JACK KITTEL- Psycho

JACK KITTEL- Psycho

Quite a complex history behind this brilliant slice of gothic American country and western. What I can unravel is as follows: 'Psycho' was written in 1966 by a prolific blind songwriter Leon Payne, who's music career stretched back to the 1930s and who's writing credits include such classics as 'Lost Highway' (Hank Williams) and 'I Love You Because' (Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash). Depending on who you believe, Payne wrote 'Psycho' in response to a notorious mass shooting spree at the University Of Texas and the strangely affecting letter the shooter left next to the bodies of his mother and wife, or to the story of murderer and grave robber Ed Gein (who also inspired Bloch's book/Hitchcock's movie of the same name), or possibly both.

I don't think Leon Payne ever recorded the song and certainly it's first appearance on record was that by Eddie Noack in 1968. Unfortunately for Eddie the world was not yet ready for such a creepy record written from the point of view of a serial killer (at least not one without Porter Wagoner's name on it) and Noack's version sunk without a trace.

Jack Kittel then revived 'Psycho' in 1973 with the inspired, in my opinion definitive, version posted here. I can't find out much about Jack Kittel and he seems to only be remembered for this song, which became an underground classic after being picked up by various DJs including Dr Demento.

Elvis Costello then brought 'Psycho' to a bigger audience, releasing a live version in 1981, which is the same year that this Raven pressing of Jack Kittel's version was issued in Australia (perhaps not coincidentally). I'm guessing this 7" was a bit of novelty fun for Raven, who at the time were best known for excavating Australia's exciting 60s pop history with records such as the demented Ugly Things compilations, and are still a respected reissue company today.

It's possible the Raven pressing was not exactly 'official' as the label has no publishing information and miss-credits Jack Kittel as the songwriter as well as offering up a choice of spellings of his name. This could also account for the B-side being simply a backwards recording of 'Psycho', complete with backwards label. Whatever the motivation, it was an inspired decision as 'Psycho' sounds almost as good, and just as chilling, running the wrong way (admittedly I do have a huge unquenched love of backwards pedal steel brought on by early exposure to 'Change Is Now' by the Byrds).

JACK KITTEL- Psycho (backwards)

'Psycho' then had a further part to play in Australian music history being covered by The Beasts Of Bourbon on their great first album from 1984 and subsequently becoming a minor hit for the band. I've posted their promo video below.

The FEELIES- Original Love

Glad to see The Feelies have been getting some recognition recently, following reissues of their first two LPs on Bar/None & Domino records. The first LP, Crazy Rhythms, has long had a special place in my record collection and I'm looking forward to checking out the second one at some point.

'Original Love' is my favourite track off Crazy Rhythms, so I snapped up this single when I spotted it in Egg Records, Brisbane (dig that Stiff company sleeve, not a design I'd seen before, but then I guess it wouldn't have been unlike Stiff to only use it once). Weirdly 'Original Love' was relegated to B-side by a Beatles cover, I reckon it should have been the other way around- but what the hell do I know?

The FEELIES- Original Love

MO-DETTES- White Mice

Following my twisted record collector logic, I've bought two copies of this single since arriving in Australia, despite already having a copy (possibly two) back in Scotland. In my defence they were cheap and 'White Mice' is a really great song; landing in that midway point between new wave pop and post punk skronk that's perfect to dance to, and one that I always have in my DJ box. I hadn't seen the second issue with the 'fish and chips' photo and thought it might be a different version, but it turns out to be the same with only a different B-side (I've no idea why it was reissued).

I believe that singer Romana Carlier had actually been the front woman (under the name Regula Sing) for Swiss band Kleenex, 'White Mice' certainly has a very similar sound to the amazing Kleenex singles, can anyone confirm this to be true?  (edit: Robin Wills of the wonderful Purepop blog, has vouched that Romana Carlier was definitley NOT in Kleenex).
Unfortunately the rest of Mo-dettes output really doesn't match 'White Mice', but their one LP is still well worth tracking down.

