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!

Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies (WTS Popkid No.2)

 

Once upon a time, Kris Kristofferson sat down and wrote "Me and Bobby McGee". My younger self would not have appreciated the reference, by the way. Punk rock put me through a fanatically anti-hippie phase, and this is something that I admit has not yet gone away. Could this humble blog post paraphrase this classic song as "Me and Bobby G"? After all, Primal Scream was a mainstay of my music diet since I left my parents' record collection to find my own way. Back when the internet was still the stuff of a sci-fi writer's imagination, I obviously didn't have the knowledge I have now. I grew up just by listening to a band that sounded like the Byrds at first and then like the MC5 and the Stones, and I had no problem with that. Even their acid house delirium seemed fantastic to me!

I now know though that Bobby Gillespie and I have a lot in common — more than I once thought. We both come from working-class families and our parents instilled in us a sense of political awareness, Marxism and pride in our social background. We are still fanatical supporters of the football clubs we grew up with and we love the music, books and films that shaped us as individuals with the same passion. Although Bobby is a little older than me, he is just as fanatical about rock 'n' roll mythology as I am. I imagine he still spends his money on records and books, just like he did back then — and just like I do.

We are also different in (many) other ways. He is the leader of one of the greatest British bands the last 40 years, while I am a network engineer doing nothing that interesting. He used to be the drummer in the most influential band of his generation, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and I am still a network administrator. An when I'm bored and have a little free time, I sit down and write little stories on my blog that probably no one cares about. OK I also share some knowledge and geekiness about the subcultures that shaped us and music that companies normally shouldn't chase. But we live in a capitalist society, so at least we know what to expect.

So, as my typical habits dictated, I wanted to make a compilation to transfer to my iPod for my summer vacation. I wanted it to contain a mix of well-known and obscure tracks. So I did just that and the more I listened to that selection, the more confident I became that this is perhaps the best collection of Primal Scream songs ever compiled by someone (the little devil on my shoulder tells me to relax, but I won't). Companies always concentrated on singles and greatest hits material, but I strongly believe that this one has everything for both newcomers and Primal Scream aficionados.

I then thought, "What's to stop me sharing it in my usual socialist way?" And here it is!

The Green Telescope - The Green Telescope Complete? (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.6)

The brilliant early '80s garage/psychedelic band from Edinburgh, Scotland. I mean, fuck yes! The Scots have produced so many amazing bands in so many genres and styles over the years, from garage punk and neo-psychedelia to C86, jangle pop, shoegaze and noise pop. I guess there must be something in the water.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lenny many years ago at a Thanes gig in Athens, Greece. Most of the conversation was between John Alexopoulos of The Sound Explosion and Lenny. I was just sitting there, watching in awe at how well-informed he was. Back then, I was more into the Velvet Underground-inspired bands than the Velvets themselves. But Mr. Helsing put an end to that.

Anyway, the band's original line-up consisted of Lenny Helsing on guitar and vocals, Bruce Lyall on organ, and Colin Blakey on bass. Before any records were made, Colin Blakey left and was replaced by Alan McLeann and the group then added a drummer, Gavin Henderson, soon after. Steve Fraser temporarily took over from Alan, playing bass on the three tracks the group recorded for the Psycho label compilation, 'The Waking Dream'. He also played on the recording of Pink Floyd's "Scream Thy Last Scream", which featured on the Syd Barrett tribute LP 'Beyond the Wildwood', released on Alan Duffy's Imaginary label a few years later, in 1988. The "Face in a Crowd' b/w 'Thoughts of a Madman" debut single was issued in 1986 with a new drummer, Mal Kergan on Wump.

The four-piece line-up of Helsing, Lyall, McLean and Henderson recorded the 'Two by Two' EP for Imaginary again. After this they would change their name to The Thanes Of Cawdor then shorten that to The Thanes. For some (really) strange reason, this outfit lacks a proper reissue treatment of their records or a complete works compilation, so I had to create one myself to secure new fans for them and their legacy.

