TRAX ON WAX

TRAX were a LONDON based POP SOUL group who released a couple of 45's on FRESH AIR RECORDS during 1974. The label was run by REAL THING manager TONY HALL and put out a number of interesting soul related records during a three year period. London had a well established scene for live SOUL / FUNK bands by the mid 70's, but the record industry continually struggled in it's efforts to market them to the general public. The TRAX records were a case in point. The A and B sides of both records were self penned and display different facets of the bands sound. The A-Sides: '' WASN'T IT NICE '' and '' NUMBER ONE LOVER '' were both upfront and compelling numbers that built upon the work of two of the most successful LONDON POP / SOUL groups of the previous decade. The former appears to bear the influence of the CALYPSO / SOUL sound of THE EQUALS and the later the POP / MOTOWN derived melding of THE FOUNDATIONS. Both contained strong hooks, crisp harmonies and snappy brass arrangements, but despite their obvious merit and the bands unique and eye catching ORANGE HAIR / PVC CLOTHING combo, they failed to get the attention they clearly deserved. The B-Sides: '' BLACK BOY '' and '' HOUNDS '' are something else entirely and wonderful in their own right. Both are stylish CINEMATIC FUNK based numbers with lyrics that include a fair degree of SOCIAL COMMENTARY. Neither would sound out of place on the CURTIS MAYFIELD '' SUPERFLY '' soundtrack. Unfortunately there isn't much info about the band online apart from a brief bio here which names the lineup and tantalizingly mentions an unreleased 3rd single! Surprisingly they also failed to get a mention in the otherwise excellent '' SOUNDS LIKE LONDON - 100 YEARS OF BLACK MUSIC '' book by LLOYD BRADLEY. It's regrettable that such a quality act has barely been acknowledged - If anyone has more info on the band: Please leave a comment below or get in touch at: denimdisco@hotmail.co.uk

PARIS - LIAR

 

'' LIAR '' was the B-Sibe of '' CIRLES '', The sole release by PARIS on the independant THUNDERBIRD label in '76. Both sides of the disc were co-produced by guitarist MICK GREEN whose band SHANGHAI put out an LP and a couple of singles on the label the same year { see the previous post on DENIM DISCO for more info on them }. The A side is a pleasant mid tempo MOR number that apparently went nowhere and it's interesting to speculate on the outcome had the disc been flipped as '' LIAR '' is a graceful and impressive YACHT SOUL number redolent of '' HOW LONG '' by ACE

SHANGHAI - HARLEM DANCER

                                        BROWN SUGAR had a sister who moved on up to HARLEM:

                             

                          '' It was a cold grey day in Harlem, the rain was pouring down 

                            As I shivered past the doorway, where the hookers and the priest stood around 

                            It was a hobo on the corner, he laughed and began to shout 

                            See the crazy chick right down the street man, she really givin' out ''

SHANGHAI were a mid 70's BRITISH BLUES ROCK BAND formed by veteran guitar hero MICK GREEN and drummer Peter Kircher. The band released a self titled LP on the WARNER BROS label in '74 featuring the vocals of CHUCK BEDFORD and a follow up on the UK independant THUNDERBIRD in '76. The lineup had changed for the second LP '' FALLEN HEROS '' . Bedford was replaced by former ' REBEL ROUSER ' CLIFF BENNETT and a second guitarist BRIAN ALTERMAN was added. The band promoted the album on THE OLD GREY WHILSTLE TEST and toured as support for STATUS QUO, but quickly Fragmented. GREEN reformed THE PIRATES { the group he is primarily associated with } and BENNETT sadly quit the music business completely

 

Neither of their LP's have been reissued in any form and copies of the original vinyl pressings are now coveted by fans and collectors. The non LP '' HARLEM DANCER '' was one of their more interesting tracks and stands up well today. A FUNKY BLUES ROCK number in the BAD COMPANY / STONES mould that sneaked out on the B-SIDE of '' CANDY EYES '' { a track from '' FALLEN HEROES '' } . It's a real mover and one that really defines the term DISCOTHEQUE ROCK!

