GUTF38

#38 consists of a bit more pop and soul than in the past, which is fine by me and I hope by you. For some bizarre reason, many of these tunes remind me of summer and the 4th of July, which again, is fine by me. A special acknowledgment is in order. Derek's blog is a wonderful site that offers (almost) a daily soulful 45 which can be emailed right to your door. I've used several of his tunes in the past and there are 2 more on #38 - tunes by Tina Britt and Gene Chandler. Last, thanks again for the comments. Enjoy!

GUTF38

There's Only One Girl - Richard Marsh (Sky Saxon)

Try and See Me - The Reasons Why

Down - The R.P.M.'s

Doreen - Muck and the Mires

The Real Thing - Tina Britt

Talent For Lovin' - Yellow Hair

You Can't Do That - Pebbles

Everything's Gone Wrong - Larry Knight & The Upsetters

Little Girls Cry - The Rationals

(I Remember) How it Used to Be - Oedipus & The Mothers

That's How It Goes - The Breakaways

You Always Hurt The Ones You Love - The Monuments

Can't Keep a Bad Man Down - Electric Frankenstein

For Your Love - Ed Townsend

Dance USA! - The Shoremen

Don't Nobody Move - Lee Lawrence

I've Got Something to Say - The Interns

Cherry Pie - Skip & Flip

Gimme Your Love - Mark & The Spies

Talk to Me - Sunny & the Sunglows

Sister Love - The Liverpool Five

(Down at) Papa Joe's - The Dixiebelles

Nothing But a Heartache - The Detroit Cobras

Love is a Beautiful Thing - We The People

She's Just A Girl On The Block - The Zeros

Bop Hop - Little Jimmy Dempsey

Things Come Back To You - The Embrooks

Think Nothing About It - Gene Chandler

Just The Way It Used To Be - Gary & The Count

She's Coming Home - Thanes

1. “There’s Only One Girl” – Richard Marsh (Sky Saxon) (Rosco, 1960)

2. “Try and See Me” – The Reasons Why (Amy, 1966, Syosett, NY)

3. “Down” – The R.P.M.’s (PBD, 1965, Knoxville)

4. “Doreen” – Muck & the Mires – from their brand new album, “Hypnotic”

5. “The Real Thing” – Tina Britt (Eastern, 1965) – her first release

6. “Talent For Lovin’” – Yellow Hair – (Pacific Ave., 1969, Omaha)

7. “You Can’t Do That” – Pebbles - an all-girl 60's-style rockabilly trio from Japan. In their own words…
“Three dear girls play pop music in 60’s willingly. (For example,“WE LOVE THE BEATLES”, YOU CAN’T DO THAT”, “LITTLE LATAIN LUPE LU “DON’T YOU KNOW”, “HEY BO DIDDLEY”). We dislike what is called “Mods”, they are “R&R band” strictly.”

8. “Everything’s Gone Wrong” – Larry Knight & the Upsetters (Golden World, 1966, Detroit)

9. “Little Girls Cry” – The Rationals (A2, 1966, Ann Arbor, MI) Wiki: the Rationals formed in 1964 and first recorded single for a local label, A2 Records, in 1965. After scoring a local hit with the tune "Gave My Love",[1] they recorded a cover of Otis Redding's "Respect. This won them a contract for national distribution by Cameo/Parkway, and the single ended up reaching #92 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Several further singles, including "I Need You" and "Hold On Baby", were successes in Michigan but didn't catch on nationally. Lead singer Scott Morgan was asked to join Blood Sweat and Tears, but he declined the offer.[1] The group's only full-length, a self-titled effort, arrived on Crewe Records at the beginning of 1970, and the group split up soon after; Morgan went on to play with several other Detroit-area groups over the next three decades, including Sonic's Rendezvous Band (with Fred Smith of MC5) and several of his own bands.

10. “(I Remember) How it Used to Be” – Oedipus & the Mothers (Beacon, 1967, Austin, TX)

11. “That’s How it Goes” – The Breakaways (Pye, 1964) Tony Hatch: "In the early 1960s, most vocal backing for records was undertaken by regular session teams, like the Mike Sammes Singers, the Babs Knight Singers, the Bill Shepherd Singers etc. These were large vocal groups who could all read music well. No matter what style of music you were recording, you just gave them the vocal parts and they did a thoroughly professional and competent job. However, the music scene was changing and it was clear there was a need for a harder 'girlie' pop sound.
The Breakaways were introduced to me by their manager Peter Walsh. They had 'broken away' from the Vernons Girls and were looking for a record deal.
The instant I heard them, I realised they had this unique USA girl group sound, a sound that would also be great behind solo singers, be they male or female. The girls agreed they would like to back other singers whilst waiting for their own records.
They were very adaptable and had a natural instinct for finding the right notes and getting the sound a producer was looking for, always coming up with ideas of their own. They were great fun to work with, very attractive and would come to a recording session dressed to kill. They also had a wicked sense of humour. When I first asked them to back Petula Clark's French records I well remember them winding me up by insisting they could only sing in French with a broad Liverpudlian accent! (Can you imagine it?) They kept this up until the red light went on when, of course, they not only hit the right notes but were word perfect.
Over a short period of time I developed a warm relationship with the girls, especially Margo. As the NEMS stable of artists began to emerge, it was she who encouraged me to visit Liverpool where she dragged me off to a club in Bootle. That's where I found and signed the Searchers and the Undertakers.
The Breakaways not only backed most of my solo artists — including hits by Petula Clark, Jackie Trent, Julie Grant, Mark Wynter and Jimmy Justice — but also made some great records themselves. I'm sorry that their own records failed to make the charts. Perhaps, forty years on, a new generation will learn just how special they were."

