Hondells (the) - Go Little Honda

Name: The Hondells
Album: Go Little Honda
Year: 1964
Style: Oldies, Pop
Similar Bands: Beach Boys, Ventures, Jan & Dean, Man or Astro-Man?
"One-Word" Review: Racing Advertisement Surf Pop
Based Out Of: SoCal
Label: Mercury Record Corp.

Go Little Honda (1964)

1. Little Honda 2:03 (Beach Boys cover)
2. Mean Streak 2:00
3. A Guy Without Wheels 2:05
4. The Wild One 2:05
5. Haulin' Honda 2:30 (instrumental)
6. Hot Rod High  2:10 /
7. Death Valley Run 1:55
8. Two Wheel Show Stopper 2:15 
9. Black Boots and Bikes 3:00 (instrumental)
10. Ridin' Trails 2:16
11. Hon-Da Beach Party 2:17 (instrumental)
12. Rip's Bike 2:00 (instrumental)

Album Rating (1-10): 8.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Nick Venet - Director
• Ben-Ven Productions - Producer
• Gary Usher - Arrangement, Song Writer, Guitar (Brian Wilson, Beach Boys, Dick Dale many)
• James R. Silke - Cover Design & Photo
• Rex Updegraph - Recording Engineer
• Roger Christian - Song Writer, Write-up (KFWB Radio)
• Ritchie Burns - Vox, Bass (Competitors, Customs, Four Speeds, Ghouls, Knights, Sunsets, Super Stocks)
• Richie Podolor - Guitar (Bruce & Jerry, La Batterie, Richie Allen & Pacific Surfers, Renegades, Super Stocks, Phil Seymour Iron Butterfly, lots )
• Glenn Campbell - Guitar (you know...)
• Al DeLory - Piano (Donovan, Avalanches, Bob B Soxx & the Blue Jeans, Phil Spector, Wayne Newton, many)
• Tommy Tedesco - (Dave Pell octet, Eddie Cano & Sextet, Emil Richards & Microtonal Blues Band, Avalanches, The In Group, Piltdown Men, 
• Wayne Edwards - Drums (Emeralds, The Mixtures, martin Mul, Maya Angelou, more creds )
• Chuck Girard - Vox (Castells, Chuck & Joe, Love Song, Six the Hard Way, Knights, Voices for the Unborn, Sagittarius, Randall Waller, Tommy Coomes, Debby Boone, Terry Scott Taylor, Super Stocks, Alisa Childers, Tim Moon, Revells, Maranatha Singers, Ambrosia )
• Joe Kelly - Vox (Castells, Chuck & Joe, Six the Hard Way)
• Bill Cooper (Ghouls, Super Stocks, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, John Kay, Stan Kenton Tribute Band, Fountan of Youth more)
• Mike Curb (Rebelaries, Waterfall, Congregation, Productions, Teenage Rebellion, 18th Cenrtury Concepts, Jerry Styner, Michael Lloyd, Billy Strange, Davie Allan & the Arrows others)

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, but they are definitely using Hondas in place of the Beach Boys surf boards, so i assume the sound will be the same. Not sure if this was a promotional band put together by Honda to promote it's own product, or if these lads really like Hondas.

Album Review: The album / band was put together by Gary Usher, who was responsible for many other bands at the time, where he'd bring in a rotation of studio folks to record an album under a new band name. This band featured Glenn Campbell, and they have been featured in three films: Beach Blanket Bingo, Ski Party and Beach Ball. Hondells were inspired by the popularity of the Honda motor bike, which were made for everyone, rather than roughnecks and a negative crowd. The Single Little Honda was written by Brian Wilson & Mike Love, but gifted to the Hondells after the Beach Boys released it on All Summer Long

Stand Out Track: Little Honda, Hot Rod High

Links:
spotify album
wiki
imdb
Discogs
Mental itch
allmusic
song facts
jerry reuss
facebook
pod-o-matic
Record Collector
one hit wonders

(the) Buggs - The Beetle Beat

Name: The Buggs

Album: The Beetle Beat

Year: 1964

Style: Beatles Rip-Off, Vocal Pop Group

Similar Bands: Beatles, Kingston Trio, Liverpool Beats,

"One-Word" Review: An American's British  Bandwagon Ride

Based Out Of: Bergen County, NY

Label: Coronet

 The Beetle Beat - Cover & Record

The Beetle Beat - Back & Record

The Beetle Beat (1964)

