Southern California Spotlight: The Satans - Makin' Deals/Lines and Squares

Back to So Cal with our regional Battle of the Garage Bands. Today we embrace The Satans. Nothing is known about The Satans. Nothing. Some claim they are from Fullerton, California. Some have thought they hailed from New Orleans. But me? I think this is not really a band. I think this was a studio creation. Let me explain. 

Bob Summers, the gentleman who arranged and produced the number was an independent record producer who worked with Mike Curb and his business, Sidewalk Productions. At the time of this release, in May of 1966, Mike Curb was spearheading a number of Biker exploitation films that played up all things taboo: drugs, rape, murder hell and motorcycle gangs that went by the names of The Devil's Angels, The Born Losers and, of course, The Satans. 

Posit this release, the inaugural release for Manhattan Records, into that paradigm and strong signs point to this song being a studio creation perhaps intended to be used in one of the soundtracks of a Russ Meyers directed film produced by Mike Curb. Bob Summers wrote, produced, arranged for a variety of labels and released a few numbers under his own name. He would go on to write a number of TV theme songs, including the theme for Grizzly Adams. 

Now to the record. Makin' Deals was composed by "The Satans". In it's brief 2:08 of eternal life, our singer poses as the devil and offers up all sorts of deals to the listener. He also poses the question, "can you guess my name?" This has led many to wonder if The Rolling Stones may have got ahold of this record when they were touring California at the time that this record was released. That is because the Rolling Stones asked the very same question in their very similarly themed recording, Sympathy For The Devil, which was recorded on the 4th of June, 1968. 

The flip-side is a straightforward jangly number called Lines And Squares. This one also gets writing credit from "The Satans". But the reality is that the lyrics are taken from a poem of the same name written by A.A. Milne. How satanic is it to steal from the author of Winnie The Pooh? 

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

The Sidewalk Sounds - The Born Loser's Theme

Here is a nice 1:46 moto-psycho instru-mental for you today. It is labeled as The Sidewalk Sounds but is really none other than Davie Allan and the Arrows, kings of the moto-psycho instrumental. This one, The Born Loser's Theme, comes from July, 1967 on Tower Records and was part of the soundtrack for the motor cycle biker-gang exploitation film, The Born Losers. The film, incidentally, spawned the character Billy Jack that would be part of a series of vigilante films of bigger budgets and more success.

Mike Curb, who claims a little co-writing credit here (yeah, right) was the producer and "conducted" the number. Mike Curb was a relentless self promoter and even managed to get a play off of his name for the band's fictitious name. Curb went on to be the Lieutenant Governor of California between 1979 and 1983 and now works in NASCAR.

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

Tower Records Spotlight: Davie Allan and the Arrows - Devil's Angels and Cody's Theme

Devil's Angels

Cody's Theme

-- Vox Fuzz Tone Bender? Check.

-- Wild Audio of a Chopper revving engine? Check

-- Not so subtle tip of the leather vest to Joe Meek production/composition style? Check.

-- Evil song title? Check

-- Heaping dose of Bad Assitude? Check and double check. 

Yep, we've got ourselves a bitchin'-ass single from one of those biker exploitation films of the late 1960s. Tower Records became the outlet for Mike Curb (who would go on to be the Republican Lieutenant Governor of California) and his down and dirty biker movie soundtracks. Nobody could do it better than Moto-Psycho guitarist, Davie Allan and his much imitated, never duplicated, Arrows. Most people know Davie Allan and the Arrows for their semi-hit, Blues Theme. But recent scientific testing at the National Center for Moto-Psycho Instrumental Laboratories (NCMPIL) has shown that Devil's Angels is actually a better song. Can't argue with science kids. The Devil's Angels/Cody's Theme single was Davie Allan's 7th for Tower Records and followed Blues Theme for a release date of June 1967. We've thrown in the cycle-delic Flip-Side, Cody's Theme for good karma.