14 U.S. Oilslickers and Garage Mechanics from the Mid Sixties

Another selection from Julian Cope‘s record collection and put together by his old manager. Most of the tracks are easily available on other comps but it’s nice to have the Danny Belline & the Rich Kids track as this one is not so common (well it was on Boulders 5). I like this track – being a sort of garage / soul crossover effort.

The Twilighters track is an absolute cruncher with a very wigged-out guitar sound, really harsh. The Swamp Rats, Chevelle V, 49th Parallel – all ace stuff.

The Wylde Main-iacs is actually from the ’80s but seemed to fool a lot of people into thinking it was a ’60s original. I actually like it but it’s not highly-rated among those who know about such things.

And apparently the Katz Kradle track is another ’80s spoof 45 by the same guy – Erik Lindgren. Not so many people know about this one and some feel it may be ’60s. Also – it’s never been comped elsewhere.

Like Gone 1: Colour Dreams the sleeve art is quite nice, but the sound quality is so-so and there’s no sleeve notes so the whole enterprise was a bit of a cash-in. (BradX)

The Countdowns – ’She Works All Night’/’Skies Will Be Happy To See You’ (WG Records WG-1) June 1967

Simple and effective up-tempo teenbeat without any of the studio embellishments like fuzz, wah-wah or sound FX you’d expect from something released in mid 1967. I doubt if anyone but the group themselves laid down the instrumentation, in other words no professional studio musicians.

The drummer at times is all over the place but he manages to keep everything together, although he was probably exhausted by the end of the take.

Teenbeat Mayhem! lists The Countdowns with a South Hadley Falls, MA location. As far as I know only ’Skies Will Be Happy To See You’ has been compiled before, on one of those ancient Gone albums from the mid 80s. (08/12/12)

Count & the Colony – ‘Can’t You See?’ / ‘That’s The Way (It’s Got To Be)’ (PA-GO-GO PAG121) December 1966

I’ve had this ’60s garage 45 by Count and the Colony in my collection for several years and thought that I’d already reviewed it. However, a few weeks ago a group photograph surfaced on my Facebook feed which made me curious.

It transpired that the record went straight into a record box and consequently forgotten about! 

The group were from Bay City, MI but weren’t on the scene for very long, releasing two respectable singles on the PA-GO-GO label, operating in San Antonio, Texas.

“Can’t You See?” is full of teenage swagger with crunchy and aggressive fuzz guitar over a pounding beat. It’s a rave-up bursting with energetic raunch helped along by clattering tambourine and organ bursts.

The number was compiled years ago on ‘Teenage Shutdown’ (Jump, Jive & Harmonize) and is well worth checking out.

By contrast, the B-side “That’s The Way (It’s Got To Be)” is a slow ballad with falsetto vocals, that is until that singer decides to forget about all that and begins to talk over the beat. The lyrics are corny and the number simply doesn’t work.

line-up:
Don Haile (bass)
Larry Wheatley (lead guitar)
Butch (Count) Burden (vocals)
Dick Brown (organ)
Fred Bingham (drums)

The Jagged Edge – ’How She’s Hurtin Me’ / ’You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down’ (Gallant GT 3017) June 1966

The Off-Set – ’Xanthia (Lisa)’ / ’A Change Is Gonna Come’ (Jubilee 45-5542) 1967

Here are 4 excellent songs by a bunch of teens from Brooklyn, New York. The first record on Gallant sold quite well in New York. ’How She’s Hurtin Me’ is in my top ten folk rockers list.

Both sides were written by Drew Georgopulos. Credits on label read A. Georgeopulis. Is this a typo?

Fortunately no one cares because it’s a sparkling jangler with rattling tambourine and a teen punk guitar break that pretty much elevates the song into my top ten folk rock list.

I’m surprised that it’s only been compiled once before on From The New World back in the 8os. This was a vinyl only release. ’You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down’ is more garagey and far less tuneful but still good none the less.

The band changed their moniker to The Off-Set for their next release a year later on Jubilee. Another cool song, again written by Drew Georgopulos is ’Xanthia (Lisa)’ This one is a psychedelic effort with weird noises, jangly guitar, finger cymbals and plodding bass. Almost Byrdsian but on a much smaller budget of course.

The other side written by S. Cook is back to the jangle folk rocker mode with what sounds like an opening barrage of fuzz bass. All four songs were produced by Cis-Trans Production team. (30/07/07)

Band members on these two 45s were:

Elliot Ingber (vocals)
Harley Wishner (bass)
Kenny Bennett (drums)
Art Steinman (lead guitar)
Drew Georgopulos (rhythm guitar)