Dig!

The Charlatans - The Early Singles: 1989-1994 (WTS Popkid No.1)

Let's go back to the 90s, when I was entering adolescence and taking my first steps beyond the Beatles and Elvis. That's when you start listening to other things besides what's in your parents' record collection (and mine didn't have much, they were mainly fans of the Greek new wave and obviously of Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis) and you unwittingly start getting into subcultures without knowing it, adopting their dresscode, hairstyles and behaviors.

The radio played mostly Greek music-let's say a good 90% of it, which made the whole endeavor even more difficult. Of the remaining 10%, 9% was mainstream nonsense. Those were difficult times. Until the indie scene boom came to MTV, we were literally living in a desert. The fanzines and clubs of Athens were two hours away from where I grew up, and it took me a few years to go there to study.

So, apart from what I've already written, the first song that blew my mind was 'The Only One I Know' by The Charlatans. I first heard it at a local disco at a dance held by my school. I don't know if the DJ was just playing whatever was a hit or if he knew what he was doing and managed to slip this into the programme, but either way, it did the job. The Hammond organ stuck in my mind. The vocals were unlike anything I had ever heard before: ethereal and carefree. I just started dancing in pure euphoria.

To cut a long story short, I came across that song again and finally found out what it was and who sang it while I was tuning in to one or two radio stations in Athens that played 'different' kind of music one weekend when I was visiting my grandmother. That's where I caught the virus. To this day, I still consider The Charlatans to be one of my favourite bands. Outsiders and survivors of any music trend of the industry. Baggy, Britpop, you name it.

Their early years, of course, still hold a special place in my heart. The way they married dance rhythms played by non electronic organs and 60s sounds are still unbeatable. Don't get me wrong; I love most of the Inspiral Carpets and like-minded bands, and I have them in my record collection, but the Charlatans did it better. Their neo-psychedelic, maddening drumbeat and the crazed Hammond pays tribute to both ? & The Mysterians and Deep Purple Mk1. It's no surprise that they were fans of The Prisoners.

I have collected all of their singles and EPs, along with all of the B-sides, from their early days until they changed direction while retaining their significance. At first, I had thought about including the demos too, but I decided that the musical journey is already long enough for those of you who decide to follow it.

Much love and respect to Rob Collins, Jon Brooks and all the surviving members who are continuing the legacy.

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...

The Boys - "Boys Only Demos 1980" (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.3)

Boys' fourth album, 'Boys Only', remains a divisive record. People either praise it or slaughter it; there's nothing in the middle. The truth is that their last album of their first period — I mean, before the mid-life reform — was a bit deranged. I have no problem at all: power-pop, guitar-driven brilliance, and quite possibly a template for later bands like The Exploding Hearts or The Cute Lepers. As a long-time fan of theirs, I'm not objective, but I'm trying, as you can see. Anyway, the demos they cut for this LP are unbeatable, and to my ears they sound far better. It's raw, hard-edged pop, just like the early Romantics releases or anything Bomp! issued back then. You should definitely try them.

Dedicated to the memory of Honest John Plain.

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.

Purple Hearts - The Jimmy Pursey & Paul Weller Demos (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.2)

The Purple Hearts were one of the leading bands of the UK mod revival of the late '70s/early '80s and they recorded the community's enduring anthem, "Millions Like Us". At times, they closely resemble the '66 Who, and they even lend more credibility to a '66 Bowie single than the original. Of course, The Jam's influence was apparent. These are some basic and brief things that someone unfamiliar with Purple Hearts should probably know. Today's post is not intended as an introduction, but rather, it is addressed to those who have been in the know for ages. So, I collected all the studio demos they recorded with punk rock/mod punk figures like Jimmy Pursey from Sham 69 and Paul Weller from The Jam, supervising these sessions, in one place. The six Polydor demos produced by Jimmy Pursey show a rougher edge than the final versions of the well known songs like "Millions Like Us", "Frustration" and "Jimmy" (my fave one by them ever!) and they are in fact early versions of their brilliant singles! The two demos produced by Weller, "Plane Crash" and "Concrete Mixer" were originally intended for Modfather's own Respond label. They were recorded at Polydor again in 1981, but went unissued. And they're all awesome, trust me!

