RARE records from 60s, 70s, 80s... FREAKBEAT, PSYCHEDELIA, GLAM ROCK, PUNK, POWERPOP, GARAGE ROCK, ROCKABILLY, NEW WAVE, INDIE POP, REGGAE, SKA, SOUL, FUNK... Every day (or almost every day) one record will be highlighted. The highlighted records are eather unknown or a bit forgotten or simply nice to play. The most of the records are/were also offered for sale in my web shop:
NO BRAINS RECORDS
Saturday 30 April 2016
DEENA WEBSTER - Scarborough Fair / The Water Is Wide 7"
UK 1968 MOD ACID FOLK POPSIKE PSYCH GIRL. DEENA recorded bunch of singles and 1 album when she was 18. After some gigs and number of TV appearances, she just vanished remaining one of the biggest mysteries. Many fans are still looking for her and rumours say that she probably went (back) to Hong Kong. Beautiful 'Scarborough Fair' cover and B-side 'The Water Is Wide' are single only tracks. Here we have very rare Belgian picture sleeve, probably released as Deena also played at Bilzen Festival in Belgium.
Dutch 1982 POWERPOP PUNK PUB ROCK. PRIVATE band's release! Their 1st and only record with a bit old fashioned (late 70s) sound for 1982. Boys came from Aalsmeer, suburb of Amsterdam. 'Sweet Yvone' is great catchy rockin' song, where the sphere, emotion and guitar sound were melted perfectly. Something like 'Sweet Yvone' you can only record when you're young and bite the rock'n'roll. Somehow WHATTS powerpearl is still undiscovered, as I hope it's not underrated, by many PUNK record collectors!
German 70s ROCK N'ROLLERS. THE RENEGADES 'Cadillac' cover and 'Keep On Rockin'' sung in German. It seems that 45 was released in 1973. Well, it's only ROCK'N'ROLL (and I like it). THUNDERBIRDS play in 70s way, without trying to reconstruct pure 50s/60s sound (approach I miss in 21st century). So, the single may be also interesting to GLAM ROCK and PROTO PUNK collectors as well. If THUNDERBIRDS released few LPs in this style, they would be known as German answer to Flamin' Groovies or Finnish Hurriganes today, but unfortunately they put out only one pretty good 45.
29 April 2016 Thanx to Thilo Pieper here is more and CORRECT info about THUNDERBIRS:
Thunderbirds ......... from ........ ((((( Beatlefeld ))))) ....... OPP Label ....... same as the ((((( Dragons ))))) ...... of Heart Transplantation fame .......... there's a big gap in between the releases ....... Cadillac .... believe it or not ...... was released in 1984! ......... but the band formed in the sixties
....... mit Veröffentlichungen ging es leider erst in den 80ern los! frown emoticon ........ hier die Webseite: http://neu.thunderbirds-bielefeld.de/
...... gibt noch eine Single und eine LP ..... muss ich mal raussuchen ..... die LP haben die bei meinem Onkel im Studio aufgenommen ....... gab' mal im Fernsehen eine kleine Doku darüber ......
Wednesday 27 April 2016
HIGH VOLTAGE - Scheiss Schule / Ich sag NO 7"
German 1983 Teen GLAM POWERPOP PUNK. Well THE TEENS were not teens anymore in 1983, so HIGH VOLTAGE tried to take over their place. A bit more HEAVY version of THE TEENS, more hard rock-ish punk with AC/DC influences. Sung in German sounds more natural and both songs are the real KILLERS!!! Why HIGH VOLTAGE didn't become more famous is unknown to me. Maybe 'new kids' were tired of rock and more into Italo disco, synth-pop and breakdance. 'Scheiss Schule' is 1st of 3 singles - no LPs. BTW, other two singles are even more rare!
JOHN ARTHUR - Johnny Remember Me / I Need The Sun 7"
Dutch 1974 GLAM ROCK HEAVY FUZZ PSYCHEDELIA. JOHN LEYTON 'Johnny Remember Me' cover improved with HEAVY FUZZ guitar sound and PSYCHEDELIC dimension! Great vocal! JOHN ARTHUR (real name John van Katwijk) was singer of cult Dutch 60s band CHRISTIE LANE who also covered 'Johnny Remember Me'. Somehow both records are extremely rare nowadays.
