Congratulations to Ray Davies

Have to do a quick one now, since i'm in a hurry. However, Kink Ray Davies turned 67 today. Let's hope he had a happy birthday!

Lazin' on a sunny afternoon.

There will be a longer Ray Davies special tomorrow when i have more time.

Record Hunting: 20-21 June 2011

Okay, so there has been some gaps between the posts recently, so after this post and another (a birthday post for the great Ray Davies, who turns 67 today), i'm going to have my summer vacation. So, yesterday and today i was in Gothenburg for a business trip, and of course i didn't wanted to miss something, so after the work was done i went to the town's record stores. So, here's what i've bought...

LP:s

Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request (Decca 1967)

First off, we have (probably) one of the rarest Stones records; Their Satanic Majesties Request with the 3D album cover. Bought it for just 600 Swedish Kronor (£60). It is worth much more. Stereo.

Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (Immediate 1968)

Danish pressing of the boys best known album. Stereo.

Big Star - #1 Record (Reissue) (Ardent 1972)

Very nice reissue of Big Star's first LP. 

Big Star - Radio City (Reissue) (Ardent 1973)

Another Big Star reissue, here with nice red vinyl.

45:s

Keith West - Excerpt From A Teenage Opera/Theme From A Teenage Opera (Parlophone 1967)

Swedish pressing of the Tomorrow man's solo record. I hate the children's choir, but otherwise it's a great record. Image stolen from Tradera (Swedish eBay)

Rolling Stones - Come On/I Want To Be Loved (Decca 1963)

The Stones' first ever 45.

Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper/Lady Jane (Decca 1966)

German copy of this single.

Traffic - Hole In My Shoe/Smiling Phases (Island 1967)

Traffic's second single and also the perfect Summer Of Love-tune.

Jeff Beck - Hi Ho Silver Lining/Beck's Bolero (Columbia 1967)

The Yardbirds-man does his own thing and he does it very well. Not too fond about the A-side (Silver Lining) (prefer The Attack's version), but the B-side (Beck's Bolero) is a masterpiece.

Moody Blues - Ride My See-Saw/A Simple Game (Deram 1968)

I can't think of anything to write about this one. Sorry.

CD:s

Various - The Beat Scene (Decca/Deram 1998)

Compilation with variout '60s Beat groups on Decca.

Variout - The Mod Scene (Decca/Deram 1998)

Another compilation in the same series, this time with Mod bands.

Stoned

I apologize for all the blog posts i haven't written the past few weeks, but come on, it's summer! And here is the Rolling Stones second ever B-side.

A great Blues/R&B track with only a few spoken words.

Weird John's Children EP

Okay, so, about a year ago i bought this weird John's Children EP for £6 in some store, and i can't find any info about it on the net! So now i'm wondering, does anyone know anything about it? The group is called 'Infantes Johanni' on the 45 and the label is called 'Slack Records' instead of 'Track Records' (the groups original record label). The songs are 'Midsummer's Night Scene', a long version of 'Sarah Crazy Child', 'Go-Go Girl' and vocalist Andy Ellison's solo song 'Cornflake Zoo'. Is it an acetate? Is it a more recent fake? Is it a bootleg? Please write your theories about it in the comments.

50th Post!

So, Real Crazy Apartment has reached it's 50th post! Nice. Therefore, i'm going to post my top 5 (5 as in 50, wittily, isn't it?) British freakbeat/psych singles of the 60s.

5: PETER & THE WOLVES: Woman On My Mind/Old And The New

Woman On My Mind

4: JOHN'S CHILDREN: Desdemona/Remember Thomas A. Becket

Desdemona

Remember Thomas A. Becket

3: LES FLEUR DE LYS: Circles/So, Come On

Circles

So, Come On

2: WIMPLE WINCH: Save My Soul/Everybody's Worried 'Bout Tomorrow

Save My Soul

1: TINTERN ABBEY: Vacuum Cleaner/Beeside

Vacuum Cleaner

(HOLY FUCK, that one's worth £1000!!)

