Teddy & The Pandas – Basic Magnetism (1968)

Artist: Teddy & The Pandas
Title: Basic Magnetism
Year: 1968
Format: LP
Label: Tower

Teddy & The Pandas was an American group, formed in 1963 as the Sensations in Beverly, Massachusetts. The band originally consisted of Al Lawrence on vocals, Billy Corelle on bass, Ralph Cooper on drums, Joe Daly on guitar, and Dick Winters on saxophone.

Shortly thereafter, the group added Dick Guerrette on keyboards, and guitarist William “Teddy” Dewart, while Winters moved on. In 1964, Jerry Labrecque replaced drummer Ralph Cooper, finalizing the line-up that was to become known as Teddy & The Pandas.

Teddy & The Pandas released five singles from 1966 to 1968, in addition to one album. During their heyday, Teddy and The Pandas toured with The Beach Boys, The Dave Clark Five, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and Paul Revere & The Raiders, and were also part of Gene Pitney’s 1966 tour

In addition to their appearance on Where The Action Is, the band performed on Cleveland’s Upbeat TV television program. Excluding a handful of appearances on 1980s compilation albums, the music of Teddy & The Pandas has generally been unavailable since the group’s disbanding in 1969. (Wikipedia)

Track Listing

1. Childhood Friends
2. Kona, Idaho
3. Shine A Little Light
4. 69 Days ‘Till September
5. Running From Love
6. Basic Magnetism
7. Crossing Man
8. At The Debutantes’ Ball
9. Look Back In Love (Not In Anger)
10. Raspberry Salesman
11. Once Upon A Time [bonus Coristine 45 A-side]
12. (Bye Bye) Out The Window [bonus Coristine 45 B-side]
13. We Can’t Go On This Way [bonus Musicor 45 A-side]
14. Smokey Fire [bonus Musicor 45 B-side]
15. Searchin’ For The Good Times [bonus Musicor 45 A-side]
16. Sunnyside Up [bonus Musicor 45 B-side]
17. The Lovelight [bonus Timbri 45 A-side]
18. A Day In The City [bonus Timbri 45 B-side]

Jaim – The Preservation Of The Hereafter (1970)

Artist: Jaim
Title: The Preservation Of The Hereafter
Year: 1970
Format: LP
Label: Ethereal

Jaim’s second album “The Preservation Of The Hereafter” is a mystery in terms of release, the album was “released” inside of later released copies of their first album “Prophecy Fulfilled” (see December 8, 2010 post) and is actually an extension of that release and could have been out-takes from that session.

Most likely recorded at the same time as “Prophecy”, the album is classic west coast pop with a production style very reminiscent of Curt Boettcher. Both albums are deserving of a decent reissue, perhaps as a two-fer.  (Tamara Bonfiglioli)

Back in December 2010, hearing Jaime (One), “Prophecy Fulfilled” for the first time, courtesy of redtelephone66, simply confirmed the value of the red phone music blog. Music from the likes of Jaime is a revelation, enabling one to listen with one’s ears and heart not to the opinions of the music press who have mainly rallied round ‘big names’ and thereby supporting the greedy ‘music industry’ who want ‘us’ to ‘buy, buy and buy’ from the same trough.

I know nothing about Jaime other than what my ears and heart inform me ie they are a couple of true ‘songsters’ ably supported by whatever studio resources were on hand to the ‘Ethereal’ label. Comparisons with Brian Wilson and Curt Boettcher are not far off the mark….cos Jaime like them were into creating ‘floral sound-scapes’ ie pop songs with credibility and ones which will appeal to lovers of melody.

My ears detect that Jaime were responding to the Brit Invasion ala The Fab Four etc a path pursued by Merry Go Round etc and Emitt Rhodes solo career in particular and it’s a Rhodes persona that I hear most strongly in Jaim’s, second offering, “The Preservation of the Hereafter”.

This second offering, is more of a stripped back affair and the songs stand out clearly like beacons to cries of “what happened to these guys”? In 2012 they have no problem in finding an audience so why not back then in post Woodstock days? Ahh therein lies the fickle nature of the public?

The songs are propelled by excellent piano and in some cases harpsichord with the orchestration kept to a minimum, however, in “Overture” they are given full rein and it washes over you like a tidal wave of angst. Throughout the ivory tinkling is beautifully accompanied by simple guitar work, with notable bass.

The album’s voices, are the Rhodes sound-alike, simply dripping with honey and a darker voice who takes us out with “When” and it is his voice which is the more haunting of the two, and haunting is how I would sum up both of Jaime’s offerings, the first a case of, ha ha, “lost classic” ie their serious attempt to make a break into The Big Time and the second a case of, hmmmmm, now just what have we got here?

What redtelephone66 has brought to our attention here, is poetry in action……these lads deserve your ears and heart…..they are the real thing…..hauntingly wonderful purveyors of beautiful, heart-tugging music…..Ethereal threw it all away…cos, maybe they didn’t know what to do with it.

Time marches on and it to is our gain that redtelephone66 continues to bring to our ears such delicate, flawed masterpieces….flawed, aha, maybe not flawed, just misunderstood….the flaw may have been in the lack of faith the boys had in their abilities to ‘make-it’ in the music industry….

