Old Melodies ...
///////////////////////////////////////////
Hu And The Hilltops - I'll Follow You(1966)
Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:26 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/hu-and-hilltops-ill-follow-you1966.html
Biografie Hu And The
Hilltopshttp://www.muziekencyclopedie.nl/action/entry/Hu+And+The+Hilltops
Haagse rhythm & bluesgroep die nooit op grote schaal doorbreekt en vooral
van belang is als leverancier van meer en minder bekende muzikanten.1965Hu
and The Hilltops spelen veel in de Haagse kroegen en discotheken. De band
speelt voornamelijk rhythm & blues. Platenmaatschappij Polydor toont
interesse en tekent de groep.1966In de Haagse GTB-studio, inmiddels
verworden tot een hitfabriekje, neemt de band de eerste singles op. Cry Me
A River, een cover van Julie London, behaalt nummer 27 in de Top 40. Na dit
succes geven de bandleden hun reguliere banen op en storten ze zich op de
muziek. De tweede single Can’t You Hear Me doet echter niets. De derde
single Something You Got wordt in Londen opgenomen en haalt in september
net aan de Top 40. Den Heyer wordt vervangen door toetsenist Roy van der
Merwe (ook wel Roy Marley genoemd) om het geluid van de groep
professioneler te doen klinken. Ondanks het belabberde geluid krijgt het
eerste en enige album I’ll Follow You wat aandacht van pers en
muziekwereld.1967Drummer Henk van Meerbeek vertrekt naar het buitenland en
wordt vervangen door Cesar Zuiderwijk (ex-Ladybirds). Als de nieuwe single
Touchin’ You Is Lovin’ You flopt houdt de groep het voor gezien. Zanger
Fred de Wilde stapt over naar Shocking Blue nadat Barry Hay (ex-Haigs)
heeft bedankt voor deze vacature. Hans van Toorn gaat verder als
solo-artiest onder de naam Ralph Anderson. Cesar Zuiderwijk gaat drummen
bij Livin’ Blues en vanaf 1970 bij Golden Earring.
1980Op 13 juni vindt er in Den Haag een grootschalig reünieconcert plaats
onder de noemer Haagse Beatnach. Voor deze gelegenheid staan Hu and The
Hilltops voor één keer weer op het podium, naast bands als Q 65 en Shocking
Blue.
2005Hans van der Toorn en Fred de Wilde voeren Cry Me A River uit van Hu &
The Hilltops tijdens de Haagse Beatnach op Parkpop.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Jay-Jays - Bald Headed Woman
Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:14 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/jay-jays-bald-headed-woman.html
When Holland’s most popular instrumental band The Jumping Jewels lost their
name in a court case against their old manager Herman Batelaan, bandmembers
decided to start with a new name in which the two “J” ‘s had to return.
Instantly a new single was released, two covers from the first LP of The
Kinks: Baldheaded woman coupled to Mystifying. As leadguitarist Hans van
Eijck didn’t like beatmusic – he’d rather stick to the old instrumentals –
he left The Jay-Jays two months later after the band did a very important
TV-show promoting their first single. He was replaced by Leo Bennink, who
used to play with The Black Albinos and Rene & his Alligators. The record
was an instant success though, spurting into the Top Ten and getting the
band a lot of work. The Jay-Jays sticked to the Kinks-repertoire but the
second single fails to be a success. The band performs in the popular
German TV-program ‘Beatclub’ and also rush-releases an LP, simply called
Jay-Jays. On the album three Kinks covers are featured as well as the Tony
Sheridan cover All around the world and the Ventures-cover Cruncher,
besides some self-written titles. After hat nothing much is happening,
although three other singles are released during 1966. Early 1967 Leo
Bennink leaves the band to join The Motions after a short spell with Group
Mack and Tjibbe Veelo opens his own boutique in The Hague. They are
replaced by Jan Vennik (Piano & sax,ex-Marks) and Willem Duin (voc), the
latter being half of succesfull duo Mouth & MacNeal in the seventies. A
couple of other singles follow, all soul-influenced, all unsuccesfull and
the end is near. Joop Oonk leaves the band as well, and is replaced by Hans
Jansen (ex-Marks). Also, musicians like Bert Ruiter (pre-Focus) , John
Schuursma (ex-Rob Hoeke) and Rudy Contini play in the band for a little
while, but in 1969 it is all over.During the last two decennia, record
collectors worldwide are very interested in the group’s sole album, valued
somehere between 200-250 dollars. At the end of the nineties the LP gets a
CD-release but it is badly ruined by new mix and besides that, the record
company changed the original mono into stereo. That means genuine record
collectors are still hunting the LP.
