LITTLE RICHARD - I Need Love / The Commandments Of Love - Okeh-4-7262 - 1967

Sorry it's been so long. Hopefully this record makes up for it! My plan is to get back to posting weekly.

I literally buy every Little Richard record I find, and I love every one. No explanation needed. But pulling this one out of the bin threw me for a loop: No yellow, black and white Specialty label? Did Little Richard even put stuff out on the Okeh label? Could this be a different Little Richard altogether?

When I got home and put the needle on "I Need Love," it took only a few seconds to figure out that this is the Little Richard. In fact, the track is exactly what you might imagine if you took the rhythm & blues insanity that is Little Richard from the 1950's and let it run loose on the Soul sound of 1967. It's nothing revolutionary, but man I can't get enough of these crazy drum breaks and wild falsetto yelps! I really gotta see how people dance to this one.

Come to find out, Little Richard recorded two albums on the Okeh label with the great Johnny Guitar Watson (on guitar, duh). "Commandments Of Love," the flip of this 45, was one of the few tracks that did well from this project. To me, at points, the song has almost a dub feel which is cool. And the choruses end with some pretty hard hits. It's worth a listen, but doesn't compare to "I Need Love," and my copy has such terrible surface noise, I really couldn't post it.

I Need Love:


[Kyle Brown]

The BOBBETTES - I Don't Like It Like-That (Part I) / I Don't Like It Like-That (Part II) - Gone-5112 - 1961

Today, the Public School 109 building sits empty, as it has for the past 16 years. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the community, it looks as though this beautiful old building is slated to be renovated for condos and loft spaces to accommodate a new wave of gentrification into Spanish Harlem. That means turning the school into a playground for the rich instead of the kind where five girls from the nearby housing projects can meet up and start a singing career.  

That's how and where the R&B girl group called "The Harlem Queens" formed 57 years ago . Two years later, The Queens took the supposedly less-provocative name, "The Bobbettes" at the insistence of their new label, Atlantic Records. Soon again The Bobbettes were forced by Atlantic to whitewash their first hit, "Mr. Lee" turning a song about how much they hated the school principal into a song of endearment.

After producing a couple duds, The Bobbettes were let go from Atlantic and they were free to move back toward their original grittier style born of the playground and the projects. In 1960, they released the excellent track, "I Shot Mr. Lee" which gives some insight into what they actually thought of their principal. A year later, they released the track I've posted here, an answer to Chris Kenner's song "I Like It Like That." The flip of this record is a nearly all instrumental version that loses the vocal energy so I decided not to post it. Thanks to my friend Natalia for giving me a lead on this record! Enjoy!

I Don't Like It Like-That (Part I):


[Kyle Brown]

ROKY ERICKSON AND THE ALIENS - Creature With The Atom Brain / The Wind And More - CBS-8888 - 1980


Both sides of this single were taken from the 1980 LP 'Roky Erickson And The Aliens,' his first release after The 13th Floor Elevators and several years of questionable psychotherapy. The shift in dynamics between The Elevators and Roky's subsequent material is noteworthy. While The Elevators were literally soaked in LSD and making very psychedelic sounding music, the subject matter was always at least decipherable and grounded in some manner. Roky, post-treatment, was no longer on drugs, writing songs that were rather straight-forward sonically, but absolutely demented thematically. As such, it's a bit shocking that he sounds as lucid as he does on these songs (and the rest of the LP as well.)

Stu Cook (CCR bassist) played a significant role in bringing these songs to fruition, having acted as producer and ultimate coordinator of the project. I can't speak very much on the actual production of the record, I find it a bit dated and stale, but the task of pulling Roky and a band together to bring these songs to life more than makes up for it.

Here's two incredible tracks. Enjoy.


Creature With The Atom Brain:


The Wind And More:


[Kelley Ryan]

BEN E. KING - I (Who Have Nothing) / The Beginning Of Time - Atco-6267 - 1963

After a couple years as lead singer for The Drifters, Ben E. King launched a solo career in 1960 on the ATCO label. Within no time he cut "Stand By Me," one of the most well-known soul songs of all time. And two years later, he released this record.

Both tracks here are stunningly dramatic and powerful soul songs. The vocals alone are enough to command attention, especially with lines like, "He can take you any place he wants, to fancy clubs and restaurants, but I can only watch you with my nose pressed up against a window. Ohhhhh...!" What pushes these tracks over the top is the way the instrumentation works with the song to stir up all the melodrama of love. The A-side does this with huge tympani hits, a desolate woodblock and a lonely, inconclusive trumpet outro making for a love song of despair. But the flip-side (my favorite) follows with swooping string arrangements, xylophone accents, and angelic backup vocals dripping with reverb. The result is a balancing of the depair on the A-side with a mood of hopeful resolve on the flip.

