Honeybus - Recital Promo Lp - What the??!!

I was looking on Popsike.com and found a copy of Honeybus' unreleased 1973 album Recital that sold a couple of years ago for 466 GBP. I knew this album existed as promo copies but I assumed it was some blank sleeve and white label test pressing kind of thing... Wow.

Unfortunately, there isn't a track list on the auction. The Honeybus website has a tracklist:

1. For You
2. Be Thou By My Side
3. Julie In My Heart
4. Big Ship
5. Cross Channel Ferry
6. The Lady's Not For Burning
7. She's A Lady
8. Little Lovely One
9. Lute Girl
10. Writing's On The Wall
11. Baroque 'n' Roll Star
12. Lovely Vanessa
13. I Can't Say It, But I Can Sing It

Aside from tracks 7 & 10, you can pretty much piece it together from tracks on the CDs She Flies Like A Bird - The Anthology and Old Masters, Hidden Treasures.

The Wayback Machine

I've been purging loads of old bookmarks lately and I came across many sites that don't exist anymore that I used to look at all the time. In my early days of online record research (c.1997-2001), these were sites that filled many gaps and led me to many great discoveries. Those days are now 10 years gone and with Geocities and AOL Hometown shutting down, I'm thankful for the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive.

Here are a few old favorites that were thankfully archived by the Wayback Machine:

Fuzz, Acid & Flowers/Tapestry of Delights @ Borderline Books
The granddaddy of internet research sites for me...

The Impossible Discographies
Great obscure artist & label discographies.

Niche Pop
A Japanese site with an interesting selection of obscure album reviews. I used to cut a paste the reviews into Babelfish...

Funk 45
I had wanted to make a pop45 website that mirrored the user-created content of this site. I never figured it out.

The Glam Rock Bear
One of only a handful of sites that gave obscure glam the time of day pre-Velvet Tinmine. Others included Pop45 (duh), 70's Invasion, Impossible DIscographies and... I think I'm forgetting something...

John Book's Thrift Store Adventures
Cool record digging stories.

I'm sure there are at least a half-dozen more. I'll post them as I dig them up.

Anyone else have some old sites you remember fondly?

The Malibooz - (I Won't Be) Too Young

The Malibooz - (I Won't Be) Too Young


Walter Egan and John Zambetti started The Malibooz back in 1964. They reunited in 1981 for the album "Malibooz Rule!" on Rhino. On "(I Won't Be) Too Young", they are joined by Lindsey "Bitchin" Buckingham. Dean Torrance is also on backing vocals. It's got some surf music moves in the vocals but it sounds like prime Mirage-era Lindsey to me.

Casper Giles McCloud - "Why Oh Why?" on Youtube

My first post was about Caspar Giles McCloud. Since then the "Messin' Around" single was reissued by Vinyl Countdown. Zac Webb has dug up a video clip of Caspar doing an unreleased song "Why Oh Why". I hope he can dig up a studio recording!

Swamped Radio

My friend Hoyt has a radio show on 9thfloorradio.com called Swamped. On Tuesday, March 24th I was the guest DJ. Listen to the show. Here is the playlist:

Tamalpais Exchange - Anthem
Badger - Don't Pull The Trigger
Don Agrati - Sunny Day
Ricci Martin - Stop Look Around
Allen Toussaint - Last Train
Steve Miller Band - Serenade
Bob Summers - Georgia On My Mind
Morning - Easy Keeper
Morning - Roll Em Down

Sand - Who Ya Tryin' To Fool
Ron Wood - Act Together
Terry Melcher - Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
Brian Hyland - Drivin' Me Crazy
The Pebbles - Some Days Are Gone
The Mixtures - Found Out Where It's At
Mr. Big - Wonderful Creation
Thundermug - I Wanna Be With You

Roll-ups - Last Night
Turner & Kirwan of Wexford - The Girl Next Door
Tiger - Crazy
Sweet - Lady Starlight
Rats - Nose Job
Queen - Good Company
The Idle Race - Hurry Up John
Barclay James Harvest - Taking Some Time On

Thoughts and Words - Morning Sky
Yellowstone & Voice - Lonely Man
Allan Merrill - Tranquility
Wings - Some People Never Know
McGear - Leave It