1. I Want to Hold Your Hand 2:11
2. Mersey Mercy (You've Got Me Bugged) 2:47
3. Soho Man (Just One Look) 2:06
4. East End (Since You Broke My Heart) 2:27
5. London Town Swing (Why Can't You Love the Boy Who Loves You) 2:04 /
6. She Loves You 2:23
7. Liverpool Drag (Why Won't You Leave That Man?) 2:13
8. Swingin' Thames (That's For Sure) 2:09
9. Big Ben Hop (Sassy Sue) 2:20
10. Teddy Boy Stomp (I'll Never Leave You) 2:37

Album Rating (1-10): 8.5

Members & Other Bands:
Goldie Goldman - Producer

Bill Omolski - Bass

Gary Wright - Organ, Vox

Frank Zillitto - Guitar

Steve Bogue - Drums

Eddie Brick - Vox

Jimmy Carol - Vox

Trade Martin - various instruments

Unknown-ness: I've never heard this Beatles rip-off band, but I can only assume it is a poor man's version of the Beatles, created to trying to coax unsuspecting mothers out to buy their snotty, complaining kid a Beatles album. There is not much room to dispute that his will be a shameless parody of the Beatles. 

Album Review: So there is a big, shady side to the 60’s music industry represented here with this album, which makes for a more exciting story than the album (which is a surprisingly solid set of songs). Apparently, this band was called the Coachmen 5, and after recording these songs with a hired hand songwriter, the NJ group (definitely not recorded in England) was under the impression that it would be their album. They had no idea the label would rename the group, rename the songs to sound more British, and use British looking models for the cover. The real band saw no royalties and the Coachmen 5 suffered from the travesty. Many mothers bought this album for their kids, not knowing it wasn’t a Beatles album. Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo was one such disappointed owner of the album, which helped him pen the song “U Got Me Bugged” in tribute. 

But the whole thing gets weirder. In 1966, when the music scene shifted ever so slightly, and Go-Go music began to take off, the record label repackaged the unsold records in their inventory with a new cover and title: “Boots a Go-Go.” They left off all the track listings to make people think it was a new Buggs album. At least Gary Wright escaped the whole ordeal mentally intact, since he was able to have a secondary career as a solo artist, having written “Dream Weaver.” Perhaps all of these experienced learned him as to what NOT to go in the music industry.

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” is a cover of the Beatles song. You know the song. They can’t hit all the notes, but musically it is a solid cover. Well, the guitar might not sound as punchy, but they do a good enough job, without sounding as silly as the Liverpool Beats rip off.

“Mersey Mercy (You've Got Me Bugged)” follows with a similar sounding guitar, and is definitely a Beatles inspired song. It has a little more of an island sound to it, like the Beatles mid-tempo Hard Days Night songs and the harmonies are layered well.

“Soho Man (Just One Look)” is a cover of the Doris Troy 1963 hit song, which the Hollies covered and also helped make famous. His version drops off the romantic longing, and goes for a punchy rushed pop tempo. So they make it their own rather than doing a soulful version. It is done well, like how the Beatles might have interpreted the song.

“East End (Since You Broke My Heart)” is a slow dance song, more in line with the male harmonic vocal groups of the time, and less like the Beatles. There are sweeping harmonies over the chorus, but this trys to hang on to the style of music like the Bachelors, with a crooning at the school dance vibe. Like a less catchy Earth Angel.

“London Town Swing (Why Can't You Love the Boy Who Loves You)” starts out with a big, heavy guitar sound, and a snare drum waltz tempo. At its base, it has a “Little Drummer Boy” feel all the way through.

“She Loves You” is a cover of the Beatles song. It is a pretty faithful cover, utilizing the backing harmonic vocals, and powerful punches when the title is sung, along with whooooo’s and hand clap percussion.

“Liverpool Drag (Why Won't You Leave That Man?)” continues the spirit of many of the songs of the era…questioning and/or embracing love on a high school level. This song twists the I Want to Hold Your Hand melody around a little to create this variation.