This record has got me on a Ben E. King kick and I've been hunting down anything and everything of his I can find.

I (Who Have Nothing):


The Beginning Of Time:


[Kyle Brown]

BOBBY LEWIS - Mumbles Blues / Oh Baby - Mercury-71245 - 1957

This A-side stands in a proud tradition of speech impediment songs. Some people consider this a novelty song, but I take it seriously. Seriously, try mumbling as good as Bobby Lewis on this track. It's really not as easy as you might imagine. If it is, and if you don't look too hilarious doing it, contact me because I've got some song ideas. For more sub-par commentary on "Mumbles Blues," check out Episode 3 of the Two Dummies Podcast.

The B-side is a nice mid-tempo rhythm and blues track with a driving shuffle beat. But it's the vocals that really get me. Anyone that's been lonely knows Bobby Lewis is right on this track: "When the moon starts shining and the sun melts away and it's dark over the city and in your bed you lay," that's when you'll be howling, "Oh Baby!"

Mumbles Blues:


Oh Baby:


[Kyle Brown]

RON HOLDEN WITH THE THUNDERBIRDS - My Babe / Love You So - Donna-1315 - 1959

I originally snagged this record for "My Babe" which is an excellent rock-n-roller. For some reason though it's the cheesy teenage ballad on the other side that I'm obsessed with. There must be a million songs like "Love You So" out there. But whereas teenage doo-wop love songs usually sound sterile and clean, "Love You So" has a particular rawness to it. The claves are offbeat a lot of the time. The piano part sounds like something even I could stab at. The lyrics and rhyme are embarrassingly predictable. And the melody is simple and repetitive like a lullaby. There's something very genuine and comforting about all of this.

My Babe:


Love You So:


[Kyle Brown]

JACKIE LEE - Glory Of Love / Bring It Home - Keymen-109 - 1967

Jackie Lee had a string of hits with different groups, under a number of different names. He started off under his real name, Earl Nelson, singing with The Hollywood Flames and had a hit with 'Buzz, Buzz, Buzz.' After that he recorded as one half of the duo Bob & Earl. (Two different Bob's were a part of that group.) He also recorded variously under the names “Jay Dee,” “Earl Cosby,” “Chip Nelson,” and finally settled with “Jackie Lee.” Talk about identity crisis.

Glory Of Love is a nice enough song, but I can't for the life of me figure out why a label would try to push it as an A-side when the other song is so undeniably superior. The folks at Keymen tried it again in 1973 when they stuck Bring It Home as the B-side of African Boo-Ga-Loo. It's certainly A-side material. Jackie's voice is incredible here, and the song has hooks that can really sink in. I think the kids will enjoy it.


Glory Of Love:


Bring It Home:


[Kelley Ryan]

WIRE - Mannequin // Feelin' Called Love / 1.2.X.U. - Harvest-5144 - 1977

Mannequin was Wire's first single, and all three songs can be found on their first immaculate album, Pink Flag. It makes sense that Mannequin was the lead single, given that it was one of the few songs on the record to surpass the two minute mark, doesn't do anything too smart to confuse the average listener, and it's got a nice catchy little hook. It's a great song with lovely, mean-spirited lyrics.

Feelin' Called Love is strictly alright.

The real winner on this single, and the main reason why I've searched for a copy for ages, is 1.2.X.U. It's short, aggressive, doesn't bother with a normal structure or chorus, and it has nearly as much negative space as actual song parts. This is, in my opinion, perfect songwriting. Unfortunately the single version has chopped off Colin Newman's count in, which always tickled me.


Mannequin:


Feelin' Called Love:


1.2.X.U.:


[Kelley Ryan]

NOBEL "THIN MAN" WATTS - Hot Tamales / Flap Jack - Baton-266 - 1959

Pulled this double-feature out of a bin on the way home from work a couple weeks ago. It rules.

Nobel Watts spent his career playing sleazy R&B saxophone. He backed blues/jazz/R&B singers like Dinah Washington in the mid-1950's, then moved on to play with a bunch of early rock-n-roll greats such as Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and The Everly Brothers. This record in particular shows the "Thin Man" has no problem getting the dance floor shakin' down and dirty on his own.  

