Ab’soul’lutely Solid

Ab'soul'lutely Solid, Spring 1968 photo
Ab’soul’lutely Solid, Spring 1968. From left: John Elzner, Randy Williams, Charlie Roberts, Wayne Gillespe, Dennis Patterson, and Daniel Elzner

The Ab’soul’lutely Solid came from the small town of Kaufman, southeast of Dallas. Unfortunately a live tape and demo recording seem to be lost now.Keyboard player Randy Williams wrote to me about the group:

Dennis Patterson – vocals
Charlie Roberts – vocals
Daniel Elzner – guitar
Randy Williams – organ
John Elzner -bass
Wayne Gillespie – drums

I was in Ab’soul’lutely Solid, a band out of Kaufman, 67-68. I didn’t live in Kaufman, but in Athens, about 40 miles away. The Elzner brothers and the rest of the band were from Kaufman. I was barely 17, the guitarist was barely 16…we were the youngest. I was a classical pianist before I got the Vox.

We were mainly a cover band, but we were really tight. We did rock and roll and soul…..thus the band’s name….Paul Revere, Animals, Hendrix, Wilson Pickett, Doors, etc.

If we rehearsed in the Elzner’s garage, half the town would show up in 15 minutes or less.

We did a battle of the bands in ’68 in Dallas. Also played a UT Austin frat party in ’68, and played around Kaufman, Terrell, Royce City, Seven Points, Athens, mostly smaller places.

We recorded one gig live, and John had the tape, but doesn’t know where it is. We did a ‘studio’ recording for a lady from New York, but never heard back.

Daniel, the guitarist, later played with Tommy Overstreet, the country singer, and lived in Nashville for a while. Still play piano after a 40 hiatus, and just got a Vox Continental, trying to get a British Invasion band together.

Randy Williams

Houston music clubs – The Act III / The What a Way to Go Go

Johnny Winter at Act III Houston Post, Nov. 30, 1966
Johnny Winter at Act III, Houston Post, Nov. 30, 1966

A story on a Texas group The Valens / The Outcasts (not the Askel group) mentions the band trying out for a Houston club The Act III a Go Go. However a member of the Interns remembers there being two different clubs, “What a Way to Go Go” and the “The Act III”.

Andrew Brown provided the scan above and says there was also a club called “What a Way to Go Go”. The clubs might have shared the same location, but that’s still speculative. Act III’s address was 6663 S. Main, it seems its been torn down for a strip mall.

Does anyone have posters, photos or material from either club that would clarify this minor point about the Houston music scene?

The Dinks “Nina-Kocka-Nina” and “Kocka-Mow-Mow” on Sully Records

The Dinks photo
The Dinks, from left: Bob Bergmann, Bill Hollingsworth (seated with glasses, Dean Dietz, Bruce Brown, Mike Moran (seated) and Gale Scanlon. Photo courtesy of Bob Bergmann

Pat Waddell – lead vocals, replaced by Dean Dietz
Steve Kadel – lead guitar, replaced by Bill Hollingsworth
Bob Bergmann – rhythm guitar and vocals
Gail Scanlon – organ
Bruce Brown – bass
Mike Morrand – drums

The Dinks’ “Nina-Kocka-Nina” takes the repetitive nonsense of “Surfin’ Bird” and adds a bizarre parody of an Asian accent. The soft-spoken opening has the Japanese inflection down well, even if most of the words are gibberish. Once the song gets going the tone shifts to something that sounds like no real language except variations on “papa ooh mow mow”. The few lyrics in English, “get out your pencils, get out your books, try to catch all the teacher’s grubby looks” and “I’m taking English, History, Biology and Chemistry” imply that school is turning him into a raving idiot! Ironically, the writer of the song would become a teacher himself after leaving the Dinks!

“Penny a Tear Drop” is very different, and the contrast between the twelve-string guitar and organ sounds great. It’s something of a shame that the success of “Nina-Kocka-Nina” put the Dinks into the novelty category and ended their chances of making it as a sincere pop act. Song writing credits for “Penny a Tear Drop” go to Ray Ruffin (a variation on Ray Ruff’s name I hadn’t seen before) and Jack Dunham, whose name also turns up on the Dinks second 45.

