HERE WE ARE IN TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE

 

'' INTERPLANERTARY TWIST '' by SCREEMER is a jaw dropping example of LATE PERIOD UK GLAM ROCK, produced by PHIL WAINMAN and co-written by him with the singer / songwriter RICHARD MYHILL. WAINMAN was a very successful producer during the 70's and worked with a host of big hitting UK acts including SWEET, MUD, BAY CITY ROLLERS, HELLO and THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND. The record was released on BELL RECORDS in the summer of '76 a few years after the GLAM WAVE had peaked. Label mates HELLO had a UK hit with '' STAR STUDDED SHAM '' earlier that year, but the Glam element had been turned down a notch and BELL had recently abbreviated The Glitter band's name to the G Band in a vain effort to distance them from their past and prevent their sliding popularity. Given that, the label seem to have had high hopes for the record and and sent out 50,000 promo packs containing a band photo, press release and FLEXI DISC with excerpts from the song and messages from the group in advance of it's release. The song begins with a spoken intro over the sound of an ATMOSPHERIC SWIRLING SYNTH. We're told it's the year 2025, then a '' BALLROOM BLITZ '' style drum roll kicks in and we learn that '' People in the Twenty First Century ain't never seen a Rock ' n ' Roller '' and the way to save humanity is to '' ALL JOIN HANDS AND DO THE INTERPLANERTARY TWIST ''. The song is a CAMP SCI-FI GLAM EXTRAVAGANZA that builds { and builds! } on the foundations of SWEET , MUD and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW to great effect. The B-Side '' BILLY '' is an admirable band penned effort that uses a BO DIDDLEY BACKBEAT similar to BOWIE'S '' PANIC IN DETRIOT '' from ''ALLADIN SANE ''

The band was comprised of New Zealand born ZAINE GRIFF { Bass and Vocals }, ALAN COATES { guitar and vocals }, DAVID WELLS { guitar }, ROBERT NORMAN { keyboards } and ADRIAN SHEPPARD { drums }. They appear to have been formed the previous year and they played { bottom of the bill } at a FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT, held in HYDE PARK on MAY 31st and headlined by DONE MCLEAN, CARAVAN and JOAN ARMATRADING. LONDON GIG GOERS also remember them playing regularly at THE BRIDGE HOUSE in CANNING TOWN and THE THREE RABBITS in MANOR PARK around this time

             SCREEMER at THE HYDE PARK FREE CONCERT 

Notwithstanding the singles failure, their record label { Rebranded as ARISTA } issued a follow up in '77, again produced by PHIL WAINMAN, but this time, both songs were group compositions. '' IN THE CITY '' was penned by ZAINE GRIFF and the flip: '' JOEY CORRELLA '' was jointly written by WELLS and NORMAN. The former was a MELODIC GLAM POP number similar to STEVE HARLEY's post COCKNEY REBEL work and the latter a complex and well crafted song that sits somewhere between 10CC and QUEEN. The single seems to have fared no better than the first and no more was heard from the band. ZAINE GRIFF played on THE KINKS '' MISFITS '' LP the following year and went on to achieve a degree of success as a solo performer during the next decade

                                      COUNTDOWN TO THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE

2003 - RPM Records release '' VELVET TINMINE '' a compilation CD of super obscure UK Glam Rock 45's from the 70's. THE JUNSHOP GLAM craze kicks off. Records made by bands like IRON VIRGIN, CRUNCH and THE WASHINGTON FLYERS start to change hands for REAL MONEY and CASTLE MUSIC release a similar comp on CD titled '' GLITTER FROM THE LITTER BIN ''

2005 - RPM release '' BOOBS { THE JUNKSHOP GLAM DISCOTHEQUE } '' a JUNKSHOP GLAM compilation CD that includes SCREEMER's '' INTERPLANERTARY TWIST ''

2008 - PSYCHIC CIRCLE release '' BLITZING THE BALLROOM { 20 UK POWER GLAM INCENDIARIES } '' a JUNKSHOP GLAM compilation CD that includes SCREEMER's '' BILLY ''

2019 - '' INTERPLANERTARY TWIST '' is included on '' GLAM! GLAM! GLAM! a JUNKSHOP GLAM compilation, pressed on vinyl and { unofficially } released by GLITTER RECORDS

2023 - '' INTERPLANERTARY TWIST '' is included on '' TEENAGE GLANPAGE! '' a 4 CD JUNKSHOP GLAM Boxset issued by CHERRY RED

JOHN BAKER, a 70's Glam ROCK Fanatic from NEW ZEALAND is interviewed by WIRED UP! Fanzine. During the interview he mentions the existence of an acetate containing a previously uncreased SCREEMER song

A playlist appears on YouTube containing 11 songs by SCREEMER. The playlist is titled '' SINGLES COMPILATION '' The list is credited to CHERRY RED RECORDS. The first four tracks are the A's and B's of their two 45's and the remaining seven are previously unreleased and appear to have been produced by PHIL WAINMAN around that time