12. “You Always Hurt the Ones You Love” – The Monuments (1966) Winners of the 1966 Tulsa Battle of the Bands, the Monuments were kings of their hometown of Ada, Oklahoma. Like many bands of the era, they had much success in their region, and were slated to tour with the Beach Boys before facing the same harsh realities that were forced upon many other bands of the era.

13. “You Can’t Keep a Bad Man Down” – Electric Frankenstein (Morphius, 2004) – Great Nomads cover

14. “For Your Love” – Ed Townsend (Capitol, 1958) Townsend was an American attorney, songwriter, and producer. He was best known for performing his composition, "For Your Love," a rhythm and blues doo wop classic, and as the co-writer of "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye.

15. “Dance USA!” – The Shoremen (Wynwood, 1966, Baltimore)

16. “Don’t Nobody Move” – Lee Lawrence (Columbia, 1956)

17. “I’ve Got Something to Say” – The Interns (Eastwood, 1967, Ohio)

18. “Cherry Pie” – Skip & Flip (Brent, 1960) Wiki: “Once known as The Rockabillies, they recorded on Rev Records as The Pledges and then as Gary & Clyde. Time Records picked up their Rev master, "Why Not Confess" / "Johnny Risk", and then moved them to its Brent Records label, under the name Skip And Flip. Their recording of Paxton's song "It Was I" entered the U.S. Top 20 in 1959, peaking at #11, and the follow-up, "Fancy Nancy", charted at #71. Their next release, a revival of Marvin And Johnny's R&B hit single, "Cherry Pie," also made #11 but proved to be their last chart entry together.
Paxton went on to record under several labels and several names, including the Hollywood Argyles, who topped the charts in 1960 with the novelty song, "Alley-Oop". He also had hits as a producer and label owner. One of his productions included "Monster Mash", by Bobby "Boris" Pickett.[citation needed]
Paxton later started the Bakersfield International label in the mid-1960s, attempting to cash in on the Bakersfield sound, recording out of a converted Flxible Flyer bus, in which he built a mobile 8-track recording studio, working with a number of musicians. These including several who later went on to play in The Byrds and other country rock acts of the era, including the Reasons (aka Nashville West, featuring Gene Parsons), Clarence White, Gib Gilbeau, and Wayne Moore), the Gosdin Brothers, and Dennis Payne. Many of these sessions ended up on low-budget releases and exploitative covers albums, such as Guitar Country by 'Bakersfield's Big Guitars' on Jasico Records, by 'Bakersfield's Big Guitars'. It would appear that Paxton sold these sessions to other labels to finance projects closer to his own heart.[citation needed]
Paxton moved to Nashville in the early 1970s, recorded several country albums under his own name, and is now a noted personality in the gospel music world.
Battin recorded on Indigo Records, May Records, Groove Records, Audicon Records and Signpost Records. He played in such groups as Evergreen Blueshoes, The Byrds, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as session work with a wide variety of artists.”

19. “Gimme Your Love” – Mark & the Spies – from the fantastic new album, “Give Me a Look”

20. “Talk to Me” – Sunny & the Sunglows (Tear Drop, 1963) Wiki: “Sunny & the Sunglows (later known as Sunny & the Sunliners) were an American musical group formed in 1959 in San Antonio, Texas.
The group's members were all chicanos, and their style was a blend of rhythm and blues, tejano, blues, and mariachi.[1] They first recorded in 1962 for their own label, Sunglow. Okeh Records picked up their single "Golly Gee" for national distribution that year, and in 1963, Huey Meaux, a producer from Louisiana and owner of Tear Drop Records, had them record a cover version of Little Willie John's 1958 hit, "Talk to Me". The single (b/w "Every Week, Every Month, Every Year"), released on Tear Drop Records (#3014), went to #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart, #12 on the US Black Singles chart and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1963.[2] The group followed this release with several further covers - "Rags to Riches" (Tony Bennett) b/w "Not Even Judgment Day", "Out of Sight-Out of Mind" (The Five Keys) b/w "No One Else Will Do", and "La Cacahuata" (The Peanuts) b/w "Happy Hippo".