Needing a follow up to “Nina-Kocka-Nina” they predictably cut another song in that vein. “Kocka-Mow-Mow” lacks the magic of the first record. Instead of being a band original, it was knocked off by two of Ray Ruff’s associates: Jack Dunham again, and Royce Taylor, a singer who had his own 45 for Sully as part of Gaylen & Royce, “I Can’t Stay” / “Modern Day Fools”.

Oddly it comments directly on their first disc: “all the DJs across the nation, thought we had a bad creation, they just thought we were up in smoke, but that’s kind of funny because we’re on all the charts” … “radio stations started getting calls, they said our band made their skin crawl, they didn’t like the music ’cause it made them sick, but everybody wanted to hear it, kids” … “they said ‘Nina-Kocka-Nina’ was the most … you better think twice before you put this one down.” On the flip is an incredibly insensitive song by Royce Taylor, “Ugly Girl”, sung in the sweetest voice.

Dink’s rhythm guitarist Bob Bergmann answered some of my questions about “Nina-Kocka-Nina” and the band:

I am Bob Bergmann, the writer and lead singer for “Nina-Kocka-Nina” on the Sully label. I played rhythm guitar for the Ragging Regattas and the Dinks back in the 60’s out of Beloit, Kansas.

The band was started earlier by Steve Kadel, from Beloit, Kansas. He was one of my best friends growing up in the 60’s. We graduated together in ’62. We learned guitars together during high school, by ear. We learned with 5-strings on our guitars–THANK GOD–there was no little E-string.

After graduating, Steve went to Fort Hays College which is now Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas and I went to St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, Kansas. Steve started the band The Ragging Regattas in Hays. After two years, I transferred to Fort Hays State College and joined the band. Steve was the person who should be giving credit for starting the band.

I was in my froshmen year in college at Dodge City, Kansas and came up with the song “Nina-Kocka-Nina” and the jibberish language. We put the song together after a performance somewhere in Nebraska. We were sitting there on our amps, very tired, and I got up and started to sing the song which the band had never heard. They all plugged back in and the song was created. I had no idea what the jibberish meant, but at some performances, I was asked by orientals if I knew what I was saying and I think they agreed, I was saying some real words. Pat created his own background words during the recording. Pat’s name should have never been first on the record [writing credit] and he will admit that.

The reason we went to Texas to record, two different times, was our so call it manager had contacted Ray. We did not write “Penny A Tear Drop”. It was written by a person in the 30’s. The song was the reason we were asked to come to Texas to record. I would say it got us in the recording field. “Penny a Tear Drop” took hours. [We] needed a flip side and we did “Nina-Kocka-Nina” in a few minutes and it went over the best.

We were called the Regattas when we went to record, but Ray sent our contract back and changed our names to the Dinks because Ragging Regattas didn’t match the “Nina-Kocka-Nina” song. I did sign a contract with BMI in New York after “Nina-Kocka-Nina” came out. There was a nice writeup in one of the top record magazines in the US about the song. Full page showed a picture of the record and around the record were comments from DJ’s around the nation about the song.

We were mainly an instrumental band. The song list was very long and mixed between vocals and instrumentals. Our main songs were by the Ventures, and other instrumental groups, many from England. We recorded an album of instrumental songs at Sully Studio after the two 45s, but it never came out.

Somewhere I have one of the many sheets of songs we had taped to our our Fender Dual Showmans. We all had Fender instruments and amps. I did have a Country Gentleman at one time. I also played rhythm on a Fender 6-string bass that was owned by one of the guys in the Blue Things. It had a very funky sound and the frets were very far apart which made it tougher to play.

One of the hardest songs that I remember doing was “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” by the Ventures. Our lead guitar, Bill Hollingsworth was the greatest, and I don’t think I could have learned the rhythm without his help. You mention “Surfing Bird” by The Trashmen: Bill was first cousins with their lead guitar player.

