Old Melodies ...
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Delvins - The Delvins
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 12:33 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-delvins-delvins.html
Source WEB(Unreleased,Netherlands 1966)
First time ever 4-tracks release of this Dutch beat group from Dordrecht.
Very much inspired by the likes of The Kinks and The Motions. Recorded
1966. Comes in very nice PS, designed after the legendary Dutch Fontana
sleeves from the 60s.
01 - When You See02 - You Know You're Losing Me03 - There Are Things We
Used To Do04 - I Won't Hear You're Gone
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Robbs - The Robbs (1967)
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 12:29 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-robbs-robbs-1967.html
The Robbs — oldest brother Dee Robb (guitar, vocals), Joe Robb (guitar,
vocals), and youngest brother Bruce Robb (keyboards, vocals) — began their
lengthy careers in their hometown of Oconomowoc, WI (near Milwaukee) as a
teen-center pop group calling themselves Dee Robb & the Robbins. As Robby &
the Robins, they recorded "Surfer's Life" for the Todd label, which has
since appeared on numerous surf compilations. During a summer tour, their
guitarist was facing the draft board, so the band had to shuffle the lineup
and bring in their cousin, Craig Robb (real name Craig Krampf) as a
replacement on drums. The band then changed names to the Robbs and
soldiered on, playing soft rock harmony drenched pop in the vein of the
Cowsills, the Monkees, or Paul Revere & the Raiders. Krampf and the three
Robb brothers performed all across the Midwest, appearing as the opening
act on bills with the top acts of the day. They were eventually discovered
by music impresario Dick Clark, who had them perform at his Teen World's
Fair in Chicago. Soon thereafter, the Robbs were signed to Mercury Records
(the label that had, by then, signed the four Cowsill brothers before
dropping the group after two singles) and recorded their first record,
which was released in 1967. They appeared on TV's Where the Action Is and,
along with Buffalo Springfield, opened for the Turtles. Clark later invited
the Robbs to be regulars on his TV show, so the band moved to California.
There they became the backing group for Del Shannon, Gene Pitney, Bobby
Vinton, and others. The Robbs signed with Atlantic for a few singles. Then
— with Shannon's help — signed with ABC's Dunhill Records and changed their
name to Cherokee in the early '70s. As a country-rock outfit, they issued
one album, produced by Steve Barri, which featured additional guest
performances by former Byrds Chris Hillman and Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Each
member of the original Robbs lineup ultimately left the group until only
Krampf remained. He found continual and steady employ as a session drummer,
while Dee, Joe, and Bruce Robb, meanwhile, turned to engineering and
producing. They have since become quite successful as the owner/operators
of their own Cherokee Studios, in West Hollywood, CA, and Cherokee Ranch
Studios, which was located next to the Spahn Ranch in the '60s, before
moving to Chatsworth, CA. The Robbs are award-winning producers/engineers
of countless platinum artists, including Rod Stewart, John Cougar
Mellencamp, Alice Cooper, and Steely Dan, to name a few.
1. Violets of Dawn2. Race With the Wind3. Cynthia Loves4. Next Time You See
Me5. Girls, Girls6. Bittersweet7. See Jane Run8. In a Funny Sort of Way9.
Rapid Transit10. Jolly Miller
Although the Robbs quartet was founded by three siblings, none of them was
named Robb. They were actually David Donaldson, Robert Donaldson, and
George Donaldson. Prior to garnering the attention of teen music mogul Dick
Clark, the trio added percussionist Craig Krampf. Under Clark's
supervision, the Robbs were featured in a few high-profile television
appearances and secured a short-lived deal with Mercury Records.This
initially yielded a handful of 45s in 1966, which were slightly augmented
and issued as their self-titled (and only) long-player. The Robbs' sound
centered around lighter affairs such as the nimble "Cynthia Loves" and
tightly packed Hollies-esque vocal harmonies on "Next Time You See Me."
