Swedish Sounds Part One: The Other Side

Newly I've listened a lot to more obscure, Swedish 60's beat/freakbeat/psych/garage bands, so I decided that until next Thursday I am just going to write about Swedish bands and artistes. 

Jack Downing, the group's leader, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas but moved to Sweden in 1963. In October '65, he formed The Other Side together with three Englishmen and one Swede. They released one 45 in 1966 on a label called Karusell, before changing their name to Jack Downing & The Other Side and releasing four more country-sounding 45's on RCA Victor and CBS from 1969 to 1973. Downing also had a solo career for some years in the 70's.

This is the one single they released as The Other Side, and by far their best 45. The A-side is a song many have tried to cover, but few has made a good version of it. This version is OK, but nothing more. The flip, on the other hand, is great. The organ riff is brilliant, Downing's vocals are brilliant and everything else is rather brilliant as well.

Since a young man called Mac MacLeod was a member of the Other Side, both songs can be found on a compilation called "The Incredible Musical Odyssey Of The Original Hurdy Gurdy Man: Mac MacLeod".

"Out My Light":    

Heavy Metal '66

Parlophone R-5510

What we have here children, is one of my favourite British 60's freak psych 45's EVER MADE, and possibly one of the rarer (a mint copy is worth vertiginous 750 British pounds according to Record Collector Magazine's "Rare Record Price Guide" from December 2010) as well. Guitarist Geoff Gibbs' website says Him & The Others were George Demetrious (vocals), Colin Roche and Geoff Gibbs (both guitar), Lennie Shaw (bass) and Keith Giles (drums) and released only this nugget in 1966. 

"I Mean It" is a pretty good song, but the flip side "She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies" totally blows it away. With the lovely guitar noise and amazing drumming it pre-dates Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" as the first ever heavy metal track with two years. In 1967,  Lennie Shaw decided to leave, so Geoff Gibbs became basist and the group changed their name to The Hand.

As "The Hand", 1967

She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies

"I Mean It" appeared at a 1998 comp. called "Purple Pill Eaters", but I do not believe it is still in print.

Record Hunting: 10th September

Been a while now since I blogged about record I've bought, and tomorrow it's ten years since two planes destroyed the World Trade Centre. So I thought, why not lighten the mood with some record hunting? Here's what I bought.

Tages-Extra Extra LP Platina 1966

Tages - Extra Extra. Tages third LP from 1966. Mostly cover versions, but also some great originals like "Secret Room", "True Fine Woman" and "Extra". Another favourite track of mine is an amazing cover of The Small Faces' "Understanding". Not "Contrast" or "Studio" but still a good LP.

Terry Knight & The Pack-Self titled LP Lucky Eleven 1966

Terry Knight & The Pack-Self titled. The first of two LP's released by this American garage group. Several members went on to join Grand Funk Railroad, and Knight himself became their producer and manager. Favourite track: "Numbers".

The Poets-Wooden Spoon: The Singles Anthology 1964-1967 CD Grapefruit 2011

The Poets-Wooden Spoon: The Singles Anthology 1964-1967. Compilation by Scotland's Poets compiling both sides of all their 45's. Unfortunately no bonus tracks but I am still pleased, he he.

The Rokes-Let's Live For Today: The Rokes In English 1966-68 CD Rev-Ola 2008

The Rokes-Let's Live For Today: The Rokes In English 1966-68. This Beat group came from London but soon moved to Italy where they found great success, which resulted in many of their songs being sung in Italian. This compilation compiles all the group's songs sung in English.

Various-With The Sun In My Eyes: 20 psychedelic spins from the UK and Europe CD Psychic Circle 2007

Various-With The Sun In My Eyes: 20 psychedelic spins from the UK and Europe. Compilation CD with psychedelic music, like Ola & The Janglers, The Gnomes Of Zurich and more.

The In-Be-Tweens-You Better Run/Evil Witchman Repro 45 Columbia 1966

The In-Be-Tweens-You Better Run/Evil Witchman. Only single released by The In-Be-Tweens. Later evolved into Slade.

Hamilton & The Movement-I'm Not The Marrying Kind/My Love Belongs To You Repro 45 CBS 1967

Know barely anything about this group, but i really like this single. Produced and A-side written by Rolling Stone Bill Wyman.

Tages

Just heard that Swedish EMI newly released a 5 CD set compiling our very own beat gods Tages' 5 LP's (Tages, Tages 2, Extra Extra, Contrast and Studio) that they released between 1965 and '67. Unfortunately no bonus tracks but not bad at all anyway. Mysteriously i can't find it on Amazon OR eBay but if you live in the EU you can order it from this site for only 17.95 € (about 25 USD / 15 GBP):

http://cdon.eu/music/tages/original_album_series_(5cd)-14573447

The Merseys

Cool live clip of The Merseys doing Sorrow, broadcasted on French TV.

The Mark Four-Hurt Me If You Will/I'm Leaving

THE MARK FOUR-Hurt Me If You Will/I'm Leaving Decca F12204 1965

Before the mighty Creation, there was The Mark Four. The first four are, in my opinion, pretty lame but by the release of the third, things begin to happen. 'Hurt Me If You Will' is a pretty okay beat song, not bad but there's not very much things that happens, the song keeps it's slow rhythm all the way, a rave-up would not have been wrong. The great one on this 45 is the B-side, I'm Leaving. This has somewhat a Bo Diddley beat, great guitar plucking, a booming, fat bass, bouncing drums in the Sorrows-vein and stone cold vocals from Kenny Pickett. The group made one more great 45 on Fontana, 'Work All Day (Sleep All Night)/Going Down Fast before evolving into The Creation and the rest is history.

From left: Kenny Pickett, Jack Jones, John Dalton,
Mick 'Spud' Thompson and Eddie Phillips

Hurt Me If You Will

I'm Leaving

Good Beatles Covers, Part Two

St Louis Union Girl/Respect Decca F12318 1966

So, here we have the St. Louis Union's debut single also on Decca from 1966, a cover of 'Girl'. It was also the Union's only chart success, as it got to #11 on the charts. However, even though it became a hit it is far from the group's best recording; i feel it is not a good representation of the group's real mega cool Mod image. The only highlight with this one is Tony Cassidy's nice vocal performance, which lifts the number a little higher. Much, much better is the flip, a cover of Otis Redding's 'Respect', which is a much better representation of the group's image. Cassidy's vocals is also on top, howling and fits great to the track.

'Girl'

'Respect'