There are many examples of musos who have carried on and trudged down their chosen musical path….sometimes wearied by their lack of success, but always finding something of relevance to say……e.g. David McWilliams, Ian A Anderson in music (or Ken Russell in film-land)…..Jaime I take my hat off to you and thank you from a distance for making my day…..I cannot recommend ‘The Preservation of the Hereafter’ highly enough.  (REVIEWED BY AYE AFLOAT)

Track Listing

1. Ten Thousand Lanterns
2. Key To The Treasure
3. If There’s A Way
4. Your Lucky Man
5. (No I’ll) Never Promise You A Mountain
6. (Overture) Time Came Beside Me
7. (Danello) Never Near Never Far
8. Half A Dream
9. Be My Someone
10. Just To Be Near
11. When

Newbury Park – Newbury Park (1970)

Artist: Newbury Park
Title: Newbury Park
Year: 1970
Format: LP
Label: Cream

Every so often, you come across an album that just kinda stops you in your tracks. Not because it’s great music or anything, but because there on the front cover, staring right at you, is an absolute total sixties BABE. One that you just KNOW you’re destined to meet, provided you could somehow muster up a word or two while in her presence.

I mean, let’s be honest, you didn’t REALLY like the Shocking Blue THAT much, did you? But yet you bought every album you found because that smokin’ hot chick with the deadly eyeliner called to you from every album cover, practically begging you to take her home (in Dutch, probably, but you somehow understood). And hey, for $5.98, you didn’t have to listen to it, you just propped it up on your dresser and used it when necessary.

Likewise those two babes in the Love Generation who looked like they’d rather be sauntering around the Playboy mansion in sheer pink teddies than singing, i’m sure their photo on the cover of every album didn’t hurt sales. And when we discovered that Ruth Copeland and Gal Costa actually put out some GREAT records, well, that was just a bonus. I mean, i had ‘em for three YEARS before I ever bothered to listen to ‘em.

Now, i’m not about to tell you that Newbury Park’s album is great. It’s good sunshine pop, full of breezy melodies and sumptuous girl-on-girl, er, i mean girl and boy harmonies. Or so i’ve been told. I still haven’t gotten past that cover.
Speaking personally, and this is just my own opinion of course, but that right there is my 60′s dream come true.

Two of the most AMAZING hotties in folk pop history, the perfect pair of hippie chicks. and if i were alive back then, i’d have gone to EVERY ONE of their concerts, even if they sang nothing but old sea shanties.

I don’t know what’s BEST about this photo the sexy come-hither look of the slightly-sluttier version of Michelle Phillips, the impossibly perky, gravity-defying shirt on the button-cute brunette, or the fact that these mega-babes are actually hanging out with two guys I KNOW I can take.

I mean, LOOK at those guys! They HAVE to be the girls’ brothers, right? There’s no way in H*#@ a love goddess in tight striped pants would EVER hang out with Kevin Costner’s dad, right? Where’s my time machine, for God sake?

Should you ever go so far as to actually PLAY this album (while staring at the cover), you’ll find some very pleasant gentle soft pop and breezy summer shine grooves. But again, there’s four band members on the cover and one instrument, an acoustic guitar, so what were you expecting, speed metal? “Afternoon Sky” is a great calliope circus ride of soft pop, while “I Wanna Come Home” is a slightly drunken-sounding Mamas and Papas clone that tells the story of a soldier writing home to Mom.

And Newbury Park’s cover of the Lemon Pipers‘ “Green Tambourine” is breezy soft pop heaven with four-part harmonies replacing the original sitar. It’s all deliriously happy, swinging sunshine pop bliss, just the kind of stuff you’d probably play if you were trying to get into a hot young brunette’s tight-fitting striped bellbottoms and you happened to look like Kevin Costner’s dad with a bad comb-over. Hey, don’t laugh, it looked like it worked.

Now, i’m not trying to reduce Newbury Park’s album to just another slab of T&A, okay, maybe I am, but look, this stuff’s just as good as any other soft pop coed harmony pop outfit, the Green Lyte Sunday, for example, or the Love Generation, or the Free Design, for that matter. But if you got two hot babes in your band, it’s just Smart Marketing 101 that you take advantage of it.

But lemme just reiterate, Newbury Park is MORE than just T and A, even when the T is as mesmerizing as it is on the brunette, rest assured all you sunshine pop Fading Yellow Soft Sounds for Gentle People lovers will find a bounty of beautiful new tunes on this record

These ladies DESERVE to be taken seriously as musicians, and as talented vocalists who, together, create a sound that’s as smooth and breezy as a summer’s day in 1968. Now ladies, please, give me a call sometime, okay?  (Prairie Prince Minsky)

Track Listing

1. My God And I
2. I Will Take You There
3. I Wanna Come Home
4. Green Tambourine
5. Hey Little One
6. Zip A Dee Doo Dah
7. My Own 1889
8. When I Am Young
9. You Only Know Me
10. Afternoon Sky
11. Love Now
12. Zig Zag People

The Tokens – December 5th (1971)

Artist: The Tokens
Title: December 5th
Year: 1971
Format: LP
Label: B.T. Puppy

Here’s a strange one that’s very high on collector’s lists that hardly ever shows up, and is probably just as rare as their other B. T. Puppy release, “Intercourse” and almost as rare as the Bow Street Runners‘ “self-titled” album released on the label in 1970 (see October 2, 2010 post).