Beeside

(Of course, there's a lot other great UK Psych (Dantalian's Chariot, Kaleidoscope etc etc), but this is my personal top 5)

Purple Pill Eaters: Cool People From The 60's Part 2

THE BLUES MAGOOS

DAVID BOWIE

JEFF BECK (YARDBIRDS)

RAY DAVIES (KINKS)

TAGES

THE BIRDS

THE REMAINS

THE SMALL FACES

The Slam Creepers' • I Should Have Known Better

(My computer has been living it's own life for the past seven days so i couldn't post anything. Now i'm back anyway)

If you're a frequent reader of my blog, you might have seen a picture of The Slam Creepers' on my previous 'Purple Pill Eaters' post. The Slam Creepers' came from Vansbro, Sweden and released some great Timebox-esque psych records in the 60's, often with a little jazz feel to it. They released two LPs, one in '67 and one in '68, and the opening track the their second LP, 'Dedicated To Sweet Ruth', is a cover of the Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better". And i have to say that they actually do it just as good (if not better) as the Beatles did on their 'A Hard Day's Night' from 1964. Vocalist/organist Björn Skifs would later enjoy worldwide fame with the number 1 hit "Hooked On A Feeling" with Blue Swede in the 70's.

"I Should Have Known Better" starts at 3:04.

The Untamed • I'll Go Crazy/My Baby Is Gone

This cool R&B/Beat group, The Untamed, came from Worthing and released 5 fine 45's between '64 and '66. This one, their third, was a cover of James Brown's "I'll Go Crazy" (which Jimmy Page, then a session man, played on), and a slightly better B-side, "My Baby Is Gone". Both are killer tracks anyhow.

Appearing on the front page of NME.

I'll Go Crazy

My Baby Is Gone

The Southern Sound • I Don't Wanna Go

The Southern Sound only made the mega-rare 45 "Just The Same As You/I Don't Wanna Go" in '66, but what a 45 it is! Both sides are perfect, even if the B-side actually is a bit better. "I Don't Wanna Go" is a frantic, The Sorrows-esque number, with the same vocal style as Sorrows vocalist Don Fardon and the same bouncing drumbeats that The Sorrows had. But the 45 sold poorly and Columbia did quit the contract.

The even rarer Norwegian picture sleeve.

Just The Same As You

I Don't Wanna Go

The Honeycombs • Eyes

Psychedelia before psychedelia. That's a good description of The Honeycombs third 45 from '64. Rumours say that the song actually is about loneliness in a gay bar when being gay was illegal. However, it's a very heavy song for coming from such a Pop oriented band. Mysteriously, the record flopped when it came out in '64, probably because the world wasn't ready for psych yet.

The Longboatmen • Take Her Anytime

The Longboatmen, another Swedish 60's group, formed as The Steampacket in 1965, but they had to change their name to avoid confusion with the R&B/Blues group with the same name. So they changed to Steampacket II. But, when they were going to tour in England they were forced to change their name again, this time to The Longboatmen. After these name changes, they recorded this brilliant garage/psych 45, "Take Her Anytime".

Cool Teens

Stevie Wright (Easybeats) around 1966

Eric Clapton, probably 1964

David Bowie, 1965

Syd Barrett, 1965

Steve Winwood '65, from the movie Pop Gear (Go-Go Mania in the US)

Dave Davies 1964

Keith Moon '64

Mark Feld (Marc Bolan), 1963

The Riot Squad with Mitch Mitchell, far left. 1964

Steve Marriott & Kenney Jones, 1966

Van Morrison of Them, 1964

The Wild Ones • Bowie Man/Purple Pill Eater

Bowie Man: This marraccas shaking piece of greatness was made by The Wild Ones, a group i know nothing about. However, i love this song. Perhaps it was from here Davy Jones got his name?


Purple Pill Eater: The B-side is a jolly anti-drug song, and has sort of a bluebeat feel to it. Even if it's not really my thing, it's still pretty good.

Cool 60's Picture Sleeves