THE ROCK 'N' ROLL REVIVAL - PART ONE

AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK 'N' ROLL ON THE ROCK AND POP MUSIC OF THE 1970's

                          PART ONE - ROCKIN' THROUGH THE 60's: FROM THE BEATLES TO BOLAN

US Rock 'N' Roll arrived in Europe as a fully formed entity in the late 50's and many felt short changed when the sound evolved into a smoother and more polished form. The R 'N' R ' GREATS were still revered on this side of the Atlantic and continued to tour into the the 60's after their hits had dried up. GENE VINCENT liked the response from European audiences so much he chose to base himself in the UK from '63 onwards. For the most part UK Rockers followed the US model, but some like JOHNNY KIDD and LORD SUTCH continued to release exciting records and secured loyal support from the LEATHER CLAD ROCKERS who replaced the TEDDY BOYS as the most recognizable flag bearers for rock in the new decade

                                                                     BEAT BEAT BEAT

The craze for INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS at the start of the 60's prolonged the rock era until THE BEATLES and the UK BEAT MUSIC trend superseded it. The beat groups established a new sound for a new era, but not a clean break from the past. They had without exception formed around a mutual interest in US ROCK ' N ' ROLL and during their early CAVERN and STAR CLUB residencies, THE BEATLES performed sets that consisted almost entirety of 50's CLASSICS with a LEATHER CLAD ' ROCKER ' image to match. The influence continued into their formative recording period where they introduced the songs of BUDDY HOLLY, CHUCK BERRY, LITTLE RICHARD, LARRY WILLIAMS and CARL PERKINS to a younger audience. The Fab's were not alone in doing this and record companies { most notably PYE } began to reissue 45's and LP's from their back catalogues to feed a demand for the originals.

THE BEATLES COVER EDDIE FONTAINE'S ROCKABILLY OBSCURITY FOR A BBC RADIO SESSION


GENE VINCENT PERFORMS ON THE 1964 UK TV SPECIAL '' WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' GOIN' ON ''



                                                               MODS AND ROCKERS

Much has been made of the rivalry between MODS and ROCKERS but there was a point at which their musical tastes converged: RHYTHM AND BLUES. MODS mostly looked to the US for SOUL or R 'N' B records to dance to or followed the UK BANDS who covered them. GUY STEVENS was a DJ who worked at hip mod hangout THE SCENE CLUB in London's SOHO district. He also selected records for PYE's re-issue programme and later his own SUE label. Many of the releases dated from the 50's and appealed to MODS and ROCKERS alike. Stevens also bought up large stocks of deleted records from US warehouses and helped to create a market for VINTAGE 50's RECORDINGS in the UK. The Welsh dealer ‘BREATHLESS'  DAN COFFEY { who continued to dress in TEDDY BOY style suits } was another important figure, bringing over crates full of US OBSCURITIES that were previously unknown to UK FANS. PIRATE RADIO DJ MIKE RAVEN was another fount of knowledge regarding vintage recordings and like Stevens made up tapes of songs for gigging bands to cover 

'' Mike Raven made me an incredible tape and on it was stuff like '' RED HOT '' and '' UBANGI STOMP ''. They'd never been known in England, so we were pretty early in there on the ROCKABILLY stuff. I also picked up on ‘ BREATHLESS ’ DAN COFFEY very early and we were going up to DAN'S ROCKHOUSE in Wales in 64' / 65'. Dan had got this stuff all over the place. Crackin' records, all from the SUN STUDIO ''

JESSE HECTOR from an interview in the '' A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD '' documentary 2014

                                                           LONGING FOR SOMETHING ELSE

By 1967 the HIPPIE era was in full swing and the popular groups were producing elaborate concept LP's that relied on advanced recording techniques. Very much a time to '' Turn off your mind relax and float downstream '' , but a contrasting sentiment was beginning to be voiced when 68' dawned. Musicians who had picked up instruments during the BRITISH R 'N' B CRAZE had developed in feel and technique. Consequently a new BLUES BOOM was being talked about. The debut LP by PETER GREEN'S FLEETWOOD MAC { released in February } reached number 4 in the UK and showed there was a ready audience for bands with a ' back to the roots ' approach. '' FIRE BRIGADE '' by the MOVE utilised a guitar riff derived from '' SOMETHIN' ELSE '' by EDDIE COCHRAN and took it to number 3 in the singles chart. '' GOOD TIMES '' by THE EASYBEATS was another great rock based number that sold only moderately on first release but later inspired the BEATLES to record their own rock tribute '' GET BACK '' . In March a ' ROCK REVIVAL SHOW ' was held at THE ROUNDHOUSE featuring MARTY WILDE, JOE BROWN and TOMMY BRUCE. When BILL HALEY arrived to tour in APRIL he was met by a throng of press reporters eager to give coverage to THE ROCK REVIVAL

MOD HEROES SMALL FACES AND THE WHO RECAST AS ROCKERS FOR 1968 PHOTO SHOOTS

                                                                     

                                                                       THE 1968 REVIVAL

In April CBS RECORDS issued a 45 by the contemporary UK group AT LAST THE 1958 ROCK AND ROLL SHOW. The bands name told you all you needed to know about their musical intentions. The song '' I CAN'T DRIVE '' was penned by frontman FREDDIE ' FINGERS ' LEE who sang and played piano in the style of JERRY LEE LEWIS while future MOTT THE HOOPLE leader IAN HUNTER fulfilled bass playing duties. There were high hopes that the record would break on the back of the revival

'' There was a massive upsurge in rock ' n ' roll and there weren't any real rock ' n ' roll bands, except us, who were already playing. It spanned roughly a year and the other artists who came along were TOMMY BISHOP who made a record called '' LONG BLACK TRAIN '' and GERRY TEMPLE who sang '' LOVING UP A STORM ''. It was short lived. People wanted something different then they moved onto something else ''

FREDDIE LEE quoted in MOTT THE HOOPLE AND IAN HUNTER - THE BIOGRAPHY 1998


         THE UK CLASS OF ' 68

FREDDIE LEE and CARL WAYNE of THE MOVE discuss the rock revival with fans on the GOOD EVENING with JONATHAN KING TV SHOW


                                                           THE RETURN OF THE TEDDY BOY

Ultimately the record labels saw a better return on 50's reissues than ' new school ' rock. '' ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK '' reached the top 20 and EMBER records shifted a few copies of their of MERRILL E MOORE compilation { Moore being another early rocker with roots in WESTERN SWING }. Rock fandom also became more organized at this point with appreciation societies forming and fan magazines like ROCK ' N ' ROLL COLLECTOR appearing. Another important aspect was the return of THE TEDDY BOY. Initially just guys in their 30's returning to the style, but over time a new generation was building up and a pub called THE BLACK RAVEN in LONDON'S BISHOPSGATE district became the the go to place for young and old alike

MERRIL E MOORE on EMBER RECORDS and GUY STEVENS' TESTAMENT OF ROCK AND ROLL on ISLAND

A GROUP OF TEDS OUTSIDE THE BLACK RAVEN PUB { PIC FROM A 1970 SUNDAY TIMES FEATURE }

                                                                   OLDIES BUT GOODIES

In The USA the INSTRUMENTAL ERA ran even longer due to the SURF MUSIC craze which evolved into HOTROD and VOCAL SURF subgenres. There was also a renewed interest in the VOCAL GROUPS of the early DOO-WOP era

'' Around '59 a DISC JOCKEY called JERRY BLAVAT began playing old R ' N ' B RECORDS on his RADIO PROGRAMME. Things like THE HARPTONES, THE CHANTELLS and THE HEARTS. Things that some of the white kids hadn't heard when they originally came out and sold to black folk. Pretty soon he was a real big personality. He'd play RECORD HOPS and around 2.000 people would come and hear those DOO-WOP things. It just got bigger and bigger. Hundreds of crazy white kids from SOUTH PHILADELPHIA were running around trying to find these OLDIES BUT GOLDIES as they were called ''

Philadelphia record dealer SID PAYNE quoted in TONY CUMMINGS '' THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA '' book 1975


Collectors on THE EAST COAST also caught the bug. Groups reformed. Compilations and 45's were reissued and some made the charts. New groups also formed and found success. The mainstream popularity of the sound fell off in the wake of MOTOWN and THE BRITISH INVASION, but retained a hardcore underground following

DOO-WOP COMPILATION LP's ON ROULETTE and ORIGINAL SOUND RECORDS

                                              

                                               THE ' ROOTS ' SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND

US PSYCHEDELIA relied less on electronic gimmicks than it's UK counterpart. The music of WEST COAST bands like THE GRATEFUL DEAD and JEFFERSON AIRPLANE was more closely attached to FOLK and BLUES traditions with the musicians soloing and improvising in the manner of JAZZ players. THE BAND who had backed BOB DYLAN on his groundbreaking LP '' BLONDE ON BLONDE '' had previously played with the ROCKABILLY vocalist RONNIE HAWKINS and the ' natural ' sound of their 1968 SOLO LP '' MUSIC FROM BIG PINK '' influenced many with it's blending of traditional US musical forms. The same year SAN FRANCISCO band CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL broke through with a cover of DALE HAWKINS '' SUSIE Q '' and their own material drew inspiration from the likes of LITTLE RICHARD, ELVIS and CHUCK BERRY. FRANK ZAPPA went further still with his DOO-WOP based concept LP '' CRUISING WITH RUBIN & THE JETS ''. Although the record contained some unusual chord / tempo changes and an undercurrent of warped humor it was initially taken by some as a previously unreleased 50's recording