It's pretty clear that "Hot Tamales" is under the influence of "Tequila." It starts with a nice funky guitar rhythm, and then rips after the vocal call to "cha-cha!." My favorite part is the killer drum break that builds back into one last sprint to the end. As good as this track is, I'm partial to the b-side "Flap Jack" for its sex appeal. There's the intro, of course. But the sax playing is just unreal, hootin', growling, and climaxing with a nearly 10 second screaming note halfway through the song! Vavoom!

Hot Tamales:


Flap Jack:


[Kyle Brown]

THE SAPPHIRES - Who Do You Love / Oh So Soon - Swan-4162 - 1963

Some of my favorite girl group-esque songs are really sweet sounding on the surface, but quite dark when you get into the thick of it. 'Who Do You Love' is a great example, with some pretty intensely insecure lyrics, sung with the sweetest voice imaginable, sitting pretty on top of a beautiful arrangement. This track was included on the incredible 'One Kiss Can Lead To Another' box set.

The B-side is similar in theme but isn't quite as strong as the top side. It's still a great track though. Carol Jackson's vocals are never terribly powerful, but instead very honest and vulnerable, and the arrangement is, again, top notch.

Enjoy.

Who Do You Love:


Oh So Soon:


[Kelley Ryan]

MEL TORME - Comin' Home Baby / Right Now - Atlantic-2165 - 1962

I love a great jazz singer. But you don't expect them to produce tracks you can fit into a set and DJ. Well, "Comin' Home Baby" by Mel Torme (aka "The Velvet Fog") is one of those exactly. After a long career (starting at age 4!) as singer, actor, instrumentalist...etc, Mel tried to get hip to a new musical trend called "rock-n-roll" and reinvented himself in the early 1960's on the Atlantic label. Although this move was widely considered an artistic nightmare, he produced this gem, later re-appropriated by the Northern Soul scene.

"Comin' Home Baby" is a blues song with a driving beat, and a frantic, almost be-bop sounding vocal delivery. The instrumentation builds tension along with the call-and-response vocals to create a sense of escalating argument. There's also a great organ solo.

Comin' Home Baby:


[Kyle Brown]

PHIL FLOWERS - You Little Devil / The Cleopatra - Jose-909 - 1963


I heard the b-side to this record first and loved it so much, I never flipped it over. So I decided to include "You Little Devil" since today is the first time I've ever actually listened to it and it's not too bad. Mr. Flowers' delivery of the opening vocal line, "There are rumors in town..." is my favorite part. There's also a pretty amazingly sloppy fill that kicks into the bridge that I now enjoy playing air-drums to. Other than that though, "Cleopatra" is where it's at.

"Cleopatra" is genius on a number of levels. It's about a queen that bathes in milk and uses her power of thrown to start a dance craze: "Get out on the floor, put your arms out straight/Now shake your head just like a cobra snake...!" The slow hypnotic instrumentation almost sounds like a cobra snake. And for some reason I can't help but follow her orders.

You can also hear "Cleopatra" on Episode 4 of our podcast.

YOU LITTLE DEVIL


THE CLEOPATRA


[KB]

GERMS - The Germs (GI) [bootleg] - Crash!-001 - 1992

These three songs originally appeared on the 'Tooth And Nail' compilation LP that was released by Upsetter Records in 1979. They were apparently recorded specifically for the comp, as they never showed up anywhere else, aside from this bootleg 7". All three songs were later re-recorded and released on their '(GI)' LP. I've done quite a bit of digging for info regarding this recording session, but I can't find a thing. It wasn't even mentioned in the Germs book.

This is by far the best Germs bootleg I've found so far. All three songs benfit greatly from their comparitively rougher production than their (GI) counterparts. As a matter of fact, I would say these are the best Germs recordings aside from the 'Lexicon Devil' single.

Pat's guitar playing seems to be less over-dubbed than the (GI) sessions, and as a result is much more audible here, which, in Pat's case, is perfect. Darby sounds great, still snarling, but not as rabid as the later recordings. The band manages to stay tight throughout, even though it sounds like they could fall apart at any second. Really great stuff.

Also, the 'piano solo' in Dragon Lady is incredible.


MANIMAL:


DRAGON LADY:


STRANGE NOTES:


[KR]

COZY COLE - Topsy-Turvy (Everything is) / Bad - Love-5015 - 1958

In my recent obsession for tracks with cool percussion, I've come to love Cozy Cole. He had a long career playing with the likes of Cab Calloway, and I've found some cool singles under his own name on the small Brooklyn-based Love label. "Bad," the B-side of another of the excellent Topsy/Turvy series might be my favorite so far. Everything hits hard, has swagger, and could easily be the soundtrack for a street fight.