Bald Headed Woman album for sale by Jay-Jays was released Jan 30, 2007 on
the Phantom label. Bald Headed Woman CD music contains a single disc with
22 songs
The Jay-Jays (voorheen Jumping Jewels) kennen een vliegende start wanneer
de eerste single Bald Headed Woman een top 10 hit wordt. Het is een ruig
beatnummer dat gecomponeerd is door Kinks-producer Shel Talmy. Hans van
Eijk is nog wel te horen op dit nummer, maar verlaat - teleurgesteld in de
muziekbusiness - de band kort na het uitkomen ervan. Leo Bennink is zijn
vervanger. De band treedt veel op en is tevens regelmatig te zien op tv,
onder meer in Voor De Vuist Weg van Willem Duys. Dit jaar komt ook het
debuutalbum uit: een volwassen beat-lp. Deze moet het qua verkoopcijfers
echter afleggen tegen de langspelers van collega's zoals The Outsiders, The
Motions en The Golden Earrings.Bennink en Veeloo verlaten de band en worden
vervangen door Rudi Contini (gitaar) en Willem Duyn (zang, de latere 'Big
Mouth' van Mouth & MacNeal), terwijl Duyn Jan Vennik (saxofoon) en Hans
Jansen (toetsen) meeneemt uit zijn vorige groep The Marks. De band verlaat
de beatmuziek en kiest voor een soul-gerichter aanpak. Een nieuwe single,
Respect van Otis Redding, opent echter geen nieuwe deuren. Een periode van
weinig succes en veel wisselingen in de bezetting volgt. Uiteindelijk
verlaten ook de laatste oer-leden, Oonk en Kranenburg, de band. Zij worden
vervangen door Bert Ruiter (bas, ex-Fullhouse) en Bart Terlaak (drums
ex-Daddy's Act). Veel baat het allemaal niet en in 1969 wordt de band
opgeheven. Hans van Eijk keert nog kortstondig terug op zijn schreden en
richt The New Jumping Jewels op, maar de tijden van weleer komen niet terug.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Wild Cherries - That's Life (1965-68)
Posted: 03 Jun 2013 11:38 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/wild-cherries-thats-life-1965-68_4.html
While the Wild Cherries made just four singles in the 1960s, those 45s (all
issued in 1967 and 1968) were enough to cement a permanent cult reputation
for the group among '60s collectors, as well as establish them as one of
the most creative Australian '60s groups. Fusing soul and early psychedelia
with intimations of hard rock and progressive rock, their singles "Krome
Plated Yabby,""That's Life," and "Gotta Stop Lying" were unpredictably
structured songs full of unusual instrumental effects and shifts in tempo
and mood, though anchored by a sullen rebellious attitude. the Wild
Cherries, of course, were not the only bands in the world venturing into
such territory at the time, nor the best. Others were as well; some of the
early work of the MC5 is roughly comparable, though not as pop-oriented.
the Wild Cherries were the only outfit doing such things on record in
Australia, however, and it's unfortunate that they dissolved before having
a chance to record more, including an LP.the Wild Cherries (briefly known
at their outset as the Black Cherries) were formed in late 1964 and early
1965 by keyboardist Les Gilbert with friends from Melbourne University's
architecture school. Initially they were, like many mid-'60s British bands,
heavily influenced by the R&B/rock of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. The 16
tracks they recorded (almost all of them covers) in the mold of British
groups like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Who, and early Manfred Mann were
issued for the first time in 2007, and show them to be a good if derivative
act in that style.After several personnel changes, however, the Wild
Cherries developed a more original and soul-influenced sound. The key
additions were soulful singer Danny Robinson and (in January 1967) lead
guitarist Lobby Loyde, formerly in the Brisbane band the Purple Hearts, who
had already cut some admirably tough British R&B/rock-styled singles. Loyde
not only generally added ferocity to the arrangements, but also wrote or
co-wrote all of the songs on their singles. Another key change was
Gilbert's decision to buy a Hammond organ, which also added power to the
band's attack.