The Taxi Boys - Taxi Boys (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.1)

 

The poor sales of the Real Kids’ first LP prompted Felice to become a roadie for the Ramones, but soon after returned to Boston and formed the Taxi Boys (the name was obviously taken from an old Real Kids song), whose two EPs continued the Real Kids' tradition of the highly energetic 60s influenced garage rock 'n' roll, only a little poppier production wise. Felice and the gang (half former Real Kids members and half future ones) are in fine form on both. The Taxi Boys dates from 1980 to 1981, and the last thing they released was in 1982, but by then they had returned to the Real Kids name again. After all, all these songs were written as Kids songs, according to John Felice. 

Gathered here are all their recordings as Taxi Boys of course and if you need a few pointers to go on, there's still plenty of Eddie Cochran guitars and Heartbreakers-esque melodies, only this time filtered through the Shoes or the Flamin Groovies from the late 70s point of view. 

The Sonics - Live & Home Recordings, 1964 (White Trash Soul 60s Punk No.1)

In terms of savagery and frenzy, they were the closest thing ever to Little Richard, just a little more amped up (ok, VERY!). The Sonics were white trash souls like you and me, absolutely and madly in love with R&B and rock'n'roll. Punks like the Parypa brothers, Gerrie Roslie, Bob Bennett and Rob Lind paved the way for anti-racist behaviour, not Elvis. Roaring guitars, pounding drums and fevered howls trying to imitate their black idols invented punk rock in the garages of their fathers around the world, not Malcolm McLaren. And dad Parypa recorded almost every Sonics rehearsal in the early 60s, including, of course, these ones. The live recordings are captured by a man in Seattle named Doug Patterson, who owned an Ampex tape machine and frequently wrote on tape the Teen Time shows on KTNT-AM Tacoma Radio to collect songs for his own teenage garage band. Fandom indeed! Since these recordings were made before the release of their debut single "The Witch", the focus is on covers and instros and the audio is definitely good for AM radio broadcasts that are six decades old.

This homemade product/selection comes from Norton's "Savage Young Sonics" and "Busy Body!!! Live in Tacoma, 1964". If you don't already have these, head over and buy the vinyl — it contains some of the rawest punk rock ever recorded!

The Cannibals - Pure Trash (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.16)

 

A few days ago, I read online that Mike Spenser of the Count Bishops and the Cannibals is in poor health. I've made several posts about him and his bands in the early days of this blog. I guess it's time to restore some things, at least for the younger ones.

Mike Spenser grew up in Brooklyn and became an important figure in the British garage punk scene in the 80s. He played with The Cannibals, ran club nights, a record label and hosted radio shows. Before that, he had experienced far more than many of his peers, for instance he witnessed the original Rolling Stones and hung out with the New York Dolls. He was friends with Joe Strummer from the 101ers days and helped form The Clash by turning down Mick Jones to be the singer in his new band. Hell, even McLaren courted him for fronting the Sex Pistols!

The Cannibals are exactly what their name says. The most primitive thing to come out of England in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, and they were the founders of ‘trash'. The term was coined one day when the Cannibals—many of whom later formed the Inmates—were riding in his old van. They decided they needed a name for their music. They weren't punk in the conventional sense, but they certainly embodied the punk ethos. They were musicians steeped in the traditions of rock 'n' roll, R&B, and garage punk. Then Mike said, "We're trash, pure and simple."

This is an assortment of songs from every period of their career, showcasing a range of their lineups and releases. Some of these songs are rare, while others are more widely available. As with all the compilaltions I share, this one was created for my own joy at first. This is not wimpy stuff mate - it's all raw, raging real rock 'n' roll with lots of ripping guitars, tons of fuzz, and mostly screaming vocals.