After a few years, Bill Hollingsworth replaced Steve on lead guitar, and Dean Deetz replaced Pat Waddel on vocal. I left the band in ’66. I got married in January 1967 and finished my teaching degree. I am a retired business teacher here at Jetmore, Kansas of 35 years.

If my memory serves me correctly, [the Dinks] went on a year or so before some of the guys were drafted. After that, they split company and two bands were started – I think the Beasts and another Dinks band. I was one of the junior high school sponsors and we hired the Beast for our high school prom. I remember joining the band for “Nina-Kocka-Nina”. The students and staff couldn’t believe it. One student came up to me and said “Mr. Bergmann, I didn’t know you had that in you”!

On March 7, 2009 the Dinks were inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in Lawrence, Kansas. It was a gala celebration for our band who I had not seen for forty years. Steve could not make it to the induction ceremony.

Bob Bergmann

Thanks to Brian Kirschenbaum and Christian for scans of the Dinks original 45s.

Full page ad in Billboard, December 4, 1965
The Dinks – Bob Bergmann at bottom left of photo

The Intruders

The Intruders were from the small towns of Glenville and Scotia, outside Schenectady, New York. They were students at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake and Scotia-Glenville High Schools and formed the band in 1964.

Carl Buell – vocals
Mark Hecker – lead guitar
Mark Ernst – rhythm guitar
Mike Collins – bass guitar
Snooky Mercoglan – drums, replaced by Warren Droms

They recorded their 45 at WRGB studios in Schenectady. The number RK4M 5992/3 indicates an RCA Custom pressing from 1964.

Mark Ernst has a very cool website on the Intruders and his later career, though he doesn’t say what happened to the group after releasing the single. Presumably, they broke up as members graduated school.

The A-side features the slower “What Kind of Girl Are You”, which starts out with a great bluesy riff and has some good soloing as the song fades.

The flip, “Hey Hey” is a good rocker.

“Hey Hey” was written by Marc Hecker, Mark Ernst and Carl Buell, with credits to AC Production and Intruders Music. “What Kind of Girl Are You” was written by Hecker and Buell.

Thank you to Brian Kirschenbaum for the scan and transfers of the 45.

Niemen I Akwarele

Vocalist and organ player Czeslaw Niemen was another huge star in Poland, so this record is hardly ‘garage’. Like the Skaldowie LP, there are great graphics on the cover, and Niemen’s outfit is classic Sonny Bono meets Carnaby St. His singing is also over the top, often trying to be James Brown-ish funky and Tom Jones-like soulful within the same line. I suspect he personified state-approved ‘rebellion’.

This LP is his second, from 1968. Of the songs I’ve chosen, I think “The Brazen Shout” (“Spizowy Krzyk”) may work best, though “Unwanted” definitely has a funky backing track and a familiar-sounding horn arrangement. “And If” uses the bass riff from Hendrix’s “Hey Joe”.

His band Akwarele (Watercolors) included Tomasz Jaśkiewicz (guitar), Paweł Brodowski (bass), Marian Zimiński (piano, organ) and Tomasz Butowtt (drums). He is supposed to have some other good singles and sides that I haven’t heard, like “Let’s Play Bo-Peep” (Baw Sie W Ciuciubabke).

Niemen continued recording into the late 1980s at least, and has since died. Dozens of videos await you on YouTube if you’re so inclined, including some cool live footage from ’67.

Skaldowie

Skaldowie Pronit LP

Skaldowie Pronit LP Side BStrictly oldies this time – from Poland. Though the cover of this one looks fairly psychedelic, most of the songs are light pop. Skaldowie were huge stars in the ’60s and ’70s and this LP was probably as common in Poland as the Raiders Spirit of ’67was here.

I used to find interesting LPs from Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia in Greenpoint and Astoria. I recently sorted through them looking for the best tracks and I’ll post a batch this month. As a general rule the covers are far cooler than the music, but there’s usually at least a couple good songs on each LP.

I’d like to find someone with the records and knowledge to cover the East European scene in some depth: not so much the big pop acts like this group but the underground or ‘garage’ scene – if there was an underground at all in 1965-66.