MO-DETTES- White Mice

And do make sure you check out this really cool video:

SUNNY and the SUNGLOWS- Talk To Me/SUNNY and the SUNLINERS- Every Week, Every Month, Every Year

Found this in the cheap 7" rack at the second hand record music store Collector's Corner, though certainly not the best shop in Melbourne, it's alright considering it sits in the middle of one of the busiest shopping streets in the city, and I've had a few interesting records from them.

I knew nothing about Sunny and his band(s) (there's a different name on each side), but the Tear Drop label design really appealed to me and I knew the Crazy Cajun publishing credit meant some Huey P Meaux involvement; a man who's production skills are, I always felt, totally undervalued. 'He's About A Mover" by Sir Douglas Quintet, "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" by the Hombres, 'You'll Lose A Good Thing' by Barbara Lynn being three classics that spring to mind. But having now done a little research on the 'colourful' history of the 'Bayou bad boy' there is probably good reason for his under appreciation today: very young girls, dodgy business deals, guns and drugs were all apparently par of the course for Heuy (if anyone knows of a good biography please let me know).

It turns out that Tear Drop was in fact one of Meaux's many record labels and 'Talk To Me' the biggest hit on it. Not sure if Heuy was the producer (there's no credit on the label) but it's a fantastic record. 'Talk To Me', the plug side, is a sumptuous ballad that makes the most of Sunny Ozuna's great voice and some luscious strings, the B side on the other hand, is an ace up-tempo soul number with hints of Tejano music and all night parties. Sunny and his mixed race band were apparently the first to break the colour barrier on the popular TV show American Bandstand playing 'Talk To Me', so this is a little slice of history as well as great record.

SUNNY and the SUNGLOWS- Talk To Me

SUNNY and the SUNLINERS- Every Week, Every Month, Every Year

The YOUNGBLOODS- Darkness, Darkness

More fun, eclectic and with better songwriting than many of their west coast hippy contemporaries, I really like The Youngbloods. 'Darkness, Darkness', along with 'Sugar Babe' (a great song about drinking featuring the immortal lines, "Run like your mamma when the police come" and "I got drunk and I fell on the floor") are my two favourite songs of theirs. I was first hipped to The Youngbloods by Jon Savage's inspirational psychedelic booklet that came free with an early Mojo and which sent the school-age me scurrying after all kinds of mind expanding pop nuggets that I would never otherwise have heard of.

'Darkness, Darkness' is a beautiful track featuring one of the very best west coast rock guitar solos, and it wouldn't have sounded out of place on the Kak LP (also introduced to me by Mr Savage). I had always assumed it was an LP only song so was very pleasantly surprised to find this single, sporting an appropriately psychedelic RCA company sleeve.

The YOUNGBLOODS- Darkness, Darkness

LITTLE SAMMY- Rhythm and Crunch/When It Comes To The Crunch (It's Smiths It Is)

From the sublime to the ridiculous!

This 7" (which is another from Revolve in Sydney) is a daft piece of mod soul kitsch advertising Smith's potato crisps. The 'When It Comes To The Crunch' side is my favourite, featuring more of Little Sammy's white boy soul ravings about how crunchy everything is: "Dancing's crunchy, romancing's crunchy with Smiths! Shout it's crunchy! Look out it's crunchy! We're so crunchy, ooh so crunchy!" backed by some slightly manic girl singers.

It's not total kitsch as the band are pretty tight and you can hear hints of a smoking club band under the inane lyrics, but unfortunately it's not in the same class as the 7" Smith's Crisps put out in New Zealand by The Challenge, which is a real punky bit of garage rock penned by Ray Columbus.

The internet tells me that Little Sammy, also known as Little Sammy Gaha, was a popular singer on the Sydney club circuit in the 60s who then moved to Paris in the early 70s where he grew a beard and put out some very silly looking glam rock records. Good for him, I say.