Get well soon Mike!

The (Four) Shells - Whiplash, Their Singles (White Trash Soul Greasy R&B 2)

 

One of the more obscure records from Chi-Town is "Whiplash" b/w "When I’m Blue" by the Shells on Jerry Butler's short-lived Conlo imprint. Not much is known about the Chicago-based Shells (they probably had roots in St. Louis), except that they had another Jerry Butler-produced single on Volt/Stax in 1966 as The Four Shells, "Hot Dog (My Baby's Comin' Home)" b/w "Reputation" and their members were brothers Charles and James Calvin, plus Willie Exon and Billy Harper. This infectious, driving first 45 was full of 100% pure party songs and are also two of the few soul tunes that gets played outside the (northern) soul scene because of The Cramps' appreciation and the lo-fi garagey recording with the distorted guitar bends (the opening licks on "Whiplash" sounded like it was taken from a 1964 Pretty Things session, and its inclusion in iconic compilations like "Shakin' Fit","Born Bad, Vol 7" etc). The Volt sides are equally great danceable numbers but the Southern Soul horns have taken guitar's place as leading force and instruments. Of the bands that I wish they had done more.

Icky Renrut - The Icky Renrut Sessions (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.15)

Icky Renrut, a not-so-well-guarded pseudonym of the ever hustler string-puller Ike Turner and his raw 50's R&B St. Louis recordings of the Kings Of Rhythm are some of the hardest and wildest that Ikey and his whammy-bar guitar ever put on wax, an essential black rock'n'rollercoaster drive! Captured to tape long before Tina came on the scene, loud and aggressive as hell, it really is indescribably hard. I mean, "Jack Rabbit" is a Richard Penniman-entrenched banger with a truly unreal insanity that has to be heard to be believed! Turner released two singles on the Stevens label (No. 104 and No. 107) under the anagram "Icky Renrut" because he was still under contract with Sun for a few months and he didn't want to cause friction with Sam Phillips, and both rockers feature singer Jimmy Thomas. 

The legendary instrumental "Prancin'" with staccato outbursts, bends over the fretboard, ultra-fast finger vibrato and smooth chords was shelved until 1961 when Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm re-recorded it as "Prancing" with a horn section for Sue Records. Here's the original from 1959. "The Rooster" reveals that Turner had his ear pressed to the radio whenever Duane Eddy or Link Wray came on, and "Hey Hey" was another Little Richard-esque stormer! And you know what? I LIKE IKE! I know he was a lousy person in real life, but when it comes to music, he's really on par with Johnny Otis and Muddy Waters for me. And oh, Jimi Hendrix was just another guitarist compared to him, actually there is no comparison to Ike Turner with the many guitar "gods" of yours.

AUTHENTIC 50s PUNK! 

Various Artists - Two Siders (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.14)

45s are the midwives of rock'n'roll. I mean, Sam Phillips didn't need to wait until Elvis had a dozen songs to start the mayhem, did he? There was no need for every small label in the world to have a big budget to release the music that mattered, or for some artists to wait for someone to record them and release their work. DIY and punk rock before punk rock even existed. Thank god for those round 7-inch fetish objects!

There are some singles (that's what they were called in ancient times) where you really couldn't decide whether the A-side was the right choice over the B-side. And there were a lot of them, some even still waiting for someone to dig them up and discover something new. So I decided to make (what else?) a compilation of a handful of my favourite 45 rpms that contain some of the rawest, most brutal and soulful rhythms ever recorded on both sides. Again, dancing was my main goal, after all, it always has been. If the music doesn't move your ass, your legs and what's between them, why bother?