Skaldowie formed in 1965, headed by Andrzej Zielinski (keyboards and “spiew”) and his younger brother Jacek, also on vocals. Other members included Marek Jamrozy (guitar and vocals), Jerzy Tarsinski (guitar), Konrad Ratynski (bass and vocals), and Jan Budziaszek (drums). Leszek Moczulski was their lyricist.

After winning some contests they cut their first LP in 1967 and featured in a few movies – there are plenty of videos on YouTube for those who want to see and hear more. They even toured the US and Canada in August and September 1969, purchasing a Hammond organ and becoming more prog-rock.

The LP I’m featuring today was their second, Wszystko mi mówi, że mnie ktos pokochał, recorded in March, 1968, on the Pronit label. On this LP they have vocal help from the female cycling sextet Ali Babki, though only on some songs. The back cover gives some extended notes in English for some reason. Their name in English ‘The Skalds’ refers to an ancient group of Scandinavian poets, though English speakers are more likely to think of burn victims.

Some people rate this LP highly, but I only found a few tracks I cared for. “On the Hill Top” (Na Wirsycku) starts out like the Soviet Men’s Chorus but the howling at 1:24 has an eerie feel, followed with a good guitar solo.

Not surprisingly, one of the ‘originals’, “There’ll Be a Christmas Carol” (Bedzie Koleda) sounds very much like some Western hit, but I can’t remember exactly which song it reminds me of.

“The 26th Dream” (“Dwudzieste Szoste Marzenie”) also has some hooks reminiscent of other songs of the era, but is still an interesting composition.

Sources include: Progarchives.com

Skaldowie Pronit LP Back

The Movement of Hemphill Recording

The Movement recorded two 45s at Hemphill Recording Studios in Midfield, Alabama, just southwest of Birmingham. The two singles were released within two months of each other, in July and August, 1968.

The first 45, “Green Knight” is a solid garage number with a good organ sound and rhythm section. The vocalist’s sputtering, garbled delivery as he says “I can’t keep from crying in the green night” is classic. There’s a fine harmonica break and a buzzing guitar solo takes the song to the fade-out.

It’s a shame that every copy of the 45 has a serious tape glitch (or mastering error) about 30 seconds into the song. The sound warbles just for a split-second, but it’s very noticeable.

The flip, “Stinking Peanut Butter Love” is one of the better nonsense b-sides I’ve heard, a parody of hippie Love-In chants with mantras like “tallyanna meat loaf”, repetitive piano, random drumming and a flushing toilet. It has it’s own minor mastering problem, a sudden rise in volume at the start of the song.

Both sides written by the Movement. There are no names on this Tinker Records label, but their second 45, released on Hemphill Studio’s own label gives Buck Williams as the writer of both sides. I don’t know who else was in the band.

“Just-a-Driftin'” has an echoing lead vocal over acoustic guitar, piano and organ, with whistling instead of harmonica. This doesn’t sound like a promising formula, but the results are good and lightly psychedelic. I haven’t heard the flip, “Dear Abby” but I’ve been told it’s a ballad.

Neal Hemphill owned Hemphill Studios, also known as the Sound of Birmingham, operating from 1966-1985. Hemphill released a couple 45s by the Mishaps, “Under My Thumb” / “One Too Many Mornings” and “Come On Up”, produced by Frank Lewis. A two-volume set, The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill compiles the soul and funk sounds of the studio.

Thank you to Rich Strauss for the scan of “Just-a-Driftin'”.

Drits & Dravy

Drits & Dravy Another 45 Talk That Talk Part 1Just a few days after I added Nick’s article on former Daily Flash guitarist Doug Hastings’ time with Dr. John’s band in 1969, I picked up this single on the Another label by Drits & Dravy, one of Mac Rebennack’s many early releases before he moved to Los Angeles and assumed the Dr. John persona. It features Mac and Ronnie Barron putting down a long stream of quick rhymes and puns, many of which I can’t make out through the echo.

I’ve seen this as being from 1960, but I think 1962 is probably more likely, given that Dr. John mentions having the Drits and Dravy act at the same time he was cutting an unreleased LP for AFO.

