.
Thanks to the gang at Mad City Music X and St. Vincent De Paul on Williamson Street. Again, a combination of obscure singles, and the better known and a few surprises as well.
1) Could I-Bread (Elektra EK-45668) 1969
The only time James Griffin and Robb Royer got the plug side and it didn't sell. It might have bubbled under the top 100 but Slade covered it later on. However, this song is overlooked in the anthologies that have come out and I knew nothing about this song till I saw the 45. B side You Can't Measure The Cost, owes something to the Moody Blues, it's a bit more experimental coming from David Gates, but then again he did produce recordings for Captain Beefheart, tho this song isn't as extreme as you would think. Since Could I failed to chart, it was decided that Gates's songs would become the a side. The next song would be Make It With You.
2) Lonely Days-Bee Gees (Atco 45-6795) #3 1970
The humble beginnings of the Bee Gees was scattershot. They focused mostly on ballads, and a lot of boring bullshit on their albums, and they were still muzak than disco but however, Lonely Days is one of my favorite songs from this part of history. Their best of's were overloaded on ballad and crappy ones such as Man For All Seasons, the B side is. They would continue to stumble about till Mr. Natural came out five years later, and then Main Course, and then....disco.
3) Po Folks-The Righteous Brothers (Verve VK-10649) 1970
The new Righteous Brothers, Jimmy Walker taking over for Bill Medley. The album Re Birth and the two singles released, (this was the second) didn't chart and Walker departed. Walker did enjoy a modest living playing out in Vegas, but Jimmy passed away on July 17 this year. Po Folks tends to be more of a country song than pop rock but it does work. B side Good N Nuff, is a passable Bobby Hatfield song. Hatfield passed away from Cocaine induced heart attack in 2003. Bill Medley replaced him with Bucky Heard, the only guy that could replaced Hatfield.
4) It's Only Love-Tommy James & The Shondells (Roulette R-4710) #31 1966
In trying to find Mony Mony in the cheap bins I ended up getting other Tommy James singles but not the real song itself. This song has special memories, it was one of the 45s that Grandma got me at the Lincoln ILL, Woolworth's store. My copy seen better days, so I found a better replacement copy. Henry Glover produced this instead of the Bo Gentry/Richie Cordell team. It's fun to hear Tommy bring out the woodblocks and shakers leading into the chorus. B side, Mike Vale takes on Ya Ya. Lee Dorsey didn't lose sleep over that.
5) Down In the Cold-Ten Wheel Drive/Genya Ravan (Polydor PD 2-14052) 1971
Led by Genya Ravan, 10 Wheel Drive a horn driven band lead by Michael Zager. Morning Much Better hit number 74. I had their best of CD but it's a mess and all over the place. Down In The Cold owes something akin to Cold Blood, and I can tolerate this one. B side Last Of The Line not so much. Ravan would go solo, Ten Wheel Drive stumbled on with another album on Capitol and Zager went disco with Let's All Chant a few years later.
6) We're All In This Together-Cat (RCA 74-0331) 1970
The second single from their only album issued in the US, and I bought that record for 44 cents at Kresge years ago. RCA opted to go with Solo Flight as the plug but since it didn't chart, I decided to tout the better side. It's a edited from its 4:27 album time but you're not missing all that much, just the extension to the final coda chorus. A should have been hit me thinks, but anyway, this single was at the Mad City Music X for over two years before they got tired of seeing it an threw it in the quarter bin. Somehow I knew I would be taking it home eventually.
7) The Pushbike Song-The Great American Disaster (United Artists UA-50758) 1971
The Mixtures had the hit with this song but around the same time, The Great American Disaster issued this as a UA promo. The Mixtures number 44 showing on the US chart is the most known, tho Mongo Jerry did a version of this too. Nothing is known about the GAD. This was their only single released.
8) Keep The One You Got-Joe Tex (Dial 45-4083) #52 1968
It's a shame that most of my Joe Tex singles got played to death and weren't taken care of. I don't come across many of Joe's 45s but this one mirrors Hold On To What You Got. B side Go Home To Do It is fun Joe Tex soul jive, which he would perfect later on with I Gotcha.
9) Presidential Rag-Arlo Guthrie (Reprise REP-1211) 1974
The record buying public gave up on Arlo after City Of New Orleans but he wrote this one after Nixon stepped down. This song sounds perfect for these times since we have a joke in the White House. B side Nostalgia Rag somehow snails on by.
10) I'm Into Something Good-Herman's Hermits (MGM K-13280) #13 1964
The first top 20 hit from the much maligned Hermits, which this and followup Heartbeat gave us the term UK bubble gum. The Hermits, much like the lesser known Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas and Freddie And The Dreamers were considered the ones riding on the coattails of The Beatles, The Stones and Dave Clark Five. If you can excuse them for the crappy Mrs Brown You Got A Lovely Daughter or I'm Henry The 8th That I Am, they were a passable enjoyment of British pop, why everybody loved Peter Noone. Unlike the Stones covering the blues, The Beatles covering Motown, The Hermits leaned toward pop and r and b, from this Mar Jean covers and of course, a speedy run through on Sam Cooke's Wonderful World and The Rays, Silhouettes, and even the Kinks' Dandy, tho Noone's holding his nose voice got annoying. Perhaps there might be a best of Hermits I can listen though without a stylus needle scratch on their number 1 hits. For the also ran of the British Invasion, Gerry And The Pacemakers might be the best musicians, tho their song selection could be laughable. The aw shucks persona of Noone was what gave the Hermits their charm but usually Derek Lecknerby or Harvey Listberg (their Manager) would write the B sides. To which Your Hand In Mine is B side garbage.
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