Day 2 of our hunt for White Whale records leads us to a little known UK mod band called John's Children. Today they are probably best known for being the launching pad for T-Rex frontman, Marc Bolan. But Marc wasn't in the band when John's Children (previously known as The Silence) released their debut single. It was released in the UK on Columbia Records in October of 1966 as The Love I Thought I'd Found. In the US it was released in November of '66 under it's intended name, the more abstract title of Smashed! Blocked! It would prove to be the only release in the US the band would ever get. The song was composed by bassist John Hewitt and ostensibly producer Simon Napier-Bell. We look at writing credits by producers with a VERY jaundiced eye, however. Andy Ellison was on vocals, Chris Townson on drums and Geoff McClelland on guitar.
Smashed! Blocked! is a wonderfully odd number that starts off with haunting disembodied intro that climaxes into a full chorus of "Smashed, Smashed, Smashed". Then it goes into a totally new direction - a rather soft and melodic croon. All that before it fades off with a horn section. The song is a funky little thing, indeed. Most of the band's work was a little odd. After just two singles they were dropped by Columbia and then picked up by their mentor's label, The Who's Track Records. After a handful of singles and one UK album called Orgasm, the band smashed apart.
Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!
