REVENGE OF THE AMPHETAMINE GENERATION
- A collection of UK Freakbeat, Punk & R&B acetates from the 60's -
Needle-drop of Dig The Fuzz (DIG 023), 1997.
01. unknown - I Need You
02. unknown - View From The Circle
03. unknown - Tiger Girl
04. Thor - Lindsay Davis
05. unknown - House Of Love
06. Psychotic Reaction - Oh Misery
07. Psychotic Reaction - Be My Girl
08. The Quakers - She's Alright
09. The Saxons - Right Throughly
10. David John & The Mood - Digging For Gold (demo version)
11. The Poison Ivy - Sure Know A Lot About Love
12. Blues Conqueroos - Pretty Polly
13. The Plebs - I'm A Man
14. Teddy Wadmore - Buzz With The Fuzz
15. The Muleskinners - Need Your Lovin'
A killer collection of privately recorded 60's UK Freakbeat, Punk and R&B rescued from acetates and obscure pressings. The sound is primitive and certainly lacks that popular Hi-Fidelity production... Cool!
"I want to see the green grass growing one more time"
Revenge of... THE AMPHETAMINE GENERATION contains
naughty recordings by childish young men from the
U.K. who should know better, it's not big & it's
not clever (but it is COOL) Enjoy!!
This long playing record is limited to 800 copies
only. This is No. ___/800.
DIG THE FUZZ Records, June, 1997
Quote:
Side 1
1. UNKNOWN #1 - I Need You
2. UNKNOWN #1 - View From The Circle
Regretably nothing is known about the group behind this
double-sided slab of freakbeat from '66 except that they were
produced by Phil Solomons.
Discography:
- I Need You c/w View From The Circle
(Belgravia Music) Emidisc acetate
3. UNKNOWN #2 - Tiger Girl
Again the identity of the group behind this next gem - "Tiger
Girl", a Mod Punk stomper - has been lost with time. Its flip
contains an interesting cover of a Country Joe and The Fish
number which dates this recording to '67.
Discography:
- Tiger Girl c/w Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine
Emidisc acetate
4. THOR - Lindsay Davis
Rather than the late sixties pop evident on their other
acetate (compiled on "Syde Tryps Three"), this mysterious
Berkshire group this time deliver a real psych-trip complete
with pounding drums and generous helpings of organ.
Discography:
- Lindsay Davis c/w You're My Cream
Brindwinnen Enterprises Microgroove Vinyl Acetate acetate
5. UNKNOWN #3 - House Of Love
Written by Grainger/Jones, this recording possibly represents
an earlier demo by THE FLIES - who went on to record this
number as the A-side of their second single in early '67 (Decca, F.12594) - albeit
in a much more polished form.
Discography:
- House Of Love c/w ---
Emidisc acetate
6. PSYCHOTIC REACTION - Oh Misery
7. PSYCHOTIC REACTION - Be My Girl
These deranged 1966 recordings from the Hollick & Taylor studios in Handsworth,
Birmingham more than justifies this obscure groups moniker who surely were the
amphetamine generation...
Discography:
- Be My Girl c/w Oh Misery
Hollick & Taylor, HT SP 1127
SIDE 2
8. THE QUAKERS - She's Alright
Billed as "Almost Legendary Quakers" - this Melton,
Leicestershire group's first vinyl excursion more than justifies the
self congratulation. Recorded privately in August '64 at
Northampton's Studio 36, both sides perfectly captures their wild
R&B sound - which is somewhat lacking in their Oriole debut
from 29th January 1965.
Personnel:
Dave Dene - vocals, Terry Muse - bass guitar, Howard Perks - drums, Mick White - lead guitar
Discography:
- She's Alright c/w Talk To Me (Studio 36, N.S.R.S. KSP 109/110)
- I'm Ready c/w Down The Road Apiece (Oriole, CB 1992)
9. THE SAXONS - Right Throughly
Not the five man group who recorded a Joe Meek produced single
for Decca in '65 - but an entirely different group from Exeter,
whose only recording is this privately recorded E.P. from '64.
Described as "a song of heartbreak and despair a lament of love's
labours lost" the poetic sleeve notes give little warning of the
distorted punk track to come!
Personnel:
Chris Cooper - lead guitar, Chet Devlin - vocals,
Brian Ellery - rhythm guitar, John Townsend - drums
Discography:
"Draggin' Around" E.P. (P/SL):
Draggin' Around / Cagewalk c/w Right Throughly / Looking Everywhere
(Rondo, GSP EP 9100/9101)
10. DAVID JOHN AND THE MOOD - Digging For Gold
This highly reknown R&B group from Preston managed to record 3 now much sought
after singles between '64-'65, that last two of which were produced by
Joe Meek. David John was none other than W.C. Charnley - who
wrote the A-side of their first and B-sides of their subsequent singles.
The sound evident on this more melodic demo was never quite
captured on the released single which was otherwise swamped in a
typical RGM production.
Discography:
- To Catch That Man c/w Pretty Thing (Vocalion, V 9220)
- Bring It To Jerome c/w I Love To See You Strut (Parlophone, R 5255)
- Digging For Gold (demo) c/w --- (Regent Sound acetate)
- Digging For Gold c/w She's Fine (Parlophone, R 5301)
11. THE POISON IVY - Sure Know A Lot About Love
The Granta label from Cambridge has previously been linked with
members of the early PINK FLOYD who in 1964 were students in
the city - though this is likely to be the only connection between the
two groups. The four tracks contained on the E.P. feature spirited
cover versions marred only by the primitive nature of the recording
facilities.
