U.S. 1960s


BEACON STREET UNION The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens Both Tune In CDs www.cherryred.co.uk


The Beacon Street Union have been somewhat tarnished by their association with The Bosstown sound, which remains a byword


for a bust to this day. Leaving aside the hype and the hoo-hah, they cut two very creditable albums that deserve reappraisal and re-discovery. The band themselves were reportedly


unhappy with the baby Pepperisms that producer Wes Farrell adorned their debut album with, feeling it detracted from their core sound. They hint at a tougher style at many points – not unlike the psychedelic Yardbirds, shot through with the melancholy of their East Coast contemporaries. In truth the band do what they can to kill


the vibe themselves with uninspired versions of ‘Beautiful Delilah’ and ‘Sportin’ Life’ before the album really kicks into gear. The second half is excellent from the fuzzy raga of ‘Mystic Morning’ to the foreboding danger of ‘South End Incident’. A few mis- steps here and there are easily forgiven due mainly to the strength of the vast majority of the material, particularly when enlivened by the fuzz squeal of lead guitarist Paul Tartachny. The second album is clearly influenced


CHAPLIN HARNESS Chaplin Harness Gear Gab CD www.gearfab.swiftsite.com


Although this odd looking New Jersey act (some long haired hippies with a showbiz- looking singer) did not release any records, their 1969 acetate has


finally been cleaned up for release. Sharing the stage with top acts like The Nazz, the group locked into a funky, jazzy, bluesy rockin’ vibe, with tough vocals and really competent musicianship and Hammond organ aplenty. Bar the awful “new” fractal cover art,


Chaplin Harness is a strong set of songs that sit somewhere in between the West Coast acts and Blood, Sweat & Tears with a garage band tone and edge. Blue-Eyed-Soulful-Garage- Rock you could say. Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills


CROMAGNON Cave Rock Jackpot CD


jackpotrecords.com


Released in close partnership with ESP- Disk, the label that originally issued it back in 1969 as simply Cromagnon, this has gotta be one


of the weirdest album projects of the ’60s. In fact probably of all time. Most of the time Cave Rock (the new title


54 “Bosstown? Who’s idea was that!” The Union get moody.


by the British prog sound of Procol Harum and The Moody Blues – meaning to say it’s more mature and markedly more soporific. Reportedly the album was planned as a concept piece that was never finished due to the tight recording schedule the band was on. This is clear in the orchestrated title track and ‘Angus Of Aberdeen,’ the twin


came about years later) comes across as heavy-duty, industrial-strength aural disturbance, more so than anything remotely psychedelic. The opening ‘Caledonia’ comes closest to that sphere, being something that an avant-rock group could’ve produced. Faint hearts beware, however, for despite employing guitars, drums, voices, plus bagpipes, and electro-luxe, it doesn’t prepare you for ‘Fantasy’, ‘Crow Of The Black Tree’ or ‘Toth, Scribe I’ a trio of lengthy, formidable pieces, not at all pleasing to the ear. Like specimens of post-punk sound masochism and kraut-rock extremism, Cromagnon’s uneasy sounds aren’t the type to spin every day. Well, not all the way through, that’s for sure. Lenny Helsing


LEE DORSEY Ride Your Pony/Get Out Of My Life, Woman Rev-Ola CD www.revola.co.uk


In 1961, Lee Dorsey was riding high. The spirited R&B singer had shot to the top of the charts with his third single ‘Ya Ya’. By ’65, however, Dorsey was


back to working in a garage – until he teamed up with legendary writer/producer Allen Toussaint and cut the infectious single ‘Ride Your Pony’. Originally self-titled and released in early


’66, this is the pair’s first LP together and the moment when good-time New Orleans R&B connected with the brassy sounds of ’60s soul/funk. There are a couple of lesser


highpoints of the album. The material after this is patchy to say the least. The cover of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ is energetic though ultimately pointless and the jokey ‘King Of The Jungle’ is a complete waste of time. The record ends with a 17-minute version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’ played with roughly three quarters of the talent of QMS, though


numbers – ‘The Kitty Kat Song’ for one – but overall it smokes, with the moody soul groover ‘Get Out Of My Life, Woman’ and the for dancers only ‘Can You Hear Me’ helping to stoke the fire. This would be highly recommended even


without the 11 bonus 45 sides, which include the duet single with Betty Harris and the funktastic ‘Four Corners (Parts I &II)’ backed by The Meters. Alan Brown


THE DYNAMICS The Dynamics With Jimmy Hanna 1960-1965 Seafair-Bolo CD www.bolorecords.com


Languishing unwanted at the bottom of the pile after all Shindiggers had taken their picks of the latest releases, I drew what turned out to be a


long straw.This is a splendid double disc mixed bag of R&B, jazz and soul instrumentals/vocals and the odd (not so hot) cabaret croon. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, the


horn and organ-fuelled band made a point of standing apart from local contemporaries The Kingsmen, The Wailers and Paul Revere & The Raiders with their versatile crowd- pleasing repertoire. Debut hit ‘J.A.J.’ is a magnificent garage instrumental grinder, worth the price alone. Their claim to fame is that guitarist Larry Coryell passed through their ranks before


that’s not to say it’s not exciting in places. Great kudos to Tune In (a new imprint of


Cherry Red) for releasing the first full CD reissues of this material with excellent sleeve notes by Gray Newell. To sum up – grab the first album but only touch the second if you’re a committed fan. Austin Matthews


becoming a jazz giant and a young Jimi Hendrix once asked to sit in with them. There are duffers among the four dozen


cuts, and there may be too much variation in style but, overall, I have to give this a great big thumbs up. Vic Templar


JERRY LEE LEWIS Live At The Star Club Hamburg Bear Family LP www.bear-family.de


Sometimes touted as one of the greatest live rock ’n’ roll albums ever, there’s no denying that The Killer is truly on the rampage during this show at


The Star Club in 1964. Backed by The Nashville Teens, Lewis marauds through a set that includes several of his own classics such as ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ and ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, as well as covers of Little Richard, Elvis and Ray Charles songs among others. Although he would never fully recover the


same lofty status he once enjoyed in the popularity stakes following the furore he caused by marrying his teenaged cousin a few years earlier, it’s evident that Lewis is clearly a man back at the top of his game performance wise in this show. This vinyl-only reissue will also appeal to collectors, coming as it does replete with a pop-up, gatefold cover depicting a map of Hamburg’s legendary Reeperbahn district, as well as the hell-blazing bonus track ‘Down The Line’. Rich Deakin


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