the Wild Cherries got a deal with Australia's Festival label in 1967, but
their singles (whose flips featured more standard soul-rock songs than the
more innovative tracks picked for the A-sides) didn't do well commercially,
though "That's Life" made number 38 in the Melbourne charts. Feeling like
the group's spark was dimming, in late 1968 Gilbert left the band he'd
founded. Most of the other members exited almost immediately afterward,
with drummer Keith Barber joining top New Zealand band the La De Das and
Robinson joining the vocal trio the Virgil Brothers. Loyde briefly tried to
keep the Wild Cherries going with other members, but was gone by the end of
1968, joining Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs. the Wild Cherries, with an
entirely new lineup from the previous year, struggled onward until breaking
up in April 1969, though Loyde briefly formed a Wild Cherries with other
musicians in 1971 for one single, "I Am the Sea." Both sides of all four
1967-1968 Wild Cherries singles, along with 16 previously unreleased
1965-1966 tracks, were compiled for the 2007 CD compilation That's Life.
If you go just by the records they managed to release during the 1960s,
there's not really enough to make a Wild Cherries album. This reissue,
however, makes the most of out their slim recorded legacy, combining both
sides of their four 1967-1968 singles with 16 previously unreleased
1965-1966 bonus tracks. It's the eight tracks (all written or co-written by
guitarist Lobby Loyde) from the singles, though, that are the truly
significant ones, since it was on these that the Wild Cherries laid down
the music that was among the most innovative in '60s Australian rock. On
the most notable of those 45s, the group fused psychedelia, early
hard/progressive rock, and soul in a manner that no other Australian band
of the time was doing on record, particularly on "Krome Plated
Yabby,""That's Life," and "Gotta Stop Lying." These are somewhat similar
to the rock being played by some Detroit outfits of the late '60s, and if
they're certainly more pop-oriented than, say, the MC5, they do offer a
pretty intriguing blend of creative ambition and muscular crunch. The
other, far less well-known songs from the singles might surprise listeners
who've heard the other tracks on compilations, as they're more
straightforward soul-rock than you'd expect (adding some pop-oriented
orchestration on "I Don't Care"), though they're fairly good as that style
goes. The remaining 16 tracks -- taken from studio outtakes and home/live
recordings -- capture the group at an earlier pre-Loyde stage at which they
were much more an R&B/rock band along the lines of British bands like the
Rolling Stones and Yardbirds. In fact, just one of these songs (the quite
admirably mean'n'lean "Get Out of My Life") is a group original; not only
are all of the others covers, but most of them are covers of tunes that
major British Invasion bands like the Yardbirds, the Who, and Manfred Mann
put on their early recordings. This section of the CD isn't nearly as
original as the Loyde-led material, then, and it's not as well recorded
either, though the fidelity's satisfactory. Still, the Wild Cherries do
sound like a good, tough, mid-'60s British R&B band at this stage in their
development, and without those tracks...well, there wouldn't be enough for
a CD. As is standard for the Half a Cow label, the packaging is superb,
featuring a 36-page liner booklet jammed with photos.
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Applejacks - Tell Me When (1965)
Posted: 03 Jun 2013 11:34 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-applejacks-tell-me-when-1965.html
A minor British Invasion group that had three hits in the U.K. (but none in
the U.S.), the Applejacks are principally known -- if anyone remembers them
at all -- for covering a John Lennon-Paul McCartney composition that the
Beatles never released in the '60s, "Like Dreamers Do." Their jaunty,
lightweight pop/rock could have easily been mistaken for that of a
Merseybeat combo, though they actually hailed from the town of Solihull,
near Birmingham. The sextet also attracted more attention than the average
generic 1964 British pop group due to the presence of one female member,
Megan Davies, on bass. The overwhelming bulk of their material, however,
was pleasantly bland or downright boring, and they issued just one single
after 1965. Forming in 1961 as the skiffle trio the Crestas, the band soon
expanded their personnel, moved into electric rock, and changed their name
to the Applejacks the following year. Decca issued their first
single, "Tell Me When," in early 1964, and while this was among the more
unmemorable British beat pop/rock hits from the time, it made it to number
seven in the U.K. They were fortunate enough to procure "Like Dreamers Do"
from Lennon and McCartney when they met the pair at a television rehearsal.
The tune had been recorded by the Beatles in January, 1962, at their
unsuccessful audition for Decca (this version is now available on the
Beatles' Anthology 1), and like much of the Beatles' early rejects, was in
a more lightweight mode than the Lennon-McCartney tunes they chose to
enshrine on record. the Applejacks' version, featuring (as many of their
tracks did) a rinky-dink piano, was nonetheless inferior to the Beatles'
old demo, but did make it to number 20 in the British charts. Oddly,
considering the American hunger for almost anything by the Lennon-McCartney
songwriting team in mid-1964, it did nothing in the States. the Applejacks
wrote very little of their own material, filling their recorded repertoire
with tunes supplied by British popsmiths such as Geoff Stephens and Peter
Dello (later in Honeybus), as well as hackneyed covers of American '50s
rock standards. While their discs had peppy harmonies, they were on the
whole among the wimpier fare of the British Invasion fare, with a shortage
of outstanding melodies. "Three Little Words (I Love You)" provided them
with their final British Top 30 entry in late 1964. After a now-rare 1964
album and seven British 1964-1965 singles (including the first version of
the Ray Davies composition "I Go to Sleep," which was not released by the
Kinks at the time), they made just one more recording, a 1967 single for
CBS.
This 20-track compilation contains everything from their 1964 self-titled
LP, as well as both sides of their three 1964 singles and a cover of Ray
Davies'"I Go to Sleep" (found on a 1965 single). Its quaintness and lack
of strong tunes (only one of which was a group original) limit its worth to
British Invasion obsessives for the most part, with some value for Beatles
completists due to the hit cover of "Like Dreamers Do.""No Time," one of
several songs co-written by future Honeybus main man Pete Dello, is about
the best song, with its moody melody; at their most energetic (as on "See
If She Cares") they sound a bit like Gerry & the Pacemakers. The covers
of '50s rock classics are dire, but the reading of Davies'"I Go to Sleep,"
with its eerie organ and high yelping backup vocals, has some curiosity
value as the first cover of this song, which the Kinks did not release in
the 1960s. Even with 20 tracks, this adds up to just under 50 minutes.
Since anyone who bothers to find an Applejacks compilation would probably
want anything the group did, it's too bad Deram didn't also include the
other non-LP tracks from their 1965 singles (as well as the cover of the
Beatles'"Baby's in Black" that turned up on a mid-'60s various-artists
compilation), for which there was certainly room.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Hu And The Hilltops - I'll Follow You(1966)
Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:26 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/hu-and-hilltops-ill-follow-you1966.html
Biografie Hu And The
Hilltopshttp://www.muziekencyclopedie.nl/action/entry/Hu+And+The+Hilltops
Haagse rhythm & bluesgroep die nooit op grote schaal doorbreekt en vooral
van belang is als leverancier van meer en minder bekende muzikanten.1965Hu
and The Hilltops spelen veel in de Haagse kroegen en discotheken. De band
speelt voornamelijk rhythm & blues. Platenmaatschappij Polydor toont
interesse en tekent de groep.1966In de Haagse GTB-studio, inmiddels
verworden tot een hitfabriekje, neemt de band de eerste singles op. Cry Me
A River, een cover van Julie London, behaalt nummer 27 in de Top 40. Na dit
succes geven de bandleden hun reguliere banen op en storten ze zich op de
muziek. De tweede single Can’t You Hear Me doet echter niets. De derde
single Something You Got wordt in Londen opgenomen en haalt in september
net aan de Top 40. Den Heyer wordt vervangen door toetsenist Roy van der
Merwe (ook wel Roy Marley genoemd) om het geluid van de groep
professioneler te doen klinken. Ondanks het belabberde geluid krijgt het
eerste en enige album I’ll Follow You wat aandacht van pers en
muziekwereld.1967Drummer Henk van Meerbeek vertrekt naar het buitenland en
wordt vervangen door Cesar Zuiderwijk (ex-Ladybirds). Als de nieuwe single
Touchin’ You Is Lovin’ You flopt houdt de groep het voor gezien. Zanger
Fred de Wilde stapt over naar Shocking Blue nadat Barry Hay (ex-Haigs)
heeft bedankt voor deze vacature. Hans van Toorn gaat verder als
solo-artiest onder de naam Ralph Anderson. Cesar Zuiderwijk gaat drummen
bij Livin’ Blues en vanaf 1970 bij Golden Earring.
1980Op 13 juni vindt er in Den Haag een grootschalig reünieconcert plaats
onder de noemer Haagse Beatnach. Voor deze gelegenheid staan Hu and The
Hilltops voor één keer weer op het podium, naast bands als Q 65 en Shocking
Blue.
2005Hans van der Toorn en Fred de Wilde voeren Cry Me A River uit van Hu &
The Hilltops tijdens de Haagse Beatnach op Parkpop.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Jay-Jays - Bald Headed Woman
Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:14 AM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/jay-jays-bald-headed-woman.html
When Holland’s most popular instrumental band The Jumping Jewels lost their
name in a court case against their old manager Herman Batelaan, bandmembers
decided to start with a new name in which the two “J” ‘s had to return.
Instantly a new single was released, two covers from the first LP of The
Kinks: Baldheaded woman coupled to Mystifying. As leadguitarist Hans van
Eijck didn’t like beatmusic – he’d rather stick to the old instrumentals –
he left The Jay-Jays two months later after the band did a very important
TV-show promoting their first single. He was replaced by Leo Bennink, who
used to play with The Black Albinos and Rene & his Alligators. The record
was an instant success though, spurting into the Top Ten and getting the
band a lot of work. The Jay-Jays sticked to the Kinks-repertoire but the
second single fails to be a success. The band performs in the popular
German TV-program ‘Beatclub’ and also rush-releases an LP, simply called
Jay-Jays. On the album three Kinks covers are featured as well as the Tony
Sheridan cover All around the world and the Ventures-cover Cruncher,
besides some self-written titles. After hat nothing much is happening,
although three other singles are released during 1966. Early 1967 Leo
Bennink leaves the band to join The Motions after a short spell with Group
Mack and Tjibbe Veelo opens his own boutique in The Hague. They are
replaced by Jan Vennik (Piano & sax,ex-Marks) and Willem Duin (voc), the
latter being half of succesfull duo Mouth & MacNeal in the seventies. A
couple of other singles follow, all soul-influenced, all unsuccesfull and
the end is near. Joop Oonk leaves the band as well, and is replaced by Hans
Jansen (ex-Marks). Also, musicians like Bert Ruiter (pre-Focus) , John
Schuursma (ex-Rob Hoeke) and Rudy Contini play in the band for a little
while, but in 1969 it is all over.During the last two decennia, record
collectors worldwide are very interested in the group’s sole album, valued
somehere between 200-250 dollars. At the end of the nineties the LP gets a
CD-release but it is badly ruined by new mix and besides that, the record
company changed the original mono into stereo. That means genuine record
collectors are still hunting the LP.
Bald Headed Woman album for sale by Jay-Jays was released Jan 30, 2007 on
the Phantom label. Bald Headed Woman CD music contains a single disc with
22 songs
The Jay-Jays (voorheen Jumping Jewels) kennen een vliegende start wanneer
de eerste single Bald Headed Woman een top 10 hit wordt. Het is een ruig
beatnummer dat gecomponeerd is door Kinks-producer Shel Talmy. Hans van
Eijk is nog wel te horen op dit nummer, maar verlaat - teleurgesteld in de
muziekbusiness - de band kort na het uitkomen ervan. Leo Bennink is zijn
vervanger. De band treedt veel op en is tevens regelmatig te zien op tv,
onder meer in Voor De Vuist Weg van Willem Duys. Dit jaar komt ook het
debuutalbum uit: een volwassen beat-lp. Deze moet het qua verkoopcijfers
echter afleggen tegen de langspelers van collega's zoals The Outsiders, The
Motions en The Golden Earrings.Bennink en Veeloo verlaten de band en worden
vervangen door Rudi Contini (gitaar) en Willem Duyn (zang, de latere 'Big
Mouth' van Mouth & MacNeal), terwijl Duyn Jan Vennik (saxofoon) en Hans
Jansen (toetsen) meeneemt uit zijn vorige groep The Marks. De band verlaat
de beatmuziek en kiest voor een soul-gerichter aanpak. Een nieuwe single,
Respect van Otis Redding, opent echter geen nieuwe deuren. Een periode van
weinig succes en veel wisselingen in de bezetting volgt. Uiteindelijk
verlaten ook de laatste oer-leden, Oonk en Kranenburg, de band. Zij worden
vervangen door Bert Ruiter (bas, ex-Fullhouse) en Bart Terlaak (drums
ex-Daddy's Act). Veel baat het allemaal niet en in 1969 wordt de band
opgeheven. Hans van Eijk keert nog kortstondig terug op zijn schreden en
richt The New Jumping Jewels op, maar de tijden van weleer komen niet terug.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Wild Cherries - That's Life (1965-68)
Posted: 03 Jun 2013 11:38 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/wild-cherries-thats-life-1965-68_4.html
While the Wild Cherries made just four singles in the 1960s, those 45s (all
issued in 1967 and 1968) were enough to cement a permanent cult reputation
for the group among '60s collectors, as well as establish them as one of
the most creative Australian '60s groups. Fusing soul and early psychedelia
with intimations of hard rock and progressive rock, their singles "Krome
Plated Yabby,""That's Life," and "Gotta Stop Lying" were unpredictably
structured songs full of unusual instrumental effects and shifts in tempo
and mood, though anchored by a sullen rebellious attitude. the Wild
Cherries, of course, were not the only bands in the world venturing into
such territory at the time, nor the best. Others were as well; some of the
early work of the MC5 is roughly comparable, though not as pop-oriented.
the Wild Cherries were the only outfit doing such things on record in
Australia, however, and it's unfortunate that they dissolved before having
a chance to record more, including an LP.the Wild Cherries (briefly known
at their outset as the Black Cherries) were formed in late 1964 and early
1965 by keyboardist Les Gilbert with friends from Melbourne University's
architecture school. Initially they were, like many mid-'60s British bands,
heavily influenced by the R&B/rock of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. The 16
tracks they recorded (almost all of them covers) in the mold of British
groups like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Who, and early Manfred Mann were
issued for the first time in 2007, and show them to be a good if derivative
act in that style.After several personnel changes, however, the Wild
Cherries developed a more original and soul-influenced sound. The key
additions were soulful singer Danny Robinson and (in January 1967) lead
guitarist Lobby Loyde, formerly in the Brisbane band the Purple Hearts, who
had already cut some admirably tough British R&B/rock-styled singles. Loyde
not only generally added ferocity to the arrangements, but also wrote or
co-wrote all of the songs on their singles. Another key change was
Gilbert's decision to buy a Hammond organ, which also added power to the
band's attack.
the Wild Cherries got a deal with Australia's Festival label in 1967, but
their singles (whose flips featured more standard soul-rock songs than the
more innovative tracks picked for the A-sides) didn't do well commercially,
though "That's Life" made number 38 in the Melbourne charts. Feeling like
the group's spark was dimming, in late 1968 Gilbert left the band he'd
founded. Most of the other members exited almost immediately afterward,
with drummer Keith Barber joining top New Zealand band the La De Das and
Robinson joining the vocal trio the Virgil Brothers. Loyde briefly tried to
keep the Wild Cherries going with other members, but was gone by the end of
1968, joining Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs. the Wild Cherries, with an
entirely new lineup from the previous year, struggled onward until breaking
up in April 1969, though Loyde briefly formed a Wild Cherries with other
musicians in 1971 for one single, "I Am the Sea." Both sides of all four
1967-1968 Wild Cherries singles, along with 16 previously unreleased
1965-1966 tracks, were compiled for the 2007 CD compilation That's Life.
If you go just by the records they managed to release during the 1960s,
there's not really enough to make a Wild Cherries album. This reissue,
however, makes the most of out their slim recorded legacy, combining both
sides of their four 1967-1968 singles with 16 previously unreleased
1965-1966 bonus tracks. It's the eight tracks (all written or co-written by
guitarist Lobby Loyde) from the singles, though, that are the truly
significant ones, since it was on these that the Wild Cherries laid down
the music that was among the most innovative in '60s Australian rock. On
the most notable of those 45s, the group fused psychedelia, early
hard/progressive rock, and soul in a manner that no other Australian band
of the time was doing on record, particularly on "Krome Plated
Yabby,""That's Life," and "Gotta Stop Lying." These are somewhat similar
to the rock being played by some Detroit outfits of the late '60s, and if
they're certainly more pop-oriented than, say, the MC5, they do offer a
pretty intriguing blend of creative ambition and muscular crunch. The
other, far less well-known songs from the singles might surprise listeners
who've heard the other tracks on compilations, as they're more
straightforward soul-rock than you'd expect (adding some pop-oriented
orchestration on "I Don't Care"), though they're fairly good as that style
goes. The remaining 16 tracks -- taken from studio outtakes and home/live
recordings -- capture the group at an earlier pre-Loyde stage at which they
were much more an R&B/rock band along the lines of British bands like the
Rolling Stones and Yardbirds. In fact, just one of these songs (the quite
admirably mean'n'lean "Get Out of My Life") is a group original; not only
are all of the others covers, but most of them are covers of tunes that
major British Invasion bands like the Yardbirds, the Who, and Manfred Mann
put on their early recordings. This section of the CD isn't nearly as
original as the Loyde-led material, then, and it's not as well recorded
either, though the fidelity's satisfactory. Still, the Wild Cherries do
sound like a good, tough, mid-'60s British R&B band at this stage in their
development, and without those tracks...well, there wouldn't be enough for
a CD. As is standard for the Half a Cow label, the packaging is superb,
featuring a 36-page liner booklet jammed with photos.
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Applejacks - Tell Me When (1965)
Posted: 03 Jun 2013 11:34 PM PDT
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-applejacks-tell-me-when-1965.html
A minor British Invasion group that had three hits in the U.K. (but none in
the U.S.), the Applejacks are principally known -- if anyone remembers them
at all -- for covering a John Lennon-Paul McCartney composition that the
Beatles never released in the '60s, "Like Dreamers Do." Their jaunty,
lightweight pop/rock could have easily been mistaken for that of a
Merseybeat combo, though they actually hailed from the town of Solihull,
near Birmingham. The sextet also attracted more attention than the average
generic 1964 British pop group due to the presence of one female member,
Megan Davies, on bass. The overwhelming bulk of their material, however,
was pleasantly bland or downright boring, and they issued just one single
after 1965. Forming in 1961 as the skiffle trio the Crestas, the band soon
expanded their personnel, moved into electric rock, and changed their name
to the Applejacks the following year. Decca issued their first
single, "Tell Me When," in early 1964, and while this was among the more
unmemorable British beat pop/rock hits from the time, it made it to number
seven in the U.K. They were fortunate enough to procure "Like Dreamers Do"
from Lennon and McCartney when they met the pair at a television rehearsal.
The tune had been recorded by the Beatles in January, 1962, at their
unsuccessful audition for Decca (this version is now available on the
Beatles' Anthology 1), and like much of the Beatles' early rejects, was in
a more lightweight mode than the Lennon-McCartney tunes they chose to
enshrine on record. the Applejacks' version, featuring (as many of their
tracks did) a rinky-dink piano, was nonetheless inferior to the Beatles'
old demo, but did make it to number 20 in the British charts. Oddly,
considering the American hunger for almost anything by the Lennon-McCartney
songwriting team in mid-1964, it did nothing in the States. the Applejacks
wrote very little of their own material, filling their recorded repertoire
with tunes supplied by British popsmiths such as Geoff Stephens and Peter
Dello (later in Honeybus), as well as hackneyed covers of American '50s
rock standards. While their discs had peppy harmonies, they were on the
whole among the wimpier fare of the British Invasion fare, with a shortage
of outstanding melodies. "Three Little Words (I Love You)" provided them
with their final British Top 30 entry in late 1964. After a now-rare 1964
album and seven British 1964-1965 singles (including the first version of
the Ray Davies composition "I Go to Sleep," which was not released by the
Kinks at the time), they made just one more recording, a 1967 single for
CBS.
This 20-track compilation contains everything from their 1964 self-titled
LP, as well as both sides of their three 1964 singles and a cover of Ray
Davies'"I Go to Sleep" (found on a 1965 single). Its quaintness and lack
of strong tunes (only one of which was a group original) limit its worth to
British Invasion obsessives for the most part, with some value for Beatles
completists due to the hit cover of "Like Dreamers Do.""No Time," one of
several songs co-written by future Honeybus main man Pete Dello, is about
the best song, with its moody melody; at their most energetic (as on "See
If She Cares") they sound a bit like Gerry & the Pacemakers. The covers
of '50s rock classics are dire, but the reading of Davies'"I Go to Sleep,"
with its eerie organ and high yelping backup vocals, has some curiosity
value as the first cover of this song, which the Kinks did not release in
the 1960s. Even with 20 tracks, this adds up to just under 50 minutes.
Since anyone who bothers to find an Applejacks compilation would probably
want anything the group did, it's too bad Deram didn't also include the
other non-LP tracks from their 1965 singles (as well as the cover of the
Beatles'"Baby's in Black" that turned up on a mid-'60s various-artists
compilation), for which there was certainly room.