Discography:
"Clinging Memories" E.P. (A/SL):
Dimples / I Got My Mojo Working c/w Sure Know A Lot About Love / My Baby Left Me
(Granta, G.R. 7EP 1011)
12. BLUES CONQUEROOS - Pretty Polly
Apart from it being recorded at a small studio in Soho, London,
there are few other details available concerning this group -
though one member may have been Dave Manvell.
Discography:
- Pretty Polly c/w --- (Sonotape Ltd. acetate)
13. THE PLEBS - I'm A Man
Judging from the crude sound evident on this L.P. from '65, it would
seem unlikely this is the same group whi delivered a rather
accomplished performance as their Decca debut from October '64
- Bad Blood c/w Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (F. 12006). Their
interpretation of "I'm A Man" is a rather deranged version of
this old standard and is the strongest track on the L.P.
Personnel includes:
Dandy Horn - drums, Edward Lond - ?, Neal Steeper - bass guitar, (plus two others)
Discography:
"Half An Hour With The Plebs" (One-sided 12" L.P.):
Instrumental / Fever / Ecstacy / Walking The Blues / I'm A Man / Johnny Be Goode
Honey Don't / Take A Look At Yourself / Whole Lotta Shaking Going On / Instrumental
14. TEDDY WADMORE - Buzz With The Fuzz
Suitably, this demonstration acetate from June '64 was initially sent
to the headquarters of the satirical "Private Eye" magazine -
predating the version by Chris Farlowe And The Thunderbirds
(Columbia, DB 7614) from July '65 which was itself hastily
withdrawn as a consequence of pressure from the establishment
for fear of ridiculing the police force. Teddy Wadmore never
officially recorded (and is presumably still doing time).
Discography:
- Buzz With The Fuzz c/w What's Wrong Baby
(I.B.C. acetate)
15. THE MULESKINNERS - Need Your Lovin'
We close the L.P. with a track from the legendary private E.P. by cult Hounslow R&B
group The Muleskinners - most memorable for including in their line-up Ian McLagen
prior to him joining THE SMALL FACES. The group penned "Need Your Lovin'" -
was recorded in a much more restrained form as the B-side of their sole reel-to-reel
tape demo of "Muleskinner Blues" and later went on to record "I Am The Giver Of
All Things" as a flexidisc for "OZ" magazine in '66 though all copied were destroyed
- the group splitting soon after.
Personnel:
Terry Brennan - vocals, Peter Brown - bass guitar, Mick Carpenter - drums,
Ian McLagen - rhythm guitar & organ, Dave Pether - lead guitar, Nick Twedell - harmonica
Discography:
Promo E.P.:
Why Don't You Write To Me? / Back Door Man c/w Untie Me / Need Your Lovin'
(Keepoint, KEE-EP-7103/7104)
- Back Door Man c/w Need Your Lovin' (Fontana, TF 527)
Compiled, Documented & Prescribed for Dig The Fuzz Records.
[c] Purple Heart Archives.
____________________________________________________________________
REVIEW BY MIKE STAX (Originally published in Ugly Things #16, 1998):
From the same archive that brought you the amazing Purple Heart Surgery series, this latest installment features upgraded packaging and equally righteous, never before released UK Beat/R&B acetates circa 1965-67.
The set opens with "I Need You" and "View From The Circle", a couple of fuzz-scorched Mod R&B shakers, featuring soulful vocals and the kind of hard-drivin' drumbeats that instantly fill a dance floor: dynamite stuff by an unnamed band on a Phil Solomons-produced acetate.
Equally boggling to the mind is Thor's "Lindsay Davis", a moody freakbeat piece featuring eerie harmonies and great organ sounds suspended over a relentless charging jungle drum beat: breathtaking!
The Birmingham-based Psychotic Reaction came up with some decidedly psychotic action on their two-sided acetate; both "Oh Misery" and "Be My Girl" are tough, rough-round-the-edges garage punkers - almost American-sounding, in fact.
Of the "known" identities, listeners will no doubt be familiar with David John & The Mood, but not this previously unreleased version of "Diggin' For Gold", a Lee Dorseyesque, atmospheric R&B performance which pre-dates the vastly different version they cut with Joe Meek.
You'll also hear The Muleskinners, featuring future Small Face Ian MacLagen. "Need Your Lovin'" is an excellent R&B cut that was later re-recorded for release on Fontana.
The Quakers' "She's Alright", a strong R&Beat shouter, actually saw a vinyl release circa `65, albeit on the tiny Studio 36 label (this track also crops up on English Freakbeat Vol 3), as did The Poison Ivy's crude, stompin' version of "Sure Know A Lot About Love", on Cambridge-based Granta.
What else? Well, Teddy Wadmore's "Buzz With The Fuzz" easily outbuzzes Chris Farlowe's (later) version; there's more Punk R&B from the Blues Conqueroos and The Plebs, a great demo version of The Flies' "House Of Love", and... well, why go on? I honestly can't think of a single reason why anyone reading this shouldn't buy Revenge Of The Amphetamine Generation immediately. So, presuming the 800 copy limited edition isn't already sold out, go get it, and then send me a thank you letter for my always sterling advice.
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