Hello and best wishes from Scotland! I haven't posted here recently as I've spent the last two months traveling New Zealand and South America on a slow journey home after a great few months living in Australia, finally landing in Edinburgh a couple of nights ago. To be honest I wasn't sure anyone would notice my abscence, but at least Cousin Creep has missed me (thanks for the comment!). I will definitley carry on this blog in some form, and I have a LOT more records that I hunted down in Australia to share; though unfortunately I sent them back sea mail so they're currently missing in action somewhere between here and Melbourne... At some point I guess I'll move on to other records (I already grabbed a few gems from NZ andSouth America along the way) and I'll have to change the name of the blog, but until then I'll remain Record Hunting In Australia. Hey it's my blog I guess I can call it what I want even if I'm about as far as you can bloody get from Australia. In other news, I'll be deejaying at the fabulous Edinburgh nite club Vintage Violence on Friday 23 April, spinning a hot mix of garage rawk, bubblegum pop, new wave spazz, glitter stomp and whatnot.
Here's another classic Aussie disc, this time from 1967 and courtesy of Melbourne's Cherokees. The A-side is a slightly bizarre beat take on Cab Calloway's 'Minnie The Moocher' and I guess it works on it's own terms as a likeable piece of novelty that saw fair chart and radio action for the band. The CHEROKEES- Minnie The Moocher But, as so often the case, the real dark meat is lurking on the B-side. 'I've Gone Wild' lives up to it's title; a brooding slab of prime freakbeat with uk mod-style vocals and an excellent psychedelic guitar effect- I'm afraid my copy is a little beat up, but you'll get the idea. The CHEROKEES- I've Gone Wild
Based in Sydney and operating from just 1964 to 1966, Ray Brown and The Whispers were a very popular beat and soul group both live and in the Australian charts. This 45 was their third release and the band's third No.1 in Sydney (there were no national charts in Australia until the end of the sixties). It was also sonically their most adventurous record, particularly on the spectacular 'Go To Him', with both sides benefiting from other worldly production: double tracked drums, echoey vocals, and treated guitars sounding not unlike something Joe Meek might have concocted at 304 Holloway Road.
After the demise of the phenomenal Gories, and before the Dirtbombs, Mick Collins joined forces with Fireworks frontman Darin Lin Wood to form Blacktop. On the A side of the above 7" they cover one of my favourite obscuro Captain Beefheart songs 'Here I Am, I Always Am' and do a grand job on it. The flip side, another cover, this time a Coasters tune is good too if a bit throw away. BLACKTOP- Searchin'
'Here I Am...' came out in '95 on legendary Australian record label Au-Go-Go, who also released a Blacktop long player Up All Night after Crypt turned the tracks down. Au-Go-Go was run by Melbourne music kingpin Bruce Milne and I'll post a little more about Bruce shortly since I just bought a pile of his records (he's been raising funds to pay off debts after the sad closure of what was Melbourne's best venue the Tote).
Johnny O'Keefe or JO'K or 'The Wild One', was Australia's first and biggest rock'n'roll star. He was an unlikely teen idol, with limited singing talent and perhaps closer in looks to Bill Hayley (his initial inspiration) than Elvis Presley (who's wild stage presence and gyrations JO'K imitated in his own unique way). But as ever in rock'n'roll such obstacles were overcome by determined self publicity, showmanship and being in the right place at the right time (and gold lame suits). Outside Australia JO'K is best known for his signature song "Wild One". Jerry Allison of the Crickets took the song back to the USA after hearing JO'K play it while on the same bill (see the programme below). Jerry recorded the song as 'Real Wild Child' under the name Ivan, with Buddy Holly on guitar/backing vocals, and it's probably my favourite version. Since then the song has been covered by countless artists including Jerry Lee Lewis, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and Joan Jett, and probably stands as Australia's only bona fide addition to the cannon of classic 50s rock'n'roll standards.
I won't try and relate JO'K's full story here, suffice to say it's an interesting one featuring flamboyant costumes, gigs with nearly all the first wave American rock'n'roll stars, failed attempts to crack America (despite the odd number one in New Orleans), a near fatal car crash, lots of mental breakdown, drink, drugs, 29 top 40 Australian hit singles, a successful TV career and an eventual overdose of prescription drugs. JOHNNY O'KEEFE and The DEE JAYS- So Tough 'So Tough' bw 'That'll Be Allright' came out in 1958 and is one of JO'K's best and most rocking 45s. 'So Tough' was a then current track in the US charts thanks to a myriad of recordings by various New York Doo-Wop groups, the original being by The Casuals. JO'K's version is at least as good as any of the American ones, though to be honest all the versions I've heard are great, raw, zany rock'n'roll fun. 'That'll Be Allright' (sic) is a JO'K and The Dee Jays original and shows that 'Wild One' was no fluke, as it's a classic slice of rock'n'roll with cool percussion and bad boy lyrics. JOHNNY O'KEEFE and The DEE JAYS- That'll Be Allright
This 1950s footage of Johnny O'Keefe offers a glimpse of his unique stage presence and the fan adoration he received as Australia's king of rock'n'roll.
