basic ingredients are in here, fuzz guitars, Hammond organ and tambourines. I love this guy because he's like me; he doesn't care if he's a mod or a rock 'n' roller. He likes his Fred Perry shirts as much as his bomber leather jackets. Fuck borders in any case!

So, I came across a Modculture.uk post from 2017 in which Paul picked his favorite tunes and made short comments about them. The problem is that this "Jukebox" playlist is on Spotify, and I can't stand people who listen to music on Spotify. To make matters worse, some of the tracks that this guy chose weren't in the streaming site's database. Enter White Trash Soul again to set things straight. The whole list could have easily been mine. If someone had asked me to compile an introduction to that era, I would have only changed a few songs. For example, I would have chosen the amazing original "Shadows and Reflections" instead of the punked version of "I'll Keep Holding On" by The Action. But nevermind, it's still a kick-ass song collection. Head over to the original post to read Orwell's remarks while listening to what I've made for you this time.