Monday, June 13, 2011

The Groove - The Wind / Play The Song 7" ITA Parlophone 4C006-80109, 1969

For me The Groove are a bit of a dull band. Skilled musicians, sure. Lots of feel, it's just their choice of musical styles doesn't excite me. In 1968 they moved to London and recorded a last 7" which was released by Parlophone in the UK (R5783) and Italy, in a sleeve.

As far as the A-side goes, I feel I have to paraphrase Forced Exposure's one line review of 7 Seconds New Wind LP, "Something is blowing here, but, uh, is it the wind?" All gags aside, it's one of those big London winter ballads - piano, choral voices, big vocals.

The flipside is more interesting - uptempo, Hammond driven, swinging London - not too bad.

Issued in Australia by Columbia (DO-8811).

After this the band morphed into Eureka Stockade and had a 7" released in the UK, Germany and Belgium.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Cherokees - It's Gonna Work out Fine 7" USA Gary GA 1001, 1965

I thought I'd closed the book on overseas Cherokees 7"s with their New Zealand 45. However it is pleasing that a year after I started this, obscure foreign issues are still popping up.

Prior to their run of seven singles on Go!!, The Cherokees had two 7"s and an LP on W&G label. This was their second release (W&G WG-S-2377).  It's Gonna Work Out Fine is a ballad, so we go to the B side for kicks. I've Got Something To Tell You is a decent beat track with good guitar flourishes, but the lyrics are lamesville, unfortunately. This one is written by Bill Martin and Tommy Scott. I can't figure out the vector by which it got to Melbourne but there seems to be another 1965 version by a Scottish Band, the Boston Dexters.

Oddly the songwriting credit for the A side on both the Australian issue and this one is to Senecel-Lee. Senecel should be Joe Seneca.

Ben Ghazi -  Saturn Music gives no clues either. We'll have to record an open verdict on this one.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Master's Apprentices - Undecided 7" GER Metronome M-981, 1967

Here's a undeniably handsome German sleeve for the Masters Apprentices first single. The band photo is great, the red song titles are florid, and of course the music is pretty damn good too. A double sided masterpiece in fact.

Quite astounding that this got a release in Germany. Go!!, which was distributed by Astor, was proactive in getting their records out outside Australia, but Astor itself wasn't. Mind you they didn't release a lot of Australian bands, really. And on the other hand they did distribute a lot of overseas labels and bands, and I assume they had reciprocal arrangements with some of them. 

I think I've got the line-up in the photo right - it's a 1967 photo. From left to right: Jim Keays, Steve Hopgood, Gavin Webb, Mick Bower and Tony Sommers. The actual line-up that recorded the single had Rick Morrison and Brian Vaughton instead of Sommers and Hopgood. The Australian issue was Astor A-7071 from November 1966.