Similarly, "Girls, Girls" is a slice of carefree sunshine pop, hinting at
the Association and the Turtles, while the pensive "Rapid Transit" is
reminiscent of the Left Banke and the Strawberry Alarm Clock's more Baroque
approach. The Robbs also show off a penchant for folk-rock on a superior
reading of Eric Andersen's "Violets of Dawn," the original
composition "Race With the Wind," and an adaptation of "Jolly Miller," the
latter adopting a garage feel thanks to the propulsive bassline and
omnipresent timekeeping tambourine. The album's initial release barely made
it into the Top 200, which may have had something to do with the fact that
all but two of the selections had already been available as 7" singles. [In
2004, Collectors' Choice Music re-released The Robbs on CD after several
decades relegated to cutout bins and online auctions.]
http://expo67-cavestones.blogspot.ru/2011/02/robbs-bittersweet-end-of-week.html
///////////////////////////////////////////
Mortimer - Mortimer (1967)
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 12:15 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/mortimer-mortimer-1967.html
Mortimer evolved out of a later incarnation of the Teddy Boys, from Hyde
Park, NY, who recorded a handful of singles for MGM and Cameo Records in
1966 and 1967. They masqueraded under a somewhat psychedelic pseudonym,
Pinocchio & Puppets, for an two-sided instrumental single (the B-side was
an Eastern raga rock version of "Cowboys and Indians," but is probably not
the Michael Lloyd song), which was released by Mercury in 1967. In May
1968, the future members of Mortimer were in the front row of the live TV
audience at The Tonight Show and got the chance to meet John Lennon and
Paul McCartney, who were in New York to launch their new Apple label and
appear on the show. The band eventually ended up in London, where — under
the supervision of Peter Asher — they recorded a few sessions for the label
(an acetate of Mortimer's version of the Beatles'"Two of Us" is said to
still exist in the vaults, although it apparently bears little resemblance
to the Beatles' version). The group apparently came very close to signing
with Apple, but ended up signing a production deal with U.K. record
producer Daniel Secunda (brother of Procol Harum manager Tony Secunda) and
his B.B.& D. Productions, Inc. The group cut a self-titled album, from
which two singles were released, for Philips, but dissolved soon thereafter.
Famous for almost releasing an album on The Beatles Apple label in '69
(before a certain Allen Klein stepped in), this is the New York
quartets '67 LP. More acoustic and melodic than their live performances,
this ten track album has been reissued for the first time in nearly forty
years and now features six bonus tracks. A fine addition to anyone's folk
or psyche collections, a highly promising band that should have been huge,
criminally ignored by everyone apart from their native city. Features new
liner notes and interview material by Stefan Granados, expert on Apple and
Psychedelia. Includes alternate mono mixes of their two singles "Dedicated
Music Man" and "To Understand Someone" as bonus tracks, as well
as "Mortime's Theme" and "Life's Sweet Music."
///////////////////////////////////////////
Bad Seeds & Liberty Bell - Two Great Albums On One CD
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 11:13 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/bad-seeds-liberty-bell-two-great-albums.html
The Bad Seeds were the first rock group of note to come out of Corpus
Christi, Texas, itself a hotbed of garage-rock activity during the
middle/late 1960s. They started when guitarist/singer Mike Taylor and
bassist Herb Edgeington, then member of a local band called the Four Winds,
met up with lead guitarist Rod Prince and drummer Robert Donahoe, who had
been playing in a rival band called the Titans until its demise. Prince
wanted to form a new group, and he, Taylor and Edgeington became the core
of the Bad Seeds, who were signed to the local J-Beck label in 1966. They
stayed together long enough to record three singles during 1966, of which
two, "A Taste of the Same"/"I'm a King Bee" and "All Night Long"/"Sick and
Tired," are unabashed classics of blues-based garage-punk, three of them
originals by Taylor (who wrote most of their originals) or Prince. Even
their normally maligned second single, "Zilch Part 1"/"Zilch Part 2," has
some worth as a pretty hot pair of throwaway tracks. The band's sound was
the raunchy Rolling Stones-influenced garage-punk typical of Texas rock
groups in the mid-'60s.
