The Koobas
Listen/Download – The Koobas – Take Me For a Little While
Greetings all.
Once in a while I manage to get my dig on unexpectedly.
My wife and I were on the way back from an appointment and were going past a recod store that I’d heard about but never managed to stop into.
Though it was kind of a disappointment, with the set up of being a drag and my having to pry the location of the 45s out of the disinterested kid working the register, I did manage to extract a couple of winners, one of which you see before you today.
I have been a fan of the song ‘Take Me For a Little While’ ever since first laying my hands on Evie Sands’ 1965 Blue Cat 45. The song – written, and later recorded by Trade Martin – has a fantastic melody and the kind of dramatic tension perfect for soul balladry – was recorded a bunch of times, by Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles, Jackie Ross, the Mirettes, Cher, and Vanilla Fudge (who had a minor hit with the song in 1968) among others.
The Koobas, who like the Beatles got their start in Liverpool and made their bones in Germany, laid down their version on their debut 45 in 1965. Though both Evie Sands and Jackie Ross released their versions of the song in 1965, my guess is that the Koobas (as well as Johnny Gustafson and Stevie Lewis (a girl singer) who also had UK 45s of the song in 1965) were covering Sands’ record (which had been copied by Ross).
The Koobas kick up the tempo a bit, adding in harpsichord and building into a powerful reading of what has to be considered one of the all-time great choruses. Placed side by side with the excellent b-side ‘Somewhere In the Night’ you can hear the Koobas leaving beat music in the dust and edging right up on the border of freakbeat.
It’s a very groovy 45 indeed, and a stellar version of one of the greatest songs of the 1960s (make sure to check out some of those other versions).
I hope you dig it and I’ll see you all next week.
Peace
Larry
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