Well, here you'll find Baby Huey & The Babysitters' early garage punk movers, Lousiana Red's Blues boppers during his time with Laurie, Big Al Downing at his poundingnest rock'n'rollingnest, soulful screamers by Bobby Parker, Carl Lester & The Showstoppers' Mod Club anthems and Mercy Baby (drummer of Frankie Lee Sims) with Frankie Lee himself on guitar doing the boogie! Young Jessie, Long John Hunter, Phil Flowers, Ace Holder, Lazy Lester, Bad Smitty, The Kavetts, Lil' Ray and many more are on board, thirty four (count 'em!) frolic swirlers from the best possible sources and loudest rips. 

Enjoy your weekend lads and lasses!

Muddy Waters - Messin' With The Man / Muddy Waters Twist (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.12)

 

This is an imaginary single of mine, similar to the previous Bo Diddley compilation I did. 
I believe it's the same story: Chess tried to modernize Muddy's hard R&B sound by trying to fit it into the trends of Soul and Twist with these floorfillers. I don't know if he liked it at all, probably not, I mean, these guys weren't particularly keen to compromise. Nevertheless, I think both tracks are incredible! One with lots of horns and the other with an organ that colors wonderfully his tough electric Chicago blues and make no mistake both are absolutely danceable monsters!

Baby Jean - If You Wanna, The Singles (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.11)

The problem with artists who don't have many releases in their arsenal is that information about their lives and careers is minimal to non-existent. Such is the case with Baby Jean Hamilton, sister of Chicago-based singer Small Paul Hamilton. The two-sider "If You Wanna/Oh Johnny" from 1962 on Stacy has become a soul rockin' dance classic over the years, and deservedly so. There's another pair of gritty R&B dance numbers on Picadilly and that was that. Such a same... 

Lester Young - Lester Young Story (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.10)

Lester Young, not the same person as the legendary tenor sax player of the same name, was a hugely talented R&B thug/guitarist/singer who recorded and released a slew of 45 rpm singles of R&B/Pre-Soul nuggets, sometimes under the Lester Young and The California Playboys moniker, with thunderous and danceable results! No matter how much I searched the internet, I couldn't find much about him and his life. The first time I became aware of him was through the fantastic compilation "Whip! Wobble! And Grind!" from 2004 and from then on, every time I came across another track of his in a set, I was finding  myself blown away again. So I decided to make an anthology of this bad motherfucker's career on my own. If any of you guys and gals know anything more about the hero of my post, please comment, I consider him one of the best I've ever heard of for not knowing anything about him...

Bo Diddley - Soulfood (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.9)

I'm out of town for the Easter break and doing nothing but listening to music, reading (mostly about music) and making new compilations, I guess some things never change, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, as they say, can you?

Of course, I don't have to tell you who Bo Diddley was, what he did, etc. A couple of centuries ago we had made a cοmp of all the Originator's instrumentals. Now I've decided to collect everything he tried in a more soulful vein, and prove most people who seem to find this material "bad", "poor" or "unfocused" wrong.

Because I'm a clumsy bastard, while I absolutely adore this period (1965-1969), I find the later, more funk-oriented one annoying, and yeah, I can't stand any of "The Black Gladiator", I'm guilty, I don't care - piss off! I also don't know if Bo or Chess were making a conscious effort to recapture both the black audience that had abandoned him and the white audience that bought all those soul records, but if The Pretty Things think the 'slicker' sounding Diddley is brilliant, everyone else had better shut up and listen to those recordings again more carefully.

And the fact that Bo was supported by the Cookies was a killer decision. The Cookies sing their hearts out while Bo tries his hand at some songs that would have fitted well on one of The Miracles' first albums. What we get is a sexy and raucous Diddley doing the boogaloo better than most, because he was still the man!

PS: I'm not good with thank yous; I don't do them for that anyway, but I thank all of you who feel like leaving a comment on what I post.

