Categories: Laurie, New Jersey, Providence, Wildwood

The Statesiders

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There’s an interesting story behind this record by the Statesiders. The band, better known as first the Redcoats and then the Sidekicks, almost hit the big time until managerial difficulties crashed their plans.

John Sprit was the creative force behind the group. He had been in the Randells, charting with “The Martian Hop” in 1963, a record produced by John’s cousin Steven Rappaport. John Sprit decided to form a band in imitation of the Beatles, based around his songwriting. With Steven as manager and producer, John on drums and his friend Mike Burke on lead guitar, they spotted Zach and Randy Bocelle of Absecon, NJ at an audition, and brought them in to fill the ‘roles’ of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, respectively, on rhythm guitar, bass and lead vocals.

After intensive rehearsals in John Sprit’s family home in Wildwood, NJ, the Redcoats signed with Laurie for a 45 in the style of Herman’s Hermits, “The Dum Dum Song” / “Love Unreturned”, which did fairly well on a local level. It was released in October, 1965.

Prior to “The Dum Dum Song”, the Laurie subsidiary, Providence released a single by the Statesiders “She Belonged to Another” / “Patterned the Same” in the first half of 1965. The Statesiders name is an oblique reference to their being the US counterpart of the Beatles / Redcoats. The single was produced by Steve Rappaport and both songs were written by Carnaby & Shakespeare: pseudonyms for John Spirt and Michael Burke according to the BMI database. The songs have enough originality to overcome the Beatles influence, and are more than competently performed by the group.

Zach Bocelle doesn’t mention the Statesiders or either song title in his long history of the group. It’s possible the songs were recorded prior to Zach and Randy joining the band. The songs are also not included on the collection of the Redcoats’ recordings for Laurie Meet The Redcoats…Finally released by Dionysus in 2001. But I think it likely that most of the band played on this record, making it a forgotten part of pre-Redcoats history.

Things were looking up for the band when Steve Rappaport left for Europe during the summer of ’66. Looking to record more original songs on their own terms, they found a manager and investor in a wealthy woman from Philadelphia who financed their next demos.

An original of John’s, “Suspicions” caught the ear of RCA, who renamed the band the Sidekicks and re-recorded the song with a full orchestra. Released in the spring of 1966, “Suspicions” was a fair-sized national hit, and the band soon followed up with an LP of mostly very pop-oriented material.

Within a year, though, their new manager’s shameless exploitation alienated both the group and RCA, and the bitterness of the experience led John Sprit to quit the business altogether.

Thanks to Euphonic for his comment below with the approximate release date and Laurie ownership of Providence – I’ve revised this post to reflect that new info. Thanks also to Mike Markesich for the release date of the Laurie 45.

Categories: Indonesia

Lilis Surjani

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Lilis Surjani (aka Suryani) was very popular in Indonesia and neighbouring countries from the early 1960s to the early 1970s. President Soekarno of Indonesia made life difficult for musicians and singers in the early to mid 1960s because he wanted to rid Indonesia of Western influences and wanted rock ’n’ roll to be outlawed. Lilis found herself in trouble in mid 1965 because of her stage attire, presentation and choice of songs.

In a newspaper article in August 1965 Lilis promised that she would no longer sing ‘Beatles-like’ songs and apologised for her previous ‘mistakes’. Lilis made her amends and produced a number of songs with an Indonesian nationalist theme that were more likely to be approved by the ruling regime. One of those songs is Pergi Perjuang (Depart Warrior), where Lilis is backed by guitarist Zaenal Arifin and his Zaenal Combo. This song is as about as close as you can get to rock ’n’ roll and not call it that. The song’s theme though is one that would have appealed to Soekarno with Lilis singing that she hopes the young warriors going to battle perform their duties as ‘defenders of the nation’ and return victorious.

This song reflects the fact that Indonesia and Malaysia were involved in an undeclared war from 1963 to 1966 as Soekarno viewed the newly created state of Malaysia as a British colonial plot and vowed to ‘crush’ it. Soekarno was particularly peeved that the former British colonies in northern Borneo had become part of Malaysia as the rest of the island was Indonesian territory. Indonesian troops carried out covert operations in north Borneo throughout the period, but were repulsed by Malaysian, British and Australian forces. Although Soekarno was sidelined politically in late 1965 the Crush Malaysia policy took a bit longer to wind back, but friendly relations between Indonesia and Malaysia had been fully restored by the late 1960s. What may seem surprising is that Pergi Perjuang was also released in Malaysia and seems to have been quite popular. It is the Malaysian release I feature here.

