The Sorrows - Take A Heart

The Sorrows hailed from Coventry, England and were fronted by Don Fardon. In 1965 they landed a recording contract with Picadilly Records and began releasing a number of very unique and cool records. Finding trouble distinguishing themselves from the other bands in the UK, The Sorrows relocated for a time to Italy. We feature today their third record, Take A Heart, released in the UK in August, 1965. The song was written by one Mickey Dallon.

As you can see from the scans, I also confess to having a record collecting problem. Yep, that's the UK version, as well as a rare US version and an even more rare, Mexican version of the record. All with the original company sleeves of course. It's off to Record Collector Anonymous for this Flip-Sider.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Songs The Yardbirds Taught Us (#4): Jimmy Reed - I Ain't Got You

The Yardbirds did a blistering version of I Ain't Got You with Eric Clapton at the helm. It appeared on The Yardbirds US debut album, For Your Love.

I Ain't Got You dates back to 1955 when both Billy Boy Arnold and Jimmy Reed recorded the number for the Chicago based Vee Jay Records. It is almost a certainty that The Yardbirds got their inspiration from this version which has a distinctive harmonica retort that is not in Billy Boy Arnold's version.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Songs The Yardbirds Taught Us (#3): The Johnny Burnette Trio - The Train Kept A-Rollin'

Rip Roaring Rock-N-Roll is embedded in this post. You've been warned.

Day three of On The Flip-Side getting Under The Covers with The Yardbirds and their many cover versions of songs takes us to Tennessee where The Johnny Burnette Trio recorded and released The Train Kept A-Rollin' in 1956 for Coral Records. True, this is not the first version. Tiny Bradshaw gets that credit. Listen to it here. But it is this version that Jeff Beck heard. This record inspired Beck to radically reimagine the song as he and his bandmates hit Tennessee on a tour and squeezed in a recording session at Sun Records in '65. The Yardbirds' version was released in the US Germany on Epic in November of '65. As a Flip-Side we might point out. In the US it was part of the Having A Rave Up long player released in '66.

The Johnny Burnette Trio give us a very different version than what The Yardbirds gave us. But I think you'll agree, it's pretty dang amazing.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Songs The Yardbirds Taught Us (#2): Billy Boy Arnold - I Wish You Would

We're back after a whopping 27 hours off! We return to our look at songs The Yardbirds covered. Yesterday we did the Flip-Side of The Yardbirds' debut single. Today we look at the A-Side. The A-side of their 1964 release was a scorcher of a version of I Wish You Would, a song written and performed by Billy Boy Arnold. Billy Boy Arnold went to Chess Records to get some releases and was told to go packing. Down the road apiece was rival Vee Jay Records. They opened the studio and Billy Boy Arnold came out with this Bo Diddley influenced number. It was released in June of 1955. Probably early in the morning. You know, like maybe around the break of day. 

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Songs The Yardbirds Taught Us (#1): Enrie K-Doe - A Certain Girl

We're going to spend the week going under the covers by looking at the original versions of songs that were covered by The Yardbirds. In many cases we learned of the artist or the particular song FROM The Yardbirds. In most cases, actually. 

We'll start today with Ernie K-Doe (born as Ernest Kador) of New Orleans, Louisiana. Ernest struck it big in early 1961 with the Allen Toussaint composition/production of Mother-In-Law. In October of that same year Ernie K-Doe reached his bucket into the deep, rich music well that was Allen Toussaint one more time. Toussaint produced and wrote A Certain Girl under the name of Naomi Neville and it was released by Ernest K-Doe on the great local New Orleans label, Minit Records.

The song became a staple of early Yardbirds sets and was dedicated to wax with Eric Clapton laying down a fiery lead guitar part as the Flip-Side of their amazing debut single in May of 1964. It turns out we wrote about The Yardbirds' version in 2012. You can hear their version right here. 

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Neko Case - Deep Red Bells

We present today Neko Case doing Deep Red Bells from her flawless 2002 release, Blacklisted (on Bloodshot Records). I won't go on too long here. Suffice to say, Neko Case could read the menu at a Chinese restaurant and I would find it intriguing. That's just how much I love her voice.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Downliners Sect - I'll Find Out

I've always wondered what those songs were on the other side of a record. I don't know what side of the record you call that. The...? At any rate, when one flips over Glendora, yesterday's featured song, you find this fine number. The original composition, I'll Find Out. Maybe I should look more at these particular sides of records. One could even do a whole blog about them!

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Downliners Sect - Glendora

Downliners Sect are one of those bands that didn't make too much of a blip on the radar in their day but have become legends long after their demise as music freaks and record collectors (like us) seek out their rare and unique set of releases. The London band mined the same field of American R&B as The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and The Pretty Things, but somehow it all sounds different when the Sect set upon a song. Sometimes ragged, sometimes charming, sometimes awkward, sometimes brilliant, sometimes sick. The band was Don Craine, Keith Grant, Johnny Sutton, Terry Gibson and occasionally Ray Sone.

We feature today the band's 10th UK release. It's not a cover of an American R&B number. Nope. It's American alright, but not R&B. The song was more of a novelty crooners ballad originally. The song is Glendora, and it tells the tale of a man who fell madly in love with a mannequin, only to have his heart broken just as the mannequin itself gets broken.  The song was first released by American singer Jack Lewis in 1956 which was promptly covered by Perry Como. UK singer, Glen Mason covered the number the same year for release in the UK. It's probably his version that caught the attention of The Sect.