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL GO BACK TO HEIR ROOTS

THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION MASQUERADING AS RUBIN & THE JETS  

                                                          ROCK AND ROLL WILL STAND

IN JUNE 1968 ELVIS PRESLEY appeared before a live audience for the first time in 7 years for the recording of the '' SINGER PRESENTS...ELVIS '' TV SHOW { later known as THE '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL } . It was a glorious return to his rock roots and delighted his fans when it was aired in DECEMBER. It effectively re-launched his career and was the prelude to his '' FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS '' LP the following year: A return to non-soundtrack albums, an artistic triumph and a commercial success. People were taking note... What's good for THE KING... In November JACK GOOD { the man responsible for the UK rock era tv shows SIX FIVE SPECIAL and OH BOY! } produced 33+1⁄3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE, a one off TV SPECIAL which featured a fantasy flashback section showing the band dressed in outlandish 1950s vocal group gear and greased back hair. They performed a high energy 50's medley backed up by JERRY LEE LEWIS, LITTLE RICHARD and FATS DOMINO. The show was aired in APRIL the next year and possibly inspired the similarly styled DOO-WOP / ROCK ' N ' ROLL tribute act SHA NA NA who formed around that time. JIMI HENDRIX caught the bands act and helped them to secure a spot opening for him on the last day of THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL in August. The HIPPY audience were simultaneously ' delighted and bewildered ' by their brand of ' FLASHBACK ' ROCK ' N ' ROLL, but co-founder of the band, drummer Jocko Marcellino later recalled '' We did 40 minutes and were paid $350...and the check bounced! '' - NEVER TRUST A HIPPY! - More rockin' was to follow at THE TORONTO ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL FESTIVAL in September with a bill that featured CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY, LITTLE RICHARD, JERRY LEE LEWIS, GENE VINCENT and SCREAMING LORD SUTCH alongside more contemporary acts including THE DOORS, CHICAGO and ALICE COOPER

ELVIS PERFORMS A MEDLEY: HEARTBREAK HOTEL / HOUND DOG / ALL SHOOK UP - '68  

SHA NA NA - A ROCK ' N ' ROLL FLASHBACK AT THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL

LITTLE RICHARD AT THE TORONTO ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL FESTIVAL -  1969

                                                                      

                                                                     BORN TO BOOGIE

Singer songwriter MARC BOLAN achieved a degree of success in the late sixties with his PSYCHEDELIC FOLK styled duo TYRANNOSAURUS REX. His most discernible influences were DYLAN and DONOVAN, but those of the 50s rockers were lurking beneath the surface. At the age if 11 he'd performed at the LEGENDARY 2I's COFFEE BAR as one half of an EVERLY BROTHERS styled duo and the experience clearly left it's mark. A number of his songs were based on classic rock chord progressions and contained lyrical references to CARS and 50's AMERICANA. Upon leaving the ROUNDHOUSE ' ROCK REVIVAL SHOW ' in '68 he raved about the voice of FRANKIE LYMON and the guitar playing of LONNIE MACK and LINK WRAY to a passing journalist and later bonded with DJ JOHN PEEL over a mutual love of the ROCKABILLY session guitarist JAMES BURTON { Burton played on DALE HAWKINS '' SUSIE Q '' and most of RICKY NELSON'S early recordings }

TYRANNOSAURUS REX were a big draw on the emerging festival scene and their LP's sold moderately well, but underground success wasn't Bolan's endgame and in October 1970 he unveiled a new TONY VISCONTI produced ELECTRIC POP 45: '' RIDE A WHITE SWAN ''. The name was abbreviated to T. REX and the song ran to little more than two minutes. An irresistible radio friendly THREE CHORD ROCKER, closer to the music of the 50's than his previous work, but infused with the same NEW AGE SENSIBILITY 

'' The lyrics were still mystical to an extreme, Bolan's charismatic warbling bray was prominent, and strings tended to swamp everything in their path, but the understructure sounded like some tantalizingly familiar rockabilly tune you couldn't quite place and the whole package rocked crisply ''