I also include Lilis’s post-Soekarno era song Perahu Bertolak (Ship Departs), probably from late 1966 or 1967, which has some good guitar work. This Malaysian release has no liner notes, but I have read that Lilis’s backing band here was Band Arulan led by Jarzuk Arifin.

Lilis Surjani went on to record numerous other songs in rock, pop and regional styles. She still performs regularly although she has been battling cancer for the last few years.

Categories: Malaysia

S. Mona Rita & the Kingstons

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Lilis Surjani’s Pergi Perjuang is only one of many songs from Indonesia that relate to the conflict with Malaysia. There must have been songs made in Malaysia with the same theme, but I haven’t come across many.

One that I do have, however, is a good one. The song Bekalan Satria (Warrior Skills) by S. Mona Rita and the Kingstons from late 1965 or 1966 has the singer worrying that her soldier boyfriend (or husband) returns safely from the battlefield, but that he does his duty as ‘defender of the nation’. The nationalist theme is continued cryptically in the song Buat Tatapan (Observation) as the singer complains about a cheating lover and laments that she had ever forgotten her responsibilities to the homeland. What does it mean? I don’t know.

The Kingstons were Ungku Safian – Lead Guitar, Mokhtar – Rhythm Guitar, Rahman – Bass, Ungku Fadzil – Organ, and Kamar Dean – Drums.S. Mona Rita is a good singer and the vocal is mixed very high in the mix. The Kingstons are more than competent and add many flourishes to the sound. Buat Tatapan has an unusual drum and organ interlude towards the end that at first hearing doesn’t seem to belong there, but presumably it is meant to reflect S. Mona Rita’s thoughts that ‘love is false’. The other two songs on the EP are good too, but are slower and much more subdued.


Categories: New York, Nu Sound Ltd., Rochester, Upstate New York

Terry Pilittere and the Wee Four

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The Wee Four photo
The Wee Four, from left: Bob Salerno, Jack Allocco, Terry Piliterre, and Dennis Drew

The Wee Four Nu Sound Ltd. 45 WeirdTerry Pilittere was the founder of the Rochester, NY group the Dimensions, in 1962. Members were Denny Drew lead guitar, Rob Salerno rhythm guitar, Ken Polizzi bass and vocals, and Terry on drums and vocals. In 1965 Jack Allocco joined and the band changed their name to the Wee Four, because none of the members was over 5′ 8″ tall.

The Wee Four recorded an excellent garage punker, “Weird” in 1966, written by Terry with his friend Jim Obi, b/w Terry’s song “Give Me a Try”. The Wee Four recorded other songs, including “I Could Never”, but these weren’t released.

Terry Pilittere Nu-Sound Ltd. 45, It's Not That WayMembers of the band had conflicts with manager Al Cecere, but Terry decided to leave the group and go with Al as his manager for a solo record of two beautiful original songs, “It’s Not That Way” and “You Wouldn’t Believe Me”.

Terry passed away in December, 2000.

Photo caption updated 2022.

Sources: Mike Dugo’s interview with Ken Polizzi of the Wee Four. Photos from Fuzz Acid and Flowers.

Categories: California, Not garage, Oakland, Seize the Time

The Lumpen “Free Bobby Now” on Seize the Time

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Once in a while I come across something that doesn’t fit into the garage category but deserves some wider exposure – the Lumpen 45 is one of these records.

“Free Bobby Now” is an anthem for Bobby Seale. The Lumpen were a group of Black Panthers based in Oakland but peforming throughout the Bay Area to get the Panther’s message across through music.

A full history of the group by member Michael Torrance is on the Black Panther history site, It’s About Time. I’ll quote some of it here for background:

The original members were Bill Calhoun, Clark (Santa Rita) Bailey, James Mott and myself, Michael Torrance. We had all sung in groups in the past, Calhoun having performed professionally in Las Vegas, and it just came naturally.

Calhoun wrote “No More” in a spiritual/traditional style, and then “Bobby Must Be Set Free”, a more upbeat R&B song. We recorded these two songs and soon we were singing at community centers and rallies. Emory Douglas, Minister of Culture, named the group the Lumpen for the “brothers on the block,” the disenfranchised, angry underclass in the ghetto.

