The Lords - Don't Mince Matter/No One Knows

Don't Mince Matter

No One Knows

Guten Morgen. I first learned of the Berlin-bred, Düsseldorf-based band, The Lords, from a 1980s era Ugly Things article about the Germanic Hep-cats. I was a little taken aback by the pictures of them in silly outfits and dorky Prince Valiant haircuts. But publisher Mike Stax raved about their work. Or at least, that's how I recall it. Then I happened to run across this German pressed Columbia Records single in a record store on K Street in Sacramento, CA. WTF?!?!! How did it get there? I picked it up for about $2 and fell in love. Now I understood why Stax had his lederhosen in a bunch. It's fabulous. In a quirky cold war era West German way. The single was recorded at the Electrola Studios on August 3rd, 1966 in the town of Köln (aka Cologne) at 149 Maarweg Street. The band at the time was Ulli Günther on vocals, Bernd Zamulo on bass, Leo Leitz on guitar, Rainer Petry on guitar, and Max Donath on drums. I get excited just typing those names. Just imagine how excited I am to hear the record. 

Don't Mince Matter is the A-Side and it is fabulous. The number was written by lead guitarist and the blond heart-throb of North-Rhine Westphalia, Leo Leitz. Brilliant. Such a unique sound -  from the guitar running through the swirling Leslie Speaker to the thick as sauerbraten accent. To the highly compressed high hat pounding away to the unique Burns Bass roto-string sound. But, "Don't Mince Matter"? What the hell does that mean? What do any of these lyrics mean? Can anyone make out these lyrics? It's like they cut out a bunch of words from the Webster's English Dictionary, put them into a green felt alpine hat, shook it up, laid all the words down in random order and made a non-sensical song out of the words they found. 

And if the joke is good
but I can smile and would
Well I can dream of flying
must be that me this time
If you can be my girl
I wonder, what, what you mean girl
Tell me, my girl
Tell me, my girl
Baby crack a joke, but don't mince matter (x3)
Baby crack a joke, but I'm not sure.

No One Knows gets the Flip-Side of the single. Maybe the title of the song was a rejoinder to the quizzical lyrics of the A-Side. Could be! The number was written by some cats names Geitz and Michael. It still has the kick ass instrumentation - replete with their rented Leslie Speaker system --  but the lyrics make a little more sense. It's damn near as good as the A-Side. Enjoy both. Also enjoy the video below of them doing the traditional British folk song Greensleeves and the American blues song by John Lee Hooker, Boom Boom (irony, anyone?).

Until next time, we'll see you on das Flip-Side!

Video Diary: The Lords - Don't Mince Matter

Goofy outfits. Goofy haircut. Great song.

Song of the Week: "Shakin' All Over", Johnny Kidd & the Pirates

The final installment of "under the covers" has us Shakin' All Over. Most people under the age of 60 know this song as one of the more powerful numbers from The Who's legendary Live at Leeds album recorded in 1970. Pete Townshend and his cohorts did a pretty serious rework of the number and it is their version that prevails as the norm today. Under The Who's spell the song becomes a slower, brooding and dangerous song driven by Pete Townshend's Gibson SG with P-90 pickups and a host of funky and obscure chords thrown in.

However, that's not how the song started. The song was hugely popular before The Who turned it into a staple of their live set. In fact, the song was number one in the UK singles charts in 1960 when Johnny Kidd and The Pirates first wrote and recorded it. Johnny Kidd and The Pirates get major props from Flip-Side for wearing piratey outfits on stage and Kidd even sported a pirate eye patch. Argh. No sightings of a parrot, sadly. The Pirates were one of England's first pop rock bands and a major influence on bands like The Beatles and, obviously, The Who. The Guitar work by Joe Morretti, who played guitar on yesterday's selection of Brand New Cadillac, is inventive, clean and catchy as hell. It's what makes this song work. In the rock movement of the early and mid 60's this song became a staple of every band who had a halfway decent guitarist.

Now I must say, neither the original or The Who's version is my favorite. Nope, that honor belongs to a version done in 1965 by West Berlin, Germany band, The Lords. Check that killer version out here from YouTube. "Shakin' down da zee vone!"

Click here to listen to both the original Johnny Kidd and the Pirates version and the version made famous by The Who. Have a great Labor Day weekend.