10 Cool U.K. 60's Songs That You Possibly Haven't Heard Part Seven

1. THE PROFILE-"Haven't They Got Better Things To Do" U.K. Mercury MF 875 1965

"Haven't They Got Better Things To Do" joins the slim discography of British mid 60's protest songs (a good cousin to George Bean's "Why Must They Criticize"). It could easily be mistaken for a mid 60's U.S. single with it's mid tempo and social commentary lyrics (with the interesting chorus "This new generation is goin' to hell", which couldn't have helped airplay) but the vocal style and combo organ are distinctly British, regardless it's a good one.

https://youtu.be/ajf0o0-QMzw?si=D2Z686n9N2CXwqdo

2. THE ROTHCHILDS-"I Let Her Go" U.K. Decca F 12488 1966 

This release is by a band I have never heard of who cut two singles for Decca. The harmonies and lead vocals are absolutely incredible and the regal orchestral backing (care of Arthur "Out Of Time" Greenslade) and the production by Tony Clarke (of Moody Blues Mk. II production fame) make this an absolutely incredible slice of proto-pop/psych!

https://youtu.be/vJ-c8Dk5P_g?si=H1gbhkv2fNG03KGM

3. PAUL STEWART-"Queen Boadicea" U.K. Phillips  BF 1513 1966

This number is incredibly Dylan-esque: the lyrics, the music and the vocal delivery. I love the somber and sparse musical backing:  a lush organ, jangly guitar, bass and drums. Then the organ switches to a different mode that sounds almost like strings while the vocalist sings of a doomed socialite (hmmmmm that sounds familiar).

https://youtu.be/fEaDO4SJkJg?si=kWLL93n4EDteGahF

4. CHRIS CURTIS-"Aggravation" U.K. Pye 7N.17132 1966 

This was the one and only solo 45 by ex-Searchers drummer/songwriter and taste maker Chris Curtis. It's a cover of a Joe South composition and I really enjoy it. It's a rather swinging number in sort of a Tom Jone's "discotheque" way with it's horns, female backing vocals and driving beat and is carried quite well by Curtis' strong voice with a virtual who's who of backing session musicians (Jimmy Page, The Breakaways etc).

https://youtu.be/-HqMFhdK2Ao?si=BYmCAKGbEDZLhHLe

 

5. MIKE PROCTOR-"Mr. Commuter" U.K. Columbia DB 8254 1967

While Ray Davies sang sympathetically about the everyman this number is a damning , nasally vocal led condemnation of the nameless souls who take the train five days a week 9 to 5. The musical backing contains this fuzz guitar lick that sounds like Les Yper Sound's "Psyche Rock" instrumental (but preceded it by release by a few months). Regardless of the lyrics it's an incredible slice of pop psych with the usual kitchen sink thrown in (sounds effects, fat brassy sounds, strings etc) and a musical backing a that sounds straight off of a library music comp. 

https://youtu.be/pKcP-0jKdLs?si=r1Mm8mPf5_dVXbgG

6. FOUR LEAVED CLOVER(S)-"Alright Girl" U.K. Oak RGJ-207 1966

File under: "records that should have got a wider release", this incredible slice of mid 60's mod/Freakbeat is brilliant. It's brash four chords Kinks style riff and high "ooo oooo ooo" backing vocals are absolutely spine tingling! Released in an incredibly small quantity on the tiny Oak label this record is among the most rare releases of the genre this record deserved a wider release.

https://youtu.be/D9hIEiGRDEo?si=EDOo2j-2Glep1TNR

7. THE UGLYS-"A Quiet Explosion" U.K. Pye 7N.17027 1966

The Uglys go down in history as being the launching pad for one Steve Gibbons. "A Quiet Explosion" could be considered a social commentary of sorts lyrically, but all that's swept aside by the absolutely insane, hypnotic carnival organ on speed trills being played beneath some amazing drumming and manic bass lines while the lead singer sings of "cold little wars" and "other lands where starvation is rife". 

https://youtu.be/3MGgw2o1wzU?si=W4ZOxgFKn9U0gLB5

8. NATIONAL PINION POLE-"Make Your Mark Little Man" U.K. Planet PLF 111 1966

I absolutely love this Ray Davies-esque bit of social commentary that's biting, delivered with venom and a musical backing that absolutely reeks of Kinks style delivery (bouncy, acoustic guitar strumming, bursting guitar riffs and a sing-a-long chorus etc). "Politicians dressed in Sunday best to impress the plebs in rags, they kiss the ladies babies and they hand out lots of fags. They drive around in smart cars to take to blokes on bikes, they promise gullible workers much more money and less strikes...".