THE JAMAICAN SURVIVERS - Dark Side Of Hong Kong / The Vendetta 7"
Belgian late 70s to early 80s SKA REVIVAL group. THE JAMAICAN SURVIVERS were not inspired by two tone ska bands as many continental European bands, who never before heard for ska music. THE JAMAICAN SURVIVERS already released some 45s and 1st LP before their British colleagues occupied radio stations and dancefloors. Their sound was also inspired with old dusty 60s SKA records, specially with THE SKATALITES. 'Dark Side Of Hong Kong' is their 2nd record from 1978, released on Dutch CNR label. Top notch instrumental SKA with Far East spices. COOL flip side as well! But 45 was released too early for US/UK oriented Dutch kids and sold very poor. But THE JAMAICAN SURVIVERS became internationally recognised many years after by many record collectors discovering their records mostly through internet.
Dutch 1970 AFRO FUNK FREAKBEAT LSD PSYCH Dancer. AFRO FUNK BREAKS with Hammond organ leads and LSD SOUNDS!!! 'Unga Keboyeh' is totally unusual song for Dutch 60s/70s group BUFFOONS. Single was released in 1970. BUFFOONS became internationally more known after John Lennon's invitation to sing with him and YOKO ONO (after they saw them on TV) at his bedside in Amsterdam Hilton Hotel during famous Bed-Inn For Peace. Unfortunately, after that happening, BUFFOONS' more PSYCHEDELIC influenced music didn't resulte with better record sales, so 'Unga Keboyeh' sold pretty poor and it's one of their rarest records today. I also think that many BUFFOONS fans didn't like this weird 45, as well as many Hippy kids and PSYCEDELIC FREAKS never accepted them as theirs. So 'Unga Keboyeh' is forgotten WEIRD & GROOVY dancer, perfect for DJ-ing and MOD parties!
Dutch 1979 POWERPOP PUNK with GLAM ROCK & HEAVY ACID PSYCH spices! Ex members from few Dutch 70s HEAVY bands probably won't agree with my music style description. But it's all just only ROCK'N'ROLL :) Kinda Dutch answer to RADIO BIRDMAN or 70s DETROIT bands. Some rumours say that drummer from READY KILOWATT also played with SHADOWS OF KNIGHT (US 60s GARAGE PUNKERS)!!! Their 1st and last record was produced by Neil Merryweather (Canadian producer) and released on RCA. But wrong time for a bit in-between style (not PUNK, not HARD ROCK) without any support from short living Dutch division of RCA resulted with poor sale. But REAL KILLER 45!
BILLY JONES & THE STARS - All My Brothers Are Clean / My Baby's Gone 7"
BILLY JONES is Dutch based US guy. He was born in Texas, but moved to Amsterdam in 1968. BILLY recorded many 45s and few albums from 1970 to early 80s. He was also a member of SOLAT and THUNDERSTORM (Dutch FUNK bands). 'All My Brothers Are Clean' is BILLY's very first record. He is backed by THE STARS (more known as THE TWINKLE STARS). Groovy BOOGALOO R&B SOUL FUNK Dancer. Perfect record for DJ-ing and wild parties!
GIANT EMPIRE - Look At The Sky / Sleeping Dreaming 7"
Dutch 1970 band from Zwolle (city in the northern part of The Netherlands). On their 1st and only record, GIANT EMPIRE plays Hammond organ driven PROGRESSIVE PSYCHEDELIC ROCK with some STONED FREAKBEAT sounds. 45 is comped on 'Green Eyed Gods of Smoke (Heavy Psychedelic Stoners from Around the World)' album.
Dutch 1986 INDIE POP POST PUNK. 4 boys from Amsterdam with cool 80s SYNTH sounds and POWERPOP NEW WAVE guitars. 80s POST PUNK style turning into INDIE POP. Weird, catchy and well produced 45. SIDE EFFECT probably lived too short to become more known.
DAVID IRELAND - Coming Up Strong / Shoot The Family Man 7"
British 1973 GLAM ROCK with FREAKBEAT PSYCHEDELIC traces. A bit like T. REX style, but more POWERPOPPY and Beatlesque!!! Both songs are great! KILLER 45! It should be well known record everybody wants, but it remained undiscovered. Dutch picture sleeve has cool artwork!
UK early 70s band turning 60s BEAT FREAKBEAT PSYCH style into 'new' 70s sound, so more HEAVY HARD ROCK. And that HEAVY BEAT ROCK'N'ROLL is nothing else than (PROTO) GLAM ROCK. Anyway, 'Tamarind Girl' should be a hit, as it sounds a bit like Mungo Jerry, but more rock, so not poppy enough. 'Tiger Woman' is KILLER HEAVY tune with some flute sounds (!). Obviously some 70s kids didn't like that Jethro Tull prog folk spices in their music, and for older kids STRANGE FOX was not progressive enough :) So STRANGE FOX released 3 singles, no albums. Tamarind Girl/Tiger Woman 7" was their 2nd 45. Here in the nice German picture sleeve from 1972.
