Holy Scorpion songs, batman. We're back for a second straight day of featuring a song from the 60s beat group, The Scorpions. To be honest, that's a lot of attention paid to a band of this little infamy. A couple of comments on yesterday's Scorpions post for Hey Honey got us referencing this song so we figured we better put it out.
The song is Too Many Lovers and it is a real quirky number with a freaky cool organ bubbling under the whole song and some dang nifty falsetto harmonies at 1:49 to carry us out. It was released as the Flip-Side to a mundane cover on CNR Records in October of 1966. (We really do get carried away with the Flip-Sides on this blog. Good thing we named our site appropriately). Many, many years later the San Diego rock band, The Tell-Tale Hearts, would record a beautiful version of this song for Kavern-7 Records. Hmmm, is that a hint to tomorrow's post?
The organ in this Scorpions song reminds us of a song recorded in Minot, North Dakota a year later by The Trenchmen. You can read that post here. Highly recommended stuff, dude.
You are right, this song is quirky. The singer's knack for unpredictable vocal timing here and the frenetic organ (have to listen closely) are part of it. Odd time changes, the jerky rhythm of the main riff and the undeviating delivery too ... Good stuff!!
ReplyDeleteGREAT STUPH!! I never heard this one before. At times it reminds me of "Dawn Is Breaking" by New Colony Six.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the opening riff reminds me of The Animals, Baby Let Me Take You Home.
Good catch. That opening riff of Dawn is Breaking - especially when the organ kicks in - is very similar to the opening riff in Too Many Lovers.
DeleteMy mum and dad were friends with Peter and my mum actually knitted the whole band scorpion jumpers when they first started out in the early sixties; we've only just discovered that Peter was a victim of Harold Shipman - so shocking!!
DeleteUgh, what a terrible thing to hear. I had no idea who Harold Shipman was until you posted this. I see that Peter was the evil doctor's youngest victim at the young age of 41.
DeleteDid the jumpers have Scorpions on them or something?
Okay, THIS is why I run this site. Both fantastic comments and observations. Matt -- I just ran to my record collection and found Dawn is Breaking on the Flip-Side of the excellent I Confess. I bet I haven't heard Dawn is Breaking in 25 years. It's excellent and you are correct, the chord progression and opening organ riff is eerily similar. What a great find. Thanks.
ReplyDelete