The Sect, as they so often did, went about the song in a very different way. Their June 1966 release for Columbia Records is a scorching rocker of the first order. Fuzz guitar, gut-bucket vocals, pounding bass and some great female backing vocals that would have made Joe Meek proud. It all makes this version of Glendora one of the all-time great UK releases from the era.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Original Song Project: Jack Hayden, Olivia Is Here

So here's a song I wrote not too long ago for the child of a close friend of mine entitled Olivia Is Here. I had intended to put something together at the time of her birth, as I had done for his son, but this one didn't see daylight until she was a good five years old.  Which means she was able to give it a good listen for herself soon after it was recorded.  I'm playing a 1948 Gretsch Synchromatic in an open tuning.  Not much more to say other than that at the time I was listening to a lot of Merle Travis early instrumentals, so if you know that music you might detect that influence.

The Decades - I'm Gonna Dance/On Sunset

I'm Gonna Dance

On Sunset

I don't know a whole lot about this fuzzed out pop-raver. The Decades probably hailed from the Los Angeles area and released their one and only single in 1967 on Era Records. The Decades, whoever they are, get writing credit for both sides. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this band was a studio creation doing a one-off.

The catchy A-Side, I'm Gonna Dance, has a classic duel between a flute and a fuzz guitar. Fluzz Rock? Doesn't every song have that?

The Flip-Side is real interesting. Probably not for everyone, but I love it. On Sunset has that abstract feel to it that reminds us of some of The Chocolate Watchband's more exploratory work or the work of early Frank Zappa or the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. 

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side! 

Vinyl Frontier

Bobby Parker - Watch Your Step

Bobby Parker hailed from the tiny town of Los Angeles, California. Starting in the mid-50s Parker began work as a hired gun, working for such acts as Bo Diddley, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson. Parker recorded a small handful of singles under his name and we feature today his second solo single, released on V-Tone Records in July of 1961. The song is the Parker composed, Watch Your Step, and it became a favorite of the harder British Invasion bands. Dig that bitchin' guitar tone.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Margie Hendrix - Packin' Up/Baby

Last month we wrote about Margie Hendrix and her 1965 release of Now The Hurts On You and the sultry Flip-Side of I Found My Love. You can listen/read about it here.

We just can't get enough of this former Raelette so we are back with the 1965 single on Mercury Records which preceded the above mentioned single. The song is the blistering Packin' Up and it's damn near perfect. Guitar, drums, vocals. And it's written by Margie Hendrix to boot! We're including the fab Flip-Side too, Baby.

We usually hate it when people write on records, but we think whoever wrote on this one nailed it in one succinct word and one very appropriate punctuation mark. No need to say more than that.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

The Masters' Apprentices - Tired Of Just Wandering

The Masters' Apprentices formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1965, evolving out of another band called The Mustangs. The band was fronted by singer Jim Keayes and included Mick Bower and Rick Morrison on guitar, Gavin Webb on bass and Brian Vaughton on drums. Rhythm guitarist, Mick Bower did most of the songwriting for the band, as he did for both sides of today's feature. We look at the Flip-Side of the bands' third single. Tired Of Just Wandering was released on Astor Records in the Summer of 1967, about the same time the band relocated to the larger city of Melbourne in search of larger fame. Tired Of Just Wandering shows the band exploring a bit of a softer, more pop-oriented approach to their songs than they had in their first two singles.

We wrote extensively about the band a few years ago when we did a two-week focus on Aussie bands. You can read that and listen to Hot Gully Wind (my fave Masters song) here. 

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Chris Morgan and The Togas - Would You Believe

Late last week we shared a single by a little known Southern California band called The Togas. You can check that out here. We return today with the band's only other record. This time released under the moniker of Chris Morgan and The Togas. Would You Believe was written and composed by Chris Morgan and appeared as the Flip-Side of their May, 1966 release on Challenge Records.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Video Diary - Them live on French TV doing Mystic Eyes and Gloria

Video Diary - Them

The Togas - Hurry To Me

Not too much information about this band that went by the name of The Togas. I do know that the members were Chris Morgan on vocals, Brian Decker and Doug Decker on guitar, John Metheny on drums and Peter Parker (not spiderman) on keyboards. The band hailed from Southern California and released two singles on the Challenge Records label. Hurry To Me is their first, released August, 1965. Hurry To Me is the Flip-Side of a perfectly okay cover of Bob Dylan's Baby I'm In The Mood For You. Our featured song today, Hurry To Me, was composed by our frontman, Chris Morgan. The party dude on the right in the picture below. Producer Nick Risi also gets credit...but we are always suspect about producers getting writing credit. Feels more like a shakedown to me.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

The White Stripes - Hand Springs

The White Stripes' Hand Springs was originally released as the A-Side side of a split single in 2000 on Extraball Records. A group called The Dirt Bombs got the other side. It was released in a batch of only 2000 and given away free with Multiball fanzine, a Pinball fanatics wet dream of a publication. The single was released to a larger audience on Third Man Records in 2012. That's what you see here.

It's one bitchin' number from the always creative, Jack White. Meg White, of course, outshines Hal Blaine, Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, and Gene Krupa with all their combined talents.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!