Kid Thomas - Wail, Baby Wail, The Complete Singles (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.8)

 

"Kid Thomas, aka Tommy Louis, aka Tommy Lewis, was and is one of the great unsung heroes of that crazy kind of music that skirts the fine line between blues and straight-out rock & roll. Though success constantly eluded him throughout his career, it wasn't for lack of talent. With a powerful voice that could emit banshee wails and Little Richard howls with consummate ease, and a harmonica style that, at his best ("Rockin This Joint Tonight"), sounded like Little Walter powered by a vacuum cleaner, Kid Thomas was a man who knew how to rock the joint, indeed." - Cub Coda

Chronicling Kid Thomas' entire recorded output is an ongoing affair, I guess. I tried not to mess with the alternate takes or acetates, I just wanted to create a compendious selection by this underrated maverick that brings together all officially released recordings for beginners (or not). And that's what you get this time, the Federal debut (an upbeat workout on Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning" that kills), and all the wild West Coast recordings made under the various names that you read already in the first lines.

The Hound described perfectly on his blog the Ricardito like screamers of that era: "Wail Baby Wail" is another full on Little Richard inspired rocker in the same vein as "Rockin' This Joint Tonight", only this one features guitarist Marshall Hooks' insane soloing which sounds like Ike Turner undergoing electro shock therapy.

Kid Thomas to me is what Esquerita was to Norton records. Ma blog's fret pet and icon. The uncelebrated hero I always wanted to find. I mean, he sat with Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Little Walter, he played with Hound Dog Taylor, Magic Sam and Otis Rush and idolized the one and only Little Richard! In the late 60s, he worked for everything from cheap beer bars to private parties (he was hired by Dean Martin at one of them for fuck's sake!) or as a truck driver to make the rent. One day accidentally he ran over a young child. Poor kid's father killed him with a shot in the head outside the court and that was the end. A sad finish to a life of almost making it... 

Larry Williams & Johnny Guitar Watson - Boss Lovin': 1965-69 (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.7)

The transformation phase.

In the second half of the 50s, Larry Williams battled Little Richard for the title of King of Rock'n'Roll at Specialty Records and almost got it. In the early 60s and after a brief stroll at Chess Records, where he was still recording some fine singles, he became embroiled in a drug affair for which he received a three-year sentence reward. Things looked bad for the old guard until those guys from Liverpool checked them out and Lennon called Larry his favorite rock'n'roller.

Larry had met the excellent R&B thug/guitarist Johnny 'Guitar' Watson a few years earlier and they became friends for life. In the mid-60s, the two played together and shared the stage in the clubs of L.A. One morning, the phone rang and they were both called to a major tour of the UK. A young band from Guilford, called The Stormville Shakers was chosen to accompany them.

The collaboration and friendship between Larry Williams and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson would of course continue for a number of years. In 1967 they released another LP and several singles together for Okeh, concentrating mainly on Soul (and producing ex-rival Little Richard on most of his Okeh sides, among others).

But the mighty fine and sadly overlooked (outside the UK) album of upbeat and sometimes even frenetic soul material is not our cup of tea on this self-assembled compilation. The guys, sometimes solo and sometimes together, have crafted some strong material to rival similar urban-soul efforts of the Chicago and Detroit scenes, with great arrangements and inflamed guitar/horn interactions and call-and-response routines, and on tracks where Watson shows off his R&B or jazz prowess on piano (it was after all his first instrument).

Even to those who like their Soul in a more slick Motown vein laden with horns, first class vocal work and occasional appetizing Funk, R&B or Doo-Wop flirtations, can’t go wrong with all of these tracks. They even backed by LA's kings of psychedelia, Kaleidoscope! As I was wondering around their stuff I discover that many of their singles sides on Okeh were drastically different mixes or recordings than the ones on their LP, tougher, grittier and to my ears better (for example just hear the brutal "I'd Rather Fight Than Switch" Larry Williams delivering). 

This enormous, and to some of you possibly exhaustive, selection of 35 songs is, in my opinion, a great illustration of what these bad motherfuckers were capable of when they weren't abusing drugs and guns.

I nicked and enriched the cover for my treasury from the Sleazy Records 2018 single. The sound may varies (not all my rips) but the 320 bitrate is still present, so don't worry.