Following the breakup of the group after the summer of 1966, Mike Taylor
became a writer and producer for the the Zakary Thaks, another Corpus
Christi-based band (who were signed to J-Beck after being spotted playing
on a bill with the Bad Seeds), and also recorded singles in a folk-like
mode as The Fabulous Michael. Rod Prince went on to become a key member of
the legendary band Bubble Puppy, who were signed to Leland Rogers'
International Artists' label, and the post-psychedelic group Demian. ~
Bruce Eder & Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
With a few breaks, the Liberty Bell might have been America's Yardbirds --
as it worked out, however, the group suffered the undeserved fate of being
a footnote in the history of Corpus Christi rock bands. Formed in Corpus
Christi, Texas in the mid-1960s, they were originally named the Zulus and
played a mix of blues-rock drifting toward psychedelia, driven by some
fairly ambitious guitar work by lead axeman Al Hunt. In 1967, they hooked
up with Carl Becker, the co-owner of J-Beck Records, which, at the time,
was recording the hottest local band, the Zakary Thaks. Becker signed them
to his new Cee-Bee Records, and suggested a name change to the Liberty Bell.
The group's lineup at the time of their first single, a cover of the
Yardbirds'"Nazz Are Blue" backed with a cover of Willie Dixon's "Big Boss
Man," included Ronnie Tanner on lead vocals, Al Hunt on lead guitar,
Richard Painter on rhythm guitar, and Wayne Harrison on bass. This record
did well enough locally to justify further recording, and these sessions
yielded the best songs of the group's entire history, "Something For
Me,""For What You Lack,""I Can See," and "That's How It Will Be."
Fast-tempo, fuzz-drenched pieces with catchy hooks, these numbers made the
group sound like an American version of the Yardbirds with more of an angry
punk edge, courtesy of lead singer Ronnie Tanner. But the real star of the
group was lead guitarist Al Hunt, who wrote most of the material in those
days and played like Jeff Beck on a good day.
Tanner exited the group in early 1968 and was replaced by Chris Gemiottis,
formerly of the Zakary Thaks, who also brought a quartet of original songs
with him, which were somewhat less punk-oriented and attempted to be more
profound. The group switched to the Back Beat label, which specialized in
R&B flavored material. The Liberty Bell continued in its psychedelic/garage
direction before releasing a soul-style number, "Naw Naw Naw" (on which
only Gemiottis participated, with a studio band backing him) for their
final single, late in 1968. The Liberty Bell came to an end in 1969 when
Gemiottis returned to his former band. In 1995, however, Collectables
Records released a 14-song collection of their music. ~ Bruce Eder, All
Music Guide
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Arondies - Introducing The Arondies
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-arondies-introducing-arondies.html
Born in Clairton, PA., The Arondies formed in late 1962/early 1963. With a
hand from local DJ Terry Lee, they struck a hit in 1965 with the perfect
instrumental "69". An endless cycle of shows, personal appearances, and
shrieking girls followed. Beautiful vocal ballads like "All My Love" became
favorites on the many dances they appeared at. This was, briefly,
Pittsburgh’s version of Beatlemania.
Get Hip, in collaboration with band member Bill Scully, located and
remastered most of the mastertapes for the tracks on this album.
Where mastertapes were impossible to locate, original acetates and mint
copies of the singles replaced them. The result is a deluxe bonafide
collection with amazing sound and a 12-page booklet packed with photos and
momentos of their history along with an extensive detailed story of the
band, original labels info, etc.
If you dug the recent reissues of the Sonics and Wailers you will surely
love this album! From the revved-up opening track "Step Move Jump Slide",
the latin-inspired "Mexico Tex" to teen garage nuggets with a distinctive
guitar twang and genuine teenager spirit!
The Arondies never charted a single nationally and seldom played far
outside of their western Pennsylvania base. But during the summer of 1965,
they burned up the Pittsburgh airwaves with a single, "69," that seemed to
portend great possibilities for the group. The latter never came to
fruition, but the Arondies left behind a legacy of a baker's dozen garage
rock tracks that are nearly as fresh to the ear in 2002 as they were in
1963-1967; and "69" is regarded as a garage rock instrumental classic.