The Malibooz - (I Won't Be) Too Young (This one got cut off)

Nimbo - Maisie Jones / Forget Her

Nimbo - Maisie Jones


Nimbo - Forget Her


Nimbo sounds exactly like Badfinger on this 1971 single. The harmonies are very Pete & Tommy and the upfront bass playing very McCartney. Nimbo released two 45's on Pye. I haven't yet found a copy of their second 45, a cover of The Bee Gees' "When The Swallows Fly" b/w "Noticeingly By". After the two singles on Pye, they switched to the Motown subsidiary Mowest and changed their name to The Rockits for another couple of 45's. Nimbo members John Wilson and Dave Powell then joined up with Bob Jackson and Tommy Evans of Badfinger to form The Dodgers. Tommy must've heard "Maisie Jones".

Pop Roommates - Trevor Burton & Noel Redding

from Fab 208 - March 23rd, 1968


The Move - Walk Upon The Water
The B-side to Fire Brigade, released February 1968

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - She's So Fine
Noel Redding vocal from Axis: Bold As Love, released in the UK December 1967

Hot Chocolate - I Believe In Love

What a great tune by Hot Chocolate! I love how loud the hi-hats are in the mix. It reminds me of how loud the hi-hats are on the Blond album. I first saw this video courtesy of my friend Jessica. This comes from a series of VHS tapes called Music Unlimited that had all these music promos filmed in the early 70's of artists like The Equals, Tony Hazzard, Emitt Rhodes and The Sweet among others. Anybody know the history of these clips?

Mickey Rooney Jr. from Song on Myspace

Check out Mickey Rooney Jr's MySpace page. You can hear some cool tunes including a song by the Rooney Brothers from 1968. He also has a couple of great unseen photos of Song.

Martin Cerf on Big Star, Feb. 1973

WHEN MY BABY'S BESIDE ME
(Bell-Chilton)
Big Star
Produced by Big Star
Ardent 2902 Time: 3: 20
Flip - In The Street

by Martin Robert Cerf, Phonograph Record Magazine, Feb. 1973

Create-tivity. Inspiration. Sure do mean a hell of a lot fellas. Like I know this cat what's spent over a year completing an album that's supposed to stand for the answer to whatever question you might hope to put up. Sure, from December, 1971 up ta now. So, he just completed the mastering, spent months doin' that, blew all conceivable budgets in the first four months, and he held this really informal audition for some close friends. One of his buddies brought along a lady. The record started. She was asleep within twelve minutes flat.

Still another genius in Baton Rouge spent two years working on his first LP, one of them solo efforts where the guy plays, writes, produces, and amazingly engineers the whole shebang. Well, two years on, in mid-1971, the record was done. Just in time for the first Paul McCartney & Emmit Rhodes one-man-band LPs, and also, somethin' else he couldn't predict happened... two years passed, so when he finished the LP, the entire listening audience had caught up and passed where the guy's musical concepts were...The record never came out.

Then, about three months ago we were introduced to Big Star. Their first LP titled, presumptiously, NO.1 RECORD received just gobs of trade ads. Full color. And about six weeks of those advance "teaser" ads...you know the kind I'm talkin' about, the ones that progress in copy and art every week so that after six consecutive ads, if you save all your back issues of Billboard, you know what they're tryin' ta tell ya 'bout...That's called merchandizen'. So, the advance grease was in the skillet and ready for the test. Well, those that got the record must have been redlined-out, 'cause word has it within four days of receipt, DJ copies the nation over were showin' up in bargain bins everywhere...sealed. In fact, only one really bothered to listen, Jon Tiven, and he quacked in Fusion that, "Big Star are the greatest thing since The Count Five, The Yardbirds..." and so on...In short, the majority got a soft-on for Big Star's NO.1 RECORD.

And if matters weren't bad enuf, their record company which is owned and operated by the clever folk at Stax Records (The Dramatics, Carla Thomas) decided to finally hook up with a major record label, Columbia. And it was the age old situation which goes on every day in this hot biz where a group was caught up in the center of a problem beyond their control.