Thanks to Calhoun’s expertise, we were able to put together a high-energy hour-long “act” complete with uniforms and choreography. By the time the Lumpen were about to go on an East Coast tour, the auditorium at Merritt College was packed for the kick-off concert which was recorded live. The whole audience sang along with “Bobby Must Be Set Free.”

The first copy I found was in New Orleans shortly before Katrina hit. I was listening to a batch of records and this one caught my attention, though I realized right away it was mislabeled – it has labels from a hit on the White Whale label that must have been at the press at the same time. Which would date this to December, 1970. Recently I found another copy with the correct labels on it.

Categories: Blue Fin, California, Los Angeles, Pomona

The Deepest Blue, Egyptian Candy & Blue-Fin Records discography

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The Deepest Blue formed in Pomona, a town about halfway between Los Angeles and San Bernadino further inland. Members were:

Earl Shackelford – vocals
Russell Johnson – lead guitar and vocals
Ken Zabel – organ
Rick Edwards – rhythm guitar
Bruce Lavoie – bass
Russ ‘Soupy’ Morrow – drums

The band was actually known as the Doves, they only changed their name when releasing their 45, because they thought it sounded more commercial.

They played teen clubs in the area like the Oasis and Discoteen, and a couple shows on the Hollywood strip with the Leaves and the Seeds. Their repertoire was all covers, mostly influenced by the Stones and other English groups.

Russ Johnson and Earl Shackelford wrote two songs just for the recording session, the first originals the band had ever played. They recorded at 9th Street studio in LA in August of 1966, with Richard Delvy, drummer for the Challengers engineering. Vic Gargano financed the record – he also produced the Tomorrows’ La Do Da Da / Need Only You on Condor. Without the band’s knowledge Gargano had a studio musician add guitar parts to enliven the sound. Although this upset the group, the resulting single is fantastic.

“Pretty Little Thing” features Bruce’s sliding bass line, precise drumming from Soupy, and a raging organ solo by Ken Zabel. Earl’s vocal has elements of Jagger’s inflections but his voice is stronger. “Somebody’s Girl” is more subdued but also powerful. Despite the quality of the record, it received little airplay.

The band returned to the studio to record more tracks for an album which was never finished. Soupy Morrow had an acetate of the sessions, but it has not surfaced since.

However, two songs “I Found Out” and “Living My Love Game” were released on a Blue-Fin 45 under the name the Egyptian Candy. Earl for one had completely forgotten about this record, but he did confirm that this was recorded by the Deepest Blue for their album sessions. Earl speculated that this may have been released under the name Egyptian Candy to test the waters for how the band’s new direction would be received.

Both songs demonstrate the influence of Earl’s friend Chris Darrow on his songwriting. Earl had met Chris at the Forum Club in Montclair when Chris was with the Floggs. Chris would record both songs with his next band, Kaleidoscope in similar arrangements (“Living My Love Game” retitled “Love Games” in the Kaleidoscope version and not released at the time). Another song by Earl, “I Found Out” became one of Kaleidoscope’s signature songs. It’s unfortunate the Deepest Blue were unable to stay together to pursue this new style, as they were obviously onto something.

Lacking success and headed in different musical directions, the band split up. Soupy died in a motorcycle accident in 1967 [actually in 1968 according to Oscar Bee], and Rick Edwards was killed in a car crash the following year while on tour. Earl stayed in music, notably forming Wheels with Chris Darrow and Walter Egan, and arranging vocal harmonies on Iggy Pop’s New Values album.

Update: Russ Johnson passed away in Australia in 2007. He had a long career in music there, most notably with a group called Mississippi.

For more information on the Deepest Blue there are two interviews with Earl Shackelford, one by Mike Dugo, and one at Pulsating Dream.

Blue-Fin discography (incomplete?):

101 – Ascots: The Wonder Of It All (R. Borden, M. Borden) / I Won’t Cry (Al Politano) (engineer Doc Siegel at Gold Star Studios, Onned Music BMI)
101 – Ascots: Summer Days / The Wonder of It All (matrix #s BL-FI-1004 and, I assume, BL-FI-1000)
102 – Deepest Blue: Pretty Little Thing / Somebody’s Girl
103 – Egyptian Candy: I Found Out / Living My Love Game

Thanks to Max Waller for bringing the two separate releases of the Ascots Blue-Fin 101 to my attention. Max writes:

The Wonder Of It All” (BL-FI-1000) has Monarch 62241 in the dead wax. “I Won’t Cry” (BL-FI-1001) has 62241-X in the dead wax so this was supposedly the “B” side, although it appears from the “*” scrawls on the label that someone was pushing this track. This monarch number pairing seems to confirm that this was the original/first pressing, from June 1966.

