Carl Wayne - "Way Back in the Fifties"

Way Back in the Fifties b/w Candy (Polydor 1975 - Dutch issue)

Here's the original singer for The Move, trying to stay relevant in the seventies. I remember my dad telling me once, how Carl Wayne was basically an uncredible "dork." Wayne reputedly left the band due to his desire to take The Move in a more cabaret direction. Of course, Roy Wood had different ideas, and he went on to be considered by many a pop genius, whilst Mr. Wayne pretty much waded through the trenches of the music industry.

This record, however, ain't half bad. Hey, the guy had a great voice! It seems pretty obvious that he was capitalizing on Roy Wood/Wizzard's fifties in the seventies formula, though with considerably less hair. Both sides were written and produced by the team of Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington, who had many successful projects under their collective belt, including writing "Sugar Baby Love." If you're into this track, it's pretty much the end of the road for good Carl Wayne records. Search his name on Youtube and, frankly, it reaffirms what my dad told me years ago. The solo stuff is mostly schmaltz. I have heard another Carl Wayne recording of this song, with slicker (more-recent?) production and a mock-fifties spoken intro. I'm posting the better version.

High Noon - "Drivin' Drivin'"

Old Fashioned Feeling b/w Drivin' Drivin' (CBS 1970 - US issue)

High Noon was a studio project of Sundragon members Robert Freeman and Ian McLintock. These two had played together in various bands since the mid-60's, most notably in Sands, who gave us the fantastic "Listen to the Sky." Sundragon had minor hit, covering "Green Tambourine," and rushed out an album of mostly covers. When that momentum died, Freeman and McLintock released a handful of singles under various other band names.

"Old Fashioned Feeling" is your typical sunshine pop, somewhat like Edison Lighthouse. "Drivin' Drivin'" is the better cut. It starts out enjoyable enough, then the bridge kicks in and it goes from good to great!

Promo copies seem to be somewhat common. This was released in Japan in a picture sleeve. The Tapestry of Delights lists two more singles; the rather enjoyable "Dragonfly" b/w "Bring" Back That Love Again," and the rather elusive "Living is a Loving Thing" b/w "Blind Alley."

Lion - "In My Youth"

In My Youth (same on both sides) (Mainstream 1969 - US promo issue)

I can't quite put my finger on this. I hear a bit of early Flamin' Groovies in this but, no, that's not it....

Here's the first of Lion's two 1969 singles on the no-frills Mainstream label. Promo copies like this, with the same track on both sides seem to be most common. I've also seen a copy listed with "It's Too Late" as the flipside, and another GEMM listing has "Ramrod" as the flip. The only thing I could find on this record is a copyright, listing Stephen Burgess and David Fuller as the writers. My guess is they're American. Does anybody know who they are?

I haven't heard the second single, "Natural Man" b/w "Sometimes I Feel Like Philadelphia," also written by S. Burgess. Um, help?

Bintangs "Ridin' on the L&N"

Ridin' on the L&N b/w Down South Blues (1969 Decca - Dutch issue)

Here's a nice bit of Americana, by way of the Netherlands. I've been holding off on this one, until I had a (shitty) picture sleeve copy. Nothing like an Amsterdam flea market for finding the real deal! The Bintangs formed around 1959 and, in some form, are still going today. Their '68-'72 output is the most distinct, in my opinion. They had some incredible moments of pub rock glory in the mid-to-late-70's, but the albums were certainly more spotty after about '72.

This is an edit of the album version with a wisely truncated flute solo. The b-side is much more bluesy but also has a flute solo. Sometimes I can't help but laugh. What is the thing with Late 60's early 70's Dutch bands and flute solos?! Jethro Tull must have really spoken to the Dutch somehow. If you like this one, check out "Lion Tamer" and "I'm On My Own Again."

Hat and Tie

Chance for Romance b/w California Jazz Club USA (1966 President - UK issue)

Simultaneously sounding exactly like early Kinks, AND completely original, Hat and Tie somehow came and went with little fanfare. At the core of the group were Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Chris Thomas, who had played together in R&B group Second Thoughts. They managed to release 2 excellent 45s on President, this one being far less acclaimed. Their other 45 included the swirling gem "Finding it Rough." If you haven't heard that one, do yourself a huge favor and click here!

After Hat and Tie, Campbell-Lyons formed the first, but lesser-known Nirvana, while Thomas produced some silly little album called Nevermind the Bollocks...

I usually don't post both sides, as I like to encourage people to collect records, rather than mp3s. I'm just too in love with this one, though. Here are both cuts:

Chance for Romance

California Jazz Club U.S.A.

Les Dollies

Cherie Baby b/w Let's Dance Tonight (1977 HS - French issue)

Interesting sleeve.....Muppet drug-casualties? One person responsible for this record was media tycoon and current 102nd-richest person in America, Haim Saban. As the producer behind the Power Rangers, he made millions of annoying 90's kids think they knew martial arts. But thanks to this record, I can now almost forgive Saban for all the karate chops I received 15 years ago from my younger cousins.

"Cherie Baby" is the Four Seasons tune, with French lyrics. It's got a nice synth riff, a la Wings' "Wonderful Christmastime." Pretty light fare, but somewhat interesting. "Let's Dance Tonight" is more straight-forward glitter, with Kenny-esque vocals. The writing credit for the B-side is Kussa, which is rumored to be an alias of Saban, though I've also read he took a lot of credit for arrangements/writing he didn't actually do.

Cherie Baby

Let's Dance Tonight

Mersey Kids - "Keep on Rockin"

Keep on Rockin' b/w Bee Side (1974 Pathe - French issue)

Pretty difficult researching this one. It appears to be just a studio project. The writing credits are B. Liamis, I. Gomez, and T. Lipton, and no producer is listed. Bernard Liamis seems to be one likely suspect. He put out a couple singles in the 70s, but his main claim to fame seems to be composing the music for "Un Train qui Part," Monaco's 1973 Eurovision entry. The cleverly-named "Bee Side," is a throwaway funky instrumental with only the occasional lyrics "beeee siiiiide."