Oh, I forgot the important thing, the group's record is excellent. Not phenomenal, but certainly excellent. I'm speaking of the single of course, can't vouch for the LP though. Well, like in the first two stories I rambled off, there's a dramatic irony to the Big Star situation. So the record company is sold, group isn't workin', and it appears all is lost. Then this Fusion review comes out, and word of Columbia re-releasing the LP and applying a whole new effort there upon comes down. Terrific, a second chance for an act that well deserves a break. But hold on, now they wanna split up...that's not exactly true, only one member of the band is leavin', that's Chris Bell. But he's an essential part. 'Cause along with Alex Chilton he sang lead vocal and back up harmony, played lead guitar and at least co-produced and arranged all of the group's first LP...so tough shit huh. Nope. There's still this here single. And the AM market doesn't care if the band are androids or computers, long as it's in the plastic. Let me assure you people, this is one of those singles...

Like the first ten seconds explode with -this lead that sounds like The Guess Who at their best with some Alice Cooper thrown in for good measure. Then it forms this riff what coul embarrass Albert Hammond and the Troggs. And lyric content...you lookin' for any teenage these days, we always are, And Chris didn't forget it either..."Don't need to talk to my doctor, don't my shrink, don't need to hide behind no locked door, I don't need to think, 'cause when my baby's beside me I don't worry, when my baby's beside me all I know, when my baby's beside me I don't worry, when my baby's beside me I don't worry"* ...And it gets bitchier and bitchier. Then there's Jody Stephens who's working out on snare 'n cymbal better than the cats on Treat Her Right and Shakin' All Over, his stuff is real elementary, no Elvin Jones here, but it doesn't matter, it's great (like the stuff on early Sonny & Cher singles (i.e., Little Man). And the part about droppin' out of school makes it complete.

Now at first glance this might appear like any number of other fine pop singles available, don't be fooled, this is another Bus Stop, Don't Bring Me Down or Have I The Right. Christ, Alex was with the Box Tops and you know how important all those AGP records from the mid-sixties were, now don't you?

Now there's still 3/4ths of Big Star together. They still have this new LP out there. And there's still this single. Oh, it's got a fine B side too, which could be an A side...In the Street is like The Doobies' Listen To The Music; sounds great on a car speaker or burned out Silvertone. And dumb lyrics...you get a whole shit-load here. Big Star sound like the Byrds too. A lot, really. No, this is a group you don't wanna pass up, believe me. And, you may never hear of them again, God forbid, so let's do what we can to make sure they're around for some time...We suggest you write off the the benevolence at Ardent Records for a free copy of this single, they must have hoards of R/A's by now and they promised to cooperate too! Write to Ardent Records, 2000 Madison Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. (Big Star are as hot as our good buddies - the Raspberries, don't dare miss 'em)...

Big Wheel

Big Wheel - Curly Girl (Metronome) 1970

If the Jook gets you off then this should really take your head off. What am I saying - it'll take anybody's head off. Starting out with a crazy siren-slash-pickslide that bounces left and right in stereo. It's brutal glam in the Hammersmith Gorillas vein with some tremendous Keith Moon frantic drumming. It wouldn't sound out of place on Bowie's Pin-ups because the basic track has this 60's Troggs/Kinks brutality to it but the spacey effects, blistering Ronson lead guitar and Bowiesque singing are undeniably 70's. This group has nothing to do with the Big Wheel that ended being comp'ed on the Velvet Tinmine CD. This one is Dutch is related to the band Unit Gloria.

Peter Noone sings Tony Hazzard

Peter Noone released a handful of good singles on RAK in the early 70's. After RAK, he made only one single on Phillips before moving on to Casablanca records: 

(I Think I’m Over) Getting Over You / All Sing Together - Phillips 1973. The A-side was written by the great Tony Hazzard. 

Here's what Alan Betrock had to say about this single:

Peter Noone - "(I Think I'm Over) Getting Over You" (Phillips)
By Alan Betrock, Phonograph Record Magazine, January 1974

How could Peter Noone make a comeback if he's never really been away? After Herman's Hermits disappeared from the American charts, they continued to have mild success in their homeland, and Peter, on his own, recorded some wonderful solo singles. One, David Bowie's "Oh You Pretty Things" even dented the British Top 30. Having been a pop star at the tender age of 15, Peter is one up on the Gerry Marsdens, Freddie Garrity's and Billy J. Kramers of the world, who are all at least a third of a century on in years.