Guitarist Jim Pavlack and drummer Bill Scully starting playing and singing
together in the early '60s. Gary Pittman came aboard as a singer and took
up bass; by the end of 1962, they had a rock & roll trio heavily steeped in
R&B -- their major influences included Maurice Williams, Bo Diddley, and
local R&B star Herb Marshall. They chose the name the Arondies and began
playing gigs during late 1963, distinguishing themselves with their serious
devotion to authentic R&B, their hard and intense approach to their
playing, and good harmonizing. The results were close in spirit to early
Paul Revere & the Raiders, except that the guitar -- rather than sax or
organ -- was their lead instrument, even on "Louie Louie." By late 1964,
they'd begun recording demos and early the following year, they released a
debut single of "69" b/w "All My Love," both group originals. The group hit
locally with help from Pittsburgh DJ Terry Lee, who heard the group and
liked how they sounded. The Arondies began playing at his dances and record
hops, he began plugging them on the radio, and "69" sold as fast as it
could be pressed until it was moving over 10,000 copies in a month. The
band got lots of bookings but saw very little money, and their relationship
with Lee ended in less than a year. The original lineup had ceased to
function by late 1965, though Pittman and Pavlack kept the Arondies going
as a quartet with Chuck Taska and Ralph Falk, and the two later assembled a
quintet called the Soul Congress, who got some work behind the O'Jays and
later lofted a single ("Do It") low onto the R&B charts. Meanwhile, Scully
hooked up with Herb Marshall in a jazz-rock quartet and by the '70s, all of
the members were out of the music business. That might've been the last
anyone heard of the Arondies, except for Get Hip Records, which issued a CD
in 1999 made from the group's 13 extant sides. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
https://sites.google.com/site/pittsburghmusichistory/pittsburgh-music-story/rock/arondieshttp://oldmonmusic.blogspot.ru/2008_05_01_archive.html
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Delvins - The Delvins
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 12:33 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-delvins-delvins.html
Source WEB(Unreleased,Netherlands 1966)
First time ever 4-tracks release of this Dutch beat group from Dordrecht.
Very much inspired by the likes of The Kinks and The Motions. Recorded
1966. Comes in very nice PS, designed after the legendary Dutch Fontana
sleeves from the 60s.
01 - When You See02 - You Know You're Losing Me03 - There Are Things We
Used To Do04 - I Won't Hear You're Gone
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Robbs - The Robbs (1967)
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 12:29 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-robbs-robbs-1967.html
The Robbs — oldest brother Dee Robb (guitar, vocals), Joe Robb (guitar,
vocals), and youngest brother Bruce Robb (keyboards, vocals) — began their
lengthy careers in their hometown of Oconomowoc, WI (near Milwaukee) as a
teen-center pop group calling themselves Dee Robb & the Robbins. As Robby &
the Robins, they recorded "Surfer's Life" for the Todd label, which has
since appeared on numerous surf compilations. During a summer tour, their
guitarist was facing the draft board, so the band had to shuffle the lineup
and bring in their cousin, Craig Robb (real name Craig Krampf) as a
replacement on drums. The band then changed names to the Robbs and
soldiered on, playing soft rock harmony drenched pop in the vein of the
Cowsills, the Monkees, or Paul Revere & the Raiders. Krampf and the three
Robb brothers performed all across the Midwest, appearing as the opening
act on bills with the top acts of the day. They were eventually discovered
by music impresario Dick Clark, who had them perform at his Teen World's
Fair in Chicago. Soon thereafter, the Robbs were signed to Mercury Records
(the label that had, by then, signed the four Cowsill brothers before
dropping the group after two singles) and recorded their first record,
which was released in 1967. They appeared on TV's Where the Action Is and,
along with Buffalo Springfield, opened for the Turtles. Clark later invited
the Robbs to be regulars on his TV show, so the band moved to California.