KEN BARNES from the TEENAGE RAMPAGE article in BOMP #18 { 1978 } 

'' T. REX were the fifties if it had somehow come AFTER the sixties. Rock ' n ' roll, but with everything that historically followed folded into it '' 

SIMON REYNOLDS From SHOCK AND AWE - GLAM ROCK AND IT's LEGACY { 2016 }

MARC had finally hit pay dirt. The record slowly ascended to the number 2 position in the UK CHARTS. It was the first of a run of 11 TOP TEN HITS in the UK where he would encounter a popularity comparable to THE BEATLES. A number of performers would follow his lead, using 50's Rock influences to varying degrees and this punchy, pop orientated sound with a focus on the 7'' SINGLE would go on to captivate a whole new generation of rock fans at the start of the 70's

THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE 70's GLAM ROCK MOVEMENT IS EXAMINED IN PART TWO

WIRED UP! ISSUE #18

The latest issue of WIRED UP! GAMZINE features an interview with DANIEL CAMILO who colourizes 60's and 70's photos of SKINHEADS, SMOOTHIES, FOOTBALL FANS and so on. Five examples of his work on early 70's SMOOTHIE youths are included and show how he brings those old snaps to life { check out his INSTAGRAM page for more: bovverglam }. Other items include Part 2 in a series of articles on the links between the 70's GLAM and PUNK scenes and an interview with the compilers of the KNUCKLE GIRLS LP's { plus the DENIM DISCO review of them  KNUCKLE GIRLS VOLUMES 1 & 2 }

Here's a brief teaser of the interview with THE KNUCKLE GIRL'S: DEMOLITION DAWN and SADO SHAZ:

QUESTION: Some of the songs on the LP could have been hits. I'm thinking of '' LOOKING FOR LOVE '' by GLO MACARI and '' FAREWELL '' by AYSHEA . Going the other way, which are the oddest cuts?

ANSWER: VIC LEZAL'S PROFESSIONALS are without doubt, the oddities from Vol.1. They were a 16-piece covers band from England, providing back up for touring performers like ANDY WILLIAMS and ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINK! House band at The Ritz nightclub in Manchester from 1973 for 37 years! '' BLITZ AT THE RITZ '' must have been made to promote the club

From Vol.2. '' LIFELIGHT '' by THE { NEW } SETTLERS, stands out in so much that it's an unlikely FOLK-GLAM hybrid that had it been a hit, would have been a very distant cousin to their previous claim to fame '' LIGHTNING TREE ''. That was the theme to the kids TV Show FOLLYFOOT

QUESTION: The ROCK FOLLIES tracks sound so much better than I remember. Time for a re-appraisal?

ANSWER: The two series of ROCK FOLLIES were originally broadcast in the UK in 1976 and 1977, during the two key development years of PUNK. So to your average punk on the street they already appeared a little quiant and dated. Although THE BUZZCOCKS did take their name from a TIME OUT MAGAZINE review of the show. '' Ever get a buzz, cock? '' being a typical phraze from JULIE COVINGTON'S character DEVONIA '' DEE '' RHOADES. I think the ROCK FOLLIES, though, definately wore their '' LITTLE LADIES '' T-Shirts with a keen sense of irony

WIRED UP! can be purchased via the following links: 

WIRED UP! EBAY PAGE:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/timebox2000

WIRED UP! FACEBOOK PAGE:

https://www.facebook.com/Wired-Up-Fanzine-482775235421219/

WIRED UP! EMAIL CONTACT:

wiredupfanzine@gmail.com

KNUCKLE GIRLS VOLUMES 1 & 2

 

KNUCKLE GIRLS VOLUMES 1 & 2 are the most recent JUNKSHOP GLAM compilation LP's to hit the streets and despite the replication of 4 tracks from the GLAMSTAINS 3 { CHERRY BOMBS } comp, they do a great job of highlighting some of the unjustly overlooked female performers of the era . The sound quality is decent, they're pressed on nice chunky vinyl and come in magnificent colour sleeves with sleevenotes that cleverly mimic the RICHARD ALLEN pulp novels