I know very little about this record. I think that the Al Schultz Orchestrations mentioned on the label was some sort of music agency based in Chicago, but not sure if that means The Shy Guys were from Chicago too? The date hand written on the label of 16/1/70 seems too late for the sound of the record, that I'd guess to be closer to mid-60s. I would be grateful if anyone can point me towards more info. What I do know for sure is that this is a storming two sider of a 45. My pick is the B-side, 'You Are My Sunshine'; a raw slice of soul with rough gospel style vocals and swinging garage rock instrumentation. On the plug side, a version of the Huey 'Piano' Smith classic, The Shy Guys add a horn section, but otherwise keep it raw and soulfull. Great stuff. THE SHY GUYS- You Are My Sunshine
THE SHY GUYS- Rockin' Pnemonia And The Booga Loo Flu
Billy Bland's 'Let The Little Girl Dance' is an absolute classic RnB/pop crossover record. Nice to get an original copy on Old Town, a really consistent label out of New York.
The story goes that Billy was in the studio when Titus Turner was recording this song and stepped in to show him how to sing it, little knowing producer Henry Glover had the tape rolling and that Bland's demonstration would end up a hit single.
GRANTLEY DEE- Let The Little Girl Dance
In 1966, six years after Bland, well known Melbourne DJ Grantley Dee released his own version of 'Let The Little Girl Dance' it was a minor local hit and a sought after record now. The arrangement was kept pretty much the same for Dee's version (if it ain't broke...), except the parping sax is replaced by a nice raw guitar break, in fact it's a shame Bland's hadn't had more guitar considering the mighty Mickey Baker apparently played on the session.
Dee was the first blind singing star in Australia, and you can witness a little of his charismatic DJing style in this great 60s doco about Melbourne radio.
Sticking with rock'n'roll/rockabilly here is another of my all time faves that I managed to score on 45 recently. Jack Scott (or Giovanni Dominico Scafone Jr to his mother) was one of the very best of the second devision rock'n'rollers; a position pretty well illustrated by his billing on this concert poster:
Like Bob Luman (the subject of my last post) Scott went on to have a long and varied career in pop, rock and country, but made his most exciting records in the 1950s. 'The Way I Walk' is probably his best known track thanks mainly to the Cramps, but he recorded a few other classics around the same time, 'I Never Felt Like This' being a personal favourite.
One of the very first rockabilly tunes I got into, Bob Luman's version of 'Red Hot' is still one of my all time favourites. It's everything rockabilly should be: fun, swaggering, wild, crude, sexy and above all a great dance record. It also features some incendiary guitar playing from a 17 year old James Burton, who then repeats the trick on the slightly more restrained B-side.
BOB LUMAN- Whenever You're Ready
This 45 came from Licorice Pie possibly the best used record store in Melbourne. Unfortunately (though appropriately) I seem to have warped the record by leaving it on the player during a couple of days of plus 40 degree heat- not something I had to look out for in Scotland!
Perhaps the warping is a sign that the vinyl is a 70s repress? I really find it hard to tell what's an original with rockabilly records, as the bootleggers got in there so early on compared to other genres. The good news is that it still plays great as you can hear above.
The following youtube footage is from Roger Corman's 1957 rock'n'roll exploitation movie 'Carnival of Rock' and features the same band as play on 'Red Hot'. Shortly afterwards Burton and bassist James Kirkland would jump to Ricky Nelson's ship.
A brilliant slice of late period garage rock (1969), or early glam depending on how you look at it, from Mark Lindsay and the gang. A really cool false ending too. Considering their first single came out 1960 and they kept recording into the 70s, the Raiders had an amazing run of often great records and managed to weather all sorts of musical fashions while maintaining popularity; they wouldn't even have their biggest hit until 1971. Partly down to their novelty image, but mainly because hardly any of their records sold in the UK, I'm still discovering their songs and thankful for it.