There they became the backing group for Del Shannon, Gene Pitney, Bobby
Vinton, and others. The Robbs signed with Atlantic for a few singles. Then
— with Shannon's help — signed with ABC's Dunhill Records and changed their
name to Cherokee in the early '70s. As a country-rock outfit, they issued
one album, produced by Steve Barri, which featured additional guest
performances by former Byrds Chris Hillman and Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Each
member of the original Robbs lineup ultimately left the group until only
Krampf remained. He found continual and steady employ as a session drummer,
while Dee, Joe, and Bruce Robb, meanwhile, turned to engineering and
producing. They have since become quite successful as the owner/operators
of their own Cherokee Studios, in West Hollywood, CA, and Cherokee Ranch
Studios, which was located next to the Spahn Ranch in the '60s, before
moving to Chatsworth, CA. The Robbs are award-winning producers/engineers
of countless platinum artists, including Rod Stewart, John Cougar
Mellencamp, Alice Cooper, and Steely Dan, to name a few.
1. Violets of Dawn2. Race With the Wind3. Cynthia Loves4. Next Time You See
Me5. Girls, Girls6. Bittersweet7. See Jane Run8. In a Funny Sort of Way9.
Rapid Transit10. Jolly Miller
Although the Robbs quartet was founded by three siblings, none of them was
named Robb. They were actually David Donaldson, Robert Donaldson, and
George Donaldson. Prior to garnering the attention of teen music mogul Dick
Clark, the trio added percussionist Craig Krampf. Under Clark's
supervision, the Robbs were featured in a few high-profile television
appearances and secured a short-lived deal with Mercury Records.This
initially yielded a handful of 45s in 1966, which were slightly augmented
and issued as their self-titled (and only) long-player. The Robbs' sound
centered around lighter affairs such as the nimble "Cynthia Loves" and
tightly packed Hollies-esque vocal harmonies on "Next Time You See Me."
Similarly, "Girls, Girls" is a slice of carefree sunshine pop, hinting at
the Association and the Turtles, while the pensive "Rapid Transit" is
reminiscent of the Left Banke and the Strawberry Alarm Clock's more Baroque
approach. The Robbs also show off a penchant for folk-rock on a superior
reading of Eric Andersen's "Violets of Dawn," the original
composition "Race With the Wind," and an adaptation of "Jolly Miller," the
latter adopting a garage feel thanks to the propulsive bassline and
omnipresent timekeeping tambourine. The album's initial release barely made
it into the Top 200, which may have had something to do with the fact that
all but two of the selections had already been available as 7" singles. [In
2004, Collectors' Choice Music re-released The Robbs on CD after several
decades relegated to cutout bins and online auctions.]
http://expo67-cavestones.blogspot.ru/2011/02/robbs-bittersweet-end-of-week.html
///////////////////////////////////////////
Mortimer - Mortimer (1967)
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 12:15 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/mortimer-mortimer-1967.html
Mortimer evolved out of a later incarnation of the Teddy Boys, from Hyde
Park, NY, who recorded a handful of singles for MGM and Cameo Records in
1966 and 1967. They masqueraded under a somewhat psychedelic pseudonym,
Pinocchio & Puppets, for an two-sided instrumental single (the B-side was
an Eastern raga rock version of "Cowboys and Indians," but is probably not
the Michael Lloyd song), which was released by Mercury in 1967. In May
1968, the future members of Mortimer were in the front row of the live TV
audience at The Tonight Show and got the chance to meet John Lennon and
Paul McCartney, who were in New York to launch their new Apple label and
appear on the show. The band eventually ended up in London, where — under
the supervision of Peter Asher — they recorded a few sessions for the label
(an acetate of Mortimer's version of the Beatles'"Two of Us" is said to
still exist in the vaults, although it apparently bears little resemblance
to the Beatles' version). The group apparently came very close to signing
with Apple, but ended up signing a production deal with U.K. record
producer Daniel Secunda (brother of Procol Harum manager Tony Secunda) and
his B.B.& D. Productions, Inc. The group cut a self-titled album, from
which two singles were released, for Philips, but dissolved soon thereafter.