LITTLE SAMMY- When It Comes To The Crunch (It's Smiths It Is)

LITTLE SAMMY- Rhythm and Crunch

MARV JOHNSON- Don't Leave Me

There was a period in the late 50s and early 60s when a small group of producers/songwriters including the likes of Leiber and Stoller, Curtis Mayfield and Berry Gordy, working with the cream of the early soul singers, would occasionally produce slow, haunting, exotic ballads featuring choral backings, baroque string arrangements and yearning lyrics, often about dreams or fantasies; songs that in lesser hands would have sounded like middle of the road slush, and with the coming of the British invasion would soon sound weirdly antiquated, but nevertheless stand as shimmering, sublime, other worldly things of beauty. I'm talking about records like 'What A Diff'rence A Day Makes' by Dinah Washington, 'On The Horizon' by Ben E. King or 'Isle of Sirens' by Jerry Butler. Along side these records I would place the sublime (I know, I've said sublime already, but it really is the best word for these records) 'Don't Leave Me' by Marv Johnson, co-written by Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson and produced by Mr Gordy back in 1959.

I've owned a British, London pressing of this record for 15 years, one which I've played countless times despite a huge crack down one side of the record- I simply stuck a piece of sellotape across the other side and it played ok (those London records were made to last!), but I was nonetheless happy to pick up this Australian copy for a dollar- though I do hate the plastic company sleeves that seem to have been popular with Australian record companies.

Of course as the 60s went on Curtis Mayfield and various Mowtown staffers would refine and modernise this type of ballad (The Temptation's 'Just My Imagination (Running A Way With Me)' for example, is almost a sequel to 'Don't Leave Me') and in Britain the Walker Brothers would remake it for swinging London, but personally I miss the unique atmosphere of the earlier productions.

MARV JOHNSON- Don't Leave Me

BOBBY and LAURIE with the RONDELLS- Tonight, When I Come Home/High Noon

Another huge Australian pop single that didn't get a release outside the southern hemisphere. It was the north's loss though as 'Tonight, When I Come Home' is one glorious slice of pop: a great melody set to a smile-inducing stomp, propelled by an amazing fuzz bass line, perfect hand claps, and crowned by an awesome two finger piano solo. It's two minutes that prove that in 1966 the homegrown Australian pop industry could match anything coming out of the UK or US of A.

BOBBY AND LAURIE- Tonight, When I Get Home

Melbourne duo Bobby and Laurie were the first 'long hairs' to hit the Australian charts pre-Easybeats and released a cracking series of singles and a couple of great LPs for both Go!! (you gotta love a record label with two exclamation marks in its name!!) and Parlophone, working with some of the best beat and pop musicians and producers around, before moving into a more country pop direction.

The flip side of this single is a version of the theme from High Noon and shows the direction of later Bobby and Laurie records. It was a pretty strange move from tuff r'n'b pop to country ballad novelty (though they had done it once before with a hit version of Roger Miller's 'Hitchhiker'), but I don't think the move was simply a record company put on as they were obviously country fans (certainly Laurie was anyway). At least they had good taste in country, in time covering the likes of Porter Wagoner and Lee Hazelwood, and I would love to hear their 1967 LP Exposiac which apparently mixed up country with a little psychedelic rock.

BOBBY AND LAURIE- High Noon

DINAH LEE- I'm Walkin'/Who Stole The Sugar?

Dinah Lee may not have been as punk as Toni McCann but she did make some great gutsy and soulful beat records. Dinah (Diane Jacobs before the record company decided Dinah Lee was cooler) was part of the exciting early '60s scene in Christchurch, New Zealand that also threw up Max Merritt, Ray Columbus and Dave Miller, and she was also apparently responsible for bringing the 'mod' look to the behind-the-times antipodeans.

This 1964 single was her third release in Australia, though she'd already had an album and a couple more singles in NZ where she was already a sensation. Raucously backed by The Kavaliers (originally Samoan rock'n'roller Freddy Keil's group) Dinah blasts through a fine cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walking" much in the style of early Lulu (who seems to have been the big influence on all the Antipodean beat girls- more of which in a future blog). The B-side "Who Stole The Sugar" is a slower but still raw bluesy ballad with merseybeat harmonies, I could have sworn this was a cover but can't find any evidence for this, or for that matter any mention of the listed songwriter Wayne Healy. Anyone know who he was?

DINAH LEE- I'm Walkin'

DINAH LEE- Who Stole The Sugar?

The youtube clip below includes some fab contemporary footage: