An Alternative History of "Pop" Music

[daf]

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore - Love Me



Released in December 1967 as the B-side to the Bedazzled single - did not chart

Bedazzled was a comic retelling of the Faust legend, set in the Swinging London of the 1960. Directed and produced by Stanley Donen, it was written by comedian Peter Cook and starred both Cook and his comedy partner Dudley Moore.

 

Cook and Moore wrote Bedazzled's soundtrack, which was performed by The Dudley Moore Trio. The title track was performed in the movie by the fictional psychedelic rock band Drimble Wedge and the Vegetation.

[Brundle-Fly]

Bedazzled has to be my favourite soundtrack, I reckon. Apart from that bloody leaping nun chorus that ruins the flow of the album.

[daf]

I thought Bedazzled might have been too well-known for this thread, which is why I flipped the platter.

Didn't chart though - so maybe I could have gotten away with it on those grounds!

[Brundle-Fly]

I thought Bedazzled might have been too well-known for this thread, which is why I flipped the platter.

Didn't chart though - so maybe I could have gotten away with it on those grounds!

I think Peter Cook's Bedazzled was pretty much the unofficial CaB anthem at the beginning. Not sure what it would be now. The Red Flag? 

Disclaimer: JOKE!

[daf]

Sands - Mrs Gillespie's Refrigerator



Released in September 1967 - did not chart

Sands were formed from the ashes of Surrey, R&B band The Others. The group consisted of Paul Stewart (vocal), Peter Hammerton (guitar, vocal), Ian McLintock (bass, vocal), and Rob Freeman (guitar, vocal) and Nigel Baldwin (drums) 

Produced by Robert Stigwood, their only single, "Mrs Gillespie's Refrigerator" was written by the Bee Gees - though their version, remained unreleased at the time.

The band were taken under Brian Epstein's wing, which could have led to some kind of success had Epstein not been found dead two weeks before the single's release date. The single flopped and subsequently, interest in the band waned. Sands split up shortly after but Freeman and McLintlock carried on as a duo, forming 'Sun Dragon'.

[Brundle-Fly]

Mrs. Gillespie's Refrigerator sounds like a The Great Escape Blur B side song title. They really were the last band to carry on that tradition.

[daf]

Haha - spot on - 'Mr Robinson's Quango' and all that!

[daf]

The Cymbaline - Matrimonial Fears



Released in November 1967 - did not chart

The Cymbaline, consisting of Stuart Claver on vocals, John Hollis on guitar and vocals, Gerald Morris on bass, Anthony Mortlock on lead guitar and vocals and Philip Chesteron on drums, were apparently all Ilford boys and kicked their careers off on the delicious Pye label with "Please Little Girl" in 1965. They jumped to Mercury for their next release, and finally settled on Philips in 1967.

 

They released seven flop singles, including the toothsome ear-tingler 'Peanuts and Chewy Macs' in April 1967, before splitting in 1969.

[jamiefairlie]

The Eighth Day - How Can I Stop Lovin' You

https://youtu.be/PDqZatYMAz8

Another belter from their self-titled album.

[daf]

The Mirage - The Wedding Of Ramona Blair 



Probably their finest moment, this was released as their final single on Phillips in May 1967 - did not chart

We've already covered The Mirage in 'Alt Music' #393, and in keeping with their previous entry, there's a Beatle influence at work - this time in the form of a lovely Revolver-esque swooping bass-twiddle dropped in every now and then.

[jamiefairlie]

The Everly Brothers - Talking To The Flowers

https://youtu.be/xAMvbXA_2Ho




B-side to the "Mary Jane" single that failed to chart. There's something touching about how many of the 50s/early 60s acts went through their psych/hippy phase.

[Astronaut Omens]

Lee Dorsey- Vista, Vista
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AFVPH7I_bSA
I was kicking myself for not manage to get in Lee's funky Operation Heartache in the 1966 list, but then I rememberd this peculiar, pulsing, sparse, unfunky tune. I think if this had vocals by some fey British bloke it'd be called psychedelia- it kind of reminds me of Blue Milk by Stereolab.

[Oz Oz Alice]

Lee Moses - Bad Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lxp7WVXiXU


I'll be mentioning Lee Moses again later in this thread, but this is frankly fucking phenomenal. This was in original release frustratingly split across two sides so I've posted the version which doesn't commit this act of vandalism. The best way I could describe this would be "garage soul" as his vocal performance is truly beautiful and unhinged and, as one of the YouTube commenters says, the drummer is hitting the snare like it killed his mother. This sounds like Otis Redding but feral. You've got to love the way he opens a song called Bad Girl by screaming "THIS IS A SONG ABOUT A BAD GIRL". That's where the garage aspect is stronger: 90% of 60's garage records feature outraged men shouting "Get outta my way! You're no good!".

[jamiefairlie]

The Hollies - Butterfly

https://youtu.be/EYF4g-mlezE



Title track of the album of the same name, this was Nash's swansong with the band before scarpering to Laurel Canyon (Joni, Crosby et al) and adopting his 'lideraly mid-adlanic' accent that some may feel is somewhat grating (grading?) on the ears. I couldn't possibly comment.

[jobotic]

Lee Moses - Bad Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lxp7WVXiXU

What a cracker. Just came up on youtube after I played Pat Lundy. Not sure they're related apart from making me say "yeah!"

[daf]

Bill Niles - Bric-A-Brac Man   



Released as the B-side of "Pashionella Grundy" in September 1967 - did not chart

Bill Niles seems to have vanished off the face of the pop world after this one single - which made it on BBC's Juke Box Jury on Saturday 9 September 1967, along with :

'I'll Never Need More Than This' by Ike and Tina Turner 
'Sunflower, Sunflower' by P F Sloan
'The Letter' by The Box Tops
'Thoroughly Modern Millie' by Julie Andrews 
'Love Bug, Leave My Heart Alone' by Martha & the Vandellas
and
'Anything Goes' by Harper's Bizarre.

The panel included Sri Lankan singer Yolanda Bavan, Jennifer Lewis, 'Saturday Club' Radio DJ Brian Matthew, trouser-splitting blowhard P J Proby, and Kathy McBrearty had the casting vote.

[Brundle-Fly]

George Of The Jungle  Released in 1967 on? Who cares?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8rViF7V_oA

[jamiefairlie]

The Sundowners - Always You

https://youtu.be/SQLMo6My63s



New York band  who released four singles and one album, Captain Nemo, in their two year existence, during which they toured with they also toured with The Monkees and Jimi Hendrix

[daf]

The Rats - The Rise And Fall Of Bernie Gripplestone



Recorded in 1967 - unreleased

Established in 1963, The Rats were from Hull, in Yorkshire. In 1966, Mick Ronson joined group - then including singer Benny Marshall, bassist Geoff Appleby, and drummer Jim Simpson. They played the local circuit, and made a few unsuccessful trips to London and Paris.

In 1967, The Rats recorded the one-off psychedelic track, "The Rise and Fall of Bernie Gripplestone" at Fairview Studios in Willerby, Hull.

 

1968 saw the band change their name briefly to Treacle and Keith "Ched" Cheesman replaced Geoff Appleby on bass and the lineup of Ronson, Marshall, Cheesman and recently joined new drummer John Cambridge entered Fairview studio to record "Guitar Boogie", "Stop and Get A Hold of Myself" and "Morning Dew".

When Cambridge left he was replaced by Mick "Woody" Woodmansey. In November 1969, the band, having reverted back to their original name by this point, recorded a final session at Fairview, taping "Telephone Blues" and "Early in Spring".

[daf]

Nico Fidenco -  London Streets



From the soundtrack to the Italian film Supercolpo Da 7 Miliardi released in 1967

[jamiefairlie]

...

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The Quik - Bert's Apple Crumble



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1hRxPPS7b4

This Hammond-heavy floor-filler failed to chart when it was released on Deram in April '67, but it has since gone on to enjoy a healthy afterlife on the Mod revival scene. As for The Quik themselves, they're still out there gigging as The Quik Beats.

[daf]

Even bottoms ain't not private anymore . . .

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Give Him A Flower



Released in September 1967 as the B-side to 'Devil's Grip' - did not chart

Both Devil's Grip and Give Him A Flower were produced by Pete Townshend and Kit Lambert.

 

Brown quickly earned a reputation for outlandish performances, which included the use of a burning metal helmet, that led to occasional mishaps, such as during an early appearance at the Windsor Festival in 1967, where he wore a colander on his head soaked in methanol. The fuel poured over his head by accident caught fire; a bystander doused the flames by pouring beer on Brown's head, preventing any serious injury.

Fun bit of Hippie-teasing from the hot-headed Pyromaniac of pop.

[daf]

Selwyn And John - Bogey Man



Released in April 1967 - did not chart

All the info I have on these is on that record label - so feast your peepers!

[jamiefairlie]

Vashti Bunyan - Winter is blue

https://youtu.be/_Fpw7Z0Ncgg



Demo taken from Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind (Singles And Demos 1964 To 1967)

[honeychile]

Fontella Bass - Lucky in love



On these shores, Fontella Bass's chart career could give the impression of one-hit wonder courtesy of Rescue me. In her homeland she fared a little better, but moved towards jazz as pop longevity proved elusive after 1966. 1967's Lucky in love never charted here, there, or anywhere, but it's a gorgeous, weightless piece of pop-soul: clean cut as they come save for the brass sounding a little eager in the opening bars (in a good way). Can't lay my hands on the liner notes, so... that's that.

[jamiefairlie]

ok, looks we're coming to a natural end, so let's say farewell to 1967. A fine year, perhaps the strongest yet, certainly the most songs so far. What will 1968, the year of riots and an emerging revolutionary spirit, bring?

I'll officially turn the year later tomorrow, so get your last minute 1967s in soon....

[daf]

Strawberry Children - Love Years Coming



Released in July 1967 - did not chart in the UK, but spent two weeks on pirate Radio London's 'Fab 40', including a week at Number 7 in the final Fab 40 broadcast on 6th August 1967.

Written by Jimmy Webb. This was the first time he sang on a commercially released record.

   

Glen DeLange : "Boy, did I never think I would hear this song again. I've lost my copy, but the picture on the original sleeve was taken by Lamonte McLemore of the Fifth Dimension. I sang back up vocals on this record with another (as Jim would put it) chum from our college choir, Mike Reilly. Hal Blaine is the drummer, Larry Knechtel is the guitarist--see The Wrecking Crew--and that's about all I can remember. We recorded this at Sound Recorders Studio in Hollywood. Armin Steiner was the engineer."

[daf]

Hairs on a G-string . . .

Rupert's People - Reflections Of Charles Brown



Released in July 1967 - did not chart

Rod Lynton and Steve Brendell had been members of a North London band called The Extraverts. The band split and Rod and Steve continued in Hard Edge although this did not last long. Ray Beverley joined on bass and Sweet Feeling started to rehearse, mostly with Rod Lynton's songs. they were good enough to gain a management contract with Howard Conder of the Robert Stigwood Agency.

In May 1967, Sweet Feeling released the single "All So Long Ago" (b/w "Charles Brown"). Possibly inspired by Procol Harum's recent chart topper, 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', Conder asked Rod Lynton to rework "Charles Brown" with a different melody and lyrics [er? . . leaving what exactly - the title?]. The result, now titled "Reflections of Charles Brown" was quite different than its prototype, with a melody based on Bach's "Air on a G String". Condor recruited some of the band members of Le Feur de Lys, and possibly some members from Sweet Feeling [reports differ on the exact line up] to record this new arrangement.

   

Conder's original idea was to have Sweet Feeling change their name to Rupert's People so that there was a band to promote the single. Sweet Feeling declined, so a Rupert's People lineup was formed around singer Chris Andrews who had sung on the record, along with ex-Merseybeats drummer Johnny Banks, and Tony Dangerfield. This group lasted only briefly and didn't record anything.

Conder then went back to Sweet Feeling and again proposed that the band change their name to 'Rupert's People'. This time, they accepted, and the re-named group put out a couple more flop singles in 1967-1968.

As I interjected in the info-dump, the original 'Charles Brown' B-side sounds NOTHING like this supposed re-worked version - all they have in common are the words "Brown" and "Charles" in the title. Face facts Conder, it's a different song!

I suspect this partially phonus (if not completely balonus) 'creation story' ["they did the first take eight weeks before 'whiter shade of pale' was released"] was cooked up so they could say that they'd not pinched the idea off 'A Whiter Shade of Pale" . . . which they clearly did!

That said . . . I think I prefer it!

[famethrowa]

Hairs on a G-string . . .

Rupert's People - Reflections Of Charles Brown

Possibly inspired by Procol Harum's recent chart topper, 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'

Possibly?? What a rip off! Though I guess you can justify it by saying "well PH ripped off Bach anyway".

That intro is truly inept, I don't think it's an attempt to change the tune, it's just what happens when you think you know how it goes and try to play it on the fly.