For the “Summer Days” 45, I’d expect to see a different monarch # in the dead wax for that track, (BL-FI-1004).

Due to the “(BL-FI-1001)” ref, it appears they used the same recording of “I Won’t Cry”, so I’d expect to find Monarch #62241 in the dead wax.

Categories: Edgewood Recording Studio (DC), Maryland, United Artists

The Omegas

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The Omegas, spring 1966, from left: Mike Sarigumba, Art Brueggeman, A.T. Ryder, Mike McKeller and Steve Callahan
The Omegas were a Montgomery County group who had gone through considerable personnel changes by the time they recorded their record on United Artists.

The original group cut two songs at Edgewood Recording Studio, a good slow number with dirge-like organ called “Mean Old Man Day”, and “Mud” (aka “Mississippi Mud”), a catchy pop number with acoustic guitar, harmonies and underwater sound effects. These never saw release and I’ve only heard clips from a 2008 auction, which I didn’t win.

Art Brueggeman wrote to me about the group in 2012:

I was the original bass player and joint founding member along with Mike McKeller (drummer) and Steve Callahan (rhythm guitarist). We were high school buddies. We quickly brought in a lead guitarist and a keyboard player.

Here’s a band picture taken in the spring of 1966. That’s me with the Jazz Bass, Steve with the Gibson ES335, and Mike on drums. The other two are A.T. Ryder on Strat and Mike “Pineapple” Sarigumba on keyboard.

We were playing fraternity parties, debutante events, and dances. In early summer we ended up going to Ocean City and landing a gig at The Paddock on 17th street. It was really the only bonafide night club in OC at the time. We played 6 nights a week, and a jam session Saturday afternoon. As I recall, we were there until mid-August or so.

It was a time of the Vietnam war and the draft. Mike and Steve left the band in the Spring of 1967 to join the Air Force Reserves. I ended up joining after the end of the summer. We had a replacement drummer and rhythm guitarist for that summer. Then we returned in the summer of 1967 with the two replacements. I ended up getting married in April 1968 when I got back from active duty, and never returned to the band.

Mike returned to the band and the personnel changed. Don’t remember what Steve did exactly, but he was married by that time as well. It was the original five Omegas though who recorded the three cuts at Edgewood. As I recall, that was done in the fall of 1966, but I may be off there.

Mike and I sang “Mean Old Man Day”, and Steve and Pineapple sang “Mississippi Mud”. We did not write those songs. We did no original writing. I really do not remember who wrote them. I just remember it was two guys who we were put in touch with.

Steve Callahan wrote:

I have the original master from Edgewood studio’s which I found just recently….metal center coated with acetate. I also have the original United Artists release of the other 2 songs.

The UA record is largely the work of Tom Guernsey of the Reekers and the Hangmen. Tom wrote and arranged both sides of the record, played guitar and piano, and co-produced it with Larry Sealfon.

The vocalist on “I Can’t Believe” is Joe Triplett, who was in the Reekers with Tom and was also the vocalist on the first Hangmen 45, “What a Girl Can’t Do”. Leroy Otis played drums on the track and backing vocals were by the Jewels.

A catchy and danceable record, it was released in early 1968 and had some local chart success. With its crossover appeal I’m surprised it’s not better known these days. The flip was a ballad by Tom Guernsey, “Mr. Yates”. He told me it was one of the songs he was proudest of writing.

Categories: Maryland, Washington DC, Zap

The Juveniles (DC) “I Wish I Could” on Zap

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The Juveniles, l-r: Jimmy Clark, Doug Sprouse, Kenny Hayes, Danny Keller and Karl Dersch

There were a number of groups in the U.S. going by the name The Juveniles. This particular group was originally from southeast Washington, D.C., with members later living in nearby Hillcrest Heights, Oxon Hill and Fort Foote, Maryland. They aren’t related to the Juveniles I featured on an acetate a few weeks back.