“Swingin' Thames (That's For Sure)” has a side to side, slightly proto-psychedelic bass line that is prevalent to the song. Even the organ comes in bring a psych element. It feels like it was meant to be a country-ish song. It fades out once the tempo and melody changes to something repetitive.

“Big Ben Hop (Sassy Sue)” begins very delicate for 10 seconds, but then it transitions into a  Buddy Holly style song played by the Beatles. It features “Yeah yeah Yeah” flourishes as well. Sure, the vocals don’t always have a commanding grasp on the extended and raised notes that make take the tooo-OOO or meee-EEEE up an octave. But the pace and tone of the song is fun and dance-y.

“Teddy Boy Stomp (I'll Never Leave You)” has a jittery guitar at the beginning with Dat-a-dums sung overtop and a “whoop” used to end a few lyric lines. The lyrics mention floating on clouds above, and the song feels like it is rolling along a rollercoaster up in the clouds. 

Stand Out Track: Big Ben Hop (Sassy Sue) 

Links:
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Scar Stuff

The (Liverpool) Beats - The Merseyside Sound

Name: Beats (some blogs say this is The Liverpool Beats or Billy Pepper & the Pepperpots)
Album: The Merseyside Sound
Year: 1964
Style: Beatles, Surf, Oldies
Similar Bands: Beatles, Buggs, Beach Boys
"One-Word" Review: not-the-Beatles? you-don't-say.
Based Out Of: Liverpool, England? / New Jersey?
Label: Stereo Spectrum Records, Pickwick International

Merseyside Sound - Cover & Record
Merseyside Sound - Back & Record

Merseyside Sound(1964)

1. I Want to Hold Your Hand 2:28
2. This Is What I Mean 3:09
3. Tell Me I'm The One 2:39
4. Joshua 2:20
5. Maybe I Will 2:27 /
6. I Saw Her Standing There 3:01
7. Seems To Me 2:06
8. Got to Get Another Girl 2:52
9. Your Kind of Love 2:00
10. There I Go 2:40

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

Bill Shepherd (Pepper) ?
Jimmy Fraser ?

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of these guys specifically, but all signs point to a generic Beatles rip off, if they do not have any credit of their own. And to my knowledge, they don’t, but I don’t know much about the genre of music surrounding the Beatles. Just from the cover, they are obviously trying to gain fans and sales from the now iconic imagery the Beatles used. This is an odd record, where there is no back or bio about the band at all: just ads for other records.

Album Review: After doing a little research, I discovered a whole bunch of things, but nothing concrete, thanks to the fact that there is no info printed on the packaging. Understand that with the legions of Beatles fans comes mass speculation and rumors about other rip-off bands from the era. Some of the theories suggest that this record is from a Liverpool based band called the Liverpool Beats. Others suggest that this is actually a record featuring Billy Shepherd of Billy Pepper and the Pepper Pots. Some advise that this is an American Beatles-stylized version produced out of a garage in NJ. Some say that Lou Reed is in one of the pictures on the cover, but not necessarily in the band. Some say that this album was repackaged and reproduced with the same track listing 3+ different times with 3+ different versions of the cover. And it has a large span of critics that say anything from “It ain’t that bad” to “this is horrible.”

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” is obviously a cover of the Beatles poplar song. As if it were a reference/map key to the entire album, it says “Ok, you know this song, and here is what we do with it. Interpret the rest of the album with that comparison” It begins musically comparable. But the vocals are quite different. In their own right they are a little more brash, and “ghetto” not as smooth or English as the Beatles. It has the same back beat, and well, there is no need really describing the song. It is good, and they don’t ruin it, but it is not quite the same. I could see how people might think (and that it might be true) that these guys were not English.
“This Is What I Mean” kind of sounds like Alan Partridge purposely mauling a Beatles style song. The song is pleasant and has all the characteristics of the Liverpool sound: jangley guitar, near-surf percussion/bass beats. But the vocals are more aggressive than what the Beatles offer.
“Tell Me I'm The One” issues the typical theme of the era’s songs: questioning love, and the beats are all upbeat, happy and jolly. But the song is one dimentional, and does not have the passion that made the Beatles famous.
“Joshua” is a near-psychedelic version of “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho.” But they dropped out many of the catchy melodies from the traditional folk song, and left it a flat mess. And the melodies that they add/change don’t seem complimentary to the song, or even their rendition of it.
“Maybe I Will” features some Ohh-wop-doo-wop back ground fillers, which don’t really fit in very well. But the verse’s melody is fun to follow along with. This borders between slow dance ballad and poppy dance hit...I’m not sure what the kids would be doing to this song out on the dance floor