JODY PURPORA - You Sure Look Good To Me / Count Your Blessings 7"
Sunday afternoon and here is the perfect record for it. Dutch 1972 ACID FOLK POP-SIKE PSYCHEDELIA, if I have to name the music style, cos sometimes that's just not easy. Kinda Amsterdam answer to Nick Drake. Well, it was recorded and produced in London. JODY PURPORA was with WALLY TAX (THE OUTSIDERS) in TAX FREE, playing guitar and singing on 1 track on their 1st and only album. On his solo 45, Jody was backed by band MINISINK TOWNHOUSE (also Dutch band). And this was also his only solo record too. I couldn't find link for B-side 'Count Your Blessings' which is better side and my favourite, so I added TAX FREE 'Yiva' (in my opinion the only great song on so-so album). Anyway if you want to hear 'Count Your Blessings', you can buy the record. It's very rare, but not hyped yet by collectors dealers on their blogs nor comps.
DE RASPERS were Dutch 1984 band from Voorburg, near The Hague. They released only one single in MOD BEAT POWERPOP style. Real great 45 with 2 super catchy Beatlesque POWERPOP songs sung in Dutch!!! Record is also extremely rare and remained unknown for many POWERPOP PUNK collectors. Maybe because of the 'wrong' year of release, 1984, as some unwritten collector's rule says that there is no good powerpop punk record after 1982. WRONG, of course!!! Judge for yourself!
BERT SHORT'S COMPANY - For You, Me and All The World / Mis'ry and The Blues 7"
Dutch (I think) band playing vintage JAZZ BLUES in 1972. Vintage New Orleans style, but not retro. Sounds like early Tom Waits backed by street jazz band. It's difficult to describe music with words. I love 'Mis'ry and The Blues' (B-side, but the first song you can hear in the soundfile below). Just the perfect soundtrack for the days when you're not in the mood for anything, only to play this song again and again :) More 'sunshine' on A-side in catchy jazzy burlesque tune. Honestly, I don't know anything about these guys and 7 inch I just highlighted here. If you google, it looks like I'm the only person who ever mention this record. Real pearl and my spare copy is for sale!
NEW LORDS were German band from 1971. Many think they were 70s reincarnation of German 60s BEAT (and later long going ROCK band) THE LORDS. Only one band member was ex THE LORDS, the guitar player U. Gunther, but NEW LORDS sound and songs were completely different and new. Anyway - NEW LORDS released 1 album and 2 singles. 'Look Up In The Sky' is their 1st single. 'Look Up In The Sky' is NON album track and it's great HEAVY FUZZ PSYCHEDELIA with SOUL-ish brass and GROOVES with FREAKBEAT traces! Weird powerpopy and catchy melodies make it sound like proto Madchester, let's say kinda THE SOUP DRAGONS on HEAVY ACID TRIP :) Probably that unusual mix of heavy, catchy and groovy was the reason that single sold very poor and it's extremely rare nowadays. Recommended as well as NEW LORDS 2nd single and LP.
SYLVAIN SYLVAIN's real name is Sylvain Mizrahi born in Cairo, Egypt. 'Emily' was NEW YORK DOLLS rhythm guitarist first solo record from 1979. Nice piece of post GLAM ROCK mixed with POWERPOP PUNK. Different from what we used to hear from NEW YORK DOLLS days, not so noisy with raw energy, but pure guitar pop at its best. If you ask me 'I'm So Sorry' should be A-side as hit track. Also it looks like this single was only released in France and didn't sell very well.
ANGELFLIGHT RAILWAYS - Tell Me About Her / I Can't Get It Better 7"
Dutch 1970 FREAKBEAT PSYCHEDELIA. 'Tell Me About Her' has nice sad and BLUESY sphere with fat Hammond organ sound and JAZZY GROOVE. Flip side is also cool --- perfect record for lazy Sunday. ANGELFLIGHT RAILWAYS 1st and only record. Later some members will form CARGO and some will join GROUP 1850. Released as Purple Eye PROMO single only!