I've seen this single a few times over the years and always wondered what the deal was, considering the other side of the record is Freddie And The Dreamers' 'You Were Made For Me' (Freddie's second biggest US hit). Apparently this was how all the Tower copies were issued and internet sources claim The Beat Merchants taking the B-side was down to some kind of pressing mistake, but I'm not so sure since the "Introducing The..." legend seems to suggest a marketing ploy by Tower, though if it was one it was unique and quite unsuccessful considering The Beat Merchants never followed up on the exposure. Whatever the story it's a stroke of luck, as an otherwise very rare record (the original UK issue bombed) is easily available and it's a stunning track. Like 'Pretty Face, The Beat Merchants first single, 'So Fine' is a stone cold classic. Raw British RnB pop following the Yardbirds into the stratosphere. One of the great bass intros leads into tight harmonies, wild harmonica and undulating rhythms, it almost defines a genre a year before most so called freakbeat records were recorded. The BEAT MERCHANTS- So Fine
I found this 45 for a few cents at Camberwell Market, the reverse of the German picture sleeve was particularly enticing with the word BEAT prominently featured above a fine selection of CBS LPs. Turns out 'Sister Marie' is a pretty abysmal slice of badly sung 60s kitsch with lyrics about a nun and what sounds like humming through grease proof paper and comb. I nearly didn't post it. But I did. Sorry!
MARQUIS OF KENSINGTON- Sister Marie
The instrumental B-side, though still total kitsch, is a much more fun and atmospheric proposition. Heavy drums dominate, keyboards stab and some nice fuzz guitar adds colour. It puts me in mind of the sort of stuff that soundtracked European porno movies in the early of 70s. In fact an Italian calling himself The Duke Of Burlington had a hit single with a note for note cover of 'Flash' in 1969.
MARQUIS OF KENSINGTON- Flash
However, it turns out the story of this record is much better than the music.
The men behind The Marquis Of Kensington were actually Mike Leander and Robert Wace. Leander was a great producer and arranger who played a part in many classic records. While at Decca he produced or arranged Marianne Faithful, Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, The Rolling Stones, The Small Faces, Them... I could go on but I think you get the idea. He then had a short spell in America with Atlantic where he arranged 'Under The Boardwalk' for the Drifters, was back in England in time to arrange 'She's Leaving Home' for The Beatles and spent the early 70s at Bell where he helped craft Gary Glitters glam hits.
Robert Wace though certainly not as musically talented as Leander is just as interesting a figure in the British pop. Like Kit Lambert with The Who, Wace and his partner Grenville Collins were bored ex public school types who saw pop music management as a way into show business and the rapidly exploding excitment of what would become the swinging sixties. With their connections and talent for publicity, hype and provocation, they helped The Kinks become one of the biggest bands in the England and managed them right through to 1971.
In fact in Wace's case he'd actually fancied being the star himself, and had initially employed The Kinks as his backing band until the limits of his vocal style, which Dave Davies described as a "kind of mixture of Noel Coward and Buddy Holly", became all too apparent and he joined Collins in management.
This record is evidence that Wace did not put his singing completely behind him. 'Sister Marie' is sung by an incognito Robert Wace and was the follow up to another Marquis Of Kensington single 'The Changing Of The Guard', which had been a hit in continental Europe. 'The Changing Of The Guard' is a great little tune, sort of sub Kinks, with nostalgic lyrics that actually suit Wace's 'upper class' vocal style.
There is a comment below this video on youtube which I'd like to think comes from Grenville Collins:
"Great to hear this again, it was the last throw of the dice, the Kinks were not working and money was tight - desperate times, desperate measures. We took the track to Germany and sold it, got the contract and the cheque all in one day! We thought no more about it until one day the record coy called and said that it was a hit and they wanted to do a TV promo tour. This is where our troubles began, Robert Wace refused to go so we found a good looking kid on the King's Road and taught him to mime."
I guess 'Sister Marie' was then thrown together to keep the German record company happy and earn a bit more cash. I wonder what ever happened to the guy they got in to mime, who's also featured on the above record sleeve?
This stomping beat guitar version of The Velvelettes classic was a monster Australian hit in 1966 for The Twilights who were one of the country's best pop bands in the mid to late 60s.
The B-side is a version of Goffin and King's 'I Won't Be The same Without Her'. The Monkees also recorded this track in 1966, though they wouldn't release it until their 'odds and sods' LP, Instant Replay, in 1969. I'm curious as to whether The Twilights got an early listen to The Monkees version; which is most likely considering the subsequent attempts to turn them in an Australian Monkees with an aborted TV series, or if there was a Carole King demo of the song that made it down under?
Wouldn't it be great if someone put together a decent compilation of Carole's Brill Building demos? The ones I've heard (on shoddy budget compilations- the rights must be a mess) are amazing and there are supposed to be a lot more floating around...
I recently moved to Melbourne from Scotland. Due to a pre-existing record buying illness, I have been perusing the op-shops and record stores of Australia for shiny black plastic. This is a blog about some of my discoveries.
All music is taken from the records, with crackles and scratches included.