“I Saw Her Standing There” is also a cover of the Beatles popular hit. The song doesn’t get past the first verse, and his voice breaks. The harmonizing on the held note of “miiiiiiiine” seems to falter from fatigue. The song itself is obviously fun, bouncy and good, and they don’t necessarily butcher it, so it is a descent cover. The vocals (aside from the initial crack) are strong and aid the song in its optimistic tone.
“Seems To Me” is more along the lines of a slow Beach Boys ballad, with surf-inspired Oooo-weeee-ooos and the overall oceanic musical production.
“Got to Get Another Girl” is a fun original with tempo changes and breaks and a rollicking melody. It is a continuously building song with quick deliveries in its musical flow. This is probably the best original song the have on this record so far.
“Your Kind of Love” sounds like it lacks the energy and confidence it would need to be a hit. The nasally held notes never launch into the next verse as powerfully as they could.
“There I Go” seems like it will start out slow, but it picks up into a gently head nodding song. There are a few places where they let the music play out without vocals, but not much, most of these songs are steady sung tunes. This too feels like a beach/surf number, mostly because of the harmonized, multiple layered lead vocal echoes like it is sung in a cave.

Stand Out Track: I Want To Hold Your Hand

Links:

Revolution 9 forum chain

Allmusic

Frank's Vinyl Museum

Amazon...different version

Myspace Forum...American band?

Bachelors (the) - Presenting:

Artist: The Bachelors
Album: Presenting: The Bachelors
Year: 1964
Style: Folk, Easy Listening pop
Similar Bands: Folk-barbershop
Based Out of: Dublin Ireland
Label: London ffrr

Presenting: The Bachelors Varient Cover Fronts

Presenting: The Bachelors Cover Back & Side 1

Presenting: The Bachelors
1. Diane (sample) 2.48
2. Whispering (sample) 2.20
3. You'll Never Walk Alone (sample) 2.41
4. Moments to Remember 2.31
5. With These Hands 2.31
6. Only You 2.10/
7. Charmaine (sample) 2.31
8. I Believe (sample) 2.00
9. Dream 2.20
10. If 2.06
11. Whispering Grass 2.10
12. Old Bill 2.39

Album Rating (1-10):
2

Members & Other Bands:
Con Cluskey (Harmonichords)
Dec Cluskey (Harmonichords)
John Stokes (Harmonichords)
Shel Talmy
Mike Stone
Dick Rowe - Producer

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of this band. But from the cover and the images on the back, I figured they would be something along the lines of the Beach Boys, or Jay & The Americans. Both records have the same songs and back, the difference is that Diane does not appear on one cover.

Album Review: At first listen, the harmonized voices clearly remind me of a barbershop Quartet. I tried listening to the whole album, trying to find something to really enjoy, something that captured that simple pop tradition of catchy verse-chorus repeat and fade out. But nothing like that should be expected, and has been not been found. On this record are very slow country-ish tunes, that thump along, setting a relaxed mood without pace. Like a slow Sunday drive, the songs take their time to hang in the air and float by in slow-motion. The vocal Harmonies are pretty, but to me, they are simply pretty dull. I suppose if I knew what to expect, I probably would not have purchased this record. Such is the gamble when trying to find new (to me) bands for a dollar an album. However, I still feel I should add that this is just because the music is not appealing to me. It is not necessarily bad (I mean, they were a better selling band in 1964 than the Beatles), I just cannot jump onto this bandwagon of music and enjoy it.

Stand Out Track:
Whispering

Links:
Bachelors Wikipedia
Bachelors Allmusic
Con & Dec Bachelors Webpage current
Con & Dec Bachelors Myspace
Youtube with 4 Con & Dec Bachelors Videos
John Bachelors website