Besides Mac and Ronnie, either of whom could be playing organ, I’m not sure who was on this session. It could have included some of his regular band at the time, such as Paul Staehle (drums) and Charlie Maduell (sax).

Another collaboration between these two which sounds very different is Ronnie Barron’s single “It’s All in the Past” written by Dauenhauer-Rebennack b/w “The Hip Parade”by Rebennack-O’Neil, from about 1963.

Drits & Dravy Another 45 Talk That Talk Part 2

Utopia Carwash

Utopia Carwash South Grape Street 45 Loneliness

Utopia Carwash South Grape Street 45 Wait and SeeUpdated April 2011

Selling records at the WFMU fair kept me so busy that I had zero time to look at other folks’ tables. Of course, sharing a table with Mr. Robinson is dangerous, and sure enough I spent a chunk of my sales on a few of his records, including buying back a copy of P.B. & the Staunchmen that I had sold to him last year. Why did I sell it in the first place? Why did I bother to buy it again? These are questions that haunt record collectors.

Billy from Norton Records dropped off a copy of the latest collection of unissued garage acetates: You Tore My Brain! (half of it comes from tapes and not acetates, by the way). Besides the title cut and its flip by the James Street Overpass, there are some excellent and crude out-takes from the Fine Recording vaults, like “I Won’t Play Your Game” by an unknown group, and an incredible cut by Sir Winston & the Commons, “All of the Time”. I remember when that acetate came up for auction earlier this year.

The only other record I picked up was this bizarre psychedelic number by Utopia Carwash. Mr. Finewine turned up a batch of unplayed copies – unfortunately most of them including this one have a rolling warp. The warp was bad enough that I couldn’t make a transfer of “Loneliness”. I did get a decent, if noisy transfer of the flip, “Wait and See”, which hasn’t been compiled. It’s not a bad tune once you get past the droning organ intro.

“Loneliness” was written by Gary Costa. “Wait and See” by Lloyd Deckman.

I didn’t have any real clues as to the location of this band for a long time. South Grape Street could mean Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles CA, or Medford, Oregon. Etched into the trail-off vinyl is “SGS 001A/B – IFL” and “LW” for all the deadwax hounds out there. Mike Markesich thought it might be mid-upstate New York. As it turns out, they were from Long Island.

Last month I heard from bassist Lloyd Deckman, who filled me in on the group’s story:

Utopia Carwash was named after the “Utopia Carwash” that was visible from the Long Island Expressway in towards the city. It was a carwash. Prior to that name, we had called ourselves the Makos, from East Northport.

The Cast:

Barry Ambrosio – guitar
Bryan Ambrosio – keyboard
Gary Costa – percussion
Lloyd Deckman – bass

We started – actually Barry and Bryan started – the Makos in their basement on Grant Street in East Northport. They were twins and they lived across the street from me – we grew up together, Boy Scouts, played army, etc. Barry was the brains and driving force behind the operation. As the Makos we played out at a firemens’ party in the firehouse in East Northport, at the Northport High School (video’d), and at a place called either “The Most” or “Hullabaloo” that was usually a roller skating rink in Northport. The time frame would have been around ’66 or ’67. Those were the only gigs I remember while I was in the band.

I don’t remember where South Grape Street Records came from; I was no longer in the band. “Wait and See” was actually written as “Just You Wait and See”, they chose to abbreviate it for labeling purposes. I wanted it done up-tempo too, but… They had the record cut in early ’69.

As I understand it, Barry has passed, his bio in the music world is rather impressive. I believe Bryan lives in Florida.

Lloyd F. Deckman

Czerwone Gitary

Czerwone Gitary Muza LP (2)

I’ll be selling records at the WFMU record fair this Saturday, Oct. 23. Come out and say hello, booth D-24, in front of the large pillar in the middle of the room.

Unusual 45s and LPs, including a batch of Polish pop LPs from ’66-’68, including this one, Czerwone Guitary’s second album, which features a fine guitar and bass break on the melancholy “Cztery Pory Roku” (“Four Seasons”).

The site for '60s garage bands since 2004