21. “Sister Love” – The Liverpool Five (RCA, 1966, London) Wiki: “The Liverpool Five were a rock and roll quintet that was part of the British Invasion of the 1960s. The five members of the band came to the United States by way of Japan in 1965.
Formed in England in 1963 as the Steve Laine Combo, the group comprised Steve Laine (lead vocals), Ken Cox (guitar and vocals), Dave Burgess (bass and vocals), Ron Henley (keyboards, sax and vocals) and Jimmy May (drums and vocals). Despite the name, none of the group members were from Liverpool; All were Londoners except Burgess, who hailed from Cumbria.[1]
The group played in many major cities in Europe and Asia before achieving their greatest success in the United States, especially between 1965 and 1967. In Europe they recorded one album for CBS entitled Tokio International. In the United States, under contract with RCA Victor, the group released a number of singles produced by multiple Grammy award winner Al Schmitt, all of which were successful in regional markets[citation needed]. In 1966, their recording of "Any Way That You Want Me" would mark their only appearance on the national charts, spending one week on the Billboard Hot 100 at #98.[2]
The band played all over the United States with major artists including the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, Chad and Jeremy and the Righteous Brothers . They also played on many television shows such as American Bandstand, Where the Action Is, Hullabaloo and many music shows on local stations throughout the US.
Two albums on RCA, Arrive (LSP 3583) in 1966 and Out of Sight (LSP 3682) in 1967 were reasonably successful for the group, particularly in the Pacific NorthWest.[citation needed] The group disbanded in 1968 and by then Freddi Dennis from Spokane, Washington had replaced Dave Burgess on bass. Their many records and CDs remain available on the Internet.
In April, 2008 Sundazed Records released a CD with 18 of the group's RCA recordings that they have remastered and packaged as "The Best of the Liverpool Five" (SC11158).
More recently two videos featuring the group have turned up on YouTube. Each clip includes three songs. The sites are "Nuggets from the Liverpool Five (Part 1) and (Part 2)". Part 1 includes "She's Mine", "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" and "Too Far Out". Part 2 includes " Sister Love", "She's Got Plenty of Love" and "Any Way That You Want Me".

22. “(Down At) Papa Joe’s” – The Dixiebelles (Sound Stage, 1963) AMG: “The Memphis-based Dixie Belles enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight in 1963, when they scored a Top Ten pop hit with their first single, "(Down At) Papa Joe's." They had a Top 20 follow-up hit as well, with "Southtown U.S.A." Mary Hunt, Mildred Pratcher, and Shirley Thomas had previously worked as backup singers around the South, but their career really began to take off in 1963 after they met producer Bill Justis, the man behind the boards for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis in the 1950s. Justis even had his own measure of success with an instrumental hit, "Raunchy." Fred Foster, the president of Monument Records, signed Justis and his protégés to his label and chose for their first single the unusual "(Down At) Papa Joe's," which began with the girls laughing uncontrollably to the sound of Dixieland-styled piano and continued into an ode to an old saloon where "they serve fried-chicken and collard greens." The song proved to be quite popular, climbing to number nine on the pop charts, and even prompted a soundalike follow-up, "Southtown U.S.A.," which bounded into the Top 20.

An album produced by Bill Justis called (Down At) Papa Joe's (engineered by Billy Sherrill) was quickly released. Now considered a rarity, it was followed by the Dixie Belles' third single, which followed the style of their two previous hits. This one, however, didn't click and despite quite a bit of airplay, it failed to make the Top 100. The Dixie Belles were dropped from Monument and no other singles followed. The group presumably went their separate ways and it is not known if they ever regrouped to tour.”

23. “Nothing But a Heartache” – Detroit Cobras – cover of the Flirtations, this is the highlight of their 2007 release, “Tied and True”

24. “Love is a Beautiful Thing” – We the People (RCA, 1967, Orlando)

25. “She’s Just a Girl on the Block” – The Zeros (Bomp, 1992) It doesn't have the polish or production that the Briefs' cover has, which is what I like about this overlooked version.

26. “Bop Hop” – Little Jimmy Dempsey (Fox, 1958)

27. “Things Come Back to You” – The Embrooks (Dionysus, 2000) AMG: “The Embrooks are not so much a mod revival outfit -- although that description would certainly do -- as a freakbeat revival group, if that mini-genre could be coined. Their sound is very much 1966-based, owing a great deal to the mod power pop sound of the Who and Who-type British acts of that time, as well as some to Continental (particularly Dutch) mid-'60s bands. There's enough guitar distortion tinge to their rave-ups to qualify for the freakbeat tag: mod on the verge of becoming psychedelic, but retaining a hard guitar pop base. The trio was formed in late 1996 by bassist/vocalist Mole (ex-Mystreated/Stewed), guitarist/vocalist Alessandro Cozzi Lepri (ex-Head & the Hares), and drummer Lois Tozer. As of 2000 they had released two albums and four singles/EPs, with their American debut, Our New Day, issued by Voxx that year.”

28. “Think Nothing About It” – Gene Chandler (Constellation, 1964) – Curtis Mayfield on backing vocals

29. “Just the Way it Used to Be” – Gary & the Counts (Ripcord, 1966, Mountain View, CA)

30. “She’s Coming Home” – The Thanes – it’s not the Blues Magoos, but that’s okay, it’s the Thanes!