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All posts for the month February, 2015

The Sound of the 4 Instants

Posted by funky16corners on February 22, 2015
Posted in: Au Go Go, British Beat, cover versions, Culture, freakbeat, Instrumental, Iron Leg, Mod, Music, Original versions, pop, R&Beat, Swinging London. Leave a comment

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Clem Cattini

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Listen/Download – The 4 Instants – Bogattini
Listen/Download – The 4 Instants – Watermelon Man
Listen/Download – The 4 Instants – Discotheque

Greetings all.

I have something rather groovy for you today.

A while back all-around pop-cult maven Kliph Nesteroff posted a Youtube vid on my FB wall, asking if I was familiar with the track in question.

I gave it a spin, and I was as clueless about the song/group as I was blown away by the track.

The group being the 4 Instants, the track a wild bit of noise entitled ‘Bogattini’.

So, naturally I set out in search of the record and information about the 4 Instants. The former proving scarce and the latter all but non-existent.

Then, a few weeks later a copy of the record popped up on Ebay from a UK seller and I was lucky enough to enter the high bid.

Flash forward a week or two later and the record popped through the mail slot, and I was very happy indeed to discover that the LP ‘Discotheque’ was no mere one-track-wonder.

The small bit of information I have been able to gather suggests that he 4 Instants were a group of studio musicians gathered together to record an LP’s worth of dance floor sounds to be sold to clueless teenagers eager to stuff their ears full of beat music.

Following the writing credits on the original tracks, the members of the 4 Instants included former Tornado and UK studio all-star drummer Clem Cattini, guitarist Mickey Keen, bassist Dave Winters and Michael O’Neill (who I’ll assume was playing the organ).

The LP includes three originals and covers of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Watermelon Man’, Carl Holmes and the Commanders ‘Mashed Potatoes’, Major Lance’s ‘Monkey Time’ (composed, of course by Curtis Mayfield), Jimmy McGriff’s ‘All About My Girl’, Booker T and the MGs ‘Outrage’, Duke Ellington’s ‘Caravan’ and the old stripper’s standby ‘Night Train’.

‘Bogattini’ is nothing less than a slice of madness, complete with odd sound effects (including a flushing toilet, thus the ‘bog;), heavy, nearly freakbeat guitar, buzzing bass and wild, unhinged drum solos by Cattini. It flirts with novelty, but the package taken as a whole is rather solid.

The version of ‘Watermelon Man’ is 100% unadulterated mod R&B, featuring the organ and some tasty guitar.

‘Discotheque’ is an upbeat, au-go-go number, sounding like it emerged from the soundtrack of a 1966 teen movie.

The bottom line is, there are several tracks on this album, that had they only ever been issued as obscure 45s, would have record collectors killing each other to get them.

As is, they’re all sitting on an equally obscure LP waiting for you (though the album has seen reissue).

So dig the sounds,and I’ll see you next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

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Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #46

Posted by funky16corners on February 15, 2015
Posted in: 45s, Au Go Go, Country, Country Pop, cover versions, Culture, Easy, Iron Leg, Iron Leg Radio Show, Kitsch, Music, Now Sound, pop, psychedelia, Rock, Soundtrack, Sunset Strip. Leave a comment

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Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Attack – Colour of My Mind (Decca)
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart – Sometimes She’s a Little Girl (A&M)
Boyce & Hart Coke Commercial
Living Guitars – Out and About (Camden)
Shotgun Express – I Could Feel the Whole World Turn Round (Columbia)
Timebox – Gone Is the Sad Man (Deram)
Silver Jade – Fly On Strangewings (DJM)
Ravi Shankar Anti-Drup Radio Spot

Rod McKuen – A Boy Named Charlie Brown (Columbia)
Rod McKuen/Anita Kerr – My Mother Wanted Me To Play Mozart (WB)
Rod McKuen/Anita Kerr – Mud Kids (WB)
Beach Boys – Wake the World (Brother)
Incredible String Band – No Sleep Blues (Elektra)
Paul Williams – Someday Man (Reprise)
Curt Boettcher Levis Commercial

Jackie Cain & Roy Kral – Fixing a Hole (Capitol)
Jackie Cain & Roy Kral – Lady Madonna (Capitol)
Cats – Magical Mystery Morning (Rare Earth)
Classics IV – Stormy (Imperial)
Don Agrati – Protoplasm Blues (Elektra)
Bill Anderson and Jan Howard – Someday We’ll Be Together (Decca)

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #46 – 135MB/256kbps

 

 

Greetings all.

