We start the day off with our first submission in the Rocky Mountain Region of the Battle of the Garage Bands.
The Moonrakers of Denver, Colorado released their fourth and final single on Tower Records in the summer of 1966. That single contained two covers. The A-Side was a blistering cover of Baby, Please Don't Go, the 1935 Big Joe Williams composition. The Moonrakers, however, clearly picked the tune up from Van Morrison and Them which had released the number in November, 1964 for Decca Records (Parrot Records in the US). The Moonrakers' version is a powerhouse of blistering guitar, wailing harmonica and aggressive vocals. It's damn nice.
The Flip-Side of The Moonrakers' final single for Tower Records is a great cover of The Guilloteens original composition, I Don't Believe. Released just 11 months after The Guilloteens failed to light the world on fire with their debut single for HBR, the Moonrakers gave it another try. The production is less lush and a little faster than that of The Guilloteens. What their spry version demonstrates is the inherent crispy goodness of the song.
The Moonrakers were a multi-vocalist threat. Astute listeners will notice the singers are different on each side of this record. I Don't Believe features the vocals of Bob Weber while Baby, Please Don't Go features the vocals of Veeder Van Dorn.
We featured The Moonrakers one time before with their first single, You'll Come Back, with Denny Flanigan on vocals. Check out that post here for more on The Moonrakers.
More info on The Moonrakers can be found here, which is where I got the photo below.
Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!
Is Parrot Records going to be your next spotlight then?
ReplyDeletePerhaps. Not a bad idea. I have to think what I have on Parrot. Hmmmmm.
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