The Charms were one of the top acts in Greece in the mid-1960s. The Popular release is one of their first 45s, if not the very first, featuring two instrumentals, “Charming Hully Gully” and the phenomenal “Shake with Charm”, which has a fast, stripped-down rhythm that reminds me of the Monks!

Like other bands of the era, by 1966 they stepped away from instrumentals and started singing, but the music still has a jerky instrumental flavor to them on the early Music Box releases. All their early vocals are in English.

Their first Music Box 45 has the great garage sound of “See You on Sunday” on the B-side, with Animals-influenced organ chording, and “Mr. Goose” on the A-side.

Their next 45 on Music Box may be even better. “I’m Coming Back (to Stay)” has a repetitive horn riff and a good performance from the group. “The Count Game” is my personal favorite by this band, with a rhythm something like ska led by the organ, a great vocal and nice bluesy guitar fills.

After these releases the band lineup changed and their later output is more pop, and more often sung in Greek, and I’ve heard very little of it. Their cover of the Animals’ “It’s My Life” which isn’t bad, but definitely lacks the fire of the others. Known as a great live band, they were featured in several movies at the time, but I haven’t seen any clips of them performing yet.

The Popular 45 has no song writing or production credits. Song writing credits go to Nick Mastorakis and the Charms on Music Box 586, and to Nick Mastorakis, P. Polatos, M. Rozakis on Music Box 606. I assume Nick Mastorakis is the producer.

The following list of band members is adapted from an autotranslation of a good list of 60’s bands in Greece.

Kostas Karydas: Vocals (-1965)
Spyros Karakoytas: Bass (-1965, + Maik Rozakis: Bass, Vocals)
Giorgos Mpalaskas: Guitar (-1964, + Alekos Glykas -1964, + Kostas Njkolopoylos)
Giorgos Stratis: Drums
Teris Jeremjas: (+ 1965), Organ, Vocals
Petros Pollatos: (+ 1965), Saxophone

Κώστας Καρύδας: Τραγούδι (-1965)
Σπύρος Καρακούτας: Μπάσο (-1965, +Μάϊκ Ροζάκης: Μπάσο, Τραγούδι)
Γιώργος Μπαλάσκας: Κιθάρα (-1964, +Αλέκος Γλύκας -1964, + Κώστας Νικολόπουλος)
Γιώργος Στρατής: Ντραμς
Τέρης Ιερεμίας: (+1965), Όργανο, Τραγούδι
Πέτρος Πολλάτος: (+1965), Σαξόφωνο

The Charms featured in plenty of movies from the time. A couple of notable ones: they back Erica and Margarita Broyer on “Little Kiss” from the 1965 movie Teddy Boy Agapi Mou, and they do a fine Greek version of Del Shannon’s “Keep Searching” and an English version of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” in O Gampros Mou o Prikothiras from 1967.

I don’t think I can list a full filmography for the band, but I know of a couple film appearances in color: the band playing “Fige” in the background of O Daskalakos Itan Leventia from 1970 and “Xwris Esena” and “Ela Pali Ela” from O Trelopenhntarhs in 1971.