Noone's freshness, vitality and appeal stems from this youthfulness. This is his trademark, and his unrestrained versatility makes him a prime choice for guest spots on British variety shows. He can be seen every week on the "telly" - a well rounded vaudevillian much like Davy Jones - who can appeal to the tots, the teens, and the 'mums and dads'.

On this side of the Atlantic, Peter is still quite an unknown entity. His commercial resurgence began with the British Invasion Package Tour which showcased Noone's professionally entertaining and endearing stage act. He took the critics and audiences by storm, gathering raves from most corners. His television appearance on Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, and Midnight Special have not been so stellar as the nature of the medium tends to cram Peter's one-hour performance into six minutes. But at least these shows help to get Peter's name known again, and his recent Sonny & Cher gig gave him more valuable exposure.

All of this is nice, but Peter will never really be back until he can rid himself of "Mrs. Brown," "A Kind Of Hush" and all the others. If he is pigeon holed as a mere revival act, the novelty will quickly wear off, then it's back yo the pubs again. So Peter has taken a major step in attempting to establish himself as a current performer. He has shelved his old label, hired a new producer, and released a new single.

The result is available on Peter's debut Phillips release. Writer Tony Hazzard (remember "Ha Ha Said The Clown", "Fox On The Run", and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine"?) penned this ditty, and Tony Atkins produced it. It's a good combination of styles, and melodic too, with Peter's double-tracked voice soaring throughout. A steady piano rhythm carries the song which is accented by a nice use of strings. This use of strings is most thankfully tasteful, avoiding the usual pitfall of overdramatic and unneccessary arrangements. "Getting Over You" combines Noone's Bowie phase with middle Bee Gees, and adds a great high falsetto of his own. This is a good start and if Peter keeps putting out strong records, and getting airplay, he just might be back - this time to stay.

Extra: Because You're There, a Graham Gouldman-penned B-side from 1972.

Modern Folk Quartet - This Could Be The Night

The MFQ, Phil Spector and Harry Nilsson nearly beat the Beach Boys at their own game. I wish they had made a 45 of this tune! This was the theme song to the Big TNT show.

The fabulous For The Love Of Harry blog has a sound clip of Harry Nilsson's demo.

Greg Shaw predicts the future/present in January 1979

In the January, 1979 issue of Bomp, part of Greg Shaw's "The Beat" editorial column proposes the creation of a "society for the preservation of pop culture." The proposed foundation could be headed by the likes of Jerry Wexler, Clive Davis, Seymour Stein, John Hammond and Andrew Lauder and funded by the major record labels. In the process, Shaw predicts a future that looks identical to the present day. Read how Shaw envisioned it:

"...The primary goal would be the collection, on tape and microfilm, of a definitive library of music, film, video, and printed history of pop music, starting with today and working backwards into the early years of the century, eventually linking up with other organizations dedicated to preserving the history of jazz, folk music, etc. But first taking care of rock & roll. At the rate the cybernetic revolution is progressing, by the time this could be done every school, library and maybe even home, in America would probably be able to have direct access to all this material. Imagine 20 years from now, if every teenager could sit in his bedroom with a computer screen and terminal (with stereo speakers attached) and call up anything he wanted from Billy Ward & the Dominoes to Ed Banger & the Nosebleeds - see what they looked like, read extracts from fanzines and historians who wrote about them, cross-referenced to other artists and sources, and above all hear the music, and maybe even see film footage if any exists. All of this is feasible with the technology of today and the next couple of years. It's effect would be to create a lasting rampart against the danger of gigantic industry brainwashing the public and eliminating all roots, all variety from our culture. Even disregarding that, it would be a worthwhile effort from the standpoint of preserving a huge chunk of American culture..."

Alan Merrill solo in Japan

Tremeloes - By The Way

Great song...

Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show now on DVD!

I just laid down the cash for this DVD set on Amazon. I can't wait!