Famous for almost releasing an album on The Beatles Apple label in '69
(before a certain Allen Klein stepped in), this is the New York
quartets '67 LP. More acoustic and melodic than their live performances,
this ten track album has been reissued for the first time in nearly forty
years and now features six bonus tracks. A fine addition to anyone's folk
or psyche collections, a highly promising band that should have been huge,
criminally ignored by everyone apart from their native city. Features new
liner notes and interview material by Stefan Granados, expert on Apple and
Psychedelia. Includes alternate mono mixes of their two singles "Dedicated
Music Man" and "To Understand Someone" as bonus tracks, as well
as "Mortime's Theme" and "Life's Sweet Music."
///////////////////////////////////////////
Bad Seeds & Liberty Bell - Two Great Albums On One CD
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 11:13 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/bad-seeds-liberty-bell-two-great-albums.html
The Bad Seeds were the first rock group of note to come out of Corpus
Christi, Texas, itself a hotbed of garage-rock activity during the
middle/late 1960s. They started when guitarist/singer Mike Taylor and
bassist Herb Edgeington, then member of a local band called the Four Winds,
met up with lead guitarist Rod Prince and drummer Robert Donahoe, who had
been playing in a rival band called the Titans until its demise. Prince
wanted to form a new group, and he, Taylor and Edgeington became the core
of the Bad Seeds, who were signed to the local J-Beck label in 1966. They
stayed together long enough to record three singles during 1966, of which
two, "A Taste of the Same"/"I'm a King Bee" and "All Night Long"/"Sick and
Tired," are unabashed classics of blues-based garage-punk, three of them
originals by Taylor (who wrote most of their originals) or Prince. Even
their normally maligned second single, "Zilch Part 1"/"Zilch Part 2," has
some worth as a pretty hot pair of throwaway tracks. The band's sound was
the raunchy Rolling Stones-influenced garage-punk typical of Texas rock
groups in the mid-'60s.
Following the breakup of the group after the summer of 1966, Mike Taylor
became a writer and producer for the the Zakary Thaks, another Corpus
Christi-based band (who were signed to J-Beck after being spotted playing
on a bill with the Bad Seeds), and also recorded singles in a folk-like
mode as The Fabulous Michael. Rod Prince went on to become a key member of
the legendary band Bubble Puppy, who were signed to Leland Rogers'
International Artists' label, and the post-psychedelic group Demian. ~
Bruce Eder & Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
With a few breaks, the Liberty Bell might have been America's Yardbirds --
as it worked out, however, the group suffered the undeserved fate of being
a footnote in the history of Corpus Christi rock bands. Formed in Corpus
Christi, Texas in the mid-1960s, they were originally named the Zulus and
played a mix of blues-rock drifting toward psychedelia, driven by some
fairly ambitious guitar work by lead axeman Al Hunt. In 1967, they hooked
up with Carl Becker, the co-owner of J-Beck Records, which, at the time,
was recording the hottest local band, the Zakary Thaks. Becker signed them
to his new Cee-Bee Records, and suggested a name change to the Liberty Bell.
The group's lineup at the time of their first single, a cover of the
Yardbirds'"Nazz Are Blue" backed with a cover of Willie Dixon's "Big Boss
Man," included Ronnie Tanner on lead vocals, Al Hunt on lead guitar,
Richard Painter on rhythm guitar, and Wayne Harrison on bass. This record
did well enough locally to justify further recording, and these sessions
yielded the best songs of the group's entire history, "Something For
Me,""For What You Lack,""I Can See," and "That's How It Will Be."
Fast-tempo, fuzz-drenched pieces with catchy hooks, these numbers made the
group sound like an American version of the Yardbirds with more of an angry
punk edge, courtesy of lead singer Ronnie Tanner. But the real star of the
group was lead guitarist Al Hunt, who wrote most of the material in those
days and played like Jeff Beck on a good day.
