What follows are fifteen excerpts from “Drums Under The Sun,” an account of how rock and roll got transplanted to Greece in the early and mid-1960s, and the short but turbulent career of The Zoo, a British-American outfit that left its mark on the budding scene.
Johnny Carr, drummer of The Zoo
Cliff De Young (vocals) Bob Seal (lead guitar, vocals) Doug Lubahn (bass) Ralph Schuckett (keyboards) Dallas Taylor (drums) Michael Ney (drums) Robbie Robison (guitar)1966 Georgia-born guitarist Bob Seal teams up with Dallas Taylor (b. 1948, Denver, Colorado, US) during the summer when they meet in Phoenix, Arizona as Seal is heading to California. Taylor has … Continue reading Clear Light
The Pentagons cut one 45 at Audio Dynamics Studio, with the great rocker “About the Girl I Love” on the b-side. There’s a fine sense of urgency throughout the song starting from the opening bass line that immediately grabs the listener. I was surprised to learn it was played not on a bass but a … Continue reading The Pentagons “About the Girl I Love” on Audio Dynamics
Kerrilee Male (vocals) Michael Rosen (guitar, vocals, trumpet) Georg Hultgreen (guitar, vocals) Trevor Lucas (bass, vocals) Gerry Conway (drums) 1967 August Canadian singer/songwriter and guitarist Mike Rosen is living in London and meets Norwegian singer/songwriter and guitarist Georg Hultgreen (b. Prince Georg Johan Tchegodaieff, Trondheim, Norway) in a restaurant in Bayswater called Bangers, where he … Continue reading Eclection
Buried in the welter of superlative singles issued in September 1967 was an intriguing release by an Anglo-South African group with a suitably ‘flower power’ name, Floribunda Rose. A forgotten gem, ‘One Way Street’ c/w ‘Linda Loves Linda’, should have been a resounding hit but despite being plugged incessantly by several notable radio stations, it … Continue reading Floribunda Rose and Scrugg
JP Coumans of the Netherlands sent me the scans and transfers of this 45, writing: “These guys from the United States Airforce Academy cut this great garage rocker ‘Fun Girl’ with ‘girl messin’ with other guys’ and so we get ‘put the girl down’ lyrics single in 1966! Other side is more moody. On the … Continue reading The Flameouts
The original lineup of the Inspirations included Keith Newell on guitar, his identical twin Ken Newell on bass, Dennis Milby (or Dennis Melby?) on drums and Michael Murphy on keyboards. The band was from Rock Falls and Sterling, Illinois, two hours drive west of Chicago.
Bruce Jensen joined on guitar by the time of their 45 on the Feature label. At some point the Newell brothers left the band and Don Dowd came in on bass.
Both songs on their August, 1966 single were written by Jensen and Murphy, with (I believe) Murphy singing lead vocals. “That Girl” has a brittle guitar sound and a loping bass line, with good lead and backing vocals. The organ takes a fine, trebly solo before the last chorus. “Baby Please Come Home” has a moodier sound that works well.
From Daytona Beach, the 2/3rds recorded this one 45 at Quimby’s studio in nearby Ormond Beach, and released it on the April label in early 1967. At the time of this recording, the band included Gene McCormick on vocals and tenor sax and organ, Phil (PJ) Jones on drums, Ralph Citrullo bass and Allen Dresser … Continue reading The 2/3rds
Bobby McGee – vocals Ron Schwalbe – guitar Rick Garfinkel – guitar Dave Prop – keyboards Pete McCormick – bass Robby Bruno – drums I really like both sides of this 45. “Subterranean Edible Fungus” is indescribable early psych inspired in equal parts by nursery rhymes and Dylan. “The Inner Truth” starts out like the … Continue reading The Weird Street Carnival “The Subterranean Edible Fungus” on Copra