Screemer • Album

'' KAMIKAZE QUICK-STEP '' is the aforementioned track that JOHN BAKER heard on a demo disc and it's cut from the same cloth as '' INTERPLANERTARY TWIST ''. There isn't a composers credit, but again it sounds like the work of WAINMAN and MYHILL. The song contains a humorous and slightly convoluted lyric around DOING A DANCE OF DEATH with a BIONIC JAPANESE WOMAN. It's a dynamic number that makes use of the '' TIGER FEET '' drum beat, the break from '' LET THERE BE DRUMS '' and the horn riff from '' IN THE MOOD ''. It features a snappy BOOGIE PIANO, a slick double tracked QUEEN style harmony vocal and is arguably the only remaining song that could strictly be defined as a GLAM ROCK number

'' THE ESCAPE '' is a well crafted BEACH BOYS / 10CC style pop song with harmony vocals co-written by guitarist ALAN COATES

'' FOR MY LOVE '' is a mid tempo pop number that could have fitted into a WINGS album from the same period

'' MR SAX AND THE GIRL '' is a SOUL / DISCO number written by DOMINIC BUGATTI and FRANK MUSKER who penned hits for PAUL NICOLAS as well as numbers performed by the fictional group KIPPER in the movie '' CONFESSIONS OF A POP PERFORMER ''. This version features a female vocal similar to LULU, so maybe this presents the band in session mode rather than an actual group project? PAUL NICOLAS picked up the song and added his own version to the '' GRANDMA'S PARTY '' EP in '76

'' JOLLY ROGER AND THE EVER HOPEFUL SEAMAN '' is another WAINMAN / MYHILL penned song. It's laced with the sort of BLACK HUMOUR and INNUENDO that ALEX HARVEY and ANDY ARTHURS deployed. Imagine CAPTAIN HOOK crashing a performance of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and you're halfway there

The DARK HUMOUR continues with another WAINMAN / MYHILL song: '' JACQUES THE RIPOFF ''. Here we find NOEL COWARD style VAUDEVILLE going into a DEEPLY UNSETTLING place. The forerunner of SPINAL TAP's '' SAUCY JACK '' ?

The set concludes with '' IF YOU CAN'T BE MY LOVER BE MY FRIEND '' a straight COUNTRY TINGED BALLAD that's somewhat reminiscent of ALAN PRICE 

ELEPHANT STOMP - A COLLECTION OF 70's INSTRUMENTAL ROCKERS

During the past few years, the NAUGHTY RHYTHM label have issued a series of EURO DISCO / FUNK compilations in the form of the COSMIC DISCOTHEQUE series. These VINYL ONLY releases are is a must for lovers of ARCANE 70's OBSCURITIES and the most recent addition '' ELEPHANT STOMP '' focuses on GLAM ROCK related INSTRUMENTALS   

SIDE ONE fittingly kicks off with '' ELEPHANT STOMP '' by GALAHAD. The track was the B-SIDE of their 1972 release '' ROCKET SUMMER ''. The band were a UK studio project created by singer / songwriter GERRY MORRIS and producer TONY ASHDON. Stylistically it follows on from the densely textured PSYCH / GLAM crossover of the A-SIDE, but here the rhythm track is allowed a little space to breathe, presenting a nice contrast. Second up is '' THETA '', the B-SIDE of the 1974 JUNKSHOP classic '' MORNING BIRD '' by THE DAMNED. The track was originally issued with a vocal in the previous year as '' DOCTOR ROCK '' by KID ROCK.. Both versions were issued on the YOUNGBLOOD label. It's a FAST TEMPO, SYNTH LED ROCKER driven by PRESTON EPPS style BONGO WORK 

THE DAMNED - THETA

'' ROCKET MAN '' by ELECTRIC TEAM is a FRENCH SYNTH ROCK number that was issued on the EURODISC label in 1974. The tune was penned by PHILIPPE RENAUX, who added a vocal to the track and issued it with his band ROCKETS the same year. The feel and melody bear some relation to '' ON THE ROAD AGAIN '' by CANNED HEAT, a song that was tellingly covered by ROCKETS a few years on, but it's one of the strongest tracks on the comp and a testament to how well the French were able to utilize SYNTHERSIZERS in the production of catchy POP INSTRUMENTALS { '' PEPPER BOX '' by THE PEPPERS being another example from the same year } 

ELECTRIC TEAM - ROCKET MAN

'' ROCK AND ROLL DRUMMER '' by DUCTCH outfit THE ROCKETS is another obscurity highly cherished by lovers of JUNKSHOP GLAM. Here we have the B-SIDE: '' PART TWO '' . The 45' was issued on the PHILLIPS label in 1974 and it's a ROCKING DRUM FEATURE as the title indicates. The record appeared in the wake of UK Drummer COZY POWELL's  '' DANCE WITH THE DEVIL '' hit.  POWELL had taken inspiration from SANDY NELSON's  '' LET THERE BE DRUMS '' and '' TEEN BEAT '' , which were recorded during the INSTRUMENTAL ROCK trend of the early 60's.  THE ROCKETS used the same basic ingredients and threw in a little spice from the MORTON STEVENS / VENTURES '' THEME FROM HAWAII FIVE-0 ''. A very tasty concoction!