Tanner exited the group in early 1968 and was replaced by Chris Gemiottis,
formerly of the Zakary Thaks, who also brought a quartet of original songs
with him, which were somewhat less punk-oriented and attempted to be more
profound. The group switched to the Back Beat label, which specialized in
R&B flavored material. The Liberty Bell continued in its psychedelic/garage
direction before releasing a soul-style number, "Naw Naw Naw" (on which
only Gemiottis participated, with a studio band backing him) for their
final single, late in 1968. The Liberty Bell came to an end in 1969 when
Gemiottis returned to his former band. In 1995, however, Collectables
Records released a 14-song collection of their music. ~ Bruce Eder, All
Music Guide
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Arondies - Introducing The Arondies
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-arondies-introducing-arondies.html
Born in Clairton, PA., The Arondies formed in late 1962/early 1963. With a
hand from local DJ Terry Lee, they struck a hit in 1965 with the perfect
instrumental "69". An endless cycle of shows, personal appearances, and
shrieking girls followed. Beautiful vocal ballads like "All My Love" became
favorites on the many dances they appeared at. This was, briefly,
Pittsburgh’s version of Beatlemania.
Get Hip, in collaboration with band member Bill Scully, located and
remastered most of the mastertapes for the tracks on this album.
Where mastertapes were impossible to locate, original acetates and mint
copies of the singles replaced them. The result is a deluxe bonafide
collection with amazing sound and a 12-page booklet packed with photos and
momentos of their history along with an extensive detailed story of the
band, original labels info, etc.
If you dug the recent reissues of the Sonics and Wailers you will surely
love this album! From the revved-up opening track "Step Move Jump Slide",
the latin-inspired "Mexico Tex" to teen garage nuggets with a distinctive
guitar twang and genuine teenager spirit!
The Arondies never charted a single nationally and seldom played far
outside of their western Pennsylvania base. But during the summer of 1965,
they burned up the Pittsburgh airwaves with a single, "69," that seemed to
portend great possibilities for the group. The latter never came to
fruition, but the Arondies left behind a legacy of a baker's dozen garage
rock tracks that are nearly as fresh to the ear in 2002 as they were in
1963-1967; and "69" is regarded as a garage rock instrumental classic.
Guitarist Jim Pavlack and drummer Bill Scully starting playing and singing
together in the early '60s. Gary Pittman came aboard as a singer and took
up bass; by the end of 1962, they had a rock & roll trio heavily steeped in
R&B -- their major influences included Maurice Williams, Bo Diddley, and
local R&B star Herb Marshall. They chose the name the Arondies and began
playing gigs during late 1963, distinguishing themselves with their serious
devotion to authentic R&B, their hard and intense approach to their
playing, and good harmonizing. The results were close in spirit to early
Paul Revere & the Raiders, except that the guitar -- rather than sax or
organ -- was their lead instrument, even on "Louie Louie." By late 1964,
they'd begun recording demos and early the following year, they released a
debut single of "69" b/w "All My Love," both group originals. The group hit
locally with help from Pittsburgh DJ Terry Lee, who heard the group and
liked how they sounded. The Arondies began playing at his dances and record
hops, he began plugging them on the radio, and "69" sold as fast as it
could be pressed until it was moving over 10,000 copies in a month. The
band got lots of bookings but saw very little money, and their relationship
with Lee ended in less than a year. The original lineup had ceased to
function by late 1965, though Pittman and Pavlack kept the Arondies going
as a quartet with Chuck Taska and Ralph Falk, and the two later assembled a
quintet called the Soul Congress, who got some work behind the O'Jays and
later lofted a single ("Do It") low onto the R&B charts. Meanwhile, Scully
hooked up with Herb Marshall in a jazz-rock quartet and by the '70s, all of
the members were out of the music business. That might've been the last
anyone heard of the Arondies, except for Get Hip Records, which issued a CD
in 1999 made from the group's 13 extant sides. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
https://sites.google.com/site/pittsburghmusichistory/pittsburgh-music-story/rock/arondieshttp://oldmonmusic.blogspot.ru/2008_05_01_archive.html