Mid-Atlantic Spotlight: The Mad Hatters - I'll Come Running

Day nine of the Mid-Atlantic Battle of the Bands takes us to Annapolis, Maryland where we spin the second, and last, record from The Mad Hatters.

The Mad Hatters were Dave Vittek, Tom Curley, Alan Fowler and Richard Kumer. The band released their first single, a great original, on Ascot Records. They promptly were dropped and then picked up by Fontana Records. Their second single, released in April of 1967, is this blistering cover of Lulu's I'll Come Running, written by Bert Berns. (You can hear and read about that here). The lads from Maryland's quaint state capitol gave the number quite a rewrite, however. Changing the tune to a blistering fast 4/4 beat with a cool lead guitar riff throughout, a farfisa organ and a whimsical musical punctuation mark.

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

The Time Stoppers - I Need Love

I really don't know a whole lot about this band. One source puts them as a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania band. The fact that we have listed St. Clair Productions would make me think the band hailed from the suburbs of Detroit, a place where Hanna-Barbera Records found lots of bands such as The Unrelated Segments and Tidal Waves.

I Need Love was originally done by Washington DC area band, The Mad Hatters. That version was released in 1965. The Time Stoppers released their version on Hanna Barbera Records in 1967. In fact, it was the last release for the quick lived label.

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