An interesting, albeit uneven collection of singles, b-sides and outtakes, a few of them probably from the “It’s A Happening World” sessions (see February 20, 2010 post). There’s some vintage Tokens vocal harmonies on such tunes as “Don’t Cry Sing Along With The Music“, “I Could See Me Dancin’ With You” and “Oh To Get Away” plus a throwback to the early sound of the band, “Havin’ Fun” which sounds like it could have been a follow-up to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight“

But what makes this collection essential is the trio of cuts on side two, especially the African rhythms of “Beach Party” and the strange “Dirty Old Beach” with it’s raunchy beat and lyric including a strange moog middle section. The last of these three is the Brute Force (Stephen Friedland) original “Take A Good Hard Look“, an organ driven garage/frat-rock masterpiece which is furthest from anything the Tokens ever recorded (this might have been destined for Brute’s album “Extemporaneous” ).

Other interesting cuts are “Brick Castle” which has a “Chicago” style brass arrangement, “Magic Love” which has a similar brass arrangement but sounds more like Frankie Valle than a Tokens track, “Bye Bye Maureen & (Bye Bye Roberta)” a tribute to the Beach Boys and the album’s opener “Swing” that has sort of a bossa nova groove and like “Havin’ Fun” is a throwback to their early days. As mentioned before, a very interesting but uneven collection.  (Jack Dominilla)

Track Listing

1. Swing
2. Don’t Cry, Sing Along With The Music
3. I Could See Me Dancin’ With You
4. Magic Love
5. Goodbye Maureen & (Bye Bye Roberta)
6. Havin’ Fun
7. Beach Party
8. Dirty Old Beach
9. Take A Good Hard Look
10. Brick Castle
11. Oh To Get Away

Les Irresistibles – The Story Of Baxter Williams (1969)

Artist: Les Irresistibles
Title: The Story Of Baxter Williams
Year: 1969
Format: LP
Label: CBS Apollo

There’s not a great deal of biographical information out there on this short-lived outfit and what material is available is scrambled up, or simply wrong. As an example, they were American, not French as some references have. They didn’t start their careers in L. A. as The Beloved Ones and move to France, etc. So, for what it’s worth here’s my shot at getting it straight.

Lead guitarist Tom Arena, drummer Andy Cornelius, keyboardist Jim McMains, and his twin brother/rhythm guitarist Steve McMains met in 1967 while attending the American School of Paris.

The four shared a passion for rock and roll and started out playing parties and school dances. A couple of comments submitted with YouTube clips recall the band playing in the school cafeteria.

I’m not sure how, but the quartet somehow managed to attract the attention of CBS records which signed them to a recording contract. The fact the four were still in their teens (I think they were 17 at the time), made the signing amazing enough, but it was even more impressive when you realized they were signed in at a time when most things American were being shunned by a large segment of the French population.

Teamed with producer John Naikce, the band debuted with the 1968 single “My Year Is a Day” b/w “Baby I Need You Back Again” (CBS catalog number 3330).

The 45 attracted enough attention for CBS management to give the go ahead for an album. Teamed with producer Jean Eckian, in an amazing move CBS management apparently let the four teenagers have complete creative control of the project.

The result was 1968′s “The Story of Baxter Williams” – one of those concept albums that’s simply been lost in the midst of times. Arena and the McMains shared most of the writing credits with Frenchmen William Sheller contributed music to a couple of tracks.

Even though the lyrics and performances were all in English, the liner notes were in French so much of the plotline was lost on me. That said, judging by the back panel animation, the plot seemed to be the usual boy falls for girl (“Baxter’s First Step”)  girl stomps on boy’s heart (“Slave To Freedom”) ; crestfallen boy gives up all hope (“Fade Away”) and with nothing to live for calls it quits (“Baxter’s Last Step”).

And then the plot became indecipherable to me… Baxter’s friends either learn a lesson from his death and start looking for love (“Gotta Find Another Girl”), or maybe Baxter was just contemplating suicide and didn’t follow-thru with it, in which case a new love saves him (“The Breakthrough”). Anyone out there with a better take on the storyline, drop me a line.

Musically, commercial tracks like “Baxter’s First Step” and “To Experience” made it pretty clear they’d been listening to plenty of Chad and Jeremy, Peter and Gordon, The Bee Gees and other mid-1960s British pop groups (yes I know the Gibbs were Australian). The performances were all pretty good, if occasionally a little lightweight. (Bad Cat)

Track Listing

1. Baxter’s First Step
2. Here She Comes
3. Slave To Freedom
4. My Year Is A Day
5. Baxter’s Blues
6. Fade Away
7. Baxter Williams
8. To Experience
9. Lands Of Shadow
10. Baxter’s Last Step
11. Gotta Find Another Girl
12. The Break Through