“I Wish I Could” is first rate garage with a pounding drums, lots of sustain on the guitar solo, and good harmony vocals, all drenched in echo. The flip is a ballad, “What Can I Do”. Both songs were written by Keller and Clark, though publishing info shows Danny Keller only.

Karl Dersch’s father managed the group, and sometime after this photo Dean Dersch also joined the band. Jimmy Clark’s sister Joyce Williams told me Jimmy has since passed away. She also mentioned that the beautiful double-necked Mosrite was the first sold on the East Coast.

The Zap label was from the Mt. Rainier neighborhood just outside Washington, D.C. No connection to the Tennessee label of the same name which released the Starlites’ “Wait For Me”.

Special thanks to Joyce for sending the photo of the group.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, Sotto

Boystown

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Boystown is a collaboration between Michael Lloyd and his childhood friend Jimmy Greenspoon. Lloyd and Greenspoon had been playing music together and recording as far back as 1963, with the New Dimensions. Greenspoon also may have played with Lloyd in an early version of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band.Boystown Sotto 45 End of the Line

When the Boystown 45 was released in June of 1967, Lloyd had recently left the WCPAEB, but was busy with with many projects, including helping produce Kim Fowley’s first lp, Love Is Alive and Well.

Greenspoon wrote the very poppy “Hello Mr. Sun”, and co-wrote with Lloyd the hypnotic “End of the Line”, which would have sounded right at home on an early West Coast Pop Art album.

Soon after this release Jimmy Greenspoon moved to Denver briefly, before returning to LA and forming Three Dog Night. Lloyd stayed busy with productions for Mike Curb and his own group, Smoke.

Categories: Japan, Osaka, Philips

Lind and the Linders

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I’d like to know more about the strangely named Lind and the Linders. Buis’ comment below has given me some info. I’ll repeat most of it here:

The Lind & Linders are strictly based in Osaka, far from Tokyo’s major conglomerate-dominated music scene. Sadly no albums materialized. Most all of their original materials are written by leader Hiroshi Kato, but strangely both sides of this 45 is not (staffer Tsuneaki Tone did, including the mindblowing strings arrangement).

They broke up in 1969 and after which Kato involved with more experimental projects, and in the 70s went to England and worked as a studio guitarist. Vocalist Tetsuya Kaga also started solo career, but sadly passed away last December [2007]. Until his death, several attempts at reforming have been occurred, mainly performing at Osaka clubs.

Kurosawa Susumu’s Nihon Rock ki GS-hen (Japan Rock Chronicles: Group Sounds Compendium) gives the lineup and has more info in Japanese I’ll try to scan and post here soon:

Tetsuya Kaga – vocals
Teruo Sakaki – vocals
Shuji Mukai – vocals
Hiroshi Kato – lead guitar
Kazuki Takagi – guitar, vocals
Kazuo Unoyama – bass
Akio Shima – drums

replacement members:

Fujimaru Hamada – drums
Koji Hori – guitar
Aki Mori – bass

Their first and third 45s from 1967 simply show a man with a guitar on the cover. The second has a photo of a seven piece group: three vocalists upfront with some bizarre mod-style hairdos and the band behind them. It features the songs “Moero Circuit” and “Do the Crap”. Why hasn’t “Do the Crap” been compiled somewhere? I’m sure there’s a reason.


They settled into a six piece group and released four more 45s in 1968 definitely in a pop vein, but often with inventive arrangements. The first of these, and their fourth 45 overall has a great b-side, “Koi ni Shibirete”. Strings double the guitar line and the song has the usual whistles and shouts to denote ‘excitement’ in GS records.

The A-side, “Gin no Kusari (Golden Chain)” is more traditional pop, but as a fan of this kind of song I think the vocal works well.

Their next 45 “Yuhi Yo Isoge” is pretty good, and was followed by Huey Smith and the Clowns’ “Ha Ha Ha (Don’t You Just Know It)” with horns.

“I Dig Rock and Roll Music” is their mildly psychedelic tribute to Donovan, the Mamas and Papas and the Beatles. I thought it was one of the few original songs from a 1968 compilation called Group Sounds World Top Hits, but Milton corrects me in a comment below that it’s a Peter, Paul and Mary song. The transcribed lyrics are, as always, a hoot.

That’s all of their work that I’ve heard – their last 45 “Yoake no Jujika” features a Christian cross on the cover I wonder what that was about?

Back of sleeve for "Koi ni Shibirete"
Back of sleeve for “Koi ni Shibirete”

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