This comp is pretty interesting. Since it's bands "from all over", it brings me back to wondering what I've wondered ever since I heard a Japanese group cover, "I Love You" by The Zombies. Why do bands that don't speak English aspire to sing songs in English? Is it just the success factor? Money? Is it due to what's popular at the time? I wonder, because I can't say that I've ever heard an English band try to emulate, say, a band from Denmark. It's a puzzler to me. Granted, there are a lot of languages that are pretty lovely when sung (i.e. French), but I wouldn't think that English would be one of them. It could just be the plain and simple fact that it's were rock 'n roll got to be king.
Anyway, today's album is:
Track Listing:
Side One:
1. T-Boones "King of the Orient: Sounds suspiciously like parts of "Little Green Bag" in my opinion.
2. Blue Stars "I Can Take It"
3. Phantom Brothers "Chicago": Very cool. I love this one. Probably because I do love Chicago, myself. I grew up not too far from there and anything Chicago-ish tends to make me a little nostalgic.
4. I Kings "Trovane Un Altro" The first of a few foreign language tunes on this record. I tend to not flip over things that I can't understand the lyrics to. (This even applies to songs that are in English that just have horrible enunciation.) However, like most of the songs on this comp, the music is really good. I just don't speak Italian...which isn't their fault.
5. Blue Stars "Social End Product" Woo! Great fuzz guitar and angry, yet smart lyrics.
6. Jaguars "It's All Over Now" A live-sounding, diabolical version of The Stones' tune. I lost count at how many lyrics they messed up. lol
7. Les Miserables "Miserablement Votre" Okay, this one sounds really familiar...what does this translate to in English? Cool percussion.
8. Rivals "Got Love If You Want It" Who didn't cover this song in some form or another?
Side Two:
1. Frays "Keep Me Covered"
2. Brand "Zulu Stomp" (Sounds quite familiar...I think John's played this on our show.)
3. Tony Jackson "Fortune Teller" (I think he might have played this one too?) Much more familiar with The Who's version, but this one isn't bad.
4. Bats "Got a Girl"
5. Fab "I Only Gave You Everything" This is pretty fab :-)
6. Teste Dure "Era Un Beatnik" I love the title. lol "Oh yeah!" "Oh si!"
7. David John & the Mood "Pretty Thing
8. Los Slavajes "Soy Asi" No wonder this band is on the cover, this is a great song...and I think I may be able to undertand some of the lyrics...unless I'm way off base (which could be totally possible.) I had Spanish in high school, but that was over ten years ago. However, I think "Soy Asi" means, "That's me"? (I apologise to any Spanish speaking readers. You have my full persmission to totally make fun of me!) He's obviously singing about some of the current popular bands (as evidenced by the riffs interjected throughout the song), and about how he wears his pants and plays a guitar and sings. Yep, that's all I could get out of it, but I still liked it!
So, who are these bands, really? All that is in the liner notes are the locations (countries) these bands are from. I'm sure you (and John) probably all have some trivia about these bands "from all over", so I'll leave all that to you in your comments, if you choose to participate.
Three and a half stars from me.
Y Tu Juan...?
Where did you buy this record and when?
(There's no reciept!)
"I got this with the other volume from Izzy. He ordered it for me. I'm guessing probably between 1999 and 2001."
Do you own it in any other format?
"No, but I have three or five of these songs on CD in other comps."
What is your over-all impression of this album?
"I was hearing it in the other room and it's awesome. It's great euro-beat/garage punk. Think I might have to play it again and pick out some tracks for the show."
Favorite Track?
"Tony Jackson's 'Fortune Teller'. That I Kings song 'cause it sounds like The Kinks."
How many stars out of five?
"Five!"
Tony Jackson was the original lead singer of The Searchers (remember "Needles & Pins"?). Tony was forced out of the group very early on and formed his own band (first called The Vibrations and later The Tony Jackson Group). His version of "Fortune Teller" rocks. He also did a very nice of the Bobby Parker song "Watch Your Step".
ReplyDeleteNice post - if you are interested in Japanese "Group Sounds", see if John has any of the "GS I Love You" compiliations that came out on the UK Ace label during the late 90s/early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteGenerally any type of garage comp is a bit for a crap shoot, but the ace thing here is the 'look' of the album itself-even if every song didn't work, the cover would make for great wall art. Hey, that counts, for sure. Tell me you NEVER bought a record because the cover was cool. Hideelee, keep up the good work. Love it.
ReplyDeleteSOY ASI, Its an amazing song it means "im like that" and it talks about the way of a young rebel living in the spain of 1960's. I love this blog by the way... keep it up!!
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