Welcome to this month’s episode (#46) of the Iron Leg Radio Show.

This time out we have some groovy new arrivals, pay tribute to the late Rod McKuen, and groove on the psychedelic jazz pop of Jackie and Roy.

I’ve come up with a new method of recording/assembling the show, so the tech problems from last month should be taken care of.

As always I hope you dig it.

See you next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Don and the Goodtimes – Little Sally Tease

Posted by funky16corners on February 8, 2015
Posted in: 45s, Culture, garage punk, Music, Original versions, Pacific Northwest Rock, Rock. 1 Comment

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Don and the Goodtimes, Jim Valley, center

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Listen/Download – Don and the Goodtimes – Little Sally Tease

Greetings all.

A while back I featured a very groovy PNW garage nugget, that being the Kingsmen doing ‘Trouble’.

I made mention of the PNW standard ‘Little Sally Tease’ in that piece (covered by the Kingsmen and the Standells down in LA), after which I realized (I was both shocked and stunned) that I had never featured the original version of that song here at Iron Leg.

That version, by Don and the Goodtimes is – in my opinion – the finest of them all.

This has something to do with the presence of the song’s author, Jim Valley.

Valley is as close as you get to a PNW ‘Zelig’.

He got his start recording with the Viceroys, went on to join Don and the Goodtimes and then joined Paul Revere and the Raiders,  before recording as a solo artist!

‘Little Sally Tease’ was first released by Don and the Goodtimes in 1965 on Jerden, and it was picked up for national release by Dunhill.

The group – which also shared members with the Kingsmen (Jack Ely) – laid down some of the grittiest PNW garage, before evolving into something of a sweeter pop sound during their Epic years.

‘Little Sally Tease’ is one of those records that sounds as if the entire group were recorded inside the bass drum.

The record opens with a couple of thunderous snare drum shots, before being joined by the combo organ , guitar and bass and of course the wailing vocals.

It is a masterpiece of 65/66 garage, and the kind of 45 that sets the dance floor on fire as soon as the needle drops.

So dig it.

I’ll see you next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

The Associated Soul Group – Don’t Think Twice / Wild Times

Posted by funky16corners on February 1, 2015
Posted in: cover versions, Culture, Exploito, garage punk, Iron Leg, Music, Rock, Sunset Strip. 1 Comment

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Hubba Hubba…

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Listen/Download – Associated Soul Group – Don’t Think Twice

Listen/Download – Associated Soul Group – Wild Times

Greetings all.

Here’s something crazy for you.

I picked up the Associated Soul Group LP a while back because a friend had posted their version of ‘Are You Experienced’, mainly because it included a drum break.

I’m always game for exploito/covers, so when the chance presented itself, I grabbed myself a copy of the album.

What I discovered was that in addition to a couple of groovy instrumentals, there are a couple of excellent garage/psyche tracks as well.

The history/provenance of the the Associated Soul Group is largely lost to the ages, since there probably never was an actual group by that name, and the fact that the music included on the album in question may very well have emanated from more than one source.

The tunes I bring you today, my faves from the LP are two great slices of 66/67 garage called ‘Don’t Think Twice’ and ‘Wild Times’.

‘Don’t Think Twice’, which opens with a very groovy guitar line has the slightly polished sound of 66-era Sunset Strip to it.

‘Wild Times’ works a similar vibe, adding in a touch of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Interestingly enough, this very song, (sounding like the same group, though a different recording) was released as a 45 by the Id, of ‘Boil the Kettle Mother’ fame.

‘Don’t Think Twice’ also appeared under the Id name, as well as appearing on an LP by the ‘Projection Company’.

I have (and have heard) a bunch of similarly intended albums, and what sets these tracks apart is how good they are, so much so as to be too good (if you know what I mean). It pains me to think of some anonymous bunch of longhairs having offered up their best material, only to have the songs recycled/renamed and stuffed into supermarket and gas station record racks until the record company had managed to squeeze the last drop of musical blood from the stone.

There are some names tied to these sounds, namely Jerry Cole and Paul Arnold (at least as far as writing credit is concerned) but the list of groups in this particular orbit – including the Animated Egg, T. Swift and the Electric Bag, Associated Soul Group, Firebirds, Projection Company – only serves to muddy the water.

That said, I do dig these songs a lot, and I hope you do too.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.