BAD:


[KB]

THE MONKEES - Porpoise Song / As We Go Along - Colgems-1031 - 1968

I guess it's a fitting time to post this 45. The Monkees were, at times, absolutely incredible. Both sides of this single, though very different from each other, are top shelf Monkees tunes. They're both from the Head soundtrack, which I would reccomend to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Porpoise Song is the best The Monkees ever did. Top-notch songwriting, great instrumentation, and the production is huge. Nice lyrics too. What's noteworthy about this single is that it has the full version of the song. On the Head Soundtrack LP (at least the copy I own) the final coda, a massive instrumental crescendo, is cut off, which is one of the best parts of the whole track.

As We Go Along is a mainly acoustic song with some sneaky time signatures that manages to remain enjoyable despite it's new-agey hippie lyrics.

It comes as no real surprise than Carol King had a hand in writing both of these incredible tracks.

PORPOISE SONG


AS WE GO ALONG


[KR]

TICO & THE TRIUMPHS - Motorcycle / I Don't Believe Them - Amy-835 - 1961

Before the sound of silence, Paul Simon just wanted to make some noise. Only then, Paul Simon was Jerry Landis and his group was called Tico & the Triumphs. The use of a pseudonym is fitting. Paul Simon's voice is easy-elevator-listening. Jerry Landis sings doo-wop with a rock'n'roll growl. Paul Simon is going to Graceland. Jerry Landis is zooming around town on his red motorcycle. And this track has plenty of motorcycle sound-effects to prove it. Thanks to Mark "the Shark" to recommending this one in the good ol' Record Archive.

MOTORCYCLE:


[KB]

THE TROGGS - Any Way That You Want Me / 66-5-4-3-2-1 - Fontana-1585 - 1967

As I was listening to "Any Way That You Want Me" I realized that I've always sort of regarded the Troggs as an unintelligent group of guys. Then when I played the flip side, "66-5-4-3-2-1," I remembered that this group of dummies could certainly write a hell of a song.

The A-side of this single isn't one of the better songs the Troggs ever recorded. It's a real lightweight number but reuses the same rhythm that's instantly recognizable as the "Wild Thing" beat (which is far better suited for heavier songs like that, or their version of "I Want You,") and has some of the stupidest lyrics imaginable. Nothing to be disappointed about though. I bought this record for the B-side anyway.

"66-5-4-3-2-1" is, on the other hand, one of the best songs they ever wrote. Somehow they managed to continually write goddamn amazing songs using only a few very simple elements, usually based on one or two parts, and this song fits that mold pretty well. Basic, perfectly minimalistic drumming, short and simple structure, and a guitar leads that kicks dicks in. These fools were on-point when they wrote this tune. I love it.

Also, this song is apparently on the soundtrack to a Vietnam game for Playstation. I can't confirm that though.

Why am I so convinced that the Troggs were dummies? I don't have a solid answer. Maybe it has something to do with their consistently bad & corny lyrics, or maybe The Troggs Tapes have influenced that assumption (which is vaguely worth a listen,) or maybe it's the reggae jam version of "Wild Thing" they released in the mid 70's in a lame attempt to chart again. It could also be their regrettable collaboration with R.E.M. in the 90's, or the not one, but two different new versions of "Wild Thing" they released in the 90's for whatever silly reason, one of which featured Wolf of the show Gladiators. (Yup, the British version of American Gladiators.) Certainly not the smartest choices ever made.

It doesn't matter though, some of my favorite music was written by complete dimwits. You can't really hold it against them.

But honestly, someone please take the guitars away from these guys ASAP. No one's excited for an updated 5th version of what was originally a classic, killer tune.

'66-5-4-3-2-1' was featured in Episode 2 of the Two Dummies Podcast.

JOE SIMON - Nine Pound Steel / The Girl's Alright With Me - SoundStage7-2589 - 1967

I recently grabbed a small stack of Joe Simon 45's and they are all pretty impressive. He got into more of a funk sound later in the 70's, which isn't exactly my bag, but his earlier, more soulful songs are incredible.

Both sides of this record are great. One side's a slow mourner, the flip is a dance floor burner.

Enjoy.


Nine Pound Steel:


The Girl's Alright With Me:


[KR]