"The Pete Ham estate will be releasing a Limited Edition 50 track double CD set - "Keyhole Street: Demos 1966-67" - the majority of which will be previously unreleased and unheard music. This release will coincide with a Blue Plaque Ceremony and Tribute concert to Pete Ham / Iveys / Badfinger taking place on his birthdate, April 27, 2013, in Pete's hometown of Swansea in Wales. The following day, a memorial stone will be unveiled at the Morriston Cemetary, which is where Pete's ashes had been spread."
"By pre-ordering or 'pledging' for a copy of "Keyhole Street: Demos 1966-67," fans are guaranteed to get their copy before anybody else and they will also have access to a wide range of exclusive offers and premium items."
"All Pledgers will receive a special digital download of rare music as an added incentive. Pledgers will also have access to a special Pledgers-only updates page, where unheard demos and previously unseen photos are available."
"At the age of 19 and 20, Pete had recorded all of this set of demos at the band's London home. Recorded on a two-track Sound-On-Sound machine - of which you could bounce back and forth to layer parts - you hear in this 50 track collection, elements of classic balladry, Pink-Floydian psychedelia, rock'n'roll tributes, R&B, Beach Boys type harmonies, instrumentals, music hall stereotypes, an Elvis tribute, blues, humorous lyrical content, Beatle-ish tracks, and a horror film soundtrack."
Under the influence of the success of The Monkees TV series and records, the powers that be discovered that cartoon musicians couldn't mutiny and demand creative control, as the talented simian foursome had done shortly after their breakthrough success.
Most famous, of course, are The Archies, as they had the biggest hit ("Sugar Sugar"), but here are a few neglected relics of a higher quality.
Josie & The Pussycats was a groundbreaking cartoon, in that not only were Josie and her band all females, but even more so that character Valerie Brown was black. The voice heard on the records was none other than Patrice Holloway (sister of Brenda), and the excellent "With Every Beat Of My Heart' is a tasty concoction of bubblegum soul with a slight country flavor.
The Hardy Boys, teenage sleuths who first became heroes in print in the 1920's, have had several revivals through the years. These Hardy Boys became cartoon characters in 1969, combining their inquisitive nature musical talent into a series that updated the themes with lessons of drug abuse, cigarettes, and the importance of seat belts. Just like Josie & The Pussycats, they were an integrated group as well.
An actual group was put together to tour and record tracks for the soundtrack, and among the lighter weight numbers we find this excellent bubblegum freakbeat track that takes the 'Foxy Lady' into entirely different territory.Check out the still (below) of The Hardy Boys doin' their thang in a real groovy scene.
I know "Can't Explain" was actually a minor hit in the US prior to that (It was actually covered as early as late 1965 on Boston's The Ones' rare all cover LP), but... Was this the first time American Teens would see the mighty Oo' on TV, on cult Teen program : Shindig!, and Live to boot (taped from the Windsor jazz & blues festival, I think... in '65 too!) ?
"I now own Greta Garbo’s Beatles records, her twist records (she was a big fan of the dance craze and even ventured out to the Peppermint Lounge to see it for herself on the dancefloor), her Linda Ronstadt records, and mind blowingly — her own copy of Gene Clark’s “No Other”."
"So I found a great little vintage decoupaged record box from my office to put them in, and bought a little red Crosley Spinnerette portable record player so I could play them easily without hassle, and if I wished, create mp files from them too."
"But I also thought it would be nice to share these records. So that’s the intent of this blog: with each post, I will share the experience of pulling a record from Greta’s collection and playing it all the way though, as we might imagine what Greta was doing when she was listening."
Like so many other record fanatics, I first encountered Emitt Rhodes' solo debut LP for mere peanuts at one of my old record digging spots, which in this case happened to be a rural flea market and the price was probably 25 cents. In the twenty years since, I snatched up every other vinyl artifact from this masterful songwriter (most of which came my way after signing up for ebay in 1999) and have treasured them deeply, never growing tired of their majesty.
While these songs are heard everywhere on LP's and digital compilations, there's something cool about hearing the mono 45 versions that I felt compelled to share. I'm the first to admit that there's a whole lot of wackiness when it comes to the mindset of the completist, there is a certain sductive power of hearing the same familiar songs at 45 RPM that brings to mind an era that I did not live through but feel a deep connection with nonetheless.
While Emitt was only 20 years old when he recorded his solo debut LP, he was already a veteran musician with 7 years professional experience under his belt as both a drummer (The Emerals, The Palace Guard) and guitarist/ forntman (the amazing Merry Go Round). "Fresh As A Daisy", the debut single from the LP, became a minor hit (peaking at number 54) that drove the self-titled LP to become a mild success. The mix heard on the 45 is mono, punchier and has much hotter low end than the LP version. Must have sounded incredible on the AM radio!
The opening track from the debut LP, "With My Face On The Floor", was released hot on the heels of "Fresh As A Daisy". As excellent as the song is (I think of it as one of the definitive, explosive album openers that is so good it draws the listener in to the mood of the record immediately), the single failed to make much of an impression on the charts. However, just like the debut, the 45 mix is mono and HOT, and, while it still retains the homemade murkiness of the LP, it is far punchier than the mastering that is heard on the full length release. While that mysterious, murky sound is indeed part of the charm, every copy of the LP I've had has sounded WAY too flat when compared to the 45's.
Thanks to its conclusion on the Royal Tennenbaum's soundtrack, 'Lullabye" is perhaps Emitt's best known song (all 1:05 of it), and it was also used as the b-side for Dunhill D-4280. By the early 1970's it had become common practice for 'fold down' mono mixes; this is simply when the engineer "folds down" the stereo track into a mono master. Often times, this results in a mess, as the record can sound thin and out of phase. An even stranger phenomenom happens here on this fold down mix, as the intended phase shifting effect gets put out of phase, giving the effect a far stranger sound.
LullabyeEnding today's set is the one non-LP single that emitt released during his years at ABC Dunhill Records. 'Tame The Lion', a strong anti-Vietnam statement, was not included on his (excellent) second LP, Mirror. While this song has been reissued on a few compilations, here it is taken from an original, mono UK copy.
Peoria, Illinois garage-band : The Shags had the illustrious honor to sing the jingle of "Meet Me at Bergner's" chain-fashion store displaying cool "mod" threads of the day... Awesomely rare footage sadly lacking sound!
The Who had to still work and tour extensively in order to establish themselves as Pop Stars post-Monterey in USA... As can be seen on rare footage of live action in Peoria, Illinois and Pete Townshend interview in this documentary from 1968 : "All My Loving"!
No matter how we open our minds and ears, trying out new horizons and sounds, we always end up in the Garage womb... and what can be more garagey that an Unknown acetate? ;-) (Check out the cool organ zounds!...) :
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