Update: We stayed up and watched all 3 DVDs the same night we got it. The show is really repetitive with some pretty boring skits using the same sets & costumes over and over but some of the recurring skits are cool. I especially liked Fabulous Freddy and Chucky Margolis. The uptempo music performances are hilarious. The Bros are constantly mugging to the camera with over-the-top lipsyncing. The slower numbers actually look closer to a real performances. Along with some covers, they do nearly all the songs from Hollywood Situation!

Defunct station - Pop45radio on Live365.com

Around 7 years ago I had a "radio station" on live365.com. It is long gone now. Here was the final playlist I wrote for the pop45 website:

The Pop 45 playlist - live365.com

23rd Turnoff - Leave Me Here
Actress - It's What You Give
Aeroplane - It's So Better
Aeroplane - September In The Rain
Aerovons - World Of You (from Fading Yellow 1)
Alzo - That's Alright (I Don't Mind)
Alzo & Udine - Want Your Love
Beach Boys - This Whole World
Bee Gees - All Of My Life
Bee Gees - Mrs Gillespie's Refrigerator
Bee Gees - Sinking Ships
Tracks from Bergen White's Lp - For Women Only
Billy Nicholls - White Lightning
Buster - Superstar
Daisy Clan - Love Needs Love
Dana Gillespie - London Social Degree
Dawn Chorus - A Night to Remember
The Dodgers - Just Wanna Love You
Dwight Twilley - Alone In My Room
Fairfield Parlour - Baby Stay For Tonight
Fairfield Parlour - In My Box
Fargo - Round About Way (Of Describing of Situation)
Fat Mattress - Magic Forest
Flintlock - Sea Of Flames (Mike Batt written & produced!)
Flying Machine, The - The Devil Has Possession Of My Mind
Garry Benson - Holly (from Fading Yellow 5)
Giles,Giles and Fripp - I Talk To The Wind
Giles,Giles and Fripp - Make It Today
Giles,Giles and Fripp - Why Don't You Just Drop In
Ginger Ale - In The Sand
Greenfield & Cook - Only Lies
Pete Ham - Catherine Cares
Harmony Grass - My Little Girl
Harmony Grass - What A Groovy Day
Headstone - Turn Your Head
The Herd - Our Fairy Tale
A handful of Herman's Hermits tracks.
A bunch of Honeybus songs from Old Masters Hidden Treasures.
Hotlegs - Today
Tracks from the 1970 Jamme Lp on Dunhill/Warlok.
John Pantry - Glass House Green Splinter Red
John Winfields - Whisper Who Dares
John Winfields - You Know You Go
Elton John - Annabella
Judas Jump - Run For Your Life
Lally Stott - Henry James
Tracks from Liverpool Echo's 1973 self-titled Lp on Spark.
Tracks from Majority One's 1973 self-titled Lp on Pink Elephant.
The Majority - Charlotte Rose
The Majority - Time Is On Your Side
Mark Eric - I'd Like To Talk To You
Mark Eric - Just Passing By
Maurice Gibb - Railroad
Maurice Gibb - Silly Little Girl (R.I.P Maurice.)
Micky Jones and Tommy Brown - If I Could Be Sure
Mike Batt - Suddenly
Mike Batt - The Joker's Song
Mike Batt - Wendy (from Fading Yellow 5)
Mindbenders - Schoolgirl
Nashville Teens - Ella James
Nashville Teens - Tennessee Woman
Tracks from Nick Garrie's Lp, The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas
Nimbo - Forget Her
Nimbo - Maisie Jones
Paul Brett Sage - 3D Mona Lisa
Paul Brett Sage - Mediterranean Lazy Heat Wave
Phil Cordell - Red Lady - (from Fading Yellow 1)
Portobello Explosion - We Can Fly
Pretty Things, The - The Good Mr. Square
Remo Four - In The First Place
Tracks from the 1969 Richard Twice Lp on Philips
Robbie Curtice - When Diana Paints The Picture (from Fading Yellow 3)
Rough Riders - Do You See Me
Rough Riders - Hot California Beach
Roy Wood - Forever
Rubettes - Little 69
Rumbles Ltd. - Push Push
Scrugg - I Wish I Was Five
The Searchers - Indigo Spring
Tracks from the 1970 Sheridan Price Lp, This Is To Certify That...
Smyle - The Tandem
Smyle - It's Gonna Be Alright
Smyle - She Means A Lot to Me
Rick Springfield - On The Other Side
Song - Like We Were Before
Song - Whenever I Think Of You
Stamford Bridge - Move Out of Town
Stamford Bridge - The First Day of Your Life
State of Mickey & Tommy - Sunday's Leaving
Tracks from the self-titled Steve and Stevie lp on Toast records (1968)
Stormy Petrel - Hello Hello Hello
Sundragon - Peacock Dress
Sundragon - Far Away Mountain (from Fading Yellow 1)
The Blue Jeans - Hey Mrs Housewife
The Casuals - Caroline
The Casuals - Naughty Boy
The Fourmyula - Lady Scorpio
The Fourmyula - Toffee Apple Sunday
The Herd - Beauty Queen
The Holy Mackeral - Scorpio Red
The Jackpots - King Of The World (from Fading Yellow 1)
The Matchmakers - Droopy Loopy
The Move - Chinatown
The Searchers - Desdemona
The Twilights - Pasternoster Row
Thomas & Richard Frost - She's Got Love
Thomas Dean - Oh Babe
Tracks from The Toms 1979 Lp
Tony Burrows - Melanie Makes Me Smile
Tracks from 2 Tony Hazzard Lp's - 1969's "Sings Tony Hazzard" and 1973's "Was That Alright Then".
Tony Rivers and The Castaways - I Can Guarantee You Love
Tracks from We All Together's 2nd Lp (1974).
Tracks from Willow's self-titled 1973 Lp on 20th Century.
Witch Way - Hold On To Love
Tracks from Yellowstone & Voice's self-titled 1972 Lp on Regal Zonophone.