BEBI DOL was NEW WAVE GIRL from ex-Yugoslavia. 'Mustafa' (1981) (NOT Bob Azzam "Mustapha' cover!!!) is her first record. ORIENTAL ARABIC sounds and melodies mixed with MINIMAL SYNTH NEW WAVE and great and weird female voice were melted into perfect song. Also some DUB spices in final production made 'Mustafa' timeless. After her 1st album and 2nd single from 1983, she spent 2 years singing in Egypt. Some rumours say that Simon Le Bon (DURAN DURAN) saw her in Cairo and was impressed with her voice. Also other BEBI DOL's early 80s records are recommended.
Dutch 1972 POWERPOP. BREAKAWAY released 4 singles in 1972 and 1973, no albums. Their other records are OK too, nice and catchy 70s pop with some psychedelic spices. But 'Chasing You' 45 was a bit different. More loud GLAM ROCK guitars, ACID FUZZ guitar leads around catchy melody. Perfect early 70s POWERPOP PEARL! B-side is in the same style! Well produced by Boudewijn de Groot (famous Dutch 60s folk/protest singer) and also great producer too - check out band like KRAAYEVELD, TIGERS ON VASELINE or TIGERS. The sound of BREAKAWAY on 'Chasing You' 45 is the sound that many Britpop bands are chasing for nowadays.
THE WHYOS - Talk To Me Like The Rain / Stop The Clock 7"
THE WHYOS were US 80s NEO ROCKABILLY band. Their songs were not real ROCKABILLY revival, but just inspired with 50s music style adding something new. It could be said that THE WHYOS played ROCKABILLY for POWERPOP/INDIE POP kids. Unfortunately without bigger succes even in rockabilly scene, releasing only 1 single in US, 2 singles and LP in The Netherlands and LP was also released in Poland. I love THE WHYOS and I hope you will give them a try too. 'Talk To Me Like The Rain' is 1985 DUTCH ONLY 45, their last record :(
Today we have 1971 NORTHERN SOUL Dancer on Cardinal label. LOUIS NEEFS (Belgian singer) already covered 'Sixteen Tons' in 1962 and had minor hit in Belgium. It was nice R&B POPCORN tune, but in this early 70s version of 'Sixteen Tons', LOUIS NEEFS did something different! He added more SOUL and he was backed by ETIENNE VERSCHUEREN (famous Belgian jazz saxophonist) and his orchestre. The result is mindblowing SUPER GROOVY dancer with SCAT JAZZ vocals and COOL JAZZ sax leads! Still undiscovered NORTHERN SOUL PEARL, perfect dancefloor filler, DJs must-have 45!
Belgian 1976 MANIC HEAVY ROCK'N ROLLERS, BONEHEAD GLAM ROCK PROTO PUNK KILLER. VERY VERY RAW!!! It was PLUTO's first and only record. Not much is known about this band.
Obscure Swedish 1962 BEAT band with 2 singles only. Instrumental SURF BEAT EXOTICA tracks, organ driven with loads of COSMIC PSYCHEDELIC sounds. Listening to 'Lunik' we can hear that Joe Meek's 'Telstar' was played many times as well as Russian music. 'Moon Safari' is more dancey, but 'SPACED' enough with COSMIC spices and cool exotic organ again. Using new musical 'terms', we can call THE SPACEMEN's music PROTO ELECTRO or PROTO HOUSE :) By the way --- this is extremely rare Belgian (I think) single with different B-side from their Swedish release.
Today one more cover. This time Belgian GIRLS cover THE BEATLES 'Michell' in late 80s INDIE POP MADCHESTER DANCE ELECTRO style. Maybe THE BEATLES/60s puritans didn't like HOUSE BEATS and ELECTRONIC sounds in 1988, and probably RAVE kids were not into THE BEATLES too, so SHE-TONES single was not big succes and it's still undiscovered pearl! By the way, nice B-side too.
Completely unknown Dutch 1976 group, GIRL fronted. B-side of their only single is George Gershwin 'Summertime' cover. And BLUEBIRD did it so COOL and GROOVY. Beautiful voice, Isaac Hayes-like strings (I'm sure band or producer have his albums at home), JAZZY PSYCHEDELIC guitar leads backed by NORTHERN SOUL groove. Reminds a lot of later PORTISHEAD style, but no samples here! Just pure COOL JAZZ NORTHERN SOUL at its best!
Dutch 1971 HEAVY PSYCHEDELIA with FREAKBEAT traces. Band from Gouda, the city of the famous cheese :)
There is not much known about PAINTING HOUSE. They made only one single and both tracks are real KILLERS!
PHASING, lysergic spices, ACID guitar leads, even some PROTO PUNK licks, good vocals and the most important thing - real good song writing.