THE ROCKETS - ROCK AND ROLL DRUMMER { PART TWO }

'' B SIDE STOMP '' by BLITZ was the FLIP SIDE of '' MELODY LADY '', a FRENCH release from 1973 on the EURODISC POP label. It's a A WIGGED OUT PSYCH ROCKER that wouldn't sound out of place if it appeared on the SOUNDTRACK to a JESS FRANCO EXPLOITATION MOVIE. '' BIG TROUBLE { PART TWO } '' by T.N.T closes the first side. The band were a studio outfit created by JEREMY PAUL and PAUL LYNTON. The duo oversaw a number of projects in the early 70's and worked with the band HECTOR on their classic GLAM ROCK 45's. '' PART TWO '' elongates the break from the A-SIDE into a barely tethered BONGO BEATING, TRIBAL RAVE-UP. Surprisingly the number peters out at around the minute mark, but the track fades in, so it was possibly the climax of a much longer jam . A 1972 release on the UK  JAM LABEL { which was a short lived venture connected to D.J.M } 

T.N.T - BIG TROUBLE { PART TWO }

SIDE TWO starts with '' SLOW ROCK '' by K. W. Winston. The track isn't slow { breezing along at 140BPM }, but it certainly is rocking and the steady ROLLING SNARE BEAT, RAW GUITAR CHORDS and SAXOPHONE BLASTS revamped the 1950's INSTRUMENTAL ROCK sound of DUENE EDDY and LINK WRAY for the 1970's. The track appeared on the ARIOLA label in 1974 as the FLIP SIDE to '' DON'T ASK ME '' . As with the T.N.T track on SIDE ONE, it was produced by JEREMY PAUL and PAUL LYNTON.  '' FLIGHT 2 '' by ANGELO & EIGHTEEN is altogether more curious. A one off project by two FRENCH CANADIANS that was produced by MICKEY MOST and released on his RAK label in '72. It incorporates elements of the TRIBAL FUSION of MIKE STEIPENSON's '' BURUNDI BLACK '' and the LATIN ROCK of TITANIC's '' SULTANA '' { both of which were EURO HITS in 1971 }. The track saw release as the B-SIDE of the POP ORIANTATED VOCAL ''  MIDNIGHT FLIGHT '' and was based on the PERCUSSIVE BREAK that appeared at the end of that song

ANGELO & EIGHTEEN - FLIGHT 2

'' JUNGLE JUICE '' first appeared on the '' GO MOOG! - SMASH HIT'S SYNTHERISER STYLE '' LP by ELEKTRIK COKERNUT. The LP was conceived as a collection of instrumental covers and the track was the only original composition included.  It's an awesome DANCEFLOOR MOVER that utilizes a '' ROCK AND ROLL PART TWO '' type GLITTER BEAT. The record was released on the budget MUSIC FOR PLEASURE LABEL in 1973

ELEKTIK COCKERNUT - JUNGLE JUICE

'' SAFARI ROCK '' by THE ROCKETTERS has a '' CAN THE CAN '' meets '' GUITAR BOOGIE SHUFFLE '' feel. BONGO BEATS and a few ANIMAL NOISES were mixed in to create a charming slice of GLAM EXOTICA. A FRENCH release on the DISQUES CARRERE label from 1975. '' SLOOP '' by THE SLOOPERS was another SYNTH ROCK / GLAM NOVELTY from writer / producer PHILIPPE RENAUX. A 1974 release on the FRENCH SINUS MUSIC label

THE SLOOPERS - SLOOP

 

THE COMP ends with '' DISCO DRUM { PART 5 } by THE CATS ' N ' JAMMER KIDS. A one off UK DISCO project from 1977 on the EBONY label { which was also home to the early RAH BAND recordings }. This cut was SIDE-B. It's a more stripped down take on the ' PART ONE ' top and has a unique and quirky BALEARIC / GLAM feel. A sparse HAMILTON BOHANNON style BEAT sets down a nice base for some BROODING SYNTH CHORDS and FUNKY SAX WORK as the number builds and drops around a couple of fleeting CONGA BREAKS, before reaching it's zenith by way of an assertive GLITTER BAND styled GUITAR RIFF. A perfectly MEASURED but INTENSE 3 mins and a great way to end this ECLECTIC and ENTERTAINING selection of INSTRUMENTAL ARTIFACTS

THE CATS ' N ' JAMMER KIDS -  DISCO DRUM { PART 5 }