VOLUME 1 { 14 BOVVER BIRD BLITZERS } kicks off strongly with '' I CAN SEE THE CHANGES '' by KUNY, a DUTCH release from 1973 seemingly inspired by SLADE and ALICE COOPER'S more melodic mid paced tunes. Sadly it appears to be her only release. Following on swiftly in the SUZI QUATRO mold we have '' SUZUKI 75 '' by CAROL AND THE BOSTON GARDEN, a dynamic stomper full of revving engine noises on the appropriately named VOOM VOOM label out of ITALY. We move aross the atlantic for '' GORILLA '' by DESIRA an L.A. NEW WAVE / HARD ROCK obscurity from '76, then back to the UK for '' OK '' from the ROCK FOLLIES OF 77 Soundtrack and '' CAROLINE '' a rare 70's ROCKIN' B-SIDE from TWINKLE { RIPLEY }. '' RESSURECTION SHUFFLE '' by MISTY is a US BUBBLEGUM reworking of the ASHTON GARDNER & DYKE hit and side one ends with a wonderful GLITTER POP reworking of '' EIGHT DAYS A WEEK '' by KRISTINE { Devil Woman } SPARKLE

SIDE TWO opens in explosive fashion with '' LOOKING FOR LOVE '' by GLO MACARI. Try and imagine LULU going full pelt while THE KINKS pound out a HARD ROCK take on '' JOY TO THE WORLD '' and you're almost there. More GLAM from LELLY BOONE with an excellent cover of THE EVERLY BROTHERS '' WHEN WILL I BE LOVED '' and some COUNTRY tinged GLAM in the form of '' BAD BOY '' by C.STAR. '' FLIPPER STORY '' by VICKY FURY is a real belter and pretty much the hight water mark of FRENCH GLAM, then back to the UK for LIFT OFF presenter AYSHEA with the ROY WOOD penned and produced​ '' FAREWELL '' . Side two ain't done yet though and closes in great style with some classic DUTCH GLAM in the shape of '' LOVEMAKER '' by HEART and the UK super obscurity '' BLITZ AT THE RITZ '' by VIC LEZAL's PROFESSIONALS, a 1974 release which predates series one of THE ROCK FOLLIES, but sounds like it could have been lifted from the show

VOLUME 2 { 14 PUGILISTIC PLATTERS } begins with '' I'm Aggressive '' by NINA MARTIN. A POST GLITTER bundle of energy with boisterous ABBA-ESQUE backing vox. A GERMAN RELEASE from '76 that also sneaked out in the UK the following year. '' BATTLE FOR MY LOVE '' by NORA follows hot on it's heels. A breathtaking high energy SPANISH STOMPER that builds and builds { Check out the amazing clip of her performaing the song on YOUTUBE! }. Back across the atlantic for '' SCHOOL'S BACK '' by PHILADELPHIA, a HARD GLAM number from '77 in the RUNAWAYS mold. '' IT'S THE MONSTER AGAIN '' by PAULA LINCOLN, is a DUTCH LP track from '75 that's heavily influenced by '' DEVIL GATE DRIVE '' and that has to be a good thing! Back to the UK for some POST PUNK HARD ROCK by biker chic VERMILION with '' I LIKE MOTORCYCLES '' and '' UPSIDE DOWN '' from GLITTER girl BOBBIE MCGEE. Side one ends on a high note with the GLAM CLASSIC '' LONG LONG WEEKEND '' by NQB, an ALL FEMALE SWEDISH GROUP

SIDE TWO opens with '' MIDNIGHT RIDER '' by THE ALISON MARKLEW BAND. No relation to the ALLMAN BROTHERS / PAUL DAVIDSON tune, this is a blusterous​ GLAM BOOGIE number that dropped on the pioneering UK indie PINNACLE in 1975. '' MR TEASER '' by LORENZA JOHNSON turns the boogie knob up to 11. A ROCKIN' PARTY RECORD that would stand up if you threw it on after '' TIGER FEET '' { now there's a compliment and a half! }. Back to Holland for the DEEP PURPLE meets ABBA monster ''NOBODY KNOWS '' by RADAR { a B-SIDE from '77 }, followed by something more familiar to most '' GOOD BEHAVIOR '' by ROCK FOLLIES, a PRE_PUNK feminist anthem from '76. THE NEW SETTLERS provide '' LIFELIGHT '' , A GLAM INFUSED HARMONY ROCKER , then it's back to the BOOGIE ROCK with '' SETTLE DOWN '' by PUNCHIN' JUDY { shades of ELKIE BROOKS in her VINEGAR JOE days }, before we reach closing time around the old joanna with '' STEAM HAMMER '' by JUDITH CROWNE, a UK obscurity on the DART label that's redolent of '' MY FRIEND STAN '' by those stalwarts of The Bilston Trumpet: SLADE