Day six of our New York Spotlight. Brooklyn artists The Jagged Edge released today's great double-sider in April of 1966 on Gallant Records. According to at least one source it gets some traction in the greater metropolitan area with You Can't Keep A Good Man Down. And really, what young man rejected by his soul mate doesn't want to glue his broken self together via this tale of personal triumph over girl adversity? The very act of listening to this will help you re-write the script of your teenhood lost love to include this line: "Her love is cheaper by the pound!" Be sure to not miss out on the guitar harmonics at the end - that's a garage rarity.
Move to the flip-side and you get the slightly moodier and byrdsier How She's Hurtin Me. This one starts off with a jazzy bass and drums that calls to mind Horace Silver (anyone?) before it enters the song proper, only to exit with the same arrangement. It betrays some more great songwriting by rhythm guitarist Drew Georgopulis who also takes credit for side A. Other members of this young outfit include Elliot Ingber on vocals, Art Steinman on lead guitar, Harley Wishner on bass and Kenney Bennett on Drums. They recorded one more very cool single on Jubilee as the Offset a few months later.
An informative interview with Steinman and Wishner over at Flower Bomb Songs can be found here.
What a great record! On my wish list for sure, now. You Can't Keep A Good Man Down is really stellar. Mr. Georgopulis was definitely listening to The Impressions' You Must Believe Me when he wrote the verse and guitar lick.
ReplyDeleteThe guitar does seem related to the lick in You Must Believe Me, good call.
DeleteThere aren't too many garage singles out there with both tracks written by the same member of the band. Can you think of any?
http://ontheflip-side.blogspot.com/2010/02/song-of-week-warning-humans.html
DeleteTry listening to The Soup Greens, also from Brooklyn, same time period. Their cover of Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone and the A side That's Too Bad got some traction in NYC and abroad.Like a Rolling Stone became a cult hit and was covered by CBGBs house band for years.
ReplyDelete....favoloso!!!!!!
ReplyDelete