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.

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 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".

60's Pop Duos Part 5: State Of Micky & Tommy

Okay, so the final part of my "60's Pop Duos" series have arrived. Now we're going to talk about the State Of Micky & Tommy, a little duo consisting of Tommy Brown & Micky Jones (Later of Foreigner; even if this is 200 times better that anything Foreigner ever recorded). These two guys earlier worked as session musicians for French musicians like Johnny Hallyday and Francoise Hardy, and now decided to record some singles.

Ron Wood: 64 Years Today

Ron Wood, member of Faces, Rolling Stones and of course one of my favourites, The Birds, turns 64 today. So let's celebrate with some cool Birds pictures...

... and my favourite two Birds songs.

That's nice!

Tages • Fantasy Island

Sweden's own Tages are best known for their 1967 masterpiece Studio. At the same time, they released their best (and most psychedelic) single, "Fantasy Island". It has great vocal harmonies and a nice organ. Sounds very much like The Zombies did when they released "Oddesey & Oracle". ('Studio' and 'Fantasy Island' has another thing in common: both are recorded in the Abbey Road studio). Their bass player Göran Lagerberg is also my apartment neighbour, which is pretty great.

Göran and Freddie (Skantze) with Chuck Berry.

Tages' psychedelic stage show

The Sorrows • Let Me In

The Sorrows were a groovy little band from Coventry, who made 7 singles and 2 LP's between '65 and '67 on the Piccadilly label. They never got the success they deserved, probably because their music was simply too ahead of it's time. Lead singer Don Fardon went on to a solo career and had a Top 10 hit in UK in 1970 with a cover of "Indian Reservation". Also, his version of "I'm Alive" was featured in a commercial for some juice.

Page from some magazine, 1965.

Q65

Holland's finest having some great fun, 1966.

The Mockingbirds- You Stole My Love

(Gouldman, second from right)

The Mockingbirds were a groovy little band from Manchester, with Graham Gouldman, who earlier wrote songs for groups like The Yardbirds, The Hollies and Herman's Hermits and later joined 10cc (which also featured Mockingbirds drummer Kevin Godley). They released five singles on Columbia, Immediate and Decca, and here is their best one. 

(Interesting fact: That's a young Julie Driscoll on backing vocals)

French 60's EP's

As we all know, the French has a special sense for making lovely EP's. So here are some...

THE ACTION- Shadows & Reflections/Something Has Hit Me/Never Ever/Twenty Fourth Hour

THE ARTWOODS- Oh My Love/Big City/If I Ever Get My Hands On You/Sweet Mary 

OLA & THE JANGLERS- That's When/I Need To Sing/Not In My Life/Can't You Feel

THE SEEDS- No Escape/Excuse, Excuse/Can't Seem To Make You Mine/Daisy Mae

(...even if they forgot to write 'time' between 'the' and 'flies')

THE SHAMROCKS- Don't Say/Days/Smoke Rings/How The Time Flies

THE CREATION- Making Time/Biff Bang Pow/Try And Stop Me/Sylvette

THE EASYBEATS- Heaven & Hell/River Deep, Mountain High/All Gone Boy/You Me, We Love

A BAND OF ANGELS- She'll Never Be You/Gonna Make A Woman/Me/Not True As Yet

THE BIRDS- No Good Without You/How Can It Be/Leaving Here/Next In Line

THE SMOKE- Just Your Way Of Lovin'/If The Weather's Sunny/I Would If I Could But I Can't/Wake Up, Cherylina

SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET- She's About A Mover/We'll Take Our Last Walk Tonight/The Tracker/Blue Norther

SHOTGUN EXPRESS- I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round/Curtains/Funny 'Cos Neither Could I/Indian Thing

THE SORROWS- Let Me In/How Love Used To Be/Don't Wanna Be Free/No No No No

TWICE AS MUCH- True Story/Sittin' On A Fence/You're So Good For Me/Step Out Of Line

THE PRETTY THINGS- Don't Bring Me Down/Rosalyn/Big Boss Man/We'll Be Together

THE MERSEYS- Rhythm Of Love/Is It Love/So Sad About Us/Sorrow

THE MOODY BLUES- Go Now/It's Easy Child/Steal Your Heart Away/Loose Your Money

JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS- Looking Back/So Many Roads/Parchman Farm/Key To Love

Hume Paton R.I.P

And to continue the sadness, i newly read that Hume Patton, lead guitarist with the best Scottish 60's freakbeat/psych group The Poets, died from a heart attack in Grenada, 30th April.

Hume Paton, second from left 

Hume Paton 1944-2011

... and my favourite Poets track.

The Koobas- Gypsy Fred

(Stupid watermark!)

You might have heard about The Koobas, and if you don't, here's their story. The Koobas started out as The Kubas in Liverpool, and their early days are similar to the early days of The Beatles; they played all-nighters in Germany. In -64 they got signed by Brian Epstein and got a deal for Pye Records, and around here they also changed their name from The Kubas to The Koobas, 'cause when their record was going to be released in the US, they thought The Kubas sounded too much like Cuba.

Nice pants! 

Their first single failed to chart, but they played a supporting-act for The Beatles to promote the single. In -66, they moved to EMI-Columbia and played supporting acts for groups and artists like The Who and Jimi Hendrix. In 1967 they switched from the beat music to a more psychedelic image.

They released their only album, 'The Koobas', in -69, which went nowhere and is very rare nowadays. Luckily, it has been reissued both on CD and Vinyl, so we can hear it without having to eat canned beans for the rest of our lives. This brilliant single is as a bonus track on the CD reissue of the record, and of course, as a 45.

Chances Are- Fragile Child

The Chances Are only released this great toe tapper on Columbia in 1967, but it went nowhere and the group faded into obscurity, which resulted in very little information about them. That's life, lads.

Ad for the group's only 45