Thank you to Mark Frumento, Jörgen Johansson, Richard Vaughn, Crawdaddy Simon, Patrick Beckers, David Bash, Ashley Norris, Sam Grawe and Richter Atmosphere for many of these tracks.

Greg Shaw - Selections from Jukebox Jury Nov. 1975

DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND -"You Were So Warm - Shelter 40450
The screaming rockers of "I'm On Fire" show a softer side here, recalling shades of the Byrds and the Searchers. The flip, "Sincerely,"' introduces the Zombies as well. I think that what I like most about the Twilleys, apart from the impeccability of their sources, is the cleanness, the bare simplicity of their sound. They never over-produce, and they're not afraid to be tastefully derivative. This will bomb in the discos, but they don't care--the girls they want to reach are too young to do the hustle anyway.

BAY CITY ROLLERS -"Saturday Night" /"Marlina" - Arista 0149
Like everyone else, I'm a little appalled that these dorks should be considered for even a moment, by anybody at all, to have anything in common with the Beatles. But at the same time; I've liked almost all their records, beginning with "Keep On Dancing" in 1971. For a hard pop group (not quite Slade or Sweet, but more than Middle of the Road) they're not bad. "Saturday Night," a 1973 single in England, is currently on its way to becoming their first U.S. hit. The closest thing to a hard rocker they've done, its success here may say something about American tastes, since none of their more characteristic earlier efforts fared as well. In fact, "Saturday Night" started out as the B-side of this disc, backing the more tuneful (somewhere between Rod Stewart and Albert Hammond...) "Marlina:' actually their latest recording. Since their progression over the last four
years has been from harder to softer, the question is raised as to what they'll do for a follow-up if "Saturday Night" becomes a hit, short of raiding the back catalog still further--not that anyone in this country would be much the wiser.

WARWICK - "Let's Get The Party Going" - RAK 211 UK
The one RAK record I'd really like to see out here is "Let's Get the Party Going" by Warwick, which sounds like the Jook attempting to turn the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" into a modern post-glitter classic. Doesn't quite overwhelm, but comes close, and is worth searching out (RAK 211, in England).



By Greg Shaw - Jukebox Jury column, PRM Nov. 1975

The Matchmakers Picture Sleeve Gallery

The Matchmakers - Thank You Baby For Coming
The Matchmakers - Judy