https://youtu.be/bgL_7XXX7fA?si=5o60WseAvCDy9aCY

9. THE DAKOTAS-"Seven Pounds Of Potatoes" U.K. Page One POF 018 1967

Guitarist Mick Green and company cut this one off for Larry Page's Page One outlet in '67 penned by Green and bassist Robin MacDonald a month before backing Billy J. on their final outing with him. "Seven Pounds Of Potatoes" is a bluesy no nonsense number with an almost disinterested lead vocal and some incredibly catchy/gritty guitar pyrotechnics from Mick Green. Things got heavier the following year when they switched to Phillips for "The Spider And The Fly". 

https://youtu.be/TNgXgPZaSFA?si=dcVDqbyrEoDVDXcr

10. HAT & TIE-"Finding It Rough" U.K. President PT 122 1967

Future Nirvana member Patrick Campbell Lyons was part of a short lived duo with Chris Thomas who cut two singles for the President label, this was the flip to the second and final one. Driven by an incredibly hypnotic sonic fuzz guitar assault that's half raga and half Celtic jig music it's an incredible little piece of uptempo Freakbeat meets pop psych brilliance. Phil and Don (Everly) dug it so much they covered it on their 1967 LP "The Everly Brothers Sing" . 

https://youtu.be/vN4GnsIGqT0?si=_Xc-l4oJu9t1pFG9

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels On U.S. Labels: The Rob Storme Group

 

THE ROB STORME GROUP-But Cry/Here Today U.S. Aurora 162 1966

British vocalist Rob Storme recorded a host of singles in the UK starting way back in 1960 and sadly I can't tell you much about him. Today's subject was only released under the moniker of "The Robb Storme Group" in the U.K. (Columbia DB7993 August 1966).  Previous singles were either solo billing or with backing by The Whispers). This was his second U.S. single which came out in September of '66 and also apparently his last (anywhere). I've little idea who he was or what became of him. 

 The A-side is a Beach Boys cover released at a time when Britain was in the throes of Beach Boys mania with a host of other Beach Boys tunes being issued at an astonishing rate in 1966 Britain (especially from "Pet Sounds" where this number originally appeared). See this previous entry for a story on 60's British Beach Boys covers. Brit harmony act The Factotum's issued their own reading a month prior (Piccadilly 7N 35333). The Rob Storme version is a tad faster than the original and is wrapped in powerful harmonies (eschewing the orchestration of the original and relying on more harmonies and an organ brought up in the mix). I was never really a fan of the track no matter who is doing it to be honest. 

For me the money has always been the B-side, "But Cry". It's a poppy tune but there's a hard edge to it that when meshed with the superb harmonies and subtle keyboards in a wonderful mix. It was written by producer/arranger Will Malone later of The Orange Bicycle (who arranged both sides of the 45 actually). It's incredibly infectious. 

"But Cry" was recently unearthed for the "Beatfreak 6" CD collection and both sides were also reissued on a slightly non-legit Japanese 45 reissue in 2002 replicating a German pressing.

Hear "Here Today":

https://youtu.be/NhSoApGOsBg

Hear "But Cry":

https://youtu.be/O2cHkjbv9uQ

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels On U.S. Labels: The Truth "Sueno"

 

(THE) TRUTH-Sueno/Old Ma Brown U.S. London 45-LON-1017 1968

U.K. 60's duo The Truth (Frank Aiello and Steve Jameson) had just three of their eight British singles released in America. Today's subject was the final single on both sides of the Atlantic. "Sueno" was my first introduction to these chaps when I first heard it on a "Rubble" compilation where one of the compilers referred to them as "not the dodgy 80's mod combo". I will admit that I barely paid them or the track any attention and it honestly wasn't until I found this single in my local record shop that I paid it any mind (having long ago been converted to the band via their incredible previous singles (which we have discussed here, here AND here). 

"Sueno" (Spanish for "dream") is of course a cover of a track originally done by The Rascals as the flip of their smash "Groovin". Starting off with some very funky 70's sounding keyboards this cover is fairly decent. Aiello and Jameson were incredibly matched vocally and they carry the tune with ease adding a certain soulfulness to it not found in the original. The musical backing is fairly sparse: with hand claps, acoustic guitar, bass, drums and ivory tinkling. There's occasional bouts of weirdness (which I love) especially at the end where this over the top Mick Ronson 1970 style guitar solo arrives out of nowhere to accompany the Nicky Hopkins style piano trills to play the number out.

The flip, "Old Ma Brown" is an acoustic country music styled ditty complete with some very American Nashville session guitar style licks that accompany each verse, the number surprisingly works for me because of the vocal strength of these two cats!

Both sides are available on the Truth CD collection/compilation "Who's Wrong: Mod Bedlam 1965-1969" and for the moment are available on streaming as well. 

Hear "Sueno":

https://youtu.be/rOduKkv4bp0?si=uac9aUJNTH7g2Yzf

Hear "Old Ma Brown":

https://youtu.be/zwNGlx87uoQ?si=Xvtkksw89qcG4A9p